Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Lots of negative threads here lately so I thought I'd buck the trend. Got lucky enough to hit the Perfectly Strange Performance Award at Norwalk this past weekend. After becoming a third round runner up to Lynch/Wertman I asked the staging lanes guys what I had to do for verification. They sent me to Bruce Bachelder. I asked Bruce what I had to do and he replied, with a smile I might add, that he had already checked my car and e-mailed the info to Strange.

Came home from work today and there was package from Strange containing my hat, decals, and my check!

Thank you Strange Engineering and thank you Bruce Bachelder!

I now know where my brake upgrade will be coming from.

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Joe, it's always good to hear the news when a sponsor/vendor treats racers well, it lets racers know where to spend their money.

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

When they announced you won the award (pending decals and such) on the Norwalk audiocast I wondered how many weeks you'd be waiting...what a pleasant surprise that Strange was so quick to pay. Makes me rethink my next purchase for sure!

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Congrats, Joe!

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

My dealings with Bruce, or any of them for that matter, has always been pleasant. I have a hard time understanding some of the complaining.

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Joe

I won the same award in SS a few years back at Bristol. I had the very same experiience with Bruce B, and with Strange (had box with hats and check by wed).

I also posted a similar thread back then.

Thanks again to Strange Engineering. (and Bruce).

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

I also won the award a few years ago and the box with the hat and check beat me back home. We did take 3 days to get back home being retired with no job to get back to, but it was there when I went through the mail on Thursday morning.
A very nice surprise to have waiting.

Strange is also very good with their parts services.
I had a leaking shock at Las Vegas last fall when I looked inside the trailer upon arrival at the track. I called and Strange sent me overnight a new shock and I was good to go for the race.

Overall they are just great people and a great product.
My 2 Cents
Rick Cates

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Been torn down more than once by Bruce and he has been nothing but fair to me and everyone else I have seen. I have known him since the old Ed Hamburger days, very knowledgeable guy. Strange is an outstanding Sportsman supporter! Jim

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

The very 1st time we had any dealings with Bruce was at the 1st race Justin was running super-stock and after going over the scales and doing fuel check he had Justin pull off to the side and we are thinking ok here we go they are going to check something, So Bruce walks around the drivers side and Justin open his door and Bruce says I see that was your 1st round win in super stock congradulation. and he has been nothing but fair ever since even when they wanted to tech certain things on our cars. and Strange is always one of the 1st checks you will receive.
Chris Lamb

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Strange Engineering has been very good in terms of their products and customer support for me also.

Nice Job with the Perfectly Strange award Joe!

That $$$ going into your StickShift Conversion Fund? :)

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

I have Strange brakes on my car and could not be happier, great product and quality ... they support the sportsman racers which is phenomenal in this economy. Bruce and Travis are second to none ... I appreciate the fact that they are around, they are fair and consistant and support the sportsman racers ....

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Topeka National Event Win.....The FIRST check received...STRANGE ENGINEERING

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

2010 Joliet Nationals Anatol (Tony) won what we beleive it the largest Perfectly Strange award ever paid out in stock and possibly all of the sportsman eliminators.
$3500.00

Not only did Bruce verify and congratulate Tony, but later in the day Bob and Jeff Stange, the owners of Strange did so.
Tony had the the check in hand Tuesday after the event.

We have been using Strange Products since there has been a Strange Engineering and are proud to be one of their distributors.

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

Thanks guys.

Jim, Some of it sure is.

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

I would like to add my two cents... Bruce is 1st class, I had him check my heads (my motor is torn down for a rebuild), and he gave me the straight skinny on my heads, and a lot of good advice. I have had good experiences with NHRA tech inspectors from the beginning. Also, I know where to get my liteweight from brakes from now!!! Good to hear Strange is so great with their racer support.

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

While we are sharing Perfectly Strange stories, I will share mine.

First round of the 2009 Cajun Sportsnationals, I'm driving my brother's SS/IA. I pull up to the scales and a crowd gathers around my car. I say to myself, what the heck is going on here, what are they going to check? Then I got my time slip and saw I went dead on w/a 0, which was surprising since I killed a good bit! Then they said congrats for being perfectly strange and begin the process. Here's where it gets interesting! The gentleman with the check sheet asks to see the decals! I point them out. Then he asks, do you have axles? I point to the Mark Williams axles and say no, but I have struts! He says, well you DON'T win the award if you don't have the axles! I say, NO! That's not the way this program works! He states, yes it is, you must have the axles to WIN the Perfectly Strange award. So we go back and forth for a while, til a few other officials join the now heated debate. Long story short, I had to go to the tower and talk to Mr. Hutch to get it straighted out.

On the way to the tower, I took my National Dragster with me and stopped by the scales. The tech official who told me I did NOT win the award was there. I attempted to show him the details of the Perfectly Strange award in the National Dragster, but he wouldn't even look at it!

No, it wasn't Bruce. I've had nothing but pleasant dealings/discussions with him.

I will say that Strange does pay in a very timely manner! I had my check, hat and whatever else they sent me a few days after arriving home!

Re: Strange Engineering and Bruce Bachelder
 

I have been dealer statused with Strange Engineering since the mid 90s, when John Mazzarella offered the program to me. It has been nothing but great for me, and I continue to use all Strange components in my operations.

Mr Bachelder has been very professional in providing rule information. He is very good at tailoring his comments as not to provide speed secrets, while informing you as to the rule guidelines. I have had the oppourtunity to speak with Bruce reguarding rear end housings in Stock Eliminator. I produced information (not names) and as a result, a major change was made to the rule book two years ago. I followed the proper channels and recieved a positive outcome.

Wade Mahaffey