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May 25, 2007 - The first day of "Fun Ford Weekend".  I decided to ride down to No Problem Raceway and have a look at how Fun Ford compares to Super Chevy, and I was driving a Ford Focus.  When I got to the gate, I instantly decided to enter the Friday Bracket Race, which was a separate event from Fun Ford.  Fun Ford has about 9 categories to compete in, if you have the correct model Ford, mostly Mustang's.  I have never seen so many Mustang's in one place, not even on a Ford dealership!   I purchased a "Street Class" entry form.  The Friday bracket race is open to all makes of cars, is run by the track.  They also had a "Fords vs. The World" bracket race that was a part of Fun Ford Weekend, but I did not want to enter that event, which would have been a second charge. That event was only offered on Friday. I thought it might be nice to have a race like that a Super Chevy, but then I thought about the volume of Chevy's that show up for Super Chevy and decided that would not be a good deal, especially since parking at Super Chevy is always at a premium.  At Fun Ford Weekend, the non-Ford cars must park way out and the Fords are allowed to park anyplace.  I got there early and tried to hold a spot for Van Johnson (Chevelle), but they would not let him park down close where I was parked.  I moved to the grass to be close to Van, which was not a problem.  The car count on Friday was not that much, maybe 150 cars.  I did not attend on Sat. or Sunday, but they were expecting a lot more.  They did have a nice midway of vendors that cater to the Mustangs and other Fords.  I even found a nice handout on personal performance for the Focus form Steeda Autosports.  http://www.steedafocus.com .  

After I settled down to a parking spot, I removed all the excess baggage from the car, spare tire, jack, three lug wrenches (don't ask), two gallons of water, three jackets, two umbrella's, two tri-pods, floor mats, an extra change of clothes and various other things that I had accumulated.  The first time trial, in the heat of the day, but only 37% humidity was 17,83 @ 75.83 mph.  Not what I was expecting.  My 2nd time trial was much better at, 17.675 @ 76.21 mph.  I was ready to go home!  Instead of leaving, I decided to watch some of the many Mustangs run.  I can only handle so much of the same type car making round after round.  The twin turbo Mustangs did not live up to the billing, but I think it was because it was Friday and there was nothing to gain by putting on a good show.  Neither of the three cars that ran made a good pass, but we were told they could run in the 6's at over 200 mph. PHOTOS

When they finished with the Fun Ford event for the day, the NPRP bracket was called, I went up but they gave everyone another time trial.  I had dialed-in 17.73, which is what the weather station said.  I actually ran 17.488 @77.09 mph.  Good thing it was a time trial.  For the first round, the weather station predicted 17.42, which was hard to believe, but I put that on the window anyway and went up for round one.  I was suppose to get a bye, but that did not happen.  I was forced to run a 9 second motorcycle.  I ran a 17.437 @75.82 mph as I let up when I was sure he would not catch me!  My first winning round in the Focus!  Round two was also a win, but the humidity was going up and the car slowed to 17.53 @77.34 mph.  Notice, all of these runs are under the NHRA EF/S Index of 17.75 sec..  I lost in the final round when I had a very bad light and did not run my number, but I had a very good time.  I think I will pull out the old Final Round Practice Tree and program it for a 17.5 second car to help me hit the tree better with these LED lights.  My best light of the night was only .058 sec, so I have a lot of improvement to make.  Rolling in a little deeper will help, but I must figure out how to roll in the same amount each time.   

May 18, 2007 - My first ride down the track since Nov. 15, 2007.  This time I made it past the 1/8 mile without incident!  On the way to the track I decided to try out the little Focus to see if it could be competitive in the NHRA Front Wheel Drive class, EF/S, which has an index of 17.75 seconds.  Oh how much you forget when you lay off for 7 months.  My first time trial produced at reaction time of .337, as I looked at the third yellow light.  I was so excited that I don't think I floored the accelerator, and I know I didn't look at the tach or anything else.  Just riding down the track.  It really seemed like the finish line took forever to come into view as I did a 18.24 @ 75.31 MPH.  Way off the index, but I thought I could do some things to make it run a little quicker.  The second time trial was a disaster.  I tried to do a manual shift and missed second gear and went into neutral and back to high gear.  That run resulted in a 18.64 @ 69 MPH.  After the run, I thought about the overdrive button on the shift lever and de-energized the overdrive.  I also decided to stay in automatic and let the transmission do the shifting just like on the first run.  For the first round of eliminations I put 18.20 on the window.  I got to leave first, running a 14 second car.  Everything went well on the burnout and staging.  I had a .162 RT to the other guys .171.  When I crossed the finish line, my win light did not come on, so I knew I had run too fast.  When I picked up my ticket the lady said, " You broke out with a 17.73" and I said, "Good, I got it under index"!  I have never been so happy after losing a race in my life.  Now I know the Focus will run under the index.  I had a full tank of gas, all my everyday things that I carry around, the spare tire, some tools and the camera were all in the car.  It doesn't spin the tires when it leaves the line so I think I can get consistent and while working on those reaction times.  I had a lot of fun running 17-18 seconds!  I'm going to name the car, "InFocus".  PHOTOS

May 16, 2007 - We would like to share an experience from our last trip.  While traveling back on Sat. through southern Missouri, we stopped at a new "Sears Grand" store.  This is unlike any Sears I have ever been into.  It is not located in a mall, but is a huge standalone store.  I won't bore you racers with the details of the rest of the store, but the tool section has almost everything that you see in the Craftsman Catalog!  It is unbelievable!  Many models of everything, such a table saws, miter saws, drill presses and any other tool that we ever thought we wanted.  While Barbara ventured off into the rest of the store, I got lost in the tool section and the huge electronics section.  There are suppose to be about 75 of these Sears Grands located around the U.S., and they are all suppose to be 100,000 sq. ft or larger (one is over 200,000 sq.ft.).  They feature all the sections you get in a Super Wal-Mart or Super Target and more, plus the aisles are very wide with nothing to impede two or more large baskets being pushed down the aisles.  The store is well lighted and super bright with colors and nice displays.  The variety of models, brands and selection is just too good.  I was impressed! 

May 12, 2007 - Skip and Barbara just returned from a very much needed week of vacation.  We went to St. Louis, MO to visit with our cousin and her son.  While visiting we had plenty of rest, good food and got a lot of things done around the house (no internet or cable TV).  Barbara's cousin, Robertine Bond is blind and is a diabetic.  She recently was hospitalized due to complications with her diabetes.  Shortly after coming home, Barbara and I went up to see what we could do to help her get back into a regular routine.  The visit was very rewarding. I was blessed to be able to be in Robertine' s company.   I worked around the house fixing several things that just needed a screw or tightening, and Barbara did a lot of cleaning, straightening up and pampering of her cousin.  When we left, Robertine was doing very well and she blessed us with a very powerful prayer for a safe trip and she was very thankful for the small amount of work we had done.   We arrived home safely, in excellent weather, with no problems, so her prayers worked! 

April 28, 2007 - Congratulations to JaMarcus Russell on being selected #1 in the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders!

I have been working on the house, doing several remodeling jobs, including a bathroom project, and getting ready to do the workshop in the back.  I have also been working on several of the teams carburetors, getting them ready to race this weekend. 

This weekend turned out to be bonanza for racing.  The weather is great and there were lots of choices for racing events.  Some of the team members traveled to Shreveport to race there.  Many of the local racers had to make a choice between the State Capitol Raceway "Racer Appreciation Race", celebrating one year of ownership for Mr. Lanny Lewis.  They are giving away a guaranteed purse of $1500 in each of three categories, Q-16, Super Pro and Non-Elect, all for $10 entry fee.  Today is also the opening event in the No Problem Raceway "King of the Track" series. 

 I have not done anything to my new project car, except order parts that I know I well need and make a priority work list.  I talked to NHRA Div. 4 Chassis Inspector, Mr. Wesley, and he said the only bar I need to get the car certified is the drivers side seal bar, between the lower part of the front loop and the middle loop.  As I said earlier, I must move the seat.  I will install a cable accelerator system, and a toe loop on the accelerator to be able to close the throttle in case of broken return spring (s).  There is a chassis inspection on June 16th at NPRP.  We plan to be ready to be certified by then.  We are preparing to go on vacation so no car work will be done until after we come back.  We are still waiting on NHRA for the classification of the Focus.

April 16, 2007 - Attended the Sunday Test & Tune at State Capitol Raceway yesterday.  Wow!  Things have really improved out there since my last visit.  They have put down new asphalt all over the place.  The staging lanes are larger, they have put wide walkways between the stands and the concession stand and put a covered pavilion next to the concession stand, right at the starting line, with lots of tables for eating and watching the action.  The parking area behind the tower, where I like to park, is now covered back to the last little street.  I understand they are going to put more asphalt down in that same area.  Mr. Lewis is really working hard to please the racers.  I was told the estimated car count for the test and tune was around 140 cars.  Photos

Since Eunice closed, there is no place to just test in our area.  Looks like SCR has hit on a very good idea with their Sunday T & T.  Several Bracket Masters team members took advantage of the tune up session to get ready for Shreveport.  Marcus Bowie, Willie and Jeremy Beathley and Kathleen Saizon.  There were many spectators too.

I passed my physical for the license renewal.  The doctor said I was as strong as a horse! 

Reggie Jackson came by and we went to pick up the new car.  Bert Riley had it all ready to go and we loaded it up and returned home.  It is still in the trailer, but it feels good to have a car at the house again!  I will start by making a work list.  There will be some parts to order and I know a lot of wiring must be done to get all of my old electronics in place.  This car does not have wheelie bars, but my old car does.  Just a matter of switching them over when I get the seal bar put in and the seat has to be moved up for me to be able to see over the hood.  Bert was very tall and had the seat tilted back.  I have a new converter on the way.  The old one stalled too high for this motor.
 New Car - Barbara likes the color, but I don't! Guess who will win?
This was the EBay ad for the car.

I also heard from NHRA about the Focus classification.  We should be classified shortly.  The NHRA Division 4 Director, Craig Hutchinson, has really been on top of this thing for me. 

April 14, 2007 - I have not taken any photos to display on the site lately.  I would like to have some of you that read this to send me some photos of your cars.  I will select some of them to post in our photo gallery.  If you send a write-up, I may include that also. We could have a featured car of the week or something like that.  I'll try to correct the grammar and spelling.  Send the photos to: oholber@hotmail.com   Be careful about file size.  If the file is large, zip it or reduce the resolution so it will transmit.   I hope to go to the test and tune at State Capitol Raceway this Sunday, April 15, 2007.  Should be able to get some good daytime shots. 

Monday, April 16th, will be a big day.  I should go for my NHRA License physical (us old folks, over 55, have to get a EKG too), and I should pick up my new racecar!  I am purchasing Mr. Bert Riley's yellow 1968 Camaro.  He is removing his engine, trans and electronics this weekend.  As soon as I get the car at the house, I will start to put my personal stamp on it and to make it ready for inspection.  I hope to be ready by the Father's Day Race, July 17th, at State Capitol Raceway.  That's three months, I think I can make that. 

April 6, 2007 - Made an offer on a car today!  Waiting on an answer, although I'm sure the owner and me will come to some type of agreement.  After the deal is sealed, I will post photos of the "before" car.  You can follow the project to see my progress as I get back on track.  I know it needs at least one bar to pass chassis inspection, and maybe more.  With rule book in hand, I will get it ready for inspection, and I will make sure it will be very safe!  My new Snell 2005 helmet arrived this week. 

NHRA's Div. 4 Director is trying to help me on getting the Focus classified.  They are researching and contacting Ford to try to make the car legal.  Maybe I will go from no racecar too two racecars!

I have one contractor working up a quote on the workshop in the backyard, and looking to have another one give me a price too.  There is some ground work to be done, like tree removal and some other things in the way. James Allen and James Richardson were over on Weds. and gave me some pointers on placement, size and some other helpful information.  I think the workshop will become a reality later this year. 

April 3, 2007 - There is a young man that has challenged me to a race!  He says I can bring my truck, my Focus or any racecar, and he will whip me!  This has caused me to want to put this young man in his place!  I have been looking at another Camaro that my engine and transmission would slip right into, and I think I will just will have to take up that challenge!  Oh, bye the way, this person drives a silver and black Chevelle and lives in New Iberia, LA.  His most recent race turned in a reaction time of .007 and his time was 10.908 on a 10.90 dial-in.  He is going to need a .000 light and a 10.900 when we meet! 

My engine is no longer for sale.  I really didn't want to let it go without knowing what it would really do anyway!  I must also get my Super Gas license renewed this month.   I am car shopping again!

March 24, 2007 - Decided not to take Focus to the track.  Needed front disk pads, trans. oil change and I had a small coolant leak to fix.  Maybe after all the maintenance is taken care of... 

March 21, 2007 - While thinking about how to get back onto the track, my mind wondered to my little 2002 Ford Focus ZX3 Hatchback.  I looked it up in the NHRA Rulebook and it should run in DF/S class, with approximately a 19.62 lbs/HP (130 HP @2551 lbs.), it would run on an index of 15.90 sec.  This is the front wheel drive section of Stock Eliminator.  When I went to the NHRA Stock Classification Guide on NHRA.com, the car is not listed.  I called NHRA Tech. and they said there are no specs. for the car at NHRA.  I would have to get Ford to send them the specifications for the car.  I always thought NHRA had a place for every stock vehicle (over 500 production units).  I hope to run the Focus in Comp Street ET Bracket this Friday night, if all goes well.  Does this mean that I would have to get a Ford Racing Team cap or jacket?  I already have a Ford F250 truck...

March 6, 2007 - Engine for sale!  My 555 BBC engine ran 9.15 @145 MPH, while hitting the chip for a short time, in a 2900 lb car (with driver) is for sale!  Never got a chance to make a clean run before destroying the car, but it should have run in the high 8 second range.  All motor!

Congratulations to Kevin Henry, 68 Camaro, runner-up in Super Street at No Problem Raceway Park. The event finished up on Monday, March 5, 2007. 

March 4, 2007 - Many of the BMRT members attended the Lucus Oil DRS event at No Problem Raceway Park this weekend. Reggie, Johnell, Tarrus and Willie were all at the track. The air was good and the cars were flying.  Van Johnson and Warren Birkett ran their cars in Super Street and Stock classes respectively.

Feb. 28, 2007 - Monday I traveled to New Iberia, LA to visit with Van Johnson to see what he was doing to combat his problems and getting ready for this coming weekend of racing at No Problem Raceway Park.  Van was surprised that I came over, but he was very pleased.  We had an excellent time discussing his modifications and what he plans to do for the rest of this season in Super Street.  I shot a movie of Van's two runs during eliminations in Houston and I had transferred them to a disk.  We reviewed those movies.  I also took a 8-switch control panel over there for Van to use, just in case his new panel does not arrive in time for this weekend.  See Van Johnson's Page.

We had our monthly team meeting on Sunday at Shoney's.  Due to the "Battle on the Bayou" at State Capitol, many of our members did not show up for the meeting.  Some members were sick and some were out of town or taking care of business.  The few members that were present had a good time discussing the upcoming trip to Shreveport and how each member was coming with their racing operation.

Sunday was also a big day for me.  I joined my wife's church, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, in Port Allen, LA.  Barbara has been a member there since childhood.  It was the church of her mother and it is where we were married in 1985.  I had hinted for years that she should join my church, but in the end, I relented and moved my membership to join her.  The family that prays together, stays together (some wise person once said). I was Baptized on Sunday!  The water was cold!   

Feb. 24, 2007 - I attended Test & Tune at State Capitol Raceway last night.  It was the first Friday night races of the year.  After the large crowds that they had on their Sunday Test & Tune dates, I thought the crowd would be very large.  Not so.  Only a handful of cars when I departed at about 8 pm.  Not many super-pro cars at all.  The three dragsters of Red Hot Racing were on hand, with Joey running some 7.60 times. 

I had a chance to walk down the track and do an approximate measurement of the width of the lanes at about the 60 ft. mark.  There is about 25-27 feet in each lane. It looks a lot narrower when you are standing at the starting line, but it is quite wide.  There is about 2 feet outside of the concrete lane before you hit the concrete wall.  That area is not where you want to be anyway.  The real groove is right down the middle and takes up about 8-9 feet of the 25-27 foot lane.  Most of our full body cars are around 6 ft. wide, so we have a lot of room to drive to go straight down the track. 

I believe we must abort any run that puts us out of the groove anyway.  Come back and try it again.  There is not a lot of room for error once you are out of the groove, and you usually lose anyway when you get out of the groove!  It looks like the concrete barriers took about 12-14 inches from each side of the track.  The old metal guard rails were about 3-5 inches outside of the paved surface of the track.  Again, you don't want to be over there close to the barrier anyway.  All my measurements are approximate, I did not have a tape, so if you want perfect dimensions, take a tape out there and measure it. 

Willie Beathley talked to Gary about the width of the track and Gary stated that NHRA gave them guidelines for installation of the concrete barriers.  NHRA wants them to be narrow so that cars that lose control will stay inside the barriers and only get a glancing blow. 

Our prayers and condolences go out to Michael Scott Williams, 29, of Clinton, LA and his family.  The young man was killed at Hub City last week on Monday.  There is a good post on the http://racepics.net  Message Board, in the "Heads Up Racing Chat", about the accident, along with some photos. 

FoFo (Blue & White Vette) and some of the other racers have expressed their appreciation to Mr. Lanny Lewis, owner of State Capitol Raceway, for putting in the new concrete guardrails.  This was a very high expense item that was mandated by NHRA for all tracks to keep their NHRA sanction for 2007 and beyond.  We will all be much safer because of the addition of this safety item.  I would like to add my personal thanks to Mr. Lewis too.  After reading about Michael's car going over the metal guardrail and hitting the scoreboard at Hub City, I feel really blessed and thankful for the concrete guardrail(s) at No Problem Raceway Park that I hit (both of them :>).  

After the rain rolls through tonight, it looks like it will be a perfect day for:
Battle on the Bayou - Feb. 25, 2007 State Capitol Raceway

Feb. 22, 2007 - I attended Lucas Oil Event in Baytown, TX on Feb. 16-18 at Houston Raceway Park.  Van Johnson and Warren Birkett  ran their cars.  Van won the first round of Super Street and Warren ran a car in Super Stock and Stock classes, losing in the first round with both cars. I had a ball walking around from pit to pit and seeing all the racers from the Baton Rouge area.  I also helped Van troubleshoot some of his problems. 

Van has been in contact with me since returning from Houston and he has ordered all the parts to upgrade his electrical system.  This will include a new switch panel without relays, but it will include ckt. breakers (check out Trick Cable and Switch).  He is getting a new alternator that should keep the voltage up, and he is getting two new batteries.  Van plans to be ready to run in Super Street at the points meet being held at No Problem Raceway Park on March 1-4, 2007. 

Feb. 9, 2007 - We finally worked on the car!  Yesterday, Warren Birkett and I removed the engine and transmission from the car, along with several other items and moved the shell to a safe spot at Warren's warehouse.  Close inspection of the bottom of the car reviled a lot of twisted frame parts.  This shows the intensity of the two hits that the car absorbed on each side of the front of the car.  The frame is twisted just after the midplate on the passenger side and the diagonal link is twisted between the ladder bars.  Several other frame parts are bent and show signs of the collision.  Warren recommends that I start all over on the body.  The left side is in fairly good shape.  The right side is junk.  The engine and transmission show no signs of any kind of damage (it was still running when the track emergency team got to me and shut it off with my kill switch).

I plan to attend the Lucas Oil Event in Baytown, TX on Feb. 16-18, 2007, at Houston Raceway Park.  Van Johnson and Warren Birkett will both be there with their cars. 

Feb. 5, 2007 - Houston Auto Show Photos - 2007

                     Skip & Barbara Vacation Photos

January 30, 2007 - Barbara and I traveled to Houston, TX and the first part of our vacation was to go to church.  We attended Lakewood Church, pastor, Rev. Joel Osteen.  The church is awesome!  It seats 16000 people, and is the largest church in the USA.  It is at the site of the old Compaq Center, where the Houston Rockets played at one time.  We attended the 11:00 am service and it was almost full.  The service was very nice and the pastor, sometimes called "The Smiling Minister", was as always, very good and upbeat with a very positive message. 

Monday, Jan. 29th, we went to the car show at Reliant Park in Houston.  As usual, it was really great!  We took a lot of photos, which I will share with you later, when we get home and my internet connection is much better and I am not on this laptop.  The bad news is, the new Camaro will not be in the showrooms until late 2008, as a 2009 model.  I did get to sit in the new Ford Edge.  It is nice! 

At the other end of the spectrum, I also liked the Toyota Prius Hybrid.  At 60 mpg in town and 50 mpg on the road, and enough standard items to make it pleasing, including a DVD Nav. system for around $32K, what's not to like? 

I liked the Infiniti M too.  It was only around $50K. The new Infiniti G Sedan is really great too.  They are a little more reasonable in price, and you get that great Infiniti service and pampering.  We own a 2004 Lexus RX330, and it is hard to beat either of them when it comes to customer service (after the sale). We get free loaner cars, apologies when something has to be repaired, and checks in the mail when they really want to make up for a problem (Lexus only). We had two Infiniti cars before this one, so we are in good position to judge.  Both of them keep their dealerships in tip top shape and they cater to the customers in every way.  Pampering comes with the price of the car.

Another concept car that I liked was a 2008 Ford Focus Sedan.  It was really sharp.  I have a 2002 Focus 2dr Hatchback now, and I do not like it.  It is too small.  The Focus Sedan would have been a much better choice for me.  Speaking of the Focus Sedan, all of which are now 4dr cars, in 2008, Focus will be available as a 2dr Sedan.  They have a 100,000 mile warranty, which is tops for Ford vehicles.  Don't know why Ford does not push that fact.

Ford also two other concept vehicles, a super large Ford F-350 truck that you are going to have to wait and look at the photos when I get home.  They also showed a Ford Interceptor concept vehicle that is based on the large Ford sedans.  It was real sharp too.  Some of the concept vehicles will make it into production, some will not. 

During the 6 hours we spent at the show, there were a lot of cars we liked, or a lot of cars had a lot of individual features that we liked.  The Infiniti M came closer to having it all in one package.  The new Honda CRV was real nice too.  My neighbor purchased one the week before we left, and my sister has a 3 year old CRV and she loves it.  The Toyota RAV-4 is also nice.  Now all I need to do is start driving them to see if I really like the comfort and convenience of them.

January 20, 2007 - I continue to receive get well messages and calls from friends and racers.  Thanks to everyone that has called and sent well wishes.  I continue to improve daily, but much more slowly than at first.  The neck does not want to get well and it is my largest concern.  A nerve in my left leg just will not let me sleep in certain positions, but I can deal with that.  The shoulder is much better.  Meds and physical therapy seem to be working slowly on everything.

Did anyone watch the Barrett-Jackson  Auto Action on the Speed Network this weekend?  Some of those prices were unreal!  I wonder which of our cars of today will be classics in 2046?  Maybe the new 2008 Camaro. 

I am thinking about purchasing  either a new Camaro or a new Ford Edge in 2008.  Since I am still old school and don't like to get the first year [my father's theory on getting a car with all the bugs out of it (Dad purchased a 1952 Chrysler New Yorker with a Hemi, after watching the 1951 Hemi blow everything else away).  It took two years to get rid of the single leaf springs on the 67-68 Camaro], I would get a 2008 Edge or a 2009 Camaro. That would only be, about a 20 month wait from now.  I saw both of them at the 2006 Car Show in Houston, but they were roped off and you could not get to sit in them.  Maybe this year they will let me sit in, at least the Edge, since it is now in production.  I would love to be able to sit in the new Camaro. Since the new Camaro has been on the drawing board for such a long time (probably since 2002, when they made the last one), it may be a good buy in the first year.                               

January 19, 2007 - You really don't know what you have until you lose it.  And by that same token, you really don't understand how much things cost until you start thinking about how much it will cost to replace your lost item. 

I have been looking at web sites that post racecars for sale, and talking to people about having a new car built, while thinking about forming an alliance with Van Johnson and building another car from scratch.  Willie has offered me a good proposition/partnership on a car that he owns.  I am still going to build my workshop this year.

There are many ways to go about replacing my ride, including looking real hard at saving what's left of the old car.  I had made a snap judgment about junking the old car. That may not be the best choice, now that I have had a couple of months to think about it.  There are a lot of items that can be fixed, saved, used again or transferred to another body and chassis.  With the exception of what is already sold, the rear end and converter, which I am going to sell, I am keeping everything else. 

Many racers have called and asked to purchase some item that I didn't even think about.  As an example, all of the wiring out of the trunk, which I custom fabricated myself, including the power system for the fuel pump (relay).  Items that have value to them, but I had not thought about (pricing some of these things is very hard too).  Decisions, decisions, decisions! 

Looks like the rain has cancelled the opening of the Louisiana racing season once again.  The forecast for the weekend is very wet.  This has forced State Capitol Raceway to move their two day opening event to next weekend, Jan. 27-28th.  This will be in conflict with No Problem Raceway Park's first points meet of the year, which is on Jan. 27th. 

January 13, 2007 - Lots of good things happening.  I finally went back to No Problem Raceway Park on Weds. night for the first time since the wreck.  It was very strange looking at the cars go down through there from the tower.  Each time they passed the 1/8th mile, I held my breath. 

I was at NPRP to watch Van Johnson try to set his throttle-stop for Super Street (10.90 class).  He has the under carb butterfly design that is actuated by an electric signal to open and close with no damping of any type.  He also has a 400 transmission, which makes for a unique set of problems.  Problems that will take unique methods to solve.  So far, Van has been allowing the trans to go through the two shifts, then go onto the throttle-stop.  This has resulted in times around 10.85 sec., but he only crosses the line at around 96 MPH.  With the current setup, Van feels that allowing the car to come on the stop right off the line, like most Powerglide cars, will result in a lot of wheel spin when the stop comes back in.  He is talking to several people to try to solve his problem.  The folks at Dedenbear have suggested a Shift Timer.  This will allow Van to come on the stop just out of the gate, and the 3-2 shift will occur while the car is on the stop, actuated by the shift timer, then come back in with minimum wheel spin.  This would result in a much higher speed at the finish line while running close to 10.90. He should be ready to test this new theory the next time out.  

During Van's last pass, around 9:10 pm on Weds. night, I really had a big scare.  The dew had started to settle on everything and just before the car went onto the stop, at about the 600 foot mark on the track, the car got real loose, but Van got out of it about the same time the stop came on, and he got the car under control.  That was the last pass of the night.  I was standing at the 1/8 mile marker. 

January 8, 2006 - Barbara and I will be traveling to Houston, TX for the Houston Auto Show at the end of the month.  The show is at Reliant Park and will run from Jan. 27th thru Feb. 4th.  We attended in 2006 and it was great!  We enjoyed all the new cars and especially the concept vehicles on display.  We got to see the new Ford Edge and the, yet to be released, new Camaro.  Can't wait to see what is in store for this year!  One of the first dates Barbara and I went on, back in 1985, was to a car show.  She won my heart when she demonstrated her knowledge of the cars and would jump in and test the cars before I could get into them!  She likes football too!  We were introduced at a Super Bowl party. 

My Grand Daughter, Catherine Holbert Underwood, just informed me that I will be a Great-Grand Father later this year!

January 6, 2007 - Happy New Year!  Another fine year of vacation, traveling and getting ready for another racing adventure!

The weather in Baton Rouge is more like Springtime than the middle of Winter.  We were in the 70's yesterday.  The wife and I just completed painting 4 rooms and doing the "Spring Cleaning" in a those areas and some of the other parts of the house.  With no car to work on, I am getting a lot of other things done. 

The two local tracks in our area opened this weekend.  I hear that Louisiana Raceway has been sold and is no longer a drag strip.  State Capitol Raceway, No Problem Raceway Park, Gulfport, MS, Evadale, TX, and Hattiesburg, MS are the most convenient tracks for Baton Rouge racers now.  Houston Raceway Park, Red River in Shreveport, LA and Monroe, LA tracks are not that much out of the way and we plan to visit all of these tracks during the year. 

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