Car and driver are back in good health, mechanically and physically, so the Cuda Beast and Paul Gibbs are on the way to Huntsville this weekend for a Quick 8 shootout. Paul got a final check of his back yesterday and says he's feeling good, and he's optimistic that for the first time in a long time, the Beast's problems with backfiring are under control. After brainstorming with fellow racers, Paul believes a change from a less-expensive spark plug and the addition of a crank trigger to better control timing are the essential pieces of the puzzle. He rues the false savings of the cheaper plugs: "We've lost a lot of money and chances at winning because of backfiring."
The engine has been rebuilt, including a new No. 8 piston and new head gaskets to provide a bit more relief. It's basically the setup Paul was going to take to Orangeburg, S.C., last month for a race, before his back went out. That race was won with 3.9-4.0 times (screw blowers are banned), easily in the Beast's capability. That Carolina series, the Quick 8 Outlaws, could be where Paul races next season.
But it's Huntsville this weekend, site of the Beast's last outing, which produced the best run of the year despite the backfiring and its related problems. The schedule on the flier above has been changed: There will be three rounds of qualifying on Saturday, starting at noon, with a fourth round on Sunday morning, and then eliminations at noon -- good, Paul says, as the nights now are getting too cold and too damp for safe racing. He passed on racing there last year at this time for those reasons.
Not sure if Brian C. of promodifieds.us will be able to attend any of the racing, but check that site anyway, as information does tend to get out through other folks.
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