TREE Taken out by a rear TIRE !!!

[Jeff Foster]

As far as I know we will not be asked to pay for it. I dont even know yet what thr cost of repairs will be. Only 1 LED light broke (thats why they cost so much to begin with), the electronics inside are probably still usable. The new center has already built by my sheet metal shop and powder coated and on Fed-ex to me, new sockets ordered. Should have it all back together for Phoenix.

Jeff Foster

Compulink
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The left rear tire/wheel cam off the truck and he made a hard left turn right to the tree.

[Bill Rolik]

Yikes!

This scenario is the very definition of a "bad day at the track".

Many years ago, at Englishtown during a "Sunday Sunday" Stock/Super Stock combo race with my SS/JA Duster (with only 11.5 X 29.5W Firestones), I had a similar occurence where in the left lane, just after launch, all of the studs on the left axle sheared off. The tire "spit out" the back, and I actually saw it bouncing behind me in the side mirror. Luckily, I stayed on the track surface. No fun at all.

Bill Rolik

SS 1514

[Rich Biebel]

Joe Foster....a very good racer from my area and former champ in brackets and S/ST raced an early Nova....named "the Bat out a Hell" He lost a rear wheel/axle? at Atco and it caused the car to flip over and was damaged beyond repair. That car was known by everyone for it's big wheelstands but only ran high 10's.....Joe was a great guy to race with and lots of fun......He pitched his hood in the 3 or 4th round at the bracket finals one year. Everyone pitched in to beat it back straight and got it back on the car and he went on to win Pro ET......I nearly got the tree at E-town once when my old Vega with it's quirky 3-link rear suspension decided to go straight up and to the right.......got my attention....

[Tom Goldman]

Rich, I was there when Joes car went over at Atco, it was pretty spectacular! ...And a real shame ,as it was a really nice car. .....I change my axles every 4-5 years ,ever since I went for a ride a Maple Grove abour 18 years ago when I broke a 6 year old axle in the Willys ,and nearly got the tree,AND the gardrail. ....Tom

[Rich Biebel]

Tom I wasn't at Atco when Joe flipped the Nova but it was to bad as he pretty much disappeared not long after that. The "Bat" was very cool. He used some real low tech equipment, like a starter button for a trans brake button and could usually hit .420 Rt's......I could barley get in the .4's foot braking......but he gave me some RT tips that helped and we always had fun racing with him....

[Jack McCarthy]

you pups should have been around before spools and unbreakable axles... them GM service package axles would snap like a cheap fishing line, hell lots of tracks had concrete barriers around the trees !!

jack mccarthy

[Tom P]

I don't think it was Oddy at Bowling Green in the Opel, it was Frank Mazi.
Middle of this page...
http://www.maziracing.com/99June/june99.htm

I would have thought replacing a tree would be a simple thing, unplug it and lift it out of the holder. Don't they take the thing out after the races?

[Rich Biebel]

Originally Posted by Jack McCarthy

you pups should have been around before spools and unbreakable axles... them GM service package axles would snap like a cheap fishing line, hell lots of tracks had concrete barriers around the trees !!

jack mccarthy

I'm no pup ( but I wish I was) and I was around for that stuff.........Broke a rear (ring and pinion) in a '57 sedan delivery and it was a 14 second ride in 1966 with a hydro.......was with Frank Iaconio one weekend when he broke an axle at York and he and some helpers worked for hours trying to get the broken piece out.....loaded up with it still broke, went to a motel and worked the next morning at another track, Island.....got it fixed and broke another axle that day! His car was a stick fuelie at the time......I doubt that many Jr. Stockers had aftermarket anything back then in their drivelines......

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by Jack McCarthy

you pups should have been around before spools and unbreakable axles... them GM service package axles would snap like a cheap fishing line, hell lots of tracks had concrete barriers around the trees !!

jack mccarthy

Gotta chuckle at this one Jack!

Back in the early 70's, I was convinced I didn't need/couldn't afford aftermarket axles. In my 67 Mustang, I had a 9" taken out from under a 58 Ford station wagon. I welded up the spiders from a single trac and went racing. To make a long story short, I got real good at changing axles and pulling out the gears. I did my best to deplete the supply of 57-59 Ford axles.

Oh by the way, I about took out a X-mas tree myself once due to a snapped axle. Car jumped, jerked and rolled hard to the right. I can still remember looking to my right and seeing that tree coming at me. I can feel for the guy, that's not something you live down real easily.

Robert Swartz