THR

[Budman]

NOTE TO READER: PLEASE NOTE THIS THREAD IS FROM MAY, 2005.

 

 

As I said on the other thread, I was at THR last night. As is normally the case, there tends to be a lot more two groove racing among the local classes. Its the touring classes that come in there and tend to play follow the leader.

 

Anyway, I was sitting there between features and just out of the blue I remembered many years ago out at Speed-o-rama what they did to encourage two groove racing. At the beginning of the evening, even before hot laps and qualifications, they would get out there with a fertilizer spreader and several bags of rosin and lay it down in each turn in these sort of wavy patterns. This made the turns a lot "tackier" and as I said, helped make it a truly two groove track.

 

Why isn't that practiced today? Too expensive or what?

[ProTree]

yep,the smell of that rosin was part of the atmosphere-for a few laps it would fly in the air-get a little in your eyes-good days-my son and i were talking about this the other day wondering why it wasnt done anymore-somebody chime in-why not track prep?

[txtom]

My first couple years of experience with the local area racing was spent helping a high-school friend, Bobby Caulfield, with the infield crew work at Pan American and Speedorama. Remember his orange Studebaker truck?

It didn't take long to move on to crewing cars, as that infield stuff was a lot of dirty work.

 

One reason why you don't see rosin much is the cost of the stuff. While I don't recall the price for a 50 lb sack back then, I know that currently baseball and softball players pay about $8 to $10 for a 4 to 5 ounce container of it. And a 15 pound sack is about $100.

No telling how much 50 pounds would cost.

They could really make a difference with that top groove if they used either rosin or the VHT that the drag racers use on the second groove, then pay some kid to spend a day or two a week dragging the top side with some of those old tires laying around out there

 

Budman, it sure was fun watching Bobby Teer run that outside. I can't watch that car without thinking of Buddy Yantis, who I knew over 30 years.

 

Back to the rosin, it was interesting, during the intermissions, to have Ricci Ware telling Caulfield and I to put just a little bit out there. He had us make sure the burlap sack it was in was in good shape so it would only put out a little bit. As soon as he walked off, several racers would just about attack that sack with knives while telling us exactly where they wanted the stuff. If we'd been smarter back then, we should gave just given them the bag and told them to spread it wherever they wanted it.

[ProTree]

txtom-reason ballplayers will pay that much for rosin is cause they dont know that you can take a hand full of dirt and rub your hands together and then spit in em and rub em again and it will do the same thing-old school receipe-

[REBELRACER]

speaking of caufield, what ever happened to him...........last time i saw he was trying to sell his car, but that was quite a few years back.......how is he doing..........he used to raise out at sas with my dad a while back...........

[txtom]

Bobby lives in Johnson City, had his own shop up there for a couple years, but now works for another auto shop.

Has two boys who are heavy into baseball, and he pretty much just supports them, and also coaches a little.

[REBELRACER]

thats cool, thanks for the info............he was a pretty nice guy

[Budman]

Txtom,

 

Caulfield? Any kin to Dick Caulfield?

[txtom]

Bobby was the oldest of Dick's (Actually Charles) 4 kids.

Bobby has three sisters.

[tqj3]

If you think you can't run the outside at THR in a big/fast car, come watch Bobby Joe New and James Reeder some night. Oh, and a few of the modifieds were racing (not getting freight-trained) in the outside groove last night.

It's going to be interesting to see what the West Division gang does at Thunder Hill; you may have to come up with a whole new definition of racing on the outside.

[Budman]

TQ,

 

Thanks for bringing us back to the original topic. (Had strayed a bit.) I guess there are two questions here. The first being IF rosin is too expensive, is there now a suitable substitute somewhere on the market.

 

Second, has THR ever considered the use of some substance (rosin, VHT, whatever) to improve traction in cornering, thus encouraging more two groove competition?

[hobby74]

I know a few years ago I believe Coca Cola gave THR some old Coke and that was put on the track for traction.

[Definitive]

No way really?...what about the ants?

[SSCHUCK]

No I thought it was Dr. Pepper.

[supertx]

Did anybody see what they did at Indy this year to get a second groove? They took a diamond wheel and cut grooves around the turns kind of like the lines they do on the highways just not as big. I think I saw more people going to the outside this weekend than I have in a while great show great show everyone.

[Budman]

Wouldn't want those PETA people to catch you guys running over all those ants!

[ProTree]

coke syrup sprayed with alcohol makes it real sticky-we used that combination when we raced indoors on a slick concrete floor-then the fire marshal heard what we were doing and made us stop -claimed it was a hazard indoors-never tried it outdoors

[ChuckLicata]

If you think you can't run the outside at THR in a big/fast car, come watch Bobby Joe New and James Reeder some night.

And don't forget about the FIRST driver to ever "champion" the outside line at THR..one David Snokhous...

 

David was a back-to-back Hobby Stock champion, now runs in the Late Models..

 

On another note..someone with a LOT more racing experience than myself suggested that there should be cones put on the track during practice, the drivers should be forced to run on the OUTSIDE of the cones. This would (1) lay some rubber on the outside groove and (2) get the touring series drivers used to running the outside groove..

[ProTree]

i know graham baker had us do it that way in houston a couple times chuck-he put out the cones

[NeilTPS]

At Twin Cities Speedway in Odessa, each race day at noon, the late co-owner John Foster would apply coke syrup to the unused lanes. The treatment provided exceptional traction on race night and caused multi-lane racing.

 

I never heard anything about an alcohol mix with the coke syrup. John told me the soft drink company would give him 55 gallon drums of out-of-date coke syrup - FREE.

 

Brian - suggest you check this out with the other former co-owner John David Sr. at 915/563-5646 at his shop or 915/332-4788 at home. He would know the specifics.

 

Neil Upchurch

[Budman]

Hey,

 

In exchange for putting up a big coke sign along with the other signs over there on the back stretch, who knows, they might go for it! Can't hurt to ask.

[ProTree]

hey neil-the alcohol would help it dry out fast indoors on cool smooth concrete in the winter time and not having to be run in as much on a limited timetable the event was running-the way we did it was pour some syrup and spread it out with mops,then pour the alky on it and mop it into the syrup-it thinned out the syrup,but left enough tack to grip,plus it was easier for the people who had to clean up the building when we left to clean the floor-

[Budman]

On the other hand I still like the idea of the rosin. The "pine fragrance" of rosin makes the drivers so much more "mellow". Less aggressive driving = more green flag racing ............er,.............I mean cruising.

 

 

 

 

As Chuck L. would say.................. "LET'S GO CRUISING"

[Bandit]

I ran Odesa one time in a Legends, the Coke syrup made a big differance. They need to do somthing for the USRA slm cars. The second groove is very slick in these cars. I believe the wide tires and plenty of power make it so difficult. I tested a little out there to make the care better on starts, but no matter what the car would literally smoke the tires down the front straight. Get some rubber down (or rosin) and it would work.

[Budman]

(All kidding aside)

 

Bandit,

 

I'm with you. I think its obvious........from the drivers' point of view as has been expressed here, and speaking from a fan's point of view I think the quality of racing would be tremendously enhanced if THR could find a way to help bring in that second groove on race nights.