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We WON IT ALL, baby!!!
I am very pleased to share, especially with those of you who have gotten to know me over the years, that the Sprint car team I crew for won the championship last night. Actually, we had a lousy night and were plagued with annoying problems, but we still gained enough points over the closest competitor to make it impossible not to win, regardless of the results of next weeks season ending race. We had all done the math in our heads and figured we still needed more points, but they came to us in the pits about 45 minutes before the night was over to tell us to polish up the car for the trophy pictures. Dumbfounded, we just stared at the guy until he explained that we had won the 2001 VRA Senior Sprint Car Championship.
I've gotta say, it was alot of hard work, but it was also alot of fun. I can't wait until next season starts, and this ones not even over yet! I'll post some pics when I get them. The local paper mentioned Jim Porter (my boss) winning the championship in todays sports page with a whopping 2 sentences ( http://www.staronline.com/vcs/other_...868160,00.html about halfway down the page)!!! I'm hoping that's because they were so close to print time, and that a legnthier story will follow. This really was a much bigger deal than 2 lousy sentences! Anyway, it's this very glow that I'm experiencing right now that makes every busted knuckle and oil stained shirt so very worth it. Thanks for letting me share. Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
Congratulations man, that’s awesome!
------------------ James Cox nochevy@hotmail.com 1991 Mustang LX |
Congratulations! I used to be a pit crew member for a Late Model dirt track car, Late Model asphalt car, and a Street Stock asphalt car. I used to get excited if we qualified in a good spot or finsih the night without being involved in a major wreck. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like to win the Championship. BTW, Sprint cars RULE! (especially, the 410s)
------------------ 1989 lx notch 89,000 miles 5-speed, bolt-ons, 3.73, TFS TWs, TFS Track Heat, TFS Stage 1 cam |
Kick *** , man! Lot's of hard work sometimes pays off in the end, in this case it did. Always feels good to be on top. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/smile.gif
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It couldn't have happened to a better person!! I'm glad all that hard work paid off!!
------------------ Rick My 89lx(updated 7/20/2001) |
Congratulations with all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into winning it! Your jaws must have all dropped when that guy came over and said to polish up the car!
------------------ '91 LX convertible , T-5,Centerforce Dual Friction, FMS adjustable cable w/quadrant, ported/polished/milled E7 heads, 1.6rr, 1.94/1.60 stainless valves, BBK 1 5/8" equal length shorties, 2 1/2" off road H-pipe, Summit 2 1/2" catback, March Performance Pulleys and A/C Eliminator |
congrat's chris, great job im happy for you and your team i guess it all payed off great job!later.
------------------ 2000gt black,broke a$$ street racing |
Thanks guys!!
TJR- I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! The driver I worked for last year wrecked every other week. We went through 3 hoods by June (for those who don't know, the only way a Sprint car ruins a hood is to land upside down HARD in a crash). It was so much work for no gain. We finished the season 61st out of 72. This year has been much better. This driver is a great guy, and he listens to his crew. Thanks again! Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
Whoa man, congratulations. That's great!!
------------------ SVO siamesed 351 stroked to 417ci,Yates heads, solid roller,Trans King glide. Best 1/4 ET 9.788 Best 1/4 MPH 135 My Car |
Thanks! We've decided since next week won't effect the outcome, we're going to go all out. If we wreck the car, we have until March to rebuild it!
Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
Awesome, congrats.
Skyler ------------------ -1989 Saleen Mustang #406- TFS TW Heads, E-303, Edelbrock intake, 70mm TB, 73mm MAF, 24lb injectors, 1 5/8 shorties, Off Road H, 3 Chamber flows, Jaz Race seats, Back seat removed, sub-frames, Roll Cage, and a 80 shot of N20. 12.54@107.4 Motor 332RWHP, 350rwtq |
Dude, something last minute has come up the last 4 times you were going to meet me there, and they all involved your girlfriend. I really think you should make it this time. I'm telling you, once you try it, you will never want to miss it again.
Smokedchevy (also from Ventura) finally took my advice and went to a Sprint car race, and had the time of his life. he sent me an email expressing disbelief that something so killer was right here in our back yard. Last week, there was 4 or 5 rollovers, including two that caught on fire. Sky, this is the best distraction you could ask for. I'll teach you all about them, too. Think about it; a 1500 pound car with a 700 horsepower alcohol injected small block Chevy, no transmission, and running 6.76:1 rear gears. Like they say, if you aint got mud in your beer, you're not racing! Call me. Take care, -Chris P.S. Did I mention all the drop dead gorgeous babes that are there every week? Babes that are turned on by fast cars and the guys who know how to work on them. ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
Dude Sky, Chris is right! That stuff is awesome. If you think the drags gets your blood pumpin, wait'll you get to the track. It's a fun way to spend Sat night. The best part is the noise, the mud flyin in your nachos, and the tears from your eyes from all the fumes in the air. It's great!!
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There is a track right across the street from where I work I go about 4 times a season and it is fun its hard to believe the acceleration those cars get on dirt.
Congrats Chris ------------------ 88 mustang gt convertible bored to 306 BBk equal length headers, mac cold air fender kit, 3.73 FMS gears, Steeds Tri-ax shifter, Steeda underdrive pullies, Custom off road X-pipe, 2 chamber flow masters, cowl hood, nitto drag radials, ford racing clutch, 160* thermostat 16 degrees of timing electric fan off 94' t-bird jacobs electronics cap and wires. Edelbrock 1 1/2 inch drop springs. (Best E.T. 14.79@93mph @3000ft) |
Like I said before, "Sprint Cars RULE!"
Are these 360ci or 410ci sprints? ------------------ 1989 lx notch 89,000 miles 5-speed, bolt-ons, 3.73, TFS TWs, TFS Track Heat, TFS Stage 1 cam |
TJR-
Both Sprint car classes (VRA & VRA Seniors) here run 360 wingless Sprints (wings are for faries). 410's are just too expensive, and not very much faster on our track, because it's a 1/5 mile oval. The SCRA guys come and race at Ventura 2 or 3 times a year, and they are awesome, but they are so much more expensive to run. A decent 410, complete, will set you back $35k just for the engine, and only yield 150 - 200 more horsepower. That sounds like alot, but on a 1/5 mile dirt oval, 700 horsepower is enough. Well, okay, so you can never have "enough", but you know what I mean. If you've inherited a fortune, or have some big name sponsors, 410's would be a blast, but when you're born a poor white boy, 360's are just perfect. We did go up north and ran at Santa Maria one night when we weren't scheduled at Ventura, and there were 360 winged cars running that night as well as wingless 360's (separately, of course). That track is almost twice the size of ours (1/3 mile), and those cars just plain flew. Those wings, on a big track, just plant those tires. Those cars were running like they were on rails. Still, though, their best qualifying time was just over a second faster than the best wingless sprint. Speaking of which, when the SCRA 410's come to Ventura, the top locals take their 360's out and run with them. You can see the power difference, but it's pretty close. The qualifying times are nearly identical. Now then, on a 1/2 mile oval, 410 winged Sprints are incredible. 5.0 HO- What helps is the fact that they are such fast revving engines and that we can use such big tires. There aren't any transmissions, which means less mass to turn by the engine (think flywheel). They can go from idle to 7500 rpm faster than you can say your name. Chassis set up is critical, too. That's something that I'm still learning. The pro chassis guys can walk out onto the track prior to racing, feel the mud, and come back in and adjust the suspension for ideal running. It's really pretty tricky, and involves rear gears, ride height (front and rear), torsion arm setting (all 4 are set different), stagger (the difference in circumference between the two back tires, the tire offset (how far in or out from the frame the tires sit, the shocks (different expand and retract rates), and tire pressure. Tire pressure, believe it or not, is probably the single most important factor for hooking up, and requires a tire pressure gauge that reads in half pound increments. When we go out for the Main Event, we never run higher than 3.5psi in the left rear, or 8 psi in the right rear. Any more and the tires would act like baloons, and the car would become too bouncy. What really makes chassis set-up tough is you need to change it as the track condition changes. As the night goes on, the track dries out, and can become "dry-slick". That's the toughest to drive on. Muddy and tacky is the best. Both require totally different set-ups, and can mean spending alot of time wrenching inbetween the heat races and the main event. Right now I make the changes. I'm good enough to make suggestions, but not good enough to insist on them. I'm learning, though. Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
COOL! They don't have sprint cars around here, that I've seen but you just made me feel like I was there Chris.. Thanks!
They have alot of go cart racing around here and they opened a legends track on the edge of town.. maybe I'll go and check that out(finally).. |
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RACETRACK!!!
Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
I agree support your race track! This dude we brought tried to sneak in to Ventura raceway and we told him to pay or we'd kick his a##! Dumbfudge! It's bad enough trying to fight environmentalists and local noise regulations let alone sneaking in to avoid paying.
P.S. I just bought a 65 Falcon with a straight axle front end and 289/4spd combo with an old cross ram intake. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/biggrin.gif ------------------ 92 GT, 4:10 gears, centerforce clutch, 6# powerdyne blower, bbk h-pipe, flowmasters |
You dirty dog. Where was it? How much? How's it run? You going to be at the track tomorrow? I'll probably get there around 3:30. We might be short-handed. Anyway, we fire off the car at 4:30 to warm it up before hot-laps. After that, it get's pretty busy.
Take care, -Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: Peckerwoods Pit Stop http://homepage.mac.com/pkrwud/.Pict...sc./MyMac.jpeg My teams site: Jim Porter Racing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. |
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