Tell him to keep it up. Still has a little way's to go to match the ageless Red Farmer.I was never interested in drag racing. I did and still do like oval track racing, because in my opinion it takes more skill to run consistent lap times ( with in 2 or 3 tenths of a second ) while trying to pass the other cars on the track. Set up is everything, and you can give away some HP if your car is strong through the corners and it will stick in whatever groove you run in. I have a very good long term friend named Gary Elliott who is still racing pro late model oval track cars at age 77. 2023 will be his 50th consecutive years of racing, and Quaker State Motor Oils have been his primary sponsor for ALL of that 50 year period. The longest continuing driver sponsorship in any form of racing world wide.
Gary still runs 30 late model races a year, against 20 year olds, and he wins his share of them. Over the course of his career he has raced at 57 different tracks in Canada and the USA. Here is a link to his website. link. Gary Elliott Motorsports
JimB
Same here. Way back, ran C/A with the 33, and D/mp with the 55, and had a blast.Unusual seeing this thread pop up. Just yesterday visited the Autoweek website to see how NHRA is faring these days. Think the sanction is more into entertainment than racing anymore. At least that was my take-away.
Miss the 'golden days' of the 1960's drag racing. Power and speed has always been the forte of drag racing. The way modern pro nitro racing is done seems such a squandering of resources and less than environmentally friendly.
It holds interest only in memories of times past for me. Regrettably, it is what it is and no change in the program for the foreseeable future.
I was never interested in drag racing. I did and still do like oval track racing, because in my opinion it takes more skill to run consistent lap times ( with in 2 or 3 tenths of a second ) while trying to pass the other cars on the track. Set up is everything, and you can give away some HP if your car is strong through the corners and it will stick in whatever groove you run in. I have a very good long term friend named Gary Elliott who is still racing pro late model oval track cars at age 77. 2023 will be his 50th consecutive years of racing, and Quaker State Motor Oils have been his primary sponsor for ALL of that 50 year period. The longest continuing driver sponsorship in any form of racing world wide.
Gary still runs 30 late model races a year, against 20 year olds, and he wins his share of them. Over the course of his career he has raced at 57 different tracks in Canada and the USA. Here is a link to his website. link. Gary Elliott Motorsports
JimB
I will disagree with your words. In racing the team members are VERY important to the success or failure of the driver on the track. When I was competing in local oval track racing, I put a lot of my trust in the guy who built my engines, and my mechanic who did the set up of my car at each different race track.Like boxing, wrestling, the martial arts, tennis, chess and other types of one on one sports it's mano-a-mano. No team help, just you and him. The ultimate test of man.
Let's see...That's the first time I ever saw the engine blow off the back of a rail. Do you know if he was using Alcohol or burning Nitro? It appears to be a supercharger blowing off and that should mean he was using methane or nitro, whatever you want to call it, but it had to be some pretty highly explosive fuel to blow the whole top end from the engine. I have seen engines blow, but not to this extent. I know this isn't one of Garlit's rails. I have seen these dragsters run their rpm's up to over 7000 before releasing the clutch. there is no shifting. They only have one gear. The exciting part is when the car is pushed up to the Christmas Tree for pre staging and the burnouts begin. I love the same of methane. That's when you know you are at the track.
I always thought that was pretty cool watching the flames coming out of the headers. These top fuel dragsters that use nitro burn a lot of fuel in a 1/4 mile. I have seen some of these dragsters go through 15 gallons of nitromethane fuel in a 1/4 mile run. They can burn over 5 gallons just doing burnouts to heat up their tires. The fuel pumps on these dragsters are pumping over 5 gallons a minute per each cylinder. Think about that. I would sooner use nitro with a super charger, instead of alcohol and no super charger. I think it just depends on what class the dragster or funny car is running in that would determine the fuel being used. I haven't been to the track in ages, but still watch some of it on TV. Problem with that is, some of these commentators are reading from a book and they get mixed up with fuels and fuel consumptions.
People wonder how these guys can get 8000+ horsepower out of these engines. It's not hard to imagine if you know anything about fuel consumption and burning super high octane fuels over 105+, or other fuels such as alcohol or nitromethane and the fuel pumps are pumping over 5 gallons (maybe up to 8 gallons) a minute into each cylinder. That's one helluva' explosion going on inside the top end of these engines.
Well, I am not that well versed in what you a referring to, but if it helps and makes sense, I know from personal experience that when these types of vehicles, or dragsters as they are called, which we used to call them rails, are rolled onto the track, the driver will do burnouts and also as the Christmas Tree begins to go through it’s lights, the driver will start to rev the motor while keeping his foot on the brake and clutch. Doing this will raise the pressure in the fuel line, so when the driver releases his foot from the brake and clutch, the pressure that has built up in the fuel line, along with the super charger being at high rpm’s, you should expect a very quick takeoff.Let's see...
If the fuel mixture ignited and blew the supercharger off of the top of the block, does this sorta imply that the fuel path, down from the supercharger, thru the intake manifold, past the intake valve(s) in any given cylinder, were open at ignition, allowing the ignited fuel charge in that cylinder to travel back up the manifold and into the compression lobes of the supercharger?
Failed intake valve?
Just guessing, but this kinda stuff is fun!
It was a lot of fun to see these meets in HS, in central CA.Well, I am not that well versed in what you a referring to, but if it helps and makes sense, I know from personal experience that when these types of vehicles, or dragsters as they are called, which we used to call them rails, are rolled onto the track, the driver will do burnouts and also as the Christmas Tree begins to go through it’s lights, the driver will start to rev the motor while keeping his foot on the brake and clutch. Doing this will raise the pressure in the fuel line, so when the driver releases his foot from the brake and clutch, the pressure that has built up in the fuel line, along with the super charger being at high rpm’s, you should expect a very quick takeoff.
In my early years, I raced on the east coast and was a member of the AHRA. I did that because there was less competition, but I never had a sponsor with deep pockets and if you don't have someone helping to pay the bills, you're screwed, unless you are a multi millionaire yourself, which I wasn't back then. It costs a lot of money to keep a car on the track and travel from track to track. I will say this, I may left the racing theater broke, but I made a lot of friends along the way and still remain friends with some of them today. Of course, a few has pass passed away, regretfully. My favorite mechanic and know-it-all was the late Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins from Easton, Pennsylvania. I was also a huge fan of Tommy Ivo, although I never met him. His articles in the racing magazines were real great reading material. The guy must be an outstanding racing engineer.It was a lot of fun to see these meets in HS, in central CA.
Ivo was the guy with the four Buicks, right?In my early years, I raced on the east coast and was a member of the AHRA. I did that because there was less competition, but I never had a sponsor with deep pockets and if you don't have someone helping to pay the bills, you're screwed, unless you are a multi millionaire yourself, which I wasn't back then. It costs a lot of money to keep a car on the track and travel from track to track. I will say this, I may left the racing theater broke, but I made a lot of friends along the way and still remain friends with some of them today. Of course, a few has pass passed away, regretfully. My favorite mechanic and know-it-all was the late Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins from Easton, Pennsylvania. I was also a huge fan of Tommy Ivo, although I never met him. His articles in the racing magazines were real great reading material. The guy must be an outstanding racing engineer.
Ivo did design and build a 4-engine Buick. I presume your talking about the Allisons in NASCAR? I’m not a real NASCAR fan, but I used to pull for Jeff Gordon, #24 car, after I met him at a benefit in North Carolina for a kid’s hospital and we were playing golf down there.Ivo was the guy with the four Buicks, right?
Didn't really work well, but the audacity of it...wow!
And those guys with the Allisons...
There were some rails that had Allisons back in the early 60s. I saw pictures of them in Hot Rod, which I used to like to read back then.Ivo did design and build a 4-engine Buick. I presume your talking about the Allisons in NASCAR? I’m not a real NASCAR fan, but I used to pull for Jeff Gordon, #24 car, after I met him at a benefit in North Carolina for a kid’s hospital and we were playing golf down there.
Early 60’s. I was born in ‘61, so I probably missed those, but I read Hot Rod magazine, which was my favorite magazine. I thought HR Mag was into more technical stuff than Motor Trend, which seemed to me was more about design of different cars.There were some rails that had Allisons back in the early 60s. I saw pictures of them in Hot Rod, which I used to like to read back then.
But that's all I know about this stuff, really. I just liked it.
Nope. I was all done by that time. Probably never read one after 1965-66. I was born in 47.Early 60’s. I was born in ‘61, so I probably missed those, but I read Hot Rod magazine, which was my favorite magazine. I thought HR Mag was into more technical stuff than Motor Trend, which seemed to me was more about design of different cars.
Did you save the magazines? I did, until I retired from the military and then I had to get rid of some things before coming home. But, just in case you did save any of the magazines, do you happen to have this one?
View attachment 261241
Hah! I found a link to an article!Early 60’s. I was born in ‘61, so I probably missed those, but I read Hot Rod magazine, which was my favorite magazine. I thought HR Mag was into more technical stuff than Motor Trend, which seemed to me was more about design of different cars.
Did you save the magazines? I did, until I retired from the military and then I had to get rid of some things before coming home. But, just in case you did save any of the magazines, do you happen to have this one?
View attachment 261241
Ahhh. TV Tommy IVO. What a showman. The 4 engine "Wagon Master".Ivo was the guy with the four Buicks, right?
Didn't really work well, but the audacity of it...wow!
And those guys with the Allisons...