1-9-2010 first race of the year

The first race of the year is always exciting. This year we started out at the Pahrump Valley Speedway, where they have gotten their IMCA sanction back for 2010.
We started the day looking at a 1956 Cadillac in pahrump, my daughter Bon has decided she likes the 50's caddy and would like one for her first car.
Then over to Jerry Buesigs JEM machine to drop off a block to get ready to build a new engine. Jerry has a new location in Pahrump just behind Wulfy's casino and RV park
We got to the track and got ready for some wheel packing. The track was still pretty sloppy when they waved off wheel packing and announced they were having "hotlaps" for the modifieds ( I stayed at the trailer and scrapped the mud off the car)
My pill draw had me lined up third in the third heat, and during line up we were told we would get three warm-up laps before the green. I went out and did my three laps and saw the flag man giving me the black flag so I pulled into the pits for a consult with the crew.
We found the limiting chain on the R/R had snapped the bolt ( perhaps from the roughness of the track?) and told the track we wouldn't be ready for the heat and got the car ready for the main.
After careful observation after the heats I decided to really loosen the car up and take as much side bite out by adjusted the cross weight and the panhard bar because the track looked very tacky, but rough and starting in the back I knew I would have to be careful and work my way up through the field.
At the start of the main I knew I had made the right adjustments, the car would drive through the corners without catching the ruts and would give me great drive out of the corners. I avoided a couple wrecks and passed a few cars but every time I passed a car the yellow would come our and I would have to go back behind them. Once after a particular wreck I was up to 7th, but after scoring re-aligned the field I was back to 12th. During one wreck I hit the brakes to avoid the malay, but the brake pedal went to the floor and I rammed another car also taking evasive action. During the yellow, I adjust the brake bias and the brake pedal responded with slowdown power so I decided to stay out on the track. However after a few laps of racing the pedal was again mushy. A lap or two later a car pulled in front of me to slowdown and I rammed him when my car wouldn't slow down so decided I had better take the car to the pits before something major happened.
After inspection back at the house we found that one of the brake lines had started to leak and caused the brake problem so we have that fixed. Also the clutch started acting up in the Bert transmission, so I took that out and rebuilt it and we found some bend steering parts that we have changed and now I only have to build a new front bumper and nose piece.

Check out ( and maybe buy a few) pictures of all the action at the photocross website

Until Next time!