This is what we came here for, to race, to represent Tri-State Raceway as a team car, and of course try and put some money in our pocket. It pays $3000 to win and a trip to Pomona in November to race the other champions from the other divisions. There are seven divisions in NHRA, so seven cars will race at Pomona. The racers that we are competing against are the best sportsman racers in the entire midwest. They typically have great reaction times, run close to their dials, and know how to win.
We are on the starting line at 11:53 am for our first elimination round. They started at 8:00 am sharp and are just getting to the middle of the first round for the Super Pro class. Remember, with around 220 to 240 race cars in this class it definitely takes awhile to complete the round. We dialed a 7.82 ET on the INS dragster, had a terrible reaction time (.048), ran a 7.830 (which is fairly close) and won the first round. The MOV (margin of victory) was .0333. Now it’s on to round two.
We are on the starting line at 2:44 pm for the second round, dial a 7.85 ET, run a 7.86 ET (good dial), still have a lousy reaction time (.050) but win. My opponent, who was to get a 3.5 second head start, knew he had to hit the tree to win and left too soon. A -.025 red light, that is way early. The race is over and we win. When you have an opponent leave that much before you, it is easy to see their red light. I still make the run as usual because it is imperative you get the information you need to continue to the next round.
Round three. We are on the starting line at 3:56 pm. As the field dwindles, rounds get closer and closer together. I have adjusted the electronics with the hopes of getting a decent reaction time as the field will get tougher and tougher as the race continues. We are confident we have the weather station figured out, so we dial a 7.84 on the INS dragster. I will be leaving first this time (and the only time so far this weekend) as we are the slower car. As the car launches it goes in to this wheel stand again (like Friday night) and leaves with a 60′ time of 1.22 which is .006 slower than normal. I had my great reaction time that I was looking for (.004), lead the whole way until the stripe (finish line). We were only capable of running a 7.91 (which would equate to 7.85 with the normal 60′ time). End result, MOV of .011 for the opponent. The INS dragster loses the third round.
Looking on the bright side of things it was a pay back round so I will get some type of check in the mail. Now it’s time to load everything up and make the dreaded 7 hour trip back to Iowa. In the meantime I will try to figure out why the wheel stand took place every so often. Even though the racing season is coming to an end, we still have a very important race this Sunday the 27th at Earlville. It will be the last race of the year for the INS dragster. Come join us at the track if possible.
CONCLUSION:
For nine years my brother-in-law Dan Swick (Crew Chief) along with my sister (Julie) and myself made the trip to Heartland Park Topeka, KS to watch the NHRA national event. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get the opportunity to be on the starting line at 11:30 pm with all the lights, hundreds of people, and a look into the massive racing arena. I am glad they were along to experience this with me and the best part of the whole deal, “I was the driver.”
THANK YOU INS
