TBone

Were the nitro cars running 1000' or the full quarter mile?

Some good racing last night.

Rodney, big thumbs up to the Track Tune app. I actually got to hear you while the cars were on track. I had my Bluetooth ear muffs that I use to listen to music while mowing.

2 hours ago, rails said:

Maybe they ended up with it because nobody else wanted it?

You probably don't pay $800,000,000 for something nobody wants.

I don't know about your last statement, but this race was great. I fully expected it to be a dumpster fire. I'm glad I was wrong.

Mike, I really like this idea. I'm talking with a friend about building a car, but it would have to be for next season. 

One comment on the rules: In the safety section, under fasteners, you've copied in a 3-layer driver suit requirement. In the roll cage section, it calls for a 1-layer suit. I'd suggest all driver suit/helmet/gloves requirements be in the safety section. And either 1 or 2 layer suits.

Lastly, in either the  first or second paragraph talking about the goal of the class, encourage experienced racers to mentor and help new racers. Racing is more fun when more of the field is competitive.

Nick keeps saying you have to strictly enforce the rules...

I like how it was a "quality control lapse." In other words, we didn't cheat good enough to not get caught. Seriously, there's no reason for a part like that to exist other than for cheating.

On 5/26/2023 at 11:11 AM, MikePeters95 said:

I can easily and should add some wording here to clarify, that the OEM is a guideline but delete the part about must be OEM, and just paint the box as 205-245 / 50-65 @ 35psi unless it's 2 year or order tire @ 25psi, 360 treadwear minimum, all four tires must match in size, OEM or OEM style wheels, tire and wheel must not protrude or stick out beyond the OEM fender line and must be within 1/2 inch of OEM offset / backspacing.  Very open to input if anyone has any, but that's a really great point you've made on some ambiguity and contradiction in wording as written at this time for potential vehicles this class is aimed at.

"2. Wheels and tires must be OEM. No aftermarket aluminum that are not OEM style. Steel police style or race style wheels are permitted, no low offset wheels that stick out beyond the fender. OEM size and offset or similar required. Tire size must be 205-245 width, a min sidewall of 50 and max of 65, and all four tires matching, with 340 or higher treadwear DOT radial.. All four tires must be same size and no stagger is allowed in any way. Tires are to be 340 treadwear minimum, with a minimum tire pressure of 35psi to be checked pre race and randomly post race. Used tires are strongly encouraged, and tires that fir the criteria directly above and have date codes older than 2 years with more than 4/32 of tread and less than 9/32nds of tread can run 25psi if all four meet this criteria. DOT radials above 340 treadwear only!!!!"


 

I've been thinking more about the wheel/tire rule.  Here's my suggestion:

2. Wheels must be OEM style. Steel police style or race style wheels are permitted. No low offset wheels that stick out beyond the fender. Tires can be a max of 245 width with a min sidewall of 50.  All four tires must be the same size, brand, and model with a minimum treadwear rating of 340. Tires must have a minimum pressure of 35psi to be checked pre-race and randomly post-race. Used tires are strongly encouraged, and tires that fit the criteria directly above and have date codes older than 2 years with more than 4/32 of tread and less than 9/32nds of tread can run 25psi if all four tires meet this criteria. DOT radials with 340 treadwear or above only!!!!"

The one thing I'm on the fence about is the tires being the same brand/model.  Mixing and matching brands can introduce some stagger, but it might also defeat the goal of used tires.

16 minutes ago, HiTech said:

 .. . i  noticed one thing  ..it sure didnt hurt  to have nascar soft wall  at that track ..  thanks to nascar .. 

Just a quick aside: The Safer Barrier research was started by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then initially funded by IRL. NASCAR got in on it a little later. It was first installed at IMS by IndyCar.

As for the race, I don't think it was a conspiracy for a Penske driver. I think they didn't want a repeat winner under the yellow flag

Thanks Mike.

I think we'd just need to keep on open mind on tires. Start with the 340 TW. And if it doesn't work on pavement, be open to change. 

And just FYI, I've been racing ChumpCar and WRL (next step up in the amateur endurance ladder) since 2011. Never raced LeMons, though. Happy to discuss tires and cross-over potential.

I don't know enough about the many cars out there to identify an overdog. But I have a few questions.

1. Weight: as raced, or listed curb weight of the stock car?

2. I'd allow something to add right front camber. Most cars have struts, so maybe limit it to slotting the strut tower. For a-arm cars, did they typically have enough adjustment to get a lot of camber?

3. I have concerns about the tire rule for racing on pavement. Big heavy cars on asphalt with hard tires will quickly lead to overheating and tire destruction, imo. 

4. What if the factory tire size is a 235/45/17 front and 255/40/17 rear, like the BMW 540 that is a listed suggestion? Not an eligible car? If yes, you need to clarify the eligibility. If no, you need to clarify the wheel/tire rule to allow non-OEM sizes.

Thanks for Your effort. On the whole, I agree that it's time to bring racing into the next decade. 

That's a picture of HRP being demoed.

Race fans pissed off and griping?  You must be joking.

Thanks!

On 3/7/2023 at 9:39 PM, HiTech said:

if u are going to build a road course in my books it must be set up where i can see the whole track  from any seat .. or i wont go . i go to see racing ..  the whole race not just what went by .. . and yes they have big screens tv.s   .well i have a big 55  in my room .. with drinks food snacks  ac  and my favorite  two rest rooms  ..recliner .and its cheaper to watch it here .. .. and i never ever have to put my shoes on .. as  for gota .ill never go there .even if its free .. 

24 Hours of Daytona. Go sit high in the stands and see the whole track. Go roam and see the action close up. The race is long enough that you don't feel like you're missing anything while walking around. Walk through the garage areas, talk to drivers and team members, and everyone is welcome on pit road before the race. If you're a racing fan, it's a must-do at least once.

Help me out. Who is Owen?

5.96.

Simply 1.68 x 3.55 = 5.96.

This is how I think it through. Engine turns 1.68 times to turn the transmission 1 time. Then the transmission turns 3.55 times to turn the wheels once. So each of those 3.55 revolutions of the transmission is 1.68 revolutions of the engine. So you have 3.55 x 1.68.

This article implies the ambulance was there on site.

https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/auto-racing-digest/extras/16-year-old-ashton-torgerson-involved-in-very-scary-chili-bowl-crash

Are the plugs wet when you try to start it? It has fuel pressure, but are the injectors firing?

7 hours ago, MikePeters95 said:

The Legends/Legacy/EcoStock tire costs are absolutely stupid for entry level classes.  

 

Speaking only to Eco stocks, I disagree. When I was racing, I rotated the tires every race. A $600 set of Dunlop Direzzas lasted 10-12 races. And they were plenty capable of running up front.

That said, I think they should add a minimum 200TW rating to the tire rule. A 15", 55-series, 200TW tire is not crazy expensive and would last at least a whole season, maybe 2 seasons. If they dropped to a 50 series sidewall with a 200TW requirement, the tire choices would be huge. 205/50-15 is a very popular size in road racing thanks to the Miatas.

I'm all for a reasonable spec tire. I used to race Eco Stock, and am looking seriously at the new Bootlegger class.

I also do amateur endurance road racing. Our tire rule is a DOT tire with a 180 or greater tread wear rating. There are numerous tires out there that will do 16 hours of road racing in a weekend, and still have enough left for practice at the next race. Most of them will fall off after 10-12 hours, but it's not dramatic.

We do a 14-hour race every year on the Daytona road course.  Other than one year when we cut a tire, we've never had to change a tire during the race. Same with COTA, where we typically do two separate 8-HR races on Saturday and Sunday. No appreciable fall off from Saturday to Sunday. So it's very doable.

39 minutes ago, stevenmacc said:

Gm subframe cars, should pull some Camaros out of the weeds

If anyone has a Camaro in the weeds, post it up.  This class has me interested.

Denny cracks me up. He either needs to payback or shut up. And knocking wheelchairs in the old folks home in 50 years won't count as payback.

What's the over/under on percent of laps run under caution?

I think at 60%, I might still take the over.

28 minutes ago, metroracer said:

11 Eco's, 15 Pro-Trucks, 6 Nascarts, 6 Outlaws w/ 3 Super Stock * Racing  All Racing Together,  7 Legacys, 14 Pro-Mods.  (w/ No True Late Models)

Racing Results per "racemonitor.com" / Paved Ovals

Hope Info Helps.

It's speedhive.com now. I just searched "Houston", and it was the first result.

Maybe this link will work:

https://speedhive.com/Events/2048211

As a road racer who has run a few seasons in the Eco Stocks, I think this will be awesome. Spec Miatas are a blast to watch. And they are so evenly matched, it might look like a plate race out there.