Live from Atco , NJ - NHRA Lucas Oil Series

[tim worner]

Maybe we ,div 1, should not have a 6 week open schedule in the summer.

[Brian VP]

Originally Posted by tim worner

Maybe we ,div 1, should not have a 6 week open schedule in the summer.

I agree Tim. Hey look I am not real fond on racing in the heat of the some but I am fond of racing and what happened this weekend was a complete and total waste of time and money for everyone involved. And now the rescheduled event will be in a time of year that will only make it tougher. I only hope we dont have the same problem next week.

[TMonte]

Hi Guys,

Here are some shots I took yesterday...was sitting about 300' out...














Tom

[TMonte]

[TMonte]

[Byron Worner]

Originally Posted by Brian VP

I agree Tim. Hey look I am not real fond on racing in the heat of the some but I am fond of racing and what happened this weekend was a complete and total waste of time and money for everyone involved. And now the rescheduled event will be in a time of year that will only make it tougher. I only hope we dont have the same problem next week.

When we race late in the year it should be at a national event quality track like Etown or Maple Grove. Why go back to Atco in two weeks between races at Maple Grove. Why not stay there for all three? Speaking of Atco, is anybody else except me tired of going there twice a year??? It seems to me every trip there is one adventure after another.

[Ken Miele]

Here are some nice actions shots from John DiBartolomeo Editor-DRAG RACING ACTION Magazine http://www.dragracingaction.com/

[Ken Miele]

More pics........

[Michael Beard]

I'm absolutely stunned that there were two pages of arguing about the rescheduling date. Back up a sec!

- Why was the event rescheduled? Because they pulled the plug.
- Why did they pull the plug? Because the track was deemed unsafe.
- Why was the track deemed unsafe? Because multiple cars wrecked (and others didn't wreck, but couldn't get down the track)
- Why did multiple cars wreck? Issues with the track surface.

Now: What was wrong with the track? Did they have water seepage issues downtrack? That I don't know -- quite possible, given the amount of rain we got leading into the event. If that were the case, they've probably had the same issue at some time in the past, and therefore the result would be predictable, and they should've pulled the plug before the event started.

However, regardless of the possibility of water seepage, you had other issues. Someone reported "this track has teeth!". I've heard Atco has a reputation for an outstanding starting line. This weekend wasn't it. If cars hooked well this weekend, it was due to the quality of the cars/tires/chassis setup and not the track. *I* didn't have any problems. My four-cylinder car was just ducky, as well it should be. That doesn't mean that the track was great. Look at the photos: the rubber was spotty at best, and a significant number of guys blew the tires off. No offense, but if you think that track had teeth this weekend, you need to get out of the house more.

I think the NHRA Div. 1 crew is a great, experienced group. It's not like they don't know how to prep a track. Think back to a discussion we had earlier this year: Cars have wrecked at NHRA events virtually from coast to coast this year. WHY? I asked that question earlier, "Why, why why?!", and it was suggested to me that "racers should work on their cars". Quite honestly, I think there's an issue with the traction compound, whether its an issue of the right compound being used, the compound being used correctly, or the compound being contaminated. I've heard of similar major issues being caused when the alcohol used to cut the compound mistakenly had top lube in it. It's like skating rink in a can.

My issue isn't with the reschedule date (this is the second time I've been to Atco, won first round, and then had the race rescheduled to a time that I couldn't make it back). MY issue is, can someone explain to me why the race had to be rescheduled in the first place, and I mean the ROOT cause? I'm sorry, but if you can't make a track work in 60-65 degree weather on a mostly sunny day, what exactly are you going to do to make the track work two weeks from now?

I made three laps in three days. The poor Super Comp guys only made 1 hit! That's just sad. I think we've all been to races with very challenging weather and conditions, and been able to complete the event (or even multiple events). This weekend was like the ill-fated Rockingham World Finals, without the cold weather, the dew, and without intermittent showers the entire weekend. I saw several guys from NC and SC... really? You're going to tell the guys that drove 12 hrs (let alone the guys from around the block) that you can't race when it's sunny and 60+ deg, just come back in two weeks? Good luck with that. I sincerely hope everyone who returns has a safe experience.

NOW, all that BS aside...

I looked at this weekend as a vacation, and as such, it was a great time. All of the NHRA Div. 1 staff was great as I remembered, and very friendly, from my stint running with them when I first got started in Stock in the late '90s. (H*ll, I think Wiggins is wearing the same big smile as he had the last time I saw him!) I got to see a ton of old friends, and met a ton of new ones. It's got to be the most benchrace-filled weekend I've ever had at a race track, and there were still many folks I wanted to catch up with that I never even got a chance to see. If you want to barbecue and benchrace, NHRA is certainly a great place to do it. I may run a handful of events next year, but realistically, as much as I enjoyed the off-track portion of my vacation, I like to *race* when I go to a race track.

Tolls, Entry, Fuel... well, y'know what, it was cheaper than Disney. Had a blast. (Don't expect to make any money when I go to Disney either) That said, I'm not going to Disney 12 times a year solely to hang out, and if I were looking at this weekend as a serious racing effort, I would be more than a little ticked. I may go to a few races with them next year, but I'm going to be much more selective, that's for sure.

Other notes on the plus side
- A big thanks to Billy Nees Race Cars (referring to the multi-national corporate conglomeration obviously, and not Billy himself, as he wouldn't want to be associated with me nor take credit for fixing my carb issue.)
- Thanks to Lew, Tom, and JohnD as always for photos!
- The rollout was crazy tight there, which was PERFECT for the little car. .014 in the last Q run, and .004 first round!
- Thanks to Strange Engineering for the Perfectly Strange Performance Award hat for the dead-on zero run first round!

Pics to follow....

[Ed Fernandez]

Michael,it wasn't a sunny day at all.The sun came out sporadically and the wind was constant for quite some time.When I finally left at about 2 PM it was dead cloudy and the wind calmed down a bit.The weather plain sucked and was not conducive to allowing
high HP cars,whether hitting the starting line or throttle stopping down track,getting good bite.
Someone made a point about the super categories expecting to hit that surface with 800+ hp and hooking up.I was also told,by someone who's opinion I fully respect,that
some of the recent rash of crashes are due in part to parts failure,due to a lack of
preventive maintenance.
I totally agreed with the decision to postpone the event before any more incidents happened.By condolences go out to the three racers who had mishaps during the weekend.