[coverattach=1](9-18-09) FONTANA, CA - With just three races remaining in Pacific Street Car Association’s 2009 season, Randy Walker and the Walker Racing Group are looking to carry the momentum from a win and a runner-up at the two most recent events into this weekend’s Accufab West Coast Shootout at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA.
At the last race, the Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Labor Day Nationals in Las Vegas, Walker had the most consistent car on the grounds, qualifying on the pole with a stout 6.339 at over 220 MPH in his big ’74 El Camino.
“Putting up numbers in the low 6.30s in those conditions was a big thing for us,” said Walker. “It was brutally hot all weekend, and the density altitude hovered in the 5000 ft. range all weekend. Charles (Carpenter) and my brother Duane had the tune-up dialed in.”
Once qualifying was over and eliminations began, Walker’s car got even better. His 6.323 elapsed time and career-best 221.85 MPH speed was more than enough to propel him to round two as Eric Deroche was unable to make the call.
With the PSCA Pro Street ET record within reach, the Walker Racing Group team turned to tuner Charles Carpenter to make the necessary adjustments to grab the record and all-important bonus points.
With their quarterfinal round opponent, Gary Soulages, also unable to make the call due to parts breakage, Carpenter instructed Walker to make a half-track hit and click it off so they could gather the necessary data for the semi-finals but not risk any parts failure.
“You have to be careful in those types of conditions,” said Carpenter, referring to the high density altitude. “I knew it was on the edge, but I thought we had a little wiggle room in the tune up to get the car accelerating harder and get that record.”
Unfortunately, Carpenter and the rest of the team went over-center with the setup and burned four pistons in the semi-final round, one in which they had a ladder bye to the finals from being the number one qualifier. Walker’s El Camino fell off the pace to a 6.347 at only 206 MPH.
“It had great short numbers and to the eighth-mile,” said Walker. “But it just didn’t live all the way to the quarter-mile. The numbers show us that if it had made it, it would have definitely dipped into the 6.20s.”
With just a little over an hour to get the engine repaired and make the call for the finals, the entire Walker Racing Group went to work at a furious pace and were able to get everything bolted back together just in time for a final round matchup with Clint Hairston and his tough turbo-powered GTO. Hairston, who had been struggling all weekend, found his combination and grabbed the ET record in the semi-finals with a 6.284 blast.
In the finals, both drivers left with nearly identical reaction times but Walker’s 6.392 wasn’t enough for Hairston’s 6.322 at almost 230 MPH. The race was the quickest side-by-side matchup in PSCA Pro Street history.
“We wanted to get the win and get a record, but we still had an incredible weekend,” Walker said. “Clint said he was staring at the RC Construction Services decal on my door all the way down the track, but he just drove around right at the stripe. We ran extremely well and have a lot to build on from that race. We just want to keep running as consistently as we have all year, and hopefully that will translate into a championship at the end of the season.”
Walker still holds a 120 point lead over Hairston atop the Hughes Performance Pro Street points standings going into this weekend’s event. All the work Walker and crew have put in to improve their program in 2009 is in preparation for the biggest event of the year, the Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Street Car Super Nationals V held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on November 19-22.
Walker Racing Group would like to extend a special thanks to RC Construction Services in Fontana, CA, Walker Tucson Properties, Charles Carpenter, Derrick Lamb & Lamb Components, Lenco, Goodyear Tires, Joch at True Carbon Components, and Inland Driveline.
Walker Racing Group is actively seeking primary sponsorship for 2010. For more information, please visit Walker Racing Group.
At the last race, the Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Labor Day Nationals in Las Vegas, Walker had the most consistent car on the grounds, qualifying on the pole with a stout 6.339 at over 220 MPH in his big ’74 El Camino.
“Putting up numbers in the low 6.30s in those conditions was a big thing for us,” said Walker. “It was brutally hot all weekend, and the density altitude hovered in the 5000 ft. range all weekend. Charles (Carpenter) and my brother Duane had the tune-up dialed in.”
Once qualifying was over and eliminations began, Walker’s car got even better. His 6.323 elapsed time and career-best 221.85 MPH speed was more than enough to propel him to round two as Eric Deroche was unable to make the call.
With the PSCA Pro Street ET record within reach, the Walker Racing Group team turned to tuner Charles Carpenter to make the necessary adjustments to grab the record and all-important bonus points.
With their quarterfinal round opponent, Gary Soulages, also unable to make the call due to parts breakage, Carpenter instructed Walker to make a half-track hit and click it off so they could gather the necessary data for the semi-finals but not risk any parts failure.
“You have to be careful in those types of conditions,” said Carpenter, referring to the high density altitude. “I knew it was on the edge, but I thought we had a little wiggle room in the tune up to get the car accelerating harder and get that record.”
Unfortunately, Carpenter and the rest of the team went over-center with the setup and burned four pistons in the semi-final round, one in which they had a ladder bye to the finals from being the number one qualifier. Walker’s El Camino fell off the pace to a 6.347 at only 206 MPH.
“It had great short numbers and to the eighth-mile,” said Walker. “But it just didn’t live all the way to the quarter-mile. The numbers show us that if it had made it, it would have definitely dipped into the 6.20s.”
With just a little over an hour to get the engine repaired and make the call for the finals, the entire Walker Racing Group went to work at a furious pace and were able to get everything bolted back together just in time for a final round matchup with Clint Hairston and his tough turbo-powered GTO. Hairston, who had been struggling all weekend, found his combination and grabbed the ET record in the semi-finals with a 6.284 blast.
In the finals, both drivers left with nearly identical reaction times but Walker’s 6.392 wasn’t enough for Hairston’s 6.322 at almost 230 MPH. The race was the quickest side-by-side matchup in PSCA Pro Street history.
“We wanted to get the win and get a record, but we still had an incredible weekend,” Walker said. “Clint said he was staring at the RC Construction Services decal on my door all the way down the track, but he just drove around right at the stripe. We ran extremely well and have a lot to build on from that race. We just want to keep running as consistently as we have all year, and hopefully that will translate into a championship at the end of the season.”
Walker still holds a 120 point lead over Hairston atop the Hughes Performance Pro Street points standings going into this weekend’s event. All the work Walker and crew have put in to improve their program in 2009 is in preparation for the biggest event of the year, the Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Street Car Super Nationals V held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on November 19-22.
Walker Racing Group would like to extend a special thanks to RC Construction Services in Fontana, CA, Walker Tucson Properties, Charles Carpenter, Derrick Lamb & Lamb Components, Lenco, Goodyear Tires, Joch at True Carbon Components, and Inland Driveline.
Walker Racing Group is actively seeking primary sponsorship for 2010. For more information, please visit Walker Racing Group.
