It’s been an action packed season opening! We just returned from a two week trip to Las Vegas where we had a very busy schedule. First on the calendar was Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing school. Thanks to Frank and my good friend Tony Rowe, I got to attend Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and I got to drive a Super Comp Dragster! For more details check out my Alex Blog page. After the driving school was completed, we were off to test the Maulin’ Magnum at the test and tune before the upcoming racing. The car was running well and we were excited about Saturday’s racing. But the swarming locusts served to be a problem for both me and the car. There were so many millions of locusts swarming the track that I was forced to seek refuge in the only place that wasn’t infested, the car. I am not a fan of bugs, especially those that jump and fly in your face while you’re walking around the pits. When it was time for eliminations, the locusts were piling up everywhere, including the track, and they only served to exacerbate our already existing traction issues. Alas, we were out in round one.
But Sunday was a new day, and had a happier ending for the Arrington Powered Maulin’ Magnum. The locusts were gone and the car was hooking off the line. Round one of eliminations came and there were about 70 cars in the lanes for the Pro class. After several hard fought win lights on my side of the track, we were in the top six of the 70 cars that came to race on Sunday. At the stripe it was a double break out, and our opponent won the race by a mere fourteen ten thousandths of a second! It was a respectable way to go out of the competition and we were proud of our accomplishments. The lessons that Frank taught us were crucial to our success during the rounds that day. We always took time to look around and be thankful that we get to do what we love. We also knew that we had to take it one round at time, and focus most on what we could control about the race.
Next came the Pacific Street Car Association’s Magnafuel Nationals race. Saturday’s practice went quite smoothly, and the car was running well. The track personnel did a great job of prepping the track in the warm weather and the car was hooking off the line. I was even able to cut a perfect .000 light in a practice round and follow it up with a .004 light right after. The car was predictable, and we went into Sunday with confidence.
I was asked by Mel Roth of the Pacific Street Car Association to help hand out the trophies and plaques at the awards banquet on Saturday night. It was awesome to hand out the awards to such deserving racers. And it was also awesome to receive my Runner Up Championship plaque for the Street Muscle class. The surprise of the night was the special recognition award for none other than my crew chief, Richard Kratz! The food was awesome, the people were awesome and it was a great end to Saturday’s practice. I really want to say thank you to the whole PSCA crew for putting on such an awesome show. It was a fun time.
So Sunday morning came around and we were excited to start the day. But the first round of time trials proved to be a little confusing for the crew chief, and when eliminations came we needed to step up our game. The car was having trouble getting off the line, and my reaction times were not up to par. So we decided to stage a little deeper to get a better reaction time, and I turned the red bulb on. It was tough being out in the first round. We had high hopes for the weekend, and Saturday was going so well. But the car’s set up is new, and traction continues to be an issue. The power that the Arrington ShopHEMI.com engine is producing constantly astounds me. I can’t wait to get the rest of the car set up to handle it to show its full potential.
Lots more racing coming up, so check back for more updates on the next races and events. And of course, don’t forget to tune into www.speedsceneracing.com every Tuesday night at 6 pm PST! – Click any image below to enlarge:
Hiding in my car as a plague of locusts decended on Las Vegas Motor Speedway at Friday night test and tune
Had a chance to get down to Boulder City and see the Hoover dam, wow, is it impressive!
Very proud of this moment, Mel Roth of PSCA presented me with my 2012 PSCA Street Muscle Championship Runner Up award
Doing what I love to do, in the staging lanes for PSCA Magnafuel Nationals race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
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