RAPID
Nitro Member
2008 GOOD GUYS AT BOWLING GREEN
This was the last race of the year for the Plastic Fantastic Nitro Funnycar crew. We went to Kentucky with high hopes after finding an ignition problem at the end of the race in Kansas City. It turns out we have been fighting this problem since we came home from the March Meet. We arrived on Thursday and made plans to meet up with the Speed Merchants Top Fuel team for dinner. For a bunch of “Pipe Rack” guys they sure are great people. Ha!
The weather was perfect all weekend, Sunny and mid 70's. The corrected air was under 1000-feet with the water grains in the 40's. Talk about horsepower making air!
In the first qualifier on Friday we made a planned 1/2-track shut off. I could tell the minute the car left the line it was on a good one. When we got the time slip and saw the 4.03 @ 185 MPH, it proved we were back power wise. Due to the fact a couple of other cars also made 1/2-track hits we were #1 qualifier after the first session.
The Good Guys run a daytime program, so we had plenty of time after the run to service the car. Then head out to have dinner and relax at the motel. There were a bunch of car guys at our motel so we passed the evening hanging out and talking hot rods. My friend Mark Leigh came in town to consult/tune the “Back Yard Guys” Top Fueler, owned by Art Dromgoole. It was being driven by Rick Rogers this weekend. We set up a plan to meet for dinner on Sunday after the finals. Anybody who knows Mark, knows his opinion of drivers, so dinner was sure to be lively to say the least with Rick and I both there to pick on him.
Saturday we went to the track, and finished getting the car ready to run. Danny and I discussed what we wanted to do on this pass. We decided to short shift it, and see how it liked it. The car left well, it was quicker to the 60 and quicker to the 330 with the tune-up changes. When I pulled the lever for high gear just after the 330-cone it shook the tires. Rather than to ride it out, knowing we were in the program I just let it coast on through.
The guys got it ready for 1st round against the Blue Thunder 69 Camaro. We were qualified higher and chose the right lane, and were to be the last pair to run. I watched some of the cars smoke the tires, but Joe “Mini-Me” Haas {Driver} in the Wonder Wagon went right down broadway in our lane. I have to add, Justin's Wonder Wagon made a bunch of nice passes all weekend long. When I was rolling up to stage, I looked over and saw my buddy Keith “Rooman” Burgan putting the Camaro into the beams, the traitor. Ha! I prestaged, put it on the high side and rolled on in. I nailed it at the flash of yellow and we were off and pulling away. The big grin from leaving first vanished when my head hit the dashboard about 40-feet later. I felt the car kind of bang, and it quit charging. As I was coasting along I checked to make sure it hadn't come out of gear or anything. Nope just no forward power, but the engine was still running fine. I assumed it had just broken something in the transmission. To add salt in the wound of losing, I glanced at the scoreboard in the other lane it read 8.88 or something as he had traction troubles over there. After the race I went over and congratulated the Camaro team on their win. I told him, prior to this race I really liked his car, and after a week or so I would probably like it again. Right now,,,I wasn't a fan of it! Just kidding.
Congratulations to Justin Grant, Joe Haas, and the whole team on collecting their first Good Guys win. The car really ran well and Mini-Me drove the wheels off it for the victory.
That was the end to my 2008 season. I was lucky enough to be able to race two very nice cars and hang out with my friends at a ton of different racetracks all over the country. I hope you enjoyed my “What I did Last Weekend” Story.
Rapid
This was the last race of the year for the Plastic Fantastic Nitro Funnycar crew. We went to Kentucky with high hopes after finding an ignition problem at the end of the race in Kansas City. It turns out we have been fighting this problem since we came home from the March Meet. We arrived on Thursday and made plans to meet up with the Speed Merchants Top Fuel team for dinner. For a bunch of “Pipe Rack” guys they sure are great people. Ha!
The weather was perfect all weekend, Sunny and mid 70's. The corrected air was under 1000-feet with the water grains in the 40's. Talk about horsepower making air!
In the first qualifier on Friday we made a planned 1/2-track shut off. I could tell the minute the car left the line it was on a good one. When we got the time slip and saw the 4.03 @ 185 MPH, it proved we were back power wise. Due to the fact a couple of other cars also made 1/2-track hits we were #1 qualifier after the first session.
The Good Guys run a daytime program, so we had plenty of time after the run to service the car. Then head out to have dinner and relax at the motel. There were a bunch of car guys at our motel so we passed the evening hanging out and talking hot rods. My friend Mark Leigh came in town to consult/tune the “Back Yard Guys” Top Fueler, owned by Art Dromgoole. It was being driven by Rick Rogers this weekend. We set up a plan to meet for dinner on Sunday after the finals. Anybody who knows Mark, knows his opinion of drivers, so dinner was sure to be lively to say the least with Rick and I both there to pick on him.
Saturday we went to the track, and finished getting the car ready to run. Danny and I discussed what we wanted to do on this pass. We decided to short shift it, and see how it liked it. The car left well, it was quicker to the 60 and quicker to the 330 with the tune-up changes. When I pulled the lever for high gear just after the 330-cone it shook the tires. Rather than to ride it out, knowing we were in the program I just let it coast on through.
The guys got it ready for 1st round against the Blue Thunder 69 Camaro. We were qualified higher and chose the right lane, and were to be the last pair to run. I watched some of the cars smoke the tires, but Joe “Mini-Me” Haas {Driver} in the Wonder Wagon went right down broadway in our lane. I have to add, Justin's Wonder Wagon made a bunch of nice passes all weekend long. When I was rolling up to stage, I looked over and saw my buddy Keith “Rooman” Burgan putting the Camaro into the beams, the traitor. Ha! I prestaged, put it on the high side and rolled on in. I nailed it at the flash of yellow and we were off and pulling away. The big grin from leaving first vanished when my head hit the dashboard about 40-feet later. I felt the car kind of bang, and it quit charging. As I was coasting along I checked to make sure it hadn't come out of gear or anything. Nope just no forward power, but the engine was still running fine. I assumed it had just broken something in the transmission. To add salt in the wound of losing, I glanced at the scoreboard in the other lane it read 8.88 or something as he had traction troubles over there. After the race I went over and congratulated the Camaro team on their win. I told him, prior to this race I really liked his car, and after a week or so I would probably like it again. Right now,,,I wasn't a fan of it! Just kidding.
Congratulations to Justin Grant, Joe Haas, and the whole team on collecting their first Good Guys win. The car really ran well and Mini-Me drove the wheels off it for the victory.
That was the end to my 2008 season. I was lucky enough to be able to race two very nice cars and hang out with my friends at a ton of different racetracks all over the country. I hope you enjoyed my “What I did Last Weekend” Story.
Rapid
