Two Molars Pulled This Year!

This year again, one week before the Blue Suede Cruise Goodguys show in Norwalk Ohio I get a call from Vic Molar. Now if you remember Vic had a cracked molar last year and pulled out of the trip. This year he had to work and couldn't go again. The next crew member “Joe the Ghost” pulled out of the trip as well. There were multiple reasons, but the one I took away was he was in a “MANIC” over something.

Shit Happens!


Steve, Jeff, Julian, Jim and Roger were going so we had plenty of help! The weather outlook was sketchy at best calling for rain all three days around 30%ish. Breakfast at the Denny’s in Angola was uneventful as everyone was hungry and it was heads down in pancakes for most. Back on the road we skirted Cleveland and made good time going a new route to the track. We arrived at Summit Raceway Park Norwalk at about noon and immediately teched the car. It always amazes me each year when I spend close to $450.00 in license and membership fees to NHRA and IHRA and Goodguys and all the tech guy wants to know is if the master on /off switch will really shut the car off. With tech card in hand we roll to customer service get our wristbands and sign our waivers. The best was when my son Julian was asked to sign the waiver and team association. He told the Customer Service lady he was the Crew Chief, so that’s what he wrote down! Moments like those are Priceless!

The Orange Crusher team was ready to go and taking in all the sights and sounds on the way back to the car. The pits had more cars in it on Thursday of this year than last year so we knew it was going to be packed. Back at the trailer it looked like all the moves were orchestrated and everyone knew what to do. Wait a minute! Yeah, it’s supposed to be that way. Steve was manning the generator and Jeff was unlocking the car. I was filling the Orange Crushers gas tank while Julian our new Crew Chief was getting in the car and getting ready to back it out.  Jim was busy too. Making coffee and chomping cookies! We set up everything except for the tent and we were good to go. The car was ready for Friday time trials and we were ready to shower and eat. Everyone was pissing and moaning about going back to the Discomfort Inn and their scratchy towels. We checked in showered, screamed a bit and then went to Danny’s a little restaurant down the street from the Hotel.  Right after we ordered, we over heard the lady behind us find a penny at the bottom of her meal. Who cares! We had a delicious meal.

If the dictionary defines a bed as a piece of furniture upon which or within which a person sleeps, rests, or stays when not well then the Discomfort Inn needs to take note. Jeff and I woke up and could barely walk the next morning. We would have had a better night sleeping in the mulch of the flower beds!

It was a drizzly morning on Friday. We made our way to Bob Evans for breakfast and I joked with Roger about the weather forecast. I held up a place mat and a sugar packet I told him Norwalk was the sugar packet and the rain was the placemat coming right at us. We joked about that the whole trip. Wipers on, we loaded up at Wal-Mart and were off to the track. By the time we got there it was a soft drizzle. We set up the tent and the skies started clearing. We were going to get our time trials today. Racers were coming in one after the other. The pits were beaming with all kinds of hot cars. Motors running, the Wap of the top fuelers and the faint smell of nitro filled the air. It was like a good song you hear on the radio!  The staging lanes started to fill by class. We ran the Nostalgia Gas / D class which was 9.5 We ran our first run and we ran 9.2 right in the middle. The second pass right around the same numbers, once again we needed to slow it down or make it faster. We decided to wait it out for Saturday’s time trials. All in all it was a good day. Good weather, good eats, and good racing. The crew had a pound of ice cream each for a buck. We were all fat and happy..or at least some of us.  We packed it in at the end of the day and decided on Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Roger was so stuffed from the night before and lunch at the track he never joined us. The night was uneventful and cold. The number of cars at the host hotel Kalahari or as Jeff called it the Kalamahareeee was way down. There were only about 50 cars in the lot. It poured Friday night and we woke up to puddles in the parking lot on Saturday morning.

Skies were dark and not a hint of Sun at all. I think there is somewhat of an unspoken vibe we all have when it comes to weather on these trips. No one speaks about it until the first person cracks. It’s like when a nitro car idles down just before take off. When the first person cracks it’s all over. Then we talk about it for an hour. Rainy skies opened up to a beautiful day on Saturday. So beautiful in fact, we ran an 8.92 and the pulled the wheels all the way through it. I was stoked to say the least. I knew it from the 4400 rpm leave and the 147.5 top end we were cooking. And I don’t mean sausage! I think everyone knew I was pleased as they hovered around me as I climbed from the car. The best smile came from my dad and the next best from my son of whom I gave all the credit to as our new Crew Chief!!!! All of our hard work with the carburetion problems paid off. Now all we had to do is change our index to Nostalgia Comp C for the 9.00 index. Shit, If I kept running that good I might as well of tried for the 8.5 index too…..sigh. We made another solid pass later in the day running well but the weather was changing and we started changing shift points to accommodate it.We also throttle stopped the car down just a bit to slow it down. I was happy, the crew was happy so the mid day festivities began. Grillin, Chillin and watching some heavy hittin Nitro cars including a 6.90 something pass from Steve Walzak. Nice……!

On the way back from the track we roll into the town of Norwalk and right up next to this dude wearing all orange and a black cap. He was in the sidewalk looking at all the cars go by in his wheel chair having the time of his life yelling to the people passing by. We laughed like hell when we saw him and thought we should recruit him to our Orange Crusher Team. Jeff put his teeth in and started talkin smack to him. He yelled to us “I know your all part of a race team where your rig at?” When Jeff started Jawin back at him he yells “don’t make me turn this cap inside out” as he started doing so it was Camouflage. We all pissed our pants laughing. Something funny always happens on these trips.

We were searching the strip Sat night for a place to eat. As you might guess a town with two thousand new faces or more in it for race day can make public places crowded. Every restaurant on the strip was packed. Oh look, this Italian place looks good I yelled. Steve says, oh yeah I’ve eaten in one in Texas the food is pretty good. FAZIOLI’S -  We wheel in and there are about 5 cars in the lot. Hmmmmm? Jeff has a bad vibe. We walk in, we do an about face and walk out. It was a fast food Italian restaurant. Aluminum foil dishes and plastic forks. No thank you! If I want Spaghetti O’s from the can I’ll make it myself! Outback Steak House here we come. After a short wait we were seated by a lovely attractive hostess. Jeff caught the Crew Chief giving her the hairy eyeball on the way in. Julian was checking her out the whole time. We arrange for a meet and greet while Julian uses the facilities. At this point Ernest T. Bass from Mayberry RFD is waiting on our table. We had to listen a short story about the cars his daddy has in a barn on his farm and how he gassed them up and pumped up the tires just this week. Pin anyone? Roger pulls a long pin out of his napkin as he was about to use it. Yep, first a Penny, now a Pin! A long Bastard! Jeff grabs the pin and calls over Ernest T. Bass.   Jeff: Um we just found a pin in his napkin you might want this…….Ernest: uhhhh you found a what?...... Jeff: A PIN! A PIN! ….Ernest: No comment…not a peep…just a dumb founded look. Mean while Julian gets up to go to the men’s room and we ask Ernest the Hostess name and ask her to take a picture with Julian. Julian comes back, she walks over and there you have it a Kodak Moment! Poor Julian! Our meals were great and the manager came over at took the beers of the check for our Pin Problem. Respectable move!

Sunday Race day. More of the same evening weather prevails in the morning. Cool temps and windy cloud covered skies are on the horizon. Back at the track we begin unload and set up camp. One round of time trials begins and we decide not to run but watch the competition. Our class gets called for first round of eliminations. I was running an 8.50 index 66 Chevy Roller. The starter asks me lane choice, I tell him lane one however in the staging lanes the Chevy crew is yelling to Jeff they want lane one. Too late I’m rolling and the starter puts me there. I beat him to the water box. I don’t play that shit in the lanes. It messes with your concentration.  I made the decision for him and moved in to position. We both do our burn outs and stage. I catch a decent light he catches an even better light. I run a 9.2 He runs a 8.501. Rodger was in the stands and he said the guy was pedaling through the traps…Oh well I think we should of opened the car up a bit more to give us a tighter edge but even with doing that I would have had to of run just as good as him or better. Possible yes? Probable no!