Jon wins E/SA in a Strange Final in Vegas

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We ran 10.8 and the competition ran 11.0.
Adjusting for track Altitude that would be 10.6
@ Sea level track (We are 2000 Ft above Sea Level).
It was 95 Degrees and the weather station was about
4500 adjusted altitude. This adds about another -.25
to our ET meaning we would have been 10.35 to 10.49
at Sea Level in good to excellent conditions.

If you were watching from the finish line you would have
noticed that Jon got on the brakes very hard @1200 ft. until
the 1320. The competition was tired of looking at Demon taillights
by then and shut off to protect their combo.

The index is 11.90 @ LVMS altitude adjusted. If you go 1.00 under
you get a Strike and if you get two you get you HP rating possibly
adjusted meaning you must add considerable weight. A single run of 1.30
under means permanent instant HP additional added starting the next week.

Our HP initially was 275HP and by now it is 314 HP meaning we are now almost
400 pounds heavier than we were years ago for the same class.

Our competition runs a 350 LT1 that is a true dedicated racing engine that started
@ 370 HP in the Corvette and 360 HP in the Camaro (same engine). NHRA has generously
dropped their engine to 325 HP (I will check later). I wish I could run the big Holley and Aluminum
High Rise intake and Heads that that Corvette special order engine has as well as other enhancements!
 
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GTX JOHN said:
We ran 10.8 and the competition ran 11.0.
Adjusting for track Altitude that would be 10.6
@ Sea level track (We are 2000 Ft above Sea Level).
It was 95 Degrees and the weather station was about
4500 adjusted altitude. This adds about another -.25
to our ET meaning we would have been 10.35 to 10.49
at Sea Level in good to excellent conditions.

If you were watching from the finish line you would have
noticed that Jon got on the brakes very hard @1200 ft. until
the 1320. The competition was tired of looking at Demon tail light
by the and shut off.

The index is 11.90 @ LVMS altitude adjusted. If you go 1.00 under
you get a Strike and if you get two you get you HP rating possibly
adjusted meaning you must add considerable weight. A single run of 1.30
under means permanent instant HP additional added starting the next week.

Our HP initially was 275HP and by now it is 314 HP meaning we are now almost
400 pounds heavier than we were years ago for the same class.

Our competition runs a 350 LT1 that is a true dedicated racing engine that started
@ 370 HP in the Corvette and 360 HP in the Camaro (same engine). NHRA has generously
dropped their engine to 325 HP (I will check later). I wish I could run the big Holley and Aluminum
High Rise intake and Heads that that Corvette special order engine has as well as other enhancements!
Click to expand...


So Jon ran a 10.80 on a 11.90
Index. Did he get a “strike”.
 
Up to a few years ago there was a clipboard full of contigency for class
wins. Now there are only three including one from NHRA = Plus the Wally
Trophy (We have about 50).

Even when there were a bunch since COVID it is difficult to get them to pay.

Example VP fuel request a W9 for the little bit of money they pay. We supplied that
and them the wanted proof of purchase. We supplied that and the stated they had to verify
that themself. That was two years ago. We no longer bother running their sticker. Many
Sponsors do absolutely everything to not pay the racers that support them. They will say
you part is more than two years old so they will not pay although some of the parts last nearly
forever.

A good year we may make $20,000 or a bit more from Drag Racing. Of Course, we spend $100,000 plus to
Race!

Does it make any sense: Hell No but it is what my Dad/Brother and most of my close friends always
did and they have all departd by now and it my connection to them. My Grandson "Logan" is a 4th generation
racer from our family. His kids someday may also be racers = if Jesus does not come again before that time.

I have requested that they bury me face down in front of the Christmas tree at the track. Then all my many
enemies can kiss my *ss as they go by. Their is a Porta Potty in the staging lanes at our track (We do not call it
a John). One week everyone was laughing their butts off coming out of it. Finally it was my turn to visit it =
Lo and Behold there was a 8 x 11 Gloss Color picture of me with a Wally and my Racer car in the Winner's Circle.
They had strategically placed it at the bottom of the Urinal - Well I did look 20 lbs lighter under all that water!
 
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pittsburghracer said:
So Jon ran a 10.80 on a 11.90
Index. Did he get a “strike”.
Click to expand...
Yes we did indeed and also one the prior round racing the Demon that my departed
friend Rick Kolber race for many years, now his Nephew races (He is really good
and superfast). We will now get a evaluation at year end for more HP and if our average is
less than 10.85 we will get more weight. I will probably go to Idaho to race next month by
myself to make some runs in eliminations or qualifying that are around 11.00 to bring our average
down = If the runs are slower than 11.05 they do not count towards the average.
 
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E/SA is a class for cars that weigh 10.0 to 10.5 pounds per rated horsepower.

Example: Our Demon 340 are currently rated at 314 HP, therefore they must weigh
3140 plus 170 added for driver weight means 3310 minimum weight over the scales.
 
partsmonsta said:
Had a similar experience racing Pro at the old Moroso Motorsports Park (before it became the now ill-fated PBIR).
Luved going down there for 2-day Events, cuz it was still 1/4-mile racing, while Orlando had turned to 1/8. Easy to find a decent Hotel too.
My home track being Orlando, I would occasionally truck down to there and had some great races, went lotsa rounds.
Made some moolah, but never really won the big bucks but did put alot of locals on the trailer.

I couldn't figure out why every time I would go there, they would park me in the dirt area, while everybody else was directed to the paved areas.
Back then, there were the paved areas and the dirt. I despised being in the dirt, especially with a Black Car.

Apparently, I had hurt more feeling than I realized, cuz one of the last times I went down there, they pulled me aside for eliminations first round.
And I'm figuring, "What the hell is going on? Did I pull into the wrong lane? Did they find some kind of tech problem? Am I leaking fluid? Why is this track guy so damn mad at me?"
Anyway, it was a popular weekend with massive Car count, so I'm parked and waiting on about 20 sets of cars to race. Keep in mind, it's about 150 degrees down there in early Fall and I'm all suited up in a Black 68 Dart GTS. So finally, everybody makes their runs, they motion me to race and here comes the Track Chumpion, some orange Nova.
Turns out he was racing Super Pro and is now just getting back to the lanes to race Pro (they allowed you to race both classed back then).
So, he rips off some .000 type light and leaves me in the weeds. Seems all the Locals are smirking at me as I'm driving back to Dirtville. I get back, ring out my now totally wet from sweat race jacket and power up my alternator-less battery that is low due to me turning on the interior fan to try to cool down.

Not one to give up, yours truly buys back and you guessed it.
Same exact thing happens again. Same lane, same routine, same Orange Nova. Same result (he used his delay, obviously).

Needless to say, I didn't race Moroso for a few years after that. :icon_fU:

View attachment 1716240980
Click to expand...
Beautiful Dart!
 
Congratulations John, some tough/bent, competition but you prevailed!
 
John, like the old saying says, walk quietly and carry a Big Stick.
 
pittsburghracer said:
So if the other racer chilled his engine in the pit’s doesn’t he have to drive it to the lanes. It’s not legal to tow these cars to the lanes right???
Click to expand...
The were pitted close to the staging lanes and waited until we were in the water box and then
coasted around everyone in line and coasted all the way up to the water box. That was what was
reported to me by those waiting in the staging lanes.
 
GTX JOHN said:
The were pitted close to the staging lanes and waited until we were in the water box and then
coasted around everyone in line and coasted all the way up to the water box. That was what was
reported to me by those waiting in the staging lanes.
Click to expand...
Our track pulls both cars out of the lanes together to head to the water box. And that’s at a bracket race.
 
YY1 said:
Complete BS.

Not sure how realistic filing a grievance or protest with the sanctioning body is.....
Click to expand...
About 15 to 17 years ago we ran a Low Perf 360 (Small Cam/Low Compression) in our
Aspen Wagon. It ran 11.30 when most cars in class struggled to crack 12 Seconds.
NHRA factored us up to 285 HP while an Aspen or Volare Coupe was at 274 HP for exactly
the same car without a long roof which was Crazy Stupid!
I mentioned to NHRA that that was not logical. Sure enough next month I picked up
National Dragster and the refactored both of us = Now they raised us to 289 HP and dropped
the Coupes to 270 HP.

Then got a visit at the next race from a NHRA official:
Hw asked me - John why do you race with us.
I told them because I really enjoy itand have since I was a Kid.
He said well = We can make it so you do not enjoy it as much!

That race at Arizona Nationals after Qualifying it started to pour down rain as
it began to get dark. The gentleman came back and said take your car to
the NHRA trailer and remove your Heads and pop out some valves.

I had just had Melanoma Cancer Surgery earlier in the week and lost a pretty good
chunk of my arm. It was totally immobilized and in a sling. The teardown and reassembly
took me a lot of the night one handed.
 
WTF?

That's ridiculous and borderline inhuman.
 
Great win John, my 71 Duster E/SA is almost complete, you answered a lot of questions on what it’s like racing out there now. So to be competitive I’ll have to run 10.50 (11.00 when I started this) or better (east coast) btw I had a 70-1/2 Z28 back in the day lol. You know NHRA just loves Chevys
so the racers shouted loud and clear against the LD 340 intake when it was allowed that one year! I have one hanging on the wall now lol.
How much does the scoops help on the Demon over the non scoop Duster?
 
The scoops do not help at all!
I have run it ,both ways, if anything they slow it down
a few trou. But we like how they look.

If you run 11.00 you will be fine and win plenty of Heads Up.

Let me know if I can be of any help.
 
Heck I’m hoping for 11.50s lol. Just got the Cal Tracs on, front end is done. Paint next (originally white) cage is done, engine parts from Bub Whitaker, cam is old but I’ll use it at first. But I’ll take all the inside info I can get.
BTW after looking at HP I’ll stay 70 with AVS. 299 vs 314 is a lot!
 
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