The DJ Safety chutes are out on the 2013 season for Paul Gibbs and the Cuda Beast team. This time last week, Paul though he might be squeezing in one last race, way down in Florida at Bradenton. It would have been the longest trip for the team, and schedules/logistics ultimately kept the Beast at home.
The 2013 season marked the Beast's switch to an automatic transmission, and the learning curve proved to be a steep one. Into the fall, Paul did a deep dive into the computer data and did a lot of brainstorming with other racers, and was confident that he was on track with the setup. But the calendar ran out of races, so the answers will have to wait until early 2014.
Paul made his first final, at Holiday Beach, and beat Bil Clanton for the first time to get there, but lost on a red light. (Holding the car on the line was another problem that required attention). There was bizarre stuff away from the track, as Paul's Dodge truck blew up on the way home from a race. He bought another one, and was on his way to a weekend of testing when that truck began to act up. A rag had somehow been left inside the turbocharger. Fortunately, the damage was minimal. New tires from Mickey Thompson really helped with tire shake. The real puzzler was getting the 60-foot times where they should be.
The schedule for 2014 is unclear right now, as it is for all of pro-mod racing across the south. Efforts are underway to get some coordination among the various tracks so the racers can put on a good show, lots of fans will show up to see it, and the promoters will make some money. Paul was set on a series in the Carolinas that did not allow screw blowers, but it ended this year after a decade run. He said he will likely discuss with the folks at Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip, just outside Chattanooga, about a pro-mod series of four races or so, with no screw blowers allowed. It's Paul's home track, less than two hours away, and it has been resurfaced, making it ideal for the big cars. Some match racing might also be on the agenda.
So that's it. The Beast is in its trailer, ready to go right now. We'll be back next year when the racing schedule starts to take shape.
