Back on track

     It seems like an eternity (more than 3 months, anyway) since Paul thought about making a race with the Cuda Beast. Mechanical problems and simply the scorching summer heat combined to make racing more or less impossible. But that time has come again,  this weekend at the series finale at Rockingham Dragway. The car has received a thorough going-over and all of the engine issues have been addressed.
     It's going to be a tough field full of big-name nitrous racers, but Paul is hoping to crash their party. Last time out, the Beast ran a career best of 3.94, and Paul said he's looking for 80s this weekend. He said he was going to leave early on Friday in hopes of getting to the track in time to make a few test passes. I don't know how coverage of this race will shake out. The series has a facebook page, and the track may have some info, too. Not sure if there is any live streaming. We'll have to see.
     Anyway, racing is back.

Don't mess with Mother Nature

 

   Paul and the Cuda Beast team had hoped to be racing this weekend in the second event of  the Carolina Xtreme Pro Mods series, but officials looked at the weather forecast for the area around the Union, S.C., track and decided  to postpone the race until May 11. The decision was based on the likelihood of rain Friday night and a high temp of only 60 on Saturday. Safe conditions for the racers and track conditions conducive to good racing for the fans were the bottom line.
   I don't know if Paul will now seek out another race between now and May 11, but you can bet he's champing at  the bit to get back on the track after the Beast's first 3-second pass. I'll try to catch him at the shop for an update on his plans.

Idle this weekend

  
   If you have followed this race this past weekend, you know that Paul and the Beast weren't on hand.
Paul said a combination of too much construction work and not enough time to get the car fully ready  -- plus the 11-hour drive down there -- persuaded him to keep the Beast parked.
    However, the new engine and refurbished transmission are in the car, and he's close to being able to fire it up. Though the season is winding down, big races remain on the calendar  -- all at place where Paul has run.
First is the Southern Shootout series finale at Montgomery in two weeks, followed by the PDRA finals in Virginia and another race in the Carolinas, that I think is at Shadyside.
     We'll have an update closer to the Montgomery race.

Shadyside spark

        It was a lonnnnnng Memorial Day weekend at Shadyside, thanks to the weather, but the trip proved to be a useful one even though the Beast didn't make the field, qualifying 13th out of 20 or so cars with a 4.32. The big discovery, Paul said, was that the magneto was faulty, which means all the tuneup adjustments basically "never made any difference" because it wasn't firing correctly.
     Paul said he suspects the problem may have begun while the car still ran a clutch, and when it ran its best times. Since the switch to the automatic, the Beast has come within about a tenth of its best clutch performances, and has been wildly inconsistent. "You could have a good run, but it wouldn't repeat," Paul said.
   So, the magneto was sent back to MSD for a thorough refurb, is recertified and back in the car. Confident now that any tuneup changes will be reflected on the track, Paul said he's going back to the fast tuneups when the car had a clutch for his new baseline.  The first chance to run again could be July 9-10 at Huntsville at a Southern Outlaw Tour event. Paul sees it as a test session, since the SOT is a screw-blower series. If the weather isn't too hot, he said, the Beast likely will be there.
    As for the quirky Shadyside track, Paul said the racing surface was great, an uphill shutdown area a la Holiday Beach, and even the hairpin at the end wasn't a problem.

   He said there was plenty of stopping room, but you had to get on the chutes "real quick. If your chutes failed, you'd be in trouble." The difficulty came at the other end of the track, Paul said, as the car had to be pushed back and forth to get it into the staging /burnout area. He couldn't fire the car and pull right into staging  But he likes the series, so it's likely the Beast will be back at Shadyside, and at other tracks in the Carolinas.
   We'll update closer to the Huntsville race.