Tech Inspection stories?

goinbroke2 · 02-13-2024, 10:04 AM

Lol, cousin was running a 292 chev in the “6 cyl charger class” and had lapped the field in each qualifying heat as well as the main feature. Tech wasn’t looking at him. Finally enough complained when he won the main and he refused to pull the head. “It’ll warp, still hot” etc, etc. as they are arguing I’m like, let’s just pull a head and he smiles “I got 2.02 valves to start with” then goes back arguing. Told to pack up, no win. He laughed when we got home, I asked what’s the point if you can’t win? “I just like hammering the xxxx boys” (forget names now)
Never saw the point in that but it was just a local track and nobody travelled at that time.

Oh and later at his place, we’re all drinking and a car shows up with some guys in it, one of them was the tech guy, they were all friends, that’s why tech let him go until everyone started complaining.

Did I mention I hate stock car racing? Lol!

Rob Petrie E395 · 02-13-2024, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goinbroke2

Did I mention I hate stock car racing? Lol!

I don’t hate it. I just hate what it’s become. I’d go back to working a 40 hour week during the day. And 50,60 hours a week at night when cars got tore up. In a heartbeat if my body would allow it. If they’d stop the reasons I quit. The intentional wrecking of people. And the fighting that ensued afterwards. It was childish and stupid. And it was always the crews that paid the price.

55 Chevy · 02-17-2024, 12:40 AM

Here is one I heard;
Years ago I had a friend on the "more east" side of the U.S. purchase a car which had been a very fast one from a distant "western" division.

The first race the friend attended was a divisional at Indy. I guess either Wesley Robertson or Travis Miller headed things that day. During inspection he said everything was fine except that he couldn't remember front fenders being quite that thin. As they were friends he "suggested" that perhaps it be best to find another pair before the next event.

Those now hang in his garage.

Dwight Southerland · 02-17-2024, 09:54 AM

How far back do you want to go? I was asked pre-race to replace a sway bar on the front of a '65 Chevelle because it had been installed upside down!

I was one of the first users of Cam Dynamics stocker cams. Being from Arkansas, I was in the thick of Lunati territory and Joe had lots of friends. SO during teardown after a class win, I was asked by a long standing tech director the brand of cam I was running. I told him the truth. A friend of mine who was using the exact same cam was also being torn down next to me. He lied and said he had a Lunati. My cam was measured with the "masking tape around the balancer" method while he got a degree wheel. The tech director working on my car put a little extra effort into pulling the tape off and stretching it flat on my front fender. The cam was proclaimed to be .7 degrees too much duration. Then I got in more trouble by telling the TD that he couldn't even see .7 degrees of duration if it were written on his eyeballs. That started a little tech-racer challenge that lasted for a couple of years. My friend skated through tech without a hitch.

At the National race at Memphis, I was teching in the SS/C Corvette and was informed by the Div. 2 TD that my battery had to have a metal enclosure even though it was attached to the frame behind the passenger compartment, and that a ballast bar that had been installed between the frame rails in front of the radiator (the 50 percent weight rule was in effect then) had to be welded to the frame, not bolted in. So I loaded up and wen to Kenny Faulk's place and spent most of the day building a battery box. I showed back up at tech about 4:00pm to get approved to find all the tech people in their trailer drinking Ice tea n BSing. The TD who had thrown me out just signed my tech card and never moved from his chair. I don't know if he just trusted me or was satisfied he had hassled me enough. However, NOBODY ever checked either of those items the entire time I raced the car. I could have gone to coffee shop, visited with friends, eaten a good meal in a restaurant and gone sight-seeing and no spent the time and money.

02-13-2024, 10:04 AM	#1
goinbroke2 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NS CANADA Posts: 869 Likes: 1,462 Liked 354 Times in 140 Posts	Re: Tech Inspection stories? Lol, cousin was running a 292 chev in the “6 cyl charger class” and had lapped the field in each qualifying heat as well as the main feature. Tech wasn’t looking at him. Finally enough complained when he won the main and he refused to pull the head. “It’ll warp, still hot” etc, etc. as they are arguing I’m like, let’s just pull a head and he smiles “I got 2.02 valves to start with” then goes back arguing. Told to pack up, no win. He laughed when we got home, I asked what’s the point if you can’t win? “I just like hammering the xxxx boys” (forget names now) Never saw the point in that but it was just a local track and nobody travelled at that time. Oh and later at his place, we’re all drinking and a car shows up with some guys in it, one of them was the tech guy, they were all friends, that’s why tech let him go until everyone started complaining. Did I mention I hate stock car racing? Lol! Last edited by goinbroke2; 02-13-2024 at 10:07 AM. Reason: Fat finger spelling mistakes

02-17-2024, 12:40 AM	#3
55 Chevy Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Calgary,Alberta area Posts: 227 Likes: 23 Liked 14 Times in 13 Posts	Re: Tech Inspection stories? Here is one I heard; Years ago I had a friend on the "more east" side of the U.S. purchase a car which had been a very fast one from a distant "western" division. The first race the friend attended was a divisional at Indy. I guess either Wesley Robertson or Travis Miller headed things that day. During inspection he said everything was fine except that he couldn't remember front fenders being quite that thin. As they were friends he "suggested" that perhaps it be best to find another pair before the next event. Those now hang in his garage.

02-17-2024, 09:54 AM	#4
Dwight Southerland VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Arkansas - In the middle of everything. Posts: 1,999 Likes: 63 Liked 772 Times in 192 Posts	Re: Tech Inspection stories? How far back do you want to go? I was asked pre-race to replace a sway bar on the front of a '65 Chevelle because it had been installed upside down! I was one of the first users of Cam Dynamics stocker cams. Being from Arkansas, I was in the thick of Lunati territory and Joe had lots of friends. SO during teardown after a class win, I was asked by a long standing tech director the brand of cam I was running. I told him the truth. A friend of mine who was using the exact same cam was also being torn down next to me. He lied and said he had a Lunati. My cam was measured with the "masking tape around the balancer" method while he got a degree wheel. The tech director working on my car put a little extra effort into pulling the tape off and stretching it flat on my front fender. The cam was proclaimed to be .7 degrees too much duration. Then I got in more trouble by telling the TD that he couldn't even see .7 degrees of duration if it were written on his eyeballs. That started a little tech-racer challenge that lasted for a couple of years. My friend skated through tech without a hitch. At the National race at Memphis, I was teching in the SS/C Corvette and was informed by the Div. 2 TD that my battery had to have a metal enclosure even though it was attached to the frame behind the passenger compartment, and that a ballast bar that had been installed between the frame rails in front of the radiator (the 50 percent weight rule was in effect then) had to be welded to the frame, not bolted in. So I loaded up and wen to Kenny Faulk's place and spent most of the day building a battery box. I showed back up at tech about 4:00pm to get approved to find all the tech people in their trailer drinking Ice tea n BSing. The TD who had thrown me out just signed my tech card and never moved from his chair. I don't know if he just trusted me or was satisfied he had hassled me enough. However, NOBODY ever checked either of those items the entire time I raced the car. I could have gone to coffee shop, visited with friends, eaten a good meal in a restaurant and gone sight-seeing and no spent the time and money. __________________