Header flames at night ~ Photo credit to John Tarr
Woodburn Dragstrip Fall Classic 2014 – Gregg Racing
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Woodburn LODRS Divisional Race #1 ~ 07-14-13 – Gregg Racing
Woodburn LODRS Divisional Race #1 ~ 07-14-13
If you’re following us here, by now you’ve seen the Pics of our Carnage from our Dropped Intake Valve that happened during our final Qualifying Pass late on Saturday. Parts failure is a constant threat when pushing our Equipment THIS hard. We normally do VERY well, in fact we have VERY FEW Parts fail, owing to a TON of Maintenance, however, someone said it best a long time ago ……… “Poop Happens”. It certainly did to us during Q3!!
The Crew worked VERY hard, burning a LOT of Midnight Oil and a few Adult Beverages too, as they got our Hot Rod all ready for the Dance on Sunday- but, alas a repeat performance of our Win in 2012 was simply NOT to be, as when we started Her up for Round 1, it was pretty clear- something was DRAMATICALLY wrong. I was given the option to shut it off, but I decided to go ahead with the Burnout and then opted to Stage the Car, having a pretty darn good idea, it was NOT running right. BUT, if we shut the Car off- we were GUARANTEED a R1 Loss. If I took a Green Light and Stepped down on ‘er, there was a CHANCE, however small, there WAS a chance of a Win. We were Racing Shawn Cowie, who was coming back after a 2 ½ year absence, returning after a devastating Motorcycle Accident injury he sustained through no fault of his own back in Tennessee. (Sidebar- I saw a sticker on Joey’s Car {Friend and Competitor, TAD Driver- Joey Severance}. It said- “Enemies for 5 Seconds; Friends for Life” Very Well said.) With this sentiment in mind, although we REEEAAALY wanted to whoop up on Shawn pretty badly, we all felt that if it wasn’t ours to win that day, it would be good for Cowie to take it that day. He’s been through an AWEFUL lot. Along with most TAD and TAFC Racers, we too have carried a sticker on our Car in his memory and honor during his recovery. But, regarding our R1 pairing, Shawn COULD have Red Lighted, or he COULD have Crossed the Center Line, or he COULD have had his OWN problems ……… but- he did not. He made a GREAT pass. BUT – we DID put ourselves in a position to win and that was all we could do at that time. I often refer to it this way- “Swing at the Damn Ball!!” We swung. Sometimes you connect. Sometimes you don’t. BUT, always Swing!
Shawn went on to win the Event and we at Gregg Racing congratulate him and his entire team!
One more- Before every Pass we make, we do a Warm-Up in the Pits. This allows us to not only Warm the Motor up, but we’re also able to check the Ignition Timing, Fuel Settings, EGT’s (Exhaust Gas Temperatures) and a variety of other items to make sure they are just right prior to our Run. One other routine is for us to check the Reverser- to go between Forward and Reverse gear. This is MUCH easier said than done, as the saying goes. My Bride, Robbie, has had the “Driver’s” duties in the Pits for the Warm-Ups for many years now, and She has always found the “Forward and Reverse” chore to be the most challenging. There ISN’T any “Synchro” between Forward and Reverse. If the Rear Tires are spinning- AT ALL, She can DESTROY a $1,500.00 Reverser in a FLASH. There’s just not much “forgiveness” in the process. Oh yeah- NO pressure either. J And, the Clutch works like no other, being a Centrifugally operated one. Did I mention? No Pressure. She’s gotten QUITE good- My point is- it’s MUCH more difficult than it looks. Prior to one of our Qualifying Passes this weekend, and after completing a truly Picture Perfect Warm-Up, including the requisite “Forward and Reverse” test- Which Robbie ALSO completed Perfectly, Robbie NEW she’d “NAILED IT” and the Picture that follows is her “Candid Camera”/“Kodak Moment” reaction captured as it happened by Cheyanne Helvey, the daughter of our Social Media Guru, Julie Helvey. The raw emotion seems to say a lot about her feelings of success. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Thanks, as always, for following us here! Our next outing will be on July 26th and 27th, back at Woodburn as we go to a Night Race there- Nitro Flames under the Lights! WHOO HOO! Come join us, or at least follow our results and stories here. Thanks much and God Bless!
Gregg Racing- Good Times with Good Friends at 260 MPH!
Nitro Gregg
NAPA Day Races – Gregg Racing – FUEL ALTERED BABY
NAPA day at the Races- 09-21-12- From Gregg- Can you say- FUEL ALTERED BABY! Here at Woodburn W~ Car Owner Art Mendoza & Russ Parker, Driver of this Bad Boy! HOW COOL IS THIS!!
Fall Classic- Fuel Altered- It’s Baaaaack!!
Robbie and I were here at Woodburn Dragstrip with our 3 Granddaughters for the Fall Classic last weekend and I had a unique opportunity to be a spectator. Although I’m not a particularly GOOD spectator, it was our Granddaughters first time to EVER be at a Drag Strip. So, we had spent our time trying to explain how LOUD each Car was compared to “Grandpa Gregg’s Car”, attempting to get their little minds around the reality that, YEP, an A/Fuel Dragster is INDEED louder than that Super Pro Car they’d just heard! For Lacey, 8, Bethany, 6 and Caidence, 5, they’d never HEARD so much as a BBC Car with uncapped Headers, so it was INCONCEIVABLE that Grandpa’s Car could POSSIBLY be louder than that! HOW COULD IT BE?!
I sat in the East Grandstands just past the Starting Line with Robbie and the Girls, getting used to the idea that I was a spectator for the day, feeling the angst to go help, well, pretty much ANY of my friends who had Cars here at this event, our Car being home with a Rod hanging out of the side of the Block! As Homer Simpson says, DOH!!!!! The BB/FC show began and we watched many of our friends put on the show that is Blown Alcohol Funny Car Racing. The Girls eyes got bigger as the sounds got even LOUDER and the smoke got even THICKER from long smoky burnouts. And then Russ Parker, a dear friend of mine since the early ’90’s, doing double duty that day, finished driving his BB/FC and headed back to the Starting Line to jump in his second ride of the day- Art Mendoza and partner Jim’s Fuel Altered. I had been doing okay at being the obligatory spectator, caring for our Girls……. Until….. Until, they fired the Fire Breathing, Kick Butt, Fuel Altered, Short Wheelbase Mean Machine. I swear, I felt a chill go up my spine, as I sat up in my bleacher, no longer needing the full seat, as I only occupied the edge. Russ pulled through the Water Box, slowed to almost a Stop as the Beast Cackled with a Mean-Ass Nitro Rage known to all who’ve ever heard a Blown Fuel motor run. It’s gonna’ Go or Blow, but it’s gonna’ be SPECTACULAR either way, and everyone is watching! Russ eased into the throttle as the three big Red Butterflies squeezed open slightly and the cackle now turned to an Ear Ripping blast of Nitro induced pain- but a good pain, of course! The Car JUMPED up on the Tires, Smoke Billowing off of them, rolling high into the air as the Car launched forward past the Starting Line. I was captivated. Two of the Girls were now in my lap, squeezing my neck in fear. I didn’t care. I was engrossed in this Bad Ass Fire Breathing Nitro Machine with Flames TRULY Licking out of the Headers. OMG, I want OUR Car to do that! If the girls hadn’t been in my lap, I’d have run to the Starting line to be a part, but I restrained myself….. for now. In the other Lane, my other good friend, Gary Eickmann, is driving Claude and Lisa LaVoie’s AWESOME Nostalgia Fuel Funny Car that Gary had been tuning to low 5.90 runs at over 240 MPH.
Now, keep in mind, if you would, I’ve made hundreds of Runs in our Car, many at 260 MPH, in the low 5 second range, and as awe inspiring as they are, I must confess….it IS DIFFERENT to stand BEHIND the Car and FEEL it than it is to even be IN it. Being IN it SUCKS THE AIR OUT OF YOUR LUNGS as it accelerates from 0 – 80 MPH in ONE FREAKING SECOND, and then as it further accelerates from 0 – 220 MPH in 3.5 Seconds on its way to 265! This IS virtually SPIRITUAL, as I explain to all who will listen that it feels like being rear-ended by a School Bus going 100 MPH……. WHILE Your Head is in a Paint Shaker!!!! Being BEHIND IT, is equally spiritual- it’s just different as you FEEL the Power POUNDING down through your Heart, your Guts and then down to your Feet! It’s just a different KIND of Cool.
So, I’m watching Russ and Gary Stage their Cars…. They bump in, the lights go Yellow… and all you hear is Massive Nitro Explosions from both Cars as the Fuel Altered EXPLODES out of the Gate with a FURY to a .949 60’ ET that MY CAR has to be on a good run to match. The Altered then has trouble, Breaks a Blower Snout, Oil from the Snout shoots ALL over Russ’ Visor; he brilliantly manages the Driving job and lifts, safely handling the Car to a stop. Gary thunders on down to a 5.92 in the low 240’s again! ME? I am in AWE! I told my Bride…. OMG! I NEED to Drive that Car!
NAPA Day at the Races- FUEL ALTERED BABY!
Now as Ron White says…. I told you THAT story to tell you THIS story!! So, now fast forward one week to Friday, 09-21-12 and now I’m back to Woodburn at the NAPA day at the Races, where Car Owner Art Mendoza is back with his partner Jim, along with Dave Hix helping with the Tuning duties. Dave and his wife Heidi are former Fuel Altered Owners, who successfully campaigned a BITCHIN’ Fuel Altered for years, helped by Ronnie Mankins. Ronnie is also here today. Dave KNOWS how to set these things up.
The air is WAY better today- not a LITTLE better- a LOT better. I’m concerned for my friend- Russ. So, I called Russ this AM to offer a bit of input on Mag settings to see if I could keep this virtual Satanic beast from killing him today. Essentially, More Mag means, More Power- to a point, of course. But, with the WAY better air, conventional wisdom would STONGLY suggest that if we want to keep the Heads on and have any CHANCE of “making it”, we MUST back the Timing off a bit. (Did I mention, this car is SO cool?!!) Russ does SUCH a good job of driving this Car, but I want to be here to watch, help and just see what the future might hold. I mean, you never KNOW what the future might hold! I mean, Russ COULD get hit by a bus…. He COULD, you know?!!! The jokes abound in the pits as Russ makes sure all check my hand size against his neck for future forensic needs! Russ is such a dear friend that it makes it fun to joke about such things, knowing I would never displace him for a driving job. Thankfully, I already HAVE a driving job! But, it’s fun to joke about such things!
We’re posting a couple Pics of this Cool Hot Rod, one I took today here in Art’s Pit area with the Body up and then one Action Shot where ALL THREE Wheels and Tires you can see here in the Pic are OFF THE FREEEAAKING GROUND!!! OMG! HOW COOL IS THAT!! And, a video with the sound that will allow you to experience a bit of what I’m sharing.
Today was a rough day for Altered Reality Team Racing, as at the top of the first Burnout, a few of the Rods decided they’d simply had enough as they made a Mass Exodus of their Warm Home and came out the side of the Block. My Mentor, Jerry Darien told me once, long ago when I was complaining about how TERRIBLY Difficult it was to run My A/Fuel Car… He said, “Gregg! If it was easy, the Pits would be FULL of 3rd Grade Girls with A/Fuel Cars!!” I have NEVER forgotten that lesson. Nitro is NOT easy. Anyone who thinks it is…. Has never tried it!
It will be VERY interesting to see what the future holds for Art’s Fuel Racing. He has big dreams and many good friends to help keep him within the Non-Negotiable boundaries that Nitro INSISTS upon. Stay within those lines and Nitro will do AMAZING and inspiring things. Step outside those lines by a few thousandths of an inch- and it becomes an indiscriminant destructive killer. If it were easy….. But WOW, is it cool?
Thanks much to Art for letting me hang out… And to God for giving me the most AMAZING friends… Russ Parker, Gary Eickmann, Dave Hix and my Mentor, Jerry Darien- All Men of DEEP Character, Talent and Intelligence. Some day when I grow up, I want to be just like THESE guys! For now, thanks for following us here at Gregg Racing. We value each of you for checking us out! We have much more to come, so stay tuned….
Gregg Racing…. Good Times and Good Friends… at 260 MPH!!!! God Bless~ 🙂
Woodburn Dragstrip Season Opener – Gregg Racing
This Post was ready to go shortly after the conclusion of the Woodburn Season Opener, however, the accident in Mission (see Post- “Stan’s Unlucky, Lucky Friday”) took precedence. That behind us now and Stan on the mend, I did want to report on how our first outing went, so…. Here Goes!
2012- Season Opener~ May 19-20
We had a major thrash getting our old Gal ready, as we were making plans to have a new car for this season. After countless hours of devoted work from Stan and Mike along with help from our faithful Clutch Guy Jake, we finally arrived with VERY high hopes for the 2012 Season Opener at Woodburn where we were pleased to have our whole team together again for the first time this year. An acknowledgement of the Team it takes to put this Show together seems very appropriate here-
- Stan Wise ~ The one who knows more about where everything goes on this program almost than I do. Dedication, Passion and Faithfulness OOZE out of Stan.
- Jake Vaage ~ Kick Butt Clutch Dude- This guy KNOWS how to make a Clutch Flat- That’s “MISTER Flat” to you!
- Mike Cady ~ Our 10 Year Groupie, Now Crew Dude who’s doing an AWESOME job- Pure Passion.
- Keith McCurdy ~ We’ve been doing this together a VERY Long time- Great Friend, and a WEALTH of Engine Building Knowledge. Very Cool Cat Under Pressure.
- Shelly (LouLaBelle) Kinney ~ My Niece and our Data Entry Specialist. She enters all the VOLUMES of Data this Car generates into a VERY Cool Spreadsheet I developed. Tedious and Important Work- She’s VERY Good! Now, she’s learning Motor work!
- Mom (Irene) ~ Feeds us all as if we were at a 4 Star Restaurant! Unbelievable Food- and its WONDERFUL to Race with your Family!
- Robbie (Gregg’s Sweetheart & His Bride) ~ Packs the Chutes, Fuels the Car & Cleans the Oil Pan. She knows more about what to look for in the Bottom of an Oil Pan than 90% of the Veteran Racers I’ve been with. She makes my Racing worth doing- Faithful & NEVER Complains. I should be more like her!
That’s our Team- These People invest COUNTLESS Hours on our A/Fuel Dragster Program and make it all possible. We have a Car that consistently is safe and that “nothing falls off of”, all because of the hours invested by these people. I owe them a debt of gratitude and wanted to express my Thanks Loudly here!
On to The Season Opener~
The Car has a fresh Motor this Year, with new Sleeves, new Rings and the same Tune-Up it had when we ran the 5.420 ET 264.39 MPH last year. I knew that having a fresh, tight motor would make MORE power, but no one could help me determine how MUCH more. Our first hit of the year showed this to be true, as we went “up in smoke”, completely blazing the tires. I have one Pic of that Run I’m posting here that is telling, in that is shows the front tires off the ground, so it WAS trying. If it had the front tires up (as it did), transferring the weight to the rear tires and STILL smoked the tires (as it ALSO did), then, well, then we were simply WAY off in our Power to Clutch settings. Darn.
Compression and Clutch changes were made and we’re ready for Sunday and…….., and…… and I want the WEATHER Man’s Job!!! That’s the job where you can be wrong 60% of the time and STILL keep your job and get paid pretty handsomely! The forecast was for a pretty nice day. We woke to anything BUT a pretty nice day! The constant rain forced them to call the event, leaving us to only wonder what coulda’ been! Darn! Nothing’s hurt and we’re ready to go! We will schedule an Outing to come back and Test soon. Stay Tuned, as we’ll announce when we’re coming back for testing…….
NAPA Day Woodburn Dragstrip | Gregg Racing
Talking With Jerry While In Car
A Quick Update~
It’s been a great year for us here at Gregg Racing- our Performance has improved substantially, as we’ve had the privilege of having JERRY DARIEN join us for a couple outings over the Summer. His knowledge and experience are unparalleled- and he doesn’t believe in “using up Parts” to go fast. During our last outing, we made 3 pulls in the 5.40’s, and we went over 264 MPH, which hasn’t happened in many years (since the days we had 100% Nitro). The amazing part is that we could have reused 85% of our Spark Plugs and Rod Bearings. The Motor is finally “Happy”. Now, we’re working to “stick” all the Power we’re making to the Track- which is NO easy task! But, this is why I’m writing today- we have one more opportunity before we drain the Nitro out of Her and begin our Winter maintenance- and we wanted to invite you to join us!
Signage on our Rear Wing
NAPA Day at the Races- Friday, September 30th, 2011
All of us Nitro Junkies are ALWAYS looking for an excuse to hear that Nitro Cackle and to have our senses assaulted one more time and WE FOUND IT! The CBM Means Business; Gregg Racing A/Fuel Dragster Team has been invited back out to our home track of Woodburn Dragstrip by our long time Crew Dude, great friend and NAPA Staffer, Keith McCurdy for the NAPA Day at the Races on Friday the 30th of September. They have a number of Hot Rods that will be “strutting their stuff”, but they were looking for a “Big Car” to kinda’ showcase the event. As much as we love to Race, my Bride and I had to do some serious talking, as, well- we were SUPPOSED to be at the Oregon Coast for a very long weekend, since October 1, the very NEXT DAY is our 6th Year Anniversary!!! Do I have a GREAT Wife, or WHAT?!! Keith has sacrificed a TON for us over MANY years, so if Robbie and I have to post-pone our Beach trip for a bit to help him, then we decided that’s what we needed to do! I’ve said for a LONG time- that as COOL as our Hot Rod is- and it’s REALLY Cool- It’s all about the Relationships you build along the way! So, Keith- this one’s for YOU! Here we come!
So, please join us Friday the 30th at Woodburn. We expect to be making a couple hits between 12:00 Noon and around 3:00 PM or so. Please come be part of the Team and Family for One More Hit of Nitro! I’ll post after the event, but as always, you’re BEST option is to come join us- ESPECIALLY since this will be our last outing for the Year!
Fondly,
Nitro Gregg
Another Wheels-Up Launch Being Cheered on by Clutch-Guy, Crew-Dude Jake!
Results From The Woodburn Dragstrip Fall Classic | Gregg Racing
To Begin~
We had a GREAT Outing this past weekend! I’m attaching a video taken from the Stands by a fan. Not the best view, as it doesn’t show the Driving Job I had to do! (but, you can see AND hear what happened in that Run and I’ll explain more about this below.) THAT poor vista is a HUGE regret, as it was the most remarkable Driving Job I’ve had to do since I’ve owned the Car! I received more complements after that lap than from any other pass in the Car- EVER!
Three Laps in the 5.40’s- 2 over 260 MPH -1 @ 264.39- 2 MPH off our Career Best!!
We’d come “Out of the Box” on Thursday with a 5.46 @ 259 MPH, putting a Cylinder out at 4.4 seconds- a VERY good start to our Weekend. Nothing hurt and a TON left in it. We fixed the Cylinder dropping problem- we hoped- and tried another test pass- The Car did something I didn’t believe possible- it went out 300’ and BLEW THE TIRES OFF! Smoking the Tires THAT far Down Track takes a HUGE amount of Power, which we seemed to have now. We were going from there into Round 1 of Eliminations of the Make-Up Race that had rained out back in July- BUT that last Test Pass had shook HARD, damaging our Reverser, the device that allows me to go from Forward to Reverse so I can back up from a Burnout. We THRASHED, attempting to repair the Reverser which made us quite late to the lanes for our first Round of Eliminations, not really sure if we’d even have Reverse to be able to back up from the Burnout! I did a VERY short burnout, just in case the guys would have to push me back! I know that everyone there was startled, as I’m known for doing “John Force-esk, Long-Non-A/Fuel Traditional Burnouts”, but not knowing if you can even get it into Reverse will cure you of that RIGHT NOW!! OMG!! So, a short Burnout it was!! But, the Reverser worked, so I backed up and had to wait for the other guy, as we were then early!! I then Staged the Car- (This is the pass I’ve attached the video of)- and away we went, side by side, BUT, then the Car began to Shake HARD, again, moving around, left and right and CLOSE to the left wall- it was VERY close to the wall. When it does that, it essentially quits pulling. You’ll see in the Video above, he pulls away as I’m shaking, but he then Blows a Burst Panel (a safety device protecting the supercharger from too much pressure in the Manifold) and I get my Car to settle down and it HAULS ASS 🙂 all the way to the finish line, running 5.420 @ 264.39 MPH! We whooped up on him! This is our Best ET in a LONG time and our best MPH in a VERY long time!! When he blows his Burst Panel, you can hear a very distinct whining sound from his Supercharger (aka- Blower) as it is spinning in excess of 20,000 RPM!
Getting Whopped –On The Track & By The Weather~
We got whooped in R2- I ran 5.49 and lost to a 5.46. CLOSE, but no cigar! This all happened before the Weekend even began, as our Testing and Eliminations occurred on Thursday and Friday. By Saturday, the Weather had turned Colder, making the Corrected (or “Density”) Altitude VERY low. This is the Altitude the Motor THINKS it’s running at. VERY good air = VERY Good Power! We were already making a TON of Power- and then it got Colder. The Sun didn’t even peak out from the Clouds, meaning that the Track never saw the Sun, so the Track Temperature never got over 71 Degrees. In our world, a Track Temperature of 90 Degrees is considered to be optimal. A Track Temperature that varies in either direction by much begins to affect the available Traction. Add to that the fact that the Cool Air was adding a ton of Power, and – well, we knew we were in trouble! We tried on two attempts to get our Hot Rod down the Track, but went up in smoke both times, in spite of attempts to pull Power from the Tune-Up. Sunday arrived with a similar forecast and I was making an even more drastic change to the Car- Changing Cam Timing. This is one that I have done before to get the Car down the Track when we had great air and the more “normal” Tune-Up moves were ineffective. As I was preparing to Move the Cam Sunday morning, the call was made- the Race was called for Rain. DOH!!! One more time- Woulda’, Coulda’, Shoulda’!
Managing Expectations
We really wanted to come away with a 5.3 Time Slip from the Weekend and we were SO Close on several tries this weekend. Racing with Jerry is SUCH a GREAT time! He was a tremendous help and we all had a TON of FUN! When I brought him up for the Woodburn Divisional back in July, the Car was running 5.60’s and 5.70’s in the mid 240 MPH range– and hurting itself on most every Pass! Now, we made 3 Runs all in the 5.40’s, the slowest of which was 258.91 MPH and up to 264.39 MPH- all with no carnage! We also had some Tire Smokers where we overpowered the Race Track for the available conditions, but our performance has picked up so much that we are now competitive again, and we again have the respect of our competitors. It’s been a while! This is VERY rewarding!
Where We Go From Here
We’ve been invited back for one more outing before putting our Hot Rod away for the Winter. It’ll be Friday the 30th of September where we’ve been invited by NAPA Auto Parts back to Woodburn Dragstrip, our Home Track, one more time. They have rented the Track for the day. They were looking for a “Big Car” and Keith McCurdy- a long time friend, Crew Dude and NAPA staffer invited us to come out for the day. So, please come out on Friday the 30th and spend the day with us! We’ll have a great time, hearing the sound of Nitro Cackling in the Pipes, smelling that distinct smell of Nitro and feeling the awesome Power of that “Bomb” going off at the Starting Line when, before we put Her away for the Winter, we say a couple more times – “God Bless it! Send it!!” Please Come Join Us!!
Thanks to all who make this happen!! 🙂
Fondly~
Nitro Gregg
Fall Classic Woodburn Dragstrip | Jerry Darien and Gregg Racing
Hey all Gregg Racing Fans, Friends & Nitro Junkies!! We have some GREAT NEWS in the Gregg Racing A/Fuel Dragster Camp!!! This weekend is the Fall Classic Race at Woodburn Dragstrip and on Friday the 16th, is the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series (LODRS) Woodburn Make-Up Race for the event that was rained out back in mid-July. The CBM Means Business; Gregg Racing A/Fuel Dragster Team has come out early, today on Thursday the 15th to do some testing in preparation for this make-up race tomorrow the 16th. The KILLER NEWS is that we have the privilege of having JERRY DARIEN join us again at this race as our Co-Crew Chief!! WHOO HOO!!! Jerry is one of the top A/Fuel Tuners on the PLANET and has trained more NHRA Pro Top Fuel Drivers than any other Tuner/Car Owner in history! He has been called the “Trainer to the Stars”. A partial list of drivers he’s personally trained includes:
- Gary Scelzi
- Frank Pedgregon
- Melanie Troxel
- Steve Faria
- Brandon Bernstein
- Morgan Lucas
- Ashley Force
- Troy Buff
- Brittany Force
- Courtney Force
- Megan McKernan
His tuning skills are known for their conservative nature, keeping his rookie Drivers safe and his parts lasting a LONG, LONG time! The standing joke is that you NEVER, EVER cut a Zip Tie from the wrong end on Jerry’s team, or he’ll have your HEAD! We reuse all zip ties and that attitude is representative of the ultra-conservative approach Jerry has taken to A/Fuel racing. When others through HUGE sums of money at their programs, buying the latest part to fall off the newest CNC Machine, Jerry sticks with what he has, making it work. And he makes it work! His career best is a 5.22 ET at 275 MPH with Ashley driving- but that was in the “good ole’ days”, when NHRA allowed 100% Nitro. Jerry says, “100% Nitro adds 50 IQ points to any Tuner!” Now, after several drops in our Fuel Percentage, we’re down to 94% by the current NHRA rules, it’s WAY harder to makes these Cars run- especially when it’s hot out! So, how’s Jerry done on 94%, WITHOUT the “50 IQ Point ‘Bonus’ Points” that used to come naturally by way of running 100% Nitro? Well, on 94%, with Courtney in the Car, his Career Best is a 5.23 ET at 272 MPH!! PHENOMENAL performance out of a Living Legend (That’d be Jerry, – Courtney will earn her Stripes in the Years to Come! J ) whom we at Gregg Racing are TRULY HONORED to have helping us out this weekend at Woodburn! Come be a part of the Program and meet Jerry if you haven’t already- you’ll be glad you did!!
Jerry has been a good friend to Gregg since Gregg bought his A/Fuel Car from Jerry back in 1999- the Car Jerry had built for Melanie Troxel to drive. It wore the In-N-Out Burger colors in those days.
UPDATE!! Thursday 6:45 PM– We had intended on making two Test Passes today, but…. , as they say, nothing’s easy. We got one hit in today, but it was a GREAT opening to our long anticipated weekend! In fact, in “Jerry speak”, he told me one time when I was complaining to him about how TERRIBLY difficult it is to run one of these VERY finicky A/Fuel Dragsters- He Said, “Gregg, if it were easy, the Pits would be full of 3rd Grade Girls with A/Fuel Cars!!!” It isn’t easy running an A/Fuel Car, or probably much of anything worth doing in life! BUT, today, we had a GREAT opening Pass!
Allow me to share a little bit of the “Inside the Tuner’s Corner” with you:
Coming here today, we knew-
- The Air would be VERY good- about 1100’ Corrected Density Altitude
- We have been having issues with the Car “Smoking the Tires” at the Hit
- Smoking the Tires SUCKS and you learn NOTHING doing this!
- We’d have to REALLY “back the Car down”, by lowering all our Tune-Up settings pretty dramatically for our first Pass
- We Set a VERY Mild Tune-Up and……. (OMG!) WAIT, I need to tell you just a LITTLE MORE for perspective. (Sorry for the tease, but it’s REALLY worth it! I promise!
When we qualified for this race, just 8 short weeks ago, here’s what our Time Slip looked like:
|
60′ ET |
0.990 |
|
330′ ET |
2.548 |
|
660′ ET |
3.725 |
|
660′ MPH |
213.47 |
|
1000′ ET |
4.721 |
|
1/4 ET |
5.596 |
|
1/4 MPH |
252.80 |
The best we could muster was a 5.596 ET @ 252.80 MPH. Today, we came out of the “Box” (Trailer) and with a VERY mild Tune-Up, HERE’S what our first Hit Time Slip looks like! Below:
|
60′ ET |
0.986 |
|
330′ ET |
2.491 |
|
660′ ET |
3.634 |
|
660′ MPH |
219.29 |
|
1000′ ET |
4.608 |
|
1/4 ET |
5.463 |
|
1/4 MPH |
258.91 |
ALMOST a tenth and a half better! …AND, as the late night Infomercials say… “But Wait, There’s More!!!!”
On this run, it dropped #4 Cylinder at 4.4 Seconds! Woulda’, Coulda’, Shoulda’! But, we’ve fixed this so it (Hopefully!) won’t happen again, along with addressing a NUMBER of other issues, and we TRULY believe that our first 5.3 Pass is IN THERE, WAITING for us to turn the knobs JUST RIGHT and that it will come out THIS WEEKEND!!! The Motor was very safe, nothing was hurt and we’re VERY excited about tomorrow! 🙂
Eliminations begin at 1:30 Tomorrow! I’ll try to do more posts, but the BEST option is to just come out here and JOIN US!!
Gregg
Gregg Racing 