Track Prep?

[RacinDuallie]

Due to the past events that we've had, I'm concerned about the poor track prep that has been given. Are the promoters that put together these events not worried about this?:ugh: What's it gonna take to get a nicely prepped track? And also some additional prep work between rounds when there's a break- or lull in the racin? I don't want to see or hear about one of us wreckin a rig or worse.....:rules:

Anyone else have these same concerns?:dead-horse-fast2:

[DavidTD]

Due to the past events that we've had, I'm concerned about the poor track prep that has been given. Are the promoters that put together these events not worried about this?:ugh: What's it gonna take to get a nicely prepped track? And also some additional prep work between rounds when there's a break- or lull in the racin? I don't want to see or hear about one of us wreckin a rig or worse.....:rules:

Anyone else have these same concerns?:dead-horse-fast2:

I actually have seen pretty decent prep at most of the big races. Just like Indy last year, this year at Bowling Green was more due to weather (heat) than lack of prep.

I don't know if they cleaned the track during the day, or blew it off, but the track was instructed by Dennis to keep it as good as they could regardless of cost.

Hot tracks create problems for racers at all levels as you know and I think many are quick to blame the surface rather than look at how they can change the set-up on their race car to adjust for it.

Just part of racing as far as I am concerned.

[Timbeaux]

Well said David. It is always easy to blame the track

[RacinDuallie]

I hear ya there and agree to a point.... Soot on the track causes the setup to be nonexistent.... amplified more with a hot greasy track condition.... Plus knowing how to launch when conditions like this are less than favorable

[Fletcher]

I actually have seen pretty decent prep at most of the big races. Just like Indy last year, this year at Bowling Green was more due to weather (heat) than lack of prep.

I don't know if they cleaned the track during the day, or blew it off, but the track was instructed by Dennis to keep it as good as they could regardless of cost.

Hot tracks create problems for racers at all levels as you know and I think many are quick to blame the surface rather than look at how they can change the set-up on their race car to adjust for it.

Just part of racing as far as I am concerned.

I heard that a DMAX did an all time best run at 10.8 ????

[spooledup]

I talked to a DHRA offical at Indy last year about the lack of track prep. He said it was due to the $ amount it was not worth it due to the heat. I could be wrong but I think they only preped the track once on Sat. and once on Sun.

[Amish Elegance]

Last year at indy, I shot the track with an IR gun... 140+ Track temps. That was before the full heat of the day. I dont think you could lay down enough VHT, at those temps it'd all go to snot.

From the ambient temp and the sun in the pictures, I'd bet it was close to that at BG.

Yeah Fletcher, Buck put a dmax into the tens on the slick track. :ylsuper: Even took home the event trophy! See if he chimes in about that honkin charger he's got that put him there. LOL I'd like to see some vid of his run. Hint Hint. :smileglasses:

[DavidTD]

The soot causing traction issues has been a common statement. One that really concerns me too.

I think we should investigate this because if it's true, we will quickly see diesel's banned from tracks unless it's a diesel only event. The Gas racers will use it for every reason why they didn't nail their best 60 foot ever at a track.

The one thing that makes me think soot isn't an issue is because we have been at too many tracks over the years when the hook was there... all day.

But it should be looked into... quietly. :1tooth:

[RacinDuallie]

The soot causing traction issues has been a common statement. One that really concerns me too.

I think we should investigate this because if it's true, we will quickly see diesel's banned from tracks unless it's a diesel only event. The Gas racers will use it for every reason why they didn't nail their best 60 foot ever at a track.


But it should be looked into... quietly. :1tooth:



So true David- I've even heard the same statement up here by the gasser crybabies.... was even a threat of a protest against me runnin.....:dead-horse-fast2:

[MOMBENZ]

Due to the past events that we've had, I'm concerned about the poor track prep that has been given. Are the promoters that put together these events not worried about this?:ugh: What's it gonna take to get a nicely prepped track? And also some additional prep work between rounds when there's a break- or lull in the racin? I don't want to see or hear about one of us wreckin a rig or worse.....:rules:

Anyone else have these same concerns?:dead-horse-fast2:

We've been to several tracks and there seems to be a couple of common denominator to tear up the track.

One is heat.

The other is 4x4 trucks with big street tires destroy the track, after the prepping. When we run and there are no trucks with big street tires, there are not problems with the track.

From DJ :evil

[turbothom]

I think DJ is more on to it. 4X4 trucks more than soot is the issue. And as far as gassers crying, who want's to have their lunch pail handed to them by a diesel?

On a hot, greasy track, as heavy as these trucks are, a 4X4 is going to tear up the track and put a 2 wheel drive on the trailer every time. Jeff's last run at BG will show you that. At half track, Buck was on and the 2 wheel drive broke lose. Just like Keating, let off or tear the truck up.

I really don't think soot is an issue. David is right about one thing, when the track changes conditions, you have to change with it. What we have to do is run enough, so that we know when a pound of air in, or 2 lbs out is what's needed. All the HP in the world, don't matter, if it ain't put to the track, sticking to the track, that is.

But 2 wheel drive against' 4 wheel is another problem. All terrain tires is another issue, still.

..Preston..

[Bye Now]

Beech Bend Raceway Park just redid their track this Spring so esesentially these guys were running on a new track. I know for a fact that Dennis had that track prepped to the best conditions possible. I know I paid the track prep bill :bigsmile:

Sheila

[turbothom]

To much power for the conditions, and 2 wheel drive. We still gotta learn to drive these trucks. I know there has to be a trick.

..PrestonL..

[chevyguy]

There was plenty of money spent by laying the VHT down for proper track setup. If I am not mistaken someone almost packed the front tires. The 97' chevy with the 12 cylinder didn't have problems and he was in 2wd making I am sure alot of HP.

[massdiesel]

Guys the soot comment is BS just like david said.I have been racing these tracks for instance Beech Bend 4 weeks ago in 1000 h.p mustangs and the track was slick with the heat then.They can only do so much at these tracks with prep and VHT.Alot has to do with the vehicle being raced and chassis tunings.Are the 4wd with street tires hurting yes they pull rubber away for us 2wd but oh well.Can a 4wd and a 2wd run in a final like beech bend yes.When everyone gets the hang of good old chassis tuning

[Dustin_Bentz]

When we ran that 7 second pass in Pomona at the World Finals, people were actually blaming us for Whit Bazemore ( I think that's who it was) losing the race after we ran. That is total BS because about 8-10 other pairs of cars ran after us. Ah well...

Regarding Indy last year, I'm not sure any amount of VHT was going to help us, especially if the track was 140 degrees. That is HOTTTT! Talk about greaseville!

[THATpreston]

Greg disagrees about the soot....

http://turbodieselregister.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1531013&postcount=20

[COMP461]

The track temp was in excess on 140 most of the day, I know that Dennis spent a good deal on track prep. However, temp was the major factor, the soot is another, I believe we need to direct smoke up, even ones like mine that face back should be pointed up. I would like to see these events be an evening race, or earlier or later in the year.
We were finding the track, and being cautious about applying power to the starting line. The problem was not the starting line but about 100 to 300 feet down the track, and then the big end. On a drag racing chassis, when you “get up on tires”, they grow and only put a few inches on the track on the big end , this causes the cars to become very loose , or “on the marbles “ , this is where you must work the shocks to keep the tire in contact with the track. .
I’m sure in two more passes we could have turned up the starting line power, and got down to a 20, or even a high teen 60 foot. The rest of the track was marginal, if we could have keep the car stuck, would have yielded some great times, but time was a factor.

[THATpreston]

How much of the traction issue was due to the resurface? How long does it take a track to get a good coat of rubber back down before its sticky again?

[turbothom]

There again Lenny, I think we're back to the issue of the 4X4 pulling the rubber up. Slicks have the surface to lay rubber down and the Street tires pull it up. When you have a 4X4 hopping down the track, you are going to have the tire spinning some, that will cause some bounce and up comes the rubber, and anything else that was meant to prepare the track.

A tire like Darren runs is not the problem, the street tires are.

That's what I think anyway.

..Preston..

[DavidTD]

A few years ago we ran Rockingham and were the first race after a complete resurface. It was the best hooking track we ran on that year. So good in fact, Jeff broke his 1st input shaft then, and I ran my best ever 60 foot and 1/4 mile passes in the Dakota. Maybe we were lucky, who knows.

In Atlanta last year I thought the track was doing great until I read where Eric McBride said on one of these boards the surface was not good. At this event, I had the Mopar NHRA Pro Stock team running and all 4 cars mirrored their times from the earlier in the year NHRA Southern Nationals. So in that case, I had to assume it wasn't a track issue, but a car/setup issue for McBride.

I've raced Bradenton in April and had a good track only to return in August in the summer heat and have issues with traction.

When Jeff first built is modified, the exhaust dumped to the ground in front of the axle. I expected a hugh traction problem because if the soot. He had none, but it didn't look cool with this huge black cloud bellowing out from under the rear of the truck. LOL

I'd still like to see some "test" done with the soot but so far in the limited stuff we have done, I have not seen it hamper traction. And I hope that is the case, otherwise we will not be welcome to race at tracks with others. If soot is an issue, it won't matter if it's pointed up or not as it will all fall to the ground anyway.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

[Timbeaux]

I think the soot may AID in traction.... It sure as hell sticks to my paint and to your butt if you are unfortunate enough to sit on the tailgate of a truck with stacks LOL

[RacinDuallie]

I for one would like to see this mystical theory hashed out, as we plan to run the new truck at some of the NHRA National Events in our area, in Comp.....

[touch racing]

I found this on the US 131 Motorsports Park website.
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STREET TIRES
There are three main tires used on a drag strip; street, drag radials, and slicks. Street tires are not designed for burnouts because it superheats them thereby providing poor traction. The recommendation for a street tire is to go AROUND the water box and accelerate hard to the starting line to remove any debris off the tires. Street tires also remove the traction compound, VHT or VP, unlike slicks and a few drag radials that put down rubber. The inherit conflict/problems is that racers do not remove the debris off their tires by accelerating hard to the starting line and then rip up the VHT creating poor track conditions.
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Just food for thought.

[turbothom]

Sounds good, and I believe.. I believe, yes I do. All-terrain tires,in my way af thinking, do not belong on a strip. They carry to much muck on the track and they do remove the track surface. The sticky, not the asphalt.

..PrestonL..