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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 21, 2009
 
This trip to the track was primarily for suspension testing. After installing the 2.8L Kenne Bell supercharger, the car wasn’t launching as hard down low (based on runs at Fontana last week). So, the plan was to get some baseline runs, then change the angle of the lower control arms to shift the car’s instant center towards the rear. The LCA change was made after the 4th run… but the results were inconclusive.
 
Donna wasn’t feeling well, so she skipped this trip to the track. I made a total of 7 runs. Even though I never got into the 6.6s, I did end up with three runs that were quicker than I ever ran at this track before.
 
Here are the videos from Saturday, March 21, at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
 
** Video #1 (High Res Version), Time 10:23 am, DA = 2,217 ft:
My first run was my 2nd best of the day, and at the time, my best ever at Barona. I ended up running 6.737 @ 104.365, 1.550. The 104.365mph was the car’s best 1/8-mi trap speed ever. The other car ran 8.547 @ 84.894, 2.114.
Streetfire Version: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-1_642334.htm
 
** Video #2 (High Res Version), Time 10:52 am, DA = 2,260 ft:
My second run was my 3rd best of the weekend. I ran a 6.755 @ 104.044, 1.540. The other car ran 8.339 @ 82.852, 1.741.
Streetfire Version: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-2_642336.htm
 
Video #3 (High Res Version), Time 11:17 am, DA = 2,466 ft:
On this run, I tried to launch from an idle, without bringing it up on the converter. It seemed to launch a little harder, but then it hiccupped in first gear, which killed the numbers. The car slowed to a 6.840 @ 103.571, 1.574. The other car ran 8.339 @ 82.852, 1.741.
Streetfire Version: >http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-3_642341.htm
 
**Video #4 (High Res Version), Time 12:44 am, DA = 3,205 ft:
The pass was part of the Run For The Money competition. It costs $10 to enter and you get one pass… closest to the dial with out going under or going red, wins the pot. Since the DA was much worse, I figured it wouldn’t run as quick as in the morning, but not as bad as the previous run. So I dialed in a 6.78. Oops… I was wrong. It made the best run of the day, as well as my best ever at Barona. Go figure. The car ran 6.728 @ 103.621, 1.509. The other car ran 6.567 @ 103.121, 1.414 on a 6.54 dial in.
Streetfire Version: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-4_642344.htm
 
Video #5 (High Res Version), Time 2:40 pm, DA = 3,044 ft:
This was the first pass after the LCA angle adjustment. The 60-foot time was the best of the day, but the rest of the run wasn’t as good. It ran 6.808 @ 102.950, 1.507. My opponent aborted… 14.349 @ 44.718.
Streetfire Version: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-5_642346.htm
 
Video #6 (High Res Version), Time 3:34 pm, DA = 3,355 ft:
This was a frustrating run. The tree didn’t activate after we got staged, and I ended up sitting there with the car up on the converter a lot longer than I wanted to. It really put some heat in the engine, too. Again, the car hiccupped down low, resulting in a 60-ft time of 1.559, and the worst run of the day, 6.852 @ 103.307. The nice looking Chevelle in the other lane ran 6.981 @ 100.635, 1.636.
Streetfire Version: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-6_642348.htm
 
Video #7 (High Res Version), Time 4:02 pm, DA = 3,170 ft:
The last run of the day was also frustrating. After I rolled into the water box, I had to sit and wait while they pushed someone back from the line, again putting heat into the engine. After that, it hiccupped again down low and all it would run was a 6.826 @ 102.926, 1.567. The other car went 6.982 @ 101.862, 1.688.
Streetfire Version: http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Barona-32109-Run-7_642349.htm
 

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, February 21-22, 2009
 
This trip to the track was actually a culmination of about 3 months of work. Back in December, a crack was discovered in a water jacket of my aluminum block. Adam at ST Motorsports attempted to save it, but it was not to be. So, I made the decision to switch to the Ford Racing Boss 5.0 Modular iron block (aka, the Big Bore block). I kept the same crank and rods, but had to get new pistons made. Fast forward to February 14, when I was able to bring the car home with the new engine. The plan was to put some miles on it, and then have Adam put a track tune in it on Thursday, 2/19 and test it at Irwindale that night.
 
The first run at Irwindale resulted in a sputtering/coughing at the top end, so Adam made a change in the tune. Run #2 was a little better, but it still nosed over at the top end. Run #3 was the best (6.691 @ 103.04), but I noticed the wideband gauge showing mid-12s. So, Adam made another change in the tune, which we were going to test on Saturday at Barona.
 
During the first run on Saturday, I observed the AFR still in the mid 12s. I spoke to Adam over the phone, and using the Predator, I richened it up 8%. Donna made the next pass, and she said she saw high 12s on the wideband. This made no sense, so I made another pass and sure enough, it was about 12.8. So, after talking to Adam again on the phone, we suspected that maybe my wideband O2 sensor was faulty (it is almost 3 years old now). Without reliable data, it made any more tuning basically impossible. So, after the 3rd run, we made the decision to play it safe, and just have some fun for the weekend. I pulled 2* of timing out of it across the board and left it like that.
 
Over the weekend, we made a total of 11 runs. Even though we never got into the 6.6s, we still had fun, and Donna set a new personal best for her.
 
Here are the videos from Saturday, February 21, at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
 
** Video #1, Time 10:48 am, DA = 3,004 ft:
My first run was my best of the weekend, and my best ever at Barona. It was also the best 60-foot time at Barona ever. I ended up running 6.765 @ 102.226, 1.461. The other car made a really run at 6.472 @ 110.157, 1.486.
 
** Video #2, Time 12:05 pm, DA = 3,104 ft:
After changing the tune by richening it up 8%, Donna made her first pass, and was just a tick slower. She was racing Ed (msgt46270) on the run, who was making his track comeback after almost a 2-year absence. It was great to see him making runs! Both of them cut identical RTs (0.145), and Donna ran 6.776 @ 100.492, 1.472, to Ed’s 7.602 @ 91.375, 1.692.
 
Video #3, Time 1:37 pm, DA = 3,300 ft:
This pass was in the “Run for the Money” competition. I was dialed in at 6.77, but it didn’t run the number. I kept the same tune settings as the previous run, but maybe the warmer air had an effect. Bottom line, it ran 6.821 @ 100.643, 1.481.
 
Video #4, Time 3:30 pm, DA = 3,410 ft:
Prior to this run, I reset the fuel to where it had been previously, and pulled 2* of global timing out of the car. This is how we left it for the rest of the weekend. Donna cut her best light of the weekend on this run (0.058), but coupled with the warmer air, all she could muster was a 6.979 @ 100.812, 1.579. The 60-ft was off by about a tenth. The other car ran even better than he did against me earlier, with a 6.177 @ 112.349, 1.443.
 
Video #5, Time 4:43 pm, DA = 3,177 ft:
On this run, I was lined up against Brian (Habu). This ended up being my worst run of the weekend, when it coughed in first gear for some reason. You can hear it on the video. I ran 6.928 @ 100.877, 1.547, with a 0.048 light. Brian tried to cheat, by leaving 0.028 early… haha. He ran 9.067 @ 81.926, 1.918.
 
Video #6, Time 5:27 pm, DA = 3,026 ft:
Donna was paired up with Grant (gmantheman) on this run. Once again, my car hiccupped down low, killing the 60’ time and the ET. Donna tripped the beams at 7.026 @ 100.474, 1.610. Grant ran 8.877 @ 80.873, 2.104.
 
And here are the videos from Sunday, February 22, at Barona.
 
** Video #1, Time 10:25 am, DA = 2,819 ft:
Donna made the first run of the day, and it was by far the best of the weekend. It was her personal best 60-foot ever (1.471), as well as the overall best 330’ and 1/8-mile numbers of the weekend. She went 4.334 @ 79.609 at the 330’ mark, and 6.723 @ 102.868 at the finish. A new Personal Best for Donna, and the best ever for the car at Barona. Nice job! Her opponent ran 8.025 @ 89.450, 2.036.
 
Video #2, Time 11:14 am, DA = 2,984 ft:
I was next in the seat, and couldn’t come close to Donna’s ET. I ran 6.825 @ 101.876, 1.507. The other car ran 10.391 @ 71.887, 2.629.
 
** Video #3, Time 11:49 am, DA = 3,063 ft:
On this run, Donna was paired up with a quick GT500. I had been talking to the guy earlier, and he said he had the 3.4L Whipple at 18lbs of boost, making over 800 at the tire. He was running a manual trans. Unlike a lot of other GT500 owners, he was running slicks on 15” Bogarts, so his traction was good. Donna ran 6.866 @ 101.504, 1.552, and GT500 ran 6.700 @ 105.387, 1.507. Since Donna jumped the tree a little (-0.055), and his RT was 0.109, they were only 0.002 apart at the strip.
 
** Video #4, Time 2:18 pm, DA = 3,477 ft:
My last run of the weekend started off with damn-near a perfect light. I cut a 0.001 reaction time, and a 1.499 60-foot, en route to a 6.840 @ 101.663. The other car ran 7.625 @ 90.224, 1.705.
 
Video #5, Time 3:20 pm, DA = 3,629 ft:
Donna’s final run was very frustrating. First they pull her into to the water box, for what appeared to be a solo pass. But no… they had her sit there while some tube chassis car sloooowwwwlllyyy pulled in too. Then it proceeded to do a John Force burnout, way past the tree, at which point it apparently couldn’t get into reverse, so it idled down the track. Meanwhile, Donna is still sitting back there. So, now they pull another car in to face her, which goes past the beams too. While all this is happening, my car is just getting hotter. Deep staging didn’t help either. Predictably, when Donna finally gets to run, it sucked. The car hiccupped again down low, and then could only run 7.118 @ 100.943 (versus 10.411 @ 72.121). You can hear my frustration at the whole thing at the end of the run. We decided to call it a weekend after that run.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, November 21, 2008

After a 7-week hiatus away from the track, we went to RaceLegal at Qualcomm for what turned out to be a short evening. All in all, the car ran decent, and fairly consistent with all five clean runs in the low to mid 6.80s. But the humidity was quite high (70% to 80+%), which offset the cool temps (55 to 61 degrees), so no new personal bests were set. My car just hates moisture in the air.

We made a total of six runs, and then had to shut it down. On the last few runs, my radiator cap was not sealing and was blowing coolant all over the engine. On pass #6 it got so bad, that the car started misfiring at the top end, and the water temp started to climb quickly. Funny how a $6 part can end your night at the track.

Here are the videos from Friday, November 21, at Qualcomm. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

** Video #1, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 755 ft: My first run was against a Corvette on steroids. This is a low 6-second car and was out on me by a couple car lengths, when for some reason he clicked it off early and I passed him at the end. I had him on the tree by 0.037, and ran a 6.843 @ 102.27 with a 1.592 60-foot time, with the Vette slowing to a 6.974 @ 69.22, 1.471. Guess my wife and son didn’t realize he lifted based on their comments at the end of the video.

** Video #2, Time 7:28 pm, DA = 743 ft: Run number 2 for me was a solo. Even though it got out of the groove on the launch, it still turned out to be my best pass of the night. After 1.595 60-foot, it ran 6.831 @ 102.50. So, the first two runs were with a hundredth of each other.

Video #3, Time 8:14 pm, DA = 540 ft: Donna first run was a disaster… as was the auto focus function on the camera. haha. She got it up on the converter way too much, and rolled the beams. Then the car blew the tires off, resulting in a spectacularly horrible 60-ft time of 2.086, and an equally poor timeslip of 7.323 @ 102.51. The SN-95 Stang in the other lane ran 8.637 @ 83.48, 2.184.

** Video #4, Time 8:59 pm, DA = 529 ft: Even though my camera focus issues remained, Donna’s effort was much improved. This solo run resulted in the low ET of the night, as well as the best 60-foot time ever at this track. She ran 6.807 @ 101.81, 1.566.

** Video #5, Time 9:37 pm, DA = 253 ft: My next run was against a turbo Brand-X’er. After grabbing 6/100 on the tree (0.549 to 0.612), I kept pulling away from him. I ran 6.859 @ 101.35, 1.599 to his 7.613 @ 79.22, 1.655. Now my first three runs were less than 0.030 apart, and the 60-foot times were all 1.59x. I like that consistency.

Video #6, Time 10:17 pm, DA = 224 ft: I’m not even sure what was lined up next to me on this run… maybe an old Datsun B210??? Anyway, this is the run that caused me to call it quits for the night. The car started breaking up on the top end (you can hear it on the video), so I lifted. And before I could even make the turn at the end, the temp gauge was going up fast! I pulled over and shut it down, and took a look under the hood. There was coolant all over everywhere and steam billowing out. I thought it blew a hose or something. But nothing was running onto the ground, and the origin was definitely the radiator reservoir. So I flipped the water pump and fan on, and the coolant temp dropped to 180 degrees in less than a minute. I slowly idled back to the pits. Oh yea, even though I lifted, it still ran 6.861 @ 98.68, with a 1.588 60-foot (my best of the night). Yet another consistent timeslip. Next time we go to the track in two weeks, I’ll be running in the bracket races for sure!

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1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, October 3, 2008

We went back to RaceLegal at Qualcomm, except this time we were running the track tune. Racing here is always a challenge, since the “track” is really just a parking lot. And there are a ton of cars with street tires there. So traction is always been hit and miss. However, it wasn’t hooking too bad considering where we were.

We made a total of sevens runs, six of which were better than the previous best ever at this track, including al all-time best for an 1/8-mi anywhere.

Here are the videos from Friday, October 3, at Qualcomm. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

** Video #1, Time 6:58 pm, DA = 1,397 ft:

My first run turned out to be the best of the night, and the best ever ET on an 1/8-mile track. After a track-best 60’ time of 1.581, I ran a 6.798 @ 102.98. The MPH was also an all-time 1/8-mile best. Whatever was in the other lane struggled to a 14.716 @ 50.96.

** Video #2, Time 7:14 pm, DA = 1,393 ft:

Donna’s first run of the night ended up being a new personal best for her on an 1/8-mile track. After cutting a good 0.553 light (on a 0.500 tree), she tripped the beams in at 6.830 at 102.51, 1.611. The MPH was also an all-time 1/8-mile best. The pick-up truck running against ran 12.217 @ 56.31.

** Video #3, Time 8:16 pm, DA = 1,419 ft:

After the last pass, I noticed that the radiator fan had quit working. So, we had to allow for additional cool down time in the pits. Plus, I left the heater on during the runs to help keep the car cool. On this pass I was lined up against out friend Dan’s ’68 Camaro. In the past, we had always be evenly matched, and this was no exception. I got up on the converter to much, and the car rolled in deep, and then spun on the launch. Both of us left a little early (me by 0.01 second more than him), but since I spun, he had made that up almost a full tenth in the first 60’ (my 1.703 to his 1.618). I reeled him in, and got him by a couple car lengths at the stripe. The numbers were 6.962 @ 102.02, to 7.133 @ 97.19. These side by side runs are the best!!

Video #4, Time 8:56 pm, DA = 1,351 ft:

Donna’s next run was against a Neon SRT “jelly bean”. Both of them roiled in real deep, putting out the top bulb, and Donna went waaaay red. I think going in that deep cost her in the 60’ and the ET. The 60’ was only 1.706, and her timeslip said, 6.940 @ 102.51. The Neon ran 9.285 @ 81.81, 2.349.

Video #5, Time 9:42 pm, DA = 1,447 ft:

Now it was my turn to go red again… three in a row for me. haha. The 60’ foot was pretty good (1.592), but the car dropped off a couple hundredths to 6.850 @ 102.27. The other car (with the ironing board on the trunk) ran 9.782 @ 71.65, 2.156.

Video #6, Time 11:02 pm, DA = 1,451 ft:

On this pass, I took my son with me. With a passenger, I had to run slower than 8.50. So, the plan was to go all out to 1/2 track, then get on the brakes and let the other car come around me. Mission accomplished. After I nice 1.594 60’ time, I got on the brakes haldway down, and ran a stellat 10.704 @ 26.22. Yep… 26.22mph. Normally when you see an ET of 10.7, you expect 126mph… not 26mph. LOL. Anyway, the other car ran 8.668 @ 78.80, 1.949.

Video #7, Time 11:37 pm, DA = 1,414 ft:

On the last run of the night, the car stumbled badly in 1st gear for some strange reason. Not sure why. Anyway, I ended up running a 7.087 @ 99.77, 1.669. The other car ran 9.481 @ 73.77, 2.265.

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Fun Ford Weekend, Fontana, September 19-21, 2008

For the first time since October 2006, we got a chance to run a full 1/4-mile track. We were there for all three days (Friday through Sunday). Donna registered to run the Quick Challenge (QC) bracket class, and I was registered to run Ultra Stang (US). Our primary goal for the weekend was for both of us to come home with 10-second timeslips. As it turned out, that was not a problem. We both ran in the 10.60s on our very first runs on Friday afternoon!

The high temps were in the upper 80s all weekend, so while it wasn’t good air, it could have been worse this time of year.

Here are the videos from Fun Ford Weekend at Fontana. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Friday, September 19, 2008

** Video #1, Time 2:38 pm, DA = 3,850 ft:

Donna’s first run was pretty impressive right out of the box. Our camera was not focusing right (it was like that all day), so I had trouble seeing the scoreboard through it. But, if you look closely, you can see some daylight under the left front tire! And the final numbers speak for themselves… 10.627 @ 128.21, with a 1.526 60-foot time!! And that was with a density altitude of over 3,800 feet.

**Video #2, Time 2:56 pm, DA = 3,998 ft:

My first run turned out to be my best of the weekend (and best ever). Since the US class uses a 0.400 pro tree and I had never ran with a pro tree, this was a totally new experience for me. I never did get the hang of it too well. I tried to light the pre-stage bulb, then bring the car up on the converter, and then roll into the stage beam. I wasn’t too successful doing that consistently. But, that part aside, I was extremely happy to pick up my first ever 10-second slip, running a 10.679 @ 126.51, with a 1.516 60-foot time!!

Video #3, Time 3:23 pm, DA = Unknown

Donna’s second run was against a sweet 1970 Mach 1, and since it ran 10.71, it was a great match up between to fairly equal cars. Unfortunately, when Donna got up on the torque converter, it rolled the beams before the tree was activated, so she didn’t even get an ET for the run. Bummer...

Video #4, Time 4:07 pm, DA = 4,116 ft:

My second run slowed down a little to 10.802 @ 125.61, with a 1.587 60-foot time.

** Video #5, Time 4:30 pm, DA = 3,867 ft:

Donna’s third run was decent, and it got a little air again, too. She ran 10.729 @ 126.76, with a 1.580 60-foot time!!

Video #6, Time 5:03 pm, DA = 3,851 ft:

My last run of the day had a bad 60’ time, but I don’t know why. It only went 1.670, and ended up with a 10.811 @ 126.58.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

** Video #1, Time 9:21 am, DA = 2,711 ft:

On Donna’s first run on Saturday, the car all of a sudden developed a hesitation/sputter in first gear. Just before the 1-2 shift, it would just hiccup for a split second, nose down, and then pick up again. But, it still launched with the tire up, laying down a weekend best 60’ time of 1.516. Plus, Donna had a fantastic 0.006 reaction time. Unfortunately, the hesitation killed what could have been a great run, resulting in a 10.839 @ 125.40.

** Video #2, Time 10:01 am, DA = 2,723 ft:

The sputter happened again on Donna’s second pass. The car hung the tire again, and then ran a 10.737 @ 128.08, 1.565.

Video #3, Time 11:12 am, DA = 3,312 ft:

Again, the car hesitated in 1st gear and it was beginning to be perplexing. The timeslip showed 10.749 @ 126.67, 1.562. The GT500 in the other lane 11.499 @ 123.50, 1.845.

Video #4, Time 12:10 pm, DA = 3,365 ft:

Because of the hesitation on the previous three runs, I datalogged this pass to see what it might be doing. But, for whatever reason, it didn’t sputter. I ran 10.738 @ 124.80, 1.529.

** Video #5, Time 1:39pm, DA = 3,711 ft:

This was Round 1 in the Quick Challenge bracket race. Because the car was unpredictable, we decided to dial in Donna at 10.73. The SN-95 in the other lane was dialed in at 11.20. Donna got 0.036 advantage on the tree, but took a little too much stripe losing a double breakout race. But, after seeing the scoreboard flash the numbers, I didn’t even care about her losing. She put up the all time best pass for my car… 10.581 @ 128.42!!! Wow!!! What a run!

Video #6, Time 3:38 pm, DA = 3,726 ft:

Adam and I lined up for this pass, but the mysterious hesitation returned on this run. All I could muster was a 10.816 @ 125.97, 1.529. Adam had some tire spin and some issues with the blower, and limped down to a 10.595 at 139.37.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Video #1, Time 9:14 am, DA = 2,605 ft:

On my first run on Sunday, the car hesitated twice in first gear. This double sputter resulted in the worst pass of the weekend, 11.035 @ 126.68.

Video #2, Time 10:57 am, DA = Unknown

My second run only got as far as the staging beams. The starter motioned for to shut it off, because fluid was pouring from the car. It turned out later to be a leaking coolant hose that runs under the supercharger. This is a video of the end of our FFW…

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We're Baaaaaaaack!!
 
 
1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, September 6, 2008
 
After a nearly 11-months, we were stoked to be able to go back to Barona. The weather was hot and humid… almost 100 degrees when we arrived at 3:00pm. When racing started at 5:00pm, it was still in the mid 90s and the density altitude was around 5,000 feet.
 
Even with the bad weather, the results were very good. Better than I expected, to be honest. Having done no better than 7.20s the night before at Qualcomm, I wasn’t anticipating great numbers considering the heat and humidity.
 
Bottom line is that of the six runs that we made, five of them were new personal bests! And by the end of the night, the car was quite consistent.
 
Here are the videos from Saturday, September 6, at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.
 
Video #1, Time 5:42 pm, DA = 5,075 ft:
My first run was with the 91 octane pump gas tune loaded, and running the street pulley set-up (stock dia crank pulley and 3” blower pulley). My opponent was a Fox Mustang. I cut a decent 0.059 light, but did not launch it hard. I ran 7.153 @ 97.027, with a 1.624 60-foot time. Since the DA was over 5,000 feet, I was pretty encouraged by the 7.15 on the street set-up. The Fox struggled to a 9.700 @ 64.524, 2.404.
 
Video #2, Time 6:28 pm, DA = 4,370 ft:
Run number 2 was with the race tune loaded, but still running the street pulley set-up. This time I lined up against a classic Challenger muscle car. The setting sun was brutal and I went in a couple inches too deep, making me a tad early on the tree, going red by 0.035. But, I ran a new personal best of 7.035 @ 97.957, with a 1.576 60-ft. My previous best had been 7.084. The Challenger was about a car length in front of me at 6.815 @ 100.146.
 
Video #3, Time 7:38 pm, DA = 3,828 ft:
Now it was time to see what it would do. Adam and I installed the 10% OD crank pulley to go along with the track tune. As I was staging, I tried to get up on the converter as high as I could, but when I looked up from the tach to the tree, I had already lit the bottom bulbs. So I knew I was in deeper than I wanted to be, and fully expected to red light (-0.071). The Vega in the other lane is owned by one of the track operators, and he told me before the run that it was running 6.70s. So, when I was right on the Vega’s rear bumper at the stripe, I thought I had a good shot at picking up my first ever 6-sec timeslip. And I was right… 6.839 @ 101.528, 1.559. Another new personal best!! … and with a 3,800 foot DA, too. The Vega ran 6.64 @ 101.910, 1.433.
 
**Video #4, Time 8:56 pm, DA = 3,485 ft:
Donna’s turn for a new personal best!! As we rolled into the lanes, we found out it was only open to the “Run for the Money” entries, so we decided to pay the 10 bucks and let her run. Since the air was a little better, we lowered her dial to a 6.80 flat, but it either spun or hit the rev limiter on the shift, because you can hear a slight hiccup. Still, she collected her first 6-second slip and set a new personal best, with a 6.884 @ 101.264, 1.544. Also, if you watch the video closely, you can see the front wheel rotation hesitate at the launch, meaning she caught a little air there, too.
 
Video #5, Time 10:55 pm, DA = 3,485 ft:
Donna’s second and last pass was again her best ever. Something strange happened during the burnout… the left tire quit turning. But the rear end seems fine. Anyway, Donna streaked to a 6.840 @ 102.108, 1.579. Even though the trap speed was the highest the car has ever ran, she was 0.001 slower than my best ET (see run #3).
 
**Video #6, Time 11:48 pm, DA = 3,460 ft:
I got in the car for one last pass of the night… hoping for a 6.7x, but it was not to be. It was however yet another new personal best. After cutting a good light (0.026), I ran 1.522 to the 60-ft cone, and then a 6.834 @ 101.475. I can’t complain about ending a great night with a new personal best!!
 
I seriously think this thing has 6.60s in it someday when the air is better. We shall see. To be continued…

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1/8-Mile Drags, Irwindale, August 14, 2008

Exactly 300 days after its last trip down a drag strip, my car finally made a few 1/8-mi runs last night at Irwindale. And it was more that I expected or hoped for. Adam at ST Motorsports has this thing performing amazingly, and there is more in it. Before I give you some numbers, I need to make a couple qualifiers.

First, the car is running the same pulley combo it has ran over the past couple years... 3" KB pulley and stock diameter crank pulley.

Second, it was running on slicks, but did not have front skinnies on it. With the street wheels/tires, it had about 66lbs extra up front. It also had added weight in the form of a BMR anti-roll bar.

Third, the air last night was not good. Temp was around 80 degrees and the humidity was between 50% - 55% percent. The DA hovered around 2500' most of the night, and never got lower than 2450'.

Finally, it was on the new street tune and running on 91 octane pump gas. No race fuel at all.

Now, the results. A year ago at the same track, the best the car could run was a 7.12. Last night, the first pass (with Adam leaving at ~1500rpm) tripped the lights with a 6.960 @ 98.73mph, with a 60' of 1.564. The very first 6-sec run for my car!! If that had of been the best of the night, I would have left a happy guy. Considering the weather and the pump gas tune, I just wanted to see a 6.xx on the board.

Video - Run #2, Time 7:58 pm, DA = 2,550 ft:
But run #2 was better. Leaving at 2000rpm, the 60' time dropped to 1.485 (first ever 1.4x!!) and the scoreboard lit up with a 6.847 @ 99.26!! That was awesome to see!

Video - Run #3, Time 9:06 pm, DA = 2,450 ft:
So Adam decided to test the launch rpm a little more, hoping to get a 6.7x. On the 3rd run, he went to 2600rpm and it wouldn't quite hold. The tires spun just a little bit, resulting in a slight drop of the 60' time to 1.496, but the clocks showed a 6.822 @ 99.84!!!

If you want to extrapolate that to a 1/4-mile, the 6.82 would be in the 10.60 range. OMG... this is on pump gas, too!!

Run 4 resulted in a ton of tire spin in 1st gear, and the car bounced off the rev limiter on the 1-2 shift. The 60-ft was only 1.618, and it ran a 7.031 @ 99.30. Even with the tire spin, this is better better than the car's previous all-time best of 7.079.

So, like I said... I am totally impressed. Adam knows his stuff and has this thing ready to rock and roll. Thanks Adam!! With a few more degrees of timing, some 100 octane fuel, a little less weight, a couple more psi of boost, and some good air, I hope this thing has a 6.50 in it someday!

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On October 22, 2007, our home and literally everything we owned was destroyed by the San Diego wildfires. We managed to get the Mustang and one other car out, but almost nothing else. Until we have the money to replace wheels/tires, tools, and other gear, our racing activities have been suspended. We hope to be back on the track in the early summer of 2008.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, October 5, 2007

After a nearly 2-month hiatus away from the track, we were stoked to be able to go back. The weather was very cool (in the 50s), so we hoped for some much improved results. Unfortunately, that’s not what we saw. All it would run was 7.30s and 7.40s. Yuck.

We arrived with two new tunes from Adam (a new street tune and a new race tune). Before the first lap, I dumped 5 gallons of 110 in the tank, loaded up the race tune, and packed the chiller box full of ice, fully expecting the car to run like a scalded dog. It didn’t. In fact, it didn’t matter which tune I ran… the car wouldn’t respond. We even made a bunch of runs using my “old” street tune (which has gone as quick as 7.0 before). Not much better.

I’m not sure exactly what is going on here, but something just isn’t right. I don’t see how it can be tune related (since my old “proven” tune was just as slow), but I have a couple other ideas. First, the fuel I used had been sitting in a 5-gal jug in my garage for a couple months. So it may have gone sour. Second, maybe my plugs were no good, although I never heard any missing or sputtering. Both of those issues will be corrected before I hit the track again (fresh fuel and new plugs are ready to go). The third possibility is that maybe the motor is just getting tired, and needs to be freshened up. It has 17K miles and 600+ runs on it.

Anyway, we got in a total of 16 runs. The track was pretty slick at times… both on the launch and down track. It was just a wee bit too cool out there I think, there wasn’t much heat in the track. With the exception of one run that spun really hard on the launch, all of the runs were in the 7.30s and 7.40s. The average for the other 15 runs was 7.42 @ 93.

Here are the videos from Friday, October 5, at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 6:33 pm, DA = 1,991 ft:
My first run was with the race tune loaded, and was against a late model Mach 1. Even though the car launched well (lifted the front tire), it nosed over at higher rpms (right before the shifts), and generally did not run strong at all. It also spun at about the 60’ cone. I ran 7.425 @ 94.760, with a 1.644 60-foot time. The Mach 1 ran 9.570 @ 77.901, 2.404. The 94.760 mph trap speed was the highest of the night.

**Video #2, Time 6:45 pm, DA = 1,977 ft:
On this run, I loaded the new street tune in. Even though the car made a hard move to the left on the launch, it still cut the best 60’ of the night (1.629). My opponent was a quick 1967 Mustang. I ran 7.379 @ 94.284, 1.629. The ’67 went 7.050 @ 96.577, 1.540.

Video #3, Time 6:54 pm, DA = 1,958 ft:
Before this pass, the “old” street tune went in. And even though it was my best pass of the night, I was still a long way behind the Corvette in the other lane. My 7.370 @ 94.643, 1.670 was no match for his 6.706 @ 106.891, 1.694.

**Video #4, Time 7:32 pm, DA = 1,927 ft:
I was up against the ‘67 Mustang again on this run. And this one turned out to be a wild ride for me. The car spun on the launch, and then just past half track, it got pretty loose. It felt worse than it looks… but it definitely got my attention! Ed also got a video of this run, which shows the top end wiggle better (Ed’s video). All I could run after all that was 7.479 @ 93.071, 1.704. The other Mustang ran 7.075 @ 96.691, 1.568.

Video #5, Time 7:39 pm, DA = 1,927 ft:
Run #5 for me was a good chance to see a parachute blossom at the finish line… I was running against a low 5-sec dragster. haha. My 7.379 @ 93.929, 1.650 was no contest for his 5.231 @ 131.944, 1.179.

Video #6, Time 8:26 pm, DA = 1,793 ft:
On this run, I decided to try the race tune one more time. The result was about the same for me, 7.421 @ 94.004, 1.629. The Buick Grand National in the other lane had nitrous on top of his turbo-6, and laid down a very nice 6.639 @ 109.939, 1.639.

Video #7, Time 9:37 pm, DA = 1,785 ft:
My last run of the night was the first round of the Gambler bracket race. I put the old street tune back in, and dialed in at 7.37 (I should have dialed higher… and I knew it when I did it, too). The Duster in the other lane was dialed in at 7.29, so it was pretty close to a heads up race. I managed to snooze at the tree (0.128 to his 0.053), and then the car only ran 7.460. I was done for the night. The numbers: 7.460 @ 93.554, 1.704 to his 7.335 @ 87.032, 1.635.

Video #8, Time 10:21 pm, DA = 1,805 ft:
This was the first of Donna’s nine runs (note: all nine of her runs were done in less than an hour! The “hot lap” queen! hehe). She was running against a Subaru (with a pink roll bar). She spun hard on the launch, which slowed the car way down. She ran 7.572 @ 92.473, 1.784 vs 7.677 @ 91.041, 1.930.

Video #9, Time 10:27 pm, DA = 1,805 ft:
On this pass, Donna was paired up with a Mini Cooper. Talk about a mismatch. The margin of victory was 3.426 seconds… about 30 car lengths. Donna ran 7.455 @ 94.051, 1.715. The Mini ran 11.122 @ 66.527, 2.729. The Mini’s ET at the 330-foot mark (1/2-track) was 7.410… just slightly quicker than Donna’s 660-foot time.

Video #10, Time 10:31 pm, DA = 1,795 ft:
Donna was on a solo run this time. She ran 7.435 @ 92.699, 1.698.

**Video #11, Time 10:37 pm, DA = 1,795 ft:
Donna’s 4th run was against a very quick motorcycle. The car launched pretty hard (you can see light under the left front tire again), but the run was just average. She ran 7.406 @ 94.069, 1.711 to the bike’s 6.315 @ 111.942, 1.574.

**Video #12, Time 10:51 pm, DA = 1,795 ft:
This pass was also a solo for Donna. She got pretty loose early in the run, but she kept the loud pedal mashed and drove through it. Nicely done! The timeslip read: 7.469 @ 92.806, 1.708.

**Video #13, Time 10:57 pm, DA = 1,795 ft:
This turned out to be the quickest run of the whole night. I was standing even with the tree for this camera angle. Donna was running the Mini Cooper again on this pass. She went 7.326 @ 93.329, 1.634 vs 10.801 @ 68.848, 2.718.

Video #14, Time 11:10 pm, DA = 1,802 ft:
Before this pass, I reloaded the “new” street tune in the car. Donna was supposed to have raced Paul in his Ford-302-on-the-bottle Miata, but his car died on the line (it turned out to be a loose connection on the distributor). So, she ended up with a bye run. Too bad, because Paul had been running in the 7.3-7.4 range, so it would have been a fun race. Donna ran 7.446 @ 92.897, 1.662.

Video #15, Time 11:14 pm, DA = 1,802 ft:
Another solo run for Donna netted a 7.455 @ 92.412, 1.649.

Video #16, Time 11:18 pm, DA = 1,795 ft:
Donna’s last run of the night (and 9th in a 57-minute span!) was also a solo, and resulted in her equaling the best 60-ft of the night. She ran 7.419 @ 92.672, 1.629.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, August 11, 2007

As bad as the weather was on our last trip to the track, it was a little worse this time… in fact, it was the worst we’ve seen at the track all year. The high temperature was 94 degrees, and the density altitude was over 4,500 feet at the time of the first few runs, and only dropped to 3,400 feet by the time of our last run.

We stopped early, and only made 9 runs. With the exception of two runs that spun on the launch, all of the runs were in the 7.30s. The average for the seven clean runs was 7.37 @ 93.

Here are the videos from Friday, August 11, at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

**Video #1, Time 3:47 pm, DA = 4,523 ft:
Inexplicably, my first run turned out to be the quickest and fastest of the day, even though the weather was at its worst. Go figure. I was lined up against a Z06 Corvette, and his street tires were no help. I missed a perfect reaction time by 1/1000 of a second (-0.001), and ran 7.341 @ 94.722, with a 1.615 60-foot time (also the best of the day). The Vette ran 9.662 @ 82.765, 2.818.

Video #2, Time 3:58 pm, DA = 4,451 ft:
On this run, a different Corvette was in the other lane. The car slowed down a tick to 7.380 @ 94.654, 1.651. The Corvette went 9.118 @ 79.642, 2.124.

**Video #3, Time 4:23 pm, DA = 4,385 ft:
The Z06 was back for a second time, and his traction problems were even worse on this run. He spun bad and basically clicked it off early and coasted through. Donna was in a good camera position to get a nice view of my front tire lifting, and the car stayed consistent running a 7.372 @ 91.474, 1.626. My opponent rolled through with a 12.827 @ 50.779, 3.217.

Video #4, Time 4:53 pm, DA = 4,339 ft:
Because I was planning on running in a Late Model Shootout bracket race later, Donna passed up her seat time to give me a few extra runs before it started (I guess she figured I needed the practice). I managed a decent 0.045 RT, and once again, the car was very consistent, recording a 7.361 @ 94.379, 1.639. The Fox Mustang in the other lane ran 10.440 @ 66.918, 2.298.

Video #5, Time 5:05 pm, DA = 4,326 ft:
My 5th run was a solo pass. I rolled in a little deep, and went red by 0.007 seconds. The car spun on the launch, and bounced off the rev limiter on the 1-2 shift. The lack of traction resulted in the slowest ET and 60-ft times of the day, 7.469 @ 91.756, 1.708.

**Video #6, Time 5:31 pm, DA = 4,200 ft:
This was the last run made prior to the start of the bracket race. I was running against our friend John in his ’07 Vista Blue Mustang. And once again, the car ran in the mid 7.30s… five of my first six runs were between 7.34 and 7.38. I ran 7.372 @ 92.209, 1.653 to John’s 8.936 @ 80.427, 2.102. Donna had a good camera angle on this run, too.

Video #7, Time 6:58 pm, DA = 3,754 ft:
In the first round of the Late Model Shootout bracket, I was paired up against John. We had tried to not draw each other, but the random pairings put us together anyway (if there had of been an odd number of cars, I would have had the Bye). John dialed in at 8.90 and I decided to dial in at 7.40, figuring I could brake at the top end if I had to. But, I rolled in too deep in the beams, and threw it away with a redlight foul. I ran 7.393 @ 91.889, 1.619 to John’s 8.805 @ 81.132, 2.060.

**Video #8, Time 7:18 pm, DA = 3,670 ft:
My last run of the day started with some tire spin and the car slowed down. Even though the car (an Anglia??) in the other lane was slightly quicker, I took the stripe by 0.017 seconds (about 2 feet). It was a fun side-by-side race. I ran 7.447 @ 91.488, 1.690 to his 7.400 @ 94.565, 1.659.

Video #9, Time 8:00 pm, DA = 3,439 ft:
Donna’s first run turned out to be her only run. The big Chevy in the left lane went red by a bunch (-0.261), turning on Donna’s win light. She ran 7.384 @ 92.537, 1.676. The bowtie went 6.730 @ 104.581, 1.574. When Donna returned to the staging lanes after this pass, the car battery died (still not sure why), and we had to push it out of the lanes to jump start it. At that point, we just decided to call it a night and go home.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, August 3, 2007

About the only good thing I can say for this night was that we had a lot fun hanging out at the track with our friends, because the racing wasn’t that great. The humidity was pretty bad, and traction was virtually non-existent. We made 11 runs total, but spun on the launch on 8 of them. And to top it off, my left front tire went flat which ended our night early. At least it happened back in the pits, and not on the track at 95mph.

As noted, the air was pretty moist and it was about the worst DA we’ve seen at this track. The temperature stayed in the 70s and the humidity almost 80%. The dew point was in the mid-60s all night.

I was reasonably consistent on the tree. Out of my 5 runs, my slowest was 0.539. My other two greens were a 0.507 and 0.509, for an average of 0.518. I also had a couple near-miss reds… but that’s what happens when you are trying to drill the tree.

Here are the videos from Friday, August 3 at Qualcomm. My favorite videos are marked with the asterisks (**).

**Video #1, Time 6:41 pm, DA = 1,554 ft:
Donna made the first three runs, and the traction issues started right away. After a major burnout (which literally covered the whole car in rubber… what a mess!), she black-tracked it out of the hole. With all that spinning, all she could run was a 7.395 @ 92.59, with a 1.700 60-foot time. The Honda in the other lane ran a pedestrian 10.538 @ 68.49, 2.516.

Video #2, Time 6:48 pm, DA = 1,436 ft:
Her second run was even worse. The car spun hard and bounced off the rev limiter. A bad 1.777 60-ft time resulted in the slowest ET of the night, 7.521 @ 92.40. Her opponent ran 8.736 @ 84.75, 1.775.

**Video #3, Time 6:59 pm, DA = 1,389 ft:
On this run, she was paired up against Dan and his Camaro. Even though they both left early and spun on the launch, it was a good even side-by-side run, with Dan taking the stripe by 0.027 seconds (less than 4 feet). Donna ran 7.428 @ 92.98, 1.716 and Dan went 7.359 @ 95.54. Dan’s car usually runs very low 7’s, and has run in the 6’s. His best run of the night was a 7.24, so you can see how the track and weather conditions affected performance.

**Video #4, Time 7:19 pm, DA = 1,256 ft:
Now it was my turn for some tire spin, but it wasn’t as bad as Donna’s. I ran 7.311 @ 96.77, 1.682… but I left about 0.031 early. The 96.77mph trap speed was the highest of the night. My opponent aborted early, coasting to a 15.421 @ 46.44. You can’t really see the whole thing, but a funny thing happened on this run. As you may know, there are two side-by-side tracks here. Over on the right track, a couple of cars were lined up at the same time. They left about the time we were getting staged… you can hear them squeal the tires right before the tree came down for us. So, they had about a 2-second head start. The funny part is that I was able to catch and pass the winner on the other track before he crossed the finish line.

**Video #5, Time 7:27 pm, DA = 1,213 ft:
Finally, on the fifth run of the night, the tire spin was minimal. After cutting a 0.539 RT, I clocked the best ET of the night, 7.247 @ 93.55, 1.619. The BMW ran 9.276 @ 77.45, 2.391.

**Video #6, Time 7:36 pm, DA = 1,299 ft:
On this run, I was racing Mike in his 2007 Mustang GT/CS. Mike’s car is N/A and runs pretty darn strong. He made a very good pass with an 8.462 @ 81.96, 1.865, with a 0.552 reaction time. I spun on the launch (what a shock, huh?) and slowed to a 7.379 @ 92.21, 1.678. I also had my best RT of the night on this run… a 0.507. And it appears to lift the front tire on this run, too.

Video #7, Time 8:24 pm, DA = 1,188 ft:
Donna was up against Mike’s Mustang GT/CS on this lap, too. Even though she spun again, Donna made her best run on the evening, and Mike improved on the run he made against me. She ran 7.290 @ 93.95, 1.678 vs Mike’s excellent 8.410 @ 81.81, 1.824.

Video #8, Time 8:54 pm, DA = 1,088 ft:
After yet another slippery launch, Donna ran 7.320 @ 93.74, 1.692. The popping import ran 8.774 @ 82.27, 2.209.

Video #9, Time 9:05 pm, DA = 1,088 ft:
Donna’s last run of the night was against an S2000. For the 6th time in 6 tries, she spun on the launch. After a 1.753 60-ft time, she ran 7.421 @ 93.55. The Honda ran 9.632 @ 73.76, 2.303.

**Video #10, Time 9:48 pm, DA = 1,079 ft:
I was running against a Camaro on this run, and we both drilled the Christmas tree. He cut a 0.505 to my 0.509. But, I pulled away with a 7.287 @ 93.55, 1.650, to his 7.972 @ 87.38, 1.797.

Video #11, Time 10:03 pm, DA = 1,079 ft:
The Camaro and I lined up again on this run. I was little quick on the tree (0.465) and he was way late (0.831). But, I equaled my best ET of the night with a 7.247 @ 93.94, 1.635. He ran 7.926 @ 86.04, 1.720. It was after this run that my left front tire went flat as I was driving around the staging road by the pits.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, July 28, 2007

This was by far the warmest weather we’ve seen at the track all year. The high temperature was almost 94 degrees, and it only dropped into the upper 70s after dark, plus it got pretty humid. The dew point was between 55-57 degrees all evening. The density altitude was over 4,400 feet at the time of the first few runs, and only dropped to 3,200 feet later at night. At the time of the first run, the track temperature was a blistering 143 degrees! Yikes!

Donna and I stopped early, but we got in a total of 10 runs on this night. With the exception of three runs with bad launches, all of our passes were in the 7.28 to 7.34 range, and the trap speeds were in the 92-95 mph range. The average for the seven clean runs was 7.31 @ 94.8, which is about the same at last week.

Here are the videos from Friday, July 28 at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 3:41 pm, DA = 4,429 ft:
Donna’s first run was against a little pickup truck. I’m not sure what’s in it, but it is pretty quick. He went red by a bunch, and Donna cut a 0.090 light. She ran 7.345 @ 95.797, with a 1.656 60-foot time. The truck ran 7.743 @ 89.050, 1.704.

**Video #2, Time 4:00 pm, DA = 4,451 ft:
Donna was paired up against a Hertz GT-H on this run. Unfortunately, the water box was pretty dry, and she didn’t get much of a burnout. Even though she cut a killer 0.012 RT, the car spun hard on the launch, and all it could run then was a 7.499 @ 92.555, 1.789. The GT-H recorded a 9.106 @ 80.222, 2.119.

Video #3, Time 4:24 pm, DA = 4,428 ft:
Run #3 wasn’t much better. After she rolled through the water box, the opponent had some troubles getting started and eventually backed out. As she sat waiting on him, the tires dried up, and again the result was a poor burnout, a spinning launch and a bad run. Donna ran 7.475 @ 94.853, 1.706.

**Video #4, Time 5:31 pm, DA = 4,193 ft:
My first lap of the day was against a Camaro. I went 7.331 @ 95.323, 1.632. The Camaro ran 7.829 @ 86.585, 1.753.

**Video #5, Time 5:47 pm, DA = 4,113 ft:
This was a solo run for me. I cut my best RT of the day (0.020) and it was extremely consistent with the previous run. This was the only run of the day where the camera captured a little air under the front tire. I ran 7.324 @ 95.564, 1.636.

Video #6, Time 5:54 pm, DA = 4,086 ft:
On this pass, I was lined up against a pretty fast Nova. But, I totally screwed up the launch. There was a car stopped at the end of the track, so we had to back out of the staging beams. Somehow, when I pulled the car of out reverse, it went into 3rd gear instead of Drive. Just as I rolled back into the stage beams, and the tree was coming down, I realized it wasn’t in Drive. As I was hitting the loud pedal, I reached down quickly to change the shifter, but my hand slipped and I accidentally pushed it down into 1st. So, as the car is leaving the line, I’m still trying to get it up into “D”. It was just a mess, and the run turned out pretty bad… 7.530 @ 93.775, 1.680. The Nova ran away from me with a 6.667 @ 106.061, 1.592.

Video #7, Time 8:45 pm, DA = 3,378 ft:
Almost 3 hours later, Donna was back behind the wheel. She made her quickest run of the night, but it paled in comparison to the mid 5-sec run of the Fox-body Stang in the left lane. Donna went 7.304 @ 93.172, 1.643. The Fox ran 5.644 @ 124.755, 1.304.

**Video #8, Time 9:22 pm, DA = 3,343 ft:
This was Donna’s last run of the night, and she was up against a 2003 Mach 1. Although not the lowest ET of the night, it was the highest trap speed. She ran 7.318 @ 95.905, 1.639. The Mach ran a 9.011 @ 80.436, 2.122.

**Video #9, Time 10:02 pm, DA = 3,263 ft:
On this run, I was up against a “Drag Bug”… a pretty darn quick VW. I took a stab at the tree, and went red. But, it turned out to be the quickest run of the night, as well as the best 60-foot time. I ran 7.280 @ 95.261, 1.603. Herbie went 7.232 @ 93.174, 1.511.

Video #10, Time 10:28 pm, DA = 3,200 ft:
This was my last run of the night. After cutting a good 0.043 light, I ran 7.306 @ 92.559, 1.623. My opponent went 7.836 @ 88.385, 1.759.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, July 20, 2007

This was our first trip to the track after having the torque converter replaced, and having lower control arm (LCA) relocation brackets welded on. The hope was that these two changes would improve the launch of the car, as well as increase the trap speed at the top of the track. Although not as dramatic as I had hoped for, we did see major improvement in the launch, and noticeable ET and MPH gains. And even though the 60-foot times weren’t as good as we’ve seen in cooler weather, the car was squatting less and hooking pretty well… good enough that it actually lifted the left front tire several times. We’ve never seen it do that before!

Donna and I got in a total of 19 runs on this night. All of our passes were in the 7.23 to 7.37 range, and the trap speeds were mostly in the 94-97 mph range. The average for the day was 7.31 @ 95.8, which is about a tenth quicker and 3 mph better than two weeks ago (with similar weather conditions).

The weather was definitely in mid-summer form. The high temperature was almost 83 degrees, and it only dropped into the upper 60s by midnight. The dew point was between 56-57 degrees all evening. The density altitude was about 3,900 feet at the time of the first run, and only dropped to about 2,800 feet later at night. The humidity was as high as 71% during the late night runs.

Here are the videos from Friday, July 20 at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 6:23 pm, DA = 3,894 ft:
My first run was against a 1967 Falcon. This was the first time we ever saw the left front tire lift on the launch. After a 0.079 light, I ran 7.365 @ 95.753, with a 60-foot time of 1.638. The Falcon ran 8.659 @ 80.061, 1.940. (The quality of this video isn’t good… there is a double image and it didn’t focus correctly).

**Video #2, Time 6:28 pm, DA = 3,871 ft:
On this solo run, I cut the best reaction time of the day, 0.009, and again there was a little air under the front tire. I improved a little to 7.333 @ 95.327, 1.616.

Video #3, Time 6:33 pm, DA = 3,846 ft:
The third run was also a bye run. On this run, I decided to try launching from an idle, rather than power braking the car. It didn’t feel like it launched as hard, yet it ran a consistent 7.354 @ 94.887, 1.628.

**Video #4, Time 6:58 pm, DA = 3,731 ft:
Donna’s first run was against Rick Reynolds’ 560+ci, 900hp, 5-sec Pinto. Even though she made a decent run and lifted the tire again, I thought for sure something broke in the rear end. During the burnout, the left wheel just stopped turning, while the right kept on going. I’m not sure how this could happen with a Detroit TrueTrac rear end. Apparently, there was no damage though, and it was fine for every run after this. Anyway, she ran 7.295 @ 96.849, 1.648 to the Pinto’s 5.669 @ 121.149, 1.262.

**Video #5, Time 7:03 pm, DA = 3,690 ft:
On this run, a 2002 BMW was lined up next to Donna. It turned out to be the 2nd best ET and the best 60-foot time of the night. Plus, you can easily see the daylight under the tire on this video. Donna ran 7.240 @ 96.431, 1.590 to the BMW’s 9.166 @ 78.378, 2.102.

Video #6, Time 7:12 pm, DA = 3,626 ft:
Donna ran against the BMW again on this pass. A slight spin on the launch slowed it down to a 7.316 @ 95.856, 1.651. Her opponent went 9.530 @ 78.546, 2.446.

**Video #7, Time 7:35 pm, DA = 3,535 ft:
I was back in the seat for this run, against a 5-sec Mustang-body race car. Just for testing purposes, I put the street tune in the car for this run. It still got a little air, but slowed down to a 7.374 @ 95.391, 1.610. My opponent ran 5.909 @ 116.308, 1.298.

**Video #8, Time 7:46 pm, DA = 3,490 ft:
This might be my favorite video of the night. Donna had a great camera angle for the launch. Even though it wasn’t a great run, I think the video is pretty cool. With a large pickup truck lined up against me this time, and the track tune back in the car, I ran 7.351 @ 94.653, 1.612 to the truck’s 9.910 @ 74.457, 2.564.

Video #9, Time 8:08 pm, DA = 3,331 ft:
This run was a little odd. I had my best 60-foot and 330-foot times of the night, yet the trap speed was off by 2-3mph. I ran 7.312 @ only 92.365, 1.592. The Olds 4-4-2 in the other lane ran 7.994 @ 86.305, 1.805. The video is a little funky because the “Nite Shot” mode was on.

**Video #10, Time 8:17 pm, DA = 3,301 ft:
On this run, I was lined up against a 55-57 Chevy… and a quick one at that. The video angle captures a nice perspective of the rear tire biting into the track, and there isn’t as much body squat as before. And the front did get up ever so slightly. I ran 7.340 @ 94.743, 1.625. The Chevy went 6.712 @ 101.088, 1.435. The “Nite Shot” mode was on this vid too.

**Video #11, Time 9:50 pm, DA = 3,150 ft:
Donna was back in the car against a Camaro. For testing purposes, I changed tunes again, going to the “old” street tune that we’ve been running for the past 10 months or so. Donna posted her best RT of the day with a 0.014, and also ran the second highest MPH of the day. She went 7.301 @ 97.186, 1.649. The Camaro was about 15-20 car lengths back at 9.307 @ 73.541.

**Video #12, Time 10:13 pm, DA = 3,000 ft:
OK, so now it’s after 10pm and the density altitude is still 3,000 feet. So much for good night air. But, the high DA didn’t cause the Corvette in the other lane to lose control. I think we can attribute that to street tires and trying to drive through a fishtailing situation that really should have been aborted. And it was the second time that I saw him get loose on the track. He kept it off the wall the first time, but wasn’t so lucky the second time. Donna ran 7.320 @ 96.405, 1.642. There was no ET recorded for the Vette.

Video #13, Time 10:25 pm, DA = 2,973 ft:
On this run, Donna was lined up against a 6-sec Vega. She made a good lap, 7.288 @ 94.187, 1.608, but was still a 1/2-second behind his 6.785 @ 101.791, 1.455.

Video #14, Time 10:50 pm, DA = 2,914 ft:
Still running the “old” street tune, I had a solo pass on this run. It turned out to be my 8th straight 7.3x run. The timeslip showed 7.313 @ 94.232, 1.623.

**Video #15, Time 10:56 pm, DA = 2,895 ft:
I hot-lapped it around for another bye run, which turned out to be my best of the night. After a pretty good 0.043 light, I finally got into the 20’s, running 7.288 @ 96.863, 1.608. You wrinkle wall fans might like this one.

Video #16, Time 11:06 pm, DA = 2,875 ft:
My last run of the night was against a classic Camaro. I knew he was a tenth or two quicker than me, so I really wanted to cut a light and try to win on a holeshot. Unfortunately, the brakes didn’t hold and the car rolled the beams way early, turning on the red bulb. And then it started to get a little weird down track, so I just aborted it early, before the 330’ mark. The memory of that Vette was still in my mind. I just coasted to an unimpressive 9.228 @ 54.452, 1.678. As expected, the Camaro ran 7.158 @ 99.474, 1.645. And to top it off, he had a 0.602 light, so I had a good chance of beating him to the stripe had I not fouled and then dumped the run.

Video #17, Time 11:29 pm, DA = 2,832 ft:
For the final three runs of the night, I put the track tune back in for Donna. But, this run was doomed from the start. The water box was pretty dry, so she didn’t get a good burnout. The car spun noticeably on the launch, which hurt the 60’ and scrubbed off some ET. It was also a little loose most of the way down, but Donna did a good job of driving through it. She ran 7.369 @ 93.464, 1.701. Her opponent went 10.380 @ 68.355, 2.390.

**Video #18, Time 11:34 pm, DA = 2,823 ft:
On this pass, Donna was racing a motorcycle and she made the best run of the whole night, posting the quickest ET and fastest trap speed. After a 0.070 RT, she ran 7.232 @ 97.209, 1.602. The bike ran 7.785 @ 93.619, 1.994.

**Video #19, Time 11:37 pm, DA = 2,815 ft:
I personally really like this video a lot… the car just shoots out of the hole, and the camera angle captured it well. I can’t tell if it pulls the front tire, but there isn’t a lot of wasted motion on this launch. This tells me that the converter and LCA relocation brackets have helped significantly. Too bad the weather didn’t allow the ETs to be as good as I had hoped for. This run was only 3 minutes after the previous run. Donna and the motorcycle hot-lapped it back and lined up again. The result was pretty much the same as the previous run. She ran 7.268 @ 96.874, 1.610 to the bike’s 7.856 @ 93.420, 2.037.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, July 6, 2007

Donna and I got in a total of 15 runs on this night. All of our passes were in the 7.34 to 7.50 range, and the trap speeds ranged from 91-93 mph range. The average for the day was 7.41 @ 92.9. The drop off in performance can likely be attributed to a couple things: (1) the torque converter is getting worse, and (2) the weather conditions weren’t great. A new torque converter is being installed (as well as some replacements parts in the tranny) before we go to the track again.

The weather was definitely in mid-summer form. The high temperature was almost 85 degrees, and it only dropped into the upper 60s by midnight. The dew point was in between 57-59 all evening. The density altitude was over 4,000 feet at the time of the first run, and only dropped to about 2,900 feet later at night. The humidity was as high as 70% during the late night runs.

Here are the videos from Friday, July 6 at Barona. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 6:04 pm, DA = 4,027 ft:
My first run was almost my worst run. After a 0.084 light, all I could run was 7.481 @ 91.022, with a 1.639 60-foot time. The 1970 Chevelle in the other lane must have had some issues and clicked it off, running an 11.658 @ 48.333, 2.638.

**Video #2, Time 6:08 pm, DA = 3,993 ft:
Incredibly, my second run – just four minutes later – turned out to be the best of the whole day; even with a DA of almost 4,000 feet. I ran 7.346 @ 92.754, 1.588 (which was the best 60-ft time of the day as well). The truck ran 9.574 @ 79.014, 2.442. The truck must have had traction problems (or something else), because it is much quicker than this.

Video #3, Time 6:14 pm, DA = 3,956 ft:
On this run, I was paired up against an Evolution. I slowed to a 7.429 @ 92.179, 1.643. The Evo went 8.380 @ 85.367, 1.896.

**Video #4, Time 6:40 pm, DA = 3,920 ft:
After a short cool down period, Donna jumped into the driver’s seat and was running against a pretty quick Honda CRX. She cut a great 0.034 reaction time and her best 60-foot of the day. The big question on this run is whether or not there is air under the left front tire on the launch. It’s hard to tell, but it is really close. Donna ran 7.411 @ 93.492, 1.626. But the CRX beat her to the stripe by about 10 feet, running a nice 7.241 @ 100.188, 1.773.

Video #5, Time 6:49 pm, DA = 3,848 ft:
Less than 10 minutes later, Donna lined up against the white pickup truck that I had raced previously. Both of them were dead late on the tree. Donna’s ET slowed to 7.454 @ 92.710, 1.689, and the truck ran much better than the first time with an 8.120 @ 85.140, 1.904.

Video #6, Time 7:00 pm, DA = 3,837 ft:
Donna’s third run was against the ‘70 Chevelle SS that I had raced on my first run. Donna cut a very nice 0.056 light, but the tires spun on the launch, which resulted in her worst run of the day, a 7.490 @ 92.212, 1.715. The Chevelle ran 9.616 @ 71.022, 2.133.

**Video #7, Time 7:31 pm, DA = 3,768 ft:
Having squeezed in six runs in the first hour, we gave the car a little rest. Then it was my turn again. I was racing against a 1965 El Camino. I ran 7.361 @ 93.288, 1.632. The Chevy went 9.171 @ 79.542, 2.255.

**Video #8, Time 7:42 pm, DA = 3,745 ft:
I love this video for a couple reasons. First of all, it has a really cool shot of the slicks wrinkling up on the launch. And the track announcer decided to give us a team name, and then it’s obvious that he has noticed that we flog this car pretty hard at the track (“they beat this thing like a red-headed stepchild”). hehe. Anyway, the car started to show some consistency, running a few thousandths quicker than the previous run with a 7.354 @ 93.921, 1.643. The trap speed of 93.921mph was the highest of the night for the car. The Nova in the left lane turned in a 7.816 @ 87.815, 1.724.

No Video
Time 8:11 pm, DA = 3,678 ft:
For reasons still unknown, there is no video of my next run. It’s too bad too, because it was a pretty good one. I cut my best RT of the night (0.017), and then ran the second best ET and 60-foot time, 7.347 @ 93.137, 1.610. This was the 3rd consistent run in a row, too.

**Video #9, Time 9:59 pm, DA = 3,242 ft:
Donna’s next run was after the dinner break. Our daughter and one of her friends showed up to watch for a while. It was the first time she had seen us race. Even though they wanted to see her win, the mid 6-sec car in the other lane spoiled it for them. She grabbed about 16/100 on the tree, but that was gone by the time they got to the 60-foot mark. However, Donna’s ET tied my earlier run for the quickest pass of the night. She clicked off a 7.346 @ 93.758, 1.633. That turned out to be four consecutive runs in the 7.346 – 7.361 range. Her opponent ran 6.512 @ 104.418, 1.422.

Video #10, Time 10:40 pm, DA = 3,151 ft:
Donna spun the tires hard on this run, and could only muster a 7.480 @ 93.416, 1.741. The El Camino ran 9.181 @ 79.244, 2.281.

Video #11, Time 11:09 pm, DA = 3,062 ft:
Even though Donna was totally asleep at the tree, and the Chevelle jumped out to a big starting line holeshot, she tracked him down by the 60-foot cone. She ended up running a 7.396 @ 93.632, 1.667 to the Chevelle’s 8.821 @ 82.136, 2.150.

**Video #12, Time 11:59 pm, DA = 2,945 ft:
This video has an interesting visual. Donna was positioned by the starter between the two lanes, so the video she took is already from an unusual angle. But what is kind of bizarre is that after the burnout, right before I’m getting ready to stage the car, a puff of smoke comes out of the bottom of the headlight. And at the same time, there is an odd sound. It’s hard to describe… just check out the video. Oh, and the launch looks pretty cool from this angle too… more wrinkles! I was racing against a late 90’s Cobra. I ran 7.390 @ 93.507, 1.659. The Cobra went 8.995 @ 77.641, 2.036.

**Video #13, Time 12:05 am, DA = 2,938 ft:
This run was also videotaped from the starter’s location. The combined sounds of the two cars is really amplified. I ran 7.388 @ 93.415, 1.646 to the Camaro’s 7.141 @ 96.976, 1.603.

No Video
Time 12:11 am, DA = 2,924 ft:
I had time for one last pass before the staging lanes closed, but unfortunately Donna didn’t know I was going to make another run. She had headed back to the pits, and didn’t get this pass on tape. No big deal though, since it spun pretty back and slowed way down. Not much to look at… it went 7.506 @ 91.889, 1.701.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, June 29, 2007,

We got in a total of 16 runs on this night. The car ran good… but not fast. The air wasn’t great (it was about the worst DA we’ve seen at this track) and the track prep was bad, plus we’re still dealing with the torque converter slippage issue.

The temperature ranged from the high 70s down to the mid 60s, but the humidity was very high (over 80% later in the evening). The dew point was over 60 degrees all night. Excluding two worthless runs on the unprepped bad right track and one with excessive tire spin, all of passes were in the 7.26 to 7.38 range, with very inconsistent trap speeds of 86-95 mph. The average for the night was 7.31 @ 91.4 mph.

At least I had a decent night on the tree. Out of 10 runs, I only had one over 0.600 and only one red light (0.491). The rest were in the 0.500’s. My average RT for the nine greens was 0.556.

Here are the videos from Friday, June 29 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:45 pm, DA = 1,478 ft:
When I went to the staging lanes for my first pass, the better left track was closed. So, I had to run on the right track. This track is unprepped and is usually used for slower street tire cars. The result was predictable… a lousy 0.621 reaction time, and an ET of 7.565 @ 94.34mph with a bad 1.783 60-foot time. My opponent went 10.942 @ 65.31, 2.691.

Video #2, Time 6:50 pm, DA = 1,436 ft:
Five minutes later, the other track was open and I hot-lapped it against Karl and his ’07 Mustang. My 0.572 light was more than a tenth better, and I ran 7.305 @ 89.46, 1.648. Karl’s timeslip showed 9.171 @ 79.64, 2.312.

Video #3, Time 6:56 pm, DA = 1,326 ft:
On this run, I was lined up against Gary’s ’72 Nova. This is a solid mid-7 sec car, and I knew I’d have to be quick on the tree. But I was 0.009 too quick. He cut a very nice 0.539 to my 0.491, but my ET was a couple tenths better. I backed up my previous 7.305 with a 7.306 @ 89.46, 1.619. Gary ran 7.532 @ 91.83, 1.707. Unfortunately, this video of this run is not good.

Video #4, Time 7:16 pm, DA = 1,240 ft:
Donna’s first run was against an Acura NSX. As with my previous 2 runs, she ran another 7.30… this time a 7.300 @ only 86.87, 1.628. The NSX ran 8.788 @ 83.48, 2.264.

**Video #5, Time 7:20 pm, DA = 1,161 ft:
Donna’s next run was against the NSX again. She spun a little on the launch, slowing to a 7.368 @ 93.74, 1.706. The Acura ran 8.665 @ 80.64, 2.062.

**Video #6, Time 7:26 pm, DA = 1,099 ft:
This was Donna’s best run of the night. After cutting a very good 0.525 RT (her best of the night), she ran 7.276 @ 89.64, 1.639. The Neon had a horrible reaction time (1.014), and then ran 9.017 @ 76.79, 2.018.

Video #7, Time 8:04 pm, DA = 1,059 ft:
My opponent on this run was Dan’s 1968 Camaro. This is usually a low-7 high-6 second car, but his numbers were off tonight as well. Anyway, because of a big oil-down and cleanup on the left track, we were forced to run on the crappy right track. Even though we ran almost identical ETs (both bad by the way), I beat him to the stripe by about 2 car lengths because of a massive holeshot (0.512 to 0.728). We both spun a long way out of the hole, and all I could run was a 7.597 @ 95.34, 1.850. Dan ran a nearly identical 7.593 @ 94.14, 1.848. We would meet again later in a much better race (see #14).

Video #8, Time 8:50 pm, DA = 921 ft:
After that run, I decided to just wait until the left track was cleaned up rather than run on the right track again. I ended up next to a little pick-up truck (a VW, I think… I wasn’t really paying that much attention to it). After cutting a 0.544 light, I ran yet another 7.305 @ 94.33, 1.667. The truck ran 9.444 @ 70.20, 1.716.

**Video #9, Time 9:01 pm, DA = 901 ft:
This race was fun. My opponent was one of the race-cop-cars that the “Code 4” sponsors bring to the track (complete with drag tires and skinnies). It’s kind of weird to see the lights and hear the siren as you’re racing at wide open throttle down the track. In addition, this happened to be the quickest run of the night for my car also. I grabbed a couple tenths on the starting line (0.539 to 0.744) and then clicked off a 7.264 @ 94.53, 1.642. The Code 4 police car ran 9.015 @ 73.17, 1.906.

Video #10, Time 9:10 pm, DA = 868 ft:
Now it was my turn to run against the NSX. Even though I cut my second worst light of the night (0.599) it was still much quicker than his (0.770). And the car ran yet another low “30”. On this run, it went 7.310 @ 90.73, 1.663. The NSX ran 9.374 @ 81.22, 2.556.

Video #11, Time 9:51 pm, DA = 824 ft:
Donna’s next run was a solo pass. She got it up on the converter a tad too much and she had some spin on the launch (just a 1.704 60-foot time). And it was little loose down track… you can see it skating some in the vid. But even spinning on the line, she still ran a 7.302 @ 91.09. That was the fifth 7.30x run of the night. If it had of hooked better, it was easily a low 7.20 run.

Video #12, Time 10:02 pm, DA = 834 ft:
This was a rematch with the ‘68 Camaro. Unfortunately, the Christmas tree malfunctioned and his side of the tree didn’t come down… it just went red. It caught both of them by surprise. Donna was late, and Dan sat there even longer; eventually taking off. His side of the timeslip was all zeros. Donna ran 7.382 @ 94.14, 1.735. With that 60-foot time, I assume she spun a little. It’s a bummer about the tree, that could have been a good race.

Video #13, Time 10:14 pm, DA = 809 ft:
Donna’s last run of the night was her worst. First, she rolled in deep – hoping for a good light – but ended up going way red. Then the tires spun. All she could run was a 7.446 @ 91.28, 1.831. Gary’s 1972 Nova went 7.617 @ 92.02, 1.791.

**Video #14, Time 10:49 pm, DA = 760 ft:
This was by far the best race of the night and the most fun. I was lined up against Dan’s ‘68 Camaro again. We both left with identical (and excellent) reaction times of 0.517!! At the 60-foot mark, I was out in front by a nose, and we stayed side-by-side all the way down. I ended up nipping him by only 0.024 sec (about 3 feet). I ran 7.274 @ 93.16, 1.629 to Dan’s 7.298 @ 92.98, 1.674. I ran my 2nd best run of the night, and I needed it on that pass. Afterwards, we met back in the pits for a couple high-fives… those kinds of races are such a blast. No doubt about it… I wish they were all that close.

Video #15, Time 10:58 pm, DA = 741 ft:
My next run was a solo pass. After an OK reaction time of 0.588, I ran another low 7.3. This time it was 7.326 @ 89.29, 1.646.

Video #16, Time 11:03 pm, DA = 767 ft:
The last run of the night was again a bye. I finished on a high note, cutting my best light of the night, 0.509. The numbers were: 7.367 @ 92.59, 1.659.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, June 22, 2007

This turned out to be a disappointing night at the track. I expected the failing torque converter to cost me a little top speed and ET, but we ran into a whole new problem. As soon as the car would hit 4th gear, it would misfire badly, and just cough and sputter. I tried changing tunes, but it didn’t help. It looks like my spark plugs went bad, and I didn’t have another set with me. So we stopped running after only 6 passes. If you listen to the videos, you can hear the misfiring at the end of each run.

Here are the videos from Friday, June 22 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

**Video #1, Time 6:39 pm, DA = 1,603 ft:
Donna first run was against AJ and his Mach 1. She forgot to open the cutouts, so it sounds a little different in this one. And she also decided to do a nice smoky burnout! She got pretty loose on the launch, but drove through it. With the sputtering engine, Donna only ran 7.422 @ 89.64, 1.653. AJ ran 9.306 @ 79.78, 2.297.

**Video #2, Time 6:49 pm, DA = 1,543 ft:
Donna and AJ lined up again on this pass. Just for fun, she did another “tire wasting” burnout. The car ran a little quicker, 7.324 @ 90.73, 1.631. AJ recorded a 9.365 @ 79.64, 2.349.

Video #3, Time 7:02 pm, DA = 1,437 ft:
On this run, Donna spun on the launch, resulting in the worst run of the night, 7.539 @ 89.81, 1.759. The import ran 10.372 @ 70.53, 2.458.

**Video #4, Time 7:47 pm, DA = 1,155 ft:
My first run turned out to be as good as it got all night. I was lined up against a pretty quick SUV (I believe it was an SRT-8 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has a 450hp , 6.1L engine). I ran 7.292 @ 91.09, 1.626 to his 8.663 @ 80.50, 2.022.

Video #5, Time 7:59 pm, DA = 1,091 ft:
On this run, I ended up lifting at the end when the car starting misfiring so bad. After cutting a 0.516 light, I only ran 7.392 @ 85.88, 1.658. The Cobra in the right lane ran 8.805 @ 78.94, 1.978. Donna likes this video because of the smolder rubber and asphalt left after the burnout.

**Video #6, Time 8:09 pm, DA = 1,058 ft:
OK… I have a little pet peeve at the track. It makes no sense to me when someone puts on both stage beams, and then proceeds to sit there and bump the motor off of the rev limiter… before I even pre-stage!! Why can’t they wait until I at least light the top bulb?? Anyway, when my opponent did it to me on this run, I decided to leave him hanging there. I was not going to roll in until he backed off the throttle. And the funny thing is that Donna knew exactly what I was doing (because she knows how much that annoys me). I ran 7.401 @ 90.90, 1.622 to the Evo’s 8.595 @ 82.87, 2.187.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Irwindale, June 21, 2007

After picking up my car in San Bernardino on Thursday afternoon (roll cage, new tune and couple other things), we went to Irwindale on Thursday night with a few of the LA area guys. My torque converter is not locking up properly in 4th gear, so it's not pulling hard at the top end. However, it really seemed to launch well... I recorded my two best ever 60-foot times (1.52 and 1.53). Donna and I only made four runs, all between 7.12 and 7.18. However, the trap speed wouldn't go above 95mph.

Here are the videos from Thursday, June 21 at Irwindale. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1
Time 7:12 pm, DA = 2,373 ft:
This is my first (and slowest) run of the night. After cutting a 0.550 light, I ran 7.188 @ 94.95mph, with a 1.569 60-foot time. The Chevy in the right lane went 7.789 @ 86.53, 1.646.

**Video #2
Time 7:48 pm, DA = 2,205 ft:
Mark and I lined up against each other on this run. I caught him taking a little nap at the tree (0.522 vs 0.729), and beat him to the stripe on a holeshot. I ran 7.127 @ 94.51, 1.523 to Mark’s 7.069 @ 93.25, 1.495. This was my second best run of the night, and my car’s best 60-foot time ever.

**Video #3
Time 9:09 pm, DA = 2,033 ft:
Donna and Paul raced each other here… and what a close race it was! Even though Donna ran about 5/100 quicker, Paul cut a great 0.535 RT (to her 0.597) and got her on the tree by about 6/100. Donna ran 7.166 @ 95.24, 1.593 to his 7.212 @ 95.19, 1.577. The final margin of victory for Paul was a mere 0.0164 seconds, which is about 2 feet. WOW!

**Video #4
Time 9:51 pm, DA = 1,952 ft:
My last run of the night was against a Chevelle on the bottle. It turned out to be my quickest run of the night, and my 2nd best 60-foot time ever. I jumped out to a big holeshot advantage on the light (0.558 to 0.962), but the Chevy tracked me down pretty easily, and covered me by a couple car lengths. I ran 7.123 @ 95.39, 1.533 to his 6.445 @ 105.65, 1.501.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, June 2, 2007

On this trip to Barona, Dean came down to race with us. He was joined by Scott and John from S.T. Motorsports, as well as Adam & Brandi’s kids. Ed was there too, but didn’t race. We all had a great time hanging out and having serious fun!!

Donna and I got in a total of 13 runs, and she raced Dean four times. Dean and I didn’t get a chance to line up against each other; I guess we’ll have to wait for another day to do that. All of our passes were in the 7.17 to 7.39 range (running the 12psi blower pulley). The trap speeds ranged from 92-95 mph range. The average for the day was 7.29 @ 94.3.

The weather was fairly nice, but definitely warmer than previous weeks. The high temperature was almost 80 degrees, and it dipped into the upper 50s later in the evening. The dew point was in the 50’s all day. The density altitude was over 3,600 feet during the daylight, and dropped to below 2,200 later at night. But the humidity really hurt the night runs.

Here are the videos from Saturday, June 2 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

**Video #1, Time 3:13 pm, DA = 3,558 ft:
The first run of the day was with Donna in the driver’s seat. She was racing a 1970 Camaro and laid down a pretty good run. She ran 7.238 @ 94.821, 1.632 to the Chevy’s 9.037 @ 80.969, 2.270.

Video #2, Time 3:24 pm, DA = 3,592 ft:
My first run was decent early, but then kind of laid over at the top end. After cutting a 0.066 light and a 1.615 60’ time, all I could run was a 7.305 @ 93.440.

**Video #3, Time 4:30 pm, DA = 3,649 ft:
On this run, I was paired up with Paul in his Ford 302-powered Miata. At one time, he also had a KB blower on it, but it’s been removed. Having never ran at Barona before, Paul had a little trouble finding the staging beams at first. Donna took this video from up on a hillside, where she was sitting with Adam & Brandi’s kids. I ran a pretty good 7.209 @ 94.448, 1.584 (which was the best 60-foot time of the whole day). Paul’s Miata went 8.107 @ 90.141, 1.922.

**Video #4, Time 4:52 pm, DA = 3,337 ft:
This was the first race between Donna and Dean, and his first run ever at Barona. Bad timing for Dean, because Donna made the quickest run of the day, 7.174 @ 95.565, 1.589 (her best 60-foot time). Dean stopped the timers with a 7.577 @ 94.072, 1.687.

Video #5, Time 5:55 pm, DA = 2,991 ft:
On this run, Donna was racing a motorcycle. She spun on the launch, which resulted in a 7.351 @ 94.748, 1.725. The bike wasn’t even in the camera shot with a 10.812 @ 65.675, 2.635.

**Video #6, Time 7:51 pm, DA = 2,551 ft:
This was my best pass of the day, but even I was impressed with the 1950-ish Mopar next to me. On the launch, all I could see was his front end headed skyward! Donna was in a good spot to get his wheelie on video. I ran 7.190 @ 95.639, 1.602 but still suffered our only defeat of the day when he laid down a 6.700 @ 109.421, 1.556.

Video #7, Time 8:50 pm, DA = 2,325 ft:
With the humidity climbing fast in the night air, I had some tire spin on this launch. I ran 7.334 @ 94.781, 1.677. The El Camino in the other lane ran 9.214 @ 70.091, 2.224.

Video #8, Time 9:02 pm, DA = 2,325 ft:
I didn’t have any better luck on the launch on this run either, running only 7.352 @ 94.055, 1.670. My imported opponent ran 9.156 @ 82.125, 2.262.

**Video #9, Time 9:39 pm, DA = 2,232 ft:
This was the first of three straight battles between Donna and Dean. Dean made his best run of the night, but Donna got the win light on a holeshot. She ran 7.269 @ 95.448, 1.649 to Dean’s slightly quicker 7.245 @ 97.148, 1.598.

**Video #10, Time 10:05 pm, DA = 2,167 ft:
Dean ran into some traction problems on this run, while Donna was cutting her best RT of the weekend, 0.044. Her time was 7.265 @ 94.057, 1.611, while Dean dropped off to a 7.460 @ 93.960, 1.720.

Video #11, Time 10:20 pm, DA = 2,103 ft:
Donna again dropped a nice light on Dean, and then drove away from him, even though neither one of them hooked real well. She ran 7.353 @ 94.043, 1.693 to his 7.464 @ 95.775, 1.699.

No Video – camera malfunction
Time 10:58 pm, DA = 2,124 ft:
I was running against a motorcycle on this pass. It wasn’t a good lap, only running 7.397 @ 94.257 to the bike’s 8.049 @ 99.250, 1.921.

Video #12, Time 11:16 pm, DA = 2,166 ft:
My last run of the night was a solo. It wasn’t much to speak of, either… just too much moisture in the air. The timeslip showed 7.383 @ 92.226, 1.655.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Qualcomm, June 1, 2007

Because the slicks on the car were getting a little thin, Donna and I decided to only make 12 runs, all of which were on the 10psi blower pulley. There weren’t too many cars there, and we had our 12 runs in by 8:15, less than 2 hours after our first run. If it hadn’t been for the tires, we probably could have gotten 25-30 laps in on this night.

The temperature was in the mid 60s all evening, but the humidity was quite high (over 70%). Dew point was in the mid 50’s all night. The track was pretty slick in the beginning (4 of the first 5 passes had bad tire spin), and then it got a little batter after that. Excluding those runs where we had some tire spin, all of passes were in the 7.35 to 7.43 range, with trap speeds of 91-92 mph. The average for the night was 7.39 @ 92.4 mph.

Here are the videos from Friday, June 1 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:42 pm, DA = 662 ft:
Donna made the first three runs, and spun on all of them. On the first run, she lined up against Gary in his Nova. Donna went red, but Gary cut a very good 0.522 light. With Donna spinning on the launch, it made the ETs very close, with the Mustang running slightly quicker, 7.532 @ 92.02, 1.754 to the Chevy’s 7.551 @ 91.27, 1.679.

**Video #2, Time 6:46 pm, DA = 657 ft:
Donna and Gary raced again on this run. Donna spun even harder on this pass, and she slowed down, actually running about 2/100’s slower than the Nova. If you watch closely, you can see her wiggle her butt right before the start. She said “it’s a girl thing”. hehe. She also got a big jump on the tree, and ended up crossing the line first in a holeshot win. Donna ran 7.596 @ 92.59, 1.837. Gary’s numbers were 7.574 @ 91.46, 1.697.

Video #3, Time 6:52 pm, DA = 659 ft:
On this run, Donna made a solo pass. As with the first two runs, tire spin was a problem, and all she could run was 7.559 @ 92.98, 1.790.

**Video #4, Time 6:58 pm, DA = 640 ft:
My first run was against a Buick Grand National, and the car hooked well. I ended up with the quickest ET of the night, as well as the best 60-foot time of the night. I ran 7.355 @ 92.59, 1.652 to the Buick’s 8.553 @ 84.91, 2.169.

**Video #5, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 640 ft:
On this run, I was running solo. On the video, you can hear Donna say, “Let’s get a trophy tonight, Don”… and I was oh so close. After a little spin on the launch, I slowed to a 7.498 @ 92.40, 1.741. That was 2 thousandths too quick to qualify for the Super Street 7.50 index class trophy. And to top it off, I cut a 0.509 reaction time, which was 9 thousandths from perfect. If I had of just staged a tiny bit shallower, my RT would have improved, and my ET would have slowed, maybe getting me in the running for a trophy or two. But it wasn’t meant to be on this night.

**Video #6, Time 7:09 pm, DA = 640 ft:
This time Ed was lined up next to me. Ed flat drilled the Christmas tree, cutting a 0.507 light, his best ever! Way to go Ed! His light made my 0.531 look slow. I ran 7.406 @ 92.97, 1.678 to Ed’s 7.818 @ 89.29, 1.829. My trap speed of 92.97 mph was the fastest of the night for me.

Video #7, Time 7:31 pm, DA = 617 ft:
On this run, Donna and Ed went against each other. Ed went in deep, and put out the top bulb, which resulted in a red light (0.429). Donna had a nice 0.574 (her best of the night). On the launch, she said it hesitated and it certainly showed in a bad 60-foot time and ET. She ran 7.611 @ 91.64, 1.810 to Ed’s 7.835 @ 89.46, 1.879.

**Video #8, Time 7:40 pm, DA = 617 ft:
Donna’s opponent this time was a Z06 Corvette. They may have some power, but without traction it’s hard to run quick. Donna over-powerbraked it and went red by 0.015, and the Vette took a nap with a 1.166 light. The margin at the stripe was 2.957 seconds… yikes! Donna ran 7.435 @ 92.97, 1.725. The Z06’s numbers were 9.711 @ 78.67, 2.480.

**Video #9, Time 7:46 pm, DA = 587 ft:
Donna and the Corvette lined for a second time, and even though it was closer, the Sonic Blue Mustang still won. The margin at the strip this time was 1.517 seconds. After getting a 0.160 advantage at the tree, Donna clocked her best run of the night, 7.394 @ 92.98, 1.687. The Corvette ran 8.753 @ 84.42, 2.179. By the way, I like the mirrors on the Mustang better than I do the mirrors on the Vette.

Video #10, Time 7:57 pm, DA = 596 ft:
My last three runs were all against Ed, and they were extremely consistent… too bad I wasn’t in a bracket race. After cutting a 0.530 light, I ran 7.398 @ 92.21, 1.658 on this pass. Ed ran 7.900 @ 89.10, 1.907.

Video #11, Time 8:03 pm, DA = 584 ft:
Both of our ETs on this run were very close to the previous run. I ran 7.384 @ 91.83, 1.653 to Ed’s 7.904 @ 86.70, 1.894.

Video #12, Time 8:14 pm, DA = 580 ft:
My last run of the night was consistent, but Ed spun badly on the launch. The timeslip showed 7.405 @ 92.02, 1.670 to 8.243 @ 88.06, 2.235.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, May 25, 2007

Donna and I made a total of 20 runs, all of which were on the 10psi blower pulley. The temperature was in the low 60s all evening, but the humidity was quite high (over 70%). Dew point was in the 50’s all night. The track was hit-and-miss all night. It was pretty green and slick early in the evening (4 of the first 5 passes had bad tire spin), and then it got a little tighter later on. But late in the night, it started going away again. Eight of our 20 runs had tire spin on the launch. Excluding those runs where we had some tire spin, all of passes were in the 7.30 to 7.44 range, with trap speeds of 91-96 mph. The average for the night was 7.38 @ 94.9 mph.

Some of the highlights included a perfect reaction time by Donna (0.500), as well as new all-time bests for ET (7.301) and MPH (96.36) on the 10psi pulley. Donna set those marks as well… she had a very good night!!

Here are the videos from Friday, May 25 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:34 pm, DA = 508 ft:
My first three runs were pretty much useless… the tires spun hard on all of them. On this run, I was up against one of the racing “Cop Cars” that are sponsors of RaceLegal. All I could record was a 7.635 @ 91.09mph, with a bad 1.799 60-foot time. The Crown Vic posted a run of 9.149 @ 75.88, 2.088.

Video #2, Time 6:37 pm, DA = 508 ft:
Run number two wasn’t much better. The tire spin hurt the 60’ again, resulting in a 7.524 @ 95.34, 1.771. The Audi in the other lane was about 3 seconds behind me at 10.166 @ 72.81, 2.548.

Video #3, Time 6:44 pm, DA = 508 ft:
On this run, I was up against a pretty quick 1968 Camaro, which runs lows 7’s and high 6’s. I got a little edge at the tree (0.547 to 0.582), but it wasn’t enough to stay ahead of him. My spinning 7.523 @ 92.40, 1.763 was about 3 car lengths behind his 7.116 @ 97.61, 1.611.

**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = 513 ft:
On Donna’s first run (a solo pass), she spun the tires some on the launch, but not as bad. But the car pulled very hard on the top end, resulting in a new best trap speed for the 10# pulley at 96.36mph! She ran 7.382 @ 96.36, 1.704.

Video #5, Time 6:54 pm, DA = 513 ft:
Three minutes later, Donna made another run. She was up against another Mustang which ran pretty well (it might be a Cobra, I don’t know for sure). The traction bug bit Donna on this run, and she slowed to a 7.544 @ 92.97, with a bad 1.801 60’ time. The opponent ran 8.331 @ 86.37, 2.076.

**Video #6, Time 6:57 pm, DA = 508 ft:
Another hot lap by Donna, this time against a Fox Mustang. As it did two runs earlier, the car hooked in the left lane and laid down a pretty nice pass: 7.370 @ 96.15, 1.685. Another big trap speed. Plus, Donna had a decent 0.583 light. The Fox clocked in at 9.096 @ 77.45, 2.135.

**Video #7, Time 7:13 pm, DA = 504 ft:
After a brief cooldown, I was back in the seat. I was in the left lane, and in the right lane was John with his ’07 Mustang. John left a little red (0.464), and I cut a good 0.536 reaction time. The car hooked for me this time and I ran 7.388 @ 95.14, 1.676. John’s timeslip showed 8.964 @ 78.80, 2.108.

**Video #8, Time 7:18 pm, DA = 497 ft:
My next run was a solo pass, and I decided to stay in the left lane, which seemed to be working now. The car hooked well, and it ran 7.356 @ 95.14, 1.640. At the time, that was the best 60-foot and ET of the night.

**Video #9, Time 7:25 pm, DA = 490 ft:
I had another solo pass on this run, so I decided to see how the right lane was shaping up. As it turns out, it had gotten much better over the previous half hour. I ran the identical ET as I had just 7 minutes earlier in the other lane. The numbers were 7.356 @ 92.40, 1.636. This was now the best 60’ so far.

Video #10, Time 7:33 pm, DA = 490 ft:
After another driver change, Donna was lined up against Mike with his LS1-powered 1937 Plymouth. Even though she was in the left lane, the car spun bad on the launch. Donna ran 7.597 @ 95.34, 1.855 to Mike’s 8.952 @ 75.37, 1.972.

Video #11, Time 7:42 pm, DA = 475 ft:
This time, Donna lined up against a Subaru. We like to joke about its pink roll bar, but it is a mid 7-second car… that’s no joke. Donna did go red on the tree, but she still out ran the Subie, 7.406 @ 92.40, 1.706 versus 7.509 @ 96.57, 1.780.

**Video #12, Time 7:48 pm, DA = 475 ft:
This one was the run of the night… no doubt about it. Donna was on a solo pass, and she flat killed the tree with a perfect 0.500 reaction time! She also laid down the best 60-foot of the night (1.632) en route to an all time best ET on 10 pounds of boost: 7.301 @ 95.74. Well done!!

Video #13, Time 8:48 pm, DA = 475 ft:
After Donna’s stellar run, we took a break to hang out with the Stangpede crew and get something to eat. And then it was my turn again and I was up against another Mustang. My run was pretty bad. The car spun hard all through 1st gear and bounced off the rev limiter. The result was the worst run of the night: 7.679 @ 91.27, 1.801. The Mustang in the other lane ran 9.005 @ 76.40, 2.328.

Video #14, Time 9:11 pm, DA = 475 ft:
My next pass was against a 2004 GTO, and it was much better than my previous one. I ran 7.374 @ 94.94, 1.647 to the Pontiac’s 9.000 @ 80.21, 2.111.

Video #15, Time 9:27 pm, DA = 461 ft:
My opponent on this run was a late model Firebird. I just missed a 0.500 light by 2 thousandths, going 0.498 on the tree, while he went 0.734. At the stripe, I had the Firebird covered by more than second, posting a 7.428 @ 91.64, 1.667 to his 8.366 @ 83.64, 1.897.

**Video #16, Time 9:42 pm, DA = 445 ft:
My last run of the night was also my only run against Ed on this day. I again took a stab at the tree, and was close with a 0.509 RT. Ed had a good 0.590. I ran 7.404 @ 91.83, 1.660 to Ed’s 7.784 @ 88.93, 1.782.

**Video #17, Time 10:18 pm, DA = 426 ft:
It was Donna’s turn to strap on the helmet now. In the other lane was the ’68 Camaro I had ran earlier in the evening. They both cut good lights (0.551 to 0.553), but the 408 cubic inch Chevy pulled away easily. Donna’s 7.429 @ 95.54, 1.720 was about 3-4 car lengths behind his 7.007 @ 97.61, 1.567 at the finish line.

Video #18, Time 10:30 pm, DA = 426 ft:
On this run, Donna got paired up against JBA’s “GT351” Mustang race car. Even though Donna ran a respectable 7.445 @ 95.54, 1.734 it was no match for the 6.223 @ 110.56, 1.395.

Video #19, Time 10:41 pm, DA = 419 ft:
About this time, it seemed like the track started going away. Donna and the ‘68 Camaro went at it one more time, and they both slowed down from the previous run just 20-some minutes earlier. Donna spun badly, and a poor 60-foot of 1.833 resulted in an equally poor 7.615 @ 94.33. The Camaro was also off by about a tenth: 7.120 @ 97.61, 1.652. Maybe once we get the roll bat in, and kick the boost back up to 12psi we can give him a little better race.

Video #20, Time 10:46 pm, DA = 421 ft:
This was the last run of the night, and traction was even worse. You can see Donna drive through quite a bit of fishtailing at the beginning of the run. She ran 7.673 @ 94.54, with a spinning 1.864 60-foot. The other car ran 9.930 @ 60.89, 2.148.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, May 11, 2007

We had a good time on this race night. The whole Stangpede Club was again out to support the race team! We had a trackside BBQ, with many members making runs down the track.

Donna and I got in a total of 16 runs, all of which were on the 10psi blower pulley. The temperature was in the 60-70 degree range all evening, but the humidity was fairly high (over 60%). Dew point was in the 50’s all night. Not counting the runs where we had some tire spin on the launch, all of passes were in the 7.32 to 7.46 range, with trap speeds of 91-92 mph. The average for the night was 7.37 @ 92.3mph.

Here are the videos from Friday, May 11 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:33 pm, DA = 932 ft:
My first run of the night was against Ed (in fact the first four runs we made were against each other). Ed cut a killer 0.513 light, while I went red. I ended up running 7.468 @ 91.467, 1.720 to Ed’s 7.829 @ 88.93, 1.816.

Time 6:38 pm, DA = 868 ft:
Our second run did not get on video (somehow Donna missed it). And it’s probably OK, since I spun pretty hard on the launch. I went red by 0.007, but Ed was red by even more. I ran 7.545 @ 92.21, 1.774 to Ed’s 7.839 @ 88.40, 1.809.

**Video #2, Time 6:43 pm, DA = 810 ft:
The third run was much better for me, but not for Ed. He had some traction issues. I ran a 7.344 @ 92.59, 1.654, which was my second quickest run of the night. Ed recorded a 7.974 @ 88.76, 1.903.

**Video #3, Time 6:51 pm, DA = 780 ft:
About 8 minutes later, we went at it again. Both of us made our best passes so far (in fact, this was the best run I made all night). We both stayed green on the tree. My reaction time was 0.589 (which was my slowest of the night) and Ed’s was 0.675. The tale of the timeslip: 7.332 @ 92.78, 1.656 vs. 7.753 @ 89.29, 1.773.

Video #4, Time 7:21 pm, DA = 522 ft:
After a bit of a cooldown in the pits, it was Donna’s turn for some seat time. She was running against the VW STI that’s been beating us for a few weeks. It was time for a little revenge. I’m not sure what happened to him… he may have spun or missed a gear, but he slowed way down. That was good, because Donna also spun pretty bad on the launch. Both of them left early, but Donna’s 7.557 @ 92.40, 1.798 was enough to outrun his 8.150 @ 99.11, 1.823.

**Video #5, Time 7:32 pm, DA = 467 ft:
OK… Donna versus the “Wabbit”, Round #2. Again, he went red, leaving a couple tenths before Donna, so he got to the stripe first. But, in the battle of the ETs, the BAD 05GT got him again. Donna ran a nice 7.373 @ 92.78, 1.697 to a 7.436 @ 101.81, 1.784 for the V-Dub.

**Video #6, Time 7:40 pm, DA = 434 ft:
On this run, Donna lined up against a Chevelle. Donna had over three full tenths on the tree, and then drove away from the Chevy. She made a great run at 7.339 @ 92.59, 1.645. The Chevelle went 8.365 @ 82.12, 1.933.

**Video #7, Time 7:45 pm, DA = 414 ft:
Donna’s fourth run was against an AWD Subaru. Once again, she got a big advantage on the tree (about 1/4 second quicker), and pulled away. She improved on her previous run, stopping the clocks at 7.333 @ 92.78, 1.659 (which was 1/1000 of a second slower than my best run so far). The Subie ran 8.823 @ 77.45, 1.856.

Video #8, Time 9:14 pm, DA = 208 ft:
After a break to partake of the Stangpede BBQ, I was ready to hit the track again. This time I was racing against another Stangpeder, Austin, with his Whipple supercharged Mustang. As Donna says at the end of the video, “Poor Austin”. His 20” street tires were no help for harnessing the Whipple power, and I just left him behind. He said he wouldn’t run against me again after that. haha. After cutting my best RT of the night (0.512), I ran a good 7.365 @ 91.46, 1.641 (best 60’ time of the night). Austin ran 9.168 @ 82.12, 2.356.

Video #9, Time 9:36 pm, DA = 208 ft:
My next run was against a late model (99-04) Mustang GT. Even though I spun on the launch, I had over a quarter second on the tree (0.532 to 0.783), and more than 2-1/2 seconds on the track, winning with a 7.467 @ 91.46, 1.712 to his 10.105 @ 67.16, 2.644.

**Video #10, Time 9:54 pm, DA = 206 ft:
My next run was against a late 60’s Camaro (‘68 I think). He’s running 418 cubic inches, and recently got his roll cage installed, so he can let it hang out. Even though he ended up beating me by a couple car lengths, it was a fun race. Once I get the roll bar in and put the 12# pulley back on, it will be a closer match-up. I ran 7.391 @ 92.40, 1.683 to the Camaro’s 7.154 @ 95.34, 1.573.

**Video #11, Time 10:23 pm, DA = 179 ft:
When Donna got back in the car, Ed ended up next to her. She decided to have a little fun on the burnout and smoke ‘em up a bit. And then she proceeded to rip off the best pass of the night, 7.324 @ 92.40, 1.641 (tying me for the low 60-foot time). Ed also made a good run at 7.752 @ 88.58, 1.748. The announcer also gave Stangpede some air time on this pass.

Video #12, Time 10:42 pm, DA = 203 ft:
On this run, Donna was up against Ed again. She was trying to make a run to qualify for the Super Street class trophy (7.50 index). So, she lifted at the end of the track to try and slow it down. But, it wasn’t slow enough. She ran 7.448 @ 81.37, 1.651. Ed improved on his previous run with a 7.736 @ 90.72, 1.803.

**Video #13, Time 11:02 pm, DA = 213 ft:
Donna’s next victim was a Cobra. The Cobra roasted the tires pretty good on his burnout. Donna just barely missed a perfect light, going red by 0.003, while the Cobra snoozed to a 0.831 light. But she ran 7.361 @ 92.59, 1.645 to the Cobra’s 8.073 @ 87.37, 1.843. The margin of victory was more than a full second (at least 8-10 car lengths).

Video #14, Time 11:48 pm, DA = 182 ft:
I had time for two more runs. On this one, I was racing an import of unknown origin, which I think had a turbo and nitrous (not sure though). I left early, but the ETs were close. I ran 7.433 @ 91.83, 1.705 to his 7.511 @ 98.25, 1.840.

Video #15, Time 11:55 pm, DA = 182 ft:
My last run was against an unidentified subcompact. They all start looking alike late at night. After a 0.543 RT, I ran 7.403 @ 92.21, 1.663. The other car ran 9.972 @ 73.52, 2.643.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, May 5, 2007

This trip to the track was the first evening session at Barona of 2007. We were looking forward to running under the lights, but the night ended prematurely due to a mechanical issue with the car. We only managed to get in 11 runs before I discovered a missing lug stud on the right front wheel. The stud had sheared off right at the rotor.

Not counting two runs where we had some tire spin on the launch, all of passes were in the 7.38 to 7.52 range (running only 10psi boost). The trap speeds stayed in the usual 92-95 mph range. The average for the day was 7.46 @ 93.3.

The weather was fairly nice, but a little warmer than previous weeks (yep, summertime is coming). The high temperature was about 72, and it dipped into the low 60s about sunset. The dew point was again in the upper 40’s all day. The density altitude was over 3,000 feet during the daylight, and dropped to around 2,400 as the sun went down.

Here are the videos from Saturday, May 5 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 2:29 pm, DA = 3,131 ft:
Donna’s first run of the day was bad… simple as that. Donna was the first car down that lane of the track and it was still pretty green. When she powerbraked the car, it rolled the beams, and then spun hard, resulting in a horrible 60-foot time, and an equally horrible ET. Even my camera work and narration was bad. Her opponent was a Duster, but on the video I say it is a Nova. Both cars are orange, and I just wasn’t paying close attention I guess. Anyway, the sorry numbers are: 8.051 @ 92.401, 2.107. The Duster ran 7.061 @ 98.686, 1.642.

**Video #2, Time 3:03 pm, DA = 3,101 ft:
Donna’s next run was much better. She was lined up against a Chevelle. Donna ran 7.408 @ 93.313, 1.688 to the Chevy’s 8.358 @ 80.024, 1.809.

Video #3, Time 3:09 pm, DA = 3,199 ft:
On this run, Donna was up against a 5-sec monster. Donna cut a nice 0.060 light, but the Chrysler was past her by the 60-foot cone and away he went. The timeslip showed a 7.452 @ 92.729, 1.707 for the Mustang, against a 5.990 @ 119.507, 1.353.

Video #4, Time 3:22 pm, DA = 3,209 ft:
My first run turned out to be my best pass of the day (I only made four runs total). I just missed on the tree, going 0.024 red, and then ran 7.452 @ 94.354, 1.665.

**Video #5, Time 3:58 pm, DA = 3,105 ft:
On this run, Ed was lined up in the other lane. I got a jump by about 8/100 on the tree (0.053 to 0.131). My 7.495 @ 93.813, 1.678 was about 3-4 car lengths ahead of Ed’s 7.848 @ 89.006, 1.776.

**Video #6, Time 4:32 pm, DA = 3,043 ft:
Again, I was racing Ed this time. I cut my best RT of the day on this run (0.007). I think Ed stopped for ice cream before he launched (inside joke). Anyway, I ran 7.469 @ 92.266, 1.693 to Ed’s 7.772 @ 88.857, 1.739.

**Video #7, Time 5:27 pm, DA = 2,806 ft:
Donna and AJ got in one more race before the dinner break. It’s hard to tell exactly what happened, but Donna’s 60’ time was off, so it may have spun at the launch. Anyway, this one ended up being very close all the way down the track. AJ had a slim 7 thousandths lead at the tree (0.050 to 0.057), and at 60 feet he was ahead by 0.106 sec. At half track, AJ was still 0.011 ahead, but Donna was gaining. When they crossed the finish line, Donna was ahead by 0.071 seconds (about 10 feet). Donna ran 7.609 @ 94.398, 1.815. AJ made a very good run, 7.687 @ 89.837, 1.716. I think that was the best run of the day for the silver pony.

Video #8, Time 6:53 pm, DA = 2,538 ft:
My last run of the day was the first round of the bracket race. I was dialed in at 7.47, and the Duster was at 6.94. This one was over before it started. As the tree started down, the car rolled a couple inches deeper. So I was way early (-0.112). To make it worse, the Duster only had a 0.235 light, so all I needed was to cut a 0.175 light or better, and I would have won. Anyway, I ran a 7.524 @ 93.775, 1.688 to his 6.882 @ 98.583, 1.504.

**Video #9, Time 7:23 pm, DA = 2,415 ft:
This run was the quickest pass of the day. Donna was racing a VW, and she just missed on the tree, with a -0.006 red light. Then she ran 7.385 @ 92.135, 1.626. The bug ran 9.117 @ 88.897, 2.145.

**Video #10, Time 7:29 pm, DA = 2,429 ft:
On this run, Donna was lined up against a Subaru. Although I didn’t see it at the time, the track scoreboards had not cleared from the previous run, and both cars sat fully staged for over 20 seconds before the tree activated. Donna did a fantastic job staying focused. She kept the converter loaded up and then cut a great 0.041 light when the amber lights finally showed up. The timeslip showed a run of 7.403 @ 95.084, 1.677. Her trap speed was the highest of the day. The Subie ran 8.268 @ 83.873, 1.757.

Video #11, Time 8:13 DA = 2,334:
The final run of the night was against a Buick Grand National. Normally, this is a pretty quick car, with a big top end speed. But something wasn’t right on this pass. After a -0.023 red light, Donna ran 7.475 @ 92.204, 1.696. The Buick could only muster a 9.090 @ 86.973, 2.304.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, April 22, 2007

Sunday was also a good day at the track. Between the two of us, we got in 21 runs. Not counting three runs where we had some tire spin on the launch, all of passes were in the 7.30 to 7.47 range (again, running only 10psi boost). The trap speeds stayed between 92-95 mph just like the day before. The average for the day was 7.39 @ 93.9. My RTs were better than the day before, and Donna also had very good lights again. Her average RT was 0.054, while mine was 0.064.

The weather was again breezy and cool, with temps in the high 50s to mid 60’s. The dew point was again in the mid 40’s all day. The density altitude was a few hundred feet worse than Saturday, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Here are the videos from Sunday, April 22 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:07 am, DA = 1,883 ft:
My first run was my worst run of the weekend. When I powerbraked it at the line, I went too high and the car lurched, rolled the beams (going way red) and then spun on the launch. I ran 7.559 @ 92.232, 1.767 (bad) to the Nova’s 6.673 @ 101.223.

**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 1,848 ft:
This video should be called “synchronicity”. It looks like the Fox Mustang and my car were choreographed… at least up until the launch. I just missed that perfect light, going red by only three thousandths (-0.003). I ran a 7.390 @ 92.712, 1.649 to the Fox’s 9.539 @ 72.081, 2.063.

**Video #3, Time 11:01 am, DA = 1,931 ft:
On this run, I was paired up with a wicked wheelstanding ’57 Chevy. Even though I had Pete by about 8/100’s on the tree (0.056 to 0.137), he drove around me pretty quickly to take the stripe by about 3-4 car lengths. I ran 7.392 @ 93.086, 1.661 to Pete’s 6.872 @ 97.880. I’d love to have my car launch like this ’57!! BTW, Pete is currently #5 in points in the Pro category of the Barona Summit Series. (Pete, if you see this, here is some bonus vid of you in the 1st round of the Summit Race: Video link)

Video #4, Time 11:19 am, DA = 2,013 ft:
Run #4 was against a mid 6-sec Chevy. He went 5 thou red and I had a decent 0.057 light. But my 7.431 @ 92.028, 1.668 was way behind his 6.521 @ 104.644, 1.392.

Video #5, Time 11:28 am, DA = 2,129 ft:
This time I was paired up against a 6-sec Falcon. When the car next to you has a parachute and wheelie bars, you know it’s not going to be close. Check out the launch by the Falcon… pretty wild! I rolled in a little deep when I staged, and it cost me. I went red by 0.034. The timeslip showed a 7.458 @ 94.845, 1.678 for me, and a 6.531 @ 111.099, 1.318 for the Falcon.

**Video #6, Time 11:34 am, DA = 2,076 ft:
My next run was against George’s Chevelle. When I was running the 12# pulley, George and I would match up pretty closely. He’s a good driver and the car is very consistent. George is the current points leader in the Pro category of the Summit Series at Barona. But, I just can’t keep up with him on 10psi boost. Even though I had a 0.009 light to his 0.051, it wasn’t enough. He beat me by about 2 tenths. I ran 7.415 @ 95.012, 1.653 to his 7.191 @ 95.563, 1.567.

Video #7, Time 11:57 am, DA = 2,323 ft:
I got back into the 7.30’s on this run. I ran 7.397 @ 92.596, 1.658 to my opponent’s 6.635 @ 102.303.

Video #8, Time 1:30 pm, DA = 2,452 ft:
This was Round #1 of the Summit Series. I was dialed in at 7.42 and the Dodge was dialed in at 6.45. So I was getting almost a full second on the start. After being so late in the Summit Race on Saturday, I went up there determined to take a shot at the tree. But, I lit the red bulb, and it was over. In fact, both of us went red (my -0.021 to his -0.001), but since I fouled first, he won. And for some reason, my car slowed down even after a long cool down. All I could run was 7.470 @ 92.043, 1.679 to his 6.458 @ 106.754, 1.452 (right on his dial… nice run!).

**Video #9, Time 1:53 pm, DA = 2,430 ft:
Since I made the first 8 runs of the day, Donna was going to get the next 8. And her first one out of the box was one for the record books. First of all, she drilled the tree with a killer 0.009 reaction time, and then ripped off a 7.304 @ 95.627, 1.606. It was easily the best run of the weekend. The 7.304 was a new all time low for my car on the 10psi pulley… even with the DA in excess of 2,400 feet. The hard charging Buick Grand National (nitrous and turbo) has some big top end power, but a 0.321 light coupled with a 7.375 @ 106.274, 2.133 run, allowed Donna to take the stripe by 3-4 car lengths.

Video #10, Time 2:21 pm, DA = 2,347 ft:
Donna’s next run wasn’t as quick, but it was still pretty good. She was running against a crazy fast Plymouth Arrow. After going red by a mere 0.012, Donna ran 7.334 @ 94.936, 1.605. That’s the 2nd best short time on 10psi ever. The Arrow went 6.465 @ 108.238, 1.471.

**Video #11, Time 2:30 pm, DA = 2,308 ft:
Another 6-sec car faced off against Donna this time. The Vega went red by more than a tenth, and Donna cut a good 0.063 light. She ran 7.438 @ 92.510, 1.676 to the Vega’s 6.408 @ 107.594, 1.376. I like the camera angle on the launch on this video.

**Video #12, Time 2:33 pm, DA = 2,299 ft:
Three minutes later, Donna hotlapped it back for another run. It was a solo pass. She had yet another good RT (0.038), and the laid down a nice 7.367 @ 95.100, 1.648.

Video #13, Time 2:37 pm, DA = 2,425 ft:
Another hot lap and solo run resulted in a 7.459 @ 92.378, 1.687. She is still knocking down the tree… 0.043 this time.

**Video #14, Time 2:46 pm, DA = 2,358 ft:
Donna’s 4th run in a 16-minute span was against John and his ’07 Mustang GT. She got really antsy on the line, and left way early, but made yet another pass in the 7.30s. She went 7.380 @ 95.165, 1.634 to John’s 9.107 @ 77.682, 2.163.

Video #15, Time 3:26 pm, DA = 2,457 ft:
On this run, Donna was racing a Ranchero. I’m running out of ways to say this… she just flat drilled the tree again, cutting a 0.016 light. But, she brought the RPMs up too much on the powerbrake, causing the rear to kick out and break loose, spinning through 1st gear. This slowed the whole run down to a 7.541 @ 92.789, 1.753. The Ranchero ran 9.061 @ 76.837, 2.040, with a very nice 0.039 RT as well.

Video #16, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,440 ft:
There was a newbie on a motorcycle in the lane next to Donna on this run. I believe this was the girl’s first time down the track on her bike. The timeslip showed a 7.410 @ 94.946, 1.682, to the bike’s 11.444 @ 62.045, 2.823.

Video #17, Time 4:07 pm, DA = 2,315 ft:
This time it was my turn to face the Buick Grand National. This thing has got some serious top end pull… you don’t often see 7-second cars running 107mph! Even though he left early and I was tardy, I was ahead at the 60-foot mark. But by half-track, he was passing me, pulling hard and driving away. My 7.400 @ 92.659, 1.636 was not nearly enough for his 7.149 @ 107.580, 1.979.

**Video #18, Time 4:11 pm, DA = 2,330 ft:
I hotlapped it back for a solo run, running 7.391 @ 94.533, 1.616.

**Video #19, Time 4:22 pm, DA = 2,223 ft:
My last run of the day was another solo pass. And I just missed on the tree, going red by 0.011. I ran 7.413 @ 94.797, 1.652.

Video #20, Time 4:34 pm, DA = 2,230 ft:
Donna got back in the seat for a couple more solo runs. On this one, she over-powerbraked it and the tires spun through 1st gear, bouncing off the rev limiter in the process. The car slowed to a 7.569 @ 92.114, 1.748.

**Video #21, Time 4:40 pm, DA = 2,261 ft:
Her last run of the day was the 2nd best run of the day. She ran 7.329 @ 93.252, 1.620. I really like the camera angle on this run.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, April 21, 2007

After a steady (and fairly heavy) rain Friday night, it took a while for the staff to dry the track on Saturday morning. Things got started late, but the track was in great shape and hooking well. Several cars actually broke because of the bite. I saw one differential explode, one pinion shaft snap, and one driveshaft twist off. The weather was breezy and cool, with temps in the high 50s to low 60’s. The dew point was in the mid 40’s all day.

As is now the norm for track days, I have to slow the car down and run the 10# blower pulley. Overall, we made 17 runs. All of them ranged between 7.32 and 7.45. The trap speed was in the 92-95 range all day. The average for the day was 7.38 @ 93.8. My RTs were not especially good, but Donna was cutting some very good lights all weekend. On Saturday, she had four lights that were 0.018 or better (and a couple near miss reds, too)

This was also the weekend for Summit Series #5 (Sat) and #6 (Sun).

Here are the videos from Saturday, April 21 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 11:21 am, DA = 1,632 ft:
Because I was running in the Summit Series later, I took all of the morning session time trial runs. On the first run, I was up against a strong mid 6-sec Chevy. After a 0.077 light, I ran it out for a 7.388 @ 92.625, 1.638. The opponent went 6.694 @ 101.135, 1.437.

Video #2, Time 11:55 am, DA = 1,632 ft:
This time I was facing a low 6-sec Biscayne. This car hauls butt for as big as it is. I went red by 0.025, while he cut a nice 0.031. My 7.453 @ 94.132, 1.664 was way behind his 6.369 @ 107.323, 1.388.

Video #3, Time 12:28 pm, DA = 2,028 ft:
My third run was against yet another mid 6-sec car… a Challenger. I was already five hundredths behind on the tree (0.023 to 0.071), and the Didge ran away from me. I ran 7.417 @ 95.072, 1.673 to his 6.691 @ 100.837, 1.420.

**Video #4, Time 12:54 pm, DA = 2,013 ft:
Run #4 was against yet another 6-sec car, a 62 Chevy. Once again, the guy not only tree’d me bad (0.005 to 0.081), but ran away too. My 7.406 @ 92.566, 1.650 was bested by his 6.724 @ 102.692, 1.506. At least the announcer gave Kenne Bell a little promo. Hehe

Video #5, Time 2:27 pm, DA = 2,127 ft:
This was Round #1 of the Summit Series. I was dialed in at 7.44 and the hot rod truck was dialed in at 7.26. So I was getting 18 hundredths at the start. We were side-by-side all the way down the track, and I just barely kept my bumper in front of him. It was so close, I couldn’t even lift at the end. I beat him by 0.03, but I also broke out by 0.03. The difference was on the tree. He had me 0.076. It was a bad time to cut my worst light of the whole weekend (0.137 to his 0.061). I ran 7.410 @ 95.086, 1.665 to his 7.336 @ 92.241, 1.607. It was a fun run anyway… I always like the close ones the best.

**Video #6, Time 3:22 pm, DA = 2,402 ft:
The right lane was closed for a long time while the track staff cleaned up the remnants of a differential explosion. That gear oil is a pain to clean up. So, Donna’s first run of the day was a solo pass. And she came out chopping down the tree. She cut a 0.013 light en route to a 7.402 @ 92.530, 1.639.

Video #7, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,196 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a Chevelle. Normally this would have been a good race, because the bowtie is a low 7-sec car. But, he got out of it for some reason and slowed down. Donna ran a 7.398 @ 95.298, 1.665 to the Chevelle’s 8.414 @ 78.615, 1.636.

**Video #8, Time 4:16 pm, DA = 2,138 ft:
Here is the first time Donna raced Ken in his Paxton Novi blown ’06 Mustang. Donna drilled the tree again, cutting an 0.018 RT. She then turned a 7.384 @ 92.332, 1.627 to Ken’s 7.586 @ 90.954, 1.755.

**Video #9, Time 4:40 pm, DA = 2,110 ft:
On this run, Donna was up against a Fox Mustang with an F-2 Procharger on it. This thing was sick. He ran a 6.0 against Donna on this pass, but later in the day went 5.4 at over 130… yikes! Donna again cut a killer light (0.011), but even a huge holeshot advantage wasn’t enough to make up over a second. Her 7.345 @ 92.601, 1.613 was a solid run, but was still 5 car lengths behind the 6.015 @ 115.214, 1.346.

**Video #10, Time 4:46 pm, DA = 2,083 ft:
Donna and Ken lined up for the second time, and this time they both left a little early. Donna was 0.017 red, and ran 7.354 @ 95.465, 1.641. Ken went 7.623 @ 90.192, 1.754, leaving 0.051 early.

Video #11, Time 5:12 pm, DA = 2,036 ft:
My next opponent was a Buick Grand National. We both went red, but he was more red than me. My 7.417 @ 92.463, 1.663 was quicker than his 8.040 @ 82.698, 1.615.

**Video #12, Time 5:27 pm, DA = 2,036 ft:
On this pass, I faced a 5-sec roadster. He never once saw my taillights. In fact, my burnout was a little much, and Donna couldn’t see my taillights for a while either. hehe. The car just disappears behind the cloud of smoke. Even though this ended up my personal best run of the weekend, 7.351 @ 95.286, 1.621, it was way behind the roadster’s 5.911 @ 115.999, 1.320. But, I got the win light, because he went red. There’s my consolation. haha.

**Video #13, Time 5:31 pm, DA = 2,017 ft:
I made a solo pass this time, stopping the clocks with a 7.396 @ 92.882, 1.641.

**Video #14, Time 5:47 pm, DA = 2,078 ft:
Donna and Ken went at it again on this run. Both were napping at the tree, and the timeslip showed Donna running a 7.367 @ 95.262, 1.631 and Ken a 7.599 @ 91.386, 1.791.

**Video #15, Time 6:00 pm, DA = 2,036 ft:
The final pairing between Ken and Donna, showed a win light in Ken’s lane when Donna went red by 0.028. But, she ran a very nice 7.330 @ 92.514, 1.610 to Ken’s 7.784 @ 90.154, 1.898.

**Video #16, Time 6:03 pm, DA = 2,041 ft:
Three minutes later, Donna was lined up for a solo pass. After ripping off an awesome 0.004 RT, she backed up her previous 7.33 with another one. She ran 7.338 @ 95.785, 1.627. The trap speed was the highest of the whole weekend, and the 2nd highest mph ever on the 10# pulley.

**Video #17, Time 6:14 pm, DA = 2,038 ft:
The final run of the day was another solo. Although, Donna was expecting the other Mustang to be there (they held him back for some reason). So, when the tree dropped, she wasn’t expecting it. But, regardless of the RT, she proceeded to run the quickest ET of the day, as well as the first 1.5x 60’ time ever on the 10# pulley. She ran 7.324 @ 93.106, 1.597.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, April 7, 2007

This turned out to be a blustery, cool day at Barona. The temps ranged from mid 50s to high 60’s, with a dew point around 50. And until I get a roll bar in the car, I have to slow the car down and run the 10# blower pulley. Of the 8 runs I made, 7 of them were in the 7.40s (and the 8th was 7.50), which is about as consistent as I’ve seen this car in a while. But, we didn’t run any bracket races this day, just a bunch of test and tune runs.

Here are the videos from Saturday, April 7 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 9:55 am, DA = 1,926 ft:
Donna’s first run started off with a really nice burnout. She was up against a Camaro, which also is capable of low 7-sec ETs. Donna missed the tree by -0.014 sec, but out ran the Camaro. He apparently had some 60-foot traction issues. She went 7.424 @ 92.674, 1.675 60-ft time to his 7.518 @ 98.587, 1.965.

**Video #2, Time 10:00 am, DA = 1,934 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a Chevy II. Two evenly matched cars in this one. Donna grabbed more than 2-tenths at the tree, and then ran a quicker 7.384 @ 92.870, 1.660 to the Chevy’s 7.392 @ 95.265, 1.832. Donna’s 7.38 was the quickest run of the day.

**Video #3, Time 10:04 am, DA = 1,946 ft:
Donna hotlapped it back to the line, this time against some rear-tire dragging, FWD purple import of undetermined origin. haha… you gotta check out it’s “burnout”. Donna cut a great 0.033 light and ram 7.488 @ 92.967, 1.717 to the more pedestrian time of 10.080 @ 71.673, 2.471 for the import.

**Video #4, Time 10:30 am, DA = 1,993 ft:
The first car I raced was an LS1 5.7L GTO running 10psi boost. Even though he was 4 hundredths quicker, I had 5 hundredths on him at the tree. My light was bad (0.127), but his was worse (0.174). But, he passed me by the time we reached the tree, and we were basically side by side all the way down the track with me closing ever so slowly. It was a fun race because it was so close. Apparently, my top end was enough to pull past him at the stripe, because my 7.474 @ 94.520, 1.681 beat his 7.435 @ 92.996, 1.572. The margin of victory was a mere 0.008 seconds… I didn’t even know who had won until I picked up the timeslip. Winning on a holeshot always feels good!

**Video #5, Time 10:56 am, DA = 2,035 ft:
This time I was paired up with a Corvette Stingray. I cut a decent 0.068 light, and then ran away from the Vette. My 7.481 @ 91.727, 1.676 was more than 2 seconds better than his 9.699 @ 70.220, 2.117.

**Video #6, Time 11:13 am, DA = 2,089 ft:
This is the second run against the same silver GTO. Again, he was about 0.04 quicker, but this time I had him on the tree by a whopping 3 tenths. My light wasn’t good (0.107), but compared to his 0.417, it was killer. I had him by 3 car lengths or so at the stripe. I ran 7.400 @ 92.572, 1.628 to his 7.362 @ 93.618, 1.563. I was 2-for-2 on holeshot wins against the GTO now. And this was my quickest run of the day and best 60’ time.

Video #7, Time 1:08 pm, DA = 2,634 ft:
After the lunch break, Donna went up against a 6-sec Vega. For whatever reason, the car slowed after the 60 foot mark, and could only muster a 7.654 @ 91.608, 1.669. The Vega ripped off a 6.439 @ 104.780, 1.330.

Video #8, Time 1:15 pm, DA = 2,610 ft:
Donna decided to take a little nap on this one, but there were enough ponies to drive around the truck with a 7.428 @ 92.703, 1.669 to his 8.444 @ 79.993, 1.860.

**Video #9, Time 1:44 pm, DA = 2,834 ft:
This time, I got a chance to take on an even more heavily modified 5.7L GTO, running 13psi boost, with a new tranny, too. With all those cubic inches and much more boost, I thought he would run away from me. But, I got him on the tree. I cut a decent 0.053 light compared to his way late 0.310, and he couldn’t catch me. My 7.449 @ 94.156, 1.663 beat his 7.236 @ 94.580, 1.593. The margin of victory was 0.044 seconds. Pretty close at the end… about 1/2-car length. And my 3rd holeshot win over a GTO of the day. Life was good at that moment.

Video #10, Time 1:53 pm, DA = 2,909 ft:
The 2nd run against the red GTO didn’t turn out as well as the first one. I got about 6/100’s on the tree (0.074 to 0.131), but it wasn’t enough. He beat me by 0.120 sec (about a car length). I ran 7.449 @ 92.196, 1.658 vs 7.272 @ 94.549, 1.613. So all in all, I was 3 out of 4 against the blown GTOs today.

Video #11, Time 2:31 pm, DA = 2,826 ft:
Donna found herself lined up next to the same Vega she ran earlier. Both of them cut excellent lights with the Vega 2-thou quicker, 0.026 to 0.024. Donna ran 7.503 @ 92.289, 1.715 to his 6.724 @ 101.532, 1.456.

Video #12, Time 3:24 pm, DA = 2,692 ft:
Donna and Cher decided they wanted to take a shot on the pro tree (where all three ambers flash simultaneously, followed by the green light 0.400 second later). I don’t think they were quite ready for it. We won’t mention the RTs (but you can seem them on the scoreboards). Donna ran a 7.619 @ 91.861, 1.716 to Cher’s 8.534 @ 82.379, 1.882.

**Video #13, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,692 ft:
This time I was racing a suh-weet 70 Mach 1, running a big block on nitrous. Normally, this car will run in the high 5s/low 6s, but his transbrake didn’t hold, and he had problems at the line. I also lost my concentration when I saw him lurch, and my RT was not so good. My timeslip said 7.437 @ 92.361, 1.678 to his 10.314 @ 118.128. Obviously his ET was hosed.

Video #14, Time 3:53 pm, DA = 2,642 ft:
This time I was racing Cher, and I was asleep at the tree. Cher cut a good 0.069 light, though. I ran 7.481 @ 90.979, 1.652 to Cher’s 8.671 @ 82.102, 1.999.

**Video #15, Time 3:59 pm, DA = 2,603 ft:
I hotlapped it back to the staging lanes, and got paired up against AJ, Ed’s son. Both of us had really good RTs, with him being slightly better… 0.020 to 0.023. I slowed to a 7.505 @ 94.567, 1.712 to AJ’s 7.854 @ 89.596, 1.827. My trap speed of 94.567mph was the highest of the day for the car.

**Video #16, Time 4:14 pm, DA = 2,579 ft:
This was the last run of the day, and Donna had a solo pass. She clicked off the best 60-foot time of the day (1.625), and then ran a nice 7.400 @ 92.011.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, April 6, 2007

This was a fun night at the track. The Stangpede Club was out in force for a trackside BBQ, with quite a few members making runs down the track. We had a great time hanging out, eating burgers and dogs, and watching the races!

All of our runs were on the 10psi blower pulley. The temperature was around 60 degrees all evening, but the humidity was pretty high (over 70%). Dew point was in the 50’s all night, which really hurt the air.

We only made 11 runs because we quit a little early. But one of them was good enough for another trophy! Donna won the Super Street Class trophy for running closest to the class index (7.50)!!

Here are the videos from Friday, April 6 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:45 pm, DA = 369 ft:
My first run was against Ed. We both must have had first run jitters, because I went way early turning on the red light, and Ed was way late on the tree. Ed had some major traction problems (you can see the tire smoke in the vid). I ran 7.480 @ 91.84, with a 1.729 60-foot time. Ed’s spinning run resulted in an 8.921 @ 84.58, 2.141.

Video #2, Time 6:56 pm, DA = 369 ft:
Ed and I lined up again, but this time he had an excellent 0.536 light. I missed a perfect light by 0.004, going red at 0.496. Ed again had some traction problems, but mine hooked pretty well. I ran 7.395 @ 95.33, 1.706 to Ed’s 8.192 @ 87.55, 2.047.

**Video #3, Time 7:03 pm, DA = 376 ft:
This video was taken from mid-track. Both Ed and I turned on the red lights (my 0.493 to his 0.474), but he got better traction on this run. My 7.433 @ 92.21, 1.692 to his 7.917 @ 88.40, 1.849.

**Video #4, Time 7:25 pm, DA = 369 ft:
My fourth run was against a mid 7-sec Nova. A year and a half ago, this Nova would eat my lunch all the time, now I got a chance to get even. I cut a decent light (0.550 to his 0.615), and then outran him by a couple tenths. The timeslip showed my 7.387 @ 92.21, 1.680 beating his 7.591 @ 91.27, 1.705.

Video #5, Time 8:08 pm, DA = 348 ft:
This was Donna’s first run. This video (as well as the rest of them) was shot from the end of the track, where the Stangpede BBQ was set-up. There was an oil down on the left track, so Donna was forced to run on the right track. The traction on the right track is pathetic… they usually don’t have the higher HP cars run on that track for that reason. And you can see why. Donna spun really bad early in the run, and could only run an 8.120 @ 94.34, 2.248. The import in the other lane was waaaaayyyyy behind at 10.933 @ 67.87, 2.796.

Time 8:23 pm, DA = 348 ft:
Donna’s next run was the trophy run. But, I apparently was too busy stuffing my face at the BBQ to notice she was about to make a pass. So I didn’t get it on video. D’Oh! Her numbers were 7.522 @ 92.59, 1.795.

**Video #6, Time 8:42 pm, DA = 341 ft:
Donna’s 3rd (and final) run was her best of the night. She was up against a 96 Firebird. The Pontiac had some sort of issue at the starting line, so this was over early. Donna’s excellent 7.372 @ 95.13, 1.672 was much better than the Firebird’s 12.125 @ 73.29, 3.871.

**Video #7, Time 9:27 pm, DA = 327 ft:
My next run was against Ed’s car again, which also had some traction problems in the first 60 feet. I finally managed to cut a good light (0.516), and then ran 7.430 @ 94.93, 1.706. The silver mustang ran 8.240 @ 87.55, 2.072.

Video #8, Time 10:06 pm, DA = 294 ft:
Immediately on the launch, my car lost traction and broke loose, and I had to pedal it… basically killing the run. All I could muster was a 7.836 @ 94.33, 2.022. My opponent ran 10.325 @ 69.77, 2.401.

Time 10:22 pm, DA = 304 ft:
Unfortunately, we ran out of videotape, so my last two runs are not on video. On this pass I ran 7.424 @ 95.13, 1.712.

Time 10:43 pm, DA = 298 ft:
My last run of the night turned out to be the quickest run of the night. After a good 0.543 light, I ran 7.367 @ 95.13, 1.669.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 24, 2007

Since I had several recent trips to the track where I did all the driving due to the Summit Series, I let Donna have all the runs on this day. The weather was pretty good, with temps in the high 60’s in the morning and mid 70s in the afternoon. The humidity wasn’t bad; dew points were in the mid 40’s all day.

And the big news from this day… Donna set a new best ET for my car... a 7.079 @ 98.755 (see video #11 below). She beat my previous best of 7.084. I'm sincerely happy for her. She has been trying for 6 months (since 9/22/06) to run a better ET than me. Records are made to be broken, and I'm glad she finally got there on Saturday. She was on Cloud 9 all weekend... and doing some major trash talking, too. haha. But when she got too cocky, I just reminded her who got the trophy on this weekend. OK… so we both did some trash talking.

Unfortunately, the track owners asked me to get a roll bar for the car. They said the 7.07 got some attention (along with six runs in the 7.1’s and another dozen in the 7.20’s). So, until I can get a roll bar, we’ll have to drop back down to the 10psi blower pulley and slow it down a bit.

Here are the videos from Saturday, March 24 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:11 am, DA = 2,268 ft:
The first run of the day was just about the worst run of the day. She was running a lady in her 60’s with a Duster. Donna ran 7.391 @ 91.346, 1.717 against the Duster’s 10.610 @ 89.581, 4.504. The Duster clearly had some issues at the starting line.

**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 2,284 ft:
The next run was much better. Donna was racing a 72 Ranchero with a 540+ ci motor (the announcer says 514, but it’s been changed). After a decent 0.080 light, Donna laid down a 7.195 @ 95.738, 1.607. The Ranchero went 7.715 @ 89.579, 1.715. At the end of this video, you get a glimpse of part of the return road at Barona.

**Video #3, Time 10:24 am, DA = 2,309 ft:
Run #3 was even better. She was paired up with a Corvette. Donna cut a killer 0.010 reaction time (her first of six lights under 0.050 on the day), and then clicked off a 7.154 @ 97.057, 1.627. The Vette ran 9.760 @ 70.136, 2.165.

**Video #4, Time 10:30 am, DA = 2,356 ft:
The opponent on this one was a Plymouth Arrow with a big block on nitrous. Note the wheelie bar. Both drivers cut 0.02 lights, but the 5-sec race car just pulled away. Donna ran 7.278 @ 96.226, 1.699 to the Plymouth’s 5.962 @ 118.869, 1.344.

Video #5, Time 10:39 am, DA = 2,525 ft:
On this video, I was standing at about the 60-foot point. Donna was racing a motorcycle. She ran 7.270 @ 96.189, 1.661 to the bike’s 7.103 @ 107.128, 1.969.

**Video #6, Time 10:49 am, DA = 2,653 ft:
This run features Donna’s best RT of the day (0.006), but inexplicably the slowest run of the day. Could be that six runs in less than 40 minutes put too much heat in the motor. Or, it could have been one of those runs where it left flat … it was the worst 60-foot time all day (1.733). Anyway, she ran 7.393 @ 95.046, to the Camaro’s 6.397 @ 109.114, 1.444.

Video #7, Time 11:11 am, DA = 2,513 ft:
This camera angle is from about 120 feet down track. Donna was racing Ed, who was making his first run of the day. Both of them went red, and Donna ran 7.258 @ 95.712, 1.643 to Ed’s 7.765 @ 87.052, 1.725.

**Video #8, Time 11:16 am, DA = 2,650 ft:
Here is a view from half-track (330’). Donna was running Ed again, and she left 0.040 early. Ed took a little nap at the line, but still got the win light… haha. Anyway, both of them made good passes, with Donna running 7.216 @ 95.163, 1.613 to Ed’s 7.800 @ 89.590, 1.770.

**Video #9, Time 11:25 am, DA = 2,756 ft:
On this run, Donna was lined up against a 1972 Dodge Dart. She went 0.069 red, and the Dart was 0.369 late, so it kind of looked like a bracket race. Donna got to the stripe first with an awesome 7.130 @ 99.191, 1.606. At the time, the 7.13 was the quickest of the day so far. And the 99.191 mph ended up being the highest all day, and the 2nd highest ever for my car. The Dart ran 6.850 @ 103.348, 1.648.

**Video #10, Time 11:36 am, DA = 2,773 ft:
This was the last test-and-tune run before the lunch break. Yes… she got in 10 runs in less than an hour and a half!! She was running the Ranchero again on this pass, and she cut another great RT (0.037) en route to a nice 7.232 @ 96.385, 1.675. The Ranchero ran 7.742 @ 89.057, 1.693.

**Video #11, Time 12:43 pm, DA = 3,063 ft:
This run was the 1st round of the Sportsman Gambler Bracket race ($20 buy-in). The Olds 4-4-2 W-31 was dialed in at 7.76 to Donna’s 7.21 dial. So, he was getting a head start by a little over half a second. Unfortunately, Donna had an untimely late reaction time of 0.252 to his 0.035, so she basically lost the race on the starting line. She told me later she was worried about red-lighting and got over-cautious. But, since she had to stay in the throttle to catch him, it allowed her to crank off the quickest ET my car has ever run!! She ran 7.079 @ 98.755 with a 1.542 60-foot time. The 1.542 is also the best 60-foot ever recorded!! At the end, I saw his win light a split second before I saw her scoreboard. With the temps and DA increasing, I was stunned… to say the least. For the record, the Olds ran 7.875 @ 84.159, 1.742.

**Video #12, Time 12:52 pm, DA = 3,122 ft:
Back to test-and-tune runs, and Donna was lined up against an old Falcon. She had a 0.036 RT (where was that on the previous bracket run… d’oh), and then ripped off an excellent 7.117 @ 96.286, 1.571. The 7.117 was the ninth best run ever for the car. And to do it just 9 minutes after the previous run and with a DA over 3,100 feet, is pretty impressive. The Falcon was way late on the tree (0.913), and ran 8.619 @ 80.169, 1.995.

Video #13, Time 1:08 pm, DA = 3,004 ft:
On this run, Ed cut a good RT of 0.059, while Donna was napping (0.341). Even though she gave Ed a head start, she drove around him with a 7.236 @ 95.728 to Ed’s 7.964 @ 89.496, 1.908. Ed’s 60-foot time was way off, so he might have spun a little on the launch.

Video #14, Time 2:33 pm, DA = 3,278 ft:
With the air temp and the density altitude reaching the highest points of the day, Donna was set to run in the “High Roller” Gambler bracket. It cost $50 to enter, and I saw only a couple cars lined up for it. With a $500 as seed money from a sponsor (plus the $50 per car), it was a good chance to make some money with a couple good runs. I had to talk her into running the race. As they were rolling the first pair out, only 5 cars were entered, and Donna had been randomly chosen to get a 1st round “bye”, meaning she would get into the Semis with just 3 cars left (and a purse of $750 up for grabs). But, at the very last second, one more car entered, so she had to race in Round #1. The old coupe was dialed in at 6.44, giving Donna 8/10 of a second head start based on her 7.24 dial. But, like in the previous bracket, she was behind on the tree… 0.08 slower than her opponent. Even though she drove it well at the finish by lifting, scrubbing off a little on the top end, and taking the stripe by only about 2 feet (0.018 sec), it wasn’t enough to avoid breaking out by 0.026 sec. She ran 7.214 @ 93.306, 1.590 to Joe’s 6.510 @ 103.678, 1.412. (By the way, Joe eventually won the bracket race and pocketed $600 for 1st Place.)

Video #15, Time 3:07 pm, DA = 3,270 ft:
The rest of the day was all test-and-tune for Donna. On this run, it was a fairly equal match-up against an early 60’s Chevy II. Donna barely went red by 0.017, while the Chevy was late at 0.296. She ran a 7.356 @ 94.388, 1.700 to the Chevy’s 7.377 @ 92.293, 1.658.

**Video #16, Time 3:14 pm, DA = 3,219 ft:
Another Dart lined up against Donna on this run, and it was another very good heads up race. The Dart won it on a holeshot advantage, but the ETs were very close. Donna ran 7.171 @ 96.245, 1.604 to the Dart’s 7.188 @ 97.715, 1.571.

**Video #17, Time 3:25 pm, DA = 3,196 ft:
Same Dart… different lanes. This time, he went way red (0.267) and Donna chopped down the tree with an excellent 0.032 RT. She backed up the previous 7.17 with a good 7.203 @ 95.746, 1.614 to the Dart’s improved 6.979 @ 99.653, 1.613.

Video #18, Time 3:29 pm, DA = 3,138 ft:
Donna hot lapped it back to the line, this time against another bike. They both had good RTs, with the bike taking a slight advantage, 0.049 to 0.064, but Donna made that up in just a few feet. Even with the bike’s big top end, he couldn’t chase her down at the finish. She ran another low 20, with a 7.225 @ 97.374, 1.610 to the motorcycle’s 7.429 @ 107.704, 2.202.

Video #19, Time 3:34 pm, DA = 3,138 ft:
Another quick turn around resulted in a solo pass. The numbers were 7.291 @ 94.274, 1.638.

**Video #20, Time 3:37 pm, DA = 3,101 ft:
Just 3 minutes later, she made another pass… this time against a ‘Busa. Both of them had very good RTs, with Donna being just a blink slower at 0.054 vs. 0.037. But, the bike’s top end pull was way too much. For the fourth run in a row (in a 12-minute time span), Donna ran in the 7.20s, with a 7.297 @ 95.467, 1.675 to the bike’s 6.226 @ 113.328.

**Video #21, Time 3:43 pm, DA = 3,036 ft:
With very few cars in the staging lanes, she was able to run again about 6 minutes after the last pass. Her opponent was a rarity at Barona… a FWD turbo import. It ran pretty strong, especially at the top end, but it couldn’t catch the sonic blue Mustang. Considering how she had been hot-lapping the car, Donna laid down an impressive 7.194 @ 95.601, 1.588 to the import’s 7.506 @ 100.479, 1.837.

Video #22, Time 3:48 pm, DA = 3,074 ft:
The 22nd and last run of the day was against a Nova. Again, this was two fairly equal cars going heads up. Even though Donna left early, her ET still was better with a 7.299 @ 94.057, 1.624. The Nova ran 7.360 @ 95.549, 1.714.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, March 23, 2007

This turned out to be a good night at the track. As usual, I installed the 10psi blower pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 60s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was in the 50’s all night, which really hurt the air. And the left lane was slick and tricky. Every time we ran in that lane, it spun on the launch.

We only got a total of 11 runs because we quit a little early. But one of them was good enough for another trophy! I won the trophy for the Best Reaction Time (a 0.501 on a 0.500 tree). In fact, my slowest light all night was 0.527.

Here are the videos from Friday, March 23 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

**Video #1, Time 6:21 pm, DA = 507 ft:
My first run was against Jim Borba and his GT350 clone. Normally, he runs low 6’s on a 200-300 shot of nitrous on the 347 stroker motor, but tonight he was sans bottle, running all motor. We both went red on the run, but he was 0.001 more red than me (0.476 to 0.477). I ran 7.480 @ 89.99, 1.736 60-foot time. Borba’s numbers were 7.059 @ 96.77, 1.614.

Video #2, Time 6:26 pm, DA = 514 ft:
My next run was against another Mustang. I was in the left lane, and quickly found out how little traction there was over there. Even though I cut a pretty good light (0.513), it spun hard. You can hear it bounce off the rev limiter as it spun the tires. The 1.801 60-foot time resulted in a 7.583 @ 92.40. The black Stang went 10.645 @ 65.88, 2.671.

**Video #3, Time 6:32 pm, DA = 499 ft:
My third run was my quickest run of the night. And how often do you get a chance to race and beat a 7-sec turbo ricer with pink wheels? haha. He rolled into both stage beams early and then sat there with the engine revved up. When I saw and heard that, I just took my time getting staged. I tree’d him big time (0.527 to 0.905), and then drove away for a 0.815 sec victory. My 7.380 @ 91.83, 1.678 beat his 7.817 @ 93.55, 1.796.

**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = 478 ft:
Donna’s first run turned out to be the best of the whole night. She was up against a 96 Cobra. I think the announcer likes Donna. hehe. She cut her best reaction time of the night (0.525), and ripped off a great 7.313 @ 92.40, 1.658. She was 2-1/2 seconds ahead at the strip. The Cobra ran 9.506 @ 78.81, 2.502.

**Video #5, Time 7:04 pm, DA = 457 ft:
Donna’s next run was even more lopsided… and the announcer was even more animated. She raced a classic Mustang and just drove away from him. The margin of victory was 3.7 seconds… it seems like it takes forever for him to come into view of the camera. She slowed to a 7.464 @ 92.98, 1.750 to a 10.914 @ 71.99, 2.883.

Video #6, Time 7:16 pm, DA = 422 ft:
OK… someone get this announcer a sedative or something. haha. Donna was running a ’37 Plymouth (with a Chevy LS1 motor in it). She spun a little on this run, with the 60’ slowing to 1.811. The timeslip showed 7.545 @ 92.02 to the Plymouth’s 8.827 @ 78.12, 1.970.

Video #7, Time 7:44 pm, DA = 360 ft:
On this run I was up against another late model Mustang. Even though I went red by 0.010, I ran a 7.459 @ 91.09, 1.722 to his 8.496 @ 85.88, 2.155.

**Video #8, Time 8:18 pm, DA = 308 ft:
This run was both good and bad at the same time. It was bad, because the car spun hard in that poor left lane. And it was good, because I cut a 0.501 reaction time and won a trophy for Best Reaction Time later in the evening. My opponent was a low 7-sec Camaro, but he had a passenger and lifted at half track to keep from getting kicked out (you can’t run quicker than 8.50 with a passenger). With my tire spin, all I could run was a 7.705 @ 90.00, 1.856. He ran 9.036 @ 45.31, 1.814.

Video #9, Time 9:12 pm, DA = 233 ft:
My last run of the night was against a turbo VW GTI (I call it the “roll cage on wheels”). He told me it has 360 hp at the wheels and weighs 1800 lbs… but even that weight seems too high. I guess until I get a roll bar in my car and I can pump the boost back up to 12psi, I just don’t have enough oomph to outrun this guy. I ran a 7.565 @ 89.10, 1.766 to his 7.319 @ 101.81, 1.831.

Video #10, Time 9:54 pm, DA = 216 ft:
Ed’s son AJ and Donna raced on this pass. Both of them left early, but Donna was “more red”. She ran 7.540 @ 90.36, 1.797 to AJ’s 8.068 @ 89.82, 2.022. I think the left lane also got to AJ, because Ed’s car is much quicker than that.

Video #11, Time 10:34 pm, DA = 192 ft:
The last run of the night was Donna against Ed… and the left lane still is no good. Ed definitely had traction issues on this run. Donna went 7.549 @ 91.46, 1.812 to Ed’s 8.295 @ 88.76, 2.160.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 18, 2007

Sunday, March 18 was day two of the weekend 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. We were lucky that the weather was cooler on Sunday than it had been on Saturday. The high temp was 74 degrees (compared to 91 on Saturday), and the density altitude ranged from 2,200 and 3,100 feet.

I continued my experimentation with staging deeper to improve my reaction times. However, I think the car was reacting quicker due to the better air and I had more redlights than I’ve ever had at the track. During test and tune runs they are irrelevant, but in competition, they can hurt. Video #8 is a prime example of a good run gone bad because of the red bulb.

As is our normal routine, Donna and I shared seat time today. Even with me running in the Summit Series, we still got 19 runs in, with Donna getting 10 of them.

Here are the videos from Sunday, March 18 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 2,224 ft:
My first run out of the box was against a Fox-body Mustang. Although I went red on this run, I missed a perfect RT by only one one-thousandth of a second (-0.001). The car “hiccupped” on the top end, but still ran a 7.280 @ 94,624, 1.669 60-foot. The Fox was way behind at 10.060 @ 70.982, 2.250.

**Video #2, Time 10:20 am, DA = 2,293 ft:
This was Donna’s first run of the weekend, and she came out swinging for sure. She ripped off the best run of the weekend (by far), and neither one of us ever got close to this run the rest of the day. She cut a very nice 0.051 light (her best of the day), and laid down a killer 7.110 @ 96.954, 1.584. The ET and 60-foot times were the best of the weekend, and the trap speed was 2nd best (behind the 97.15 I had on Saturday). The 7.110 was also her 2nd best ET ever (and the car’s 6th best overall). The quick 65 Chevy in the right lane went 6.754 @ 101.542, 1.456.

Video #3, Time 10:39 am, DA = 2,458 ft:
My next run was against another Fox-body Mustang. Even though I had another good RT (0.036), the car decided it was time to launch like a pig again, which showed in the horrible 1.832 60’ time. This hesitation on the launch is unpredictable and quite annoying. All it would run was a 7.449 @ 95.634. The Fox ran 8.842 @ 78.567, 1.820.

Video #4, Time 11:06 am, DA = 2,677 ft:
Donna’s next run was more in line with the rest of the weekend. She was paired up with a 1970 Chevelle. The blue Mustang ran 7.283 @ 96.176, 1.695 to the Chevy’s 8.389 @ 81.780, 1.877.

Video #5, Time 11:26 am, DA = 2,731 ft:
A 1964 Ford Falcon was the next car to run against me, but I was overmatched. My 7.303 @ 95.616, 1.695 was no problem for the Falcon’s 6.487 @ 111.275, 1.321.

Video #6, Time 11:46 am, DA = 2,749 ft:
There was time for one more run before the lunch break and Donna got a solo out of it. She ran 7.264 @ 95.993, 1.677.

**Video #7, Time 12:52 pm, DA = 3,030 ft:
This was Round #1 of the Summit race. I was lined up against a Nova and it was basically a heads up race. My dial in was 7.30 and his was 7.31. I was comfortable with the 7.30 because the previous three runs had been 7.28, 7.30 and 7.26. As it turned out, I won the round on a double red light (his -0.068 was worse than my -0.029). But, I got an even bigger break… the car bogged worse than ever before on the launch, running only 1.905 in the 60-foot. You can visually see the nose of the car stay down for the first 8 or 10 feet off the line. My 7.498 @ 95.882 was the slowest of the weekend. The Nova went 7.377 @ 85.566, 1.522.

**Video #8, Time 1:30 pm, DA = 3,028 ft:
This was Round #2 of the Summit race, and was even more frustrating to me as a driver than my 0.004 second breakout on Saturday. I was paired up with a 6-sec Nova, who was dialed in at 6.49. I kept my dial at 7.30… which turned out to be the right call. The car ran right on the dial with a 7.300 ET! But, the driver messed up and left early, triggering the red light. D’Oh!!! So, a perfect “dead on with a zero” run was totally wasted because of a starting line foul by yours truly. The final numbers were 7.300 @ 95.024, 1.679 to the Nova’s winning 6.533 @ 103.804, 1.414. He also cut a killer 0.011 light, too.

**Video #9, Time 1:47 pm, DA = 2,949 ft:
Donna got back in the car for this run against a Vega. He must have trouble, because the Vega will run low 6’s, but all he could run here was 8.8. Donna missed a perfect reaction time by a mere 0.006 seconds, and then clocked a 7.332 @ 95.610, 1.698. The Vega’s numbers were 8.867 @ 61.376, 2.467.
Video #10, Time 1:51 pm, DA = 3,014 ft:
Donna was up against yet another Nova on this run, who also had problems and aborted. After a 0.063 RT, the tires spun a little in 1st gear, slowing the run down. She went 7.397 @ 95.496, 1.702. The Nova’s numbers were 11.056 @ 58.293, 2.676.

**Video #11, Time 2:15 pm, DA = 3,123 ft:
This track allows cars and motorcycles to race each other. On this run, I was up against a Hayabusa bike. Those things are fast… but not fast enough on this run. I cut my best reaction time of the weekend… a near perfect 0.002! And then I outran the Hayabusa also. The timeslip showed my 7.242 @ 95.774, 1.655 beating his 7.299 @ 104.798, 2.030.

**Video #12, Time 2:47 pm, DA = 3,074 ft:
This run was against a pretty quick Camaro. I ran 7.233 @ 95.563, 1.637 to his 6.726 @ 103.249, 1.553.

**Video #13, Time 3:02 pm, DA = 3,035 ft:
This time it was Donna against the Hayabusa. Donna went out and laid down an awesome run (especially with a DA over 3,000 feet), with a good 0.064 RT. She ran a 7.173 @ 96.173, 1.620. But, he was better on the tree (0.013) and ran quicker, beating her by 0.183 sec. The bike ran 7.041 @ 106.015, 1.864. This one was fun to watch.

Video #14, Time 3:35 pm, DA = 2,951 ft:
There weren’t too many cars left by now, so Donna ended up racing the bike… again. He left early and went red, and Donna was tardy. But, she ran a solid 7.218 @ 96.383, 1.617 to his 7.086 @ 105.199, 1.890.

**Video #15, Time 3:42 pm, DA = 2,996 ft:
On this run, I was racing a… well, I’m not sure. A Buick? Olds? Whatever. Anyway, this turned out to be my 2nd best run of the weekend, running a 7.221 @ 95.845, 1.625. The opponent ran 8.601 @ 79.491, 1.913.

Video #16, Time 3:46 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
I hotlapped it back around and ran against the same car. I just missed a perfect light, going red by 0.004. Hotlapping usually takes a toll on performance and this was no exception. I slowed to a 7.321 @ 94.997, 1.669. He ran 8.951 @ 77.484, 2.042.

**Video #17, Time 3:59 pm, DA = 2,929 ft:
OK, this one was bizarre and takes a little explanation. I couldn’t see it from where I was standing, but Donna and I figured it out later. First, she rolled through both stage beams. So she was asking the starter what to do (back up and restage, or just stay there?). He gestured to her to just stay there, but when the tree came down, her amber lights never flashed. The Jeep in the other lane left, and she was confused. The starter just motioned for her to go. Since her front tires were already out of the beams, the rear tires tripped the starting beam. The timeslip shows a 60’ time of 1.136. haha. And when the scoreboard flashed 6.74… well, I knew it was wrong. My reaction is humorous… “That ain’t right!” And the funniest part was, even after waiting that long to leave the line, she still caught and passed him before the stripe! For the record, the Jeep ran 10.370 @ 65.956, 2.318.

Video #18, Time 4:06 pm, DA = 2,937 ft:
This time, Donna staged correctly against the Jeep. She ran 7.278 @ 94.516, 1.626 to his 10.289 @ 65.916, 2.339.

**Video #19, Time 4:16 pm, DA = 2,909 ft:
The last run of the weekend was a solo pass for Donna. And she finished off in style. After cutting a 0.083 light, she tripped the beams in 7.247 sec @ 96.079mph, 1.633.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, March 17, 2007

This weekend was the next event for the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #3 was on Saturday, and Race #4 was on Sunday. I definitely wanted to do better than the last time. I did make it to the 2nd round both days, but mostly because of luck, not skill.

One area I needed to improve was my reaction times. So, I decided to change the way I staged the car. Instead of going in as shallow as I could, I rolled in a couple extra inches. While this will hurt ETs, it improves RTs. And it seems to have helped quite a bit. For the weekend, about half of my green light RTs were under 0.050 (which is my target), with my best being a 0.002. And overall, about 70% of them were 0.093 or better. Plus I had a couple of "near miss" red lights too (a -0.001 and a -0.004). Of course, since I was purposely working the tree, I cut a few other redlights. But I guess that's the price I have to pay to get better.

The weather on Saturday was pretty warm. The high temp was about 91 degrees, and for all but the first two runs of the day, the temp was between 80 and 90 all day. The density altitude was between 3,400 and 4,100 for all those runs.

Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving on Saturday. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She did however drive on Sunday.

Here are the videos from Saturday, March 17 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:00 am, DA = 2,575 ft:
I started of with a decent (but not great) reaction time… a 0.093. My opponent was a 5-sec dragster, so this was a lopsided race. I ran a 7.301 @ 94.635, 1.657 60-foot time to his 5.603 @ 120.689, 1.291.

**Video #2, Time 10:18 am, DA = 3,042 ft:
Now this one was more like it. I was up against one of the best drivers in San Diego. He wins a lot of bracket races (and money) with his 2005 GTO. As usual, he cut a very good 0.030 light, but I actually beat him off the line with a 0.010 light of my own. I ran 7.285 @ 95.480, 1.668 to his 8.449 @ 95.994, 1.987.

Video #3, Time 10:48 am, DA = 3,411 ft:
This run started off with another good light, 0.043. Of course, the low 6-sec Vega in the other lane easily made up the 8/100’s I had on the tree, and drove around me. My 7.311 @ 95.288, 1.670 was no match for his 6.275 @ 108.467, 1.343.

**Video #4, Time 11:12 am, DA = 3,523 ft:
On this run, I raced another 5-second car… a Ford Pinto with a 557cid motor in it. This car is a beast… just watch the left front tire when he launches. And the driver (Rick) is one of the best out there (and is also now part owner of this track). Again, I was focused on the tree and cut my third straight good light. My 0.026 was 3 hundredths better than his 0.057, but that margin disappeared in the first 60 feet. After a little tire spin on the launch, my Mustang went 7.329 @ 95.572, 1.696 to the Pinto’s 5.700 @ 122.516, 1.288. Not even close at the finish line. haha

Video #5, Time 11:31 am, DA = 3,688 ft:
This run is an example of a bizarre occurrence that is happening every so often… and I’m not even sure why. When I launch the car, it just leaves like a pig. It seems like there is no power for about the first 8 or 10 feet, and then all of a sudden it comes on. My only theory is that it’s my torque converter acting up. I know it has some issues with lockup in 4th gear, and maybe it messes up now and then at the launch, too. Anyway, it did it on this run, which hurt the numbers across the board. All it could muster was a 7.398 @ 94.319, 1.720 to the roadster’s 5.659 @ 121.522, 1.298. I was getting tired of lining up against 5-sec cars by now. Haha.

Video #6, Time 11:52 am, DA = 3,824 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. It cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. My first four runs were between 7.28 and 7.32, so I decided to dial in at 7.30. But, I screwed up at the tree. It was a solo run, and when I rolled in, I lit both bulbs. Usually, I like to take a couple seconds after the pre-stage bulb to concentrate, but the tree came down immediately and I didn’t powerbrake it as well as I should have making for a bad launch; and I was late. What a waste of 10 dollars… all I could run was a paltry 7.418 @ 92.998, 1.680.

**Video #7, Time 12:44 pm, DA = 4,075 ft:
Now it was time for Round #1 of the Summit Series. Based on my previous two runs, and the fact that the temp was at its highest of the day, I decided to play it safe and dial in at 7.40. I was up against a Corvette who was dialed in at 5.88, so I was getting a second and a half head start. I cut yet another excellent light (0.018), and the Vette went red (-0.022). However, I didn’t notice his red light at all. All I could see in my mirror was him screaming up from behind me, and I didn’t want to hit the brakes too soon, and have him pass me at the stripe. I stayed in it until the right at the end and then hit the brakes. Amazingly, the car ran its best pass of the day (and my best of the weekend)… even while hitting the brakes, and with 90-degree air and a DA over 4,000 feet. Go figure. Maybe the cloud cover that rolled in a couple minutes earlier played a part, but who knows. It ran 7.204 @ 92.516, 1.598. Even though I broke out by a bunch, his red light saved me. I got totally lucky on this run. The Vette ran 5.908 @ 117.286, 1.333.

**Video #8, Time 1:37 pm, DA = 3,407 ft:
My next run was Round #2 of the Summit Series. The temp had dropped quite a bit, so I decided to go back to some of my earlier runs as a benchmark. Donna suggested I dial in at 7.26, but I opted for 7.29. In bracket racing, you really want to dial in a number you’re pretty sure you can run, and then use the brakes to adjust at the end. It’s easier to slow it down than to speed it up. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 7.64, so he was leaving first. We had almost identical RTs (my 0.080 to his 0.079), so the finish line would be the key. Once I got out in front, I hit the brakes at the end… but not enough. I ended up running a 7.286, breaking out by a mere 0.004 sec. Four thousandths of a second is about 6 inches. D’Oh!! If I had listened to Donna and dialed in at 7.26, I would have been moving on to Round #3. Instead, I was done. Here are the numbers: 7.286 @ 89.046, 1.651 to his 7.670 @ 87.392, 1.635.

Video #9, Time 2:00 pm, DA = 3,454 ft:
I had time for a couple practice runs before the afternoon Gambler bracket race started. And on this one, I was paired up with the Vega I ran earlier. Once again, I started with a pretty good light (0.037), and ended up running a 7.261 @ 95.486, 1.650. The Vega went 6.510 @ 104.700, 1.381.

**Video #10, Time 2:35 pm, DA = 3,824 ft:
Here is the first run I made against Ed this day. I was a little too aggressive on the tree, going red by 0.025 sec, and Ed took a little nap… whoops. I ran 7.284 @ 97.151, 1.653 to Ed’s 7.818 @ 88.827, 1.787. The 97.151mph trap speed was the highest my car ran all weekend.

Video #11, Time 2:53 pm, DA = 3,890 ft:
OK, I decided to pay the $20 and enter the Gambler bracket race. The previous three runs had been a 7.28, 7.26 and 7.28, so I thought it was being consistent enough to run the bracket. I dialed in at 7.28 and was paired up against a Camaro dialed in at 6.41. My RT was decent (0.070, which was almost 9/100 better than his 0.157), but just like on run #5 the car fell flat on its face on the launch. All I could muster was a 7.423 @ 94.595, 1.745 to the Camaro’s 6.443 @ 107.433, 1.410. The margin of victory for him was 0.023. So, the big advantage I had on the tree was wasted because the car dogged on me.

Video #12, Time 3:10 pm, DA = 3,909 ft:
The rest of my runs would now just be for practice. On this one I had a solo pass, running 7.312 @ 95.076, 1.689. I was early on the tree, turning on the red bulb by 0.063.

Video #13, Time 3:38 pm, DA = 3,768 ft:
My next run was against a Dodge Coronet, and my car went back to being a pig again. I wish I knew for sure what is causing this behavior. The 60-foot was way off again (1.731) and all it would run was 7.412 @ 94.500. The Dodge ran 7.043 @ 98.548, 1.590.

Video #14, Time 3:41 pm, DA = 3,756 ft:
I hotlapped it back to the staging lanes in time to line up against Ed. This time Ed was trigger happy and left early (-0.083), and I got caught napping (0.162). I ran 7.335 @ 94.669, 1.671 to Ed’s 7.855 @ 89.600, 1.845.

**Video #15, Time 3:55 pm, DA = 3,740 ft:
Ed and I went at it again, but this time we both nailed the Christmas tree. Ed had an outstanding 0.013 light, and I was right behind him with a 0.023. At the end, the timeslips read 7.369 @ 94.011, 1.683 vs 7.832 @ 89.283, 1.797.

Video #16, Time 4:00 pm, DA = 3,757 ft:
We decided to hotlap it one final time for the day. Ed and I both had nearly equal reaction times (my 0.087 to his 0.085). I ran 7.314 @ 94.633, 1.661 to Ed’s 8.114 @ 87.837, 1.950.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, March 9, 2007

This was a fairly good night at the track… even after having to switch from the 12psi supercharger pulley down to the 10psi pulley to try and stay above the 7.49 roll bar rule. The weather was cool (in the 50s), but the humidity was pretty high. Dew point was only 5 to 10 degrees below ambient temp all night. As the temperature went down, humidity went up, and so did the ETs. Funny thing about water in the air… you can’t compress it and you can’t burn it.

Also, RaceLegal has what is known as the “3 on, 3 off” rule. If you win trophies at three races in a row, you aren't eligible to win one for the next three races (kinda dumb, huh??). Since I had won trophies the last two times, we decided to skip trying for a trophy tonight, so we could be eligible again next time. But, it kind of backfired.

Believe it or not, if we had gone to the trophy booth at 11pm, we would have won not one... but two trophies!! Arrgggg... Donna's 7.54 run (video #9) would have got her the Super Street class trophy (7.50 index) and my 0.504 light (video #2) would have won for best reaction time of the night. As it was, a 7.60 ET and a 0.507 RT won the trophies. Oh well… at least we’re eligible for the next night.

Here are the videos from Friday, March 9 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

**Video #1, Time 6:27 pm, DA = 49 ft:
This track is usually real green on the first couple passes (what do you expect for a parking lot with marginal prep), but it wasn’t too bad tonight (at least in my lane). My first run turned out to be the second best of the night. I was racing against Ed’s son AJ driving Ed’s Mustang. AJ had some traction problems, and his 60’ time showed it. I ran a 7.371 @ 91.46, 1.645 against AJ’s 8.459 @ 88.23, 2.104. My 1.645 60-foot time was as good as it got all night.

**Video #2, Time 6:38 pm, DA = 35 ft:
My second run was against Ed, and it turned out to be the best of the night for my car. I cut a near perfect 0.504 light (0.500 is perfect), and then ran 7.367 @ 92.59, 1.676 to Ed’s 7.952 @ 89.29, 1.922. Ed also had a great light, 0.562. It was a fun race!

Video #3, Time 6:54 pm, DA = -1 ft:
My third run was against AJ again. I powerbraked it too much on the launch, and it caused some tire spin and slowed down in the first 60 feet. But, it also ran the highest trap speed of the night, 94.94mph. Here are the numbers: 7.463 @ 94.94, 1.741 to 8.092 @ 89.99. AJ had a good 0.553 light on this run.

Video #4, Time 7:14 pm, DA = -38 ft:
It was Donna’s turn now. Her first opponent was that VW “jalopy” that she had raced on another night. Like I’ve said before, it’s basically a roll cage on wheels. It’s completely stripped down, and ugly as can be. But, with its turbo, it’s pretty quick, too. Anyway, because of my previous run (where I spun due to powerbraking it), Donna decided to try to launch from an idle. She rolled in deep and cut a great 0.538 light, but the launch was weak and resulted in an equally weak 1.838 60-foot time, and the worst ET of the whole night, 7.56. At the stripe, the VW nipped her by 12 thousandths (0.012) of a second. I just wish I could run the 12psi blower pulley whenever he’s in the other lane. She ran 7.561 @ 92.21, 1.838 to his 7.388 @ 99.11.

**Video #5, Time 7:50 pm, DA = -78 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a 6-sec Duster known as “El Picoso”. He left a little early and turned on the red bulb. Donna clocked a nice 7.438 @ 92.59 (no 60’ time recorded), to El Picoso’s 6.759 @ 102.51, 1.584.

Video #6, Time 8:18 pm, DA = -155 ft:
A Fox-body Mustang lined up against Donna on this run. Donna went red by 20 thou (0.480), but backed up her previous 7.43 run with a 7.452 @ 92.21. The Fox ran 7.736 @ 91.46, 1.796.

**Video #7, Time 9:26 pm, DA = -229 ft:
My next run was against AJ again. He was very close to a perfect light, but ended up going red by 0.007. I managed a decent 0.553 light, and then ran another 7.3x pass, 7.378 @ 92.21, 1.665 to AJ’s 7.861 @ 89.46.

Video #8, Time 10:16 pm, DA = -268 ft:
This run was against Hector’s Cobra. Unfortunately, his street tires just would not stick to this track, and it killed his chances at any good runs. One look at his 60’ time of 2.963 and you can tell how bad his traction was. I ran a 7.465 @ 91.83, 1.727 to his spinning 9.844 @ 73.53, 2.963.

Video #9, Time 10:39 pm, DA = -297 ft:
Donna had another good light on this run (0.556) en route to a 7.543 @ 92.59, 1.782. The generic import in the right lane ran 9.809 @ 72.34, 2.301.

Video #10, Time 11:01 pm, DA = -287 ft:
OK, this video has a little lesson in it. The lesson is: don’t try to do a burnout while the traction control is still on. It doesn’t work and it makes you look silly. hehe. I’m surprised she didn’t slide all over the track on the run; I thought there had to be some water left on those slicks. On this pass, Donna raced Hector in his Cobra. And the traction bug bit him even worse. After missing a perfect reaction time by a mere 6 thousandths (0.494), Donna ran a 7.475 @ 92.59, 1.737 to the Cobra’s 10.456 @ 78.80, 2.982.

Video #11, Time 11:29 pm, DA = -294 ft:
Hector lined up against me on this run as well, and it was the same story for him. I ran 7.545 @ 93.55, 1.749 to his 10.245 @ 74.13, 2.529.

**Video #12, Time 11:41 pm, DA = -294 ft:
This video is amusing. The other car is not fast to begin with and it slowed down even more on this run. I’m just about at the turn-off before he crosses the finish line. Donna has a funny line at the end of the video about me coming back around and “lapping” him. haha. Anyway, I ran 7.545 @ 93.55, 1.747 to his 12.367 @ 36.73, 2.272.

**Video #13, Time 11:52 pm, DA = -294 ft:
Donna made the final two runs of the night, and against the same Evolution each time. On this run, she left early, but still clicked off her best ET of the night, 7.415 @ 92.97, 1.702. The Evo ran 8.640 @ 80.93, 1.905.

Video #14, Time 12:06 am, DA = -294 ft:
Donna drilled the tree this time, cutting a 0.545 light and running a 7.495 @ 92.59, 1.749, against the Evo’s 8.569 @ 80.93, 1.864.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, February 24-25, 2007

For me, this was much anticipated weekend of racing. It was the beginning of the 2007 Summit Series at Barona Dragstrip. Race #1 was on Saturday, and Race #2 was on Sunday.

However, things did not go very well at all. The key to winning bracket races is consistency, for both the car and the driver. The car was not running consistently… especially when it mattered. And my driving was less than impressive. I had a few good reaction times, but overall I was disappointed with my performance. Other than the pure fun of drag racing, I left the track after two days feeling very frustrated. And to top it off, the alternator died on the drive home from the track. Fitting ending.

Because of the Summit Series, I did all the driving this weekend. Donna was there to help with the car, take videos and provide moral support, but she did not drive. She will get all of the seat time next trip to the track.

Here are the videos from Saturday, February 24 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:14 am, DA = 1,843 ft:
My first time trial run on Saturday was against a 2005 GTO. The driver of this car is an accomplished drag racer, with more than 20 years of experience. He was the NHRA Division 7 ET Challenge winner in 2006. This run was the first on a new set of drag slicks for me, and I tried to give them a good burnout. But, I don’t think it was enough, there was some tire spin on the launch. I ran a 7.337 @ 96.485, with a weak 1.725 60-foot time. The GTO ran 8.344 @ 87.029, 1.978. Even though I finished first, I went red on the start and he got the win light.

**Video #2, Time 10:48 am, DA = 2,011 ft:
Run number #2 was much better. After a 0.068 light, I ran a 7.136 @ 97.945, 1.609. The ET on this run was the 2nd best of the weekend, and the trap speed was the highest all weekend. As good as this run was, I still finished well behind the opponent, who ran an awesome 6.383 @ 106.827, 1.388.

**Video #3, Time 11:27 am, DA = 2,187 ft:
The next run was also pretty decent. I was racing a classic Camaro, and I ran a 7.182 @ 97.761, 1.622. The Camaro ran 9.622 @ 73.084, 2.213.

Video #4, Time 11:57 am, DA = 2,366 ft:
The track started a new event today called the “Run for the Money”. For a $10 entry fee, you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. The other half goes to a Summit Series Finals fund for the track. I decided to stick with a 7.18 dial (which was my previous run). But, of course, the car decided to pick it up a notch, running a 7.154 @ 97.425, 1.604. My opponent, an Olds 4-4-2 W31, ran a 7.707 @ 87.429, 1.635 on a 7.73 dial. So I was .026 under and he was .023 under. Neither one of us would win the $100 winner’s share of the pot.

**Video #5, Time 12:55 pm, DA = 2,438 ft:
After the lunch break, the Summit Series eliminations began. In the 1st Round, I was up against a 55-57ish Chevy. I stuck to my 7.18 dial, and he was dialed in at 6.59. I was determined to cut a good light, and I did with a reaction time of 0.023 (my best of the weekend). But the Chevy was not far behind with a 0.034. But, here’s where my car started messing with my head. After three straight runs in the 7.1x range, it could only muster a 7.285 @ 95.972, 1.644 on this pass. That extra 1/10 of a second was all the Chevy needed to catch me and win by 0.023 sec.

Video #6, Time 1:26 pm, DA = 2,532 ft:
After the loss in the Summit Series, I wanted to get in a few test and tune runs before the Gambler bracket race started later in the day. On this run, I was up against a 2003 Z06 Corvette (with a For Sale sign in it). I ran a 7.249 @ 97.758, 1.686, to the Vette’s 10.357 @ 68.482, 2.397. I don’t know for sure, but he may have spun his street tires on the launch. And on the video, you can clearly see a lot of smoke coming from the car as he crossed the finish line. He probably hurt the motor. So, if you’re looking to buy a 2003 Z06, you might want to make sure it’s not this one.

Video #7, Time 2:22 pm, DA = 2,473 ft:
My next run was yet another in the 7.20s. After a 0.017 red light, I ran 7.220 @ 95.847, 1.614. My opponent went 9.588 @ 73.413, 2.287.

Video #8, Time 2:34 pm, DA = 2,473 ft:
Just 12 minutes later, I made another run, this time against Ed’s car (with his son AJ driving). For the 4th run in a row, I ran in the 7.2 zone, with a 7.217 @ 96.580, 1.611. I’m not sure what happened to AJ, but the car slowed to an 8.458 @ 81.299, 1.861.

Video #9, Time 3:06 pm, DA = 2,467 ft:
Now it was time for Round 1 of the Gambler Bracket ($20 entry). Since the car had four straight runs in the 7.20s, I decided to dial in at 7.25. I figured if I cut a good light, and had a lead at the end, I could always hit the brake to keep from breaking out. Well, I was real tardy on the tree, giving up about a tenth to the ’37 Fiat Topolino in the left lane (who was dialed in at 5.41). And once he passed me, there was no reason to brake, so I stayed in it. The car didn’t run another 7.2; instead it went 7.191 @ 96.600, 1.627. The seriously quick bantam ran a 5.464 @ 114.882, 1.176. Yikes!!

**Video #10, Time 3:57 pm, DA = 2,291 ft:
After getting knocked out, I had time for a couple more runs. This one was against Ed, and it ended up being my best run of the day. Even though I went red by 0.029, the car clicked of a 7.128 @ 97.244, 1.578. The ET and 60-foot times were the lowest of the weekend. Ed ran a 7.982 @ 89.891, 1.869.

**Video #11, Time 4:19 pm, DA = 2,146 ft:
My last run of the day wasn’t bad. I missed a perfect reaction time by 0.001 second (d’oh!), and ran a 7.175 @ 96.869, 1.598. But that big-block Camaro in the right lane was gone in a flash, stopping the timers at 6.377 @ 108.207, 1.374.

As Sunday dawned, I had high expectations to do better than I did on Saturday. But, other than a couple moments early on in the day, it turned out to be even worse and more frustrating as the day went on.

Here are the videos from Sunday, February 25.

Video #1, Time 10:12 am, DA = 1,927 ft:
In the first time trial run, I went 7.198 @ 96.670, 1.620. Not a bad start. But, the Chevy II/Nova in the other lane made it look bad. He cut a 0.008 light and ran 6.616 @ 101.871, 1.399.

**Video #2, Time 10:37 am, DA = 2,055 ft:
This was probably my favorite run of the day, even though I lost. My opponent (Rick Reynolds) was driving his classic Ford Fairlane, with a 427 medium-riser engine in it. Basically, this is one of the factory super stocker cars from the early-mid 60s. Our cars are pretty evenly matched, so it’s always fun to run against Rick. On this day, he was 0.040 better on the tree (an 0.028 vs 0.068), and slightly quicker, so he beat me by about 1/2 a car-length (0.056 margin), even though I was gaining on him at the top end. My 7.185 @ 96.664, 1.604 just wasn’t enough to top Rick’s 7.169 @ 94.860, 1.568. But it was still fun!! Donna was standing right at the finish line for a really different perspective for the video, too.

**Video #3, Time 11:22 am, DA = 1,955 ft:
This one was another race between two evenly matched cars. On Saturday, we had pitted next to the guy who owns this Chevelle, and he had been running in the 7.1-7.2 range. So he and I decided to go heads up. Donna had moved even farther down track. She was just behind the win light, maybe 80’-100’ past the finish line. Once again, I gave up too much on the tree (his 0.052 vs my 0.098), and then my car fell off to a 7.269 @ 95.807, 1.630. George ran a 7.153 @ 95.815, 1.530 and beat me by about a car length. By the way, if you listen to the beginning of the video, you can hear my “dial in”. haha.

**Video #4, Time 12:09 pm, DA = 1,869 ft:
This was a “Run for the Money” pass. Just like Saturday, it cost $10 to enter and you get one run against a dial-in of your choice. The car closest to its dial, without going under or going red, gets half the pot. Just because my car had been so unpredictable this weekend, I decided to dial in quicker than it had run all day thus far. I figured what the heck. So I put a 7.15 on the window and rolled in. The dragster in the other lane was dialed in at 6.09. I cut a decent 0.064 light and had a 60’ time of 1.591. When I saw the 330’ time of 4.59 flash on the board, I knew it was going to be close. But I ended up going 9 thousandths too quick, running a 7.141 @ 97.624. LOL… go figure. For what it’s worth, the dragster ran 6.137 @ 112.731.

Video #5, Time 1:14 pm, DA = 1,723 ft:
This run was Round 1 of Summit Series #2. The weather was cooling off, and my previous pass had been 7.14, so I decided to dial in at 7.15. The Chevelle in the other lane was dialed in at 6.66, so I was getting about a half second head start. Unfortunately, I was asleep at the tree and the car slowed a couple ticks, and once again I lost in Round 1. The numbers were 7.180 @ 96.982, 1.601 vs. 6.760 @ 93.513, 1.455. He won by 0.048 sec.

Video #6, Time 1:52 pm, DA = 1,731 ft:
Back to some test and tune runs again… this time against another dragster. Running heads up against a 5-sec dragster sure can make you look slow. My 7.222 @ 96.578, 1.630 was no contest for his 5.968 @ 119.611, 1.295.

**Video #7, Time 2:37 pm, DA = 1,770 ft:
This run was against a 460ci Ranchero running nitrous. Even though he left early and went red, I passed him at the 60’ cone, and ended up running a 7.212 @ 97.075, 1.621 against his 7.885 @ 89.507, 1.880.

Video #8, Time 3:08 pm, DA = 1,827 ft:
This is Round 1 of the $20 Gambler Bracket. Since the last two runs were in the 7.20s, I decided to dial in at 7.25. I needed to cut a good light, and then hopefully be able to brake at the end. My opponent was the same Chevy I raced in Round 1 of the Saturday Summit Series, and like Saturday, I managed to get him on the tree. My RT of 0.049 was a little better than his 0.056. But, as soon as I hit the throttle, the car felt like a pig. It felt like it was in the wrong gear, or the e-brake was on, or the belt came off, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. It just bogged real bad. Shortly after leaving the line it took off, but the bog at the launch was all it took to end my day. With a crappy 1.874 60-foot time, all it would run was a 7.548 @ 95.953. The Chevy’s 6.819 @ 94.069, 1.425 (on a 6.63 dial) was plenty to beat me. It was shortly after this run that the alternator died, so I’m wondering if that had anything to do with the way it ran. I just don’t know.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, February 16, 2007

Well, this turned out to be a less than stellar night at the track. The track surface wasn’t prepped very well, and the staging lines were long. And to top it off, my alternator began giving me some issues, so we had to stop early (after only 8 runs). All runs were on the 10# blower pulley.

The only upside to the night, was that I managed to win another trophy (my 13th overall) in the Super Street class (7.50 index). Click here for Race Legal results

Here are the videos from Friday, February 16 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with the asterisks (**).

Video #1, Time 6:30 pm, DA = 221 ft:
Donna’s first run was against Ed’s car, with AJ driving. The track was very green, and they both spun right on the launch. The numbers were bad… Donna ran 8.048 @ 88.06, with a 2.010 60’ time. AJ could only muster an 8.461 @ 80.06, 2.024. Donna really over-revved on the burnout, and was banging the rev limiter. When I asked her about it later, she said, “I don’t know what I was thinking about”. I think it was a blond moment. haha

Video #2, Time 6:40 pm, DA = 191 ft:
The track was no better on the next run. Donna faced off against AJ again. You can see her getting real loose early in the run, but she drove through it. AJ improved, but left way early (red light), and Donna was way late. Anyway, the numbers weren’t good again. She ran 8.292 @ 88.58, 2.108 to AJ’s 8.005 @ 88.06, 1.808.

Video #3, Time 6:49 pm, DA = 164 ft:
Run #3 was a little better, but she still spun in 1st gear (as evidenced by the 60’ time). The opponent was an ’83 or ’84 Fox body Stang. Donna ran 7.754 @ 91.46, 1.923 vs. a 9.873 @ 70.09, 2.298.

**Video #4, Time 7:13 pm, DA = 127 ft:
My first run of the night turned out to be as good as it would get. I’m not sure, but I think that’s a Buick Grand National in the other lane. Anyway, I ran 7.487 @ 90.72, 1.702. The Buick ran 8.239 @ 87.21, 2.050.

**Video #5, Time 7:25 pm, DA = 113 ft:
On this run, I was up against a late-model F-body Z28 Camaro, running nitrous oxide. I over-powerbraked it on the launch, causing a little spin early. Even though the Z28 was only about 1/10 of a second slower than me, I had over 4/10’s of a second advantage on the tree, so it wasn’t even close. My 7.566 @ 91.64, 1.760 was more than a half-second ahead of the Chevy’s 7.682 @ 90.73, 1.703 at the finish line.

Video #6, Time 7:43 pm, DA = 82 ft:
My third and final run of the night was against another 2005+ Mustang. The margin of victory for me was over two seconds, so I’m thinking his massive rear wing and “Euro” tail lights probably slowed him down. I ran 7.613 @ 89.11, 1.731 vs 9.562 @ 80.93, 2.537.

Video #7, Time 8:46 pm, DA = 14 ft:
Donna’s next run was against this Volkswagen “jalopy”. Basically, it’s a roll cage on wheels. haha. It’s completely stripped down, and ugly as can be. But, it’s pretty quick, too. In fact, it beat Donna on this run. I wanted to go hide. Actually, I wanted to go change pulleys and run him again. Anyway, Donna’s 7.696 @ 90.90, 1.828 wasn’t enough to beat the VW “POS” time of 7.574 @ 91.46, 1.724.

Video #8, Time 9:09 pm, DA = 18 ft:
Prior to this run, the car wouldn’t re-start in the staging lanes. We used Ed’s car to jump start it, and just left it running until after the pass. Frankly, I think the problem started on the previous run. I’m convinced that the VW zapped my car with an “Ugly POS Ray” and messed up the alternator. LOL. Donna was running against Ed on this pass. Ed decided to cheat and leave before the green light was on, but Donna tracked him down and passed him anyway. She ran 7.602 @ 91.28, 1.797 to Ed’s 8.123 @ 87.03, 1.896. Because of the alternator issue, we decided to call it a night after this run.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, February 3, 2007

Even though the temps on this day were approaching 80 degrees and the density altitude readings ranged from just under 2,200 feet to more than 3,000 feet, the car still ran pretty well. No personal bests, but both Donna and I both had 7.12s as our best of the day (although mine was 0.004 quicker). And Donna entered her first ever bracket race… a $20 entry “Gambler” event (with a $300 guaranteed purse), where the pool of money was paid out to the top finishers. Even though she was very nervous, she made it out of the first round, but broke out in the 2nd round when the car went quicker than we thought it could in the heat. But, she had fun and is looking forward to running competitively more often in the future.

The only mechanical issue of the day was a tossed belt on the 4th run. As I left the starting line, the car basically was a pig, and I knew something was wrong. A quick wiggle of the steering wheel confirmed I had no power steering, so I knew it was the belt or a broken tensioner. I limped down the track and made it back to the pits. Fortunately, my Meziere electric water pump kept the temps in check. After popping the hood, I found out the tensioner and belt were both fine, so we put the belt back on and went racing without any other problems. Oh, and I got a chance to personally tell George Meziere (who lives in the San Diego area, and races at Barona) how much I like his water pump!!

Here are the videos from Saturday, February 3 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

**Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 2,178 ft:
Donna’s first run of the day was pretty good. It turned out to be her second best ET of the day. She cut an excellent 0.036 light, and laid down a nice 7.152 @ 97.480, with a 1.595 60-foot time. The Chevy in the other lane went red by 0.050, but ran a smoking 6.629 @ 102.395, 1.447.

Video #2, Time 10:10 am, DA = 2,216 ft:
Just a few minutes later, Donna lined up against an Evo and ran another nice pass. After cutting a 0.060 light, she went 7.199 @ 97.164, 1.624 against a 9.146 @ 78.654, 2.199.

**Video #3, Time 10:14 am, DA = 2,216 ft:
Her third run was another hot lap, and the car’s performance shocked me. Without any cool down at all, Donna made her best run of the weekend with a 7.127 @ 98.528, 1.607. The Camaro ran a 7.846 @ 90.096, 1.842.

Video #4, Time 10:23 am, DA = 2,350 ft:
My first run of the day pretty much ended before it started. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my belt came off right after the burnout. In the video, you can see it dangling under the car as I stage and launch. Not that it matters, but my timeslip showed 11.588 @ 49.369, 2.152. The Nova in the right lane ran 7.768 @ 88.110, 1.708.

No Video
Time 11:10 am, DA = 2,421 ft:
After getting the belt back on, we headed back to the staging lanes. This next run was my best (and the car’s best) lap of the whole weekend. Somehow, Donna did not get it on video (I’ve accused her of erasing it… hehe). Anyway, I cut a good 0.031 light and then ran 7.123 @ 97.868, 1.574. My opponent went red by 0.056, and ran 7.522 @ 95.755, 1.738.

Video #5, Time 11:15 am, DA = 2,517 ft:
Predictably, the car slowed down on this run since it was only 5 minutes after the previous one. And the low 6-sec Nova running against me made it look even slower. Both of us turned on the red lights. He was 0.009 early and I was 0.002 red. Close to perfect, but red nonetheless. I ran a 7.225 @ 96.110, 1.604 to his 6.402 @ 105.741, 1.381.

Video #6, Time 11:20 am, DA = 2,513 ft:
My next run was against a Bullitt Mustang. He left early and I left way late. I ran a 7.209 @ 96.298, 1.599 to his 9.016 @ 78.951, 1.966.

Video #7, Time 11:28 am, DA = 2,454 ft:
Donna had time for one more test-and-tune run before the lunch break. The Gambler bracket would be starting right after the break. Ideally, this would have been a solid practice run for her, but it didn’t work out too well. She apparently over powerbraked it, and it kind of two-stepped it on the launch. You can see the car move to the left on the launch. The bad launch resulted in a 7.346 @ 96.906, 1.701. The Scion ran a pedestrian 10.251 @ 69.940, 2.308.

**Video #8, Time 12:36 pm, DA = 2,805 ft:
So, now it was time for Donna to enter the world of competitive racing. As mentioned previously, she had never run in bracket race before. Even though I’ve tried to “coach” her (as she described it), it’s not the same as getting out there and doing it. Anyway, as it turned out, she would have had a 1st Round Bye if there had been an odd number of cars, but at the last minute another car entered. She was the in the final pair, against a 6-sec Duster. He was dialed in at 6.75, and Donna was dialed in at 7.26 (the temp had gone up considerably, so we felt that was a good starting point). Donna did not have a good RT, but the Duster lit the red bulb, and Donna got the automatic win, and advanced to Round #2. But, the car definitely ran quicker than I expected in the heat. She recorded a 7.182 @ 96.959, 1.597. The Duster clicked it off early and ran 6.825 @ 91.396, 1.480.

**Video #9, Time 12:55 pm, DA = 2,880 ft:
Round #2 was run less than 20 minutes later. Since it was very warm outside, and the car didn’t sit very long, I didn’t expect it to go 7.18 again. We decided to push her dial-in to 7.20, which seemed reasonable all things considered. Her opponent was dialed in at 6.61, so Donna was getting about 6/10 head start. Neither driver cut a stellar light, but Donna was about 0.3 slower on the tree. Even though she tapped the brakes at the stripe, she still broke out, running a 7.159 @ 95.283, 1.593. I have no idea where in the heck the 7.15 came from. Her opponent ran 6.654 @ 101.939, 1.450 on his 6.61 dial, so she was eliminated. But, she’s got the fever now. Expect future bracket events for her!!

**Video #10, Time 1:03 pm, DA = 3,001 ft:
Undeterred, Donna went right back for another test & tune run. She was lined up against a Henry J, and ran a 7.228 @ 97.842, 1.652. We could have used that 7.22 on the previous run. The Henry J ran 7.744 @ 91.983, 1.832.

**Video #11, Time 1:28 pm, DA = 3,066 ft:
I was back in the car for the next run. And just to really confuse me, the car decided to crank out an awesome run considering it was the hottest part of the day (about 78 degrees), and the DA was at it’s worst. I was racing the orange Camaro Donna had run earlier, and I ran a nice 7.131 @ 98.867, 1.573 vs a 7.670 @ 91.039, 1.739. My 60’ time and the trap MPH were both the best of the day. In fact, the 98.867mph was the highest trap speed I’ve ever recorded personally. And the ET was close to the two 7.12s we ran earlier. Go figure…

**Video #12, Time 1:28 pm, DA = 2,968 ft:
Recently, this track started allowing motorcycles and cars to run at the same time. Personally, I don’t like it. It seems dangerous for the bikes. But, like it or not, I was paired up against a Suzuki GSX1300RZ Hayabusa. Those things are seriously quick crotch rockets!! On this pass, the bike clearly had some trouble right off the starting line, but he sure came on strong at the top end! I got the holeshot win light by 0.032 sec, running a 7.241 @ 94.598, 1.599 vs the Hayabusa’s 7.216 @ 107.302, 2.105.

Video #13, Time 1:51 pm, DA = 2,912 ft:
My last run of the day was not all that great… I spun a little on the launch. I was running another Evo, and all I could muster was a 7.331 @ 95.283, 1.640. The Evolution ran 8.735 @ 81.488, 1.984.

Video #14, Time 2:23 pm, DA = 2,679 ft:
Donna was lined up to run a 1994 LT1 Camaro with nitrous on this pass. However, at the last second, he shut off and she had a solo run. The track starter didn’t really even let her know it was a solo. He kind of walked up to the window as the tree was coming down. It caught her by surprise, but she cut a nice 0.046 light, but did not have time to powerbrake it correctly. The 60’ time was way off (1.727), and all it could run was 7.364 @ 97.161.

Video #15, Time 2:40 pm, DA = 2,667 ft:
This time, Donna was racing the same Bullitt Mustang I ran earlier. She ran a 7.269 @ 94.844, 1.645 to his 8.977 @ 78.632, 1.996.

Video #16, Time 2:45 pm, DA = 2,705 ft:
Donna was asleep at the tree on this run, giving up about 0.35 second right at the start. But, she was able to drive around the Nova and get the win light by 0.092 sec. Donna went 7.312 @ 98.540, 1.709 to the Nova’s 7.755 @ 88.334, 1.705.

**Video #17, Time 2:52 pm, DA = 2,725 ft:
Donna sure picked a good time to lay down a great run. She was up against the juiced LT1 Camaro that shut down against her earlier. This time he made the run. Donna combined a good 0.040 reaction time, with an excellent 7.159 @ 96.256, 1.582 run, to wipe out the Camaro, who ran 7.437 @ 96.072, 1.725. Again, I’m not sure where this 7.15 run came from. It had only been 7 minutes since here last run, and it was still pretty warm out there. But, it’s never a bad thing to put a hurting on a Camaro!! hehe

**Video #18, Time 3:00 pm, DA = 2,679 ft:
The final run of the day was respectable. Even though Donna was a tardy on the tree, the other guy went red, so it looked lopsided at the beginning. She ran a 7.247 @ 97.054, 1.629 to his 7.642 @ 91.512, 1.823. After this run, I bought Donna and me ice cream cones. Those sure tasted good!

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, February 2, 2007

As is typical with Qualcomm, the air was cool, but the humidity was pretty high. Dew was forming before we even got out of the tech line. I knew that it was going to be an interesting night. Moisture on the track has a way of making traction iffy at best.

We made a total of 16 runs (all on the 10psi pulley), and pretty much all of them were in the 7.40s and 7.50s. And one of them was good enough to win another Super Street class trophy! I think that is number 12 or 13, now.

And I finally got a chance to line up against a Shelby GT500… but it wasn’t even a contest. Details below.

Here are the videos from Friday, February 2 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with a double asterisk (**).

Video #1, Time 6:28 pm, DA = -319 ft:
My first run was a solo pass, and was basically a waste. The track was green, and it spun right on the launch. I pedaled it once and ran a pathetic 8.038 @ 89.99, with a 2.037 60’ time.

Video #2, Time 6:34 pm, DA = -264 ft:
Six minutes later, I made another run. The opponent was a 350Z, who apparently spun badly off the line. My car hooked pretty well, and ran 7.497 @ 92.59, 1.771 against the Z’s 10.582 @ 76.26, 3.101. The 7.497 was 3 thousandths too quick to qualify for the Super Street ET Class trophy (7.500 and above).

**Video #3, Time 6:41 pm, DA = -341 ft:
For several months, I’ve been waiting to get a chance to race against a Shelby GT500. I was happy to see one next to me in the staging lanes. I was looking to put a spanking on him! I was so amped, that I went red by 0.015… d’oh. However, it all turned out to be anti-climactic. He was on street tires and spun at the hit off the throttle, and then got loose about 100’-150’ down track. Unfortunately, I never got another shot at him that night. I ran 7.444 @ 92.02, 1.708 against the GT500’s 10.270 @ 89.46, 2.992. That trap speed tells me he was pulling hard at the top end, despite his traction woes early in the run. Oh well, someday I’ll get to run one again (hopefully with drag tires on it).

**Video #4, Time 6:51 pm, DA = -371 ft:
Donna’s first run of the night ended up being the best of the night!! She was up against a Mitsubishi Evolution… and he finished a distant 2nd, almost 2 seconds behind. Donna laid down a nice 7.380@ 92.98, 1.686 vs. a 9.259 @ 83.48, 2.366.

Video #5, Time 6:59 pm, DA = -377 ft:
Donna’s next run was a solo, and she ran 7.483 @ 92.78, 1.768. The announcer at the track was not the regular guy, and he started just referring to the car as the “BAD 05GT”… but he didn’t always know which one of us was driving. It made for some humorous moments throughout the night.

Video #6, Time 7:04 pm, DA = -355 ft:
Donna’s next run was against a generic Honda. She spun a little on her launch, which killed the 60’ time and ET. But, for the moment, she had a run which could qualify for a trophy. Donna ran 7.570 @ 92.59, 1.811 vs 11.087 @ 68.49, 2.696.

Video #7, Time 7:12 pm, DA = -402 ft:
I had another solo on this run, and just barely ran under the 7.50 index, with a 7.486 @ 91.65, 1.705.

**Video #8, Time 7:18 pm, DA = -405 ft:
This turned out to be my best run of the night, 7.435 @ 92.78, 1.715. The “whatchamacallit” in the other lane ran 10.289 @ 68.60, 2.409.

Video #9, Time 7:26 pm, DA = -420 ft:
On my next run, I spun early (at the top of 1st gear) and bumped the rev limiter. The 7.561 @ 91.84, 1.760 pass was enough to bump me into trophy position and Donna out of it… but not for long.

Video #10, Time 8:32 pm, DA = -498 ft:
On Donna’s fourth run, she made another Mitsubishi look like it was standing still. Plus, she almost hit that 7.500 mark right on the nose. She ran a 7.498 @ 91.46, 1.758 to a 10.255 @ 73.88, 2.715.

Video #11, Time 8:55 pm, DA = -537 ft:
Donna’s next two runs were against an Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck. On this run, she ran 7.553 @ 92.02, 1.801 vs a 9.560 @ 79.64, 2.380. Both of them spun the tires on the launch. But, Donna’s 7.553 now put her in position for the trophy!!

**Video #12, Time 9:17 pm, DA = -564 ft:
The Viper truck made a much better pass on this run, running 8.721 @ 83.49, 2.149. Pretty impressive for a big heavy truck! Donna slowed a tick to a 7.578 @ 92.78, 1.809.

**Video #13, Time 9:36 pm, DA = -557 ft:
On this run, I faced off against a late model Mach 1. He had a good reaction time, but I passed him and drove away. My 7.473 @ 93.16, 1.742 beat his 9.158 @ 79.50, 2.219. And the 93.16mph trap was the best of the night for my car.

**Video #14, Time 9:56 pm, DA = -591 ft:
I was down to one final run of the night, and I was up against a 1968 Cougar. I ran 7.536 @ 91.28, 1.759 to the Mercury’s 9.125 @ 79.92, 2.214. Lucky for me, the 7.536 was close enough to 7.500 to win the Super Street trophy for this night!! Even though I edged Donna out for the trophy, she was a good sport about it. She cheered me on the return road, and grabbed this short video while we waited for the track photographer to take the picture for the RaceLegal.com website.

Video #15, Time 10:15 pm, DA = -626 ft:
Donna’s next race was against our friend Rich, who was driving a rental V6 convertible Mustang (while his GT was in the shop). The cameraman (me) really messed up this video… it is totally out of focus. Here are the numbers: Donna ran 7.479 @ 92.78, 1.759 to Rich’s 10.622 @ 68.49, 2.660.

**Video #16, Time 10:36 pm, DA = -624 ft:
Donna’s last pass of the night was against a Porsche 911. The guy driving the Porsche “challenged” her in the staging lanes, so she obliged him. I’m not sure what he was thinking. He had a passenger with him, which meant he couldn’t go quicker than 8.50. Maybe he just wanted a good view of the back end of the BAD 05GT as it ripped down the track! haha. Donna ran 7.563 @ 91.65, 1.793 to the tractionally challenged Porsche’s 11.289 @ 59.52, 2.299.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, January 27, 2007

This turned out to be a pretty good day at the track. While the weather was a little warmer and much more comfortable than it was 2 weeks ago, the track was hooking well. The density altitude ranged from a low of 1,729’ up to 2,523’. Also, there weren’t too many cars there. In about 5 hours, Donna and I managed to get in a total of 23 runs. I guess we got our money’s worth today!

Since the DA was about 1,000’ feet higher than it was two weeks ago, I expected the car to run mainly in the 7.20s, with maybe a couple 7.1x’s. I definitely didn’t think the air was there for any chance at any new personal bests. But, I ended up being wrong. Both Donna and I each set our own all-time personal best ETs… Donna ran 7.108 and I went 7.084!! The 7.084 is the quickest run this car had ever made!!

Here are the videos from Saturday, January 27 at Barona. The vids marked with the asterisks (**) are my favorites.

Video #1, Time 10:04 am, DA = 1,729 ft:
Donna got things started by facing off against a very quick ’65 Chevy. Her 7.198 @ 97.403, 1.634 60’ was a good first run, but no match for his 6.585 @ 103.599, 1.446. At this point, I figured her 7.19 was going to be tough to beat because the air was as good as I expected it to be at 10:00 in the morning, but the 7.19 didn’t stand up for too long.

**Video #2, Time 10:09 am, DA = 1,832 ft:
Donna’s second run turned out to be an excellent heads-up race against a late 60’s Camaro. Even though he went red by 0.064, Donna cut a killer 0.006 light, and tracked him down. Her 7.132 @ 97.862, 1.608 was (at the time) her all time best ET, and it was enough to drive around the Camaro’s 7.294 @ 96.693, 1.631.

**Video #3, Time 10:17 am, DA = 1,786 ft:
Donna’s next run was against the same Camaro. And the results were very similar. She ran 7.152 @ 98.458, 1.620 to his 7.296 @ 96.618, 1.622. So much for my guess that we wouldn’t see too many runs below 7.20s. haha.

**Video #4, Time 10:26 am, DA = 1,788 ft:
Now it was my turn. I was up against a late model Firebird (basically stock), and he had a great view of what turned out to be the all-time best run my car has ever made. Seriously, I didn’t think the weather conditions were there for a 7.0 run, but sure enough, I stopped the clocks at 7.084 @ 98.113, 1.551, beating my previous best of 7.094. I don’t think Donna was particularly happy when she saw the number on the scoreboard… hehe. And even though my 60’ time was pretty good (2nd best ever at the time), it wouldn’t be the best of the day… more on that later. The Firebird ran 9.058 @ 80.352, 2.124.

Video #5, Time 10:30 am, DA = 1,853 ft:
My next run wasn’t nearly as good. I had a solo pass and it only ran 7.224 @ 96.178, 1.606. I’m not sure what happened, but I was hot-lapping and this run was only 4 minutes after the last one. Maybe there was just a bit too much heat in it.

Video #6, Time 10:38 am, DA = 2,044 ft:
Even though the DA was rising and my 60’ wasn’t as good as the previous run, it still went a couple ticks quicker. I was up against the same Firebird I had raced earlier, and I ran 7.199 @ 97.527, 1.623 to the Pontiac’s 9.207 @ 80.059, 2.238.

**Video #7, Time 11:07 am, DA = 2,020 ft:
Now it was time for Donna to lay down a killer pass! First of all, she clicked off the best 60-foot time my car has ever run (1.545! WOW!), and then laid down her personal best ET ever… 7.108 @ 98.309!! My view of the scoreboard was blocked a little, so it took me a couple seconds to see it. She was oh-so-close to a 7.0 pass!! The Corvette in the other lane managed a 9.204 @ 74.693, 2.069.

Video #8, Time 11:13 am, DA = 2,074 ft:
Six minutes later, Donna staged up against a very fast ’69 Camaro on nitrous. This Camaro is capable of mid-6 sec runs, so something wasn’t right on this pass. Donna over-powerbraked it at the line, causing the tires to break loose and spin coming out of the hole, killing her RT and 60’ time. She ran 7.315 @ 97.875, 1.716 to the Camaro’s 7.101 @ 104.749, 1.831.

Video #9, Time 11:25 am, DA = 1,905 ft:
My next run was against our friend Rich in his stock ’06 Vista Blue. Rich apparently used up his clutch on this run, and had to quit for the day. His trap speed tells the story there. I managed a 7.212 @ 97.039, 1.605 to his 9.342 @ 68.851, 2.067.

Video #10, Time 12:29 pm, DA = 2,314 ft:
During the hour-long lunch break, the DA climbed several hundred feet, so our chance for any more really good runs was over. On this run, I was up against that bottle-fed ’69 Camaro Donna had raced earlier. Except now he made he a screaming pass. My 7.224 @ 94.378, 1.606 was no match for his 6.456 @ 108.877, 1.523. I even tried to cheat by going 0.090 red. haha.

**Video #11, Time 12:35 pm, DA = 2,332 ft:
On this run I was up against an old classic Coupe DeVille. But this is not your father’s Cadillac! This one has a huge 6-71 blower on it… plus a little nitrous to boot. I grabbed better than 2/10 on the tree (0.076 vs 0.285), but it wasn’t enough to hold him off. He used all that horsepower to drive around me, and won by 0.145 sec. I ran 7.179 @ 96.469, 1.575 to his 6.825 @ 106.653, 1.691. But, it was a fun race.

Time 12:43 pm, DA = 2,280 ft:
I managed to screw up the video completely on this run, but Donna ran 7.352 @ 96.692, 1.701. The fiberglass-bodied ’69 Mustang race car (with a 900hp 427 cid motor) in the other lane, ran an amazing 5.851 @ 118.302. C’ya!

Video #12, Time 12:54 pm, DA = 2,312 ft:
Donna next lined up against an old Nova, and she easily outran him. She ran 7.253 @ 97.593, 1.655 to his 8.163 @ 85.200, 1.868.

Video #13, Time 1:00 pm, DA = 2,343 ft:
Donna faced the same yellow Vette she had raced earlier, and the results didn’t change much. Even though he left way early and she was way late. Donna ran 7.296 @ 97.131, 1.678 to the Chevy’s 8.922 @ 77.859, 2.079.

**Video #14, Time 1:26 pm, DA = 2,375 ft:
On this run, I was paired up against our friend John in his new ’07 Vista Blue. Other that ET Street tires, it was bone stock. I cut my best reaction time of the day, 0.006, and ran a 7.191 @ 97.642, 1.611 against John’s 9.279 @ 77.188, 2.156.

**Video #15, Time 1:29 pm, DA = 2,355 ft:
Even though this run was just 3 minutes later, the car ran about the same. I was racing John again, and he decided to leave way early (-0.602 red) hoping to make the gap at the end closer. It didn’t work… but it was funny!! He jumped out on me, but I pretty much had him caught by the 60-foot cone. I ran 7.200 @ 97.047, 1.614 to John’s bogging 9.504 @ 75.432, 2.237.

Video #16, Time 1:34 pm, DA = 2,395 ft:
Even hot-lapping it (just 5 minutes later), the car showed some serious consistency. After running a 7.191 and a 7.200, it came right back and ran 7.198. I was happy that the car ran so consistent back-to-back-to-back. The numbers were 7.198 @ 97.244, 1.602 against the Camaro’s 8.282 @ 90.452, 2.115. It’s always fun beating a Camaro down the track!

**Video #17, Time 1:49 pm, DA = 2,523 ft:
On this pass, Donna was up against an old Vega with a big block motor on nitrous. For the video, I positioned myself even with the Christmas tree, so I could get a nice frontal shot of Donna’s launch. This was another good race, with Donna getting edged out on a holeshot. She ran 7.244 @ 97.185, 1.644 to the Vega’s 7.350 @ 96.098, 1.757.

Video #18, Time 1:55 pm, DA = 2,492 ft:
This time it was Donna’s turn to race the Firebird. She ran 7.352 @ 97.219, 1.712 against his 9.190 @ 80.559, 2.273.

Video #19, Time 1:58 pm, DA = 2,399 ft:
Three minutes later, Donna made this solo pass. She had a great reaction time, 0.006… her second 0.006 of the day!! She ran 7.338 @ 97.725, 1.708.

Video #20, Time 2:35 pm, DA = 2,323 ft:
My next run was against John again. No funny business on the tree from John this time. I ran a 7.270 @ 95.502, 1.596 to his 9.199 @ 77.644, 2.131.

Video #21, Time 2:39 pm, DA = 2,323 ft:
My 11th and last run of the day was a solo pass. I ran 7.253 @ 97.114, 1.617.

Video #22, Time 3:10 pm, DA = 2,297 ft:
Donna’s 12th and last run of the day was against John. She also ran her slowest pass at 7.359 @ 97.236, 1.665. John ran 9.309 @ 76.863, 2.181.

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1/8-Mile Drags, RaceLegal at Qualcomm, January 19, 2007

On this Friday night at the track, we didn’t set any new personal bests. Even though the air was cool, the humidity was pretty high, which hurts performance. On the 10psi supercharger pulley, the car was fairly consistent with 9 runs in the 7.40s, with a couple in the 7.30s, and a few a little higher.

Also on this night, there was a video crew at the track doing public relation promos for RaceLegal that are supposed to go on the web somewhere. They interviewed me for a little while, and then one of the camera operators went for a couple rides with me. I think she was a bit surprised by what it felt like going down the track in my car.

Here are the videos from Friday, January 19 at Qualcomm. My favorite vids are marked with a double asterisk, **.

Video #1, Time 7:03 pm:
My first run was against a new Dodge Stratus R/T. I hope they aren’t all as pokey as this one… sheesh. I ran a 7.496 @ ?? mph (not recorded), with a 1.732 60’ time. The Dodge went 12.080 @ 68.08, 3.51. It sure takes him a long time to be seen in the video. Haha.

Video #2, Time 7:27 pm:
I’m not sure what happened on this one. It spun twice in the first 80 feet or so, and the ET fell off quite a bit to 7.607 @ 90.18, 1.784. The little car in the other lane ran 10.269 @ 75.12, 2.775.

**Video #3, Time 7:38 pm:
My third run was the best of the night. I ran a 7.362 @ 95.54, 1.687 to the Fox body 5.0 Mustang’s 8.456 @ 81.67, 1.833.

Video #4, Time 8:06 pm:
Here is Donna’s first run of the night. She is up against a 1979 Camaro. On this run, Donna went 7.466 @ 93.74, 1.771 vs the Camaro’s 7.990 @ 87.21, 1.835. He also cut a perfect 0.500 light.

**Video #5, Time 8:19 pm:
Donna’s next run was against an old truck hot rod. It’s pretty nice, and runs in the low 7’s. Donna ran 7.427 @ 95.94, 1.762 against his excellent 7.095 @ 96.98, 1.618.

Video #6, Time 8:47 pm:
On this run, Donna is up against an SRT4. She ran a 7.443 @ 94.73, 1.732 vs the Dodge’s 8.204 @ 87.04, 1.871.

Video #7, Time 10:06 pm:
This run was against John’s brand new ’07 Vista Blue. Previously, I was teasing John about him leaving on the 1st bulb so he’d have a headstart against me. So that’s what he did. haha… I went 7.472 @ 94.53, 1.726 against John’s 9.851 @ 74.26, 2.635.

Time 10:25 pm:
My next run did not get on camera. I ran 7.435 @ 94.54, 1.678 against an 8.904 @ 81.96, 2.240.

**Video #9, Time 10:39 pm:
This was the closest race I was in all night. I was up against a 300ZX TT. Not only was he late on the tree, but he was also a tick slower. After cutting my best RT (0.575) and 60’ (1.632) of the night, I ran the second best lap of the night… a 7.363 @ 94.73, 1.632 against his 7.453 @ 93.95, 1.728.

Video #10, Time 10:51 pm:
Next up, I had a solo run. I ran a 7.403 @ 93.55, 1.674.

**Video #11, Time 11:03 pm:
This was the first of two runs where I had the RaceLegal PR camera-person on-board with me. She kept the camera in my face during the whole run, and was asking questions. Technically, you aren’t supposed to go quicker than 8.50 with a passenger in the car, but they kind of ignored this for the runs I made with her. Although I did brake early to try and slow down, it wasn’t enough to get above 8.50. I ran against a 2004 GTO (which is mostly stock and pretty quick). I went 7.895 @ 63.11, 1.668 against the GTO’s 8.148 @ 87.89, 1.918. It was close at the finish line, but I nipped him by 0.194 sec.

**Video #12, Time 11:14 pm:
This was a solo run with the camera in the car again, except she had it focused out the windshield instead of in my face. Again, I braked early at the end, but not enough. I ran 7.547 @ 80.06, 1.647. She got to feel a pretty decent 60’ time on this run.

Video #13, Time 11:33 pm:
Donna made the last three passes of the night. On this one, she ran 7.421 @ 95.13, 1.721, which ended up being her quickest run of the night. The opponent went 9.498 @ 78.67, 2.472.

**Video #14, Time 11:41 pm:
Donna’s last two runs were against the same car… a low 7-sec Fox-body Stang from Tijuana. We started calling it the TJ Fox. On the first matchup, she went red by 16 thou (0.484) and ran 7.494 @ 92.59, 1.737. The TJ Fox went 7.193 @ 96.15, 1.654. He cut a horrible 1.077 tree, so the difference at the end was a lot. If my car had been on the 12# pulley, it would have been a pretty even match headsup, but his driving skills cost him even with my car on the 10# pulley.

Video #15, Time 11:49 pm:
Once again, the TJ Fox had trouble at the tree. First he rolled the beams and lit the red bulb, and then he hesitated before he actually launched. So the timers were running after the red, but since he didn’t go anywhere right away, the ET was funky looking. Donna slowed to a 7.616 @ 94.94, 1.858, and his numbers were 9.107 @ 87.37, 2.863. Bottom line, she took the stripe again.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, January 13, 2007

This was a bit of a freaky day at the track. When we arrived at 7am, the temp was just below 40 degrees. And it never got out of the 40s all day long. Normally, this would make for some good air (which it did, for a track at 1,700 feet elevation), but we had cloud cover until noon, and without any heat in the track, it was tricky. Traction was hit or miss all day. We saw two cars go into the walls hard, and one of the drivers had to get transported to the hospital. We heard later that he would be OK.

And to add to the freakiness, it actually snowed for a few minutes at about 10:30am. Yep... it snowed, here in San Diego. Of course it didn’t stick or anything, but just seeing any snow at all around here is pretty rare. I’ve lived here 15 years, and this is the first I’ve seen. My wife shot a little video of it while it was blowing around:

Video of snow at Barona Dragstrip

I came up a couple hundredths short of setting a new overall personal best, but both my wife and I did run the best ETs at this track ever. I had the quickest of the day at 7.112 @ 97.012. My previous best here at Barona had been a 7.19. We also had a couple other new bests. Donna went over 99mph (twice) for a new mph mark, and I recorded my lowest 60’ time ever, 1.549. Donna also ripped off a 1.560, her best ever.

Here are the videos from Saturday, January 13 at Barona. As always, my favorites vids are marked with a double asterisk, **.

Video #1, Time 10:13 am, DA = 605 ft:
My first run of the day was a solo run. I had to wait a little extra time while they removed some debris from the track, so I think the engine got a little too much heat in it. Even so, it ran a 7.218 @ 95.761, with a 1.596 60’ time, and a RT of 0.564.

Video #2, Time 10:19 am, DA = 594 ft:
My second run was doomed from the beginning. As I was doing the burnout, the car in my lane ahead of me almost hit the wall. So they backed us both up, and re-sprayed the starting line in my lane. As cold and cloudy as it was, I immediately realized that the compound probably wouldn't dry and it could be slick on the launch. I did a good second burnout hoping it would help. But, as soon as I started to powerbrake it at the line, it broke loose a little, and rolled through the beams causing me to go red (0.420). And then the car made a hard move to the right, and I had to get out of it. I just coasted on out for a killer 10.155 @ 62.376, 1.611. The 460ci nitrous Ranchero in the other lane ran 7.617 @ 90.716, 1.698.

**Video #3, Time 10:31 am, DA = 613 ft:
My third run was the best of the day, and a new track record for my car. My RT was bad (0.644) but a lot better than the other guy’s (1.007). But, his low 6-sec car caught up pretty easily. I ran a 7.112 @ 97.012, 1.566 to his 6.231 @ 111.397. My 1.566 60’ time was the 2nd best ever at this point.

Video #4, Time 11:29 am, DA = 662 ft:
Here is Donna’s first run of the day. She is up against Cher’s brand spanking new Saleen Parnelli Jones Boss 302. Her car is one sweet looking ride, and I have to admit it is my favorite of all the specialty S197s I have seen. Unfortunately, Cher’s stock street tires did not hook all day, so she struggled to really get a feel for what the 302 would do. On this run, Donna went 7.248 @ 98.467, 1.676 vs Cher’s 9.800 @ 80.675, 2.742.

**Video #5, Time 11:43 am, DA = 709 ft:
Donna’s next run was much better, and was her best of the day, as well as her personal best of all time!! She had a solo run because a car broke in the other lane. After ripping off a 1.560 60’ time, she ran 7.138 @ 98.866. The 1.560 60’ time was the best this car had ever run at this point, and was by far Donna’s best. Her previous best 60’ time had been 1.618.

**Video #6, Time 12:48 pm, DA = 915 ft:
During the lunch break, the sun decided to make an appearance. While it seemed to help traction some, it also caused the DA to get a little worse as the day went on. Donna was up against a pretty quick Lightning truck, and they both fell asleep at the tree. But the blown truck was no match for her, as she went 7.153 @ 99.147, 1.626 to his 7.873 @ 89.666, 1.805. Her 99.147mph trap speed was also a new best for the car… the first time it’s ever gone over 99mph!!

Video #7, Time 12:53 pm, DA = 1,004 ft:
Donna had a solo run on this pass. She didn’t get a good burnout, and may have had moisture on the tires. Anyway, the 60’ time was off, and the car got a little loose at mid-track, so she decided to abort. She didn’t want to join the ranks of cars hitting the wall… we saw enough of that on this day. She went 7.801 @ 72.740, 1.723.

**Video #8, Time 1:14 pm, DA = 1,155 ft:
Here is a run I really liked. First of all, my opponent was driving a Hertz GT-H. Pretty car, but no match for the blue car. I cut a decent light (0.546), and then ripped off the best 60’ time I’ve ever run, 1.549. When the car launched, it hit harder than I’ve ever felt it hit before. Unfortunately, Donna decided at the last second to zoom in on the rear tire, so we’ll never know if I got air under the left front tire or not. But it sure felt a lot different than any other launch. I believe if the DA wasn't over 500’ worse than it was on my 3rd run, the car would have dipped into the 7.0x range. As it was, it ran 7.126 @ 95.547, 1.549 to the GT-H’s 9.159 @ 79.653, 2.222.

**Video #9, Time 1:19 pm, DA = 1,173 ft:
Donna stood directly behind me on this run, and got a pretty cool video of the launch. On this run, I was up against the same big block Ranchero I had faced earlier when I had to abort the run. Since I was hot lapping, only 5 minutes had passed since my previous run. After cutting my best light of the day (0.507), I ran a 7.163 @ 98.494, 1.591 against his 7.580 @ 90.674, 1.655.

Video #10, Time 1:36 pm, DA = 1,076 ft:
Even though I had a good RT on this run (0.530), my launch was awful. I didn’t get up on the torque converter like I want to, and it was really soft in the first 60 feet. I ran a 7.340 @ 95.939, 1.718 (yuk) to the GTO’s 8.785 @ 78.130, 1.935.

Video #11, Time 2:16 pm, DA = 1,165 ft:
Donna’s next to last run was against a 5-sec car. Even though they left the line with 0.001 of each other (0.591 to 0.592), his “wheels up” launch meant it was over before it started. I think she may have had some water on the tires after a less-than-stellar burnout, and she could only muster a 7.312 @ 95.436, 1.693. The real race car ran 5.841 @ 118.796, 1.237. Wow!

**Video #12, Time 2:31 pm, DA = 1,052 ft:
Donna managed to get back quick enough to sneak into the staging lanes for one last solo run before they closed the gates. Up against a classic Olds 4-4-2, she made a pretty good run, 7.170 @ 99.274, 1.594. The Olds went 7.889 @ 86.847, 1.722. Donna’s trap speed on this run was an all time high for my car!!

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1/8-Mile Drags, Perris, CA, Dec 1, 2006

This weekend, we decided to go about 65 miles north to run at the 1/8-mi track in Perris, CA. We were there once a year ago, but we were not all too impressed. It had a very short shutdown lane and was bumpy. Over the past year, they did lengthen the shut down, but it’s still pretty short. Based on last night, it is still too short in my opinion. And it’s still bumpy. Plus, there is a big dip right at the finish line in the left lane. The tree is weird too. The top pre-stage bulbs are lit before you roll in… so all you really light are the lower stage bulbs. Finally, last night the trap speed timers were way off. They were reading much higher than they should. I think they were off by about 8-9mph on my car. The best MPH it’s ever gone was 98mph, but last night everything was in the 102-105mph range. So, disregard the top end numbers.

Anyway, we did meet up with a bunch of friends with S197s… Adam & Brandi and their kids, his dad Scott, cousin John (with a brand new Vista GT), Eduardo and his GF (sorry, I forgot her name), and Robert. We had a blast hanging out and racing together, regardless of my feelings about the track.

Here are the vids from Perris on Friday, Dec 1, 2006. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are some of my favorites.

**Video #1:
My first run of the night was the best run of the night. That is unfortunate for the brand new 2007 V6 Mustang lined up next to me. My 7.216 @ 105.01, with a 60’ of 1.624 was a few seconds better that it’s 10.270 @ 72.95, 2.506. Oh yea, see what I mean about the trap speed? There’s no way my car can go 105mph in the 1/8-mile.

**Video #2:
This was a solo pass for me and it turned out to be a nice backup for run #1. The numbers were 7.219 @ 104.96, 1.599.

**Video #3:
I think this is my favorite vid of the night. I was up against a beautiful ’56 Chevy, which is a local crowd favorite and a very strong car. I like the camera angles, it was an awesome race, and make sure you listen to the announcer at the end. He seems to be into it! I ran 7.273 @ 103.47, 1.664 to the big Chevy’s 7.375 @ 95.35. She shut off a little early, because this is a 6-sec car.

Video #4:
Donna’s first run was against the same 56 Chevy. But this time the Chevy let it all out. Donna ran 7.376 @ 103.97, 1.795 to the quicker 6.950 @ 107.83, 1.504.

Video #5:
Donna’s 2nd run was against a very quick Nova. Both cars ran about the same ET, but Donna was a little tardy on the tree. It was still a cool race to see. Donna ran 7.257 @ 103.99, 1.659 vs. 7.242 @ 98.10, 1.663.

**Video #6:
Donna’s 3rd (and final) run of the night was her best by a few thousandths. She was up against another Nova, which was no match. And she just killed the guy on the tree by 0.516 (yes… over 1/2 a second!!). Even though the track PA music makes for a bad soundtrack, someone in the crowd and the announcer get a little excited. Fun stuff! Donna went 7.250 @ 103.95, 1.659 vs. 10.828 @ 68.66, 2.567.

Video #7:
This is a video of Brandi (Adam’s wife) on her first run in her car since the Whipple supercharger was installed. She is up against the ’07 V6 Mustang. Donna is talking to Brandi & Adam’s kids in the stands during this video. She ran 8.657 @ 82.93. Just a shakedown run for her… it gets better.

**Video #8:
My 4th run was against the big bad ’56 Chevy again. The Chevy made a full pull against me, running into the 6’s, but I got the win light on a holeshot. On a 0.500 tree, my 0.537 light against her sleeping 0.907 was enough to beat her to the strip. I ran 7.266 @ 104.84, 1.679 against the quicker, but losing, 6.944 @ 107.99, 1.555. Although not on the vid, I had a great view of the Chevy executing a sliding, squealing 180-degree-spin emergency stop at the top end. Nice job of driving to stay out of the barrier. Sheesh… this track is short.

**Video #9:
Here is the only video I got of Adam’s car. He spent a lot of time driving Eduardo’s and Brandi’s. Adam was racing another friend of ours, Robert. Robert’s car is lightly modded (CAI, etc). I don’t know Robert’s numbers, but Adam ran 6.960 @ 109.99. That car can scoot!!!

Video #10:
Here is another video of Brandi. Coincidently, she is up against the same ’07 V6 Mustang as before. She improved by almost 4/10s to 8.282 @ 86.15.

Video #11:
I was supposed to race a 1968 Mustang here, but he broke in the water box. So, it ended up being a solo run. The car that ran before me left a little water out there, causing a little spin right off the line, and it cost me in the first 60’. I ran 7.369 @ 104.60, 1.726.

Video #12:
OK… this was an ugly run, and a not so good video either. Two cars before I ran, there was a big fluid dump on the starting line, and I don’t think they got it all cleaned up too well. My weak 1.807 60’ time resulted in the worst run of the night, 7.536 @ 102.38, 1.807. It looked even worse next to the opponent’s sweet 6.895 @103.61, 1.512.

**Video #13:
The last video we have is me against Adam in Brandi’s Whipple-charged car. You definitely need to listen to the trash-talking by Donna and Adam’s daughter about Adam & me. Now we know what they really think. haha. Anyway, I went a little red, but both of us had nice runs. I ran 7.255 @ 105.63, 1.647 to Adam’s 7.852 @ 99.97, 1.886. That’s the quickest I saw Brandi’s car run last night, and it’s very respectable for 8psi boost, on a maiden voyage to the track. It will only get better.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, Nov 19, 2006

As noted previously, this was the final weekend of racing at Barona scheduled for 2006, and we went on both Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, Ed also brought his car but his son AJ did all the driving. And Adam (S.T. Motorsports) came down from San Bernardino to make a few passes in his KB-blown Mustang. He changes his setup a lot, so it’s difficult to keep track of what he’s running, but on this day I think he was set-up with 19psi boost on a low compression motor, and a 4R70W trans. He’s still running 100% stock exhaust and suspension (I think).

It was even hotter on Sunday than it was on Saturday, with temp topping out at 90 degrees, and the density altitude exceeding 3,500 feet most of the day. The numbers weren’t as good as Saturday, but we had a blast anyway.

Here are the vids from Barona on Sunday, Nov 19, 2006. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are the better ones to watch in my opinion.

Video #1, Time 10:27 am, DA = 3,470 ft:
Donna made the first runs today, and she started of with her best run of the weekend. She lined up against a Chevy “shoebox” in what turned out to be a very good race. Her 7.287 @ 94.913, 1.619 was better than his 7.457 @ 90.834, 1.575.

Video #2, Time 10:30 am, DA = 3,500 ft:
AJ’s first run was pretty good. He spanked a pickup truck with a 7.81 @ 88.35 vs. 10.11 @ 71.11.

Video #3, Time 11:05 am, DA = 3,560 ft:
Here Donna and AJ pair up. Even though the both had horrible RTs, they both made good runs. Donna had a nice launch and 60’. She ran 7.289 @ 95.249, 1.625 to AJ’s 7.725 @ 88.757, 1.671.

**Video #4, Time 11:40 am, DA = 3,660 ft:
My first run of the day ended up being the best run of the day. I ran 7.223 @ 95.410, 1.600 vs AJ’s 7.921 @ 88.640, 1.816. There is something about this video that I really like. It really shows off the car well, and Donna got a great shot of the slick wrinkling up.

**Video #5, Time 11:45 am, DA = 3,680 ft:
Here is Adam’s first run of the day against a 2001 LS1 Corvette. You have to listen to the track announcer on this one. He basically tells the Vette not to hold his breath… hehe. And watch Adam’s front tire; there is air under there!! His numbers… 6.73 @ 103.18! Wow!

**Video #6, Time 12:40 pm, DA = 3,700 ft:
Here is Adam in the first round of the Gambler Bracket race. This one was very very close. Adam ran dead on his 6.70 dial-in (at 103.26mph), but lost by 0.007 seconds on a slight holeshot. Ouch…

**Video #7, Time 1:00 pm, DA = 3,800 ft:
OK, even though I was lined up against AJ, this isn’t a video of a race. Right after I finished the burnout, my belt tensioner snapped. You can hear it let go, and then see (and hear) it roll out from under the car (near the passenger door). Fortunately, the belt was fine (I had put a new one on the night before) and even more fortunate for me, Adam had a spare “modified” tensioner with him. So, we were able to get it repaired and back on the track fairly quickly.

Video #8, Time 2:21 pm, DA = 3,760 ft:
On this run, Adam and I lined up against each other with the worst DA of the day. We had raced each other 4 times prior to this day, and I had won all 4. It seems he encounters some little mechanical gremlin whenever we race. Well… matchup #5 was no different. He had to abort the run right at the hit of the throttle, and the Sonic Blue beast took it easily. That makes me 5 & 0 against him. One of these days, he will spank me pretty well. Until then… I still have bragging rights. LOL. I ran a 7.343 @ 93.456, 1.672 against his 13.478 @ 47.642, 2.431.

Video #9, Time 2:22 pm, DA = 3,760 ft:
On this run, AJ ran a good 7.77 @ 89.41, even with a horrible DA.

Video #10, Time 2:57 pm, DA = 3,740 ft:
AJ and I raced again, and he ran 7.738 @ 89.311, 1.699 against my 7.303 @ 94.787, 1.645.

**Video #11, Time 3:23 pm, DA = 3,640 ft:
Donna was paired up with a great looking W31 Olds on this run. She over revved it on the powerbrake at the launch, but it looked cool on the video. It also cost her a little performance, clicking off a 7.382 @ 95.189, 1.691 against the Olds’ 8.067 @ 85.828, 1.793.

**Video #12, Time 3:25 pm, DA = 3,640 ft:
This time it was Adam driving Ed’s car. He was lined up against one of my favorite cars at this track… a 1970 Mach 1 with a big block (428 I think) and a shot of giggle gas. It’s is a beautiful machine! The Mach is a monster and ran a 6.08 @ 118mph. But Adam made the quickest and fastest run in Ed’s car all weekend, 7.56 @ 91.05. Well done!

Video #13, Time 3:27 pm, DA = 3,640 ft:
Donna managed to get back quick enough to sneak into the staging lanes for one last solo run before they closed the gates. Since she was hotlapping it (only 4 minutes after her previous run), it was heatsoaked and fell off a bit. She could only muster a 7.416 @ 94.189, 1.688.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, Nov 18, 2006

This was the final weekend of racing at Barona scheduled for 2006, and we went on both Saturday and Sunday. We were joined by my friend Ed (msgt46270), who just got his car back from S.T. Motorsports a few days earlier. In addition, Adam brought his car down on Sunday… but more on that a little later.

Even though it was a warm weekend (especially considering that it is almost Thanksgiving), with temps in the 85-90 degree range, and the density altitude (DA) was between 3000 and 4000 feet all weekend, the car ran pretty well. The majority of the runs were in the 7.20 – 7.30 range. And although I missed setting a personal best at this track by about 1/100 of a second, I did manage to set a new best trap speed at any track, at over 98mph. Not too shabby considering the DA we were dealing with.

Here are the vids from Barona on Saturday, Nov 18, 2006. The videos marked with the asterisks (**) are the better ones to watch in my opinion.

Video #1, Time 9:51 am, DA = 3,190 ft:
My first pass of the day turned out to be pretty decent. I ran 7.253 @ 93.848, with a 60’ of 1.596. The other car ran 7.956 @ 89.046, 1.837.

Video #2, Time 10:07 am, DA = 3,200 ft:
Well, my second run was a waste. After the burnout, I dropped it into 1st gear to do a dry hop. But, when I shifted out of 1st gear, I missed Drive and stuck it in 3rd gear instead. Let me tell you, launching in 3rd is not only embarrassing, but it also really kills performance. How about a 7.610 @ 96.129, 1.802. The 2006 Malibu in the other lane strolled to a 10.650 @ 68.258, 2.598. Now we know that if you drive an 06 Malibu, you’ll need an 1/8 of a mile to get up to highway speed. hehe.

Video #3, Time 10:30 am, DA = 3,270 ft:
To make things even more embarrassing, Donna’s first run was a waste, too. She had a poor burnout, and then left the car in 2nd gear. Once it bounced off of the rev limiter a few times, she just had to abort the run, coasting through with an 8.534 @ 71.139, 1.681. Her opponent ran 7.301 @ 97.292, 1.739. And to top it off, I didn’t get the camera focused for this run. Overall, not much to look at.

**Video #4, Time 10:53 am, DA = 3,340 ft:
Donna’s 2nd run was better. Check out the nice wrinkle on the slicks on the launch! Pretty cool! She ran 7.329 @ 95.359, 1.699 against an 8.584 @ 80.353, 2.008.

**Video #5, Time 11:22 am, DA = 3,380 ft:
Even though the DA was up to almost 3400 feet, my 3rd lap turned out to be the best run of the whole weekend. The timeslip showed the lowest ET, the highest MPH and my best reaction time (0.528 on a 0.500 tree) of the weekend. In fact, the trap speed was new all-time best for my car! It’s never run 98mph before. And the 60’ time was just 14 thousandths of a second from being the best, too. The lighting on this video really makes the car look good, and the clear corner lenses really make a difference. And to top it off, it was a really good fun side-by-side run, even though the other car went red. Here are the numbers, 7.209 @ 98.079, 1.603 against a 7.132 @ 97.563, 1.570.

**Video #6, Time 12:12 pm, DA = 3,410 ft:
This was my 4th run, and I was lined up against Ed on his first pass of the day. Donna got a good video here, starting with sweet dueling burnouts! And we both had good runs. I ran 7.216 @ 97.522, 1.596 against Ed’s 7.775 @ 88.081, 1.685.

Video #7, Time 1:46 pm, DA = 3,590 ft:
Donna’s 3rd run was also against Ed. They got stuck with the worst DA of the day, almost 3,600 feet. Donna had a good RT at 0.558, and ran 7.332 @ 96.624 vs Ed’s 7.884 @ 88.287, 1.707.

Video #8, Time 2:19 pm, DA = 3,540 ft:
Again, Donna and Ed paired up for this run. She ran 7.353 @ 94.618, 1.657 against his 7.803 @ 87.782, 1.690.

Video #9, Time 2:38 pm, DA = 3,520 ft:
If you are paying attention, there is a trend developing. My blue car against Ed’s silver car. The numbers: 7.302 @ 94.281, 1.629 vs. 7.895 @ 87.720, 1.751.

Video #10, Time 3:14 pm, DA = 3,360 ft:
Yep… it’s Ed and Don again. Ed cut a nice 0.551 light and I went red (0.433), but Ed had some tire spin on the launch that cost him in the 60’ as well as the ET. He went 8.050 @ 87.717, 1.896. I had a decent pass at 7.262 @ 96.513, 1.594 (my 2nd best 60’ of the weekend).

Video #11, Time 3:28 pm, DA = 3,340 ft:
On this run, Donna was paired up against a VW Beetle. It is a pretty quick little bug… but not quick enough for the BAD05GT. She handled the VW easily, 7.333 @ 97.135, 1.651 against his 7.896 @ 84.204, 1.864.

**Video #12, Time 3:30 pm, DA = 3,340 ft:
Ed was in the next pair right after Donna’s pass, but I’m not sure Ed wanted to run against this car. It was a beast. Even though Ed ran a good 7.78 @ 87.83, it looked slow compared to the 6.04 @ 118.92 in the other lane. Yikes!!

**Video #13, Time 3:55 pm, DA = 3,220 ft:
This run turned out to be an awesome race, even though it had a bizarre beginning. Donna lined up against a mid-60’s Chevy, and they were both totally surprised when they got a Pro tree rather than a Sportsman tree. Oops! Both of them were understandably way late, but she ended up with about a 1/10 sec advantage off the line. And as it turns out, that was enough to give her a holeshot win at the end. Pretty cool race!! Donna’s 7.339 @ 93.669, 1.654 was enough to beat the quicker 7.289 @ 93.970, 1.663.

**Video #14, Time 3:56 pm, DA = 3,200 ft:
I think Ed needs to pick his battles better… haha. On this one, he lined up against an all out race car, wearing a fiberglass ‘67 Mustang body. What a monster. Ed’s car is fast, but not compared to guys like this! Ed’s 7.85 @ 87.63 was no match for the unreal 5.65 @ 119.78 in the other lane. Holy Smokes!!

Video #15, Time 4:17 pm, DA = 3,000 ft:
On this run I was up against a 2005 GTO. It’s mostly stock, running on drag radials. The guy driving it is a long time racer, and is a very good bracket racer. He generally cuts consistently good lights, and the car runs very consistent as well. In fact, he won the 2006 King of the Track competition on Sunday. Anyway, with an N/A GTO, he was no match for me… 7.272 @ 94.498, 1.613 vs. 8.494 @ 85.252, 1.991.

Video #16, Time 4:27 pm, DA = 2,950 ft:
Ed and I paired up again on this run. He made his best ET of the day… 7.736 @ 88.333, 1.667 against my 7.314, 1.603.

**Video #17, Time 4:32 pm, DA = 2,900 ft:
On this run, I made a solo pass. The track starter invited Donna to move up to the starting line, between the two lanes. It made for an excellent point of view for the camera. The frontal shot with the setting sun makes it look like the lights are on. And she was right next to the front tire during the launch. Even though the car doesn’t get any air, it is a neat view. It also sounds pretty sick from this angle as it launches. This launch was my best 60’ of the day, 1.589, to go with a 7.307 @ 96.222.

**Video #18, Time 4:41 pm, DA = 2,800 ft:
On the very last run of the day, I ran against Ed again. But because of the camera angle, you can’t see him in the other lane. His wife was also up there near the starter with Donna, so she was taping Ed. The combination of the camera angle and the sunset makes this a neat video, too. The front view during the burnout is pretty cool… I like the way the clear corners look on this shot. And make sure you watch the slicks on the launch. I love the way they wad up. As I disappeared into the sunset, I ran 7.322 @ 94.034, 1.596. Ed ran 7.867 @ 87.348, 1.710

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1/8-Mile Drags, Racelegal at Qualcomm, Nov 3, 2006

The Mrs and I went racing at Racelegal on Nov 3. This is the 1/8-mi track that warned me not to "run 7.20s anymore" without a cage, etc. So we switch out the 12psi to the 10psi pulley when we go there. Previously, my best run on the 10# pulley was 7.489, but I hit 7.467 @ 92.40, and 7.433 @ 93.16. But Donna went me two better... one was 7.419 @ 94.94, and her best run was 7.358 @ 92.78.

Here are the vids.

Video #1:
Donna made the first pass, and had a little braincramp. She left it in 2nd gear after the burnout. I also had a problem getting the camera to focus. All in all, not a good run. Whoops…

Video #2:
Her next run was 6 minutes later, and it ended up being the best pass of the night, as well as the quickest run to date on 10psi boost. The numbers: 7.358 @ 92.78mph, 1.657, vs. 10.409 @ 68.49, 2.605.

Video #3:
Donna’s third pass was the second best of the night. She ran a 7.419 @ 94.94, 1.692. The 94.94 mph was also the fastest trap speed we have seen with the 10psi pulley so far.

Video #4:
This was my first run of the night and I tried something new at the tree. I tried to powerbrake before I lit the stage beam, and then creep in. It didn’t work so well. I ended up going red, and my 60’ time wasn’t too good (1.749). The run was a 7.539 @ 90.72.

Video #5:
On this run, Donna tried her hand at being a track official. She lined up the cars for the burnout, and started us. But she was standing right in front of me, and had to jump out of the way before we started. Good thing she’s a better driver than she is a track official. haha. I ended up running a 7.562 @ 91.09 (no 60’ time) vs. 9.936 @ 71.76, 2.314.

Video #6:
At Qualcomm, passengers are allowed in the cars, but the car can go no quicker that 8.50. If you break that rule, they will cut off your driver’s wristband for the rest of the night, and you will also get fined $50.

On this run, I took my son, Ryan, with me. He was aware that I would stay in the throttle until shortly past half track, and then get out of it. After a good launch, I ran it all the way through 3rd gear, and then hit the brakes. We felt like we stopped at the finish line. Even though Donna thought I went too quick, we were safe by a long way. Check this out: 9.575 @ measly 34.03mph!!! My opponent went 9.506 @ 75.76mph. And to top it off, I won on a holeshot. LOL… that’s crazy.

Video #7:
On this run, Donna decided to have some fun, albeit a little risky. She wore her “Halloween” helmet… it had a couple battery-powered “scary” eyes in it. She started off with a healthy burnout. But maybe the eyes blocked her vision, because she lifted early and went 7.597 @ only 80.78mph, 1.675. The other car ran 9.578 @ 73.65, 2.217.

Video #8:
This was a neat run. The police have a group called Code 4, and they are a RaceLegal sponsor. They have several race “police” cars, and they run them against random opponents. If you beat one of the police cars, you get a Code 4 T-shirt. At the end of the run, they hit you with the sirens, too. It’s a bizarre sight. Donna raced him, running a 7.558 @ 90.54, 1.734 vs. an 8.900 @ 75.63, 1.875.

Video #9:
Donna got a chance to waste a Viper pretty good. Another notch for the gunbelt. Final score: 7.503 @ 91.27mph, 1.720, vs a 8.303 @ 88.93, 2.132.

Video #10:
This was my second quickest run of the night. Even though I went red by 0.020, I ran 7.467 @ 92.40mph, 1.673, vs a 9.126 @ 78.94, 2.245.

Video #11:
The car found a way to run another consistent 7.5, turning a 7.584 @ 89.28mph, 1.695 vs. 9.910 @ 79.93, 2.572.

Video #12:
This next run was against Cher. I took Ryan again on this pass, and I held it wide open until it hit 4th gear. I knew Cher was running high 8s, so my plan was to slow down and finish with her. I cut it close on the 8.50 limit at 8.697 @ 42.29, 1.690. Cher ran 8.961 @ 74.87, 1.879.

I made one more run, but Donna didn’t see it. She thought I was headed back to the pit, since we usually do after three runs. As she walked back, I made another pass, which I normally don’t do. Anyway, no video… my bad. And it was my best run of the night, too… 7.433 @ 93.16, 1.645 against an 8.659 @ 79.09, 1.908.

Video #13:
Donna lined up against Cher on this run, with no passengers. Girl on girl, wide open throttle fun. The killer looking blue Mustang took down the gorgeous silver on black Mustang. Donna ran 7.552 @ 94.34, 1.757. Cher slowed to a 9.240 @ 74.01, 2.003. She might have lifted at the end, but I’m not sure.

Video #14:
Donna had time for one more run. It was getting late, and she had a solo run. The tree was a little wacky at first, and then my battery died right before the end. Good timing. Anyway, Donna made a pretty good lap… 7.479 @ 94.14, 1.684.

Nice way to end the night.

===============================================================

Fun Ford Weekend, Fontana, CA, 10/22/06

I got a chance to run at FFW today in Fontana. My wife and I left home this morning at 6:00am to go run the quarter-mile. We ran into Adam, Scott and John, and Mark. Plus, my oldest son and one of his friends drove up from San Diego to watch. I also got a chance to meet and talk to the guys from Kenne Bell, as well as with Jim Sr from JDM. Other than my performance in the Quick Ford bracket race, we had a pretty good time.

The weather wasn't great... temps in the 80s with a strong headwind. The density altitude was over 3000'.

My first 2 runs were with the 10# pulley, and resulted in high 11-sec runs. The 1/8-mi ETs were consistent with the low 7.50s I've seen lately. But, I think the strong headwind hurt the top end. My first run was alongside Jim Sr with the Team JDM Saleen. That's a strong running car.

I had one more time trial before eliminations, so I switched to the 12# pulley. This resulted in a 11.472 @ 114.97, with a 7.269 1/8-mi. The density altitude was 3,058'. WooHoo!!! A run under 11.50!! And nobody said a word about not having a roll cage!!

As the temps went up before elims, I dialed in an 11.50 for round 1. I had my worst light of the day, and got smoked by a very nice red '70 Mach 1. I ran an 11.55 @ 115.05. The DA was up to 3,355'.

The Quick Ford class lets you buy back in after a Rd 1 loss, so I tried again. Since it was even warmer, I figured it would slow down a little more, so I dialed in at 11.60. I had the guy by a car length or so, and I hit the brakes in the traps, hoping to not break out. But, I did. Unbelievably, I ran an 11.470... quicker than the run earlier in the day! But, the trap speed was only 107.75. I scrubbed off at least 8mph when I hit the brakes. I think it would have been a few hundredths quicker if I hadn't hit the brakes. Even though the DA was 3,414' at the time, the wind had died down right about the time I ran. That likely explains why the 1000' ET was 0.020 quicker... the headwind wasn't there. Oh, and I had my 2nd worst RT of the day on this run.

Bottom line though, is on a day with less-than-ideal weather/wind conditions, I'm pretty pleased that it ran sub-11.50... twice.

So, I officially have my 11-second daily driver!

Here are the videos:

Video - Time Trial #1:
10psi
60’ = 1.655
330’ = 4.815
1/8 = 7.511 @ 90.08
1000’ = 9.870
1/4 = 11.894 @ 112.15

Video - Time Trial #2:
10psi
60’ = 1.678
330’ = 4.834
1/8 = 7.536 @ 89.95
1000’ = 9.918
1/4 = 11.979 @ 107.98

Video - Time Trial #3:
12psi
60’ = 1.618
330’ = 4.660
1/8 = 7.269 @ 93.65
1000’ = 9.544
1/4 = 11.472 @ 114.97, DA = 3058

Video - Quick Ford, Round #1:
12psi
60’ = 1.626
330’ = 4.683
1/8 = 7.303 @ 92.94
1000’ = 9.584
1/4 = 11.550 @ 115.05, DA = 3355

Video - Quick Ford, Round #2:
12psi
60’ = 1.637
330’ = 4.677
1/8 = 7.268 @ 94.48
1000’ = 9.525
1/4 = 11.470 @ 107.75 (hit brakes in traps), DA = 3414

===============================================================

1/8-Mile Drags, Racelegal at Qualcomm, Oct 20, 2006

The Mrs and I went to the local 1/8-mi track last night. The track (RaceLegal at Qualcomm) is the place that gave me a warning about running sub-7.50 without a roll cage a couple weeks ago. So, I "de-pulleyed" the car before we got there, removing the 12# pulley and installing the 10#. As it did 2 weeks ago, this put my car right in the 7.50 range.

On this night, they were running their quarterly bracket race. A total of 32 cars were in it. So to take home the top prize, the winner would have to survive 5 rounds of racing, with no bye runs.

To make a long story short, I was lucky enough to be the last man standing, and took home cash and prizes worth about $1,000. Yippee!! I hadn't run in a bracket race in over 9 months, so it felt awesome to be back in competition.

None of my opponents went red on the tree, so there were no freebies. My reaction times were very inconsistent, but in four of the five runs I was still first off the tree. In the Final I was late. In all five races, I was the quicker car, so I had to leave second and chase down the opponent. Also, in all five races I passed the other car and hit the brakes just before the stripe to avoid breaking out.

There were two runs that were key. In Round #3, I was dialed in at 7.530 and ran a 7.537, and I even hit the brakes. I got lucky not to break out there. I cut a pretty good 0.525 light (on a 0.500 tree), which was about a 1/10 better than the other guy. He ended up breaking out by 0.001. Helluva race!! So, for the next two rounds, I dropped my dial in to 7.500. I had a big cushion in the Semi's, so I had plenty of room to brake and slow down. But, in the Finals, it was dam close!

As I said, I was dialed in at 7.500. The other guy tree'd me pretty bad (by almost 1/10 sec), but I managed to run him down at the very end. As we got close to the finish, I had about a fender lead, and I hit the brakes. In an instant, he flew by me and I thought that I had screwed up and gave it back to him. But, as it turns out, I barely nipped him, with a margin of victory of 0.042 sec. And get this... I ran a 7.501 on a 7.500 dial!!! Yikes, that was oh so close to breaking out.

And to top it off, the 7.501 run was also good enough to win the Super Street ET Class (closest run to 7.500 without going under and without going red).

So, all in all I walked away with two trophies, a couple hundred bucks in cash, a $500 car stereo system (which will go in my wifes car), and some other prizes worth almost $250.

Pretty fun night!!!

Results here: RaceLegal.com [Race Results]

Here are videos of each round of the bracket race. My wife can be very excitable as you will see on these vids. Each round she just got amped up a little more. And the announcer joined in the fun, too. Listen to the dialog… some of it is pretty amusing.

Round #1:
This is the 1st round of the Bracket Race (32 cars). The opponent was a Nissan 350Z. I was dialed in at 7.50; he was at 8.60. I had him on the tree by 0.120. After I passed him, I tapped the brakes to slow to a 7.683 @ 81.66 vs 8.763 @ 86.87.

Round #2:
This is the 2nd round and my opponent was another Nissan 350Z. I raised my dial to 7.53 vs the Nissan’s 8.90. Both of us were decent on the tree… I had a 0.549 light (on a 0.500 sportsman tree), to his 0.575. I caught him and the hit the brakes again, to win with a 7.646 @ 77.19 vs 9.199 @ 71.08.

Round #3:
Round #3 was pivotal. I was giving up over 2 seconds on the tree, with a 7.53 dial-in against a 9.64 dial. He left first with a 0.631 light, but I got my best light of the race with a 0.525. This one was tight. I tapped the brakes at the very end to run a 7.537 (on the 7.53 dial). My opponent broke out by only 0.001 sec, running a 9.639 on his 9.64 dial. Great race! I could have easily gave that one away.

Semi-Finals:
In the Semi’s, I was giving up almost 4 seconds to a Richard Petty-themed Mopar. I dam near fell asleep at the tree waiting for him, and it showed with a horrible RT (0.717), but I was still about 0.080 quicker than him. Again, I braked hard at the end, running a 7.670 @ only 72.35, to beat his 11.669 @ 63.37.

Finals:
In the Final round, I was giving up 1.40 seconds to a ’37 Plymouth running an LT1 Chevy motor in it. Like the previous round, my RT was awful, and I was late to him by 0.098 (yuck). But, he spun the tires just a little bit, and it cost him some ET. I drove around him and then hit the brakes right at the stripe. I saw his nose flash by, and thought I had thrown it away. But I didn’t. I barely avoided breaking out, running a 7.501 (@ 84.59) on a 7.50 dial. He went 9.041 @ 76.92.

Also, on the following Tuesday, the San Diego Union Tribune had this little itty bitty mention in the Sports section.

===============================================================

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona, Oct 7, 2006

On Saturday, we went to Barona. I put the 12psi pulley back on, and was able to run with it all night. When I was there two weeks ago, the car ran consistent 7.3s. This week, my runs there were a little better and pretty consistent. Each pass got a little quicker than the previous ones. I made six runs, and all of them were in the 7.24 – 7.32 range.

But, Donna made the best pass of the night, 7.21. I've been working with her to teach her how to powerbrake the launch to help get her 60' times down. Once she gets the hang of it, she'll probably be quicker than me most of the time since she weighs 100 lbs less.

Oh, one last thing. There was a guy there running a new GTO with a supercharger at 13.5 lbs of boost. I raced him once, and Donna raced him once. On behalf of Mustang lovers everywhere, I'm happy to report that the Goat was 0-for-2 against us.

Here are the vids from Barona on Oct 7, 2006.

Video #1:
We were back to running the 12psi pulley on the Kenne Bell here at Barona, and my first run turned out to be my slowest of the day. I ran 7.322 @ 94.084, with a 60’ of 1.661. The other car ran 8.443 @ 78.607, 1.828.

Video #2:
My second run was a bizarre one. The other car staged, and then left before the tree was even activated. He was at halftrack before my green light came on. It caught me off guard, so I was way late, but this run was a tick quicker than my first: 7.315 @ 97.159, 1.662. The 97+ mph trap speed on this run was the fastest I have ran to date!

Video #3:
This run was the first matchup against the 2004 GTO running a supercharger at 13.5psi. Even thought he went red on the tree, I was still able to catch him and then drive around him. I loved this race… haha. Here are the numbers: 7.304 @ 96.515, 1.635 vs the GTO’s 7.560 @ 91.104, 1.653.

Video #4:
Now it was Donna’s turn to drive, and she wasted no time dropping the ET even lower. She ran 7.282 @ 95.411, 1.667 against an 8.443 @ 93.296, 1.959. Keep a close watch on the sidewalls of the slicks right after the burnout. The wrinkle walls look pretty cool!!

Video #5:
Donna’s next run turned out to be the best pass of the weekend!! She was running against Rich in his 06 Vista Blue GT. The numbers were: 7.219 @ 95.548, 1.618 against 8.783 @ 77.496, 1.847.

Video #6:
Run #6 was Donna’s chance to open a can of whoop ass on an LSI Camaro running a 75hp shot of nitrous oxide. She could have whooped him easily, except for one thing. She forgot to take the car out of 2nd gear after the burnout… whoops! She shut it down for a 9.674 @ 47.822. The Camaro was there for the taking with an 8.441 @ 90.326, 2.123.

Video #7:
My next race was a lot of fun… heads up against classic muscle car!! I ran a 7.297 @ 93.471 vs 7.590 @ 79.00, 1.723.

Video #8:
As the air got better, so did my ETs. My next run was pretty good, 7.257 @ 94.707, 1.610. The other car ran 8.532 @ 80.724, 1.924.

Video #9:
Donna’s next run was against another GTO, which she handled quite easily. She ran 7.376 @ 95.170, 1.735 vs 8.034 @ 87.624, 1.746.

Video #10:
Now it was Donna’s turn to take down the blown GTO. Her 7.286 @ 95.716, 1.688 was enough to cover his 7.397 @ 93.280, 1.585.

Video #11:
My last run of the night turned out to be my best run of the night. I ran a 7.246 @ 95.253, 1.614 against an 8.473 @ 84.180, 1.893

===============================================================

1/8-Mile Drags, Racelegal at Qualcomm, Oct 6, 2006

A few days ago, I got my new ET drag slicks mounted and was really looking forward to hitting the track on Friday and Saturday.

I arrived at the track (Qualcomm) early on Friday and was first in line for Tech. Before tech started, one of the inspectors came over and asked if I was running on street tires this week (I drove to the track on my street tires). I told him no, that I would change after tech. He said that they had noticed me do that before and I had to change tires first. So, I drove to the pits and swapped all four tires. Then I ended up at the back of the tech line.

As I got to the front, another inspector walked up and started to tech the car. The he asks, "Are you going to run 7.20s tonight?" I said "I don't know". He said, "If you do, you'll be pulled off the track and have to be re-teched for sub-7.50."

Crap... no roll cage, no racing. I was bummed, and my wife just wanted to go home. I told her I could change pulleys and slow the car down. She said, "What's the point? Let's just leave". I think she has a need for speed now. I finally convinced her to stay and race anyway.

So, I pulled the 12psi pulley off and put on the 8psi pulley. We made a few passes in the 7.6-7.7 range. Then I decided to put the 10psi pulley on to see where it would run. It turned out to be just right. The car was running consistent 7.5s. My best run was 7.489, and my wife's best run was 7.53. One of my runs was 7.508, which was good enough for an ET Class trophy (the trophy goes to the run closest to 7.500 without going under). So, all in all, the 10psi pulley seems to work best for the 7.50 limit I need to live with at The Q.

And to add to the night's fun, my line locks quit working. I'm not sure what is wrong with them yet.

Here are the vids from Oct 6.

Video #1:
My first run was on the new slicks with about 13psi air pressure. And I was running the 8psi pulley on the supercharger. I managed to run a 7.682, with a 1.746 60 foot time. No mph was recorded; the timing system was a bit hosed on this night. My opponent went 10.227 @ 70.53, 2.394.

Video #2:
My next run was 7 minutes later, and it ran a little quicker. The numbers: 7.666 @ ??mph, 1.729, vs. 9.813 @ 72.58, 2.144.

Video #3:
Run #3 for me wasn’t all that great… but my opponent went for a little bit of a wild ride. You can see him skating around in the video. I ran 7.790 @ 88.24, 1.819 against his 10.367.

Video #4:
Donna took the driver’s seat for the next few runs. Listen to the announcer in this video. He’s talking smack about Donna being faster than me, and then accuses me of changing the pulley to slow her down. It’s all in good fun though. Oh, and you can also hear him tell the crowd that we “got warned” about running to quick. Donna ran 7.724 @ ??mph, 1.816 vs. 9.858 @ 74.13, 2.337.

Video #5:
Donna’s next run was a tick slower, running 7.749 @ 91.09, 1.831 vs. 8.989.

Video #6:
Before Donna made this run, I swapped blower pulleys again and put on the 10psi pulley. I also dropped the air pressure in the tires down to 11.5psi. Unfortunately, the timing system malfunctioned and Donna did not get a correct ET. It said: 5.370 sec @ 8.38mph, with a 60’ time of 2.624. haha… wacky numbers.

Video #7:
Donna rolled in deep on this run, which turned on the red light and cost her a little ET. She went 7.689 @ ??mph, 1.865. The other car 8.499 @ 86.70, 2.229.

Video #8:
Now it was my turn. I was up against a local racer named Rick Reynolds. Normally, he runs a 514ci Pinto with over 800hp. Tonight he showed up with a 427-equipped Ford Fairlane… the “Time Bandit”. This is a classic super stocker setup from the 60’s. It was a good side-by-side race, but he missed a gear right at the end and he faded a little. But, it turned out to be the quickest run of the night for the BAD 05GT. I ran a 7.489 @ ??mph, 1.669. Rick mustered an 8.185 @ 69.98, 1.703.

Video #9:
Prior to this run, the car went sideways on the burnout. I thought maybe I messed up getting them properly locked, but as it turns out it was on this run that they broke. Without a good burnout, my 60’ time suffered, as did the ET. I went 7.652 @ ??mph, 1.808, vs a 9.488 @ 74.38, 2.233.

Video #10:
On this run, I was very careful to make sure the line locks were set properly, but as you can see in the vid, they aren’t functioning correctly. Again, a bad burnout hurt the run. I ran 7.633 @ ??mph, 1.762, vs a 11.057 @ 61.73, 2.390.

Video #11:
This one was a bit wild!! Donna didn’t get a good burnout, and I think some water was still on the tires. It got all crossed up when she left the line, but she did a great job reeling it back in and getting it straightened out. The numbers weren’t any good, but she kept it in her lane. Nice job!! She ran 9.141 @ 78.12mph, 1.911 vs. 9.813 @ 76.92, 2.558.

Video #12:
But Donna bounced back and tripped the lights with her best run of the night, 7.533 @ 91.83, 1.736. The other car ran 11.092 @ 61.81, 2.420.

Video #13:
Donna backed up her 7.53 with a nice 7.561 @ 92.02, 1.757. Her opponent ran 8.932 @ 85.23, 2.287.

Video #14:
This pass turned out to be my “Trophy Run”. Since we run in the Super Street class (where the trophy goes to the run closest driver to 7.500 without going under), this pass was good enough. I ran 7.508 @ 91.09, 1.685 vs a 9.639 @ 76.66, 2.386.

Video #15:
My final run was a hot lap solo pass just 8 minutes later. It slowed to a 7.572 @ 90.36, 1.706.

Video #16:
Donna had time for one more run just a few minutes later. She ran 7.633 @ 92.02, 1.825 against a 8.881 @ 76.92, 1.867

===============================================================

1/8-Mile Drags, Barona Dragstrip, Sep 23, 2006

The runs I made at Barona on this day were much more consistent than previous trips to the track. Four of my five runs were in the 7.30s, with 60' times ranging from 1.652 to 1.709. It seems like the car is getting dialed in better off the line. I will be getting new slicks in the next couple weeks, and I hope they will get rid of the last bit of spin I feel on every pass.

My first run of the day, turned out to be the best of the day. I ran a 7.322 @ 93.803, with a 1.652 60-foot time. At the time, I did not expect a 7.32 to be as good as it would get, but that’s how it ended up. My opponent: 8.582 @ 79.801. Unfortunately, my cameraperson/pit crew/wife was not in position yet to get a vid of this run.

Video #1:
My second run was against the Ford GT. The owner, Roger, also has a Vortech-blown ’05 Mustang, and I first met him at the track last year. This was the first time he brought the GT to the drag strip. I managed to run a 7.363 @ 93.803, 1.669. Roger’s numbers were 8.244 @ 95.373, 2.187.

Video #2:
My third run was also against the Ford GT. Prior to our pass, a car left a serious oil down in the left lane. And I was the lucky dog to make the first pass on the track after the cleanup. I don’t think there was any groove left, because the car broke loose, and I had to pedal it. Obviously, lifting killed my ET, but not enough to lose to the Ford GT. Scoreboard: Don 2, Roger 0. hehe. I ran a 7.746 @ 89.755, 1.803. Roger’s numbers were 8.113 @ 96.347, 2.125.

Video #3:
It was now Donna’s turn to take the seat. She got a lot of spin and wiggle on the launch, which hurt her ET. However, she still took down the LS1 in the other lane!! She went 7.521 @ 93.504, 1.782. The GM ran 8.368 @ 91.394, 2.080.

Video #4:
This was Donna’s 2nd run: 7.560 @ 92.506, 1.814. Her opponent ran 8.419 @ 83.765, 2.038.

Video #5:
Donna’s 3rd run turned out to be her best of the night, 7.347 @ 97.907, 1.731. Nice big MPH there… the best the car has ever gone yet! Her opponent is Cher, whose car is stock is a stock '05 Mustang, and is black with silver stripes. On this pass, she ran 8.785 @ 79.491, 1.975. That’s an excellent run on the stock Pirellis!! Both ladies did very well!! I guess the announcer thinks my car is stock too. Haha.

Video #6:
OK, it my turn again… this time against a 5.0 Fox body Stang. Chalk one up for the modular motor over the pushrod. My car ran another 7.3x, specifically 7.358 @ 93.327, 1.666, against his 9.124 @ 76.815, 1.955.

Video #7:
My last run of the night ended up being… yep, another 7.3. This time a 7.371 @ 95.186, 1.709. Since this was only 5 minutes after the previous run, I suspect the 60’ time and ET suffered a little. My opponent ran 8.385 @ 84.236, 2.030.

Video #8:
Donna made the last three runs of the night. On this run she was up against a serious hot rod sporting 700hp. Donna ran 7.366 @ 97.930, 1.721. The 97.93mph is now the highest trap speed my car has run yet!! The 1950 coupe ran 6.277 @ 111.742, 1.487. Cool car!!

Video #9:
Donna’s next run was against a 1980 Olds Cutlass. Even though he left on her, she was able to track him down and drive around for the win light. She ran 7.387 @ 95.016, 1.716. The Olds ran 8.642 @ 79.227, 1.884.

Video #10:
Donna’s last run was another mismatch… the big old Mopar could really run! Donna went 7.449 @ 94.587, 1.770, against a 6.758 @ 101.511, 1.497.

==============================================================

1/8-Mile Drags, Racelegal at Qualcomm, Sep 22, 2006

Since my wife didn't go, I didn't get any videos from this trip.

As far as the ETs go, my car is still "tractionally challenged", but I did manage a bunch of 7.2's and a few 7.3's. And on one run, I made the best pass in this car yet. A 7.155 @ 95.33, with a 1.607 60' time. That would be approximately 11.11 in the 1/4-mi.

==============================================================

1/8-Mile Drags, Racelegal at Qualcomm, Sep 15, 2006

On Friday night, 9/15/06, we made our second trip to the 1/8-mi track at Qualcomm since rebuilding the car. I was tweaking rear tire air pressure and drag shock adjustments trying to find a better combo for launching. The previous week, it wouldn’t hook well after dark when the air cooled off. But, that may have been due to dew on the track.

I started the night with the tires at 12psi, and both shocks set on “5”. After Donna made the first three runs, I dropped the pressure down to 11psi. After a couple more runs, I softened the left shock to “3” and left the tire pressure alone. Eventually, I changed them both to “7” thinking that they may have needed to be firmer. That setting gave us the best 60-foot times for this night. Next time out, I may drop the left side to “5” and left the right at “7”.

As it did the previous week, the car ran very well. No mechanical hiccups at all. We made a total of 16 runs tonight. Add that to the 21 we made last weekend, and we’re up to 37 passes with no issues whatsoever.

The best run this week was a 7.214 @ 95.13mph I made (equivalent to an 11.20 in the 1/4-mile). Although not as good as the 7.18 last Friday or the 7.19 last Saturday, it was still pretty dang good for a daily driver commuter car, running a 91-octane tune!! And Donna’s best was 7.255 @ 95.74mph. So, on this night I got the bragging rights! Woot!!

OK, so here is a run-down of the passes.

Video #1: Donna made the first three runs this week. Her first run right out of the box was pretty good, 7.283 @ 95.13, 1.687 60’. Her opponent went: 11.759 @ 64.75, 3.247 60’.

Video #2: On her second run (which was only 5 minutes after the first), she deep staged and put out the top bulbs. This caused her to redlight, and hurt the 60’ time and ET. Plus it spun off the line. She went 7.427 @ 95.94, 1.826 60’. The opponent: 8.701 @ 82.57, 2.224.

Video #3: Nine minutes later, she made her 3rd pass, 7.326 @ 94.54, 1.699. Her opponent was one of the local trailered-in race cars, a 6-second Vega. He went 6.708 @ 104.89, 1.582.

I took this pic of her burnout right before this run:

Video #4: I made my first run 20 minutes later. The opponent was Julio, one of Adam’s SRT4 customers, and he often runs in the 7s. Last summer, Julio could easily handle my car. But not anymore!! In the video, you can hear the announcer saying that the turbo Neon has “got a good chance of knocking Don off”. Uhhh… not this time. Even though he redlighted, I caught him just past the 60’ cone and ran away with it. I spun early, but still managed to run a 7.412 @ 94.73, 1.766, against his 8.075 @ 90.91, 1.978.

Video #5: My second run came 9 minutes later. I went 7.247 @ 94.73, 1.651. So far tonight, this was our best pass. My opponent was a 300ZX TT on the bottle, who generally runs deep in the 7s. But, he got all crossed up early in this run and aborted it, coasting to a 12.767 @ 41.32, 2.255.

No Video: I made my next run 8 min later. I tried to see how much I could powerbrake it at the line, and I went too far. The car lurched sideways before the green light, and I fouled… plus had a crappy 60’ time. We didn’t get this one on video, but the numbers were 7.433 @ 95.14, 1.867.

Video #6: My next run was 28 minutes later after a little cooldown period. It ended up being a solo pass, and my best ET so far tonight… 7.245 @ 94.73, 1.655.

Video #7: At the beginning of this video, you can hear Donna talking to someone about the burnout. She was talking to a freelance photographer from Motor Trend magazine. Who knows… maybe a pic of my car will end up in Motor Trend someday in the future?

Also, at Qualcomm, passengers are allowed in the cars, but they must also wear a helmet, and the car can go no quicker that 8.50. If you break that rule, they will cut off your driver’s wristband for the rest of the night, and you will also get fined $50. Last week, Donna took Ed’s wife on a ride, and went 7.777…and she got her band cut and fined. We’ve been saying that she “got a speeding ticket at the drag strip”. LOL.

So, with that in mind, I was about to take a passenger with me on my next run. She is a 19-yo friend of my son’s. I told her ahead of time that I would stay in the throttle until half track, and then get out of it. Which is exactly what I did. On the vid, you can hear and see it. The numbers?.. 8.592 @ 49.12, 1.663. Whew!! I missed screwing up by less than 1/10 of a second!! The opponent went 7.915 @ 89.64, 1.930.

Video #8: My next pass was alone again, and it was only 9 minutes later. It went 7.291 @ 94.33, 1.656. My opponent broke on the starting line.

Video #9: So, here we go again… another passenger run. This time, it is my wife’s 88-year-old grandmother!! We had a little trouble getting the helmet on over her hearing aid, but other than that she loved it!!! The announcer was supposed to mention it to the crowd before the pass, but he disappeared at the last second. He got back in time to tell the crowd just as I was on the return road picking up my timeslip. The crowd started cheering for “Grammy”… she loved it and was cracking up!

Oh… and since I had cut the first passenger ride so close, I really scrubbed off speed after ½-track this time. I ran 9.156 @ 39.30, 1.614. Yup, 39mph! haha. But, the 60’ time was the best of the night (and the best at this track ever). And even with me killing the back half as bad as I did, I still finished more than a second ahead of the 2003 Mustang GT in the other lane. He had a passenger too, and went 10.219 @ 68.18, 2.609. Maybe his trunk was full of bricks or something... I dunno.

Video #10: Donna took over the wheel for this run after the car had sat for about an hour. I told her the tires were cold, so make sure she did a good burnout. Holy smokes… did she ever!! I think half the rubber on the tires went bye-bye on this one. In fact, the black Mustang joined in the burnout fun, and they both put on quite a cool “smoke out”!!

And listen to the announcer telling the crowd that “you know the lady can drive” and that she’ll “put you back on the trailer”. She ran a 7.288 @ 95.54, 1.701 versus a 9.210 @ 79.50, 2.360 by another S197 Mustang. I know he had drag tires on the car, but I’m not sure what else was on it.

Video #11: Seven minutes later, Donna had a solo pass. Before the run, I told her to go easier on the burnout, because the tires were warm now. I think she went too easy, and rolled out with a little water on them. She went 7.390 @ 95.54, 1.782.

Video #12: Now it was my turn for a bye run after 24 minutes of cool down. This ended up being the quickest ET of the night… 7.214 @ 95.13, 1.663.

Video #13: I made another hotlap pass 7 minutes later. Even though I slowed to a 7.378 @ 94.53, 1.686, the little import car in the other lane had absolutely NO chance… 10.995 @ 63.65, 2.407. I think I was picking up my timeslip by the time he crossed the finish line. LOL.

Video #14: There was just enough time for Donna to get in two more runs. This one was 16 minutes after my last run, and it turned out to be her best ET of the night. 7.255 @ 95.74, 1.687.

Video #15: So, 6 minutes later, Donna made the final run of the night. Even though she denies it, it looks to me like the traction control was on during the burnout. Either way, I’m sure there was water on the tires, because it got loose shortly after the launch. She drove through it very well, but the numbers were not good, 7.632 @ 95.13, 1.990.

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1/8-Mile Drags, Racelegal at Qualcomm, Sep 8, 2006 and Barona Dragstrip, Sep 9, 2006.
First Time Back at Drag Strip after Motor Build-up

After waiting over 7 months to race again, it turned out to be a great weekend at the track (1/8-mi). My car ran a lot better than I expected it to. We were hoping for 7.50s (and maybe 7.40s with a little luck). But it was much quicker. My best run of the weekend was 7.195 @ 94.36mph (~11.17 in the 1/4mi) on Saturday night (with a density altitude of 3,342 feet). But, my wife Donna did even better. Her best time was 7.181 @ 95.54 (~11.15 in the 1/4mi) on Friday night!! (It must be a weight thing) We had a bunch of runs in the 7.20s and 7.30s. And Donna won her very first drag racing trophy on Friday, too!!

It was a blast to say the least. And yes, I'm lucky to have a wife who really enjoys drag racing... even if she did get the better of me on Friday night. But, I had the better time on Saturday!!

No one hassled us about the lack of a roll cage... hooray!! But, we were having trouble getting it to hook well. I played with tire pressure and got it to stop spinning, but then it went into tire shake. The best 60' times were in the low 1.60s... never could get down into the 1.50s on Friday. But I did get into the 1.50s on Saturday.

Here are the videos (some were recorded from two different angles thanks to a friend of mine!!).

Qualcomm, Friday, 9/8/06

Video #1 (Alternate camera angle): My first pass... 14psi in the tires was too much. It spun real bad off the line. 8.413 @ 92.02mph, 2.053 60'.

Video #2 (Alternate camera angle): My second pass this time with 12psi in the tires. Much better run. 7.297 @ 94.93mph, 1.696 60'.

Video #3 (Alternate camera angle): My third run, again with 12psi in the tires. Heat soak sapped some ET. 7.358 @ 94.93mph, 1.749 60'.

Video #4 (Alternate camera angle): Donna's first run with 11psi in the tires (I left them at 11psi for the rest of the weekend). She was still learning how to do a burnout, and I think she had some water on the tires. 7.988 @ 94.94mph, 2.028 60'.

Video #5 (Alternate camera angle): Donna's 2nd run. There was still a little tire spin. 7.502 @ 94.73mph, 1.786 60'. But, we were running in a 7.500 ET class, and this run was good enough for her to win her very first drag racing trophy!!

Video #6 (Alternate camera angle): Donna's 3rd run. No tire spin on this one. This is the best ET so far with this car!! 7.181 @ 95.54mph, 1.632 60'.

Video #7 (Alternate camera angle): My turn again to drive. I was hoping to beat her 7.18, but my extra 100lbs of weight prevented it (that's my story and I'm sticking to it... lol) 7.235 @ 94.93mph, 1.647 60'.

Video #8: Another "hot lap" pass for me. Slowed a little but still not bad. 7.356 @ 93.36mph, 1.699 60'.

Video #9 (Alternate camera angle): Donna is back in the seat. 7.374 @ 94.53mph, 1.751 60'.

Video #10 (Alternate camera angle): Donna is going up against one of the local race cars... a classic Shelby GT350 clone (with a 347 Windsor on gods knows how much N2O). She went 7.293 @ 94.93mph against his 6.255 @ 108.70.

Video #11 (Alternate camera angle): My first heads up race against Adam. His clutch was not playing nice... but I got the win light anyway. hehe. I ran 7.217 @ 94.73mph against his 7.720 @ 80.21.

Video #12 (Alternate camera angle): Second race against Adam. His clutch was not any better. I ran 7.322 @ 94.34mph; Adam limped in with a 8.224 @ 67.66.

Video #13 (Alternate camera angle): On this run, Donna took Ed's wife along as a passenger. The track rules say you can't run under 8.50 with a passenger. We warned her to get out of it just after half track or so. She didn't... you can see her hit the brakes right at the very end, but it was too late. Her 7.777 @ 69.98 ended her night as a driver... and cost her a $50 fine. Whoops....

Barona, Saturday, 9/9/06

Video #1 (Alternate camera angle): Adam and I locked horns on our first run of the day. I'm sure he'll blame the clutch again, but for the 3rd time in a row (counting the two previous races the night before), I turned on the win light. Oh yea!! hehe. I ran a 7.226 @ 96.34mph, to his 7.423 @ 93.93.

Video #2 (Alternate camera angle): For the 4th time in two days, Adam and I went at it. This time his belt snapped right at the starting line. Oh well, that's racing (and he is oh-for-four against me). This run was also my personal best so far. I went 7.195 @ 94.36mph. We won't talk about his numbers...

Video #3: This is Scott (Adam's dad) in his fox Mustang. Turbo powered 5.0 in this thing, and it can really scoot!! It's been deep into 6's before, but was running low 7's on this day. This was his slowest run at 7.29 @ 96.94.

Video #4: Here is my 3rd run. I couldn't pick on Adam again, so I went after another Mustang. I ran 7.271 @ 94.36

Video #5 (Alternate camera angle): This one is Donna racing against Scott. There was some friendly trash talking going on before this pass and ... ummm, Scott showed her who's da boss. She ran 7.267 @ 94.93 to Scott's 7.065 @ 97.23. Of course, he went red and she tried to claim her victory. The trash talking continued.

Video #6 (Alternate camera angle): So this time Donna races Scott's car (with Adam driving). It got worse for her. Her 7.334 @ 94.58 was no match for Adam's 7.015 @ 98.05. Lesson learned.

Video #7: Adam got the belt back on his car and hit the track again. This thing went all kinds of squirelly, but he drove through it for a 7.19 pass. (He later went 7.11, but we didn't see it or video it).

Video #8: Here is Donna's last run for the night. A 7.458 @ 94.50.