FB... and I dont mean Flubber Blubber...

 

The Holly 350 Carburetor

So many of you have been asking... "what is this FB thing all about?" Today, your question will be answered!

1999 - A year of Mechanical nightmares. The year that made us say goodbye to the Mouse and hello to the Mule by the end of the season. 

We lost 6 or 7 motors that year. Well, to say we lost the motors is a little strong, more like we spun bearings that many times. Apparently the manufacturer who made the bearings changed something in thier composition without telling anyone and as they had always performed well in the past, The Wizzard kept using them until he figured out it was a manufacturing error. By that time though, everyone had had enough with pulling the motor out every other race. the 1600cc Mouse motor was a high revving screamer to be sure, but it was getting just too expensive to run.  

When we could keep the motor together though, we were starting to become kind of racy. Top 5 runs were becoming more frequent and our confidence grew weekly. We were never ones to want to do much of the "smart guy" work on the car, so we did what turned out to be the smartest thing we ever have done... We started taking the car to Roger Habich. Roger knows racing like the back of his hand and is quite possibly one of the smartest guys I know. With Roger working with us on chassis and set-up and the Wizzard building motors, it was only a matter of time before we get that first win.

Which leads me to the cliffhanger... Scott is out there driving his butt off and finds himself in the lead for the first time in our racing career. The 98 track champion and current points leader was behind him, giving him all the pressure he could handle, but he was cool as a cucumber out there, driving it like he had led a million laps before. They go into turn 1 nose to tail when suddenly in the middle of the turn, the car takes a violent turn to the left and comes to rest sideways in the grass. They display the black flag to the other driver and put him to the rear of the field as the tow truck comes out and pulls us back to the pits. I ask Scott what is wrong as there is no damage to the car and he says that it just wont start. 

So they bring him back and we lift the hood and see nothing really amiss until we remove the air cleaner... On a standard racecar, there are many parts which make it run, but few are as important to the mix as the Carburetor. The standard carb required by the class back them was the Holley 350 2bbl. Classic in its design, it has been used for decades on vehicles of all kinds.

Now, on the carb are a few important items, one of them is the metering block, the other is the... ::::Drum roll please::: Float Bowl. The Float Bowl and metering block attach to the main body of the Carb via 4 bolts. Now, as a racecar vibrates, things tend to become loose and when screws get loose, parts fall off. Upon removal of the air cleaner, we see the carb body, the metering block (miraculously still fastened to the body) but no Float Bowl. Going into turn one, the screws finally had enough and removed themselves from thier threads. this allowed the Float Bowl to fall off and of course, stopped delivering fuel to the motor. Well, as you can imagine, once the car used up the fuel that was left in the metering block, it died. There was nothing the guy behind us could do but run into our bumper and spin us around. As it clanked around the fuel line broke and it made its way out of the engine compartment. To be honest, I was more than a little shocked we didnt have a fire with all that fuel shooting out into open air.

From that day forward, EVERY nut and bolt on the car got a wrench put on it Every week. It's a practice we continue to this day, just as any other good race team does. We finished 9th in points that year, but it was to be the lowest finish we would ever have again...

Next up, 2000... Close, but no cigar... yet...

P.S. We never did find that Float Bowl... we even walked the corner to see if it was there... maybe the track ate it!   

 

Hot, Hot, Hot

Did I mention it was Hot Saturday???

Holy smokes, the Mercury must have been tipping 90 degrees on the asphalt as we ventured out on the the 5/8 oval for the first time this year. We arrived at the track about 12:15 anticipating a log jam getting in and finding a pit stall and boy were we glad we did! Picking a spot at the entrance to pit road made me appreciate the short walk I normally have to the stands to spot. Once we got in and set up the pits, out went the trailer and truck and then began the sitting around in the sun until 1st practice at 3:15. Scott wheeled the car out to scuff in the race tires for a few laps and then we went out on the practice set for the rest of the session, which was a good thing, because the left rear race tire had a hole in it! I am certainly glad we found that before the race...

We missed the 2nd session dealing with the tire issue and the fact that our practice set had so many laps on them that they weren't really helping us learn much. We didn't qualify very well and had to start at the rear of the main, but in retrospect, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing! The temp had cooled to a balmy 85 or so by race time and by then we were all anxious to get out there and get laps in under race conditions. I mean, you can practice for hundreds of laps, but until you actually get out there and start rubbing doors, it's hard to know just how much you need to push the car.

On lap 2, one of the cars lost a tire and slammed into the turn 4 wall, bringing out a red to fix it. The wall made it... unfortunately the car didn't and they had to put it on the rollback to get it back to the pits. When we got back under green, we were able to hold our own, passing a car or two, but something just wasn't right and Scott was having a difficult time getting back to the throttle without the car wanting to slip out from under him. This lead to us going a lap down around lap 36, but we weren't the only ones... the lead pack of 4 cars were on absolute fire and it was amazing to see how well they were running.

About lap 52, 3 cars got together on the front stretch, bringing out another long caution. By now, Scott had settled into a groove and was driving the car as fast as it would go and stay out of the wall. As the laps wound down, we discovered a little something that should make us much faster and more competitive the next time around. I'd tell you what it was, but I'd have to silence you after!

In the end, we started 17th and finished 12th. Not our best finish of the year, but for his first start on the big track, not too bad either. The car is straight and nothing mechanical broke, so it should be a somewhat light week at the race shop. Scott is already looking forward to getting back out there on the 26th as well as our next race on the 3/8, which is on the 12th.

Later this week, I will unlock the mystery of FB... I know you are all waiting with baited breath!  

Another wild night at the track

Well... it was another strange night out at Evergreen.

It was hot and muggy for the nights races. After the lesson learned the week before, the Hot Rod was skinned up with new rubber and we were looking to recapture the magic of three weeks earlier when we lead the first 13 laps of the race. Unfortunately, the car was a little tight all day. We tried a few tweaks here and there before heading out for the heat race and nothing seemed to be working. Well, when all else fails, break out the wrenches! A couple of degrees here, a turn of bite out there and we were ready for the main.

A short aside... During the autograph session, Scott Whitmore of the Everett Herald (read his blog here: http://www.heraldnet.com/section/BLOG25 ) came by and chatted with us and during the course of the conversation he asked Scott how he thought he would do. Scott answered "I anticipate getting our best finish of the season tonight, which would mean 7th." I never knew LaCrash to be a clairvoyant, but I'm begining to think he is.

We started the main 11th, which is a little strange to us as that is an Inside row starting spot. It seems like we end up on the outside of dang near every start and restart this year for some reason. There was a full restart as the guys up front ended up 4 wide and and 1 car ended up having to driving off the track onto the 5/8ths to avoid getting in a wreck. This was the 1st wreck of the evening that we had to avoid... and not the last by far. It seemed like we were directly behind just about every caution this week, swerving or sliding to avoid getting into it. And while we didnt come away completely unscathed (left front fender will need some love this week) we are not looking at doing a major amount of body work this week.

Anyhow, Scott drove the car to its limit and while it was good, it just wasnt right there where it needed to be. Add to this the incident where a car got into us, got us sideways and then drove over the left rear (Totally one of those racing deals btw... That particular driver is one of the cleanest around so we knew it wasnt intentional.) Shockingly enough, the quarter panel didnt get destroyed and it all adds up to a pretty ill handling car by the end of the night.  With about 3 laps to go, the leader spun and brought out the final of what seemed like a half dozen cautions. With a green/white/checkered finish in store, we restarted in 8th place and were able to work into 7th when the checkers flew. Everyone was pleased with our performance for the most part and of course we were all excited that our good buddy Jeff Knight got his first win! 

I want to take a moment here to thank Trevor Hall for coming out and giving us a hand this weekend. When Fred called us Saturday morning to let us know he wasnt going to make it, we jumped on the chance to have Trevor come crew for us and he did not dissapoint. Next time you are going to come hang with us Trev, let us know and you can pick out one of the pizzas!

Next up, the "Superspeedway of the Northwest" the 5/8ths oval for Mid Season Championship night, this Saturday. There is lots to do to prepare for this race, so the next installment of the history of Team LaCross may have to wait a little bit.

Also, there is still 1/2 of a season to go and we are currently looking for companies and/or individuals who would like to take advantage of a great marketing oportunity with Team LaCross. If you know of anyone who might be up for some prime signage on one of the best looking cars at Evergreen, let us know! NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in America and for a very affordable amount, You or your company will benefit from being seen weekly by potential customers of every demographic and age group. Put that together with PA announcements, distribution of your literature and/or swag (keychains, pens, t-shirts, antenna balls or whatever you might like to provide) during trackside weekly autograph sessions and of course mention of you or your business during radio/newspaper interviews and you can see that there is a definate "Bang for your buck" that few advertising opportunities can provide at this investment level.

Thanks for stopping by and we will see you at the track!

Humble beginings...

1998... The birth of Team LaCross

The year that we Purchased the 1996 championship car from Steve Green. In 1997, LaCrash and Harrision purchased an old Rabbit mini stock and split time in it, learning the game. H driving conservatively and LaCrash earning his nickname by providing us with ample opportunities to hone our body work skills. We also learned a lesson that was expensive to be sure... Always tighten the carb stud nut! That first year we kind of waded through, finishing 19th in the points but laying the ground work for what was to come.

Come the start of the 1998 season, we came out for the first practice, car painted up all pretty, ready to set the world on fire and ::smack::: right into the turn 4 wall. I still have the chunk of bondo that was filling up the old gas filler door hanging in our race shop to this day as a little reminder of how it all came to be.

We took the car home, fixed it up and hit the track running. Back then, the Team consisted of Scott, Peter, Doug, Bob and Myself. We were all pretty new to this racing thing and very green when it came to the comittment it took to prepare a car. Friday nights at the Paragon often resulted in Saturdays spent popping tylenol instead of doing the things necessary to win races. Through it all, we kept at it and by the end of the season, we had improved to a finishing position of 8th in final standings. Not too bad for a bunch of guys who started the season not knowing what tire pressures, cross weights and ride height could really mean to the performance of a race car!

By now, we now were understanding what it takes to compete, although we were still young guys out having a good time. The team pretty much had a regular routine of Friday nights having a few Pops, Saturday at the track and Sunday recharging. Everyone was looking forward to 1999 and a run at the championship. This all came to a crashing halt after 2 words entered our vocabulary that were to shape the way we do things to this very day... which will be a part of our next post... but I'll give you a hint to what those words are...

FB

 

Sometimes, just being there is a victory

So it was another fine January night at Evergreen Speedway. A fine mist/drizzle filled the air, cool temps were the word of the day and the sky was a dreary Grey color.... Oh wait, Its JUNE!!!!

Yeah, the coldest June in recorded history in our little slice of America has greeted us so far. We arrived at the track about 4:30 and waited outside the back gate, anticipating rain but getting just enough drizzle to make the track a little slick, but not quite enough for them to call the race.

A word: Used tires stink! The grand experiment of saving a little cash by using last week's tires was both a miserable failure and a valuable learning experience... The Hot Rod was terrible most of the night, skating around and threatening to go around smacking into things like Tonya Harding. These are things that you learn when you are new to a series.

During Qualifying, the car snapped loose on our 2nd lap, resulting in our worst effort of the year. However, we did impress all involved when Scott was able to execute a spin & drive away move that Jim Rockford would have been proud of! During the heat race, more of the same, but this time off the track into the wet grass we went, car a little dirty, but unharmed.

Rain + old used up asphalt = Cars spinning on the pace laps. No less than 3 cars did slow spins as the drizzle returned. It was determined that the Mini stocks would run their main first, drying the track for us, much to the displeasure of the guys and gals who were not expecting to run their main until later in the night and were still repairing/tuning their cars.

By the time the main rolled around, it was determined that we should just go out and bring back the car in one piece. I made a couple of adjustments to make the car a little more stable on terrible tires, but it was obvious from the start that Scott just couldn't put the car where he wanted to with any confidence that it would stay there. We pedaled around, trying to bring it home and made one more off track mud bog trip, which made a mess of the airbox, but nothing we cant fix easily. Unfortunately, some guys didn't make it out so easily. The final 2 laps took about 25 minutes to run as several cars wrecked on the restarts.

We finished 12th... a step backwards to be sure, but as the title of this post indicates, every cloud has a silver lining. By just being there and racing, we have moved up a position in the championship standings. We are now firmly in the top ten in 8th place! 27 points separate us from the guys running tied for 6th and only 44 from the guys tied for 4th! It may seem like a lot to make up with our point structure, but if we keep improving and someone has a bad night here or there, who knows how this thing could shake out. I look back at the first couple of races this season, races that we could have performed better at if I had been a little more proactive in replacing a few items that turned out to be a huge deal in the performance of the car and we could definitely be nipping a lot closer to the heels of the top 5. 

We have this weekend off then one more 3/8ths race until we have a run at the big 5/8ths oval. We know the 3/8ths... we have won multiple championships on it... but the big track will be a new experience for Scott and we are all excited to see how we do!

Stay tuned for a new series coming up... Team LaCross, the history! 

Ooooh, look at the fast car Mommy!

Well, I gotta tell ya, it was one heck of a breakthrough weekend for good Ole’ Team LaCross.

Sometimes in racing it’s all about numbers… Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad, sometimes you just toss your hands in the air and wonder why

18.096 – 12 – 1 – 13 – 17.822 – 8 – 9 – 1/8 – 3

18.096 – Our Qualifying time this week. 2/10ths faster than we have gone before. At this rate, we should be hitting the 4’s sometime soon… Heh

12 – Our qualifying position. I’ve got to figure out a way to get a qualifying set up in the car that Crash can drive into the 17’s. This, by the way just happened to be the invert for this week’s race, which leads us to…

1 – Our starting position for the main. The first pole position start for us in a Late Model. It is also the first pole start for us in I don’t know how many years, because in the Mini’s we ALWAYS started in the back due to either our points position or from a top three the week before (in the Mini stock class, there is a full field invert every week, which is dictated by championship points position)

13 – Laps led. For the first 8 laps, Crash drove away from the field. It was awesome to see him driving that car out front, leading 2^nd by upwards of 12 car lengths. It reminded me of the old days when we would slice through the field in the Scirocco then run away from the field and tool around the track like it was a Sunday test session.

17.822 – Scott’s fastest race lap. Also Scott’s fastest time lap to date! This is where we need to be to stay competitive. It really made me happy to pop onto MyLaps.com yesterday and see that number. We now have confirmation that the car is definitely capable of running those numbers and faster and we know the driver can click those numbers off too!

8 – Practice laps total for the day. Unfortunately, we wanted to scuff in our qualifying tires and did not have a swift enough tire change back to the practice hoops to get in any quality laps to really tune the car. However, what we were able to learn in the heat race was what gave us reason to make a couple of small changes that really paid off for the main event. This was also our finishing position in the race. The track was unusually dirty Sat night and that led to a slight off track excursion while running in 2^nd around the 15^th lap or so. We dropped from 2^nd to 16^th as Scott did a great job driving down the dirt off of the back stretch and avoided crashing or spinning the car, staying on the lead lap! I was pretty happy that he was able to race his way back into the top 10, all the while constantly having to restart after the many yellows on the outside, in the aforementioned mess of a groove.

9 – The track has not updated the points as of this writing, but if my estimates are correct, this should be our current position in the championship point standings.

1/8 – The amount in inches of dirt that was in the 2^nd and 3^rd groove of the track. Memorial Day weekend was the monster truck extravaganza and I don’t think they did a very good job of getting the track cleaned up. That and the addition of a “drifting” exhibition which of course left copious amounts of rubber all over the place. The real stinker is that Scott said he felt the car would have been pretty good up in the 2^nd groove had the track condition not been more suited to 420 sprinters at Skagit instead of Asphalt late models.

3 – As in Turn 3… the turn that Scott was returning to the track in after another short grass mowing session (3 wide just doesn’t work out there… lol) When a car spun directly in front of him, causing us to have to Frankenstein the left front fender back together for this week’s race. I gotta tell ya, the hot rod came out of that pretty good all things considered. The hood is fine, bumper is good and the fender will pass for now with some tin, rivets and stickers. Just don’t look too close at the autograph session this week!

Over all, even though we didn’t get that first top 5 this week, we were all pretty thrilled about the day’s progress. We had a top 5 car easily, now we need to build on it and see this through to a successful season with the goals of a top 5 race finish and top 10 points finish as the carrot on the end of the stick. I’ve determined that the Hot Rod is not just a good old car… it’s a GREAT old car with a lot of fast times ahead of it… As for the driver, well watching him race this weekend tells me that the rust is now completely shaken off and he is ready to go out there and show them all that we aren’t there to pedal around… we are there to try to win!

P.S. I want to put a special shout out to our large and voiciferous cheering section. With most of Scott's family in the crowd, we all expected a good amount of cheering, but the noise wasnt just coming from the LaCross seating area! Harrison said he could hear you all cheering all the way down in our pits in the middle of turns 3 & 4 on the 5/8ths. Thanks again for being our fans and being LOUD! You dont know how great it makes us all feel to know that you are rooting us on!

it was a GOOD weekend...

Stay tuned for an update!