Pound WI Pull

Pound WI

OK last year at Pound I had my Back up motor in ShaZam, so the logbook was no help to me today. But last year I did take 2^nd in Super after getting into a pull off with Tory.

So as we get to the Pound Park where they hold the pulls the Tractors where still pulling there last couple of classes. The track was really dusty and the sprayers on the leveler weren’t working the best. Lucky for use though Mother Nature came over and gave the track a good sprinkling with a short 5 min thunderstorm. So after they worked the track up a little they finished the last two tractor classes.

It was a weird afternoon one minute it was raining then the sun would come out and things would dry up and then the clouds would roll back in and threaten to rain again.

So after the tractors where done they rolled about 3” of the clay over to one side of the track and Cory jumped on the water truck and sprayed some water onto the pile of clay before they rolled it back onto the track and tried to pack it back down into the track.

At this time I was looking at a real shitty looking pile of goo out there they where disking it and rolling it and it just didn’t seem to want to pack back in. Plain and simple they put to much water in it, so the grader operator decided to just roll it off the track and get back down to the better clay. So now the weather changed again and I kept saying if it rains where screwed, but Mother Nature held off with the big shower and it passed overhead.

Now at the drivers Meeting there was some discussion on the track. It was voted on that there would be a floating finish from the 300 to 330 foot mark anything over 330 was a full pull, and all trucks over 330 would go into a pull off.

As the Truck classes started the track looked pretty good and the stock trucks where getting a good run with the Red Weyauwega Sled. The Tractor Track Guys added a new feature to there package this year with a Digital Distance scoreboard along with the track speed radar board. So as a driver you can see your distance along with how fast your truck came down the track. It’s cooler then heck to see your truck speed as it’s coming down the track and be able to see where the sled starts to put the hurt to you. Most of the stock guys where running down the track at 15 to 17 Mph. Where the Open stock trucks where at 18 to 20 Mph. And the Super Stock trucks where the fastest of the day at 19 to 22.8 (Me) Mph. The sled operators set the sled really heavy for the Mod class and it really held the Speed down in that class 18 to 20 Mph.

In the Open stock class there where 2 trucks to go over the 330’ mark and they’d have their pull off at the end of the Pull.

So for Super Stock we had 17 Trucks in the class today I was the 6^th Truck to pull in the class so I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go for me. I tend to like being further down in the pack but oh well take it as it comes and do my best. OK Roy Kannenberg was the 1^st. puller of the class and Roy never pulled against this red sled I don’t think.

But during the day I was talking with Roy and I told him I could give him some insight of what to expect from this sled but it’s 3-year-old info from when I built my first good 528. I told him I put a big gear (1100) in and spun the tires so fast out of the hole the truck never caught up and I only went 265’ that year. So Roy hollered at Craig to pull that 1100 gear out of his truck and put a 1000 in instead jokingly. I tell ya some of the best times at the track are before the pull ever gets started.

So Ok Roy’s the 1^st puller, He hooks to the sled gets everything tightened up and as he comes out of the hole Roy doesn’t do his normal 7000 Rpm side step but tries to ease it out and as he mats the throttle his truck was way out of it’s power band and he came to a stop at the 100’ mark so he turned his pull down and came around to the end of the pack to give it another try. I don’t think he took my advice on the gearing or he just wanted to be the last puller.

So Craig Wichmann was up next now Roy and Craig are Partners when it comes to pulling, So if Roy had big gear in his truck then chances are Craig would have something pretty close to that in his truck also. Craig gets lined up and tightens the chain up and Craig does the 7000 Rpm side step and he was off to the races pulling the sled down the track at 20 mph and ended up with a distance of 325.26’.

Next up was my Buddy Bruce Wagner and Bad to the Bone, Bruce has been playing this game for a long time and he knows the gearing game on his truck pretty good. Bruce did roll his truck out about 20 feet before he put the smack down to the throttle, and he had to track speed of 21.3 Mph and a distance of 331.56’ Full Pull. So I got to watch my old Open stock truck lay down a good run for it only being a 435 cid he pulled 247.57’. I followed Jack Peters who put down a pull of 287.42’ so there wasn’t any real consistency so far in the pull. So I’m next and as I pull ShaZam onto the track I make sure I have all my switches on, and back up to the sled and get hooked up. When he tells me to tighten it up I bring up the slack and then shift to neutral give ShaZam a couple of throttle stabs to clean the motor out, then hit record on the tack put into 3^rd and give it some throttle. As I left the line I felt the pan of the sled pick up and I remember it’s really easy out of the hole till the 150’ mark so I gave ShaZam a Hand full of throttle and the tach was blinking at me as I was up to 8500 Rpm’s but as I hit the 150’ mark the tires hooked to the track and the tack came down to 7800 and then the sled started to come down on me hard as the R’s came down to 76 then 75 and then started back up to 8000. I saw the top speed was 22.8 Mph and I figured I was going to out there with Bruce in the 330+ range, but when my tires let loose and the tach started back up to 8000 I should have let out of the throttle some to try to hook them back up but I didn’t and fell short of the Full Pull mark and finished with a 318.02’ Pull. And sitting in 3^rd place. Now I had to watch 11 more guys try to knock me out of the money. Well as I pulled ShaZam up onto the trailer to change tires for Mod it started to sprinkle some. Not a lot but just enough to make the track a little stickier then it was. As it worked out ShaZam held on to it’s 3^rd place finish with only 4 other trucks getting past the 300’ mark. So Cha Chin we got Fuel money for the next pull now.

Well the sprinkles came and went and the other two truck classes went on with out a hitch and kept the track in good shape.

As we came out for the mod class I was the last Truck in the class out of 10 trucks.

Just where I wanted to be. I get to watch everyone pull and try to learn from there mistakes. Well Like I said earlier in my post they heaved up the sled big time for the Mod class. They had a chain dragging up the pan along with there rackers set on max dig, so as soon as the pan settled down you where are ready digging holes. Most of the trucks where over spinning there motors at the starting line seeing the pan would pick up off the ground but as soon as it settled back down then there motors would come down fast.

So I’m sitting watching the trucks go over the scale in preparation of the mod class when Craig’s (Cold Ethyl) truck dies on the scale so there hollering for some gas to see if it was fuel issue or ignition issue, Craig was suppose to be the 6^th truck to pull but with his troubles they pushed him off the scale and gave him to the end of the class to get it running. So Mike Kauss was the 1^st puller he had a distance of 271.99 and turned it down to come around and try to do better at the end, Next up was Donny Skinkis he ended up with a 254.35’ pull next was Dean Wagner and he pulled 229.73’ Jack Peters lied down a 231.20’ pull, so far all these trucks where buzzing there motors off the line big time but when the pan hit there motors where coming down the there knees. So here’s where I should have said to myself, Hey maybe I should drop down a gear or two, but instead I didn’t hear the little guy on my shoulder and left the gear in there. Then Cory Lemirande come out and as he left the line his truck hit the stratosphere at 9200 Rpm’s which he got out of it just a little and that’s when the pan hit and his motor came down like it was sucking a bearing he stumbled to a 222.31’ mark. Cory was leading the points up till tonight. So the little guy on my shoulder should have kicked me in the ear on that pull, but once again I wasn’t listening for him. Jason Kakuk put down a nice 235.14’ pull then came the Old man of the club Clem Linder (75) with his Chevy Blitz, Well the old man gave all us young whippier snappers a lesson that night laying down a pull of 288.77’ when everybody else was coming to a stop Clem Truck kept chugging along picking up 34’ over the then 1^st place truck of Donny Skinkis. So next up was Bruce Wagner and he was trying to help Craig get his truck running so he wasn’t watching what was going on during the pull, but later said had he been he would have dropped a few gears for this track, anyway Bruce pulled a 258.17’ putting him in 3^rd place.

So I’m next and I have the game plan in my mind for this pull. Coming off the line my motor is going to hit 8500 but as the pan hit it’s going to suck me down and I’m going to hook to the track and pull it 300+ feet.

 Well it almost played out that way. I left the line my motor hit 8600 off the line and as the pan hit my motor came down to 7800 then 76,73,70,68 at this point I’m checking my oil pressure gauges to make sure it’s not sucking the bearing out of it, and then my tires broke free and I spun back to 7800 and stopped at 234.99’

 Wow is all I can say the little red sled put the hurt to a lot of good trucks last night, Surprising most of us with it’s ability to suck our motors down like no other sled has this year.

OK so next pull is July 3^rd at Gillett WI.

See ya all then. Dan and ShaZam