Live from Bristol

[MEMORIES]

Tom got down to 6 cars, had a .006 react and Fletcher a .002. Fletcher won by .0005, approximately 1 inch. WOW!

Congrats on some great driving, Wayne.

[Dale Slusser]

Tom ..Thanks for the great pictures and updates from down south and Congratulations on a Good weekend .

[Rick Carlson]

Tom,

The photos are great...Thank you for sharing! All I was able to see from my vantage point were wheelie bars and taillights. AND great wheelstands.

All these years doing my D-7 races and finally working my first "east coast" race at my "new" home track (only on my 4th year here). The show the stockers & S/S'ers put on was great. I thank those of you took the time to say "hi", or just call me names. Even though the forecast was absolutely lousy, the weather wasn't too bad, especially for those who made it to Sunday. But, when you make it to Sunday, it's always a pretty good day. It was awfully quiet this year, without the Nitroplate Party Zone.

Today was pro test day and open to the public at Thunder Valley. Many new fans came out and I had several that came into the tower and I was asked many times..."When will see those "wheelstanding cars" again?"...Yes, fans DO watch Stk and S/S.

Again, I thank all of you who came to Bristol for putting on the show at Thunder Valley.

Rick Carlson

[Bill Harris]

Sorry to see the aftermath of Mary's incident at Bristol.
I have a question though....

Mary wrote:
"What happened -- after crossing the finish line, I bumped the shifter up to 2nd gear and as I was reaching up to cut off the engine..."

I'd like to understand the shutdown procedure described here. The car is an automatic, presumably a 3 speed, and is going 120+ MPH at the finish. What could possibly be the reasoning behind downshifting to second and then shutting off the engine? What transmission can be downshifted at that speed? Is there some GM trans that freewheels in second when coasting, or was the downshifting accidental? I think if I did that with my FoMoCo C4 I would be picking up pieces of either the engine or trans. Just wondering.

[herbjr]

Read again, it was a mistake, as she went for the switches she bumped the shifter into 2nd. It wasnt on purpose.

[Alan Roehrich]

On a GM three speed, like a TH 350 or a TH 400, if it is set up for racing, it has no 2nd gear braking band. So, if you shift from high to 2nd, and do not step on the gas, it free wheels, as it would in neutral. The sprag that is part of 2nd gear will not hold in deceleration.

By the way almost any full manual valve body will select any gear you shift it into at any speed.

[Bill Harris]

That makes more sense that it was an accidental shifting.

However, reading it again it does not say that. It says "after crossing the finish line, I bumped the shifter up to 2nd gear and as I was reaching up to cut off the engine..." That implies that the "bumping" was intentional. If it was accidental I would expect the wording to be: "after crossing the finish line, I bumped the shifter up to 2nd gear as I was reaching up to cut off the engine...". The "and" makes a difference. If it were stated "after crossing the finish line, I (accidently, inadvertently, etc) bumped the shifter up to 2nd gear as I was reaching up to cut off the engine..." it would be more clear.

Not trying to start a fight or be the grammar police, I just wondered about the procedure used.

Must be the scars from the nuns.

[Bill Harris]

Ahhh... Alan..... now THAT is what I was wondering!! I thought that something like that might be going on with the trans. It is similar to first gear on my C4 when the reverse band is not applied. In coast, it is like being in neutral. I dun did lern sumtin tuday!