7/23 Columbus Results - Racing, On Dirt?

I never did get the alternator in this week. But, the battery was charged and I remembered the charger.

In qualifying I turned a 16.501. That's an average of about 54 MPH. That was good enough for third quick in time. The odd number meant I would again be in the fast heat. On the first lap, first corner, two cars got together and threw mud and water on the first 18" of the inside groove. When we came around for the second lap the two people on the inside slid up in front of me. This move looked intentional. I would later find out that wasn't the case. Coming around for lap three I dove under those same two cars who seemed to want to take the high groove. The car slid immediately to the second groove. Luckily no one was on the outside of me. I passed the second place car. As I was navigating the mud trying to get an edge on the leader I left enough room for the third place car to grab second. I finished third.

My starting position in the feature was determined by the fact that I won last weeks feature. I started last. It was a rough start and a re-start was needed. I raced up from twelfth to 4th and got stuck behind lapped traffic. At the line I got beat out by the #X car of Troy Yohn and finished 7th.

With tonights performance I should be raised to about 9th in points. That's a 16 position jump in two weeks for those keeping score at home.

Two nights, both decent finishes in heat and feature. No work needed on the car. Woohoo.

Fore! No wait ..... Three!

I went back down to Meadowview Driving Range today to try to cure my slice. Now, it's pretty evident to most anyone who has seen me golf that I have very little control of which direction the ball is going to go. I pulled out the one wood, teed up the first ball and *whack* it sailed about 150 yards. *thunk* I nailed the golf ball retrieving vehicle right about head level in the left rear. Startled the driver a little too.

I couldn't do that again if I tried. But, since I wasn't trying I managed to hit the poor kid two more times. The range owner came out to give me some advice on my "technique".

I did manage to break my slice. Or ... rather I know how to break it. Now I just have to execute. I guess that's the difference between me and Tiger Woods, execution.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Last night we had some people over and had sizzlers from Ken's Meats & Deli and real mashed potatoes.

Jen got me a set of golf clubs which I promptly took to the driving range this morning. I used a center mat and sliced a few off property. Obeying the signs I moved further to the left and was still hitting them off the property. By the end of the bucket I mostly straightened out. The driving range owner, of course, had lots of advice. But, it takes balls to drive the way I do. :)

My father-in-law bought me a reciprocating saw. We'll be using that this week to "borrow" the exhaust off of a friends car for the Acura which developed an exhaust leak and now sounds like it has eight cylinders.

We stopped out and looked at a '46 Pontiac 2dr Fastback sedan similar to this one. It was complete except for motor and tranny. The thought was to put the 454 out of the Suburban and throw it into the Pontiac. We decided the rest of the car even with just one palm sized patch of rust is probably too much of a project to undertake right now.

Then I napped.

7/23 Columbus Results - Ding! Ding! Ding!

We have a winner!

The night did not start off well, as has been the case. I had my Dad tow the car up to the track. When I got there and tried to unload it the battery was dead. I had charged it for about 10 hours before it was picked up from my house. So, apparently batteries taken from $40 cars are not to be trusted, lesson learned.

I threw in the back-up battery for qualifying. I turned laps of 18.0 and 18.1 seconds going clockwise around the track. As I was driving back into the pits the car died, no more juice. I coasted into my pit stall.

I borrowed a battery charger from Troy Yohn (#X) . The car got as much charge as possible as I was lined up in the third heat race (the fast heat). Starting on the inside of row two I took advantage of the rookie on the pole when he slid up the track going into the first corner. The lead was mine by the end of lap one. Brian Johnson chased me down and got by me with about a lap and a half to go. I finished in second place in the fast heat. Respectable.

My sister-in-law Tina won her heat race as did the guy pitting next to me.

I lined up on the fifth row on the right. They started us out by going clockwise, that put me to the inside and most of the competition faded pretty quick. Most of the cars I passed were sliding up the track. By lap five I had the lead and held it though a few lengthy cautions including a red flag situation for the #3 car in the wall. The ambulance came and checked her out and she walked into the ambulance.

At the end of fifteen laps I was running all by myself at the head of the pack. In victory lane a member of the Kids' Club came down and got her picture taken with me.

I think I just might put the alternator back in the car this week :)

Jim
Qualified: 9th
Heat: 2nd (of 8)
Feature: 1st (of 20)

Tina
Qualified: 8th
Heat: 1st (of 8)
Feature: 14th (of 20)

Full race report available via Racing Online

My answer to an adjustable upper seat mount with seatbelt mount. 

The new paint and number decals are complete. 

DFI Golf Outing

Tonight was the Annual DFI Golf Outing. We played the front nine at the Stoughton Country Club. Our foursome shot a 47, is that good you ask? Par was 35. So, we were 12 over par. No, that's not very good. On the bright side it rained a little and the golf carts were a blast to drive around on the wet grass.

After golfing and finishing our "beverages" in the club house we decided to go grab a bite to eat. I suggested Angelo's, a small italian place near the intersection of Hwy 51 and Main St (?) in McFarland. We got there close to 9:00 PM and they had been closed for quite some time. We went right next store to Culvers. I had Culvers for lunch too. Twice in the same day is a little too much from that place.

7/16 Columbus Results - Rain out ...

Well, I hadn't even made it out of work when they called the races. I phoned Dave over at Competition Graphics to see when he could put the new number decals on. He agreed to stop by Sunday morning.

Update:
The decals are on! they look pretty good too. I should have pictures up later this week.

Jen is learning to drive a stick.

Today was Jen's first lesson in driving a manual transmission. At least with me as her teacher.

This is the early preparation for the September 10th Powder Puff race. The powder puff event takes the wives/girlfriends/[insert female here] and lets them loose against the other women for 10 laps of racing action in the race cars.

Jen is planning on driving the Acura in the bandit powder puff race. The Acura is a manual transmission, hence our lessons today.

We started at the MATC Truax Campus in the rear parking lot. Jen wasn't the only one learning driving skills in that lot either. There was a 15-16 yr old girl learning how to drive a Ford Ranger. Started out with first gear which began more like a rodeo. That poor little Mitsubishi hasn't been abused like that since ... well probably since we took it to lunch last.

She graduated to second gear and then third. She was still shaky on her starts.

She got "bored" with 1st-3rd so we went home did some chores. Later we went out and did some country road driving. She made it into 5th gear out there a couple times. One time she even meant to ;)...

A few more practice sessions and we'll be ready to teach her how to race.

7/9 Columbus Results - Not Much

Well Friday was just a crappy day. I had the car all set to go last Friday (7/2) and didn't have much time for it this week. I got home at 5:15 pm and Father-in-law wasn't around. He usually runs to the bank and he had to work later that normal this Friday. So, at 5:30 I give him a call on his cell phone and ask if I can use his truck to tow the car to the track. He tells me that he'll be home in about 30-45 minutes. That doesn't do me much good as time trials start at 6:30. So I go to Columbus to get my Dad's truck. That's 15 minutes to the track, 15 back and I'm up to 30 minutes myself.

I hop in the Acura, hit the ignition, nothing. I left the ignition on and the battery was drained down to nothing. I put the jumper pack on the car and got it out of the garage and onto the tote. I grabbed the battery out of the $40 Acura and threw it into the race car.

I got to the race track as the street stocks were qualifying which meant that I had missed my divisions time trials. Now I would only get one lap of qualifying. We unloaded the car and put in the battery from the $40 Acura. I turned the key and it turned over but would not start. Damn! There's a loose ground wire that I keep meaning to fix, I get the folks standing around my pit stall to give me a push back and my dad started pushing me with the wrecker. I forgot to wave him off before I popped the clutch ... WHAM! 15 MPH impact from a wrecker. My naked head hit the aluminum seat. It didn't hurt right away but I definitely felt the effects later.


I turned a 16.9. Slow, at least compared to the rest of the season.

That put me in the middle of the second Bandit heat. Good competition but, I didn't think there was anyone I couldn't beat. We took two parade laps and then the flagman motions me off the track. I went and parked in the spot indicated for people who have been black flagged. Then they wave me up to the flagstand. The official asks me if the chain is the only thing holding my seat in place. "Yes, that's the way I've done it for years" I said. He tells me that the flagman has a problem with that. They proceed to have a conference on the front straight. I got pissed off and drove back to the pits.

I took the car down to the tech shed and asked them to look at the car. They said that I needed an upper seat brace. Fine, I voluntarily 'parked' my car for the night. If it's important enough, and obvious enough that the flagman can pick it out from the flagstand, maybe I shouldn't race it.

Sunday morning Dad and I built an upper seat mount that might weigh as much as six pounds. It should prevent a reoccurence of Fridays scene.

Jim
Qualified: 9th
Heat: 11th (officially)
Feature: DNS

Tina
Qualified: 7th
Heat: 5th
Feature: 2nd

Bought another Acura Integra

Night before last I picked up another Acura Integra. It is a 1988, 4 door, Automatic and the interior is ripped up a bit. Otherwise, I was planning on running it on the street for a while.

It's gray and has some rust. This makes four cars in the garage, one runs and that's a race car. Jen has mentioned that she needs a parking stall in the garage no later than October. That's reasonable, if not tolerant.

Pictures to come...

Samantha #30

Samantha #30 

7/2 Racing Results - None

Due to a family situation that required my attention I did not race on Friday 7/2 at Columbus. "Everyone is fine, no one is broken."

Melissa #40

Obnoxious pink? Yeah, Sam picked out the colors. 

Jen #10