Finally! Back in the finals!

[chevytrucks92]

That's right! I finally made it back to the finals! First time since I blowed up my 406. Didnt win the race (didn't even make the run actually-I'll explain later) but man it was just AWESOME to finally get past the semi-final round (5 of 9 races with my 355) and get to the finals!

I screwed up in the finals and actually didn't even get to make the run. I was bumping into the bottom stage light and flickered it, grabbed my trans. brake, and the light went back out. The other car was already staged and the track official had already started the tree so by the time I got back in the bottom light (had to wait 1.006 seconds for my delay box to release the trans. brake), his win light was already on and his tree started coming down. Oh well. I did the same thing in the 3rd round but I was able to get staged before the track official turned the tree on and so it didn't matter. Just one of those racing deals.

You have to try and bump into the lights the same way every time to be consistant, and those things happens. No biggy. We had already split the money, lol.

Anyways, here's my runs (.500 is a perfect reaction time at this track BTW):

1st round elims (left lane):
-Dial In: 4.76
-Reaction: .501 (won me the buy run the next time one was available)
-60 ft: 1.639
-330 ET: 4.805

2nd round elims (left lane):
-Dial In: 4.78
-Reaction: .506
-60ft: 1.628
-330 ET: 4.792

3rd round elims (right lane):
-Dial In: 4.76
-Reaction: .546
-60ft: 1.643
-330 ET: 4.830 (yeah, this one was gave to me, lol, other car broke out by .001, lol. whew!)

4th round elims (left lane) (buy run):
-Dial In: 4.82
-Reaction: .514
-60ft: 1.636
-330 ET: 4.810 (breakout)

Final round (left lane):
-Dial In: 4.80
-Reaction: none (had staging trouble)
-60ft: none
-330 ET: none (just idled down the track).

Good showing for little Casper. I was VERY suprised at how well the track hooked and how well my car ran in the heat today. I mean I was close in the short times to what I was last weekend at a much better track.

[LowETz]

Congrats! Still can't believe how well(consistant)the car's working!
How long does your local track stay open? We're open here in Atlanta until the middle of November.... need to get w/the program if the pewter pig is gonna get a new best this year....

[chevytrucks92]

They stay open as long as the weather permits and people show up, lol. Last year, the last race I run was November 7, but the track was open for atlesat 1 more weekend (maybe 2).

The "big tracks" semi-close to me vary. Bristol quits at the end of this month. The other 3 (Clay City, Rogersville, and Owensville) all quit about mid way through November.

Either this weekend coming or the next, I'm going to try Owensville (Bluegrass Raceway Park, www.bluegrassracewaypark.com), and I also want to go back to Clay City (Mountain Park Dragway, www.mpdragway.com) atleast one more time though. I'd like to try Rogersville, TN (Cherokee Raceway Park, www.cherokeeracewaypark.com) as well, but I dont know if I'll make it down to check them out or not before the season winds down.

And I'm not going to start on improving my car's performance untill after I quit for the season. But next season I'll come back as strong, or stronger then ever before. I'm pretty much set on building this 355. Going to get it overhauled and with dome pistons instead of flat tops, and I'm gonna tell the shop to make it have around 14:1 compression. That should get me down into the 6.80 range in the 1/8th.

[JekylandHyde]

Congrats .... sort of