Event Coverage Through the eyes of a Trunk Monkey: Drag week in a hot rod

At Drag Week, we call the copilot/pit crew/helper the Trunk Monkey. My Trunk Monkey Jeff and I recently attended Drag Week 2021 in my early Hemi powered, stick shifted, 8 carbureted, 31 Plymouth coupe. Jeff is a die hard Mopar man and a stick shift drag racer in his o/t 68 Road Runner, so he makes a great trunk monkey in an effort like this. Drag week 2021 was an epic adventure for us, and Jeff is proving himself to be the John Steinbeck of Drag Week by writing the story over on Moparts.com. He's writing it in installments, and doing such a fine job of it, I think the folks at the HAMB would really enjoy it. So I am going to do the copy/paste thing.
Here is the story of Drag Week, through the eyes of a Trunk Monkey:

After Drag Week 2018, HEMI Joel, and I left Atlanta Dragway tired, wore out, happy we finished the event, yet bummed out we finished in 4th place. Yet somehow on the way home we talked about things that could be improved for the next year. Things to make the car go faster, pick up ET when it had 5 mph over everyone else in the class, make the crossover from Street to Race and vice versa easier, and less time consuming. By the time we got home, we had it figured out, and we would come back to Drag Week in 2019 ready to go... At least that was the plan... Little did we know, life would happen, and the world would come to a stand still after that.

Lots of people wonder why the big thrash to get to Drag Week? Well it goes something like this for most. After returning from what is the most grueling week of torture, as far as working on a car, driving it 1000 miles in the heat, rain, blazing sun, and by the time you get home, you don't even want to LOOK at the car again for a couple of months. As for Joel, he runs his own business, and while he does take care of a few things while on the road, when he returns, it's time to buckle down again, and take care of things that might have been missed in his absence.

Fast forward to midyear 2019, and while working on my Road Runner, I get a phone call from Joel, saying he wanted to stop by and talk to me. Joel, and I live about 7 miles apart, as the crow flies, and we talk on the phone at least once a week. It must have been very important if he wanted to talk at my place, in person. I told him to stop over anytime. Joel came over that night, and walked into the garage, and gave me the news. "We are going to skip Drag Week". OK, what's up? Joel had gone in for a check up, on suspicion, and the doctor had found something. Wanting to get it taken care of right away, meant missing Drag Week. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little choked up. Not because of missing Drag Week, but Joel is a very good friend of mine, not just a Drag Week buddy. We've done a lot of thing together over the years, and seen a lot of cool things. Things I'd never have done without him. I told Joel, don't worry about it, take care of yourself, and we'll go to Drag Week in 2020.

We all know what happened for Drag Week 2020. Really bummed it didn't happen, but it is what it is.

2021 rolls on in, and HOPE that Drag Week might happen in September. Only time will tell, but registration did open up, and those that were signed up for 2020 would get first shot at 2021. Since Joel was lightning quick on the keyboard, we were in for 2020. Race #1 complete.

Joel had plans for not only entering Drag Week, but also the Midwest Drags, which started in Norwalk, Ohio.

Over the last couple years, Joel had been making changes to the Coupe. One of which was taking the T56 Magnum apart, and having 1-4 gears "face plated". The T56 magnum is not known for it's powershifting ability, and having it face plated would change that. keeping 5-6 with stock synchro's and sliders, would keep the trans easy to drive on the street. they are not needed going down the track anyways. Joel also switch clutches in the car. In 2018 he ran a McLeod Soft Lok. While this is a good setup for a race only car, it is not a good choice for a street car. Each day we would arrive at the track, take 3-4 turns of base pressure out of the clutch, make a pass, then put 3-4 turns of base back in. It was very time consuming, and minutes at the track, can result in hours down the road on Drag Week. Something different was needed that could be used for both. I think a McLeod Twin disc RTX is what he installed in the car? The last major item that was switched, was valve springs. Out came the basic type of spring, and in went the Beehive style spring. Joel can give better details on that swap, but lets just say, it turned into a pain to get everything correct, and add in parts being out of stock, and unknown backorder status. The HEMI project came to a halt because of it.

And with downtime, it gave Joel time to hone his arts and crafts skills:

 

Warning, this is coverage of an event that is not exclusively about traditional hot rods. So there will be some o/t cars woven into the story. Nothing I can do about that, it is the way it was. But the essence of the story is 2 guys on a drag racing road trip in a traditional hot rod. So I hope the HAMB can be tolerant. Next installment:

With Joel's health improved, and back to normal, it was time to get back to work on the Coupe, and make a push for Midwest Drags in Norwalk. The event is similar to Drag Week, but smaller, and there is a ET cutoff for cars, as the Promoter wants to keep the event RACE only. No Plan B's, unless it's another race car. The classes are the same as Drag Week more or less. That allowed Joel to enter the Hot Rod class. Rocky Mountain Race Week has a Hot Rod class, but the rules are more open, and stuff like turbos and Blowers are legal. It's not the place for a 8 carb 392 HEMI. That event also has "travel" days, stretching the event out a full 7 days. Summit Midwest Drags sounded like the best option to go for a win.

As time went on, I'd call Joe and see how progress was going on the Coupe. He was working on it steady, but having a issue getting valvetrain parts. Somehow, someway the planets aligned, and Joel, and the manufacturer were able to piece together the right combo, and get him what was needed to finish the HEMI. Once that was done, he could get the engine in place, and on to the rest of the drivetrain. The old Soft Lok was out, and in went a twin disc setup, that was going to be 2 sintered iron discs with a floater ring, and then to adjust the clutch at the hit, Joel bought a "Hillbilly Soft Lok" Basically this is a spring/dampner that slows the release of the clutch pedal, the slip the clutch at launch. It took a little doing but he got it in there. With the Coupe finally running again, it was time for a test drive. Problem one on the test drive, was the clutch didn't work properly, and it was determined the new sintered iron discs were too big for the pressure plate. Joel removed the trans, and clutch, the proceeded to try and turn down the discs on his lathe. No such luck. The discs have a Rockwell hardness off the charts it seems. Rotate the discs in the lathe, and use a grinder? That is what he did. Got the turned down to the diameter that was thought to have worked, and reinstalled everything. No luck. Back out the trans has to come. With time running out, Joel thought it was best to install the sprung hub organic discs that came with the clutch assembly. BINGO. That worked. But on to the next issue. The motor was not happy. Would barely run, and Joel just could not figure out why? Midwest Drags was fast approaching, Joel was burning the candle at both ends, and doing what he could. Here is the part I'll come off and look like an A hole. I wanted to go racing my own car on Memorial Day Weekend, and I did not much time to help him. The older I get, the less I want to not miss time at the tack with my friends. Joel was OK with it, as the car issues were mostly a one person job. A friend of ours named Steve, came over and helped with what he could. I had told Joel the weekend before we were to leave for Midwest Drags, I needed to know if we were going or not by Wednesday. If we were not going, I was dragging my Road Runner to Thunder Valley in South Dakota, and racing with my friends. If we were going, I'd be ready to go. Joel didn't want to give me an answer until it wasn't possible to make the event. Friday rolled around, and I called Joel right away in the morning. to ask if the car was running. No... So I loaded up my stuff, and made the 5 hour drive to South Dakota. I told Joel if something changes, call me and I'll head back home. I ran my car on Saturday, and lost first round. About that time my phone rings, and see Joel is calling. He has thrown in the towel on Midwest Drags, but had an idea. If I drove home, we would then drive to the first day of MWD, watch some racing, and from there head to North Carolina to pick up his enclosed trailer, and new to him Land Speed racer that had work done on it in NC. Sounded like a good idea to me, so I loaded up, and headed home Sunday morning. After a 5 hour drive home, I packed a new suitcase, and headed to Joel's place, where he had the camper ready, and we headed out. We made it to Norwalk the night before the event started on Monday.

The plan for Monday was to watch one round of cars, then pack up, and head south. Mark Fisher who is a veteran Drag Weeker, and in the Hot Rod class, was also at MWD. He was running his familiar 32 Ford truck with a 496 Big Block Chevy. We really wanted to see what he would run. It didn't take long to see Mark make a pass, and after he did both Joel and I just sat with a dazed look on our faces. Mark ran a 8.98 @ 150 mph. He is a great guy, and it was difficult to be upset about it, but Damn... I asked Joel, now what? "I'm not sure I want to chase that...

 

I am adding some of my own views and info to the story as he posts his installments:

Great start to the story, Jeff. One thing you forgot is that after DW2018, when I finally got around to checking out the Hemi, I found it had lost a piston pin circlip, and the pin had carved a fascimile of the Grand Canyon into the cylinder wall. So I had to have the block sleeved. That took a while too. Every motor I build in the future will have pin buttons!

The new valve springs I used are the Comp conicals. They use a tiny retainer, too small for 10 degree locks. So I had to find some 7 degree locks for my .312 beadlock valves. Comp doesn't make them, but pac does, but they were out of stock indefinetly. Eventually, I located what was apparently the only existing set on the planet.

While it was apart, I also switched to a Milodon gear drive.

On the t56 Magnum transmission, I installed a pump on the front cover that sucks lube from the rear of the trans, and sprays it out in the front. This is because there have been some great failures reported drag racing these transmissions when all the lube sloshes to the rear, and the front gears starve. It's all about reliability. This plays into the DW21 story on Monday of the event.

 

Next Trunk Monkey installment:

With the shock of Mark Fisher running 8's in the Hot Rod class in the back of our minds, it was still a great day to watch some racing and see friends that only events like this bring us together. Scott Abbott was running his old reliable 1970 Road Runner, that has done many Drag Week's, Rocky Mountain Raceweek, and now Summit Midwest Drags. Scott is one of the friendliest guys you can meet. Always smiling, and eager to talk. We also ran into Mopar Billy's brother Dale. Dale was running his Gremlin, along with his son Little Billy. They were both making passes in the car. Dale put on a show for everyone as he stood the Gremlin up on the bumper, and when it came crashing down, it took a good chunk of Norwalk pavement with it. Typical Gebhart, he kept his foot in it, and ran the thing out.

As the day went on, it was time for Joel, and I, to head to North Carolina, and pick up his Land Speed car. "The Garage Shop" was our destination in the hills near Charlotte, NC as they were the shop that had reworked the rollcage, and fixed some other issues in Joel's car. These guys do amazing work, and while there we got a shop tour. One of the cars they were working on was a replica of Buddy Bakers famous K&K Insurance Daytona's. They were going to take the car to Bonneville, and see if they couldn't break the class record with it. Power came from a NASCAR small Block. Would have rather seen a HEMI in the car, but it's not my money paying for it.

With everything loaded up we started to head back to Norwalk, to catch the tail end of Midwest Drags. We made stops at the Biltmore Estate in Ashland NC, and the Wheels through Time museum. Both very cool places to see. While back at Norwalk, we got a chance to talk with those that finished the event, said we would see them at Drag Week, and made our way to the Henry Ford Museum. Another great place to see, and I was surprised to see not just Fords there, but everything you can think of. One of my favorites was the Goldenrod streamliner. Powered by 4 Chrysler HEMI's. Very cool to finally see this thing in person.

 

Good stuff keep the installments coming.

 

At this point in Jeff's novel, I'm pretty sure all this background story is supporting material for what is to come.

 

Next chapter:


I know most that are following along are wondering what in the world THIS stuff has to do with Drag Week? I can say this, IF you want to enter Drag Week, and need help, you will have to bring along a Trunk Monkey. The first requirement of choosing a proper Trunk Monkey, is make sure you get along. The two of you are going to be together for over a week, when you add in travel time to the event, the event itself, and then back home. You spend a lot of time right next to each other in a hot, noisy race car, for hours on end. You will get into situations that you rely on each other, and the other person is going to be there right in the thick of it when it happens, and it WILL happen. Unless you each spring for your own room every night, you have to share that space as well. Some people are a little messy at times... Joel and I have traveled so much together, that it has become very easy. Yes he can drive me nuts at times, but I'm no saint, and I know I drive him nuts even more. At the end of the day though we work well as a team. I push Joel to keep things moving, yet he's made me slow down and enjoy the simpler things in life. We've driven from Minnesota, to Florida, and back, and never once listened to a radio. Conversations about cars, family, and life have filled the time, along with many one liners from movies like Tommy Boy, and Dumb and Dumber. There are not many dull moments. As I said, choose your Trunk Monkey accordingly, so you don't kill one another during the week. Our time together is a lot like the movie Planes Trains and Automobiles.

The other question people have, is why is there always a Drag Week thrash before the event? I can say for Joel, not having Drag Week 2020 took the wind out of his sails for working on the car. Lets face it, none of us are getting any younger, and when DW2020 was canceled, Joel spent time doing other things he enjoys. He's a busy guy, between owning a successful business, to his activity in his Church, and most importantly his time with his family. There are more important things than thinking about Drag Week the other 51 weeks of the year. Now add in parts shortages, and finding even a few minutes to dedicate time to the car, and the next thing you know Drag Week is right around the corner. The thrash is on!

As Drag week got closer, I checked in with Joel, and it was discovered that the Holley 94's had a bunch of crud in them. Was it from bad pump gas? He had dumped in a older can of VP race gas, and possibly it was from that. We mix in Klotz octane booster for the street drives, and maybe that was the mystery gunk. Now it takes time to clean out 8 carbs, and get them all back together, along with the Rube Goldberg carb linkage. With it all together the car was tested again on the street, and it was much better, but still not 100%. The plan was to test the car somewhere over Labor Day Weekend, but it wasn't meant to be. Joel wasn't comfortable with how it was running to drive somewhere, so he continued on trying to get the car in better shape for the event.

I had taken Thursday off work to help Joel out some, as we were going to possibly use it as a travel day, and head to Great Lakes Dragway, so we could test on Friday. We got everything sorted out for tools, and extra parts and supplies needed for the trip. It was actually a very relaxed day as far as DW prep went. With the Coupe loaded in the trailer, our bags packed, tools and everything else we needed for the week ready, Joel asked if we could leave that night? Sure. I just had to go home, pick up my dog, and bring him to my parents house. That would end up taking me about 45 minutes, and I'd be back at his house around 9:30pm. With Joel's 93 Dodge running, we saddled up, and aimed the truck East, with the goal of driving a couple hours to get outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul rush hour traffic. At 10:00pm the tires on the mighty Dodge left the gravel of Joel's driveway, and hit the pavement. Off we went, with the familiar sound of Joel saying "I can't believe were really doing it!" (every time).

Not even 5 miles into our trip, I'm noticing the transmission temp gauge is already at 190*. I thought it was awfully quick to climb that high, but after all we were pulling a 28' enclosed trailer, and there is a 6500lb camper in the bed of the truck. We drive a little further, and I mentioned it to Joel. Thinking the trans might be low on fluid, we pulled into the parking lot of our local high school. Joel puts in 2 quarts of some slippery slimy fluid the rest of the world calls ATF. I have no idea what the stuff is? With the trans topped off, we continue East. The temp had cooled some, but after a couple miles it was once again climbing. It's now climbing to 210, and still going. Joel says to me "I have my foot to the floor, and we can't go over 62mph on flat land". Oh oh... We aren't going to make it going through the hills of Wisconsin this way... We decided it was best to turn around, and scrap our plans to test at Union Grove the next day. So we limped the once mighty Dodge home, and called it a night. Our plan was to wake up in the morning, switch over to Joel's work truck, and we'd have to find hotels along the way since we now didn't have a camper.

Friday morning rolls around, and now our plan is to drive to Stanton Michigan, and test the car there. They were having a Test night on Saturday, from 5-11pm. Joel doesn't want to drive through Chicago to get to Michigan, and asks if I mind if we go through the U.P.? "Sure, I've never been through there!". Changing to Joel's work truck doesn't take too long. We just had to switch the hitch height on his weight distribution hitch. Off we go. Once again "I can't believe were really doing it". (Yes, every time) Right away after we leave, Joel gets on the phone, and starts finding us a hotel room, as we now didn't have or travel days booked. He was lucky to find one just North of the Mackinac Bridge. We made it there with no issues, and I'm glad Joel called when he did, as the place was booked full, and nothing was available within a hour range. We asked why it was so busy, and were told that every September 11th, for the last 8 years or so, there is a antique tractor parade, and hundreds of old tractors cross the bridge. We got up the next morning, and wanted to be moving before the tractor parade, and not have to wait to cross the bridge. As we get closer, we see old tractors everywhere, and people are lined up on both sides of the street. as we crossed the bridge, the tractors were already heading North, and it was quite a sight to see. They just kept coming. If you've never been on the Mackinac bridge, I will say this, it's windy, and you are WAY above the water at it's peak. No way I'd want to be on a tractor crossing it.

We rolled into Mid Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, at 3:00pm. I'm pretty excited to be at this track, as it's one I haven't been to, and one I could add to my list. Gates were to open at 4:00, and testing started at 5:00, so we had some time to kill. Since we were the first ones there, and the gate was locked, Joel wanted to take the Coupe out of the trailer, and do some testing on the entry road. Nothing hard core, just driving it around, and getting used to the car again. I spent my time talking with a few racers that arrived after us.

At 3:55pm, Joel comes up to me, and says "we have a problem"...

 

Don't let Jeff fool you! That is not our hotel room. He's messy, but I would never let him get away with that!

 

Ah, always good to have a Trunk Monkey!



Keep it up guys!

 

Damn, who knew that a simian was capable of writing such a clear, concise and informative fun read on Drag Week, and with good grammar and punctuation too! You sure have the right Trunk Monkey @Hemi Joel , I’m looking forward to the rest of the story.

 

This is what cost me Midwest Drags, and hindered my Drag Week testing. NEVER assume you know what's in a can!

The car has two fuel tanks. A 15 gallon for street, and a 3 gallon for race gas. The car had been running great, but right before Midwest drags when I took it for a test drive, it ran horribly. Somehow, all this crud got into the street tank. I'm not sure when or how.

 

Cool - Thanks

 

Nice read !

 

Thanks! I can never pass up a chance to watch the Trunk Monkey!!!

 

The story continues:

"What is the problem Joel?" Thinking something is wrong with the car, and we'll have to dig into it, once the gate opens. Joel tells me he can't find his helmet. Now I know I saw it somewhere... so after a couple minutes looking everywhere we could, it hit me, that the helmet was behind the drivers seat of the truck. The truck that was still in Minnesota... It was the one thing that didn't get swapped over when we had to ditch Joel's old Cummins, for his work truck. "well you better get on the phone, and see if someone has one." We both got out our phones, and looked for a motorcycle shop that carried helmets. Almost every single placed closed at 4:00 on Saturday, except one place. Fox Powersports in Grand Rapids Michigan. They were and hour drive away, but Joel told me lets load the car, and head that way. Once the Coupe was in the trailer, I got everything strapped down, and Joel started calling. We pointed the truck and trailer out the gate, and headed to Grand Rapids as fast as we could. It was now 4:15. Not sure how we were going to make the hour drive in 45 minutes pulling a trailer, but it was our only chance. Yet we still were not able to get ahold of Fox Powersports. As Joel put the hammer down, he continued to call. He kept getting sent to voice mail. he left a message, but as the minutes drew closer, and closer to 5:00, we really started to get worried. FINALLY at 4:55pm someone in the apparel department called back. Joel explained to him that he needed a SNELL 2020 helmet, and did they have one? They had a couple to choose from, but Joel knew nothing of the brands. HJC was one of the choices, and I told Joel that is what I have, and like it, but at this time, he just needs a helmet... Then Joel asks what color they have... Thinking in my head, you'll take a MFing PINK one if that's all they have... Black or Blue are the options. Joel says he'll take the Blue one, and could he pay for the helmet on a credit card, and have them leave the helmet outside, and we will pick it up 20 minutes after they close? "Sure" says the guy on the phone. So we give him the CC info, and he tells us everything is good to go. It's now 4:59pm. Whew... We arrive at Fox Powersports, and drive to the right side of the building like instructed. Low and behold there is a guy sitting on his trucks tailgate, holding a helmet bag. He didn't feel comfortable just leaving the helmet outside, so he waited for us. My guess is he wanted to just see the fools that drove all the way from Minnesota to Michigan, for an event that required a helmet, and forgot it at home. Who knows, but the guy was a Saint, and we can't thank him enough for the kind gesture.

So now the question is, do we head back to Stanton, and make it for the rest of the teat day, or do we head to Martin, and wait for Tech day for Drag Week? Joel says we have to test the car before Drag Week, so Stanton it is. We pull back to the gate at Stanton around 7:15pm. The lady at the front gate greets us, and says "That'll be $45 dollars for the test night, and one crew. Here's your tech card. Fill it out, and put it in the drop box over by that shed. We don't have a tech inspector because of Covid." Joel pry's the cash out of his wallet, and I think I saw a tear in his eye, as he handed the money to the lady. That money had probably been in there since the late 80's when his wife gave him the wallet for Christmas. We pull in past the gate, and Joel asks where we should park? I tell him as close to the staging lanes as possible as I don't want to be walking 1/2 a mile to get to the starting line to video the car. There are maybe 40 cars at the test session, and Joel pulls near the staging lanes, and then quickly turns away. "Where are you going?" I ask. He said there is a generator there, and I don't want to listen to it all night. so he drives away, and pulls into the nicely mowed grassy area, next to a Turbo powered Saturn. As soon as I get out of the truck to start unloading everything, the Saturn fires up. Now I have a question for the turbo racers on the board. Do Turbo cars need the oil, and water temp to be 210* before they make a run? because the guy next to us was so trying his best to achieve that. Not much more annoying than a 4 cylinder car with a massive turbo, and the straight pipe exiting the driver side front fender, aimed right at our pit spot. I looked at Joel, and said "This is much better than a running generator."

With the Coupe unloaded, Joel fired the car up, and drove it around the pits some, seeing if he could get a starting point on his Doohickey Soft Lok clutch setup. This gave me time to walk around, and get away from the Turbo Saturn noise, and see what was there for Mopars. Not too far from us was a really nice 1969 Dart, so I headed that way. The car was powered by a INDY block low deck 540ci, with EZ heads. Very nice combo, and the car was put together very clean. Great guy to talk to as well.

Joel got busy installing a new battery he had picked up in Grand Rapids on our way to Stanton. Knowing his old battery was going bad, he tried to have one shipped overnight to Stanton. No such luck. Can not ship a Lithium battery by air, ground freight only. luckily a Batteries Plus in Grand Rapids had exactly what he needed. Unlike the Eight 2Bbl carb linkage on the Coupe, the rest of the stuff on the car is simple to work on. It didn't take Joel long to get the battery switched out. He eventually made his way to the staging lanes, and pulled into the burnout box. When he sidestepped the clutch the 392 HEMI sounded OK, but not great. The Coupe got a little sideways, but nothing too bad. Joel staged the car, and when it went up on the 2 step, you could still tell there was a slight miss fire. The car bogged some, but then took off. After 2nd gear, and into 4th, you could hear the motor laying over big time. One advantage of only about 20 cars left on the property, is that it was dead quiet now. I made my way back to the pit area, and waited for Joel to arrive. And waited, and waited... Wondering if something happened? Not sure. Joel had his phone with him, and if the car was broke, he could call me from the top end, but nothing. Finally after about 10 minutes, Joel pulled up and I asked what happened? He assured me that the engine had laid over on the top end, but when he got his time slip, the car wouldn't restart. The battery was going bad. Joel put the battery charger on right away, and then it was decided we should run all the carbs out of fuel, and refill the bowls with new fresh stuff. We also changed out the spark plugs, and then Joel headed to the lanes once again. By this time it was getting late. Around 10:30, and would most likely be the last test pass of the night. The Early HEMI sounded a little better now, and the burnout was straight as Joel 's first attempt was in 2nd gear, and this time was in 3rd gear. The wheel speed helped. Joel staged the car, and as the light went Green Joel dumped the clutch, and the rear of the car bounced quite a bit. Shock adjustment off? Not sure, but it once again laid over on the top end.

It didn't take nearly as long for Joel to get back to our pit spot as before. but once he got out of the car, I could tell he was drained, frustrated, and not sure what to do. "Now what?" I asked. "I don't know.. Lets load up, head to martin, get some sleep, and think it over in the morning." Sounds like a good plan to me. "By the way Joel, we MUST be at the track in Martin Michigan on Monday morning no matter what." I told him...

 

This is a great read. Thanks!

 

Thanks for having me ride along! Great read!

 

Great read is right!

 

@Hemi Joel Great read, love the mad dash story for the helmet. The pic of the bathroom had me scanning the picture for “something “ kinda glad I didn’t find it there.....

Cliff Ramsdell

 

Great story ....

 

Great story .. we're all enjoying the ride along...

 

On the wallet thing it was early '80s, not late '80s...

 

I had been down and out with a virus for the last 2 weeks, which hindered my preparation efforts, so everything was a last minute throw together. I had been in for a covid test a week prior, knowing that if it came in positive, I would have to scratch Drag Week. Thankfully it was negative. By the time we left home, I was at the point where I figured I was out of the woods and not contagious. But I had not yet regained my strength and was exhausted. Jeff thought it went well, but I felt the tool and supply packing was haphazard at best. Usually I like to have it well planned and organized.
With the car unable to make a clean pass at Stanton, and very limited resources as far as tools and parts on hand, the thought of throwing in the towel entered my fatigue fogged mind. With all the setbacks, and serious issues going on with my parents health ay home, it almost seemed like I wasn't supposed to race.

 

The next chapter:

"Why do YOU have to be at the track Monday morning?" was Joel's response. Well leading up to Drag Week, I've been in the process of refinancing my house. It took longer than I thought, but on the Wednesday before we left I got a phone call from the Mortgage company, and they said "Congratulations, your mortgage is ready for closing next week!" Umm next week? I told them I'll be on vacation next week. "No problem, we can meet you at your hotel." Ahhh, I'm not staying in a hotel, as we will have Joel's camper in the truck. I'm also not sure which hotel I'll be at, or what city, during the week. After all, anything can happen on Drag Week. Plans must be fluid. Thinking to my self, where will we be for sure during Drag Week? I know we will be at Martin US 131 Dragway on Monday morning. Can you meet me there? "Sure" was the response. Shaking my head in disbelief, I think well OK, lets do it. What time? Earlier the better. "How does 7:00am sound?" Perfect. That gives me time to take care of the paperwork, then make it to the drivers/crew meeting. So the entire time we are headed to Michigan, at Stanton, and headed to the start of Drag Week, and not even sure we are going to make it, let alone we are now not staying at the track, I'm very worried I won't make this appointment. Joel assures me that we will at least be there, but I still have my doubts at this time.

Joel managed to get us a hotel room for Saturday night near US 131 Dragway, but by the time we arrived it was after midnight. In 2018 at Drag Week we were right at the track on Sunday's Tech day, and it was no problem getting the car to the front of the line, and wiz through tech. This time would be different, as I knew once we arrived at our hotel, Joel wasn't about to get up early in the morning, and make the trip to the track before sunrise. See Joel can't hardly function without 8 hours of sleep. Even if it's 7 hours, and 59 minutes, he's in a foggy daze for hours, possibly the entire day. Mind you he isn't a crabby person in the morning, that's my part... At least Joel thinks that. (I don't like dilly dallying in the morning, or anytime for that matter).

With a decent nights sleep we get up Sunday morning, and get ready for our trip to the track. I ask Joel what his plans are now that he's had time to think about it. "Well, we (we meaning you) are going to the track, and change out the fuel pump, as I have a spare. We will start the event, and just see where it goes. I never know if this could be my last Drag Week, and I'd be upset with myself if we didn't try." My first thought was we are in for a LONG week, but lets roll with it. The potential for a last Drag Week really hit me. I've enjoyed these events over the years that most can't imagine. Spending them with Joel has been even better. It's rarely crossed my mind that we WOULDN"T be going. But as time has taught us, too many people that we have known from these events, have been taken way too early in life, and never take that for granted. I couldn't help think of Mopar Billy, when I last saw him in 2018, and he was talking about how 2017 might be his last. When I asked him why the change of heart, he told my, he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to make memories with his family, and friends. Little would we know, Billy would be gone shortly after. He is deeply missed, and the reason Joel and I will try and continue his passion, and honor him by writing these stories.

As we roll into the gate of US131, the end of the tech line is already at the front gate. It stretches all the way to the base of the tower 3/4 of a mile away. We park the truck and trailer, and roll the Coupe out. I start removing the Race fuel pump from the car, and Joel locates the replacement. As I pull the pump off, and start switching out the fittings onto the new pump, it becomes obvious there is a problem. The fitting going into the pump had ben screwed in too tight, and was pushing on the inlet screen, which then tore up the pump some. We ran out of pipe thread tape, and I was able to get some from a fellow Mopar racer. He was racing his 1969 Charger R/T that was painted up like the General Lee. Those guys had everything to completely rebuild the car it looked like. Got the new fittings installed in the pump, and the pump back in the car in no time. Just had a couple wires to reconnect, and we were about ready. Joel was wandering around in the trailer trying to sort through things we would need Monday morning. You only get a half hour AFTER the Driver/crew meeting, and then all the stuff you need for the week must be by the race car, and the truck and trailer, in the impound area. It was important that this stuff be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Joel fires the car up, and we drive to the end of the tech line, still out by the front gate, about 1/3 of a mile from the truck and trailer. We do a small meet and greet, as there are a few familiar faces next to us.Two cars up is Jay Grabiak, and his '55 Chevy Gasser, and his two kids. Earlier in the year at Midwest Drags, Jay won the give away car, a beautiful 1966 Nova built by Havlik's HotRods. It was nice talking to him, and seeing what he was doing with the Nova, to make it his. About that time, we noticed a fuel leak in one of the carbs on the Coupe. With all the tools back at the trailer, Jay let us use some of his. We also adjusted fuel pressure as the new pump was higher than the one it replaced. A good sign. As the day went on, we slowly crept forward. I'm pretty sure I walked at least 5 miles before we got to the half way point. I had wandered off a little, when I get a phone call from Joel. "My brake light switch isn't working... Can you go to the trailer, get my electrical bag, and ohm meter?" Sure. More walking... It was determined that the switch had failed, but if Joel monkeyed with the power, and lights, he could fudge his way through tech, and we could find a parts stor on Monday, and fix it. It was closing in on 2:00, and I thought we better get some thing to eat. I asked Joel what he wanted, and he requested a menu. Sorry, not going to happen. They have track food. "Could you bring me back a basket of shrimp, and a Seltzer water?" I just shook my head, did a 180* turn, and made my way to the concession line, which was on the other side of the track, at least 1/4 mile away. The line was quite long , maybe 30 people? By the looks of things, they were running out of food. Once I got to the counter, I just simply asked for 2 hamburgers, and 2 bottles of water, a Gatorade, and a diet 7up for Joel. Close enough to his foo foo water he wanted. I made my way back to Joel, and he had not moved much since I last saw him. I handed him the burger, and said here, just like your Moms option for food while growing up. 'Take it, or leave it'. Joel just laughed, and asked if I put ketchup on it?

As we got closer to the front of the line, I was able to talk with the Gebhart family some. Amazing, they had made it through tech about an hour before us. Dale was there with Little Billy, in the Ruster, and Boon was there with Mopar Billy's daughter Rachel, in Billy's old Valiant. As always it was great talking with them, and catching up. Dale is always smiling, and joking around. Boon, has a memory just like Billy's. He can remember stuff about Drag Weeks past, that it blows me away, he can remember that stuff. Rachel was doing well, and you could tell she was just happy to be there after missing the event since 2017.

As we closed in on our turn at tech, Joel was greeted with a familiar face, Keith Turk. Keith was checking tires for class, with a Go/ No Go gauge. Joel tells him, "those are the same tires I ran at Atlanta, and they were OK." Keith gives him grief by saying "Yeah they were almost illegal then too". (They weren't). We kept inching closer to the front, and it came time for the Drag Week inspection of the car. They check to make sure your insurance card matches the VIN, and stuff like lights, horn blinkers, brake lights... The closer you get to the front of tech, the more people you have standing around, Whether it be participants that have completed tech, or spectators that have just come to the track to see what type of whack jobs are going to drive their race cars 1000+ miles, for one week. This is where Joel really shines, and loves, as it's entertaining to watch people walk by the Coupe, do a double take, and just have a dumbfounded look on their face when they see the 8 Holley 94's on top of the Big old 392 HEMI. Joel loves telling the history of the intake manifold, sign autographs, and just bond with his fans. (OK so that last part is made up). "Sir is this your car?" a guy asks me. "No it's the guy holding court over there." The guy gets Joel's attention, and asks him to get into the Coupe and go through the motions of lights, blinkers, horn, and then brake lights. I'm standing behind the car, and next thing I know, Joel is closing both doors on the Coupe. "Brakes". Tail lights come on. "OK, your good..." Not sure exactly what Joel did, but thankfully we didn't have to go through tech again. LOL.

Up next was the NHRA tech inspection. Joel hands over his credentials, shows the guy his Snowmobile suit, shoes, gloves, Nice new helmet, and a neck collar that I had to track down, since Joel has a NeckGen (HANS) device, and it could not be used because the anchor points were on his old helmet back home. "sir, we have some concerns over your roll cage." WHAT??? Now the roll cage in the Coupe is a piece of art work. Gizmo Race cars in Minnesota did an amazing job on it. Joel did not want any bars from the cage going outside the body of the car. To do so Gizmo talked with NHRA about how to do it, and with NHRA's OK, some bars were added, and Joel had the paperwork with him from NHRA, saying it was legal. That was good enough for the inspector, and with a sigh of relief we were on to the next step, of getting our numbers.

At this time David Frieburger walks up and says hello to Joel, and starts drooling over the Coupe. David and Joel have known each other since the early years of Drag Week, when the event was really small. Back then there was time for Racers and their Trunk Monkey's to hang out with the HOT ROD crew. The two talked a little about Land Speed Racing, and Joel's new adventure.

We then moved out of line, and applied the DRAG WEEK logo on the car. As it was now getting to be late, and only a hour until the sun set, we decided to pack up, and head to the hotel for a good nights sleep. After all I HAD to be back at the track at 7:00am to sign paperwork... I didn't sleep one single minute that night.

 

Excellent read...Just like I was there...

 

Sounds like a couple of good wallets I have had. carried them every day for years on end.

Jeff's a great story teller, keep on posting the chapters and thanks for sharing.

 

Keep em coming!@

 

The brake light switch was from a 93 dodge pickup. It had 3 pairs of wires. I found that the pair I was using had ceased to function. So I wired up to another pair. It turns out that they worked, but in reverse. So releasing the brake lit the lights, stepping on it shut them off. Good enuff! I entered tech with the main switch off. The main switch is on the drivers side floor so I can reach it from the drivers seat, with a remote control out the back. When they wanted to start the light and horn check, I sat in the car and closed the doors, put my foot on the brake and turned on the main power switch, and ran thru all the functions. When he asked for the brake lights, I just let my foot off the brake.

 

Great write-up of what has to be a great story. I'm looking forward to the rest.....

 

The first NHRA inspector looked at the NHRA sticker on the cage and questioned its authenticity. He actually picked at it and scrutinized it to see if it was fake. It was clear he didn't like the car and he didn't like the cage.

I'm thinking "how can this be?" it has flown through tech everywhere it has been? That is when I pulled out the paperwork from the NHRA inspector who applied the sticker and urged the guy to phone him. He wouldn't call. After he gave me the 3rd degree on the cage, he walked away and I thought I was done. But then he came back with another inspector and showed it to him, fully expecting the second guy to denounce it. Now thoughts of being booted from the event before I even started were rolling around in my head, and what next? What's with this bonehead trying to trip up my dragweek? But the 2nd guy took a quick look in the cab, then in the trunk, and said. "it's fine." Then the 1st guy tried to convince him it was illegal. But he stood his ground and eventually the first guy gave up. I think the fact that the car looks like a 20 year old kid in 1962's piece of junk set off an alarm in his head that he couldn't overcome. The car looks like a jalopy from a distance, but it really is a well built race car under the ugly duckling skin. That's the way I planned it, but the reasons for that are a whole 'nother story.