PDRA weekend/ update Saturday

    Saturday update: Paul called from the track while the crews work to dry and re-prep the surface after a lot of rain. He's still hoping for three rounds of qualifying -- at least one shot today, maybe a couple of hours from now. PDRA is committed to getting the race in, going Sunday for sure, and even into Monday if that's what it takes. The best thing is to tune in Motor Mania TV, MMTV 1, which is live-streaming, and it's excellent.
    Happened to catch round 1 of pro boost qualifying Friday, and saw the Beast fail to leave the line. One account said used the word "broke," which usually connotes bad stuff, but Paul said the Beast tossed a blower belt at the hit. He said that's unusual for a roots blower car, unlike the screw cars that go through them like candy, so he decided to look for a cause. The bottom crank pulley was loose, basically held on with bolts at finger-tight, and ready to come off. Anyway, all is well.
    The pro boost class has the biggest field, 27-28 cars, and right now the cutoff at #16 is about 4.05. That's tough; the Beast could run a career best and not get in. Paul said he's not expecting much movement, maybe to a 3.99, so he's going with a 4.0 tuneup for today. The track is being prepped by the best in the business, so it should hold just about anything.
    Tune in Motor Mania TV; it's a great show.
  
     Friday morning: The racers are gathering in Richmond, and Paul and the Beast should be among them. Early tests indicate the track is super fast, so the competition will be great. The team is looking to build on its PDRA experience in Memphis earlier this year.
    Richmond is hours and hundreds of miles away? Not to worry. On the promodifieds.us message board, click on the PDRA championship thread and you will find a link to Motor Mania TV live-streaming all the action. It's excellent, even with an Internet connection as lousy as mine.
    Also, this site

will have info on qualifying and elimination ladders. Let's hope the weather cooperates, and everybody gets down the track swiftly and safely.