So my drag racing days are over untill next year :frown:. My 2006 racing season just quietly bowed out today. Today was the last day of racing anywhere close to me and I couldn't make it. So, my last round of competition way back in October became my last time down the track for '06. I sure hated to see that be my last run (.120 reaction time and a bad loss of course), but I guess it was a fitting end to this year.

This has by far been the craziest year of racing I've ever had in my now 3 years of driving :screwy:. I had such high expectations this year (my second year as a full time driver) only to see such disappointment after such a promising start to the year. That promising start came even before I ever went onto the track this season too. This past off season I had went out and had a pretty wild 383 SBC built. 14:1 compression Mahle coated forged pistons, 4340 forged crank and rods, .660/.660 solid roller cam; to say I was excited about gettin started was an understatment. So fast forward to April 1, 2006, my first race of the year:

First pass down the track with the 383 was such a let down! 7.15 @ 98 mph! I was like WTF??? My old same as stock bottem end flat top 355 ran 7.43 @ 90 mph. Surely a far from stock 383 would do better then 3 tenths and 8 mph! It would! A quick checkup showed the valves were WAY OFF and so after adjusting them my next pass: 6.67 @ 102 mph! HELL YEAH :evillol:! And just like that, the excitement for the 2006 season was back on!

The very next weekend I accomplished one of my goals for the year; that was to run 6.50s in the 1/8th. I did that with the first run off the trailer, on a Sunday, at Clay City, KY at the Mt. Park Dragway with a 6.55 @ 102 mph pass. And I still believe I could have snuck in the 6.40s that day if not for a broken rocker arm, the first of many I would have in the first month of racing. And so as it would turn out, I wound up missing the season opener at my local track (the 330 ft. track) due to the broke rocker arm, and as it would turn out, it would be one of many races I would miss this year due to a breakdown, lol.

I came back strong though 2 weeks later when I made my first trip to my local track. All I did was win! And I done it in style too! That weekend wound up being the best weekend of racing that I've ever had. After winning at my local track Saturday night, we made the trip to Rogersville, TN on Sunday and out of roughly 70 cars, I made it down to 3! And also got my best ever mph on a 6.64 @ 103 pass.

So everything was going fine. 4 races into my season and already a win and a semi-final and new best ETs and mphs. This season was going to be special! And then it started happening. Broke rocker arms on top of broke rocker arms. I solved that problem by breaking the bank (that was already broke because I had bought a new truck!!) and going with Crane Gold racing wide body allum. roller rockers.

No more breakdowns knocking me out of round wins, but I got into a major rut on the tree and went a solid month without winning a round. And then the shit really hit the fan. July 1, 2006. 3rd round time trial at Rogersville, TN. After two disappointing runs of 6.80 and 6.82, our questions were answered almost as soon as the trans. brake released: car goes to 9000 rpms and all I can hear is beating and banging coming from underneath. Broke drive shaft! Man I wished that was all it was. Wound up being two broke axel tubes. In other words, my rear end was toast. And to add insult to injury, I had cut a double-Oh light on that very pass! I was out of my "rut" on the tree only to see my car lay down.

So I had some tough decisions to make. It would have been easy enough to weld up the axel tubes and take a chance we could line them up correctly and that they would even hold up, have a drive shaft made, and be back to racing the very next week. But as you guys probably can remember, I had been thinking about having a new chassis made for the car on what woud have been this off season. So after a lot of thinking it through, that was my decision: to just start over with Casper and have a new chassis and supsension made. I even went so far as to have an estimate and was literally in the process of borrowing the money (roughly $10,500 to just have the stuff done, not counting new tires and wheels I would need, body work, and all the re-wiring). So I was looking at an easy $13,000 lol to get Little Casper fixed up like I wanted. Needless to say I set out of racing the entire month of July, and a big part of August, and honestly, had pretty much given up on this year. I wound up driving my uncle's Vega a couple times at the local track in August and really got the fever back and thats when this Nova came along.

It was one of our racing buddies car, and he also had another car (a Chevette that runs 5.80s in the 1/8th) and he had just gotten the motor back for it and so he told me to run his Nova if I wanted to. I was reluctant at first, but finally gave in and drove it. You could say I fell in love with the car, lol. And that's when the wheels started turning. It was then I decided that it would be in my best interest to try and buy his Nova instead of starting over with Casper. And so here I am, the proud owner of a 1966 Chevy II. Its a good car. Set up very nice. I still haven't quiet got the feel of it yet. I did have a moment there where I won a gambler's race with it at Rogersville and went some rounds the next day at the race, but my last race with it this year was a big disappointment. It ran a solid tenth off and was just very unconsistant for the first few rounds that day.

But, that's where I stand now. Casper is still down and will stay down untill atleast the Nova is paid for. As for next year with the Nova. I'm going to run it as it is, atleast to start the year. My 383 from Casper though will probably find its way under the hood at some point next year. I guess this could be similar to what an NFL team goes through when they have a veteran QB who's numbers start to decline and have a young guy ridin' the bench, lol. The 355 in the Nova is my veteran, and will be the guy as long as I can have some success next year, but the 383 will come in at the first sign of trouble. I'll probably leave the Turbo 400 too unless the car is just too radical off the line when I do make the engine swap. My reasoning is I'm 99% sure I'll have to have a driveshaft made in order to use the Powerglide. Oh well! Can't wait for March, 2007!! :naughty:

Cliff Notes:
-started out the year very hot, a win and a semi-final in just 4 races
-made personal best passes in just my 2nd race of the year: 6.55@102 mph
-disaster struck and Casper is no longer my ride
-got a new car
-had a flash of success with it
-for the most part though struggles, still learning....
-going into next year with high hopes despite a very disappointing season this year

sounds good man, really up and down season for you, but looks like 07 is back on the incline.

Hitting a 6.50 in the 1/8 is nothing to sneeze at ... that alone says "good season" to me ;)

Here's to you and 2007 ;)

I love reading racing write-ups like this. Hopefully someday I can get more involved in racing, but that will have to wait a few years.

Looks like you had your ups and downs, but you sound very optimistic about your 2007 season. If you don't mind, would you do a write-up of your costs like JekylandHyde does?

Hitting a 6.50 in the 1/8 is nothing to sneeze at ... that alone says "good season" to me ;)

Here's to you and 2007 ;)

Thanks man. I'm looking forward to it. We're going to try to make this 355/Turbo 400 setup work. So I'm a 6.70s @ 101 mph man as long as it will do right. But if it won't run consistant or if something goes down then my 383 from Casper is on stand by and just raring to go, lol.

I'm very confident that the 383 would put the Nova in the 6.30s. When I do make the change (it will happen, just maybe not untill after the season starts), I'm going to leave the Turbo 400 transmission (3-spd auto) and see how that goes. 400 transmissions are heavier then a Powerglide and they have a really short 1st gear and so that worries me a little. I'd have to do some extra work to swap in the Powerglide (new drive line, new transmission mounts) and so I want to avoid that if possible. So if the 383/Turbo 400 combo proves is too wild off the line, then I may try going with a taller gear to try and off set that (4.88 maybe instead of the 5.13 thats supposed to be in there). Swapping gears is easier then transmissions when you have to have new parts made.

If you don't mind, would you do a write-up of your costs like JekylandHyde does?

I didnt really keep up with it like he did. But I can give you a rough estimate, lol. Next season I will try and track it better.

Performance expensenses
-new 383 short block: $4,875
-new race car: $12,000

Normal racing expensenses
-$40-45 entry fee every race
-$20-25 buy backs several races
-$40 racing fuel, every other race
-$40-50 fuel for truck every race
-$20 eating, every race


Winnings
-roughly $1000 :shakehead

chevytrucks92, you really need to talk to an accountant about setting your racing up as a business. The losses you could claim will reap am amazing benefit on your income tax return ;)