Congrats to Charles Blossom

[bill dedman]

For showing beyond the shadow of a doubt that when it comes to qualifying #1 in NHRA's Stock Eliminator, even against the best and baddest that Detoit can muster, (with their phony factored HP ratings,) a well-tuned 4-cylinder TURBO car can embarrass them all, due to NHRA's failure to police boost levels with a tell-tale gauge.

Read it and weep...
CLERMONT, Ind. - Final order, pending tech, after 4 rounds of qualifying in Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil:

Psn--Num--Class-Driver, Home Town, Machine-----------------ET---Index---(+/-)

1 5508 DF/S Charles Blossom, Woodbury MN, '04 PT Cruis 13.774 15.60 -1.826
2 391 D/SA Irvin Johns, Charlestown IN, '09 Challenger10.087 11.55 -1.463
3 316D E/SA Carey Bales, Lebonon IN, '09 Dodge 10.245 11.70 -1.455
4 3334 E/SA Chris Holbrook, Livonia MI, '10 Mustang 10.251 11.70 -1.449
5 4909 C/SA Dempsey Pendarvis, Gonzales LA, '09 Challe 10.017 11.40 -1.383
6 4022 G/SA Jeff Teuton, Houma LA, '09 Challenger 10.629 12.00 -1.371
7 4312 E/SA PB Candies, Desa Allemands LA, '09 Challen 10.399 11.70 -1.301

Mr. Blossom may never win a round in competition, but that's not the point...
He makes the Ford and Mopar best factory efforts look like junk....

[Dwight Southerland]

Bill -

You have touched on the essence of an issue that is being thrown into everybody's face right now and that is the inaccuracy of power factors and the inadequate resources that NHRA expends to manage their system to keep competition within an acceptable range for the classes. It's not so much that Charles Blossom is a super engine builder as it is that he uncovered a combination that is woefully misfactored. It's the same as the performance level of the new factory race cars. The people who own them are not the sole secret to their performance; it's the inaccuracy of the power factors assigned that make their performance level so far outside the normal range of the classes they participate in. Charles's little display here points to the chink in the covering and gives rise to imaginations of many similar jewels in the classification guides to be exploited. Hopefully, NHRA or somebody can get outside the AFHS to correct some of these combinations that make a mockery of the illusion of head-to-head competition.

[Randall Klein]

Years ago, sage Dan Dvorak commented on a suddenly fast, former mid-range racer: he ain't smarter, his engine builder didn't get better....HE'S IN THE WRONG CLASS!

funny and true then.....and now

[Billy Nees]

Amen!

[Mike Carr]

My best run in DF/S was 14.93, heavy, in great air at Hagerstown MD. Nicole Stephenson has the record at 14.72, and ran 14.66 at Indy last year.

I guess we know now how y'all feel racing against the DP/CJ cars. LOL

[Tom Moock]

What year PT cruiser is Charley racing, They didn`t make PT cruiser turbo convertible until 2005. Tom

[Ed Fernandez]

Thanks Dwight for the shortest,most descriptive reason we're in the boat we're in.

[FED 387]

04 PT Turbo Conv is in the classification runs at 14.13 pounds--comp

[bill dedman]

Dwight and Ed:

Thank you for your responses. If you're right, why doesn't Bob Shaw own two of these Neons???

Maybe I'm dead wrong, but it seems to me that the fault, in this case, lies not within the factoring system (and therefore the classification,) but the amount of boost available to the engine. These turbocharged engines are factory-rated at the boost levels dictated, to give minimal warranty problems, and in certain instances, it is possible through engine parameter manipulation, (cam profile, fuel delivery rates, ignition timing, etc.) to increase boost levels with OEM equipment, which can increase power output, dramatically and concurrently. A 150 horsepower engine (normally-aspirated) when treated to 15 pounds of boost, becomes a 300-horsepower engine. Give it another 8 pounds of boost, and it picks up another 75 horsepower. This is not my opinion, but rather seems to be generally-accepted theory according to several books on turbocharging theory, by authoritative sources.

My contention is, Mr. Blossom has, in true hot rodding fashion, has found the combination that will produce horsepower far beyond what would be generated by that engine at factory boost levels. As I have said, this is only my opinion; I don't claim to have any information beyond that.

But, if I am correct, a tell-tale boost gauge placed on the engine by NHRA, would go a long way toward rectifying this problem without resorting to re-factoring the engine. All it takes is a vacuum line and a gauge. But NHRA hasn't seemed to be pro-actve in pursuing this path... Surprise!!!

Food for thought....

[Dennis P Chapman]

I dont think Bob is a mopar guy.