The Other Woman

I put clothes back on the “Black Hole” after spending months working on that beautiful framework! It is almost sad to cover up all of that beauty. It has been a nice relationship but it is time to go to work now and it is not legal to work with an exposed framework!

Wait, that did not come out right! That almost sounded "X" rated. Traci has always kidded about my crazy hobbies being like the other woman in my life. When we thought the dream was drag racing boats, we were actually going to name the boat "The Other Woman".

Those of you that know me, know that there has never been and never will be another woman that could replace my Sunshine! She has NEVER had to worry about those kinds of things. She has however had to worry about me most of our married life about being a passionate gearhead that exposes myself to dangerous hobbies. She has also sacrificed a lot of time and money for me to fulfill my dream of doing "this" or "that"over the years. The "Black Hole" is the dream of all dreams. I am not sure I can ever top this one at my age. I guess there is a Top Fuel dragster or flying a military fighter jet, neither of which are likely to happen at 58 years old without robbing a bank!

All jokes asside, the "Black Hole"is starting to look like a car now. The body is on (hopefully for the last time) and the car looks sharp with the black body, black anodized parts, billet parts, and carbon fiber.

The body is completely mounted for the first time with all of the screws (hundreds of them) in the firewall, door jambs, rear spoiler, and so on. The doors are adjusted and fitted with the door latches working like a real door! These cars are often referred to as “door slammers” because they are required to have functioning doors like a street car. That is about the only thing that resembles a street car!!!

As more and more gets added to the car, the more confined it feels when you are in the drivers seat. There is not much vision with that big ole Hemi out front, safety net on the door frame, full face helmet, limited movement of your head, etc.! You pretty much are wearing the car like a garment. That is by design! You do not want to be loose in the car if something goes wrong at 250 mph.

Traci and I did some dry runs of how difficult it is to get into and out of the car with all of the safety gear on. The best way I can describe it is; "It is like stuffing a giant marshmallow into a Coke bottle". Think about that for a minute! It was enlightening to say the least! We had to do several dry runs to figure out the correct position and sequence to get into and out of the car. We will do many more before we ever go to the track. You want getting into and out of (especially out of) the car to be using muscle memory without having to really think about it.

I still have a ton of work to do to put the rear tubs (fender wells) and fabricate all of the carbon pieces that will seal the back of the car and prevent smoke from filling the car during a burnout.

When you compare where we started 2 1/2 years ago, we are so close you can smell it, literally. Yes, those methanol exhaust fumes are awesome and make you cry with tears of joy 😂. God is awesome!!!

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The Other Side of the Guardrail

Traci and I went to the NHRA Spring Nationals this weekend like we do most years. This year has been especially fun because it may be the last year that we are on the outside of the guardrails. I have been a drag racing fan most of my life but only as a spectator. We have drag raced our dragster but only at a local level. The Spring Nationals are a televised NHRA national event where the competition is fierce, and the stakes are high.

I still remember the first time I saw a front engine (Slingshot) style dragster at a gas station in my home town. I was probably 7 or 8 years old. My home town had a drag strip that has been active  (still is) since I was a little boy. It had nitro fuel events back in the 1960’s and 1970's that were attended by some of the legends in the sport. Names like Kenny Bernstein, Raymond Beetle, etc. came to that small track in West Texas throughout my childhood. I even watched my brothers and dad race on that track on Friday nights when the track opening to public racing events called "Friday Night Grudge Races".

I don’t know who that dragster belonged to nor did I care at that time, but the idea of strapping yourself in a tiny car with a big ole Hemi always appealed to me. I never got to drag race as I grew up other than an occasional street race on a sport bike that I had. I never could afford to invest what it took to do it right so I never pursued it while we raised our family. As most of you have figured out by now, if I can’t do it right, I am not going to do it!

With that being said, this year’s races has been surreal. As Traci and I have been sitting up in the stands watching the ProMod class qualify, I know both of us are probably thinking the same thing. We are thinking about what is it going to be like on the other side of the guardrails??? It is exciting to think we could be on the “other side” next year. It is also terrifying at the same time. As we watch the cars run two by two you see some that are less experienced or less funded than some of the veterans. Some of them can’t get their car started. Some of them mess up the burnout. Some of them don’t make it past the starting line before the car destroys itself. Each time I see that happen, I think, “I do not want to be that person”. You see, being strapped into a 250 mph rocket does not scare me at all, failure does!!!

Our friends (Mike Janis Sr. and Jr.) were here racing and struggled a bit in the first day of qualifying. They are the current world champions and they were not qualified at the end of the first day. That is how competitive the ProMod class is!!! Did I mention that if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right? We chose the most competitive and interesting class in drag racing. That makes it really rewarding and really difficult to do.

We went to watch them a couple of times at their pit and you could see the stress, worry, rushing around to prepare the car for the next round, and focus in their eyes. Their view of the Spring Nationals was much different than ours. We were just having fun watching all of the action from the other side of the guard rail.

They ended up qualifying in session 3 (we were all praying for them) and they made it into the show. It couldn’t happen to nicer people! They ended up making it into the third round and improved with every run. They lost in round 3 with a very respectable run (to the eventual winner). Nothing to be ashamed of for sure! I only wish I had their expertise and skill.

So you see, we are about to take something that has been a relaxing and fun part of most of my adult life and turn it into something that is stressful, expensive, intense, disappointing for the one in a million chance at extreme gratification!!! Hmmmmm, sounds like what Traci and I do to everything we touch, ha!!!

The real point of this whole process and the thing that motivates us to do this kind of stuff is the sense of accomplishment each time you improve one little thing. As each step is completed, we are one step closer to the goal!! That is exciting! With God leading us, all of the little pieces will fall into place!!!

Another thing that being in a new and foreign environment forces you to do is depend on God to show you the way. We could not do this without Jesus' sacrifice and the blessings HE has given us.

Some of you may get tired of me saying it but the older I get, the more I realize how HE is in control. We will need all of the help we can get to be on the "Other side of the guardrail".

Here is a picture of us on Friday night with the Janis family and our extended family Patrick and Scott. The Janis' family took time to have us in their pits after doing damage to their car on the second qualifying run. They had to work late on the car to get it ready to qualify on Saturday morning but they found the time to be great hosts and friends. They are awesome!

From Left to Right: Patrick, Traci, Me, Mike Janis Sr., Mike Janis Jr., Scott

Mike Janis Jr. getting ready for the qualifying run. Mike Janis Sr. driving

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The ProMod Dream's Most Exciting Day Yet

Today had to be the most exciting day since I started this blog 3 years ago! I was so full of emotion that I had to take several time outs to just thank God for giving me this opportunity. Most of you may not understand my passion for all things mechanical but God certainly does!

Throughout this journey, it is so obvious how He has been guiding us towards the dream. Today was a giant milestone for us. I give Jesus all of the glory for days like today!

Today was the first day that the Hemi engine ran with the fuel system functioning fully. Other than a small methanol leak and a small issue with he fuel shutoff valve, the day was flawless!

I started the engine yesterday for a few seconds on gasoline by just priming the engine with a squirt bottle to make sure the ignition was working correctly. The engine sounds like a powderpuff on gasoline compared to the methanol.

Last night, I spent several hours making sure all of the fuel mixture components were set up correctly to run on methanol. Today, we started it with the methanol fuel system fully functional and it was amazing! I have never been so close to an engine this powerful! I am not even able to describe the emotions I had today. I don't know if the tears were caused by the methanol fumes or actual tears of joy, ha!

Yesterday some of my Axis family was here (Patrick and Joseph) to hear the short bursts of power. Today one of my longest friends (Scott) was here to share the experience. Of course, Traci, Dad, and Sissie (my sister) were here to witness as well.

Thank you Jesus for giving me the skills to build this machine and for putting me together with our family, Axis family, the Janis family, Scott at Tim Mcamis, and all of my good friends. Without them, my dream would not be possible.

I also want to thank my Sunshine for supporting me all along the way. I love you Sunshine!

Here is a video of the first test of the converter drive. At about marker 1:40 you will notice that I hit the throttle a couple of times while the car is in gear and the transbrake is engaged. You can tell the difference in how the engine sounds when it is loaded against the torque converter. The engine is truly AMAZING!

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