I got lucky this year. I got two sets of free tires from Fiberseal of Arkansas, due to my codriver. He had to back out due to work related issues, but I can't complain. I also have a local sponsor that gives me free alignments/tires for cost and free labor. I'm not sure how I lucked into that but I am truly thankfull!!!

So this trip cost me...
$170 Hotel
$125 gas (I live in North Little Rock)
$100 Entry Fee
$$$ Beer.

I love living in the Midsouth.

BTW, I didn't go to baby dolls or this trip could have been more expensive.

 

Next year I'll have to drag you over there.

 

Oh, I've been, and Priest Holmes was there with me. You won't have to pull my arm Chris. BTW, I missed you St. Louis guys. I hope you'll make it next year.

 

All the stickers we run are required.

You can win money, but only if you place first or second (for Mazda and Hoosier) or third (Kumho)

 

Yokohama has a very generous contingency too

and the BS pics from Nats had the heats reversed, fixed now

opps, this is TeamRX8 on DKNVs acct

 

On that 350Z that finished 2nd, does anybody know if thats the Track model or one of other ones?

 

Ya know what Jason... I take a lot of **** from you, some of it is returned, some of it I just let slide... but this one draws the line.

I guess I can be happy that I don't have to deal with your bullshit mouth anymore.

--kC

 

Yes it was a track pack. I am told one of only two yellow tracks, the other one was there also.

 

Please do you think that just because you ran away from our class you wont catch $hit from me.

 

One of two yellow tracks in existence? I don't think so - there is a yellow '05 Track 350Z owned by a friend's co-worker in northern Virginia.

 

Glen Austin was telling us he and Thompson have the only two yellow tracks.

 

Glenn Austin says he has one of very few yellow Tracks with head curtain airbags or some such -- it's the airbags that are unique.

 

Yippie. Airbags.

I saw another yellow Track on the way home from our event today.

 

Maybe they are the only two 05' yellow tracks. he said something about so many dealers ordering yellow that Nissan put some restriction on it and they got the only two that way. Would not be the first thing he has been wrong about.

 

somebody alert Barrett-Jackson...these yellow Z's must be worth a bunch, being so rare and all...

 

Holy crap did I dodge a bullet at natls... The weekend before natls at our local event we left behind our tire gauge, this is the same one I have used for the last ten years. I thought no big deal I have two spares that are identical at home, Longacre Delux 2 1/2", so I took one of those to natls. Today at the local event I was able to get back my old one as some nice person found it in grid and put it in our timing rig. Well I thought for fun I would compare the two as gauges can vary a bit. Well Son of a Bizzatch if the one I took to natls was not off by 7 psi. I verified this by also comparing it to another competitors gauge at the event and then when I got home to my other spare Longacre gauge. So when I thought I was at 35psi in KS I was at 42 psi. Guess the secret on a low grip surface is to run a lot of extra air.

 

Or...what you don't know, can't hurt you...

 

I am so mad about that. I tossed the bad one the other two are almost dead on, within 1/2 psi @ 40 psi. Every run, every bit of testing was done off of the old gauge, then to change at natls and be off by 7 lbs made it all worthless.

 

ULLLOSE, I respect your prowess as a driver given your record so dont take what Im about to say the wrong way. You couldnt tell a difference between 35psi and 42psi?? Even just during inflating the tire you'd know you put in way more than 35...

 

I don't have that much experience, but I can definately feel the difference in tire pressure/with respect to grip. When I was running the 245's on my car, I usually ran them at 39 front and back. Others run different pressures, some even running different pressures from front to back.

The only thing that could have been done is to let more air out each run...but if we used to an optimal pressure, why would he change something that he has done for years?

 

If it were only that easy. When I mounted my new tires for natls I just filled them up off the tire machine and then bleed them down before I ran. This was the first time on the new surface at HPT for me, so I contributed the somewhat lack of grip to the slick surface that everyone complained about. To be honest on the second day with rubber down on the track the car felt good. Had I run on one of our usual lots with the air pressure off by 7 psi I think I would have noticed something was not right.

With that said there is know way for me to tell for sure what if any effect that had on my times. I would like to think I could have been faster, but until I can get back on that lot and try it back to back its only a guess. Now I have something to test at next years natls warm up.

The moral of the story is don't change anything right before natls.

 

I figured it must have been the surface. Thats an interesting story though. I wouldnt worry about the "could I have been faster" part. Id think of it like a formula1 race, you only need to go as fast as it takes to get 1st. Now imagine if you took 2nd and were forced to wonder

 

It was a big reality check and a good scare.... You work hard to make sure everything is 100% for natls and something so small can take it all away.

This is one of the best ways to pass the time till next season, go over your natls "what if" list.

 

TeamRX8 wondering, "what if I had 1200# front springs"

 

How much spring rate does it take to tear apart an RX8......