- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
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- 6,481
So, this is a little bit long, but to make it work, it has to be.
I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did. I'm still on cloud Nine!
The local Phoenix track, formerly known as Firebird International Raceway has undergone a management change and has been closed since late March.
Charlie Allen had been the operator of the raceway for the last 30 years but after finding out the Gila Indian Tribe, who own the land the drag strip is on, had no intention of renewing his lease, he took all of the equipment he owned, including the timing equiment and went well, wherever he went.........
The new management group that has been awarded the lease is telegraphing very big and positive changes to the facility and after today, I am fairly confident they mean business.
That said, let me tell you what an incredibly fun, fun day I had out at the newly named Wild Horse Pass Motor Sports Park (should be Motorplex) today.
Sometime early last week a notice was posted on their website that this weekend, Oct. 5 & 6, there would be a drag strip "run what you brung" event open to all who came.
Reading the notice in detail I saw that there would be no time slips or timing of any kind , just "arm drop" heads up racing. If you could pass tech, you could spend the day running one last time before they tear up the old track to build a new one.
I thought "Hmmmmmmm, maybe I should bolt the old slicks on Snoozer and give her a right proper buggering! They can't throw me out for going to fast....."
So on Sunday my buddy Martin (with his Camaro) and I trailered 'em up and headed to a familair old place.
Martin (Marteen if you say it right) got there and scoped us a nice pit spot with some shade. It was only supposed to 93 today, but the sun can be intense here in Phoenix, so any shade is good shade.
He'd already made one pass by the time I got off the trailer and he said the track was really good. I uncorked the exhaust, let the car warm up, teched, and it was off to the staging lanes.
My first pass was a bye and I quickly learned the air pressure in the slicks was a bit off, the car launched, pulled right and then walked all over the track on the way down. Damn!
I called Lou Czarnota, the guy who put this sweet little car together for me, to let him know what I was up to and after a few pointers from him I was back in the staging lanes. Second pass, much better, but not quite right.
I was running only 20lbs of boost so I decided to put the cap back on the exhaust and turn back the alky to 7. What a difference!
2 passes later a guy with an old nitroused up Hemi Charger came looking for me and wanted to race.
I'd been on the look out for a GTR that had been turning the announcers head and making him gush about it all morning, but we kept lining up wrong, so I said sure, why not, Charger guy.
Here is the result:
A couple of passes later, a guy with a Pro Street Truck wanted to give it a whirl, what for, I don't know, but I was willing to oblidge. It didn't go well for him.
A hot dog and a Coke, and I'm ready to go again.
I get in line and lo-and-behold, he's next to me, Mr. GTR! Highway Patrol sunglasses, tee shirt that says "Like a Boss" and a bunch of hangers on that keep whispering to him, telling him he's gonna annihilate me. He keeps looking over to see where we are gonna end up so I send Martin up to have the staging lanes guy put us together. Mr. GRT now knows what's up and gives me that stupid smirk that I'm getting all to used to seeing.
I'll let the video do the talking...... It's kind of funny, they had changed announcers by this time in the day and you can hear him say "I didn't get the number of the GTR...."
I sure did.......
Again, sorry to have been so long winded, I just didn't want to leave anything out.
It was a good day, a very good day.
Time for a cold beer!
I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did. I'm still on cloud Nine!
The local Phoenix track, formerly known as Firebird International Raceway has undergone a management change and has been closed since late March.
Charlie Allen had been the operator of the raceway for the last 30 years but after finding out the Gila Indian Tribe, who own the land the drag strip is on, had no intention of renewing his lease, he took all of the equipment he owned, including the timing equiment and went well, wherever he went.........
The new management group that has been awarded the lease is telegraphing very big and positive changes to the facility and after today, I am fairly confident they mean business.
That said, let me tell you what an incredibly fun, fun day I had out at the newly named Wild Horse Pass Motor Sports Park (should be Motorplex) today.
Sometime early last week a notice was posted on their website that this weekend, Oct. 5 & 6, there would be a drag strip "run what you brung" event open to all who came.
Reading the notice in detail I saw that there would be no time slips or timing of any kind , just "arm drop" heads up racing. If you could pass tech, you could spend the day running one last time before they tear up the old track to build a new one.
I thought "Hmmmmmmm, maybe I should bolt the old slicks on Snoozer and give her a right proper buggering! They can't throw me out for going to fast....."
So on Sunday my buddy Martin (with his Camaro) and I trailered 'em up and headed to a familair old place.
Martin (Marteen if you say it right) got there and scoped us a nice pit spot with some shade. It was only supposed to 93 today, but the sun can be intense here in Phoenix, so any shade is good shade.
He'd already made one pass by the time I got off the trailer and he said the track was really good. I uncorked the exhaust, let the car warm up, teched, and it was off to the staging lanes.
My first pass was a bye and I quickly learned the air pressure in the slicks was a bit off, the car launched, pulled right and then walked all over the track on the way down. Damn!
I called Lou Czarnota, the guy who put this sweet little car together for me, to let him know what I was up to and after a few pointers from him I was back in the staging lanes. Second pass, much better, but not quite right.
I was running only 20lbs of boost so I decided to put the cap back on the exhaust and turn back the alky to 7. What a difference!
2 passes later a guy with an old nitroused up Hemi Charger came looking for me and wanted to race.
I'd been on the look out for a GTR that had been turning the announcers head and making him gush about it all morning, but we kept lining up wrong, so I said sure, why not, Charger guy.
Here is the result:
A couple of passes later, a guy with a Pro Street Truck wanted to give it a whirl, what for, I don't know, but I was willing to oblidge. It didn't go well for him.
A hot dog and a Coke, and I'm ready to go again.
I get in line and lo-and-behold, he's next to me, Mr. GTR! Highway Patrol sunglasses, tee shirt that says "Like a Boss" and a bunch of hangers on that keep whispering to him, telling him he's gonna annihilate me. He keeps looking over to see where we are gonna end up so I send Martin up to have the staging lanes guy put us together. Mr. GRT now knows what's up and gives me that stupid smirk that I'm getting all to used to seeing.
I'll let the video do the talking...... It's kind of funny, they had changed announcers by this time in the day and you can hear him say "I didn't get the number of the GTR...."
I sure did.......
Again, sorry to have been so long winded, I just didn't want to leave anything out.
It was a good day, a very good day.
Time for a cold beer!
Guess there's a NEW BOSS IN TOWN HUH 
