Any time I can help just ask.

I dont post dyno numbers because there not important to me and most wouldnt beleave me. I use it as a tuning tool and thats it.

 

spoken no better than that ^^^

 

i have never worried about competition....case in point was us in the 09 fall nats.

im retiring for different reason. im broke, and so is my trans. there comes a time where enough is enough. and i am at that point. my 11month daughter and i have had more fun in the last year than i had racing last year.

i love the sport, and hope to have her enjoy it also.

 

Amen brother!!! still many do not fully understand this very statement.

I have talked to Ricky in person a time or two and through this message board several times over the past years. I too know that dyno #'s do not mean everything. I have never had a really high hp car, but my car has always ran pretty well for the given setups I have had in there. I think people believe that since their car makes a lot of hp on the dyno it will make up for their lack of driving skill and possibly their lack of knowing how to get their car setup right.

Speaking from past experience, I missed out on taking my car to the WCF's a few years back. Alot of it stemed from me being scared to race against cars with ALOT more hp than what I had, and that it would have been a wasted trip for me. It was the street tire class and after I saw the results I could have actually qualified for the field. This was a car with a 54trim and Drag cast manifold running nothing more than wastegate spring for boost control. Looking back on it I regret it because I would have loved to have actually been able to qualify at that race and possibly go a round or two. Even a pictured posted up by someone else of me lining up with a bigger name would have been alright!!!

So speaking from past experiences I would not be scared to line up with any of the faster cars with an "underpowered" car especially at a class event. Anything can happen at the track and as stated before, the higher hp faster car is not always the winner. Consistency plays a big roll in being able to bring home a win and actually getting out there and getting to race helps quite a bit too.

 

I started religiously comming to races in 2001. i have actually met you many times ricky. anyway i got my first competitive car together in 2005. i broke alot that season. 2006 was better. with the help of jim justice we ended up 3rd in points in ndra comp4 class. we were very low budget, and usually a full second behind the number 1 qualifier. however as many of you have pointed out anything can happen on any given week. i guess i just don't find that it is worth my money anymore to tow the car several hours and race an event where i have to count on the eight second cars to break in order for me to win. i'd have just as much fun at local events messin with domestics. lol, i'll keep putting money into the car when i can and bring it to some events if i am ever fast enough to have a chance to win with out banking on someone elses bad luck.

far as i know there is really only one turbo class and its full of the outlaw cars. thats a great class, i just think it would be nice if there was another class as a stepping stone between index, and 8 sec outlaw cars.

 

i also would guess that most of us on this thread have been around long enough to realize that a peak hp number on the dyno doesn't always translate to a low et. i am aware that it is just a starting off point for track tuning, and there is alot mor that goes into a fast setup. aka suspension, gearing.........

 

Great Post Alpha.. Its so true.. I think back to all the races that I have won and maybe 1 of them I was the fast car in my class.. Its all about being there at the end.. We went out to TX for the supra TX2k event to run in the 6 speed class.. I was under powered by an average of 400whp.. We knew the competition was going to consist of a low 8 second 1600whp car and a few high 8 low 9 second cars.. Considering my car at the time had been 9.5 only once we knew it was going to be a small chance.. But in the end luck would put us in the right place and we took home the win..
"you've got to be in it to win it" as they say..

-Sam

 

"In order to finish first, you must first finish" and you have to be at the races to even get to that point. If i had more cash flow, and other racing events no already occuring on weekends, and a truck, and trailer, etc, id be racing. but since i have none, im relegated to just watching.

But to everyone who has the above resources, get out and race. You can never become succesful by sitting on the sidelines. Stop focusing on what everyone else has on their car and worry about your own setups. Youll be amazed as to what could happen.