Saturday was the last race of the Season in the Lone Star Raceway Parks 2004 Street Stock Winter Series.
At the race last week I was tied for first place and Tiffany was in 4th place.
The first place tie breaker came in round two when I got paired up with other #1 points leader.
I cut a paltry .615 light and lost the race,and as luck would have it Chris Barnes went on to win the event and put himself precariously into first place, but IN First place none the less.
One race left and 20 points behind is where I found myself after leading the points race thru most of November.
Going into the last race of the season Chris Barnes (First Place) could not be allowed to advance past the second round, if I was going to be able to catch up and take over the First place spot.
Chris, Myself and Tiffany ALL won Round 1.
Round two Tiffany beat a Fox body Mustang!
And lady luck winked and nodded in my direction as she paired me up with Chris Barnes. I already knew he needed to lose round two, NOW.. it was "up to me to make it happen", and Tiffany couldn't bail me out of this one!
I wished Chris luck and told him.. "The battle ends here".
We shook hands, and went to the line.
Chris is well known for "Sawing down the Tree", and either cuts a VERY GOOD light or Red Lights.
.. in the past, more times than not, I have raced chris and got just about to the 60 foot clocks and my win light comes ON. {he redlit}
.. also, more times than not, if it's a "green light" race.. he WINS!
SOoo, I knew I had my work cut out for me.
He dialed a 7.72 to my 9.37
The tree began on my side and I was "OFF".
I get to the 60 foot clocks praying for my win light to come on...
NOPE.. he's got a green light, WE RACIN'!
and, I'm worried.
We get to to the 330' and he's starting to gain on me as I'm staring into my side view mirror looking at the cavernous snorkel hood that covers the shrill shriek of the Lightings Blower.
AS the finish line rapidly approaches I can almost determine that he's not going to catch me, then the fear that I may be breaking out sets in.
At the strip I tip into the brakes to protect my dial and watch as the Lightning sucks up the distance between us.
We cross the finish line and it's all "up to the clocks now".
Win LIGHT LINCOLN LANE!!
I'd cut a .525 RT and hit a 2.17 60 ft, the 330 clocks stopped at 6.13, dipping into the brakes at the finish gave me a 9.43 on a 9.37 dial in! he had cut a .596 light and ran 7.77 on a 7.72 dial.
Finish line margin was .0626 and I ran .0628 off my dial in
{on the brakes}
Craig, if your reading this.. does that mean, had I not lifted I would have "ran my dial"?
Anyways,
I just knocked out the #1 points guy and opened the door for a "Last lap pass in the Championship"!
Semi final round finds Me, a guy on a Motorcycle.. and TIFFANY!
Lady luck once again nodded and winked in my direction and I drew the BYE RUN into the FINAL ROUND.
Tiffany got the pleasure of whacking the bike and making it an
"ALL CRAZY 8's FINAL ROUND!"
On my bye run I lined up and manage to stage right IN the two tracks of water from tiffany's tail pipes
{rookie mistake made in all the excitement}
So I basicly had to dial my car from Tiffany's last pass!
I decided that I'd probably have enough cool down to get back to the 9.37 so.. I put my trust in lady luck and let the 9.37 RIIIIDE!
Tiffany also left her previous round dial in on the car as well.
She had put a 9.40 on the car in round 2, and it stayed there ALL NIGHT LONG!
So... we go to the line with .03 difference programmed into the tree.
Tiffany would get a OH SO CLOSE three hundreths of a second head start.
Her tree goes down with my lights following akwardly at a very difficult to catch interval.. .03 {whew}
She's away with a green light and I hit the gas and "SPIN"?
Not alot of tire spin, just a bark..BUT.. when your racing TIFFANY, you'd better not sleep, slip, slide or swerve or she'll send you to the PITS!!!
Ok.. so I've spun on the launch and second gear is about to make it's presence know, once again it Spins the tires on the 1-2 gear change.
NOW.. I know I'm toast.
Just past the 330 mark our speeds are equal, excepts she's like 2 car lengths ahead of me!! It doesnt appear that I'm going to catch her and it looks to me as if the Championship is slipping away.
.. in disbeief I see her car nose over and begin to slow, not ALOT but.. enough that I begin to CATCH HER?
I pass her just before the finish line and with THAT round win Seal up the 2004 Street Stock Winter Series Championship!
Tiffany 9.40 Tom 9.37
.565 .573
2.23 2.24{she's beating me}
6.225 6.196(barely match her speed}
9.62 @70 9.56@64(on the brakes)
Finish line Margin Tom by .026
Tiff off dial
.2268
Tom off dial
.1925
Now if you've read this far I will give you the LOW ET stuff.
Most of the day it ran in the late .30's low .40's {9.38-9.43)
After an extended delay, I ran a "stone cold"
9.27 @ 76.30
.519 RT
2.13 60
6.04 330<----!!!!WTF!!!
9.27 @ 76.30
Previous best was three weeks ago with a 9.29@76 with a 2.10 60
So there you have it in a nutshell, sorry for the novel but since I haven't posted in a while.. I figured I OWED you a few bazzillion words!
Special thanks to Tiffany who made it possible for me to take the Championship! {she's a REAL TEAM PLAYER!}
At the race last week I was tied for first place and Tiffany was in 4th place.
The first place tie breaker came in round two when I got paired up with other #1 points leader.
I cut a paltry .615 light and lost the race,and as luck would have it Chris Barnes went on to win the event and put himself precariously into first place, but IN First place none the less.
One race left and 20 points behind is where I found myself after leading the points race thru most of November.
Going into the last race of the season Chris Barnes (First Place) could not be allowed to advance past the second round, if I was going to be able to catch up and take over the First place spot.
Chris, Myself and Tiffany ALL won Round 1.
Round two Tiffany beat a Fox body Mustang!
And lady luck winked and nodded in my direction as she paired me up with Chris Barnes. I already knew he needed to lose round two, NOW.. it was "up to me to make it happen", and Tiffany couldn't bail me out of this one!
I wished Chris luck and told him.. "The battle ends here".
We shook hands, and went to the line.
Chris is well known for "Sawing down the Tree", and either cuts a VERY GOOD light or Red Lights.
.. in the past, more times than not, I have raced chris and got just about to the 60 foot clocks and my win light comes ON. {he redlit}
.. also, more times than not, if it's a "green light" race.. he WINS!
SOoo, I knew I had my work cut out for me.
He dialed a 7.72 to my 9.37
The tree began on my side and I was "OFF".
I get to the 60 foot clocks praying for my win light to come on...
NOPE.. he's got a green light, WE RACIN'!
and, I'm worried.
We get to to the 330' and he's starting to gain on me as I'm staring into my side view mirror looking at the cavernous snorkel hood that covers the shrill shriek of the Lightings Blower.
AS the finish line rapidly approaches I can almost determine that he's not going to catch me, then the fear that I may be breaking out sets in.
At the strip I tip into the brakes to protect my dial and watch as the Lightning sucks up the distance between us.
We cross the finish line and it's all "up to the clocks now".
Win LIGHT LINCOLN LANE!!
I'd cut a .525 RT and hit a 2.17 60 ft, the 330 clocks stopped at 6.13, dipping into the brakes at the finish gave me a 9.43 on a 9.37 dial in! he had cut a .596 light and ran 7.77 on a 7.72 dial.
Finish line margin was .0626 and I ran .0628 off my dial in
{on the brakes}
Craig, if your reading this.. does that mean, had I not lifted I would have "ran my dial"?
Anyways,
I just knocked out the #1 points guy and opened the door for a "Last lap pass in the Championship"!
Semi final round finds Me, a guy on a Motorcycle.. and TIFFANY!
Lady luck once again nodded and winked in my direction and I drew the BYE RUN into the FINAL ROUND.
Tiffany got the pleasure of whacking the bike and making it an
"ALL CRAZY 8's FINAL ROUND!"
On my bye run I lined up and manage to stage right IN the two tracks of water from tiffany's tail pipes
{rookie mistake made in all the excitement}
So I basicly had to dial my car from Tiffany's last pass!
I decided that I'd probably have enough cool down to get back to the 9.37 so.. I put my trust in lady luck and let the 9.37 RIIIIDE!
Tiffany also left her previous round dial in on the car as well.
She had put a 9.40 on the car in round 2, and it stayed there ALL NIGHT LONG!
So... we go to the line with .03 difference programmed into the tree.
Tiffany would get a OH SO CLOSE three hundreths of a second head start.
Her tree goes down with my lights following akwardly at a very difficult to catch interval.. .03 {whew}
She's away with a green light and I hit the gas and "SPIN"?
Not alot of tire spin, just a bark..BUT.. when your racing TIFFANY, you'd better not sleep, slip, slide or swerve or she'll send you to the PITS!!!
Ok.. so I've spun on the launch and second gear is about to make it's presence know, once again it Spins the tires on the 1-2 gear change.
NOW.. I know I'm toast.
Just past the 330 mark our speeds are equal, excepts she's like 2 car lengths ahead of me!! It doesnt appear that I'm going to catch her and it looks to me as if the Championship is slipping away.
.. in disbeief I see her car nose over and begin to slow, not ALOT but.. enough that I begin to CATCH HER?
I pass her just before the finish line and with THAT round win Seal up the 2004 Street Stock Winter Series Championship!
Tiffany 9.40 Tom 9.37
.565 .573
2.23 2.24{she's beating me}
6.225 6.196(barely match her speed}
9.62 @70 9.56@64(on the brakes)
Finish line Margin Tom by .026
Tiff off dial
.2268
Tom off dial
.1925
Now if you've read this far I will give you the LOW ET stuff.
Most of the day it ran in the late .30's low .40's {9.38-9.43)
After an extended delay, I ran a "stone cold"
9.27 @ 76.30
.519 RT
2.13 60
6.04 330<----!!!!WTF!!!
9.27 @ 76.30
Previous best was three weeks ago with a 9.29@76 with a 2.10 60
So there you have it in a nutshell, sorry for the novel but since I haven't posted in a while.. I figured I OWED you a few bazzillion words!
Special thanks to Tiffany who made it possible for me to take the Championship! {she's a REAL TEAM PLAYER!}
