Russ linke
 

It shows Russell link on qualifying page but does not show him running 1st round at maple grove. What happened?

Re: Russ linke
 

theres a posting a bunch of cars pulled for teardown & he was found with too thin head gaskets

Re: Russ linke
 

Glad you asked..There doesn't seem to be much interest.
For you that don't build your own engines, this is about a full point of compression.
We're talking about tenths here, not hundredths.
That being said, I never met the man. I don't care one way or the other. I don't even race NHRA, and not the one who reported it.
;-)

Re: Russ linke
 

Thanks for the info.

Re: Russ linke
 

Mark- There is plenty of interest here in the pits - most are glad the NHRA are finally taking interest back in our sport and just as many are sad that 'Bubba' got tossed - he's a good guy who like many doesn't build his own engines .As for his gasket giving him tenths - I don't think so ! !

Re: Russ linke
 

Bubski thinking that's about 7/10s of a point in compression !! a nice gain for sure !! Bubski also applauds NHRA for stepping up and teching the racers like old times !! As far as that's the way my engine builder built it !! Bubski's thinking that's BS !! Bubski Can't think of a professional stocker engine builder who would blatantly cheat with a specification thats a numerical value and cannot be argued with !! enhanced heads and intakes are gray areas !! numerical specs like cam lift ,deck clearance , bore , stroke etc are in no way vague !! And anyone who is sad cause this guy got tossed is an out right liar !! Bubski's sure many a racer got beat by him in his illegal state !! Thanks NHRA for doing what needs to be done in class racing !!

Re: Russ linke
 

So the deck clearance must have been wrong, you're allowed use any thickness head gasket to get the correct deck clearance.

Re: Russ linke
 

Both the deck and the gasket thickness have to add up to the published spec or larger. Anything less is wrong.

It looks like the 260hp. gasket was used instead of the 285hp gasket. .018'' difference in thickness.

Re: Russ linke
 

Mr.Bubski- I am sad as are others - Bubba Linke is a true sportsman and is well respected in the NHRA ranks and the business world .I personally have not seen his tech sheet so i have no idea how big the infraction was .And BTW ,you can call me a liar all you want but ......

Re: Russ linke
 

Jack. I also like Bubba. Let’s get real. .022 deck height is worth about 1 point in compression. One point of compression is 3-4 % power increase. That’s about 15 HP.

Re: Russ linke
 

I'll send you a PM

Re: Russ linke
 

What Bubski is saying Mr Jack !! How would you know what the infraction is since you rely on an engine builder ?? According to a post by Yo Ken it appears to be a flagrant violation of the rules !! I do not know this chap !! however I believe this is inexcusable !! Bubski did a little Research and found that this family has at least a 100 years experience all told in class racing !! Nobody goes to their friendly neighborhood Chevy dealer and buys 260 HP gaskets knowing damn well they don't have that combo , and anyone who just spent their hard earned coin on an engine would more than likely replace the gaskets with the ones set up by the builder !! How about all those lads in Epping who lost to this Saint when he was on his way to the semi's ?? Sure it was dial in time but a higher compression engine is more favorable in any weather conditions !! Bubski would also say that anyone who is praising this chaps morals or integrity probably has a few sins of their own they'd like to be absolved of !! Cheers !! And thank you Class Racer for providing the platform to air out these issues !!!

Re: Russ linke
 

Why does every old timer on this page talk out their ***, wonder why no one wants to class race.

Re: Russ linke
 

Can you be more specific, Drunk?

Re: Russ linke
 

Sounds like you're a student of the Joe Biden Method of making friends. The answer might be that many of the "old-timers" (as you call them) were active racers back when NHRA actually had knowledgeable tech people who could determine who was cheating and who was not. These racers were people who could do cool stuff like calculate compression ratio, read a micrometer, measure piston ring end gaps, deck height, valve lift, etc. Back when drag racing was more than writing checks and polishing your car.

Re: Russ linke
 

Just think it's funny when something was done wrong in an engine it's the drivers fault, if they got bounced for a suspension or rollbar/cage it the builders fault. Why is no one talking about the engine builder

Re: Russ linke
 

An .018'' increase in head gasket would enlarge the gasket-chamber volume 3.8187 CC

Re: Russ linke
 

The infraction was .014. Get the facts straight, or better off don’t post anything at all. The new head gaskets installed put him .010 above the required spec and motor sealed. Not that it’s anyone's business but thought this thread would benefit with at least one accurate piece of information.


* Good call Randy

Shane Oakes
1986 G/SA
1986 GT/HA

Re: Russ linke
 

I'm sorry but I just can't sit back and read Bubski's bashing of Bubba and his family. Years ago, I built my own stocker engines. Not very fast but ran under the index. In today's stock eliminator world, to be competitive, we have to have a professional engine program. The question is, does Bubski race a car? I don't know. Does Bubski build his own engines? I don't know. Does Bubski know what's involved with building a competitive stocker engine? Again, I don't know. I've known and raced with the entire Linke family for years. Shared some adult beverages with them, dined with them and just enjoyed their company on and off the track. They are the epitome of what drag racing is all about. There isn't any known or deliberate cheating going on with any of them. I myself use a professional engine builder and I rely heavily on the integrity of that shop to build a 100% legal engine. I'm sure the Linke folks are the same way with their engine builder. I can only assume that Bubski has never met or spent any time with the Linke family (and we all know what happens when you assume), so please, instead of bashing someone that you don't know or have never met, look in your closet and see what skeletons are hanging out in there.

Sorry ladies and gentlemen, I had to get that off my chest.

Ken Kopecky
E/SA 1454

Re: Russ linke
 

Seems to be a lot of bench racers on here that don't have the balls to post there names.

Randy Wells
I/S 5628

Re: Russ linke
 

Have you seen the size of Bubba?
I would hide also

Re: Russ linke
 

Shane I used .018'' because that is the difference between the 260 HP
10.1 to 1 CR gasket and the 285 HP 10.5 to 1 CR gasket. I was thinking it could have been a honest mistake.

I was not at Maple Grove for the race but I do run B/SA so I thought I would pay attention.

Re: Russ linke
 

I'm only going to ask you once... tone it down. Talking in the third person is childish, and not having a real name does not help either. You have a right to an opinion, but show some respect. You shoot your mouth of again without showing respect, and it will be the last time you post on Class Racer.

Sorry folks, I should not have posted any details unless I had all the facts. Thanks Shane for giving us the straight scoop.

Re: Russ linke
 

Shane. Thanks for the correct info, my apologies as I was told .022.

Re: Russ linke
 

Cooter thinks Bubski wouldn't say **** standing in front of Bubba.

Re: Russ linke
 

What asshole talks in the third person. Crazy

Re: Russ linke
 

Yo Ken, well spoken on the response. Clearly the person that refers to themselves in the third person is mentally challenged.

Larry Hill; you and your wife are awesome people and I have had the pleasure of experiencing that in person on more than one occasion. My only response is yes you run B/SA on occasion. However according to NHRA points standings there are 930 people that run stock eliminator, yet you are the only B/SA competitor that felt the need to comment on this site.

Whitehead; you and your dad are awesome people and no need for an apology. I would only ask that you or anyone not post things unless you heard directly from the source.

Lastly, I donÂ’t post on here, Facebook, or any social media outlet often. I must be too busy running a business, working on my cars, or having a life. Please refrain from your keyboard and visit your local track as IÂ’m afraid this sport is slowly becoming extinct. My intention is not to offend anyone, I simply feel the need to defend a friend who does not look at these outlets.

ItÂ’s sunday, enjoy football, and have a good weekend. See you in Virginia and if youÂ’d like to discuss any of the above mentioned topics in person stop by my trailer.

Shane Oakes
1986 G/SA
1986 GT/HA

Re: Russ linke
 

Well said Shane,

I apologize if my earlier posts were taken out of context, I built all my family's motors for 3 years before we realized it was a losted cause due to time, power, and longevity.

Some of you have to realize it's not 50-60 years ago when you could work a 40 and have the time to do the r&d to make power gains. While having a house, family, and everything great that comes with it.

If anyone wants to talk more, because I am horrible at this online stuff, feel free to call Portatree and ask for Steve. Or show up at the shop, address on the website.

Re: Russ linke
 

WOW! My apologies to everyone. I didn’t mean to stir up a hornets nest.As Someone once said “ can’t we all just get along”. Lol. 🤪🤪🤪

Re: Russ linke
 

Once upon a time we were DQd at the Keystone Nationals for a cam lift violation (really a Rocker Arm issue). It was unintentional and our fault as we thrashed to reassemble the engine to make the event.
It happens. Maybe a great racer like Bubba will respond to the naysayers of this thread.

Re: Russ linke
 

That guy always does that **** on this forum! Should be used to it by now.
Shows up randomly and calls out people in the 3rd person and then disappears. No one know who the f it is! Just ignore the idiot!

Re: Russ linke
 

I agree 100%

Re: Russ linke
 

This thread needs to die.

The guy had a thin head gasket and got bounced. It's not like he had a super stock engine in the car.

The last I knew, 0.050" decked from a set of small block heads gave you a point of compression. He had less than a third of that, maybe a quarter. Would it make a difference? Maybe, but it's not worth a tenth. Besides, how many heads up runs does anyone see in eliminations? Sure, he was running class, but the guy races a lot. He has no need to cheat, especially at the most obvious place to check..

For those who don't know, he's a good guy and a excellent driver. He comes from a racing family of nice people.

Move on.

Re: Russ linke
 

I disagree with just about everything in this one, right from the top.

As I said, I don't know the man. I'm sure he's a great guy to have a beer with after hours..But what does that have to do with the subject matter?
In case some missed it, this car and driver has been involved in several heads up runs in the last few years..Some with great drivers with good engines, that were in contention for National and Divisional championships. He was able to run away from most of them.
Now the driver can say he didn't put those gaskets on the engine, and the engine can say he didn't do it. The fact remains. Someone did it and it's no accident.

I'm really surprised at the nonchalant attitude of some here. This kind of thing would have been looked at quite differently under Farmer, Greg X, and Marty Barrett.

This saga is not going away yet, nor should it.

BTW, S... I think you ought to recheck your math.

Re: Russ linke
 

A 4" diameter hole is 0.205926 cc's per 0.001" of thickness


Stan

Re: Russ linke
 

Could the head gaskets been packaged wrong from the dealer?

Re: Russ linke
 

As much as it sucks to see someone, in fact more than one genuinely all around good person to get disqualified at a race, I think it was a very important move from a tech standpoint. All of the cars that found there way into the teardown barn this past weekend at Maple Grove are cars that have a reputation of being very fast cars. It may have been good practice to tear down all of the class winners, but the time and manpower wasn't present to be able to manage that kind of operation. It is important to see that the racers aren't the only ones noticing which cars are going very fast during heads ups, while staying in the middle of the pack at all other times during competition. Hopefully this serves as a bit of a reminder to some that they can and will be torn down at any point at a race, and that tech hasn't completely backed off like some may have thought. Even though it takes a trained eye along with time and effort, It would be comforting to continue to see more random teardowns in the future, maybe not even just for engines. Safety, Electronics, etc.

Re: Russ linke
 

Not sure how the incorrect thickness head gaskets got put on that engine BUT we always mike our gaskets to get the thinnest gasket we could find to get every last bit of performance and we would end up using those that were the thinnest AS LONG AS IT WAS THE CORRECT thickness----who did or didn't measure them ,who installed them etc. makes no difference--- they were the wrong thickness PERIOD--- so the driver has to suffer the consequences, you can go back up the food chain if you want to "warn" people or put people on notice about repercussions for future infractions but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is/was wrong---the penalty was expulsion--- FED 387

Re: Russ linke
 

I know exactly what 4 or 5 CC's are worth. I spent all one summer trying to figure out where it went. I won't get into slinging around where the boo boo came from, but at Edgewater one year we sprung a water leak. Dave Layer was our traveling buddy ( Good Lord do I ever miss that guy) and we gave him both heads to find where the water was coming from and fix them/it. He called me the following Monday and said "its just a spring pocket. Its fixed. You want me to fix these CC's while I'm at it"?. I answered "I just got that motor back from freshening over the winter (Edgewater was the first week of August). He said, "Well their off 4 and 5 CC's". Upon fixing them the tenth I had hunted all year instantly came back. I don't know how much the gasket infraction truly was, but I know what 5 cc equates to on our 993.

Re: Russ linke
 

In the end it is the responsibility of the car owner/driver to know what is in or on ther engine since it's them that will be impacted by the violation.