Roll call - Nashville October 1st and 2nd

#1

I know Levie will be there. Harness said he was going before Nationals. Anyone else want to make the trip? I’m still trying to decide between Nashville and Sebring if I can get my front hubs replaced this weekend.

#2

It’s in my backyard so I guess I’m somewhat obligated to be there!

For anyone on the fence it’s probably going to be the last chance to race at Nashville for a while (maybe ever) with the track closing at the end of October.

It’s not a Barber or Road Atlanta (or Sebring for that matter), but it’s a fun, technical track which suits our cars well. Racing is going to be pretty wild there I think!

#3

Sorry, I’m out due to the head gasket issues. The head is currently being rebuilt, but it’s not gonna make it in time for Nashville.

I hate to miss a race this close to home, but it’s not in the cards this time around.

Have fun and let us know how it goes.

Matt

#4

[quote=“Matt H.” post=59984]Sorry, I’m out due to the head gasket issues. The head is currently being rebuilt, but it’s not gonna make it in time for Nashville.

I hate to miss a race this close to home, but it’s not in the cards this time around.

Have fun and let us know how it goes.[/quote]
I can solve that. You have 10 days (which includes one weekend) and I have a good engine laying around. If you don’t feel like a couple of engine swaps I can have a usable head ready by the weekend. All that would cost would be an extra head gasket, bolts and timing belt and the labor to swap your rebuilt head on when it is ready.

#5

Well I had a great time. I got to meet Matt, and was able to load the car on the trailer at the end of the weekend. No real close racing unfortunetly, but I still enjoyed myself. The Saturday race went well, and I found that on a couple laps I was able to shave a second off my turn 3-5 sector that would have allowed me to get a lap in the 1:14s. I feel that is where I was really losing time to Matt this weekend, and I wish he had some video so I could see how he was attacking it.

I was pretty consistently in the high 1:15s and low 1:16s this weekend. In the Sunday race around half way I hit that really tall bump on the gator at the inside of turn 5 as I let by one of the Corvettes on the outside which I believe caused enough motion to move my lower radiator hose into the path of our oh so sharp alternator pulley which barely sliced into the hose. Over the course of the next 5 laps or so I lost almost all of my water and noticed the car seemed to have no grip in some of the corners (possibly water on the tires). This resulted in me going off track once and backing it down. Then I noticed I didn’t seem to have the same power on the straightaways which finally made me check my OEM temp gauge to see it just below the red area. I limped it the rest of the lap and parked it in the pits. I’m hoping I didn’t damage the engine, but it was smoking pretty good when I pulled in. So I will now be purchasing my 3rd brand new lower radiator hose as this has happened to me twice now. I will definitely be fabbing up something to prevent this from happening again per Jim’s recommendation along with looking into a coolant pressure sensor which seems to be all the rage recently. I’m hoping to get some video up tonight.

#6

My weekend got off to a bad start. While checking the torque on the lugs before practice one stud snapped. I hadn’t brought that box of parts with me and no one else at that the track had a spare stud or lug bolt. Not being familiar with the area I started asking those from Nashville where an auto parts house might be. If you have never been to Nashville Super Speedway you have no idea how far away from anything it is. the closest place that I know of to even get gas, a motel, food, etc., is 16 freeway minutes away in Lebanon. This may be a case of, “If you build it, they won’t come.”

Just about the time I was about to head to Lebanon the Miata guy in the garage next to me remembered that he still had E36 studs. He was able to get in contact with his parents, that were coming out to watch races and got them to bring that box of parts. They were about an hour away, so making Qual was iffy, but there would be no problem making the race. Matt Thorton had a Propane torch with him and I was able to get the remains of the stud out. Thanks Matt! The parts arrived, I got the wheel back on and got a few laps in during qual. I had been to NSS once before, but that was three years ago and my times just sucked.

The first three laps of the race went well and I was able to stay with Chris. Matt wasn’t far ahead and I was hoping for some close racing. Then things went wonkers when the right side rear toe adjuster loosened. After that it was like driving on ice and never really being sure where the car would be pointing next. Matt came over after the the race to find out what had happened to the car. He said it was really scary looking from behind. To which i could only reply that it was a lot worse from behind the wheel. But I was able to finish out the race. With only three cars in class that is still a 3rd place finish.

Since I had no confidence in the rear alignment sticking, I decided to skip qual for Sunday’s as I would not have enough time to realign the rear wheels if it came loose. So I started the race from the back. The whole time I was “waiting for the other shoe to drop” and not willing to push too hard. A finish is always better than a DNF or crash and holding a tiny bit back seemed like a prudent idea. I was running about a second off Chris’ time (Matt wasn’t able to be there on Sunday), which was about a second off what I had run there before. With only myself and Chris in class if I finished the race I’d have a second. I’ll take that! As it turned out the rear alignment never moved for the whole 45 minute race. But that isn’t something you can predict.

At the checker I figured I had finished last. It was a bit surprise to find that Chris had retired 7 laps early and I had the first place finish. I didn’t find that out until a good half hour after the race, which was a big surprise. I need to do something different. In the Mid South series I have 5 first place finishes, but none were where you get a “Winner Sticker” for the car. I think I have a serious case of “Sticker Envy!”

#7

Saturday Points Race:

http://www.vimeo.com/30061312

Saturday Fun Race:

http://www.vimeo.com/30054536

#8

Chris,with delrin motor mounts the engine should not move enough to let the alternator get into the hose. Ask me how I know… Better yet, I know just like you now know. Know what i mean/

What mounts do you have?

RP

PS , Jim, studs are stupid…just an opinion.

#9

I have the AKG delrin 75D motor mounts so unless they snapped then I don’t think the engine moved. It was most likely the radiator hose moving as when I installed my first one I didn’t have it far enough from the alternator and it cut it just driving the car to work to test out the cooling system. I will check the motor mounts this weekend and get a new hose ordered.

#10

I just watched kingtuts saturday race. I know racing is racing but that track looks frustrating. Looks slow and pushy with a few high speed banks in between. nothing I hate more than plowing through slow corners I would have stayed home. What gear was that through the slow corners. I would have tried making another downshift if possible. looked like you were in the mid 2k range. I love how road atlanta makes you feel like you’re going to die when you’re doing it right. That track looks like the complete opposite. reminds me of autoxs in upper michigan that are designed by people who don’t autox. I’m not an expert though.

#11

Looks to me like Chris was using third gear in the hard left and through the hair pin. Matt Thorton (and I) use second there. If you carry the speed in you will be bouncing off the rev limiter as you approach the hair pin and during track out before you can shift to third, but acceleration is better running from the hard left to the hairpin and out of the hairpin. I’ve run that section both ways and my segment times show a slight advantage to the use of second.

#12

Although not my favorite track, Nashville certainly is a lot of fun! I wish I could have been there…

#13

I actually used 2nd most of the laps in the 2nd race on Saturday. I wasn’t any quicker and my fastest time through that segment was using 3rd gear in the two slow corners. They were by far the slowest corners I have ever run at a track along with turn 7 at Sebring. Honestly I watched a couple videos before going there and the track looked very easy, but it was alot tougher once I got out there. I hope someone buys it and there is another event there in the future because I will be there. The facilities were great as well.

#14

It looked so slow I actually thought you were in second already and thats why you couldn’t downshift. I don’t think first is synced so it a fight when your moving.

#15

If I’m not mistaken, you DID stay home?

Nashville is not Road Atlanta, Barber, etc., but it IS a very technical track that is suited well to our cars. It will teach you things you won’t learn any where else, but can be used everywhere. Like every track I’ve ever seen on video it’s nowhere near as slow as it looks. Turn 2 is at the top of my list of most difficult turns I’ve ever driven. Not scariest, but most difficult. I’ve done hundreds of laps at Nashville and not sure if I’ve ever gotten it right.

It was a great day (unfortunately not weekend) for me and nice to meet Chris (KingTut). Jim’s car was completely undriveable from what I saw… nothing like going through a NASCAR trioval with a rear end that wants to constantly step out!

I hate to see Nashville Superspeedway go! Hopefully someone will step in and take it over, but I’m not holding my breath.

#16

I’m not living in NC anymore so it would have been a long drive.