CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - "Live" from Atlanta double points race 2013

chevy620 · 05-25-2013, 09:55 AM

There is a lot of frustration about track prep all across the country.
I am interviewing track managers for an editorial in our magazine.
The general agreement by these guys is "they use whatever product" they have consistent results with and the choice has to be made early.

$1000.00 a drum!! is the going price for traction compound. Add that into event costs and you can see why track owners are trying "new methods" of track prep.
A normal LODRS prep probably eats up two drums of spray-on traction compound, five gallon pail of rosin, three or four sets of tires on the track-drag, $200 in fuel for track prep equipment, 30 to 40 hours of labor before the event and two extra guys on the start line during the event to put rosin down. Then do it again Friday night and then Saturday night again.....

We are lucky at our local track, the manager does a fantastic job" prepping and maintaining the start line. He uses about 1/2 a drum for a two-day bracket race but it is the "pre-race prep that provides the results.

It is a lot more than just spraying more. It is proper scraping, washing the oil residue off, dragging with the "proper tires" for that track and then finding the "combination" of all those factors to make it good enough for 600 H.P. 9" tire cars...see the issue?

It isn't that this track or that track don't care.... since us racers don't want to change our cars at all we just demand a perfect starting line. What if there was no track prep anymore and we had to figure out how to race without the wheels in the air every run?

More fun? Different winners? Maybe no more $125,000 Stock Elim. cars?

Who knows..but when traction compound hits $1500 a drum; I bet we find out.

1.30 60' on 9" tires (I have to admit) is fun... but the cost is HIGH!

Good luck this weekend.

Jok Nicholson
ETDragRacing.com magazine, editor

05-25-2013, 09:55 AM	#1
chevy620 Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 188 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: "Live" from Atlanta double points race 2013 There is a lot of frustration about track prep all across the country. I am interviewing track managers for an editorial in our magazine. The general agreement by these guys is "they use whatever product" they have consistent results with and the choice has to be made early. $1000.00 a drum!! is the going price for traction compound. Add that into event costs and you can see why track owners are trying "new methods" of track prep. A normal LODRS prep probably eats up two drums of spray-on traction compound, five gallon pail of rosin, three or four sets of tires on the track-drag, $200 in fuel for track prep equipment, 30 to 40 hours of labor before the event and two extra guys on the start line during the event to put rosin down. Then do it again Friday night and then Saturday night again..... We are lucky at our local track, the manager does a fantastic job" prepping and maintaining the start line. He uses about 1/2 a drum for a two-day bracket race but it is the "pre-race prep that provides the results. It is a lot more than just spraying more. It is proper scraping, washing the oil residue off, dragging with the "proper tires" for that track and then finding the "combination" of all those factors to make it good enough for 600 H.P. 9" tire cars...see the issue? It isn't that this track or that track don't care.... since us racers don't want to change our cars at all we just demand a perfect starting line. What if there was no track prep anymore and we had to figure out how to race without the wheels in the air every run? More fun? Different winners? Maybe no more $125,000 Stock Elim. cars? Who knows..but when traction compound hits $1500 a drum; I bet we find out. 1.30 60' on 9" tires (I have to admit) is fun... but the cost is HIGH! Good luck this weekend. Jok Nicholson ETDragRacing.com magazine, editor