Semi official Showroom-Schlock Shootout writeup thing

Well its been two weeks so I guess one of us should actually do a writeup for the last race. (and it doesn't look like anyone else is going to do it)

The race weekend started with me getting up way to early on Friday. It was dark. My car was stuffed full of a bunch of random stuff, and Albert showed up ready to tow the car so we can get there as the gates are opening, which pretty much worked out since we pulled up just as the gates were suppose to let people in. we park and get out and get in the line to find out that if you weren't paying the money for testing you couldn't go in. so we took the time to talk to people and about the time the judges came in blasting Nazareth out of the to be reviewed charger I got hungry and went to grab some cookies to spread around. the cookies i guess worked since somehow I started moving up in the line by just giving them to people. Eventually they let us not paying in and we found ourselves a pit spot and started to setup.

We got the car off the trailer and emptied of all the stuff that doesn't need to be in it for tech just about the time that they were ready to start tech. Unfortunately Pete wasn't there with half the bribe yet, Luckily he wasn't far and i think pretty much once he got out of the car we made him take out the bribe and hit tech. We had the honor(?) of being teched by Evil Genius. The Evil One (TEO) made a comment about our car sounding like nascar as we pulled up. Then went about checking the car out. Having me strap in while asking me to do thing that are difficult to do while strapped in like pop the hood, TEO pronounced 2.8 Liter Multi Port Fuel injected? And we confidently said Yeah (60 Degree V6 Represent Yo)

The rest of it went pretty easily. Our exhaust made him exclaim brilliant, No idea why since its pretty non exciting, Although you never know what came through tech before us, maybe simple and boring is brilliant compared to some of the others. We ended up being told to duct tape the area that was cut in the doors for the door bars so it doesn't cut us or the suits, mainly the suits cause they are expensive. That and a compliment on the cars cage a prep saying we read and understood the rules (There being rules was news to us also).

Actually this was a huge relief after last years cage conversations. The new TEO seal of approval makes me feel much better about the cage, at least until the rules are reworked again.

 BS once again went way to easily. They took the Cheese Cake and Cookies before we even made it through tech, and the beer and some root beer during tech.

We were stopped barely long enough to get the bribe stencil and we were back in class c with 0 laps.

So the rest of the day was getting the gear teched which Jay commented on my "professional helmet graphics"

 

We setup camp and walked around and talked with the other teams.  Talked with Team Resignation to tell them our cage passed with compliments and since they had the same cage builder they should be good.  This I thought would calm them but they had a different problem, their car hadn't arrived.  Their arrived well within time for teching it unlike Speedcop and his gang of outlaws.  when we talked to them that night not only had their car not arrived but they hadn't talked to the guy who owns it.   They were amazingly calm about it. While their first alternative the imaginary car didn't pass tech.

 

They had been looking at some local cars and found a dirt track nova that just needed a few minor things (engine put back together, to find a drive shaft for it and then whatever they would find once they bought it.   However they finally go a hold of the impala wagon owner and they promised to be there by 7 am on saturday.

Race Saturday starts with a drivers meeting which was pretty standard except with Jay telling us all to ignore some JackA$$ who was saying something that was the opposite of whatever he just said.  Also the track guy said they would like to do 2 races next year?  We'll just have to wait to see if it works out though.

With the meeting done we casually walk back to the pits and shove Duff in the car.

Even with our incredible casual non rushing pace we cruised around under yellow for a real long time as cars fail before the green.  While waiting I start talking with one of the guys that are pitted across from us.  their intrepid started making lots of "Bad" noises during testing yesterday (the reason we avoid testing) and they were expecting it not to last long and the long yellow before the race was worrying him.  The race did go green and a couple laps later it went yellow as they had to tow in the intrepid.  Which shortly after got this sign on it

The did win the I got screwed trophy for their 2 laps though.

The rest of the stint went pretty eventful less,  So I guess Duff and the Cutlass have finally made up and decided to play nice unlike last year.

So out goes Duff, in goes Albert.

Albert was putting down some good laps until he called in about a tire he felt was going flat and before he could make it around to get to the pits it blew out. (around 10:39)

luckily no damage was done to us or anyone else and the made it back to the pits leaving chunks of the tire as it went.

So we swap tires, and drivers and Pete Goes out and has a nice uneventful stint

Then my turn came up and while the front tires were pretty well getting worn especially the front left but I take it out and try and conserver the tires as long as we can.

Mine goes pretty uneventful and we start the order all over again.

Duff goes out and after a bit of confusion over wave byes during a yellow he gets black flagged for passing under yellow, then Albert goes by with a good stint and in goes Pete who spins into the grass.(around 18:10)

Pete goes in claims his guilt and the powers that be take pitty on him and let him go and he finishes his second stint, and I go in with some pretty not good front tires again.  I decide to take it easy on them and just finish the day, knowing we only had 2 good tires left that were mounted thought we would save them and find somewhere to mount the 3 tires we had from last year that weren't mounted.


While Causally driving trying to stay out of people way most of the time.  I did kind of miss Skid marks racing going beneath us which ended up getting me called in for a black flag where they thought we had contact.  There wasn't and I didn't actually think it was that close and I guess neither did Skid mark, but after an inspection of our car without any damage and both our stories matching and the lack of damage on either car we were allowed back on the track to finish the day. (about 2:15)

Saturday was more talking giving away of cookies and beer and general good time with the other teams. Speedycops wagon finally showed up shortly before the checkered flag needing lots of work done to it. so we helped get it off the trailer and pushed to where it was going to be worked on.

Sunday started pretty much the same as Saturday, quick drivers meeting, Casually strapping in Duff and send him on his way. Pete and i went looking for somewhere for us to get our tires mounted. Luckily we found a team to do it at the track but while they were working on it theire was a call from their team that they needed hammers for the car. That is never good so we figured we would leave the tires and go back later. So after Albert switched into the car Duff and I went back and picked up the tires for a completely reasonable mounting charge. The stints all went pretty well at this point and uneventful. When mine came around I noticed if I pushed hard on the brakes started to get a bit of a wobble. Figured we finally started warping the brakes I thought to try and take it a bit easier on them to let them cool. Even with that my stint ended with a bit of confusion as everyone stopped on the back straight. it seems that it ended because the red Fiesta lost one of its back wheels. Duff took his stint and had another mistaken contact. 1st for the day so judges really didn't work to hard on it, but how they approached it with another look at the car and no damage either there were a number of mistaken calls being made out there or they believe our car is indestructible. (Personally I beleive that the other cars where scared of the Oldsmobile's awesomeness and jump away from it making them believe there was contact) but we were put back on the track quick enough. Albert wasn't feeling well so Pete took the next stint and came in with the brakes squeeling pretty bad. With about an hour left figured we could nurse them the rest of the way. Albert went in for a short stint, and while trying to limp the Cutlass home It appears the Impala wagon had enough of this race and committed suicide.

The corner works decided that both us and white trash racing should get a by on that little trip into the grass so no black flag. We switched drivers again and I drove slow and tried to not ever touch the brakes and brought the car home with a 48th out of 98 cars and 4th in class c,  and taking the checkered flag and getting the high 5's and the applaud coming off made it feel like we accomplished something incredible.

So park the car and walk over to the awards. Honestly was a bit of disappointed in the Safety Vehicles getting the grassroots motorsports award thinking we might have had an outside shot at it, but if you are going to lose atleast lose to something funny right. That was then followed by Speedcop get screwed out of the got screwed, and all the rest that can be read here http://murileemartin.com/wordpress/?p=1630

So it got to the big prize the IOE.

Jay starts out with how hard a decision it was, which I knew it would be, Team Lemonade had another amazing race in the 3 cylinder Metro followed closely by the big old Olds 98.

He then went on how this car was probably taken out of some grandmothers garage. Hey our car was literally taken out of a grandmothers garage, but Jay doesn't know that so yeah whatever.

They ran here last year and was in the running for the index there, hmm we were here last year, which other teams were here last year too...

They ran all weekend under the radar just kept putting up laps,  I wonder how many times they lapped us

The winner of the Index of Effluency, Racing 4 Nickels and the Murph and the Magictones Cutlass Ciera, Wait What?!?!?!?

After that was a blur of handshakes and congratulations  in which we somehow got a trophy and a check(still wish it was nickels but I guess we have something to still work towards) and a bunch of pictures and more congratulations.

 I guess thats about it.  Although I doubt anyone has made it to read it all the way down here.  But if anyone does I guess I'll conclude this with the old Cutlass Ciera did good and will return next year.