No racing this weekend

   Paul and the Cuda Beast will be idle this weekend as key crew members face health issues. The PDRA race in Louisiana had been penciled in for this weekend, but not enough hands are available to do all the work that is required during a race weekend.
   Team member Gregg Cash had stents put in his legs this week, and computer guru Keith Dockery continues to deal with a cancer diagnosis. Paul said Gregg hopes to be back at work at his body shop in a week or so, while Keith's doctors have advised him to put this racing season on hold.
    If Gregg recovers on schedule, Paul said the next race will likely be May 15-16 at Ohio Valley Raceway near Louisville, Ky. It's a true outlaw race, open to screw cars, but it's also the same weekend as the Southern outlaw series race at Huntsville, which will draw the bulk of the South's heavy screw hitters. Ohio Valley will be a new track for the team, but Paul said he has heard good things about it, and that Brandon Snider ran 3.66 there last year for the track record.
   In the previous post, Paul said he's looking for people interested in volunteering to help on race weekends. There is no pay -- food at the track is it. It's a long, hard couple of days, but a good opportunity to get some up-close, hand's on experience if you are interested in getting into promod racing. Don't expect to be hanging out at the fence watching races. The only cars you'll see racing will be the Beast and whoever is in the other lane. Call Paul at 706-258-8241 if you are interested.
    We'll be back as the Ohio Valley race gets closer. Keep Keith and Gregg in your thoughts.

Rockingham, other updates

   Paul and the Cuda Beast team had a fairly frustrating time at Rockingham last weekend. Paul had originally planned to leave on Wednesday, test Thursday, and go racing Friday and on the weekend. Instead, he didn't get away until Friday, and a flat tire and wrong turn made for a long, late travel day. Two qualifying attempts didn't get out of the fives, as launches remained a problem. Here's a photo, taken immediately after the one above, in Paul's last qualifying bid.

   The left rear slick appears to be off the surface; it is not wrinkled, as it is in the top photo. Paul said that particular qualifying session was troublesome for the vast majority of cars as the track really heated up when the sun came out. In his first qualifier, Paul said he had too much power in the car. The right balance of tuneup and the timing management of that power remains elusive.
   Paul also had information about crew member Keith Dockery, his brother-in-law and engine computer guy, who is facing a serious health issue. The bad news is that a malignancy was found, as doctors likely suspected, but further tests did not find that the cancer had spread. That bit of good news means that his chemotherapy will be directed right at the site, avoiding an overall chemo regimen and the side effects that causes. Any return to races this season is uncertain, and unlikely; Paul said Keith asked his doctors about that possibility, and they told him to forget it.
   Also, team member Gregg Cash is also having some health issues, and his status could be up in the air as well.
   So, Paul said he is seeking volunteers to help the team at races this season. There is no pay; Paul said all he can guarantee is that people will be fed at the track, and that there will be plenty of hard work to be done (I'll vouch for that; I was around the team a few hours at a race last year, and I got tired just photographing them). It will also be an opportunity for people who are interested in pro mod racing to learn firsthand what is involved.
   Paul said he had good help at Rockingham from father and son Blaine and Charles Silver, and has put out a request for other volunteers on Facebook. He has received some responses; running at the next PDRA event, in Shreveport, La., in about three weeks, is contingent on having sufficient help. If you are interested in assisting Paul and the Beast team, call Paul at 706-258-8241.
   We'll be back with a Shreveport update. Keep the Beast team in your thoughts as they work through these difficult times.

Let's Rock

     This weekend, Paul and the Cuda Beast team will be in Rockingham, N.C., in the Pro Boost class of the PDRA's Spring Nationals. If Mother Nature cooperates, it will be the start of the team's 2015 race season that will consist almost entirely of PDRA events.
     Paul said last week the team will travel Wednesday to be able to test on Thursday. A race last month at Montgomery had been eyed as primarily a test session, but it was rained out. A car show commitment in Blue Ridge, Ga., last weekend (Paul had the Beast and his pro street Dart there) ruled out Huntsville as another possible test opportunity, so Paul decided the best thing was to go to The Rock early, pay the testing fee, and get information that could be applied directly to the weekend's racing.
    The team likely will be without the services of its computer guru, Keith Dockery, who is facing a serious health issue. Paul said the team is asking for your prayers for Keith during this uncertain period.
    The Beast will roll into the staging lanes with a new timing box to manage the Hemi's power, which has received a big shot from a refurbished blower.  Paul said he's backing down the boost and tweaking the timing to get the car launched. "After two seconds, we'll have all the power it needs all back in to the finish line," Paul said.
    The PDRA events on the team's schedule are Shreveport, La., at the end of this month; St. Louis at the end of May; Memphis in August (I should be able to make that race); Benson, N.C., in September; and Bradenton, Fla., and Richmond, Va., in October. The PDRA website has all the specific dates.
   Looking at the PDRA site, I was struck by this promo shot for the Rockingham race, and how close spectators are to the racing surface. It's not George Ray's, but it seems amazing to me despite the concrete wall and catch fencing.

 
    We'll pass along any news we learn, and you can always check the message board at promodifieds.us for any updates. Race reporter extraordinaire Brian C. will be reporting from the Southern Shootout series race in Memphis, so that will also be of interest to pro mod fans. Keep Keith and the team in your prayers.