Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Again guys, thanks for the kind words. I have to say Doug is doing a great job with his photos, as you can see his stuff puts mine to shame.

Good morning everyone, the weather is not as cool as it was for Stock this morning. I don't see anyone picking up with crazy numbers expect for those who were holding back for round one of class. Temperature right now is 69. The just called Super Stock to the lanes.

I hope to have photos and names for Stock tear down later today.


Some more Stock photos.....

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Cars that are in the barn now, there will be 12, this is the first shift.

FS/K Bill Dyer, 10 Mustang
U/SA Brian Seaburg, '72 Comet
D/SA Randi Lyn Shipp, '67 Firebird
C/SA Bobby Brannon, '15 Camaro
D/SA Bruce Gibson, '71 Demon
G/SA Phil Mandella Jr. '69 Chevelle

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Im with D/SA Bruce Gibson, we're not in there yet. We go at 1 pm.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Can someone get a pic of bill jenkins 73 apallo for me? I have been debating on painting my 74 nova white with black vinyl top his are those colors..

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I seriously have to question a selection process that picks a car qualified # 126 to show me a piston and rod. It's a fine car and runs well but it's not even on my radar. When one car and combination outshines other cars of the same combination by two or three tenths --- that's the one I want to see and I'm sure the eliminated racers that feel they have left no stone unturned are more than a little curious too. On the flip side of that , when you're that fast guy that gets picked and passes tear down , what a great feeling it has to be to know all the naysayers are saying "well I'll be damned"

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I would have to agree.. Unless there are 10 of the exact same combo and one happens to be .3 faster than the rest and still ends up #126 I don't see any purpose to that man being torn down with so many others deserving it more.. I get even some of the non qualified cars could be cheating, but most of us aren't concerned with the guy the can't get in currently... we want to see the guys that are absolutely killing it prove they are in fact legal..


Also, what came of this "Cylinder head scanner"? seemed to be a lot of theories as to what its purpose would be and haven't heard anything about it even being on site.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I guessing the Black Cobra Jet is Ronzello or Downing? Not familiar enough with their cars to know.. But Bongiovanni I believe is red and white... no?

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I believe that is Don Carson.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Ronzello is driving a white hardtop CJ this year.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

So not one but two of the first six in the barn are from the bottom 8 qualifiers if this guess is correct.. neither one even being a finalist in their respective class... seems productive...

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I don't really agree with that, just because you aren't the fastest car in a said combo, it doesn't mean you haven't "bent" the rules to get where you are at

I have heard people in conversation say " I could run dome pistons and they wouldn't check me because I'm so slow" I feel teardown across the qualifying sheet from the top to the.bottom keeps everyone honest.

Everyone knows how much it costs to build a competetive class car. It would be much cheaper to build a car if you didn't follow the rules. It keeps everyone honest. Nascar pulls cars that finish out of the top 20 to go to the R&D center for the same reason.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I wonder how they determine who gets torn down. Do they draw numbers out of a hat? I agree that the tear downs should be coming from the top of the order. Just make sense to look at the faster class winners and top qualifiers.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Surely nobody would do something untoward just to sneak into the eliminator under the radar...

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Anyone from 1 to 128 could shut someone else out with an illegal Car.
Your spot on the sheet do not matter.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Randi Lynn Shipp was just apart about three years ago if my old brain serves me right. They need to pick on others who have never been apart.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

The second string is in the barn, but I did not get a chance to get all the names. The number 1 qualifier is in the barn. This has not been confirmed by tech, but Bobby Brannon was bounced, they did not like the marks in the top of the pistons. The valves hit the top of the pistons, very light marks, but they said no go. All other components checked out okay.

I'l back later with more updates on tear down.

https://youtu.be/HR5wShOWGgQ

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

The Carson and D’moreon car is pulling a rod and piston....karma...

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Teardown PM session so far:
Corey Hopkins
Marcus Widuch
Mike Moller
Bruce Gibson

Seaburg, Carson and Randi Lyn were still around from this morning's session.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Now that they bounced Brannon one would only assume Jason Line would get an invite to be checked as well? Seems to me if The winner got bounced in your class you couldn't just inherit the win without also being checked.. but again they're only checking 12 guys so why would it matter I guess..

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

That's why they make the rules and we have to live by them. What you think makes no difference to them.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

True but the fast cars have a distinct advantage in a heads up situation that the lower qualified "Slow " car does not have.

Over the past few years there have been no cars found to be illegal or bending the rules at Indy. Even the really fast cars. I doubt they will find much this year either. They are tearing down less than 10% of the qualifiers And I don't believe there is many that are flagrantly bending the rules at least not at Indy where they do actually tear some of the cars down. We will see this year with Wesley there checking things.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Anyone get tossed ?

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Yep. It's Indy. Somebody could slip a hot cam into a stocker and hold back on the pedal to qualify low. Then under dial and work the stripe during eliminations. Bracket racers hold back all the time. You'd have to dump the final, though.


BTW There seems to be no order to the first batch in the barn. Three are from the top 10, two from the middle and one from the bottom. There are 95 cars running a full second under. Check them all.



Seaburg is running far better than his last two National/Lucas Oil races. That could red flag him.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Yes, it's Indy - Run what you brung and hope you brung enough.

Brian has been to the barn before and passed. I see no reason that he won't pass this time.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Are they using the Digital Scanner?

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

In car video of first round win in my FS/G CobraJet
https://www.youtube.com/embed/wa_1gHaaxdU

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Scanning will only be used to check the Factory Shootout cars.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

We could have guessed that !

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Other than Factory stock did you REALLY think so !!!!!!!!!

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

LOL..................I'm laughing my butt off over that question ! Only one that I have heard of but have to wait and see to be sure.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Alright, we get it! NHRA sucks, Stock eliminator sucks and it was so much better 30 years ago, everybody is cheating, etc.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

You may be laughing but two are already out from what I’ve heard and the tech guys are doing a pretty good job getting involved with getting this deal straightened out going forward. It actually looks like the tech personnel care about the classes and I’m glad to see it.

Rumor alert from connected tech people: the 1.20 rule will be back in play next year. If you wanted to show off your stuff at Indy with no penalty, this might’ve been the final year for that.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Thanks Nick, I couldn't have set it better myself.


On another note as this is a live from thread and not lets bash NHRA every chance we get. Gary Summers is out as his head was incorrect for his combo. So that is two cars out Summers and Brannon.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Have to start sometime.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

3 class wins for JRP.
FS/B Jim Ronzello
FS/E Charlie Downing
FS/G George Wright

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Ken are you able to elaborate on the incorrect head? only legal head in 77' is the D7OE-DA was the -DA not what he was running or was it not the D7OE at all?? curious as we have another year Ford head that we believe is also being run or has been with the -XX not matching but the XXXX- matches...

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

I want to be the first to let everyone know, that we (3649 D/SA) didnt make it through tech. Unfortunately a few grams in the piston assembly cost us our chance this year. Nothing we did intentionally, it's a brand new engine from the engine builder, something must have been missed. We hate it of course, but we were treated with respect by Wesley and crew, and if it's wrong, it's wrong. Just wanted to dispel any rumors before they get started.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Also, I think NHRA should think about doing teardown in this manner.. Since we know they don't have the man power to do everyone..






Option A: Pull 2 cars from each 10 car group in qualifying until the top 70 and then 1 car after that for each group of 10...
1-10-- 2 cars
11-20--2
21-30--2
31-40--2
41-50--2
51-60--2
61-70--2
71-80--1
81-90--1
91-100--1
101-110--1
111-120--1
122-128--1
20 cars total...


Option B: If they only plan to do 12 like this year.. put until you have deemed 12 legal.. so in this years case at least 2 more guys would get pulled. If any of the other 10 we haven't heard yet get tossed you'd pull more.. So for this year say 10 pass and Summer and Brannon get tossed pull 2 more if one or both are tossed pull one or 2 more until you've verified 12 legal tear downs.. if the first 12 had all been legal you're done...


Any thoughts on these in terms of making the teardown better?

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Kevin McKenna,
Please post all the class winner photos if possible. Always a highlight for me.

Re: "Live From" US Nationals Indy 2019
 

Just verifying. It was the total weight of piston, rings, rod, bearings, bolts, wrist pin?