Fuzzy Dice

I just got home from racing in the Citrus Nationals at Palm Beach...this was the first time ever for me leaving off the trans brake...my buddy and I arrived at the track for early parking at about noon thirty on friday...we unloaded the cars and headed to the hotel to check in...we had signed up for the test n tune starting a 6PM so we headed back to the track at 5:30...we warmed up the cars and went up to staging when they called us...this is when my first issue began....sigh...

As they began moving us up in staging I went to turn on my CO2 bottle for my shifter...oops!...it was already on...qwap!...I forgot to turn it off when I left my last event two weeks ago...naturally it was empty at this point...sheesh, what a start...a buddy found me a loaner...we put it in and I got two passes in...my first pass was exciting to say the least...I let go of the button and wham...it hit like a mule...much different than leaving off the foot...I only had the two step set at 3000 rpm too...the front end went up and I was gone...ran a 6.62 with a 57 tree in real muggy conditions and 85* temps...my second pass she went 6.61 @ 102 with an 18 tree...damn that two step is loud....lol....my first try at the button was OK so it was off for a late dinner and some rest...

We got very little sleep due to excitement I guess...we probably passed two or three hours in the middle of the night on the practice tree in our room...lol...we had a good breakfast and back to the track for 9AM time shots...we got two...my first I went 6.60 with a .003 light and my second I went 6.61 with a .061 tree...no bueno......it was very apparent that staging at idle let me put the car in the same spot and leaving at exactly the same rpm every time made a difference...time for round one...

I get lined up with a friend in his beautiful 66 impala...he dials 6.67 and I put 6.61 on my board...no surprise there...he missed the tree and I had an average .032 but won handily whomping...my 330' said I was going another 6.61...yey!!!...round two I line up with with another buddy dialed 676 in his gen 4 camaro...I have 6.61 on my board, as usual...now the "fun" started...I promise you have never heard of this happening before...I certainly never have...we do our burn outs and I flip into nuetral to clear my carb...all of a sudden water is everywhere...I can't even see out of my windshield...my first thought is I broke a radiator hose but my gauges are perfect...then I realize what happened...the water box guy sprayed me with his hose...WTF!!!!!....did he think my car was not clean enough?...sheesh....now the starter runs over and tries to dry my windshield...then he waved me up...my buddy has been staged a while, btw...

Y'all can imagine how my concentration is gone...hell, I even forgot to press the button at all and left of the foot with a 98 tree...I also spun due to water on my tires and lost bigly to say the least....I probably could have gotten a re-run if I went to the tower but I was so angry and tired I said fark it...we left and had a lovely italian meal in Jupiter....then back to the room for some much needed rest...

After another nice breakfast we headed to the track for the Sunday race...I picked up a jug of 93 gas for my race car...we got two more time shots today but I only took one...I went 6.61 again with an 18 light...no need to beat on the car...first round I get another friend in his mustang...he dials 6.83 and I feel it is getting hotter so I go up to 6.62...it is only 86* but the heat index is 94*...I am cooking like a christmas turkey in the staging lanes...I am at the end of the line and get stuck in the left lane after running right all event...well, he leaves .007 red and thank goodness as I completely missed the tree with a .065...

In round two the tracks radio goes out and we don't hear the call to the lanes...when my buddy and I go up we are almost last in line...woudn't you know it we have to run each other...fooey!!...he dials 6.78 in his 78 malibu wagon and I leave 62 on my dial since I ran dead 7 on my first round win...he leaves and I follow... I whomp at the end and go dead 7 again...I thought I won but I went .012 red and never knew it...oh well...

He lost the next round so we loaded up and took off...we stopped for a bite on the way home...all in all I was pleased with my weekend...I got to try the trans brake for the first time which I needed to do...it allowed me to test out a theory I had...I have been struggling trying to stage my car in the same spot footbraking since it kept wanting to push through...I suspected my converter is just too tight...this weekend proved me right...using the trans brake I staged at idle which allowed me to stage the same spot every pass...the button also let me leave at exactly the same rpm every time...the result was a deadly consistent car...woot!!...when we freshen the motor next spring I will pull the converter and have it loosened a tad so I can stage off the foot at up to 3000 rpm...this should give me the option to button or footfeed the car with the same result...

Next up is the Nightmare before Christmas event at orlando on dec. 22nd...I'll be trans braking at that one as well...as usual, big thanks to my running mate Mike for all his help...

C5 Pete

ralph

Thanks for the writeup Dan. I always check'em out when i came here.

Turbo Bob

kazman

Dan, what's your option on the button vs foot break. No question the button is more reliable but what about all the seat time on the button then going to a foot break only event? Are most of the big money events foot break or are trans brakes allowed?

Fuzzy Dice

Thanks guys...Kaz, I have only been off the button once so I am not sure yet...I can tell you that I forsee running my events from 2019 on about 50/50, button/foot...when we pull my motor for a freshen up I will have FTI loosen the converter a tad so I can leave off the foot up to 3,000/3200 rpm...right now she wants to push above 2500 rpm...this way I should be fine on either launch...

As to whether one or the other will ruin one or the other, I will let you know that one down the road...it looks like I will have about 5 big money footbrake only events in 2019...the rest I can run off the button if I choose to...I usually run around 20-25 events a year...

kazman

Thanks Dan, I'm on the fence about using the button. Major lack of seat time on my part. I am hoping to hit a big $$$ foot break race or two this coming year. I guess its a coin flip as I go deep at 1800-2000 foot breaking or shallow at 3100 on the button. So far I have just been going deep foot breaking.

Fuzzy Dice

I will say this, Kaz...going off the button allows me to stage at idle which means I can put the car in the same spot every time or damn close to it...then leaving off the exact same rpm every time in conjunction with this makes the car very consistent...probably the best combo for foot feeding is a loose converter and one of the launch rpm thingy's...I don't have one of those but I make do...one thing needed for the big money events is a kill spot on the tree...I plan to go off the button until the next footbrake only event...hopefully I will have the converter loosened up by then...I may bump up my launch rpm on the two step to 3200...I am at 3000 currently...

Are you entering the New Years Nationals at Palm Beach?...96 collector and I will be there...I will be leaving off the brake, of course...it is a lot of fun...I am in the shootout as well...

96collector

New Year's Eve Nationals is paying out $10,000 on Saturday and Sunday.

kazman

Car and driver aren't ready for this yet. I'm having hot starting issues not battery related. Going to get a new high torque starter after the holidays. Replacement headers are giving me some issues as well. The new collectors bend down so the muffler shop custom bent 3" exhaust to run under the cross member. Gave me less than 1/2 ground clearance which ripped the drivers side off first time out. That is a good thing as the bends reduced the 3" diameter down to about 1/1.2 inches. Needless to say car lost 50 - 60 HP. Going to run bend the collectors up and run straight 3" exhaust pipes about 9" in length. Went 6.60 shifting at 6500. Second run went 6.70 shifting at 7500. Should of been a sub 6.50 and 6.30.