The newest drag racer gears up! - Page 12

**Xplantdad** · #**111** 06-10-2011, 03:49 AM

Marlin...glad to see Ben-Jammin...and having fun too

Doing stuff with your kids while they are still kids is priceless. I wouldn't trade the memories that I made with Holly when she was small for any amount of money!

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif[/img]

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #**112** 06-11-2011, 08:02 PM

Agreed!!

A rescheduled playoff baseball game spoiled Friday night for us, but the team won 8-2! A rainout today keeps us home - bummer, since we are pumped to see the car run with the new front wheels we just installed. Oh well, more rain is in store for tomorrow - we were planning to run at E-Town. We'll be checking the websites very early tomorrow.....

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #**113** 06-12-2011, 09:22 PM

We couldn't sit home another day. The Grove had a special event, E-Town was still under a weather watch so we went West! If anyone recalls the old South Mountain Dragway (now back to the original name of Quarter Aces), it looked like a good place to go. I've not been there since I was a teen, but I remembered that I really liked it.

So, with the wipers on this morning we headed West. No rain when we got here! I know the new owners put a lot of $ into this track, but I must say that it still looks like a time capsule - Benjamin is loving it! What a great place, [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] back to the days of dirt / grass pits, no scoreboards, lots of friendly folks and a very relaxed schedule. Oh, and they tech you at your pit!!

We knew the car would run slower today with the 80+ temps and high 70's humidity. Benjamin clicked off a 13.40 on the first run - pretty consistent with last weekend. He's been working the practice tree, and we staged DEEP and got a .176 RT. Not bad.

Second run with similar air yielded a 13.60 with a .068 light. Ben dialed a 13.55, and ran a 13.59 - but redlit the great run away! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img] Oh well, it was another great day of racing, a win light would have been nice, but I can't get the grin off his face now - imagine when he wins his first one, can't wait.

More next weekend - hopefully.

**Xplantdad** · #**114** 06-12-2011, 11:09 PM

Awesome Marlin...We are along for the ride with you!!!

**69L78** · #**115** 06-13-2011, 01:41 AM

Stanley is the new owner and he had alot of flood damage to deal with this spring, I am 20 min from Mt. Holly. I think Stanley is realizing it is costing him more money to run the track than what he is bringing in. I remember back in the late 60's when I was a regular, there was a guy in I believe a 63 or 64 Chev did not make the turn at the end of the track and went straight into the trees, needless to say he is not around today to tell the story.

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #**116** 06-13-2011, 02:29 PM

Yea, I can see where Stanley could easily get upside down in this venture. The flood damage was a real shame. On the positive, the $'s invested in the infrastructure are wonderful - that new starting line is awesome, as is the cleared out return road. Ben absolutely loved the high banked shutdown area, he can't wait to go back! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Chilling out between rounds:

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #**117** 06-20-2011, 04:49 PM

We hit the MGR TnT Friday night, got 6 runs in!

First run off the trailer was a 13.55 with an .079 light, we decided to take the weight off - after which Ben relates that his foot slipped off the gas pedal on that run. Either way, removing the 25 #'s is a quick way to pick up 2.5 tenths (in theory). Second run he cuts an .063 light and runs a 12.93 [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/eek.gif[/img] Awesome! We get right back in line for run #3, he cuts an .050 light and runs a 12.95. We take a break to go get our ETI squared away, and come back an hour or so later. The humidity was climbing quickly, so run #4 was a redlight and a 13.10, #5 was an .019 light with a 13.15 - another long wait for oil downs.... We got run #6 in around 9:45pm with 77% humidity turning on the red bulb and slowing down to a 13.40.

Overall, it was a good TnT session on a weekend where we couldn't get to a race. Ben was happy to be running 'fast' again, Dad was happy to know that this little 5HP Briggs still has 12.9x's in it. What a fun night!

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #**118** 06-25-2011, 04:50 AM

Car was acting up a bit last Sunday afternoon when we were practicing launches in a parking lot. Got to the track tonight only to find it was acting up again - it would run fine, then slown down and eventually stall. Some vapor/smoke came out of the vent tubes, so we dug into it.

Found that the oil dipper broke off the rod bolts, [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img] Pretty mangled up. Without this 'slinger' there is no oil going to the bore nor the rod to crank surfaces.

I pulled this rod cap with integrated oil dipper from another engine we have, hopefully it will work better:

Aligning the cam/crank, tomorrow is another day - hopefully we'll make it down the track!

**Xplantdad** · #**119** 06-25-2011, 05:09 AM

Good luck M!

**YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY** · #**120** 06-27-2011, 05:59 PM

Well, we thrashed on it Saturday morning - stealing the entire rod that mates to the rod cap/dipper in the pic above from another engine. We put that rod in, buttoned it back up, and fired it up. Did some test runs in a parking lot and loaded up Saturday afternoon.

We decided to go to Numidia Dragway in Numidia, PA - up around Bloomsburg, as we've never been to that track before. The Dimino family is known for running a great track, having great programs and especially for being Jr Dragster friendly - as all 4 Dimino sons have come through the Jr program.

We were not dissappointed, the track is in a beautiful setting and Benjamin loved this return road as well - he had to come through the wall, down a short stretch and up a hill to the Jr shutdown area.

Long story short, we likely hurt that engine a little since it slowed down on us more than it should have given the high humidity yesterday morning. First run off the trailer was a 13.97 with an .051 light, bummer. The run 'round robin', so tossed in a dash of fuel and went right back. Second run was a 14.04 with an .021 light, not looking good for speed/ET but that's pretty consistent for a 12.90 car.

They run elims right away, so we went right back for round 1. We were the only 12.90 car in a 19 car field - so Ben was matched up to an 8.90 car. All of these runs are paying off, because Benjamin did everything right on this run: he dialed his own car (he didn't even tell me what he dialed), he left first of course and cut an .028 light - treeing the 8.90 car who had a .110 light. Then, he drove the stripe - knowing that the 8.90+ cars usually roar by at the line, but he looked around real quick at the big end and didn't see him coming so he got out of it! He pulled a 14.06 on a 14.03 dial! That's driving - and he's only 9, and only doing this part time for less than a year! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] We went out second round with a red bulb, but it was a good run for that since his foot slipped off the gas half way down the run - car was on it's mark though.

How proud! Now if the crew chief can only get the engine program together - looks like we are moving to Plan C this week, [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

A few pics. Not much time to chill out in the pits as the second round of elims was done by 11:30AM!

Many tracks that don't run Jr's by Class will give a trophy to the 8-9 year olds who win a round. The Numidia owner and track manager tracked us down to make sure Ben got his trophy - he was unglued with excitment! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

What fun times!

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