Video of Biondo's win over Fletcher's close call

[Greg Gay]

Respectfully, I need to take the other side of this argument. You are in a racecar, and you know the inherent dangers when you enter this race. Many will hold their nose when I say this, but when you put the shoe polish on the window, the same things that work in a bracket race work for us. Your job is to beat your opponent to the finish line while not beating your time, or to force your opponent to. If there is one thing that has always bothered me, it is the people standing at the finish line at New England Dragway, deciding if there was excessive braking. Maybe it goes back to the '70's when my father was disqualified for hitting the brakes before the finish line (a NED rule back then), but I have always thought that you should be able to do whatever it takes to win the race, and if that means locking up the front tires, then so be it. I remember seeing pictures of Lee Shepard in the RMS Corvette with the front tires just a smoking, and he was just trying to protect his index.

Two weeks ago at Lebanon Valley, Gene Monahan and I both dumped at the first speed line. We hit the finish line with both cars standing on their noses, and that was fine. In fact, it was fun. Gene won, and I wouldn't want to have someone say, "No, Gene's braking was excessive, Greg's was not. Greg's the winner." It doesn't work that way. We have rules for crossing the center line or hitting the wall, and they apply to all classes in drag racing. If John Force can cross the centerline after the finish line, then Thomas Fletcher can too.

Don't like the rule? Then change it, but change it for all of drag racing. Maybe you can't cross the centerline for 300 feet past the finish line. Fine with me. Thomas screwed up, or he had a mechanical failure (the left front tire was turning until the car was mostly sideways), but he didn't break the rules.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Greg Gay

(the left front tire was turning until the car was mostly sideways), but he didn't break the rules.

I've watched the video at least a dozen times and I don't see any "excessive braking". Both cars had the noses dropped but I'm not seeing any tire smoke anywhere.
I think that Dad should be looking for something mechanical, swat the kid on the a**, give him a hug and call it a day.

Is it possible there was something down on the track that caused the car to move like that on the top?

[Dan Fletcher]

Guys, obviously he hit the brakes too hard, too long, or whatever, that goes without saying. He has driven that car on and off for 8 years, and he's dropped hard a million times. We had weight out of the trunk to run E, I recently removed the 2nd rear caliper deal, and the fronts locked up on him, plain and simple. Apparently a proportioning valve adjustment is in order, lol.

I'm sure he learned a valuable lesson. I'm equally as sure it won't happen again. I'm just glad he's ok, and I'm very thankful he didn't hit Pete.

[SSDiv6]

Originally Posted by Dan Fletcher

Guys, obviously he hit the brakes too hard, too long, or whatever, that goes without saying. He has driven that car on and off for 8 years, and he's dropped hard a million times. We had weight out of the trunk to run E, I recently removed the 2nd rear caliper deal, and the fronts locked up on him, plain and simple. Apparently a proportioning valve adjustment is in order, lol.

I'm sure he learned a valuable lesson. I'm equally as sure it won't happen again. I'm just glad he's ok, and I'm very thankful he didn't hit Pete.

Many of us have hit the brakes hard at the other end.
Dan summarizes the facts and event very well and it should not become a new agenda or the new conspiracy theory.
We all should be glad with the results; nobody got hurt and no wrecks; just a shaken up driver that has earned a lessons learned.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by SSDiv6

Many of us have hit the brakes hard at the other end.
Dan summarizes the facts and event very well and it should not become a new agenda or the new conspiracy theory.
We all should be glad with the results; nobody got hurt and no wrecks; just a shaken up driver that has earned a lessons learned.

Exactly.

Including what Dan said as well as what Sal said, too.

There is no benefit for any of us in using this incident to go on a crusade or a witch hunt.

It happened. We were blessed by God and good fortune, no one was hurt, and short of an ego, some pride, and some tires, (and maybe some underwear or a fire suit) no damage was done. Let's just all be glad we were so fortunate, and let it go at that.

[chris ok]

Originally Posted by Dan Fletcher

Guys, obviously he hit the brakes too hard, too long, or whatever, that goes without saying. He has driven that car on and off for 8 years, and he's dropped hard a million times. We had weight out of the trunk to run E, I recently removed the 2nd rear caliper deal, and the fronts locked up on him, plain and simple. Apparently a proportioning valve adjustment is in order, lol.

I'm sure he learned a valuable lesson. I'm equally as sure it won't happen again. I'm just glad he's ok, and I'm very thankful he didn't hit Pete.

This is what it looked like to me too. Glad I read your post here. Did not know about the removal of weight but not enough brake pressure in rear and all weight over front of these cars was my thinking. And that is what happened here. Glad all is well.

[George Fitzpatrick]

Originally Posted by Dan Fletcher

Guys, obviously he hit the brakes too hard, too long, or whatever, that goes without saying. He has driven that car on and off for 8 years, and he's dropped hard a million times. We had weight out of the trunk to run E, I recently removed the 2nd rear caliper deal, and the fronts locked up on him, plain and simple. Apparently a proportioning valve adjustment is in order, lol.

I'm sure he learned a valuable lesson. I'm equally as sure it won't happen again. I'm just glad he's ok, and I'm very thankful he didn't hit Pete.

" I'm just glad he's ok "

Dan that is the only thing that matters.

[Signman]

Looked at the video a few times then frame by frame. Both were on the brakes going through, front ends down. Fletcher was on the brakes before Biondo just past the finish line the car got upset. One thing comes to mind the track is only sprayed to the finish line and there may have been bumps out there. Have myself felt the car want to come around when getting on the brakes hard, has to do with how we have the corner weights set up to go straight.
Everything was fine until after the finish line.

Dad probably had a heart attack and is little pissed but everyone is OK and the cars are not wrecked. The right front almost rolled the bead, would have been a little messy.

Hey Dan you could not pay for the national exposure the Peak car got out of this! There is always something positive!

[tim worner]

Put a spin on things...........use Peak Motor Oil !!!!!!!!!!