To All,

Them boys that drive in NASCAR are prodigy of the ol time
Moonshine runners, They could drive anything FAST and on
just about any kind of roads, in all kinds of weather !!

They are good at adapting to any and all cituations !!

What would be a Real Kick in the Rear End, put the NASCAR
guys in a F1, on a road course!! Then put Michael & Ralph S.
in stock cars, ya know them "Left Handers", all on the same
road track at the same time !!!!!!

Who would you guys put your money on ???

Whoops!
 

Cranky,

Sorry about that...
I misunderstood the use of the term Ringer. One of the guys at work straightened me out this morning. Now I understand. I had not realized that there were a couple of guys who only run road courses. I am only a casual Nascar follower. My uncle knows Ricky pretty well and I have met him before, so he became my driver and I tend to defend him. Nice to see he's back in the groove.

JB

I usually only really take the time out of my busy schedule to watch three Nascar races from flag to flag; Daytona 500, Watkins Glen, and Sears Point. All the rest of them I'll catch only if I have the time.

I really like the road courses and like seeing how these guys approach the tracks. Guys like Gordon, Stewart, Rudd, Martin, etc. have have either come from roadcourse background or have taken the time to test and learn how to do it right. I'm glad they're right up there with the best of them. (Just look at how few of them can actually heal-toe correctly...most of them just cram it into gear).

I also like seeing guys like Ron Fellows and Boris Said fighting it out with the Nascar guys. I do feel that those "ringers" haven't gotten a fair chance at competing against the regulars. If you put guys like Martin or Stewart into some roadracing cars for just one weekend maybe twice a year in unfamiliar cars, I doubt that they would be much more comptitive than Said or Fellows are in Nascar just twice a year. All are good drivers, but they are lacking quality seat time yet are expected to outclass their Nascar counterparts. Put a couple of the Nascar regulars into a TransAm car and they'd probably be no more successful than the ringers would be at Sears Point.

Also, I noticed that Boris Said was out-horsepowered in drag races down the straights. He was definitely quicker than whoever he was racing against in the corners, but then that distance was quickly shortened when it became a drag race. If you had a chance to watch the qualifying, they were able to show time differentials all the way around the track. Said's incremental times were very quick in the corners, while his times were slower when he was on the straights. It appeared that his car was not very fast, and I'd bet that if he had the HP of a Stewart or Gordon motor in his car he'd be much faster.

Big Bob,

I hear ya brutha! I too, love the road race events and try to watch them start to finish.

I only got to see a wee bit of the race, I'm hoping Cranky will tape the replay for me on Wednesday!!

What did that ringer Boris Said finish, 35th???? WOW!!!!

Also, how many pinion gears were lost yesterday in that race? I counted at least 2.

Dem road races tracks, its a whole different song and dance on those courses. MAN I LOVE IT!!!!

I was glad to see Ricky Rudd win it, a long time coming!!!!

"What would be a Real Kick in the Rear End, put the NASCAR
guys in a F1, on a road course!! Then put Michael & Ralph S.
in stock cars, ya know them "Left Handers", all on the same
road track at the same time !!!!!!"

LOL - Picture them tryin' to stuff Jimmy Spencer into the Williams BMW!.
Shoot - I'd imagine those F1 guys would enjoy racin' in a car that you could do a little rubbin' in and not have the front suspension fall off . . .

JM,
Boris Said was near the top 5 for most of the race, but a little shoving match with John Andretti (I think) towards the end turned Boris around and almost into the wall on the back side of the track. Again, I think that Said would have done much better if he had a motor under him and if he were a little less "polite".

The guy who I really thought would knock 'em dead was Robbie Gordon, as he came thru the pack in the first couple of laps like he was a three-legged cat being chased by a pack of dogs! Man, he was in a class all by himself. But, his frustrations with tires going away and some poor pit stops put him way back. He was just over driving the tires too soon in an effort to get in front. It's fun to watch the really good roadracers throw the cars all over the place with the throttle wide open, in the dirt, off the walls, inside, outside,....:)

Don't let the final results fool you, as many of the fastest guys weren't running at the end, or had minor misfortunes which put them way back in the pack. This isn't a super-speedway where you can go from the front to the back, then back to the front at will. This is what roadracing is all about...real racing for the ENTIRE race, not just the last 10 laps, then slip-stream by someone at the finish!

Watching a Nascar race on a superspeedway is like watching a basketball game; You watch the first 10 minutes, go mow the grass, catch a nap, go to the movies, then turn on the last 10 minutes to see the last shot/laps. Nothing really happens in between. They could shorten it to a 20 minute race and no one would notice any different....with the exception of the guys selling hotdogs! :) Roadracing is exciting throughout the entire race, and you'll miss something if you leave just to go to the bathroom.

That's why I gotta see the replay with no interruptions...me, the TV and the remote!!!!! I knew Boris was doing well in the top 10 for most of the race, but didn't know what happened to him.

I loved watching them slide the cars out of the esses and some going waaaaaay out over the painted turtles in that one turn (excuse my ignorance, but I don't know all the turn numbers in this course yet).

I love that fact that you're durn lucky to pass a car a lap if you're good. That's what I love about the road courses, you're fighting for every square inch of turf.

Helluva a good racing format. Its a real hoot for me to see this guys put on a 'new hat' for 2 races out of the year.

Big Bob,
I think the announcer Mike Joy said it best about Boris it's either the Checker or the Wrecker. He is fun to watch though.

RD:3DSMILE:

Shuey in a Cup car, what a sight that would be. Ya know he ain't afraid to bang it up, prob'ly wouldn't have any skin left on the car when done. Almost every American who has driven open wheel in Europe comes back shocked at the ferocious on track behavior.

Doesn't this sound familiar? Wasn't this the format for IROC? Top drivers from all venues, open wheel, Cup, sedans, prototypes... the best of the best in a generic, evenly prepared car on A VARIETY of circuits. Seems IROC has lost its way and become the arena for Cup drivers in Cup type cars, on Cup ovals. I guess the people (SPONSORS think anyway) have spoken with TV ratings. But it sure doesn't prove much anymore, other than who can draft best. How about John Force? In Autoweek he said he would like to try it. Something like .... I been going 300 mph on fire and turned left, so how hard can that be. What a set of nads.

McF

Bob:

You're right, Boris could use a better car, but it is fun to watch him drive the wheels off the car and grudgingly give it back on the straights. Robbie Gordon has never had the consistency to finish well at the RR events or oval in general. He has made some poor decisions along the way with tires, etc, but I wish he would pull it all together one time.

Did I see you leaving Ramona on the 67 last night around 6 p.m.? I was the read Contemporary going the other way.

Bill,
Yep, that was me in all my small block glory. I saw you wave but couldn't react in time....I was too busy mixing up the gears just to keep my little motor from dying! :)

I thought that might have been you when you past, as I don't know too many others who have a red Cobra in San Diego. Where were you headin'? I live just a few miles further up the road past Mt. Woodson.

Speaking of IROC; remember when IROC was held at Riverside Raceway back in the 70's and they had 911 Porsches?? Mark Donohue was the parade lap leader for most of the time, way before drafting on the high banks became the norm. That was back when the roadcourse guys won most every race. Now, it's drafting partners determining the outcome. I saw an Iroc race at Indy about two years ago, and what a BORE!!! They could have put the things on cruise control!

What is the HP and weight of a typical Trans-Am car these days (like Boris is driving)?

I just checked the SCCA web site minimum weight 2600 lbs 311 ci about 650hp.

Fuel Injection cars minimum weight 2650.

Cranky

Bob, my wife and I make the run up Espola (we live in RB) to 67 and then Archie Moore drive to Highland Valley road back down to either 78 or 15 fwy. I am learning to better control the car on the tight twisties through Highland Valley. Good excercise for a BB car:D:D See you soon at the next SAAC event.

Wow, I didn't know you were that close! I could literally throw a rock from my place and hit your aircleaner from here! :) I live about 2 miles away from the golf course at Mt Woodson towards Ramona. We'll have to hook up sometime. I was heading down to Rancho Bernardo last night.

Highland Valley is my own personal racetrack....passed many a motorcycle on that bit of road. Been driving it for 15 years, and I take quite a few unsuspecting "friends" down it just to hear them scream. Great fun to hear grown men cry like little kids! :D

We just had the SD SAAC club meeting at Dalton's on Thursday night...only a handful showed up because of graduations, etc.

I'd like to follow you through there some evening; see if I can pick up a few pointers. No maybe I better ride with you instead--I think you would lose me too quick. :D:D Many of the turns are 2nd gear for me and one or two are actually first gear. Still sorting the car. Need to get the tire air pressure right, one of my shocks just gave out, and for some reason I turn right much better than left. Feels like there is a high-spot or a bit wobbly when turning left. So, that's the next project. That and more practice. I live on Bernardo Oaks drive, on the way to the Inn (that's me waxing out there everynight and weekend). See you soon.

For you NASCAR drivers......

This is what a right hand turn looks like.....


http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/9940Cranky1.JPG

...lookie how those front tires are planted!!!!!!

Showoff

Oh Yeah??????????

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/data/9940Cranky5.JPG


Those that live in glass houses and all that bull dinky.......

Wow...I may have to go out now and practice that move. JM; How did you say that's done again?