[b]They keep the class competitive by having a rule which stipulates that if another racer offers you $400.00 for your car you have to sell it. So you can imagine what calibre of "cars" are competing. [/b]

LMAO! [}:D]

Kharn

I finally got to my first NASCAR race this weekend...
I too am a 1/4 mile addict, but I couldn't resist the offer to go to Pocono this weekend.
My youngest brother, Jerry, is the shock, spring, and chassis tuner for Ricky Rudd's #28 car.
He got my Dad and I garage passes for the whole weekend.
We could go anywhere in the track!!!
Yesterday just before the race he took us into the race trailer and showed us around, and then we ended up having lunch with him and Mike McSwain(crewchief) in the lounge area of the trailer. Very cool!!!
He(my brother) was very busy all weekend,so my Dad and I didn't get to spend much time with him...
Actually, the most time spent with him was DURING the race...
My Dad and I were on the ground standing to the left of McSwain in the pit area, B.S'n with my brother during the race...
My brother gave us a pair of headsets to listen, and said: "Whatever you do, DON'T touch the 'TALK' button..."
We could listen to the communication between Ricky and the spotter,and the crew chief(Mike McSwain aka Fatback)
I really wish we would have stayed till the end of the race, but my Dad has a bad heart, and wanted to get going after about 135 laps. We didn't get to sit down all day, and he was walking alot more than he should, so I said no problem, we'll get a good jump on all the traffic..
We were about an hour away from the track, and decided to call my brother Jeff at home, to see how the race went...
He said: " 5 laps to go, Rudd is 2 seconds in front of Gordon, who is 2 seconds in front of Jarret "       "...Call back in 5 minutes"
We called back in 5 minutes and heard that Ricky won the race!!!
Damn!, Damn!, Damn!!!..... I wish we had stayed !!!          

I know there's a Canadian joke here somewhere.

their are TONS of race tracks in iowa, they have a  similar rule, but i think it only applys to the motor. it really pisses guys off cause they put a LOT into their cars.

i would like to do dirt track truck racing

Any fellow superbike racers out there?

No, but I dated Scott Russell's mom once or twice in the '70s and his sister and my daughter are friends.

BTW Striker - cut and chop and hack that weight away. Less weight is a cheap substitute for expensive engine/suspension work. Put your best tires on the outside front - you'll probably have to rotate 'em anyways just to keep some rubber on.  Heavy springs and shocks would be nice too, especially if you're bottoming - you may need to weld reinforcements on your suspension mounts if so - but for $400 about the best you can shoot for is a reliable car that's light and has decent tires.  If the rules allow it, you might also consider relocating the rear axle to a new location optimized for better cornering.  Out of curiosity, does that $400 rule include safety gear - fuel cells, roll cages etc?

Good point.  Those things alone could easily cost over $400.

DRArt...

THAT WAS AN AWESOME WIN for Ricky...  Damn long time is coming...  I was bummed when he lost "The Streak", and kinda hated to see him get out as an owner, but the opportunity to get the Havoline ride was not something he could pass up, and Robert was right in putting him in the seat...  This win should have come sooner, and the last couple weeks, they have been right there, you knew that it was coming. I was so happy for Ricky and the crew...

What an AWESOME experience you had over the weekend...

Well...  They should be in town on Thursday, adn we'll be at Sears all weekend...  I sent you an email...  I'd love to hook up with your little brother...  Please give him a call and let him know you've got friends out this way...

Enjoy!

Many good points...  I ALWAYS hated the "Claimer Rules".  The ones we had were for Engines only, but I knew a few guys that had them on the cars too...

A class like this doesn't use fuel cells, I am guessing.

Also, most claimer rules state that when they buuy yours, you get theirs, so you're not completely out...

It does suck though, and so you have to see what everyone else is doing, and kinda prep along that line, so you don't attract too much attention, but still remain competitive.

The other thing is to use something that is not standard.  When we had Claimers on Engine, most everyone was using Chevy engines, cheap parts, decent power.  We'd use a Ford, and they wouldn't want ours because they couldn't mount them in their cars, and didn't have the spares for the motors.  It'd cost more for them to switch, so it helped...

Little things can add up, so have fun, and be safe, but as the adage goes...  If you aren't winning, you ain't cheating very well  :D

I got your E-mail...

SORRY, but garage passes are not that easy to get...I explained in the E-mail...