Our very own LMS car sits...
Our very own LMS car sits in the spacious, well-equipped fabrication shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. The facility is owned and operated by well-known race car designer and builder Billy Hess. We will be designing, re-building, testing, and racing our car in the heart of NASCAR Late Model country with the help of some highly successful drivers and crews.
Circle Track magazine is devoted to exploring all technical aspects of the engines, chassis, and systems in cars and how to apply all of that to racing stock cars. However, there comes a point when we need to quit writing and start racing. That time, for the asphalt side of racing life, is coming soon.
In the next few months, we intend to do a complete redesign of a NASCAR Late Model Stock car related to frontend geometry, engine and drivetrain, the steering and brake systems, gauges and wiring, and, of course, the safety aspects of the car. Various manufacturers will be lending their support and expertise to the project as we install and test components.
The car is an older NASCAR legal Late Model Stock car. Mark Davis, owner of the Carolina Motorsports Tech Center, was kind enough to mount a new body on the chassis, and we then had it painted in the CT colors and logos and put it on display in Daytona at the Racing Expo in February 2003. Since that time, it has been stored near our Lakeland, Florida offices. And more recently, the car has been transported to its home in North Carolina, where we can utilize the specific design related to mid-Atlantic stock car racing.
The car was neatly painted...
The car was neatly painted and decaled last year for show in the Daytona Racing Expo during Speedweeks. We will retain the original body that was installed by Mark Davis and the students at the Carolina Motor- sports Tech Center in Hickory, North Carolina.
The intent of this project is to design and set up a real asphalt race car in the same way that we preach to our readers. You will see how, in the real world, a race car is designed for front- and rearend geometry, assembled, set up, tested, and finally raced. We have some very capable car builders, crewmembers, and championship-winning drivers willing to donate their talents to the project.
The car is now sitting in the shop of famed car builder Billy Hess. He has offered to help us realize these goals by supplying a new front clip and providing a place to design and assemble this car prior to testing and racing. Hess has been a part of the amazing growth of big-time stock car racing, having worked with some of the top NASCAR Grand National teams, as Cup racing was termed back then, and later Winston Cup teams.
A few years ago, Hess decided to strike out on his own to design and build cars. He now has a highly respected business that annually produces some of the fastest stock cars on the East Coast. His efforts have produced winners in the Craftsman Truck Series, the NASCAR Busch Series, and the Hooters Pro Cup Series.
The help given to our project...
The help given to our project by the folks at Carolina Motorsports Tech Center is invaluable. The process of installing the body was covered last year, so we want to get right to the engine and chassis aspects of the car. Having skilled fabricators and weldors at our disposal means we can concentrate on the mechanical aspects of the project.
While we are very fortunate to have someone with his talent and experience on our team, those who know Billy have often witnessed his willingness to help others. Manydrivers have had their careers accelerated through contributions made by Hess and his staff going the extra distance to keep them on track with their racing. With his help, we will proceed with this project on a professional level.
The car is an older Howe Late Model Stock designed to run on the short tracks of North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia. It has a drag-link front steering system and a three-link rear suspension system. We recently removed the body and had the frame sandblasted, beaded, and painted. Next we will install the new front clip and re-mount the body.
We are replacing the front clip with one built by Hess Racing, with the idea of placing the pickup points for the front suspension where we design them. We will choose our geometry related to front moment center design and right-front camber change characteristics. We will also analyze the front steering system for bumpsteer and Ackermann effect.
Our engine will come from a local engine builder and be assembled within the current NASCAR LMS car rule book. We want to compete on an equal basis with other top LMS car teams and try to win. The car could be contesting at tracks like Caraway (North Caro- lina) Speedway, New River Valley (Virginia) Speedway, Old Dominion (Virginia) Speedway, and the big year-end race at famed Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.