Thursday, September 22, 2011

ULTIMATE OULAWS / SUMMER RECAP

What a year so far. It has been since March since I have written. While there is no excuse for this, I will say that I have been extremely busy. Not only have i been keeping the orange car on the track constantly, But we had our baby girl in July. She is a healthy beautiful little girl named Sophie. There is so much to write, I will try to just cover the highlights. After signing our 2011 title sponsor, MAC FAB BEADLOCK CONVERSIONS, Things started clicking within our team. The car was performing flawlessly. Phil bought and helped me install a race pak in the car in march. Boy did this ever open some possibilities. It was like moving me into the 21st century.
Our next race following the shakedown in palm beach, was at Brainerd Dragway in Brainerd, Ga. This was rumored to be a very tricky track. That was an understatement. It was slick, narrow, and bumpy. I loved it. It was the kind of track that I grew up racing on . It was a mix of Eatonton back in the day, Dorchester late at night, and racing in the street. We unloaded with slicks on, and absolutely couldnt get down the track. On our third attempt friday night, The car spun hard, hit the rev limiter, I pedaled it, kicked the head gaskets out, and proceeded to torch a hole in one of the cylinder heads. When I pulled the head off and saw that It was torched, We started packing up. I was tired and the car wouldnt work, and I was ready to quit. We had everything but the car loaded in the trailer when I sat down with a couple of my buddies and fellow racers. I poured a stiff crown and coke and was feeling pretty lousy. They kept on me and wouldnt let up about fixing the motor. They said they knew of a machine shop 3 hours away and could pull some strings on fixing the head. They even offered to let me borrow their car. Finally the redneck in me was fired up and off we went. Me and brian drove to Crossville, Tn to Mondello's Speed Shop. This place was a state of the art machine shop. Brett stayed up all night welding , and machining the head. We finished it at 4 am and buzzed back to Georgia half asleep and banged the ole girl back together. We qualified like crap in the middle of the field with a 5.20. the track was really loose. We got past first round with a pedal fest running a 5.0. got by second round on a holeshot with a 4.97. In the semi's I was paired up with my arch nemesis from the north(and the man who crushed me in West Palm) Scotty G. He had been bracket racing in the 4.70's and was heavily favored to win. I knew a 5.0 wouldnt cut it, So i loaded the kitchen sink in the ole girl. I was going to go down spinning, but i wasnt getting outrun. I burned in hard, and when the tree came down, the old orange car leaped out of the lights like u shot her out of a cannon. We were glued together at half track. I was having flashbacks of West Palm as we approached the finish line. But this time my ponies galloped to the end, we beat him by the slimmest of margins. Payback was mine and we were headed to the finals. I respect Scotty as a racer, and now as a friend, And he will be back to get me. We blazed through the finals. It was the biggest payout I have ever won in a class race. 18k. And to think i almost pussed out and threw in the towel. Thank goodness for friends and Crown Royal. I will kinda buzz through the rest of the season.
Civil Wars- Rockingham, NC Went to the second round and got crushed
NHRA Unleased- Valdosta, Ga Went to the final and broke a charge pipe (got crushed by Fiscus)
Macon, Ga- Win
Carolina Dragway- Jackson, SC - Win
Union County Dragway Union, Sc -Win
Ultimate Outlaws- Julian, Nc -Win
Dorchester, Sc --- Win
Ultimate Outlaws- Milan, Michigan - Went to the Final and got crushed by Fiscus(Picture of Fiscus is now on my refrigerator)
Steele, Alabama Got crushed in the second round due to tire smokage
YellowBullet Nationals- Cecil County Maryland- Went to finals and got crushed By Alex Vrettos, beat Fiscus on a holeshot in the Semis ( Fiscus taken off of Refigerator, Alex Vrettos put up on Refigerator)
Ultimate Outlaws- Budds Creek Maryland- Win
We rolled into Budds Creek , Md with a chip on our shoulders. I was determined to find the limit of our car. The fastest we had been to date was a 4.40. The air was right and the track was perfect. our first pass on Radials we smoked the clocks with a 3.34. one hundreth off of the Drag Radial World Record. I smelled blood, and on the very next run I reset it with a 4.32 at 175 MPH. Boy you have no idea the celebrating that went on after that run. It felt good to keep the record in the south where it belongs. We marched through the field running in the mid 30's all weekend. We qualified number 1, Set the World Record, Set the radial track record, Won the championship, and won the race. What a weekend it was. I took the car apart monday when i got home. It's time for a freshen up, and i want to be perfect when we head to Englishtown , NJ in two weeks. Hats off to my sponsors, Mac Fab, Procharger, Mickey Thompson, Abby's Auto Parts, 2 Keys Customs, Aiken Augusta Paving. Not to mention my crew, Chris Johnson, Mike Merritt, Phil Shuler, and Brian Glendonious. We have pulled together this year and and are closer than we have ever been. Most of the time we know what each other is thinking. It makes racing a blast.
P.S ------- The engine in the Orange Car is for sale turn key. It can be purchased and delivered immediately following the the NO MERCY Race in Valdosta in October. The engine will be completely fresh with all new parts when we get to Valdosta. Its also comes with a brand new ready to race spare cylinder head, spare rockers, two racks of pistons and rods with rings filed and bearings set up. spare cam, pushrods, timing belts, etc. Serious inquiries only email - Steve@SteveJacksonRacing.com

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