Weekends Pulling 8/18/19/06
August 21 2006 at
4:45 PM
ShaZam ShaZam (Login
TRUKPULR)
Reddog's Friends
from IP address 72.129.214.237
OK what’s
going on here?
Friday Night Pull at Iron River
When I started this season out I was guessing on my gears pretty good. But
it seems I’m going down hill really fast here.
Friday Night Iron River Mich. They have one of those sandy clay rodeo
arena type tracks up there. 250’ long, but if you can run out the gate
there’s another 200’ out there you can play in. Iron River is an
invitational pull for WUMPA; they only need us there to make some noise
for the crowd. They have lots of local boys there looking too pull, but
they all have everyday stock trucks. If they break their truck, they’ll
have to catch a ride to work with one of the guys that didn’t break.
Any way’s when I pulled there this spring I ran a 1200 gear and didn’t
hook to nothing so I thought I’d go even higher this time and put a 1750
gear in it and try to get it to hook to the track and hold the motor down
some. Nope didn’t work, Eased it off the line and rode it to the 100’
mark tapped the throttle a little more and the tach went to 7500 and the
tires just went buzzerk with about 45 mph wheel speed I tried to ease out
of it and get it too hook some but it was pass that point on the track to
do any good, so I hammered it down to make lots of noise for the crowd and
through some rosters on the track. Turned the motor to 8500 for a few sec.
at the end of the pull. Finishing 4th in Super Stock.
Went to switch tires for the Mod class and the Announcer said they had
some rain coming and they’d like to get the Mod class in before it
started just incase the track got to bad and they couldn’t finish. So we
made a really quick tire change and got back in line just as the rain
started to come down. It was a nice medium rain, and the track really
sucked up the moisture as it was getting dried out some. I was the 2nd
puller I the class and I tried to drag my feet some to let the track suck
up as much of the rain as it could before I pulled, but the track crew was
on me right away. Hurry up, hurry up they hollered at me.. Well ShaZam did
the same thing in Mod as she did in Super and I even rode it easy a lot
longer this time with that same 1750 gear, I was hoping with the bigger
foot print it might hook better, but it just wasn’t meant to be for me I
guess. Hit the play back and it turned 8300 with a blip of 8800 at the end
of the track and I got 5th place for the day. So after WUMPA was done
pulling and we all got loaded up and chained down in the pouring rain
which it finally did stop after about 30 minutes then the sky’s cleared
overhead. We sat over by the trailers and had a few Beers to licked our
wounds so to speak. They still had 10 local classes to run and the show
went on. Well before you knew it the local boys where pulling it thru the
first gate and half way into the parking area, the track was getting
better and we where all done pulling … Boy does this suck. OK log this
in the book I guess the best thing to do next year is not show up at Iron
River, no sense blowing up a good motor just to finish 5th. We all headed
to the motel for the night and the ride long home in the morning.
Saturday morning got home around Noon dropped off Dean’s truck and got
my dad’s truck loaded and ready for the pull in Gillett WI. which we had
to leave for at 3 pm that day. Thought I left early enough to get a good
parking spot with the pull starting at 6:30 pm but when we got there I had
to park a half-mile away. NO bigger I need the exercise anyway. Well we
went to register for the pulls and I got the worst numbers you could get
in this club anyway. They don’t have the 1st truck option of turning the
pull down and coming back at the end like most clubs do. They discontinued
it thinking it would speed up the show. And I drew number 2 in Super Stock
and number 2 in Mod. Well after walking the track and doing my usual pre
pulling stuff I decide to put a 1200 gear in and use all my motor’s
muscle to get it to hook tonight. Well for the stock classes the sled was
set really good; everyone was getting to the 240’ mark of this 250’
track. Daddy and I had some Miscommunication as to which side of the track
to come down on and he planted it at the 175’ mark when the skid pad dug
into the track where there was a wet spot in the clay. My fault I said
Grandstand instead of Band shell. So we made sure that would happen again.
Until the next time I guess you all know how this stuff works.
So the first real horsepower class came up Open Stock and they couldn’t
stop the trucks at the 250’ mark so they reset the sled and then it was
to heavy the next truck went only 97’ and they reset it again and then
it was too light 255’ and they tried again it was too heavy 110’ so
you see there’s was no happy medium here tonight.
I went and asked the sled boss what his plans where for Super stock, and
he said he was going to just add 400 more pounds to the pad for Super
Stock and leave it stop where it stops.
So I weight my options leave the 1200 gear in and maybe fall on my face or
drop a gear or two and drive the track. Anyone wants to guess what I
did….
Yes I dropped to a safe 950 gear and got in the line too the scale. Only
the first truck wasn’t there yet, so I went to find him and he said he
hurt something in his motor in Open Stock and wasn’t going to pull in
Super Stock. Great that makes me 1st then. So I go and line up with the
sled and they where busy with throwing weight on the skid pad so I shut
off my motor and waited for them to get done. They hooked me up and then
the sled boss comes up to the window and tells me, OK I left it a little
lighter then I said I was going to so take it easy and if you go out the
end we’ll reset it.
Well I eased it off the line and put the hammer down at the 50’ mark and
the tach went to 8000 so I got out of it and for once the tires actually
hooked and I stood back in it and it like flew to the end of the track I
could really feel ShaZam pulling hard. I passed the 250’ with a good
head of steam and there was nothing slowing me down. The flag man waved
the red flag to stop and told me to come around their going to reset the
sled, So too the back of the line I went. They added 400 pounds to the pad
and the next truck pulled it 75’ and ok reset it again, pulls off 300
pound and the next truck Jack Peters pulled it out the end. The Sled boss
didn’t have any more Idea’s. There was a small meeting at the sled
with a few club officials and we told him to leave it alone and anyone
else to pull it out the end will have a pull off with the extra 300 pounds
added. But just as things seem to be going in my favor the track start to
go away. There where two Open stock truck that pulled then and one broke
and one stopped at the 180’ mark up next was Cory Lemirande and he
pulled it too 245’ and came up short, So all I had to do was get it out
the end again and Jack and I’d be pulling off for first place Sounded
easy enough. Well I hooked to the sled and drove it the same way I did the
first run down the track I eased it off the line and put the hammer down
at the 50’ mark and the tach went to 7900 so I got out of it let it drop
back down too 5500 and when I stepped back in it this time there was
nothing there my tires just wouldn’t hook to nothing. What the heck they
only added 100 pound to the sled and that keeps me from hooking up, this
just sucks. I pulled it to 243’ mark and finished 3rd in Super Stock.
So off to change tires and rethink my options for mod.
I use to drop one gear when I put on the mod tires but tonight I left the
950 in there and headed off to the scale. Once I got there I realized I
forgot to remove the extra 100 pounds out of the weight box for the extra
the mod tires weigh but no biggy I’ll just have to come back for the
weights after the pull was over. I was the 2nd truck following the
Fester’n Boil with Craig Emmes driving tonight. He hooked to the sled
and eased it for about 2 feet before he hammered it and out to the 255’
mark he went. Reset the sled they yelled, Now I’m the first puller
again. Oh how this sucks, Sled boss said she’s maxed out where you stop
is where it stays.
So I did my best but there still wasn’t nothing my tires would hook to
there, I pulled it to 197’ mark and the next truck up was Cory he pulled
it 20’ further then I did with 227’ and Then came little old Jack
Peters the Giant killer He hooked to the sled and hammered it out of the
hole and his truck bent and hooked to the track like nothing I ever seen
before and out the end he went like nothing.
Fester’n Boil Came back last and never hooked up and stopped at the
180’ mark.
So this weekends placements where
Iron River
4th Super 5th Mod
Gillett WI
3rd Super 4th Mod
OK next weekend is my last 2 or more pull weekend, So my stories will be
getting shorter soon.
Dan Homa and ShaZam