2008 Year in Review
Page 1 of 1
2008 Year in Review
D. Sea August 27th 2009, 3:29 pm
Copy/Paste: I'll have to write another one for 2009 at the end of the year. It will include BIG gaps where I couldn't go racing 
2008 Year in Review
At the beginning of each year or sometimes the year before we all set goals that we would like to reach. What were your goals for 2008? Did you meet the goals you set for yourself or your race team? What were some of the Highlights and lowlights of your racing, pulling, cruising or boating season?
Here’s my 2008 Year in Review
My goal for the 2007 season was to run a 5.99 in the 1/8 and a 9.50 in the ¼. I didn’t reach my 1/8 mile goal but did click of that one 9.59 and 141.6mph at the NMRA world finals in 2007. Unfortunately the C4 gave out at the same event.
Over the winter 2007/2008 I swapped transmissions, from a C4 and 8” converter to a Glide and 9” converter. In 2007 I ran a best of 6.09 in the 1/8 and 9.59 in the ¼. So based on what I had been told, at 3200#, I was hoping the car would at least run the same and not slow down with an optimistic goal of again running in the 5.90’s through the 1/8 and 9.40’s in the ¼.
In April 2008, prior to the BBF Bash, several of us went to Ohio Valley for some T&T. Since we had several match races set up, we decided to keep it on the down-low and NOT post any ET’s. All in good fun. Well off the trailer my car clicked of a 5.98 at 117.1 mph. As I crossed the 1/8 mile cones I glanced at the score board and thought to myself “That can’t be right?!?” But sure enough, it was! The pressure was high and the temps were cool. We made a few more passes, tuning the Chassis with Bill Mitchell’s help. Got the car pointed in the right direction and put the car back on the trailer. The car slowed down a little each pass when the temps were getting cooler. I wondered if I was running lean or running out of fuel volume. BUT I was ready for the BASH! So right off the bat I met my goal of running a 5.9X pass through the 1/8 and I was REALLY impressed with this glide and 9” PTC converter. My short times were just a smidge off but everything else was quicker!
End of April Mother Nature decided to take a dump on us and the BBF Bash was postponed, BUMMER! I was planning on making my NHRA License runs at the BBF Bash. Chuck and I along with several of our BBF Brothers and friends have tickets to race in the Pinks ALL OUT event at St. Louis the end of June. I still need to get my NHRA License or they won’t let me race. I order a new set of slicks from Flip, get them on the car and then David Lynch reminds me that Corral day is June 6th at Bowling Green. David’s going to sign my NHRA License application; I just need one more person. Surely I’ll find someone to sign it there. So we head to BG, I start making my License runs; Two 330’ passes, Two 1/8 mile passes and Two ¼ mile passes, a 9.60 and a 9.59 at 139.4mph. It’s HOT, the track is SLICK and I’m breaking in the new shoes. David and I were going to race heads up but by the time I was finished with my License runs, I was DONE FOR! Ended up I got an award for the quickest N/A car at the Corral day and David won the award for fastest (mph) N/A car. Pretty cool! Searched and SEARCHED for another NHRA licensed driver and couldn’t find one…. Was getting worried until this stacker trailer arrived for Saturday night T&T. I ran over, asked for a NHRA Licensed driver and there he was, my KNIGHT in shining armor………. With a 9 second ricer LOL!!! He was a nice guy, signed my application and I was headed home.
Pinks ALL OUT in St. Louis, man that was a GOOD time! ¼ mile racing and in front of 20,000+ fans! Clicked off a 9.57 and then a 9.52 in the ¼ but didn’t make the show. Tried to get in the wheel stand competition; I was the next guy to make a pass and they shut it down….. I was PISSED!! Oh well, T-storms were headed this way and they wanted to get the show on the road so I can understand. I was planning on dragging the bumper! What really blows is that they hand picked this one Camaro called True Grit that was pulling some OUTSTANDING wheel stands during time runs. They set him aside so that he could be the last car but he didn’t get to make a pass either. An 11-second Barracuda won
What was the MOST fun about the Pinks ALL OUT race was hanging out with all my friends like Dan, Denaro, Bill, Rodney, Perrin, Wesley, Derrick, David, Chuck and the list goes on………. Thursday evening, I laughed so freaking’ much, I though I was going to HURL!
2008 Big Block Ford Bash II at Windy Hollow Dragway. Whew! Where do I start. The MOST fun I had racing ALL YEAR! PERIOD! Only thing I didn’t like; it was HOT and it was HUMID but all the fun and fellowship more than made up for the hot sticky weather. From the heart pounding heads up grudge races on Friday to the No-Parking sign behind Bruno's trailer. I was THOROUGHLY entertained! Made some new BBF friends in the process. If you guys haven’t seen the BBF Bash II Video produced by Penkote productions, I HIGHLY recommend you get one ASAP! (Contact Nate Pennington or Bill Yoe aka Yoeman ) http://www.atthetrackohio.com You’ll see what you missed and won’t want to miss the next one. The pressure was really good however the hot humid air offset the good pressure so My car ran in the 6.0’s all weekend with an occasional 6.10 or 6.11 Chuck faired really well, getting in the money rounds on Saturday in Pro and Quick 16 racing. I went out in the 3rd round of Pro when I went -.012 Red against Dan ‘Wildman’ Hobbs who went on to win the class. He looked like he was about to PASS OUT from heat exhaustion after that final pass. I can’t wait until the next one! Went out in the first round of Quick 16 to Brian Wheat, man his car is FAST!
In August we raced at MP Dragway and in the Modified class I got down to the quarterfinals and put a little money in my pocket. The car was running in the 6.02 to 6.05 range but still not back in the 5.90’s.
September we went to a T&T at MP Dragway to get in some testing before the NMRA World Finals in October and I’m glad we did! I only got to make one pass because of starter, alternator and battery issues. My Alternator was off the car because it was draining the batteries (Got it fixed the following week). The starter died and the batteries were dead. But the one pass I DID make was a 6.02 at 116mph and a 9.42 at 141.3mph. Finally made it into the 9.40’s!! WOO HOO. Met my goal of running a 9.4X in the ¼.
Another goal I set for myself in 2008 was to win at least One event (Not just the local Saturday night race). I only have 2 more chances and that’s the NMRA world finals in Open Comp or the Ken More Bluegrass Nationals.
NMRA World Finals in Bowling Green KY. Open Comp is a VERY competitive class with several VERY good HARD CORE racers so I had to be on my A-Game! Friday T&T from like 11AM until 3PM. Fortunately when they called T&T I sprinted up to the staging lanes (Oil downs and car breakage took a LOT of T&T time away from everyone). The air is GOOD, the humidity is down and the temps are in the 70’s. Should be a record-breaking weekend! First T&T pass I click off a 5.99 at 116 and a 9.40 at 142.8mph, this bitch is making some POWER up top! But since the air is SOO good I’m wondering if I can’t add a little more jet? BUT first I want to try and slow the car down a tenth in the ¼ so I can set my Open Comp tenth break out dial. Back to the staging lanes, OIL DOWN! So we wait, wait and wait some more. FINALLY! I take about 400 to 500 rpm out of my shift point from 6850 to about 6400. Car didn’t slow down as much as I anticipated. Ran a 6.02 and a 9.44 with similar air, just 7 degrees warmer temps. Guess I’ll have to hit the brakes and play it by ear to try and take out a tenth. I want my dial to be about a 9.40 based on what I think the weather is going to do this weekend. A high-pressure system is hovering and the temps are in the 70’s and 80’s during the day.
First qualifying pass I hit the brakes about 100’ before the ¼ and the car runs a 9.509 WOW! I NAILED IT!!!! I don’t want to go ANY quicker during qualifying or else I may not run the number. My dial for Open comp will now be a 9.40 On the next two qualifying passes I shut it down after the 1/8. But on my next run I jet up the front from 93’s to 94’s to see what happens. Car runs a 5.99 at 116.9mph, a slight improvement. Last qualifying run I jet up the back from 93’s to 94’s and run another 5.99 at 116.5mph in less pressure and 8 degrees warmer. So I’ll leave it here for now.
Sunday! We are the first class to race, it’s COOL in the lower 60’s and the pressure is still REALLY GOOD! So I know that my car is going to most likely run under my dial of a 9.40. I get as much heat in the engine as possible but I don’t cut a very good light and don’t pass the guy until the first cone, hit the brakes but it’s TOO LATE for the both of us, double break out. Fortunately he breaks out much worse, we both didn’t cut good lights BUT my light is better and I get the win. The car runs a 9.33 at 144.5mph! HOLY MACH I Sound Barrier Batman! I just ran in the 9.30’s!!! At nearly 145mph! Also ran a 5.95 at 117.3mph through the 1/8, another personal best! I’m STOKED!! By the time our next round is ran, the temps has jumped from 63F to the lower 80’s so the car should again be in the 9.40 to 9.42 range. The next 4 rounds the car runs a 9.412, 9.424, 9.439 all lifting at or before the cones. In the process I trailer one former champion, one 2 time defending champion and also keep him from winning for the 3rd year in a row. Pretty exciting to say the least! But my car was ON all weekend and I was cutting good lights when needed. Final round, My opponent cuts a KILLER light and I can’t chase him down. He gets to the finish line first but I do win runner-up in the NMRA World Finals Open Comp class. So I’m a happy camper, I ALMOST met my goal of winning a big event.
October 18th and 19th we race in the Ken More Bluegrass Nationals, my last chance to win a big event for 2008. Saturday night I make it down to 19 cars out of about 100 but don’t make it any farther. So I’ll have to wait until next year to win a big event. That will be my number 1 goal for next year.
The End ;-)
So let’s hear about your 2008 year in review
2008 Year in Review
At the beginning of each year or sometimes the year before we all set goals that we would like to reach. What were your goals for 2008? Did you meet the goals you set for yourself or your race team? What were some of the Highlights and lowlights of your racing, pulling, cruising or boating season?
Here’s my 2008 Year in Review
My goal for the 2007 season was to run a 5.99 in the 1/8 and a 9.50 in the ¼. I didn’t reach my 1/8 mile goal but did click of that one 9.59 and 141.6mph at the NMRA world finals in 2007. Unfortunately the C4 gave out at the same event.
Over the winter 2007/2008 I swapped transmissions, from a C4 and 8” converter to a Glide and 9” converter. In 2007 I ran a best of 6.09 in the 1/8 and 9.59 in the ¼. So based on what I had been told, at 3200#, I was hoping the car would at least run the same and not slow down with an optimistic goal of again running in the 5.90’s through the 1/8 and 9.40’s in the ¼.
In April 2008, prior to the BBF Bash, several of us went to Ohio Valley for some T&T. Since we had several match races set up, we decided to keep it on the down-low and NOT post any ET’s. All in good fun. Well off the trailer my car clicked of a 5.98 at 117.1 mph. As I crossed the 1/8 mile cones I glanced at the score board and thought to myself “That can’t be right?!?” But sure enough, it was! The pressure was high and the temps were cool. We made a few more passes, tuning the Chassis with Bill Mitchell’s help. Got the car pointed in the right direction and put the car back on the trailer. The car slowed down a little each pass when the temps were getting cooler. I wondered if I was running lean or running out of fuel volume. BUT I was ready for the BASH! So right off the bat I met my goal of running a 5.9X pass through the 1/8 and I was REALLY impressed with this glide and 9” PTC converter. My short times were just a smidge off but everything else was quicker!
End of April Mother Nature decided to take a dump on us and the BBF Bash was postponed, BUMMER! I was planning on making my NHRA License runs at the BBF Bash. Chuck and I along with several of our BBF Brothers and friends have tickets to race in the Pinks ALL OUT event at St. Louis the end of June. I still need to get my NHRA License or they won’t let me race. I order a new set of slicks from Flip, get them on the car and then David Lynch reminds me that Corral day is June 6th at Bowling Green. David’s going to sign my NHRA License application; I just need one more person. Surely I’ll find someone to sign it there. So we head to BG, I start making my License runs; Two 330’ passes, Two 1/8 mile passes and Two ¼ mile passes, a 9.60 and a 9.59 at 139.4mph. It’s HOT, the track is SLICK and I’m breaking in the new shoes. David and I were going to race heads up but by the time I was finished with my License runs, I was DONE FOR! Ended up I got an award for the quickest N/A car at the Corral day and David won the award for fastest (mph) N/A car. Pretty cool! Searched and SEARCHED for another NHRA licensed driver and couldn’t find one…. Was getting worried until this stacker trailer arrived for Saturday night T&T. I ran over, asked for a NHRA Licensed driver and there he was, my KNIGHT in shining armor………. With a 9 second ricer LOL!!! He was a nice guy, signed my application and I was headed home.
Pinks ALL OUT in St. Louis, man that was a GOOD time! ¼ mile racing and in front of 20,000+ fans! Clicked off a 9.57 and then a 9.52 in the ¼ but didn’t make the show. Tried to get in the wheel stand competition; I was the next guy to make a pass and they shut it down….. I was PISSED!! Oh well, T-storms were headed this way and they wanted to get the show on the road so I can understand. I was planning on dragging the bumper! What really blows is that they hand picked this one Camaro called True Grit that was pulling some OUTSTANDING wheel stands during time runs. They set him aside so that he could be the last car but he didn’t get to make a pass either. An 11-second Barracuda won
What was the MOST fun about the Pinks ALL OUT race was hanging out with all my friends like Dan, Denaro, Bill, Rodney, Perrin, Wesley, Derrick, David, Chuck and the list goes on………. Thursday evening, I laughed so freaking’ much, I though I was going to HURL!
2008 Big Block Ford Bash II at Windy Hollow Dragway. Whew! Where do I start. The MOST fun I had racing ALL YEAR! PERIOD! Only thing I didn’t like; it was HOT and it was HUMID but all the fun and fellowship more than made up for the hot sticky weather. From the heart pounding heads up grudge races on Friday to the No-Parking sign behind Bruno's trailer. I was THOROUGHLY entertained! Made some new BBF friends in the process. If you guys haven’t seen the BBF Bash II Video produced by Penkote productions, I HIGHLY recommend you get one ASAP! (Contact Nate Pennington or Bill Yoe aka Yoeman ) http://www.atthetrackohio.com You’ll see what you missed and won’t want to miss the next one. The pressure was really good however the hot humid air offset the good pressure so My car ran in the 6.0’s all weekend with an occasional 6.10 or 6.11 Chuck faired really well, getting in the money rounds on Saturday in Pro and Quick 16 racing. I went out in the 3rd round of Pro when I went -.012 Red against Dan ‘Wildman’ Hobbs who went on to win the class. He looked like he was about to PASS OUT from heat exhaustion after that final pass. I can’t wait until the next one! Went out in the first round of Quick 16 to Brian Wheat, man his car is FAST!
In August we raced at MP Dragway and in the Modified class I got down to the quarterfinals and put a little money in my pocket. The car was running in the 6.02 to 6.05 range but still not back in the 5.90’s.
September we went to a T&T at MP Dragway to get in some testing before the NMRA World Finals in October and I’m glad we did! I only got to make one pass because of starter, alternator and battery issues. My Alternator was off the car because it was draining the batteries (Got it fixed the following week). The starter died and the batteries were dead. But the one pass I DID make was a 6.02 at 116mph and a 9.42 at 141.3mph. Finally made it into the 9.40’s!! WOO HOO. Met my goal of running a 9.4X in the ¼.
Another goal I set for myself in 2008 was to win at least One event (Not just the local Saturday night race). I only have 2 more chances and that’s the NMRA world finals in Open Comp or the Ken More Bluegrass Nationals.
NMRA World Finals in Bowling Green KY. Open Comp is a VERY competitive class with several VERY good HARD CORE racers so I had to be on my A-Game! Friday T&T from like 11AM until 3PM. Fortunately when they called T&T I sprinted up to the staging lanes (Oil downs and car breakage took a LOT of T&T time away from everyone). The air is GOOD, the humidity is down and the temps are in the 70’s. Should be a record-breaking weekend! First T&T pass I click off a 5.99 at 116 and a 9.40 at 142.8mph, this bitch is making some POWER up top! But since the air is SOO good I’m wondering if I can’t add a little more jet? BUT first I want to try and slow the car down a tenth in the ¼ so I can set my Open Comp tenth break out dial. Back to the staging lanes, OIL DOWN! So we wait, wait and wait some more. FINALLY! I take about 400 to 500 rpm out of my shift point from 6850 to about 6400. Car didn’t slow down as much as I anticipated. Ran a 6.02 and a 9.44 with similar air, just 7 degrees warmer temps. Guess I’ll have to hit the brakes and play it by ear to try and take out a tenth. I want my dial to be about a 9.40 based on what I think the weather is going to do this weekend. A high-pressure system is hovering and the temps are in the 70’s and 80’s during the day.
First qualifying pass I hit the brakes about 100’ before the ¼ and the car runs a 9.509 WOW! I NAILED IT!!!! I don’t want to go ANY quicker during qualifying or else I may not run the number. My dial for Open comp will now be a 9.40 On the next two qualifying passes I shut it down after the 1/8. But on my next run I jet up the front from 93’s to 94’s to see what happens. Car runs a 5.99 at 116.9mph, a slight improvement. Last qualifying run I jet up the back from 93’s to 94’s and run another 5.99 at 116.5mph in less pressure and 8 degrees warmer. So I’ll leave it here for now.
Sunday! We are the first class to race, it’s COOL in the lower 60’s and the pressure is still REALLY GOOD! So I know that my car is going to most likely run under my dial of a 9.40. I get as much heat in the engine as possible but I don’t cut a very good light and don’t pass the guy until the first cone, hit the brakes but it’s TOO LATE for the both of us, double break out. Fortunately he breaks out much worse, we both didn’t cut good lights BUT my light is better and I get the win. The car runs a 9.33 at 144.5mph! HOLY MACH I Sound Barrier Batman! I just ran in the 9.30’s!!! At nearly 145mph! Also ran a 5.95 at 117.3mph through the 1/8, another personal best! I’m STOKED!! By the time our next round is ran, the temps has jumped from 63F to the lower 80’s so the car should again be in the 9.40 to 9.42 range. The next 4 rounds the car runs a 9.412, 9.424, 9.439 all lifting at or before the cones. In the process I trailer one former champion, one 2 time defending champion and also keep him from winning for the 3rd year in a row. Pretty exciting to say the least! But my car was ON all weekend and I was cutting good lights when needed. Final round, My opponent cuts a KILLER light and I can’t chase him down. He gets to the finish line first but I do win runner-up in the NMRA World Finals Open Comp class. So I’m a happy camper, I ALMOST met my goal of winning a big event.
October 18th and 19th we race in the Ken More Bluegrass Nationals, my last chance to win a big event for 2008. Saturday night I make it down to 19 cars out of about 100 but don’t make it any farther. So I’ll have to wait until next year to win a big event. That will be my number 1 goal for next year.
The End ;-)
So let’s hear about your 2008 year in review
D. Sea- Posts : 2768
Join date : 2008-12-02
Age : 55
Location : Kentucky
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