Thomas Stala

Drag Racing

Well here I am at the Gator Nationals Gainesville Florida.  The hottest drag racing event of the year . I've waited a long time to perfect my skills to make it here.  The speaker announces " all super stock to the line up." I feel a little rush run through my body with a bit of excitement.  I take a deep breath and put my fire suit on.  Wow I finally made it to the Gator nationals.  The fastest race contest in Florida.  My car is running the best it ever has.  I've got all the play toys on it that I could possible afford to put on this baby.  Where's my helmet? oh yeah, in my truck.  Well I'm next to last in line so no need to be in a huffy, besides its just across the parking lot it will only take me a few minutes across the parking lot.  I guess I'll check the air in my back tires one more time.  I wonder how hot the track is? If it gets too hot I will loose traction and surely will loose the race.  Is 20 pounds going to be low enough to get some good traction or should I try 18 pounds? ah let the 20 pounds ride.  I will let some out later on it is still early in the morning.  I guess I'll move over to the line now most everyone has moved over there.  I slide in through the window and plop into the seat.  I turn the switch for the electric fuel pump winds for a second then shuts off when it has built up fifty pounds of fuel pressure.  I press the starter button and crank the engine over to pump the oil pressure up.  When my oil pressure reaches sixty pounds I pull the kill, switch on and without hesitation the motor jumps to life with a loud thunderous rumble.  I really love that sound.  I press the peddle down to check the response of the engine or is it just to make a loud thunderous roar to help ease the tension, The tack jumps up to 6000 and drops back down again.  Well I better get going over there.  I hate this part, the wait is enough to drive me insane.  I need to settle down so I don't red light.  Banish the thought, no red light today please not today.  I will be able to wait the starter tree out until it turns green.  I put it in reverse and the car just sits there and barley starts backing up.  I rev the engine up to 1200 hundred Rpm's.  It slowly backs out.  I have always been amazed with racing.  I love the smell of the tires being burnt off, the roar of the engines and the excitement of not knowing who is going to win.  To watch these screamers race around the track or down a drag strip has and always will be a favorite way to spend a weekend night.  I never could keep up with who was who in the racing world.  I really didn't care about who was driving what.  I just liked the cars and was amazed at how fast and powerful they were. 

Besides I wanted to be the one in the car.  The crowed screams I look over WOW!  Something's is burning bad down at the end of the track!  I hope who ever that is they got out OK.  I idle down to listen for the announcers report.  The announcer said " John Force had climbed out and was saying he was OK".  He is a wild man.  I would never drive a funny car, The motor throws a rod through the block and spews oil all over the inside of your car, before you know it your in a oven that you made yourself.  Wow that is a lot of smoke.  I put the car in first and started to crawl forward I race the motor up to about 1800 to move forward a little faster, I really did a good job on this motor it sounds so good.  

I remember when I was a kid my dad would take me to the dirt track races when he was stationed in Louisiana.  I really thought they were really neat.  I always looked forward to going to the races on Saturday night.  I would wonder who was going over the back bank and crash into the swamp to night.  The big old beat up cars were my favorite.  They would race around and crash into one another It was always fun to see them sliding around on the wet muddy track.  

Over the speakers the announcers says that the Funny car driver is all right.  I hope that he didn't spill a bunch of oil on my lane!  Well they will make it good and clean I'm sure.  I get to the end of my row and turn right and head on by the Top fuel cars, These are my favorite cars I love the speed that they can achieve.  Bam!!  I jump as one of the Top fuel cars fires up with a thunderous roar.  They are all busy running there checks on the engine and they open it up It instantly jumps up to 6500 rpm's and drops back down.  A cold chill runs through me with the excitement, Wow that sounds so good.  The smell is of its own kind It kind of burns the throat but I'm getting use to it now.  

    I remember when I was thirteen and my father was introducing me to the world of mechanics.  I was so excited that I was getting my hands on the car.  It did not matter that the part I was getting my hands on was the brakes and it was going to take me all day to figure it out.  I was getting some responsibility and it felt good.  He handed me a book and showed me the picture of the brake assembly all put together.  I dug in with screw drivers and wrenches.  It was really neat to get all dirty and greasy tearing the brakes apart.  My father went in to watch a game on television.  He was a master sergeant in the Air Force.  He enjoyed his job and was very    content on going to work 5 days a week.  I spent most of the day tearing the brakes off.  I then went to put them back together.  I was  going along when I found that the picture was not that clear.  I was getting really panicked now.  I tried and tried to put it together and nothing.  I just could not go in and ask my father for some help to admit defeat.  It just wasn't going to happen.  In the back ground I  

hear the roar of two more funny cars screaming down the track, then I realized that if I looked at the other side I would be able to figure it out.  So I took the tire off and pulled the other drum off.  There it was the answer to all my problems.  After running around the car about fifty times I was done.  I was a qualified mechanic and I was enjoying it.  I finally reach the end of the long line that I get to wait in. The tech man comes over and I roll up my window so he can check my time and register number to make sure I am bracketed correctly.  I am so excited I could just scream.  I wish that I had someone to share this with this is one of the loneliest times that I ever have.  I wish that there was someone to help me or something that I could do to improve my performance to where I would have the advantage.  My motor is starting to get up to 180 degrees I'd better shut it down.  I push the kill switch and the motor dies.  "Wow"!  Pinch me, I'm really here.  On Sunday!  Final day of racing!  If I loose this race I would still count this as a big win.  I really did not think that I would last the first two days.  It is getting hot out here.  I sure hope some clouds roll back over so the track doesn't get too hot.  It was nice and foggy this morning but now it seems to be getting a bit hot. maybe I should let a little air out.  A roar pulls along side of me and shuts down.  I count cars in front of me to see if I am racing him or who I am racing.  Yeah there he is another person with hopes and dreams that I hope to shut down.  I wish him well, yet I do not wish him luck for I want all the luck there is for me.  There is a loud roar in the back ground and two more funny cars take off with a thunderous roar.  I sure hope that was the last two funny cars for this round so we can get this over.  The announcer states "John Force was officially checked out by the medical people and he is alright." That really makes me feel better.  Over the speakers I hear announced "super stock last call in.  You must all be there for check in." Good that means that we are getting closer.  I hope that I got everything checked out on this baby.  Lets go over everything.  I believe I tightened everything down and checked every possible thing, with my luck I forgot to put gas in it and I'll run out half way down the track.  I need to quit this before I drive myself nuts.  I did everything that was possible to check her out last night and this morning I don't know maybe it goes back to when I was younger when I was fifteen and I had not yet acquired a drivers license yet.  My father owned a 55 Ford truck, I loved that truck.  I would have done anything for this truck and probably would do anything for it today.  He asked me to fix the motor for it had a blown head gaskets.  I really didn't under stand how a gasket could get blown in between the two hunks of metal.  I really got interested so I agreed to do it.  He said that he

would let me figure it out and gave me a book with detailed instructions on how to do it.  I think I still have the book.  He bought the stuff for me to fix it and I was on my way.  I crawled right in with the motor and started disassembly.  This is the first part of my official training.  I didn't know enough to be under there doing this yet by the time I was done I knew enough to do it anytime again.  I was really careful how I did every thing.  I had coffee cans to put the bolts in and I was careful as to where I put everything.  I unbolted the carburetor and disconnected the springs and cables and the fuel; line.  I paid good attention as to where everything went to.  I went over it in my head over and over as not to forget it.  I unbolted the intake  manifold.  It had old rusty bolts that I thought would never budge.     Yet one by one they gave way to my will.  I was going to do it.  I pulled the intake off the truck after wrestling my way through all

sixteen bolts.  I picked this hunk of iron up that seemed to way a hundred pounds well maybe it was less, yet the bolts had worn me down.  I cleaned the bolts up and the intake manifold so I could continue on.  The day had come and gone without.  The announcer "Super Stock line them up" He gives the information about where the drivers are from and motors while the drivers are smoking the tires up to get them hot.  The first pair is lined up and set into the staging gates.  The tree lights up and they scream down the track.  I hope that my opponent is running close to my time so it is a close race.  I hate it when somebody brings something out here that is slow and they are given such a handicap that I never can catch back up with them.  What the heck III probably red light like the guy I raced yesterday, we were just single staged when he hit the double stage he screamed right down the track.  I hate to win like that but what the heck I'll take it.  The second pair of cars pulled up and smoked the tires up. what a splendid waist of tires.  Come to think of it I'd better not smoke mine up too much they've got a few runs on them like most of the year.  They should be alright though I just wont put too much up in the air.  Bam an explosion at the starting line.  When the light turned green the guy blew his blower.  The dreaded air bubble got into the line and blew the top off.  I really don't understand how this happens but some how a bubble gets into the fuel line and when it is ran through the supercharger it blows up.  That is why I work without it.  Might as well relax this will take a few minutes to clean up. The work crews scramble to clean the mess up.  Finally the clouds roll in.  A big black cloud rolls in and know I am worried about rain.  I can't take this.  I am glad I have good nerves or this would finish me off for sure.  I tell myself that it is not going to rain.  At least it is cooling the track back down.  It is all most I 1 am.  I hope they hurry up I am

getting a little hungry.  The next pair pulls up and makes all the moves and runs down the track.  I look down at my engine temp and it has dropped back down to 120 degrees.  I fire it back up and pop the gas pedal a couple of times and pull the shifter down to first gear.  I revved it up to about 2600 to make a statement to my opponent that I am here to race and my car was prepared for it.  It lurches forward responding to the higher Rpm I s yet not high enough to lock in my torque converter which locks in at 3500 Rpm's.  I remember when I first found out about the different stalls in torque converters.  I took a Vega converter and put it behind my first 350.  It was fun for a while, at least until it came apart on the inside and ruined my first transmission.  Yet I did win quit a few races that way. I think that was when I really fell in love with racing.  I sure could use a beer right now to settle me down.  I get too excited about racing.  I guess that is why I love racing so much.  I feel like I'm eight and it is Christmas at four in the morning.  Two more cars scream down the track.  I pull up some more.  My opponent pulls back up beside me and snaps his engine over.  It sounds pretty good also.  What did I expect?  It is finals day and there is no way someone went all week getting lucky.  I know I didn't.  Two more cars just finished smoking the tires up.  A big white cloud rolls over my way.  One car leaves and then another and the line advances forward some more.  Well I'm almost there.  I snap the engine over and over now making sure that everything is firing right.  Listening to every noise that there is.  I am so nervous I can't hold my hands still.  Settle down, settle down, Take a deep breath stay in control.  The car in front of me pulls into the smoke area as I call it.  Two cars take off at about the same time at the same time The other two cars smoke their tires up at the same time.  The two cars in front of me pull up to stage.  One pulls in for a single stage then the he eases up to the double stage the next guy takes his time getting it just inside the double.  I pull into smoke my tires.  I wait for the tree to light up and turn green for a little practice more practice on the tree is always good.  The yellow lights light up and then the green light.  I stomp it and the tires smoke up, Ewe I love this stuff.  I pull up to stage and everything seems to get real quite.  I ease into the single stage then double stage.  I pick my Rpm's up to around 2500 and hold my brake tight.  My opponent is taking his time.  He must be trying to make me anxious so I will red light.  Breath deep breath deep.  He pulls into the staging area and is single staged, then he ease's into the double stage I pick the Rpm's up to about3OOO now and the tree lights up and turns green I stomp the peddle down and we both launch like rockets together, as I smack second I think at least I didn't red, light.