One type of racing that I tried a couple of times was a class called Open Comp presented by Elimn8u.com and MustangCentral.net running at CFR. The basic format is you make three qualifying runs and the best reaction time is no.1 qualifier. Did I mention it is run on a Pro .500 tree? I like that. One big difference, though, is that your dial in for the entire race is one tenth faster than your fastest run in qualifying and this is your dial for the entire race! The concept is to have a “flat out” type race with dial ins and limit the amount of “finish line racing” that normally goes on in the bracket wars.
 Hiking the ballonies one last time, at least for now... |
Of course, smart guys like me make sure to kill at least a tenth during qualifying to assure that if my dial is an 11.20 I can run a 11.20. It’s a lot of fun trying something slightly different, though, and I will definitely run some more of those types of races. Perhaps the best news of the 2006 racing season is that after many tries I finally ran a 10-second ET! The weather was decent but we had a cross headwind of 15-20 mph and it took all Muscrate had to give from its two-year-old engine but it finally happened. The magical run had the following incrementals; .010 RT, 1.403 60-ft., 4.362 330-ft, 6.883 at 96.85 mph 660-ft, 9.094 1,000-ft, and a magical wind punished 10.983 at 118.70 mph 1320!
Obviously the 660-ft numbers show the promise of a low 10.90 at worst without the stinking headwind, but, oh well. I did go out one more time after that but the wind was worse and the highlight of the day was a best ever 60 ft. of 1.401! Missed a 1.3? 60 by two stinkin’ thousandths.
I feel pretty good about what I have accomplished with Muscrate. I didn’t get to race nearly as much as I wanted, but that’s the way it goes. When I first built the combo the national index was 12.35 until I got my car done and then (just my luck) IHRA took a whopping two tenths off ALL the crate motor indexes, knocking mine down to a 12.15. So much for qualifying worth a crap.
In the end we won a few races, did BIG wheelies, ran a 10-second ET with a “stock” 302 Ford, and had some fun along the way.
The future for IHRA in Div.5 once again looks bleak to put it mildly. The immediate plans for Muscrate include a stay in COLD storage for the winter as I am preparing to introduce a new project to DRO! I’ll give you a hint: what was the ONE car that Bob Glidden went undefeated with in Pro Stock in the early 1980’s? Take the Pro away from Stock and insert Super and add that car and we have a project! More details to follow, but let’s just say I’m excited and I think you will be interested in the various articles along the way.
In closing , I need to thank some people who helped me become part of the DRO family. Jok Nicholson mentioned to me one day the possibility of DRO having a FORD project car and he put me in touch with Jeff Burk, the fearless leader of DRO. I have never done any writing other than when I was in high school but the idea interested me. I spoke to Jeff and told him my idea was to show “what it takes” to competitively run in Stock Eliminator. Also, I was switching from my tried and true national record holding combination of EFI 302 HO to a carbureted IHRA ONLY (this ended up being important) 302 crate motor. Jeff seemed interested and said he’d give it a shot and two plus years later I’m happy to still be around! Thank you Jeff, it’s truly been my pleasure being part of Drag Racing Online.
The very first person to supply me with some great fuel system parts such as the SS fuel pump and sumped fuel tank was Kyle Fickler at Aeromotive Fuel Systems. Todd Ryden at MSD was very helpful in setting up a proper ignition system with quality components, Scott Witmer at Barry Grant and Demon Carburetion provided a couple of “Speed Demon” series carbs that performed great right out of the box. The good people at Moroso and Competition Engineering have been invaluable in the great parts and service they provide. Also, Chris Padgit and Tami Holland at Comp Cams were great to work with on all of the custom ground camshafts and valve train products I used on Muscrate. Tony Kane at Hughes Performance helped out with “re-tooling” my torque converter which was largely responsible for the big wheelies and 1.40 60-foot times.
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Ric at CP Pistons designed a set of pistons to meet the IHRA specs that barely existed at the time. SuperChips came through with a diesel “Tuner” for my tow vehicle which not only averaged out to a 1.5 mpg increase but provided more power to boot. And last but certainly not any less important, perhaps more important, thank you loyal readers, all four of you, for continuing to be interested in my story and for the occasional letter to the editor confirming the interest. I have also received many emails privately over the years and I hope some of my advice has helped out. It has truly been a great ride thus far and hopefully the plans I have for the future will hold your interest. Speaking of the future, let’s get to it!
Remember, there’s always hope. And, when in doubt…DO A WHEELIE!