99ZX9R

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate my Atco teammates for winning this year's event at US 13 in Delmar. I wish I could have contributed more than a first round win, but my rd 2 opponent's .013 light is tough to cover when your .036.

My personal highlight of the event came on the Friday Pro ET (footbrake) Gambler's race. This was the second of two gambler's races held prior to the main event. The first was held on Thursday and I was pleased to go 4 rounds against Division 1's finest.

At about 10:00 am we get the call to the lanes for our one and only time shot and optional bogey race (pay $10 and best package gets the pot). As always, I'm up for these gimmick events and put a 9.94 on the window. I line up, do a healthy burnout and slide in deep. The hit felt good as did the rest of the run. The slip confirmed my feelings showing a .027 r/t and 9.942. Not bad, but nowhere near a package needed to win. Oh well...on to elims.

First round I get a well known Mason Dixon driver dialed 10.38. I dial up one to a 9.95 (figuring I'm holding .02 since barometer went up and humidity went down). This is the perfect situation since chasing a close ET is what I'm most familiar with. A very good race unfolded here with his .031 and dead on 4 to my .028 and dead on 3 taking .004 stripe.

Round 2 I draw a Spencer Speedway racer dialed 10.60. By now it's getting dark and temp is dropping so I dial down one to 9.94. Like in Rd 1, I slightly tree my opponent .025 to .034 and take the double breakout win going 9.936 to his 10.586.

Round 3 was one of those "lesson learned" rounds. My opponent is a beautiful and fast box nova from Lebanon Valley whom I faced the night before with the driver cutting a poor .105 light. He dials 9.66 to my 9.94. Failing to convince myself not to assume another easy win, I sit on the tree and then panic when I see my guy get a nose on me past the 1000'. Knowing the stripe is now his, I dump at the stripe and then exhale seeing the win light. Turns out he is .098 and 7 thou under to my .094 and 9.941. That could have very easily gone the other way.

Round 4 - South Mountain racer dialed 9.78. I keep 9.94 on the window now getting my chops busted from my teammates saying I should use paint instead of chalk for my dial. This one was decided on the tree with my .043 and dead on 2 to his .084 breakout run.

Round 5 on the ladder, I get my teammate and Atco legend Dave Harvey. He dials 11.12 to my...surprise surprise...9.94. Knowing I have to push the tree, I come up 100 RPM and cut a .017 r/t to his .036. I catch him dumping early and tightening it up to .016 at the stripe to get the very rare win against Mr. Harvey.

Round 6 and 6 cars left and a race I will never forget. The track official tells me I have the black vega in the back of the lanes. I see the guy walking up to me. He shakes my hand and introduces himself as Ed Talbert. Never heard of him. So my buddy comes riding up on his scooter and proceeds to tell me this guy is a big time money racer running a 9.0 car but dialing it 10.0s leaving the line in high gear. Oh well, no time to worry, he dials 10.06 to my 9.92 (finally got to use some shoe polish).

We lineup, burnout and stage. We both leave green and although I leave second, I'm by him just past the 60'. Knowing it's way too early to start scrubbing I stay in it down track. Just past the 1000' we're now side by side and locked together heading towards the stripe. I look for the dump, see it just past the mph cone and dump with him. No win light. Turns out he was .003 and dead on 4 to my .010 and dead on 7. He took .010 stripe. Apparently a .007 package beats an .017 package. Time to collect money and go to bed.

I'm already looking forward to next year. And for the first time ever, the Div. 1 Bracket Finals will be at Atco

kazman

Congrats on your bracket final appearance. You have come a long way in a very short time. I remember that (not long ago lol) I was able to give you racing advice. Turnabout I now will be asking you.

Deep staging a 9 second car. That's just crazy.

GARY2004Z06

Congrats Marc. Love the storyline.

Dave-T

Nice story! Congrats.

383vett

Great runs.

99ZX9R

Thanks guys

Not sure you want to ask me anything just yet. I was in Bud's ear the whole event. If not for him, I would've had a whole lot more time in the stands instead of racing.

kazman

I took his class a number of years ago and still call him for help. Blueberry spent the summer at his house. Talk about helping this bracket school alumni. No matter what issue I was having Bud had an answer for the fix. Amazing. I got a phone class on the proper way to use the trans brake button. Possible that next season I may be footbreaking a 10.0 car. Deep of course. Sad side is that I may be forced to sell the car and race something else if I get to race at all. Just have to see what happens this year.

C5 Pete

Nice weekend Marc. You certainly seem to have found your spot on the tree.

REDGAR

You have come around well Marc. Congrats

Fuzzy Dice

Nice job and great write up...Ed Talbert is a very well known racer and a killer, no doubt about it...his daughter is tough as nails also...he has been racing high gear forever...

Your car is deadly consistent...you will go a lot of rounds hitting the tree hard and driving that car...congrats...

I had to race a "borrowed" car at my division finals...it would not leave so I was only in the way all event...sigh...we will take my motor out and completely break it down in the next month...we'll see...again, good going...

99ZX9R

Well good luck with everything and hopefully you get to do some racing.

As for Bud, I can't say enough good things about the guy. Pete and I showed up at this house a few days ago for a practice session which really helped a lot. Then, at the BFs, I struggled my first time shot and Bud gave me a lot of good advice with staging, preparing the car and foot placement. I recommend his class to every serious bracket racer I meet.

Thanks a lot Dan. Hopefully you get your car sorted out soon. You were doing real well when the car was working.

I realized what a great racer Ed Talbert was after our run. Just about everyone heard of him and that black vega. Seems he has a very unique way of hitting the tree with that car. Obviously works well for him. What I loved tho was his southern good ol' boy attitude. He was talking to me like we known each other forever. He ended up running (and beating) Brock Moshier in the Final. I tried to get to the finish line in time to watch, but didn't make it.

1stvette94

Excellent job Marc!

ralph

Hey Marc, nice job in the gamblers race. Tough crowd at the BFs, but a really good event.

Kaz, did you ever get the gremlin out of the Blueberry? Last I spoke to Bud, the car was off to PA.

kazman

Ralph, I want to thank you for all your help. Blueberry went to RaceKrafters in York Pa. Found wireing issues and grounds. Got spark and signal in the computer but no start. Apparently on my last run something broke. Car was running ruff after the pass but I put it back on the trailer and didn't think anything was wrong. I was holding.09 in the 1/8 and spot dropping thumping the gas pedal (6 quick pumps dropped me dead on). Thought it just got loaded up. Engine is out and being freshend up. The valve train geometry (which I knew) is being corrected. I got a little rust in the cylinder walls from sitting 6+ months down in florida. A lifter let go and a few rockers failed lol.

Down side is that I may sell the car as a roller and rebuilt engine separate, sell with the rebuilt engine turnkey, or drive the car here in Florida for fun next season. Its been a ruff year for my wife and we got hit with some heavy unexpected medical bills. As for everything in life it could be a heck of a lot worst.

To all the bracket guys and gals I was spot dropping because I can't drive the top end in this car to save my life. Dialing hard and cutting a light most times leaves (with me driving lol) too large of a window for the competition.

BD104X

Nice Job. Dave Harvey is a bad-***, as is my buddy & Super Pro champ Steve Sisko!

ralph

Kaz, sorry to hear about your wife, but i assume (hope) she's OK. Also sorry to hear about the engine issues.......hopefully they will get you back up and running soon and I hope you can continue to race the car next season.

Good luck to Sisko in Pomona.....bring it all home

99ZX9R

They sure are. I run into Sisko every once in awhile at Steve Everett's shop.

Summer Series in two weeks. Time to transition from bottom bulb to top