With the dust blown off Keith's book, the ride height was set on each corner. Then the corner weights were checked along with the left/right and front/rear weight percentages. With this information, Keith can determine if we will have a loose or tight car at the track. Our preference early on is to keep it slightly on the tight side while Mitch gets a feel for the added power and throttle response of the car through the corners at Orange County. With weight-jacking bolts in all four corners, we can fine-tune as needed once we're at the track. Critical to our success was setting caster, camber, and toe on the car. To attain the desired settings, we sought the help of Harry Behrents and Bill Floyd of Behrents Speed Center. BSC has developed an easy-to-use and generally inexpensive set of tools for this purpose. Being one of the sponsors of this project, Harry and Bill were quick to arrive at the shop and show us how these tools work. They will be an essential part of our setup process throughout the season.
Test DayWe had been eagerly awaiting our first test session for many reasons. First and foremost on the list was dialing in our new chassis. Second, we couldn't wait to see if our motor put out as much power as we hoped it would, and for Keith, Brian, and Jeff, seeing the fruit of their labor circling the track for the first time had to be most gratifying. (We also wanted to see how many laps it would take before Mitch looped it.)
In a previous installment, we said that our first on-track session would be amemorable one. For all of the aforementioned reasons it was, but one additional event took place that made it a time to remember.
A few weeks prior to the session, we attended the annual speedway awards banquet for 1999. During the evening, a conversation with Modified driver Brett Hearn developed concerning the Northeast Warrior project. Brett, one of the top runners on the DIRT circuit, has more than 525 career feature wins to his credit and is the undisputed Modified kingpin at the Orange County Fair Speedway with 14 Modified titles registered since 1979. He also ran a few Busch races in the '80s and this season is scheduled to run a USAC Silver Bullet car for Gary Stanton. His remaining credits would fill volumes. So, imagine our reaction when Brett agreed to take "The Warrior" out for a shakedown run at his annual driving school at the speedway, one week before the season opener. After admitting that he knew little or nothing about Street/Pro Stocks, and had never driven one, Keith assured him that he would be pleasantly surprised.
When the big day arrived, we reported to the speedway at the requested time to await the run. We were assured that Brett would take the car out, and we were put on his "to-do" list because he was extremely busy with the school. Before loading the car for the track that day, Keith gave the car his own shakedown run-a tradition at K-Auto Tech, we are told. Keith volunteered to drive the car out of the garage for the first time and into the parking lot before loading. However, as soon as he cleared the bay door, he nailed the throttle, took the corner to the lot in a four-wheel drift, executed a beautiful doughnut in the lot, and proceeded to the street at full tilt. In a matter of seconds, he had crested the hill and crossed over the bridge spanning State Route 17. We all stood in awe as the sound of our brand-new Pro Stock could be clearly heard in the distance. A few seconds later, Keith returned from his journey with one of those grins on his face declaring that she was ready to go.
After unloading at the track, Mitch took the car out for a few easy laps to get it warmed up and came back in with a wide smile on his face. Just before Brett was to jump into the car, the entire Budweiser crew came over for a quick inspection. That was fine with us, because we got the approval of the best in the business!
Somehow Brett managed to squeeze into Mitch's narrow seat (to our relief) and received a quick rundown of the shift pattern and general layout of the driver's compartment. Brett took it around twice relatively easily to get the feel of the full-bodied car before hammering the throttle. He nailed it twice coming through the corners but backed out of the throttle both times when he came down the chute. After he pulled into the pits, the telltale odor told us why. Brett reported that every time he nailed the throttle, he felt the clutch slipping, and then he could smell it, so in he came-he didn't want to ruin a new race car. After he climbed from the seat, he advised us that we have "a beautiful race car" and admitted that it was much more than he had expected. We are appreciative of the time that Brett diverted from his hectic schedule for us and will gladly honor his request to "try it again sometime" whenever he is ready.
With the car back at the shop, we gave it a check from top to bottom and found that the clutch was slipping. Keith quickly took care of the problem.
During the final week before race season begins at Orange County Fair Speedway, several daylong sessions are held to give drivers and crews time to test and get comfortable for the new season.
Track Photographer Bob Fairweather had arranged a practice session that we planned to attend, and we had two days to prepare for that. The track had its official preseason practice scheduled for Saturday-a mere five days before opening night. The next time out would give Mitch his first opportunity to properly try out the new car. We wanted him to get as much seat time as possible prior to the season opener. Keith had been trying to impress upon him for several weeks that this was not a Pure Stock, and he would need time adjusting to the increased horsepower and throttle response. (We still want to know how many laps it will take for Mitch to loop it.)
PracticeWhen practice day arrived, we were all pumped up because it would be our first opportunity to put the car through its paces and start tweaking the chassis setup. The car's setup was one that Keith felt would get it around the track in good form, but with a new chassis design, we really didn't know how the car would react. Another variable was the fact that Mitch didn't know what to expect in his first outing in a Pro Stock, so he was subjected to a lengthy debriefing after each run. Each time the car went back on the track, it was quicker and appeared to handle better. But we didn't know if it was the changes we made or if Mitch was getting more comfortable and picking up the pace on his own.
In any equation there are always known and unknown factors. To solve our dilemma, we used the one constant we had at our disposal. Keith, being the more experienced driver, knew how the car should feel, so he suited up and took it out for a run. We found out that Mitch was fairly close in his assessment of the car's performance.
Our final session before opening night was an open practice three days later. We tried different tire variations and shock combinations with positive results. This was our first opportunity to run against many of the cars that will be competing in our division, and the additional seat time was a plus for Mitch.
With practice behind us, we now must focus on the season opener. We couldn't be more pleased with the car's performance so far. A blown power steering hose, a small water leak, and a slipping clutch gave us some grief, but overall we are ecstatic.
The long hours, the sacrifice, and the dedication paid dividends when Keith said, "This is the most awesome car I've ever driven."
ManufacturersBehrent's Speed CenterDept. CT11 38 Meadow Rd.Florida, NY 10921914/651-7389 www.behrents.com
Brett Hearn Driving School Dept. CT11 P.O. Box 1175 Vernon, NJ 07462 973/702-0811 www.bretthearn.com Longacre Racing Products Dept. CT11 14269 NE 200th St. Woodinville, WA 98072 425/485-0620 www.longacreracing.com
Performance Distributors Dept. CT11 2699 Barris Dr. Memphis, TN 38132 901/396-5782 www.performancedistributors.com
Saaf Engines Dept. CT11 Box 136 Rowland, PA 18457 570/685-2320