Gettin there... Truck and trailer are almost done. Still finding the right places to store everything (beer). And the "black" car's body is " is done. Just have to go through the chassis one time and scale it. Got the "red" car's body off and working on 4 link brackets. Five weeks to the Bohlander.

Alright... So coming back online for 2012. Wes and Kristin got married in February. That was really cool. New hauler's pretty much done. We started hitting the cars this week. "Black" car gets a new fiberglass roof and a few panels, little tweaks. Then on to the "red" car. Big help this year from Uftring-Weston Chevy/Cadillac and Automotive Spring. First race will the Bohlander at Peoria.

Gettin Ready... Wrapping up truck and trailer stuff this week. Off to East Bay next week to see what's new. Then back to finish up the cars and crank up our mojo...

OK so that's done... Gary Shields did a really nice job painting the trailer. Most painters wouldn't even tackle a job this big. A little work left to do inside but we're 90% done with nearly 3 months til open track days. Now back to the cars...

Spare tuned up...
Matt Rhyne got our spare engine tuned up and ready to go. Our engines all had different cams with different firing orders. Now they all have similar Competition Cams with standard firing order. Simpler really is better in my book.

Only 15 Weeks to the Bohlander...
Marty and I got the liftgate reskinned this weekend. Gary Shields is starting to paint trailer sides. Keith got the brakes all tuned up and new Michelins mounted. Gotta get this monster done so we can do a little work on the cars.

The Thrash is On...
Marty got the liftgate unfrozen and working smooth. We've redone the interior lights, cabinets, hose reels and rampovers. New tires on the way and it goes into Keith's shop this weekend for a front entry door and paint. The paint is gonna be the tough part. Got a tentative 2012 schedule laid out over on the right side of the blog.

All About Tires...
Tires make a huge difference in how these cars perform. Dale has learned the secrets of how to cut, groove and buff each of the different compounds so that they'll perform their best without chunking, blistering or tearing. Gonna build him a tire station with a light and a cooling fan in this trailer!

Couple of Videos from the PDC... Wes qualifying 3rd with a 12.60 going out 3rd from last and the last ten laps of the B-Main. He was rollin...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6KWSAZKYuY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUxdeFESx10

The Prarie Dirt Classic 2011... Birkhofer, Babb, Feger, Shirley, Erb, Spatola, Pierce, Friedman, Provenzano, Roberts, Dehm, Moyer Jr. Those are the cars Wes got by going from 17th to 6th at the Prarie Dirt Classic. Now, some of them broke shock mounts or lift arms or oil lines fell off or had flats... And some say the reason Wes was able to pass others is that is was a "Rayburn" track? Really? Really?? I heard alot of excuses in the pay line. Never heard one guy say anything positive. I say to start 17th and finish 6th in the PDC you have to have a rugged, good handling car and a driver that can go 60 laps without letting up. I only wish it was a 100 lap race. Really nice job by Wes and the crew. (Photo by Lu)

Here we go... Last three race push. Fairbury $10K Sunday, then Peoria $6K next Saturday and Lucas Oil $10K at LaSalle Tuesday the 27th. Then we're gonna cut the ass off both these cars and go four bar. Been putting it off too long.

"Fairbury Flyer" Well we're loaded and ready to rock at Fairbury's last big weekend of the year. $5K tonite and $10K tomorrow. We've gone full circle this year from running better than we probably deserved, to running worse than we deserved. ...Just like everyone else for the most part. But we all worked hard to choose the best we have in tires, setup and motor for this week. Now if we can just get out of Wes' way and let him do his thing, should be fun...

Don Bohlander. Don was just inducted into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame at 5:30PM tonite in Florence, Kentucky during the opening ceremonies at the North/South. We had the lifetime pleasure of winning a track championship at Peoria with him and crewing the Shields family ARCA car with Don at the wheel.. Congratulations Don. You are THE MAN.

August Heat...
Every year when it gets as hot and humid as it's been, I lose my desire to race. Just too hot to work on race cars. But it's down in the sixties tonite so I'm feeling like hittin it again. We have shirts for $15 and hooded sweatshirts for $25 if you want 'em.

Summernationals update...
Had a blast at Peoria Summernationals. Wes won his heat, drew the pole (again) and ended up 4th to Babb, Scott James and Matt Miller. Beat a ton of good cars. Thursday at Macon ultimately rained out. Friday's $10K at Farmer City was a bust with a DNQ. Wasn't for lack of effort. Marty and Dale took the entire week off work to make this car as good as it could be. I couldn't field this car without them.

Birkyville...
Had a blast at 34 Speedway. Cooked out before the race (thanks Margie) Crewchief (me) a little behind all night (what's new). Started 17th, finished 13th. Passed Babb twice. In fairness he worked his way back by. But can you imagine the look on his face. Getting passed by Steidinger in a Rayburn? Then on the way home, I passed Unzicker's hauler fast enough to suck the windshield out. The Powerstroke is runnin good. Peoria Wed, Macon Thurs, and Farmer City Friday.

Uncharted Territory...
Raced seven nites so far with Steidinger. In heat races, 6 top threes with 2 wins. In features, 2 wins, 2 4ths and a 6th. A couple of DNFs that were my fault including the ole moisture in the brake fluid problem. We rolled the"black car" out for the first time this past Saturday at "The Pappy". PPM birdcages, J-bar and SHY shocks worked great. A few gremlins in the brake adjuster but got a fix. Wes drove from 7th to 4th in a car he'd never sat in before Saturday. Now two cars ready to finish off the year. Thanks Photos by Lu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx5fLRCAmUU&feature=share

Fairbury Flyer wins in Fairbury!
Our 2nd nite at Fairbury this year. Trying to be the best we can for the $10K race on 6/25. The "red" car is driving good and this was our lowest hp engine so we'll see. Trying out the "black" car next week just to see which one drives the best at Fairbury. Thanks Photos by Lu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGn7n0wpiLQ

Readying for Hell...
Summernationals around the corner. On the phone with CJ today. That always amps me up. Really looking forward to some of these races.

Tires, tires, tires...
Weekly ritual now. Marty and Dale turning tires around, buffing, siping, grooving, sorting. Only Peoria this week on Monday evening.

Catching Up...
Rain. It's rained for 24 hours straight here at the house. Was all ready for Peoria with new engine. So finishing up the other car and studying all you need to know about these newfangled shocks.

This Business is sooo Glamorous...
Time for a fresh engine. The exhaust ports all look great but Wes thought is was getting flat. It was leaking oil and makin me nervous. Rather send it back to Mike before something goes bang. Peoria "test session" next week then looking at Farmer City and Fairbury the following week.

Balance...
Man I really like the balance we have in this car now and how Steidinger makes it work. Completely different setup than what we used to have... Level across the front and keeping the LF on the ground. Photo by DoubleJ.

Still in shock...
Wes won the Farmer City NALMS race Friday night against the likes of Unzicker, Korte and Walston. Last time I stood for a victory circle photo was in 1990 with Bohlander. Wes won his heat and led every lap of the feature. Made a 4th turn move on the first lap of the heat between Billy Drake and the wall that still has people talking. Now have a cool cardboard check on the wall in the trailer. Went to Fairbury for their opener Saturday and ended up 4th. I think we were a 2nd place car but the crewchief didn't do his job (that'd be me) in making a couple of key shock adjustments and insisting on a RR compound. So take a breather, mow some grass, regroup and figure out what to do next.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN9-x3vNQeM

New Ballgame...
With Steidinger as a driver, we kinda gotta raise our game. What used to be good enuff ain't gonna cut it. But on the other hand, it's a blast to work with a professional driver who really does know exactly what he wants. Hope for good weather this weekend. Farmer City NALMS on Friday and Fairbury opener on Saturday.

Wow!

So we asked Wes Steidinger to drive our car in the Bohlander. My goal was just to be in the race and be respectable. Wes timed second in his group behind Feger. He started outside pole beside Jason and after Jason paced the field to the green very slow twice, Wes took off and never looked back. Won the heat driving away. He drew the pole, took the green and again pulled away. Around lap 12, there was a caution and our brakes boiled. No brakes after that. Story over. But man, what a start! New calipers, rotors and ultra-hi temp fluid this week. (Photo by Mike Ruefer)

2011 Ready!

Been traveling a bunch... But one car done and loaded for the Bohlander on April 3rd. The other car pretty close to done. Lots of changes this winter. Should be interesting...

Five Weeks to Test Day...

New PPM J-bar all in on the red car. Seems like good quality stuff way it all fits. New back bumpers fab'd in. Little more fab work on the black car, new birdcages, then the body and vinyl.

Black Roof?
So the "red car" is setting the way it came back from our try at Farley. Pretty much ready for the Bohlander. But thinking about new black roof with "Warrior" style windows, black spoiler?

Four Link...

Have just about everthing gathered to put the "black car" back together. Going to try a 4-link with J-bar just for fun. So the Rayburn 4-link brackets and new birdcages. Dummy shock with LR spring behind axle, new carbon driveshaft and brake pads. That'll do it.

The Hauler Wants to go to East Bay
Warmed up and ready to go. Limo lights and all. We'll see.

Getting ready for Christmas

Listening to "Respect" by Train. Catching up on work email. Thinking about our first late model.. Old Shaw with 460hp steel block and awesome tin work by Herb Shannon Jr... I miss that car.

Wow!

I saw my dream daily driver today... 2011 Camaro RS 426hp, 6 speed manual, 3.48. Hmmm. gotta talk sweet to Mama... Black Rayburn is apart undergoing some new "tricks"...

Time for Updates!

Robbie Bauman got me thinking about trying 4-link again. Liked it in the car we flipped. Rayburn makes some pretty nice weld in plates... Got 'em ordered. Gettin the saw and welder warmed up.

Bored to death...
A few weeks ago I was sick and tired of working on cars. Now I'm bored to death and wishing we were still racing. It's gonna be a long, long winter....

Good Thing About Peoria...
Is after your race there, it's much easier to clean the underside of your car.

Peoria 100.
I never felt like we had any business going to these big paying shows. …Until this week. We timed 5th in our group and had a shot to get to third in our heat before getting collected in the third and fourth place car’s wreck on only the third lap. Had to go to the back twice and ended up seventh of eleven. Mediocre in the b-main with Weaver, Unzicker and Provenzano but we were not embarrassed on a night when Erb, Shirley and Bennett were in a B and Schlenk, the UMP national points leader did not qualify. Maybe next year.

Terrific 3 wide photo by Erik Grigsby

Ready, Fire, Aim...

Listening to a little Lou Gramm "Midnite Blue" and getting ready for "nite before class reunion"... Black car is ready for Peoria. Kinda in a take no prisoners mood for tomorrow. This is the car we put a new body on and in one lap, the 22 and 10 made it look like it had a whole season on it.

Peoria 100

Been trying to make this race for 5 years. This is our best chance. Going through the front end on the black car making sure it's all free and true. Gotta time good and race hard in the heat.

Farley...

Entry fee, $140. 40 gallons of diesel fuel, $120. Laps on the Farley half mile, priceless. Car ran great. Speed was dizzying. Liked it better than the short ovals. Could not get into three without screwing up and at that speed, you lose 10 car lengths for every bobble. Can't wait to try it again. Pitted next to the great Pete Parker who didn't make show and Skip Frey (a great guy) who won his B-main and is in.

Getting Ready for Farley...
Listening to a little Rolling Stones "You Got Me Rocking"... Always wanted to go to the Yankee Dirt Track Classic at Farley. Was little conflicted but now all clear - it"s go time! New body on, a couple of new tires, new vinyl, set the valves, an oil change and we're ready for the big half mile Friday night!

The Bad Thing About Vacations....

Is that they have to end. Had a weird last day. Lost an anchor, broke the engine hatch hinges, bumped the coach roof on a tree limb. But had an awesome last day cruise out in the gulf and a great meal while docked at at http://seahagsbarandgrill.com/ in St. Pete Beach. But boat ran flawlessly, no travel problems, no speeding tickets (got Marty to take the VSL off - we were in the "Monfort lane" all the way home), and have Monday to recuperate.

Been a while....

So Saturday the 18th, with soft right side springs, we finally found a feel I like. The car was terrific. 4th in heat, started 11th in feature. Up under cars that were driving away from us at beginning of year. Jaggers spun for some reason and we spun to avoid hitting him harder, then somebody went by and clacked the front end so called it a night. But I think we're back... Taking a break in Florida. Haven't worn socks or underwear for 4 days and only listening to Jimmy Buffet... Don't worry - I'm wearing swimming trunks. Pam brought so much "margarita in a jug" and beer that the slide out wouldn't move until we unloaded it but we're into it deep. The water is a perfect 86 degrees! That's the Gulf of Meheco off Egmont Key. Get a thunderhead every day. They just blow right by. Marty - I think we should get a car tuned up for Eldora on Friday...

Peoria with a New Body...

What makes guys like the 10 and 22 think they can drive right inside your car or chop you off? Guess they think I won't retaliate... :] We got a lucky draw and started outside front row. The 4, 40, T2, 32 all pass clean, then here came the shit. Ended up 9th. Lots of bodywork this week but car was better than me as a driver.

Decision Time...

Gonna roll Marty's car out next week. Should it be traditional white numbers (the 4) ? Or new flashy reflective silver (the 9)...?

Rodney Dangerfield...

It's interesting when you've not been running well, guys get used to driving right by. You don't get much respect. Then you get your problems fixed and start racing hard again... They look over at you like WTF? Car was great last nite. Perfect. Had third in heat, a gap on fourth, then got smoked on a restart. Just gotta get down right mean on restarts.

It's a Process...

Thanks to Rich Edwards Jr. Photos

Had fun at Peoria's UMP Summernationals Tuesday. We qualified with a 13.9 second time which was 2 tenths off Kevin Weaver who went right in front of us. Always in the 14's before. Didn't qualify for the feature. Had 44 good cars trying to get in 19 spots. We're still fighting carburetor problems but Mike Mullvian made two big suggestions - change the throttle linkage to make it easier to control the engine and lower the floats to get rid of a stumble off the corners. That Mike... He's a good one!

3P's

If you race at Peoria, you need three things. Personal self-control so you don't go berzerk, "Payola" because you're going to have to replace punctured tires and smashed parts, and a Porta-power cause you have to jack alot of bent stuff out. Bad draw again, started back of heat, only got two spots. Started feature 16th and finished 15th. Lot of beatin and bangin. But car has been better every week. Bout time for new sides.

Finally Got It...

After two weeks off, one for Jamie's engagement party and a weekend lost to rain, we got to test the third and last fix on the "red" car. We fixed a brake problem, a pull-rod problem and last, a rear axle alignment issue. These pictues may all look similar but there's a huge difference in the way it drives now. We spent most of last night working under cars instead of falling backwards. Now we can get Marty's favorite - the "black" car out.

Thanks to Jamie Huber Photos