Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Stock final qualifying courtesy Terry Knott...

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...43&oe=57D71881

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...67&oe=57CE53CC

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...36552081_o.jpg

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

I've made it home - unloaded the car and towed/pushed it in garage - and flipped on D3TV to see what's happening. Some sort of SG R1 downtime had just finished up when one of the next pair slid across the track into the wall at 7:35. Racing continued after a 50 minute cleanup. and ......finally at 9:00 pm SG R1 is finally done

Looks like SC R1 has been pushed to Sunday along with Comp and TS Q2.

This is about 60% through the previously announced schedule for today. Jets and fireworks are planned to cap off the night. Those watching D3TV can see the size of the crowd - not at all what you would expect for Norwalk.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pswblr73ux.jpg
It's gonna to be busy tomorrow. Terry & Michael - thanks for pitching in.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Some Photos from Fridays action.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

A few more. Matt Potts SS/GA is a beauty. Also The Winchester Corvette is a great looking car.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Here's the issue, #2 intake valve broke along with the spring. The head removal can wait till tomorrow. The head of the valve is now sitting in #6 intake port. Not good.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pss2zlvile.jpg

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Ugh!

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

The guy holding that clean white mop is Bill Bader Jr. Bill is the the #1 guy at SMP and very hands on. Bill was tending to the starting line during TD qualifying and earlier in the day he was also driving the Jet dryer. BTW, The starting line mops I see at most tracks never look that clean.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ps8talacri.jpg

Pit parking is always a popular discussion topic at any of these races. The paved side of the pits where stock and superstock park filled quickly on Thursday. Several racers that were parked by the Norwalk staff commented that they were given lots of extra room by the parking official and that room could have been used to fit more cars into the available spots.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psb3lvhbjv.jpg

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Aaand 7 hours after round one.... They call Pro Fuel Harley and Top Fuel Harley. Still waiting for R2 of stock and SS.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

It's 5pm and they're just running rd 1 of TS. Finishing Indy on FRIDAY here, not Thursday, was a stroke of genius. That's what I call value for your dollar. 2nd biggest points meet of the season and we cut it by at least half a day. I can only assume it cost money to rent the track an extra day, but I'm sure we'd spin it as "to help the racer" with vacation time. Watch, don't finish tonight and roll it to another one...

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

7 hrs!! Wow, that is bordering on the absurd...especially at a divisional. My round one loss isn't so painful now. It would be WAY worse to sit around for 8 hrs THEN lose round two.

One more absurd NHRA move from the weekend. I weighed my car Thurs after tech....3420 lbs (30lbs over min.)... after qualifying on Friday my car was again 3420 lbs...after 2nd round of qualifying on Sat. I was told I was UNDER weight at 3375 lbs. I didn't change a thing on my car. I questioned the tech official...guess what...he said they recalibrated the scales. I talked to at least 10 people who's weight varied 15-35 lbs. light on Saturday.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Welcome to division 3 Dan. Jay Hulinger knows how to treat his paying customers, don't you think? And they have lights there so they will run until finished tonight. I'm guessing.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

This is a major bummer. I have had this happen. Get ready to work and spend money.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Funny you mention this Terry. My car weighs 3340. After our Saturday pass my car weighed 3305 and I added 4 gallons of fuel prior to that lap. I guess you can add me to your list too.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

So great to see Rich Locker out there back at it! He is one of the guys who got me started in class racing!. If anyone has contact info for him can you PM me with it please. I would enjoy catching up with him again. Its been 20 years since we last raced out in Div7. Old photo from "Back in the Day"

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

For those that missed the final round in Stock on D3TV after 11:00 pm last night, it was one of those things you don’t see that often – an Autostart count-out. Bryan Merkle vs. Aaron Allison. Aaron lit the second bulb first – but the car must have rolled back out and the light flickered out just for a moment – and he pulled it back into the stage beam. In the other lane Bryan was meticulously inching his way into the second beam. I’m very sensitive to the Autostart 7 second timer because I like to slowly inch my way in just like Bryan. I know Bryan uses most of those 7 seconds. I started my count of Bryans’ time when Aaron’s light went back on. At my count of “5” - Bryans’ tree went red. The Autostart must have triggered to start when Aaron crept into the second stage beam the first time.

A tough break. And I’m sure it will make us all a little more conscious of those 7 seconds.

NORWALK, Ohio - Results of final, round 7 eliminations in Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, North Central Division, Cavalcade of Stars presented by Budweiser:

Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET-- Speed
395 Aaron Allison 37 Bryan Merkle
E7 ****WINNER**** 1.029 19.406 73.54 No Time
B/S Dial: 10.30 (+/-): 9.106 B/SA Dial: 10.64 (+/-): 89.359
Prior rounds:
E6 (B Zaskowski ) 0.065 10.343 0.013 (D Fletcher ) 0.028 10.665 0.025
E5 (S Novosel ) 3.154 10.984 0.684 Bye 0.088 10.761 0.041
E4 (C Beach ) 0.027 10.318 -0.012 (B Wenzel Sr ) -0.017 10.715 0.075
E3 (G Stone ) 0.008 10.470 0.140 (C Marshall ) 0.000 10.654 -0.016
E2 (E Campolito ) 0.002 10.390 0.020 (C Weber ) 0.058 10.740 0.050
E1 (D Kincaid ) 0.005 10.451 0.021 (K Sepanek ) 0.038 10.674 0.024

Qualified: #15 10.324 -0.876 #85 10.775 -0.475

NOTE: Actual lanes not known. Winner listed first. Merkle did not make a pass.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Mike,
I can't believe you posted a picture of your intake port on the internet.

LOL

See you at the races,
Wayne Kerr

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

Between figuring the change in scales and the wind, it was definitely tough to dial. The schedule was like putting 10 lbs. of ---- in a 5 lb. bag. All in all, it was still a good time.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

As far as I know, NHRA uses 10 seconds as the timeout limit. The rulebook doesn't mention it, and below is the most recent available public statement about it from 2005:

http://sportsman.nhra.com/content/sp...2564&zoneid=85

I am also a slow stager but I've never had a problem with it. There have been times where I got worried and took a couple bigger bumps.

In cases like this where the 3rd bulb was lit and then went back out, that's just a difficult circumstance.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

I saw This also Mike. But Allison Also did same thing to the red camaro Of Novosel a round earlier. Bryan Has staged the same way all of Friday for the finish of the Indy Race, where he made it down to Three cars. He was also fine for several rounds of the Norwalk Race to make it to the final.

I just Now Was told that When The second Bulb is light, Even for a split second, that auto start is activated. Even If they Back out of the beam and turn the second bulb off. The way to Stop this would be to pre stage and stage first before the other car lights the second light and backs out.

I like a level playing field and to be timed out for what bryan had been doing all weekend is not right.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

The D3TV Sunday Late Night Video has been posted and you can watch exactly what happened in the Stock final. This is the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjI1ARRVlw8


The Final can be found at time mark 2:41.00
The Novosel run at 1:35.00

Tony – you are correct – it’s 10 seconds for the Autostart countout.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

It looks to me like, in the final, Allison's stage bulb first lit at 2:41:35, then went out, then came on for good at 2:41:39. Merkle's red light came on at 2:41:45. It seems that he should have had 4 more seconds, until 2:41:49.

In the round against Novosel, Allison's stage bulb came on at 1:35:30, and Novosel was red-lit at 1:35:41. It seems there was the full 10 seconds here.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

I believe the clock starts when three bulbs are on and does not reset if it goes back to only top bulbs lit. It looks like it was set on 10 second for automatic red. I could be wrong.

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

I believe this is correct. I have seen the car that originally flickered the bulb get timed out before in this exact same scenario. Actually, he unintentionally double bulbed and backed out of stage...but the opponent was already pre-staged and bumping in so by the time the original "staged" car got his RPM's to where he wanted and started bumping, the red came on in his lane (about 10 seconds from his original staging snafu).

Re: LIVE from Summit Motorsports Park - D3 LODRS
 

There is a "Staged Minimum" setting in Autostart (typically 0.6-0.7) that prevents Autostart from being activated by just a bare flicker. If there are two pre-stage bulbs lit and one of the Stage bulbs is lit for more than the Stage Minimum time, then Autostart is active (and it does not reset if a car backs out).

Both instances were legitimate timeout redlights.