First time Indy experience -Thank you!
 

This year we decided (after 40-50 years of talking about it) to race at Indy. It was an experience we will never forget:
After almost taking out the Christmas tree in the final round of class, while trying to repair the car, we were told we had been protested (anonymously) and had to report to the tear-down barn. After waiting for an hour (or more) we were told we needed to pull the crankshaft, as that is what the protest was regarding.
NHRA proceeded to check the weight of the crankshaft, the valves and piston and rod assembly, check the camshaft, cylinder head ports and combustion chambers, the intake manifold and throttle body. After midnight, we were told everything was legal and we could put the engine together and back in the car (which we finished at 3 am, with the 1st round being at 8 am).
This post is not to B*tch about NHRA and the process and timing of this (we think there should be more tear-downs), but to thank those that helped us get the car checked and back together allowing us to run the first round (and win!). We could not have completed this without the help of: Jim Parsons, Larry Eagle and Logan McConnell. I would like to especially thank my son, JC and my brother Chuck. Thanks to Jake from NHRA for sticking around and I guess I should thank the anonymous donor of $750 who let us prove the car is legal and semi-fast.
If you want to hear my rant about NHRA and the timing of this process, you can call Chuck or me, or PM me.
Thanks for reading.
Jim & Chuck Beuthel
5209 F/SA

Re: First time Indy experience -Thank you!
 

They ran one round of all the sportsman categories on Friday. Wouldn't the easy and smart thing to do is run two rounds of all the sportsman cars except Stock and Super Stock on Friday. Do Stock and Super Stock tear downs on Friday. Then run two rounds of Stock and Super Stock on Saturday giving the other sportsman cars the day off. BP

Re: First time Indy experience -Thank you!
 

Barry

That will never work with NHRA........Makes too much sense.....

RJ

Re: First time Indy experience -Thank you!
 

I was there both as a friend and interested observer like any of us would and should given the opportunity. Having been racing long enough to have personally gone through tear downs with Farmer Dismuke through Wayne Lewis do have some experience with the procedure. I agree absolutely with Jim that we need more tear down tech to protect the integrity of our sport, without it we will evolve into nothing more than a “stock appearing bracket class”; however it has to come with some common sense along with competence. My unsolicited advice to NHRA is take a serious look and evaluation of how this played out and access if a few things that were done should have gone differently!

As for the person who did the protesting I commend you for exercising your right to do so, it’s all of our right as NHRA racers if we have doubts to question a competitors engines legality, assuming that was your objective and not just harassment. I do question the insistence for anonymity but in their defense the NHRA tech staff did questioned that clause and comment it should probably be changed!

Regarding Jim and Chuck Beuthel a lot of people may not know them as they have raced mostly Super Stock in the western divisions for over 40 years. Jim is an accomplished national and divisional event winning driver and his brother Chuck has worked at a high level engine building business in Denver for 30+ years so these guys are not newbies but just new to Stock. There competence can be seen from both their performance and the quality of their car. As both a friend a fellow racer I sure hope they don’t quit as a result of this experience as we don’t need to loose quality people like these guys.

Re: First time Indy experience -Thank you!
 

the Beuthel Brothers are great guys!! I've known them for almost 50 years!! Always enjoy talking to them when I see them at the races!!!