NMRAPaul
09-01-2006, 03:06 PM
By Jason and Paul
Things started off gloomy on Friday morning, and though we had a brief break in the rain in the middle of the day, more showers put an end to hopes of running cars down the track by 3:30 and the day was officially “called.” No cause for worry, though – tomorrow we’ll be opening the gates early at 7:30 AM and starting cars down the track at 8 (weather permitting, of course) to give racers some test-and-tune time before the start of our first qualifying session. The forecast calls for improving weather overnight and into tomorrow, so we anticipate no further delays in the program. Here’s what we found going on today:
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/mize.jpgIllinois resident Johnny Mize is here this weekend making his inaugural passes in Tremec Pure Street. This car, a beautiful 5,000-mile example of a notchback Fox-body, is expected to be right into the tens based off of Mize’s passes with a mule engine.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/johnson.jpgIt appears that the Hertz franchise in the Columbus airport is one of the select few in the country that is lucky enough to have taken delivery of not one, but two Shelby 2007 GT-350H models of the new S197. Chris Johnson of DiabloSport, always one of the trendsetters in the NMRA, was the envy of many in the pits, as he spent the $160 a day to rent one.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/morgan.jpgAfter a catastrophic engine failure on Sunday at the Super Bowl in Joliet, the Motive Gear crew had to drive back to Georgia knowing that they had a complete engine to rebuild. A connecting rod let go, necessitating the replacement of nearly the entire engine, and the crew wasn’t able to get enough parts to fix it in time for Atco three weeks ago. Crew chief Tom Sanders didn’t finish running the valves until the team got here to Ohio, but says it should be running stronger than ever.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/tymensky.jpgThe return of Mike Tymensky to the NMRA is complete. A brand new, Tremec Pure Street-spec engine combination rests between the fenders of the former Edelbrock Hot Street car, and the Tymensky gang has a point to prove. However, after 35 pulls on the dyno at Precision Autosports in Dayton, Ohio, yesterday, they decided to pull it off and just pack it up to come to the race. Mike T. worked nonstop for the last two months to get this car together, and we’re sure the rest of the Pure Street field is eager to see what he’s got in store for them (wink, wink).
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/guy.jpgProCharger EFI Renegade racer Dave Guy rolled in to Columbus with a motor that had been together for less than 24 hours. Today’s rain got in the way of Guy’s hopes of being able to get the rings seated during test-and-tune, but tomorrow we’ll see if his fresh mill will be able to hang with the rest of this super-competitive class. Right now, the top five drivers are within 4 rounds of each other, so it's likely that this weekend's racing will determine who still has a shot at the 2006 championship.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/princess.jpgTo round out today’s Bits from the Pits, here’s a shot of Captain Keith Kohlman, who swore up and down he wasn’t going to be here this weekend. This makes the sixth consecutive race so far this season where Kohlman has made the same claim and showed up anyway – it’s no real surprise, though, considering that he’s currently tied in points for first in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning
Things started off gloomy on Friday morning, and though we had a brief break in the rain in the middle of the day, more showers put an end to hopes of running cars down the track by 3:30 and the day was officially “called.” No cause for worry, though – tomorrow we’ll be opening the gates early at 7:30 AM and starting cars down the track at 8 (weather permitting, of course) to give racers some test-and-tune time before the start of our first qualifying session. The forecast calls for improving weather overnight and into tomorrow, so we anticipate no further delays in the program. Here’s what we found going on today:
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/mize.jpgIllinois resident Johnny Mize is here this weekend making his inaugural passes in Tremec Pure Street. This car, a beautiful 5,000-mile example of a notchback Fox-body, is expected to be right into the tens based off of Mize’s passes with a mule engine.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/johnson.jpgIt appears that the Hertz franchise in the Columbus airport is one of the select few in the country that is lucky enough to have taken delivery of not one, but two Shelby 2007 GT-350H models of the new S197. Chris Johnson of DiabloSport, always one of the trendsetters in the NMRA, was the envy of many in the pits, as he spent the $160 a day to rent one.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/morgan.jpgAfter a catastrophic engine failure on Sunday at the Super Bowl in Joliet, the Motive Gear crew had to drive back to Georgia knowing that they had a complete engine to rebuild. A connecting rod let go, necessitating the replacement of nearly the entire engine, and the crew wasn’t able to get enough parts to fix it in time for Atco three weeks ago. Crew chief Tom Sanders didn’t finish running the valves until the team got here to Ohio, but says it should be running stronger than ever.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/tymensky.jpgThe return of Mike Tymensky to the NMRA is complete. A brand new, Tremec Pure Street-spec engine combination rests between the fenders of the former Edelbrock Hot Street car, and the Tymensky gang has a point to prove. However, after 35 pulls on the dyno at Precision Autosports in Dayton, Ohio, yesterday, they decided to pull it off and just pack it up to come to the race. Mike T. worked nonstop for the last two months to get this car together, and we’re sure the rest of the Pure Street field is eager to see what he’s got in store for them (wink, wink).
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/guy.jpgProCharger EFI Renegade racer Dave Guy rolled in to Columbus with a motor that had been together for less than 24 hours. Today’s rain got in the way of Guy’s hopes of being able to get the rings seated during test-and-tune, but tomorrow we’ll see if his fresh mill will be able to hang with the rest of this super-competitive class. Right now, the top five drivers are within 4 rounds of each other, so it's likely that this weekend's racing will determine who still has a shot at the 2006 championship.
http://promediapub.com/filehost/files/3/ohio/princess.jpgTo round out today’s Bits from the Pits, here’s a shot of Captain Keith Kohlman, who swore up and down he wasn’t going to be here this weekend. This makes the sixth consecutive race so far this season where Kohlman has made the same claim and showed up anyway – it’s no real surprise, though, considering that he’s currently tied in points for first in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning