Racing the Deuce

[sYc]

While the weather remains nice, been doing a little racing with the Deuce.

There is a 1/8 mile track near Newport, AR that is really old school. An old airport that has lots of concrete, including the track. No time boards, you back into the water/burnout box, and the best part, a guy in the 2nd floor of the tower drops your timeslip (attached to a clothespin) into a pipe which leads to a bucket near the ground. No win light at the end of the track so during elims you do not know if you won or lost until you get back to the pits.

Yesterday was my second trip there. Great weather, lots of cool cars, wife and the grandson with me, and the Deuce running good. During qualifying the Deuce was running strong, with a couple of 6.8s and a best ever 1.50 60’.

Because I would rather launch with the transbrake then foot brake, I have to run the Pro class, which means most cars have the full array of electronics, which makes then dead on consistent.

First round I drew the bye, so that was the good news, the bad news, in the semis I drew the local driver who is there every weekend, runs two classes and usually takes home some $$$. Against me his RT time was .001 and he ran a 7.043 on a 6.990 dial. Me, I made my best run ever during a elimination round, a .013 RT and a 6.801 on a 6.800 dial, which got me the win light, by an inch or two.

For the finals I was up against another local, which gave me an a little opening at the tree, ,as his RT was a .056, but I got greedy and turned on the red bulb by .013. The good news out of that run, the Deuce ran a best ever 6.74, plus, I won some cash for the runner up spot.

Needles to say, I am having a lot of fun with the Deuce.

[x77-69z28]

way to go tom. there is nothing like that feeling when your foot is shaking on the clutch as the lights drop. gives me goose bumps just thinking about it!

[COPO PETE]

It's an addiction Tom. I think your hooked!
Peter

[sYc]

Yeah...I think you are right. Taken the Deuce somewhere the last 3 weekends and crewed for Rob Friday.

[ORIGLS6]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sYc</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

There is a 1/8 mile track near Newport, AR that is really old school. An old airport that has lots of concrete, including the track. No time boards, you back into the water/burnout box, and the best part, a guy in the 2nd floor of the tower drops your timeslip (attached to a clothespin) into a pipe which leads to a bucket near the ground. No win light at the end of the track so during elims you do not know if you won or lost until you get back to the pits.


</div></div>


WOW! How cool!!!!!

I gotta visit this place. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[sYc]

A few pics from Newport.



http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25304&amp;filename= np-1.JPG

Up against a 17 girl from our neck of the woods, her first year of racing, getting very good. This was during time trials, she cut a .001 light against me. She went on the win the footbrake class.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25305&amp;filename= np-2.JPG

Father and son. Father (the stock one) has had his for 35 years, racing and driving it on the street.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25307&amp;filename= np-3.JPG

[sYc]

A few more.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25308&amp;filename= np-4.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25309&amp;filename= np-5.jpg

[sYc]

More, including Red Alert hooking really well, and once again Kelsey getting out first on me.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25310&amp;filename= np-6.jpg

A really cool Chevy, and cool driver, been racing forever. A stick car, SBC, runs 6.90s.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25311&amp;filename= np-7.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25312&amp;filename= np-8.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&amp;Number=25313&amp;filename= np-9.jpg

[markinnaples]

Man, I never get tired of seeing Red Alert taking off, thanks for the pics.

[COPO PETE]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: markinnaples</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Man, I never get tired of seeing Red Alert taking off, thanks for the pics. </div></div>
Ya, I'll second that! All in favour????????
The Deuce is cool with it's launch as well!
Peter

[olredalert]

----Now thats getting with the program, Tom! What was the 60 on those two runs as well as the ET? Thats about as high as I ever saw &quot;Red&quot;. Good job!!!.......Bill S

[sYc]

For some reason RA was really hooking, not only twisting and pulling the front end, but to the point of wanting to jump to the right on takeoff. At Newport you can stand anywhere you want, including near the starting line. On one of my passes, several folks had decided the best place to stand was on the right side of the track, with RA in the right lane. There is no guard rail on the right side, so when I launched, they thought I had them.

This reminded of a story Bill S, told me about doing the same to a few photographers.


Though both the Deuce and RA run 6.80s in the 1/8, I sure came away with a new appreciation of how easy the Deuce is to race in comparison to RA. Both fun though, each in there own way.

[sYc]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
----Now thats getting with the program, Tom! What was the 60 on those two runs as well as the ET? Thats about as high as I ever saw &quot;Red&quot;. Good job!!!.......Bill S </div></div>

Bill, I do not have the slip here, but the 60' was in the mid 1.50 range with ETs in the 6.80 range. I might have done a little better 60' then that, but on narrower tracks, when at the line, I do not stall as high as I would on a track with more room.

BTW, I footbrake, and can not imagine what she would do if I used a transbrake.


When I first got there, several folks came over to see the car, and noticed on the board I had with me a pic of you racing the car, twisting and all. They commented how cool it would be to see that, I told them if the track was prepped any at all, they would get to witness it first hand.

[Kim_Howie]

FUN AIN'T IT!!!!!!!! You got to love RA's leave!!

[olredalert]

-----Transbrake never worked that well for me, Tom. And,,,I completely understand local conditions. Been there,,,done that, over and over. Are you still working with the engine you have told me about??? Maybe its time to step up the program just a bit, as its obvious you are getting comfortable with the old girl.......Bill S

[markjohnson]

Tom, you should really try to shorten that upper side Passenger control arm and get some preload in the rear suspension. One full turn (6 flats) would be a great starting point and would GREATLY dampen that tendency to pull to the right. I know launching like that is fun.......until you start finding stress cracks in the body! Dick Gazan of the old Spectre Racing, who developed those rear suspension pieces, would tell you the exact same thing. My old 540 CID stock suspension Drag Radial car would leave like that and was a handful the entire length of the track. Once the Pre-load was established in that single Passenger side upper arm, the car became a ground-zero missle and could be driven with two fingers on the steering wheel.

[Pulnaway]

I second that! I used to have a 70 442 w-30 that left like that. If I left hard it would break the windshield every time. I had a guy work on the rear control arms and the car was a pleasure to drive. Before that I was worried about wrecking the car every time it left.

[sYc]

The rear suspension on RA was installed by Dick Gazan, who remembers the car well. Rob and I have communicated with him on a regular basis.

[olredalert]

-----Mark,,,Gazan installed those pieces in his shop in San Dimas in 91 or 92. What a talented guy he was! Do you know where he is today? I lost track of him after his move out of Cal. I still have a license plate surround from Gazan Racing somewhere around the shop. It says &quot;Id Rather Be Racing&quot; across the bottom.
-----Its funny, &quot;Red&quot; would only occasionally pull that way and the minute it was back on the ground it would go straight out the back door. I am with you on the cracks. There are a few in the frame that were in there when I got the car. I drilled the ends of the cracks and then welded. Also kept close attention to things from then on......Bill S

[markjohnson]

I'm not sure where he is these days but he teamed up with Morrison (the suspension company) and marketed some nice pieces that were copied by several other companies shortly after. I recently bought a Chevelle 12-Bolt and it included a complete Gazan/Morrison Suspension including the neat adjustable Hop-Stop bars. Nice stuff.

[Chevy454]

As dad mentioned above, we've talked to him a few times since acquiring Red Alert...he was in Dallas last I knew:

[email protected] or 214-790-9182

[Chevy454]

Just got this in an email from Jake Dykstra (RPOLS3)...he ran across this cool video of Bill &amp; &quot;Red Alert&quot; from Union Grove back in the day:

<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8LQuKTHCink"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8LQuKTHCink" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object>

Thanks, Jake!

[olredalert]

-----Thanks to Jake, Rob, and Tom for this trip down memory lane. This was the 1st year I had Red Alert (maybe only the third time to a track). You can see the Motor Wheel Spyders on the rear. They felt like they weighed about a hundred lbs apiece. It was actually difficult to lift them up over the studs. This was also the 1st motor and made about 650 horsies. I wanted to feel the car out for a season. Im pretty sure I even still had a posi unit in the rear at this time, and I know there was no 6-point in there yet as that was put in at Jegs the following spring. We woke the car up the next season, but these early days were really fun, especially being at Union Grove with good friends.......Bill S

[RPOLS3]

I agree about the memories Bill - it was fun. As I remember that was a pretty spontaneous evening once we found out you were in town with the car we rounded up the usual suspects for a great night of grudge racing.

While no match for Red Alert it was fun lining up against you that night (I was the blue Chevelle in the far lane in the one clip).

Jake

[dykstra]

I remember that night like it was yesterday! Great times and great people. I think its ironic that there is a Grand Prix next to us in the pits.

[bigjake]

Just one the many nights that we spent at &quot;The Grove&quot;. Our family left a lot of rubber on that track. There were times when we raced there 3 times a week! I have some 8mm movies of Cousin Eddie's 409 at that track in 1963, and the first day that Rockford Dragway (Byron) was opened in 1964. These memories are priceless!!!

[Xplantdad]

Very, very cool!

[x Baldwin Motion]

Bill, that is some great footage. I love the spyders and remember them being very heavy.
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif
I also see you are parked next to a ?69 GP ! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif