[Jim Meador]

A few years back at the Winternationals I was awarded a DQ for fuel too. I think it was 06, hard to remember as with age the memory synapses tend to deteriorate kind of like spark plugs losing their gap.

Anyway, I had passed fuel check in the Q's as well in 1st rd. Then after my win in the 2nd rd I failed. And failed real bad like off the charts fail. The NHRA guys at the fuel check trailer sampled my fuel several times and even pulled a sample from the cell. All checked bad. Thus, I was DQ'd. I went back to the trailer and took over my fuel jug which was half full of "fresh" VP C12 fuel bought the prior day and NHRA checked it for me. It was ok and in fact "in the middle". I then went back to my trailer and pumped out all the bad fuel and replaced it with the good fuel as declared by NHRA and drove the car over to fuel check and they check it from the fuel check valve. Yep,it was just fine.

In the after math of all this I sent the "bad fuel" to VP in Houston via their depot near Temecula, Ca to be analyized. A waste of time and the lose of $10 / gal pit bike fuel.
After numerous attempts to speak to one of their crack chemists I finally was told that the fuel had simply "aged" due possibly to me leaving the cap off the jug or some other bone head thing. I am sure we all from time to time leave the cap off the jug and leave it out in the sun etc. I explained to no avail that that didn't happen and that the fuel was fresh off their truck from the day prior of the DQ. I was talking to a closed set of ears. I am not even sure they had the fuel for that matter. Taking the time and expense to have Mr Wizard do an analysis may have been asking to much for a lowly stock eliminator racer.

Now, all this being said what conclusion would one draw from these circumstances. Well, my conclusion is that my fuel and been contaminated sometime between rds when I was away from my car watching SS. The opportunity was there as the key to the car's trunk was in the lock. It takes just 10 sec or less to pull it off. I will never know for sure unless some day someone comes forward with info about this. I see no other conclusion as to what happened. I hate that this is my conclusion as I can't image anyone of my competitors or anyone else for that matter doing such a thing. I will say that the guys at the NHRA fuel trailer gave me every opportunity to pass. They had no alternative than to DQ me. I still use VP C12 and have had NO problem with the fuel since. (except for the cost !)

Well, I got over it and still enjoy racing. I did not take the stance that I am going to quit because I got screwed. I plan to quit when I damn well get ready to and nothing short of NHRA doing away with stock or getting closed down by Al Gore is going to change that.

To Brian and the boys, just move on. We don't know their side of this yet but, maybe Brian or Sean will eventually fill us in.

Life is to short. See you at Sonoma.

Jim Meador