The Pre-4th... Lot's of good things!

First and foremost...a big thank you and congrats to EVERYONE!!!

Line-ups went very smoothly, the pace laps were great, the transponder swap went quickly and tech was a breeze...

Three new faces in Victory Lane and plenty of action on the track.... however, also off of the track..... I just want to remind EVERYONE, we do not tolerate fighting in the pits...and although there was NOT any fighting, tempers were high. Our rules for fighting do not apply ONLY TO DRIVERS...drivers are responsible for their crew members as well as their own actions. Please make sure you let your crew members know that they can cause you to be penalized for their actions. Bottom line, something rules as a no-fault racing incident by the officials is not always taken that way from the other side of the fence. WE the officials will make the calls/penalize drivers for intentional rough riding...do not try to take matters into your own hands.

Now, for some tech talk... I have looked over the top 6-7 cars for the past two events and they all have been found legal by my inspection...however, I have looked over a few items thus far this year. This means that at the next event, we will be checking different items or maybe just some of the same items... Next event, ALL Big Cars in tech will be removing valve covers. I like to be fair, so I'm giving everyone PLENTY OF NOTICE HERE.......if something is found to be illegal, there will be no leniency.

The rules... I have found an issue with our rules, mainly the way drivers assumed they were being enforced.... I am not accepting the excuse, "That's how it was always done". We have a camber rule...1" of shims or a MAX of 5 degrees negative camber.... The rule is not 6 degrees....ANYTHING OVER 5 degrees is cheating and will result in a DQ. Vacuum...17" steady minimum...16 1/2 is not legal....and will not pass tech. We're 3 races in and we have a BIG race coming up next...you all have some homework that will take you only an HOUR over the next MONTH.

Homework:
Go over YOUR OWN car with a fine tooth comb...open the rule book and look everything over, make sure you are complying with the rules (Chapter 6 mainly). If you are ok, then so be it, you should be ok. If you notice anything looks questionable...QUESTION IT...question me...don't assume it will be acceptable.

This should not even take you an hour, but if you find a vacuum leak or your springs are not the same left-right, take the time to FIX IT!

You forgot to mention to EVERYONE to check their transponder holes! I seem to have issues with the same couple people every race so I want everyone to go over their holes to make sure that 1. the opening is wide enough...3 inches is the minimum but with a bigger hole there is more room for the signal to disburse. 2. The transponder should be completely parallel to the racing surface, not tilted...the best thing to do is install a Steel Bracket so it doesn't shake or rattle the whole time and lessens the chance of the transponder not being parallel to the racing surface (perpendicular to the vehicle floor). 3. the Transponder should be parallel to the side of the vehicle...depending on where your flap is you should be able to read the number from your seat or the passenger window, the number should not point to the front or the back of the vehicle. 4. The bottom of the transponder should be in line with the floor of the vehicle, not above...and finally 5. Make sure there is no metal (pipes, etc) underneath or extremely close to the transponder or it can cause an interference with the signal.


If you have any questions on this please do not hesitate to shoot me an email or call Joe and we would be happy to explain.

Yea lots of good things !!

Joe, please email me.....

I tried a couple of times.

Hey Joe
A little clarity on the 1" or 5 degrees. If a car has 1 inch or less shim and has more than 5degrees - camber. IS THAT CAR LEGAL ? Also the upper control arm mounting location has not been moved.What about a severly bent car like our Mazda? That may have more then 5 degrees . phil "fire obama"

Hey Phil. That was some great backwards driving, and lucky too. Do you have a third gear in reverse?

Poppop