Today is the final race day of the season. We are racing today in the sixth and final Quick Sixteen. I knew the field would be very strong. One reason is the Quick Sixteen is always fast, the last race of the year, and the winner receives a “Wally”. The “Wally” is a very prestigious trophy that is only given to racers who win an event at a national event, this being the lone exception. The “Wally”, as they are referred to, relates to Wally Parks the founder and father of the National Hot Rod Association. In 1951, he founded the National Hot Rod Association, the largest drag racing sanctioning body today. He guided NHRA for many years and passed away at the age of 94 on September 29, 2007.
The INS dragster’s 1st qualifying run was a 7.80 ET which was a good run, but I was worried that it wouldn’t be good enough. We made our second qualifying run around 11:35 so it was obvious we were only going to get two qualifying runs due to the number of cars participating. Our second run gave us a 7.783 ET that made me feel a little better. The bump ended being a 7.80 ET so we in fact did make the field. I was the number 13 qualifier, which meant I would race the number 4 qualifier.
Race time came and after a long discussion with my crew, elected to dial a 7.84. The opponent was somewhere around a 7.50 ET so I would be leaving first. We cut a good light, never saw him the whole way, looked over, tapped the brake, and crossed the finish line. End result, the INS dragster ran a 7.829, broke out (went too fast) and lost. I was extremely disappointed with my finish line performance as I could have used the brake a little more. Crossing the finish line at 172 mph and knowing just how much brake is enough while not getting passed by your opponent has been a real challenge for me. Let’s just say I have left a lot of room for improvement.
Conclusion: We ended up seventh in the overall weekly points and fell all the way to fifth place in the Quick Sixteen after Sunday’s first round loss. We had a good year, not great, but I feel as a driver/weather man we all improved considerably. We will be making a few changes through the winter, hopefully all for the good. I suppose we will have to wait until 2010 to find out. I have a couple more appearances this month (listed on the schedule) so if you’re in the area please stop by, we love to chat. For INS, DK Racing, I say thanks, thanks for reading and stay safe.
