2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
OK - so I was stubborn .Many of my friends ( including boss man Ken ) worked on me to attend this years Indy as a racer / reporter or a reporter / spectator .But no - I wouldn't give in and believe me I was dead wrong .I just felt that if I couldn't be a top contender I wouldn't go .But this story isn't about me but simply about what we missed .These are my thoughts and some facts about things that went on .............
Everyday we read the words here on ClassRacer of Kevin McKenna from National Dragster and for that we can't thank him enough .He "gets" us more than any other ND staffer ever has . The early talk of the pits was about Roy Hills' antics .Those two runs got more plays on You Tube than Pro cars ever got .Dangerous but entertaining .My belief is that wheelie bars will become mandatory on cars that go that fast . Class racing- B/SA - with 16 entries - go five rounds to get the Wally - and J.Allen got it after pulling a rod and piston. FS/C -with 14 new cars - and Charley Bob getting the prize Only 7 cars in the Auto combo Only 6 cars in the Stick combo Only 2 in the FS Combo 22 SS/AH cars - 17 didn't make the eliminator field 7 GT/EA cars 5 FSS/FGT Combo cars 8 SS Combo cars 6 SS Stick Combo cars Mineshaft conditions at Indy ??? Unheard of ...... SS Notes - When was the last time Dan Fletcher went 9.98??? The Barn - This year was different - 4 cars pulling pistons and rods - when was the last time that happened ? Then we have the Protest .I can't remember the last time that took place .And does anyone know who protested ? And the amount they paid? Good news is that Jim Boudreau and his 'Gold Digger' passed without any problems . Best Appearing Car went to Gary Walkwitz for his SS/AH 68 Dart I could go on and on ..........feel free to post your moments or thoughts . |
Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
We pulled a rod and piston in 2004 with our Charlie Westcott 327 and passed. Not much fun that year either. I'm not sure who was in the barn with us but there were a few.
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
How about the 70-73 Pontiac firebird that was DQ ed in pre race tech because the grille / facia wasn't correct . I think tech has opened up a can of worms with this one . If I raced a 68 - 72 nova I would be making sure that my car was correct for the year being claimed, same thing with the 82-92 firebirds and camaros. There are numerous f body's racing with the wrong grill/ spoiler combinations. M.J.
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
Who were the others DQ'd and why? I only know of 2 in as many classes.
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
Still decompressing and cooling off; with all NHRA faults they sure can run a large event....feels big time
Since I'm kinda of a newby, I asked if they had ever run SS first round late Sunday night, a couple of guys said never...I dunno....rough sitting since Sat morning thru heat to 7 PM Sunday, the rush up for Rd 2 in the dark Adam Keir vs DeFrank was race of the weekend in my opinion Bucky Hess had a rough go in a drop dead gorgeous car Watching Jason Line tryingto figure out header tube for Bordreau was a hoot, as was Randi Lynn Shipps video telling him to get on over to help Sunoco trailer looked very lonely every time I went by Took the wife downtown Indy for gondola ride.....bonus points earned Boulder Cafe north Brownsburg one of the best eating Always wanted a winner photo in front of the billboard, mission accomplished Dropped trailer at Earlville on the way home, we'll try again next weekend |
Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
It was a warm one. Made me miss the weather we had in Norwalk the weekend before for the CJ Shootout.
Not many vendors in the midways. Speaking with Don Fezell on when to make the trip out to PA to buy his manual transmission items from his CJ was my highlight. Dave Neil winning class even though it was at his dad's expense in GT/C. All CJ final in XX and overall… Jimmy R. and Charley's D. 3 cars seem to run well this week also. Explaining to family members some of the items going on in pro-stock and getting some up close shots. |
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Who all got DQed ?
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Although the weather was hot, had a blast at Indy.
The camaraderie and competitive nature of the event was awesome. Kudos to the Skillman's for feeding so many and even NHRA giving an appreciation dinner. Also had the opportunity to see old friends and meet many that I have only known via telephone, email, Facebook and this site such as Jeff Teuton, Aris, Jim Paquet, J. Allen and Heather Sherman, Cliff Sherman, Steve Kent, Kyle and Katherine Ratcliff, Randy Lynn and many others. Have consolidated new friendships! Although I was part of the crew of my friend Mark Lelchook in Comp, my close friend and chassis builder, Jim Cowan also flew in to join me and was impressed with the chassis development in Stock and Super Stock classes. Looking forward to next year and hoping I can have my Comp car finished and the required points to compete at Indy in lieu of watching. |
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round two stock against bo butner ...
been racing forever most exciting defeat in my history, I was shifting high gear turned and realized he had left green, to almost 900 feet he wasn't gaining....at 1319 feet he showed up at 155 mph. he had .07 on tree so im wasn't surprised he got there... it was how FAST it happened that was impressive. I will say 60-70 mph difference down there is a lot, be ugly if we ever get hooked together at the finish... and the FREE beer at tuetons just tasted better than my purchased coors light captain. oh BY THE WAY > did anyone else besides lee zane see the spaceship driving around... if it weren't for lee I might have quit drinking !!!!!!!!!! |
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NHRA gives the 69 Camaros with the wrong hoods months to get them changed ,but cant give a Pontiac guy with the wrong grille insert one race to get his fixed.That is NHRA for you.
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Agreed, many cars with wrong or missing trim, could get slapped any time. Yes A/SA class round 2 was cool, a .002 initiated 10:06 beats a 9:98. |
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Bad idea to go down this road with one specific customer. |
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One other tidbit of info about the 2015 US Nationals...
Stock Eliminator got it's first 11 second qualifying pass with an engine only firing on 4 spark plugs. |
Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
I personally had no expectations going to Indy. I knew I wasn't going to qualify, nor win class. But I had a great time. Meeting new friends and BSing with total strangers. The Camaro ran the fastest it's ever gone, runner up in class and I wasn't last on the qualifying sheet. As far as I'm concerned, it was worth the 2600 miles round trip!
Casey Miles 248H Stock |
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The "Live" from was hands down the best. With so many people pitching in those of us not there got to hear so many different story lines, it was great! Can't thank them enough.
Also to Rob for the videos. Great footage, still trying to find time to finish watching but big thanks for doing these! |
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
In the early 70's saw a 57 chev stocker tossed in initial tech for having a black plastic insert in the grill instead of the red/blue/white? chevy emblem. He was allowed to replace it though and go back thru. Thought those days were over. I did scour junkyards/craigslist for months to find the correct 1975 grill for my nova though.
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Seemed hotter than in previous years? Got to see some familiar faces, and met a few new ones.
Thought I saw Dan Fletcher go 9.93 first round of class? with a glide too. |
Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
While 1970-73 Firebirds may look the same, 1973 is a unique year for the front of a Firebird. Not what shows on the outside but what is considered impact zone behind the front fascia. The rulebook says that energy absorbing apparatus may not be removed. All the energy absorbing stuff on the front of a 1973 Firebird is heavy. If it was missing, that is probably why the car was not allowed to run.
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The car in question was a 71 earlier in the year, but was entered as a 73, so you may be right about that too. |
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I ran an 11 second qualifying pass on 7 cylinders at Indy once. Does that count? |
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It's still in the East Coast Rulebook! |
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Yep still there. I found it in the PDF version on page 8
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
The only difference in the 3 1973 firebirds were 2 had the grills and 1 didn't they brought all 3 and look at them same time. The racer admits he should have had the grilles change before. Problem is you had 1 tech guy that is a Pontiac nut who caught it. But if you do that to one guy you have to make sure every brand of car is right to.
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
Thank you to all that posted updates! Also to Jim B, congrats and u are the yardstick many will measure with! Indy is what it should be and congrats to all that attended! Maybe again someday, a lot of work to do
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And when Farmer was there.... Go to a junk yard and get the lens cover for the dome light and return to tech to prove you have it before you can get tech card..... did it and got teched..
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the problem.... remaining 2 fb's are converted 70-72s w/73 grilles and multi event winners over several seasons.
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I had to find a salvage that had a pair of 1956 Chevy arm rests once. |
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I also noticed at Indy a Super Stock Mustang that had the driver's side factory ground effect trim missing.
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Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
Thanks for the kind words Jack. I enjoy almost every element of my job (yes, even nitro cars) but I always seem find that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Indy are some of my favorite days of the year. There is very little that can compare with Class Racing at Indy.
I'm happy to share my observations and thoughts here, even if its only once a year. Then again, I live in Indy now and there's a pretty good National Open here next month so maybe I'll start a "Live from" thread when the time comes. Finally, a few closing thoughts: Roy Hill took a fair amount of grief for his two big wheelstands but the reality is that could have been almost anyone. I certainly wouldn't even begin to suggest that Roy isn't a capable driver (I value my health far too much for that). The truth is, that could have been almost anyone. I've seen plenty of cars (even with wheelie bars) border on the edge of control. Thankfully, no one was injured and the class got a lot of prime exposure. I'd be lying if I said the Westcott's weren't missed in the Hemi Challenge but it was also nice to see a couple of new finalists. I hope I'm not embarrassing Lloyd Wofford, but seeing a grown man with tears streaming down his face tells me all I need to know about how special Indy is. I understand that there is still a fair amount of debate an dissention regarding the "new cars" but from where I sit, these are the good old days. Right now, there is an incredible mix of old and new that I'm not sure we've ever had before. Hopefully, there will always be a place for guys like Ben Wenzel, Dallas Kelly, Jim Bailey, Gus Adkins, and everyone else with an appreciation for vintage muscle cars but the influx of new cars (and perhaps more importantly, new team owners like Bongiovanni, Skillman, Candies, and P.C. Richard) has done nothing but make class racing stronger. I'm not sure where else you can go to see 350 of the coolest cars in the world. Maybe the Barrett-Jackson auction but last time I checked, they don't run class there. |
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One third of Stock was new cars (as understood to be 2008 and newer), so I don't know who the Native Americans are and who is running the wagon train, but like it or not 1/3 is the real numbers or about 60. But I think secretly the Copo's were mating in the back 40 cause there was at least 90 of them there. Super Stock on the other hand at the biggest race had 28 New cars/New Motor/New Something/ that NHRA created 23 new classes for. Out of about 164 I think. That needs to go away. There was not one new/car/motor etc class with more than two and I think 6 or 8 in the combo for new cars. :Now SS has 109 classes, sorta like where NHRA took Comp and the 'diversity' it has and is dead but not buried. Lik'em or not, these are the numbers. In Stock what is not showing here is the in between year cars; the Camaro's and Corvettes with LT1 and LS1 or whatever else out there that are not 60's cars. Like Joe Friday; just the facts.
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Any idea how your stats based on one race compare to all the cars in all the classes in all the divisions in all the races to date this year? This math should be done otherwise you sound self serving. |
Re: 2015 - The Indy some of us missed ! ! !
Jeff , You know I love ya, but I gotta debate ya here
"One third of Stock was new cars (as understood to be 2008 and newer), so I don't know who the Native Americans are and who is running the wagon train, but like it or not 1/3 is the real numbers or about 60. " It's Indy Jeff, everybody with any grade point can get in, and if you can afford a new car, you can afford to go to Indy. The Maple Grove National event coming up took more grade points to get in and 16% of the stockers are new cars. Also of importance is the fact that having separate classes has brought more excitement and participation to the regular classes, I think we heard alot about B/SA at Indy didn't we ? . "Super Stock on the other hand at the biggest race had 28 New cars/New Motor/New Something/ that NHRA created 23 new classes for. Out of about 164 I think. That needs to go away. There was not one new/car/motor etc class with more than two and I think 6 or 8 in the combo for new cars." The separation of the new cars/new motors greatly helped the traditional motored SS classes, the competion was more exciting and some racers came back to Indy that would not have without this change . I agree that there are alot of classes now, but it is a moot point since the singles go into the combo. " Lik'em or not, these are the numbers. In Stock what is not showing here is the in between year cars; the Camaro's and Corvettes with LT1 and LS1 or whatever else out there that are not 60's cars. Like Joe Friday; just the facts." Those cars have been beat up HP wise like the earlier ones with a couple of exceptions. There are always exceptions, like that guy from D4 with the late model Dodge in a traditional class, you now that guy right? You probably know who got it in the guide too ? LOL It is Friday, But my name isn't Joe,,,just the fact,,, __________________ __________________ |
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One of the real eye openers about Indy came from our own reporter - Larry Hill who states that he plans two years ahead for getting parts and plans in place - now thats dedication and a desire to succeed at this great event .More of us should try this getting ready years in advance thing .........Way to go Larry & Patsy ! ! !
By the way - your B/SA effort was well noted by the other 15 entrants - they knew you were there for sure.All of this makes some of wonder whats in store for Indy 2016 from you ............ |
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Speaking of Jim Baliey in AA/SA. Where was Chuck Rayburn I though he was coming to indy just to run class.
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