March 2015 Update

Icebreaker 2015 is 2 weeks away.  So much yet to do, but yet so much closer than we were last year.  Call it a draw.

The photo above is from this past week.  Some of the parts are just mocked up on blocks etc.  The car is also in the process of being dressed in a wrap job by Jeff Winsor of J&J Custom Signs.

My hectic schedule will still make sleeping enough a challenge, as preps continue for the Friday April 10^th practice day that is now part of the Icebreaker weekend.  We hope to fire up the Nat’s Racing Engine early next week. We will then finish bolting up the body panels, and move into making all of those finer chassis tweaks that could get us into victory lane soon.

Thanx to Wayne Wildermuth, Jimmy Smith (and son Sean), Ron Smith and Jon Chmura for helping as much as they could over the last few weeks.  We are getting closer.

We could use a bit more help at the shop, and at the track to be best prepared.  Give us a ring if anyone wants to be a part of the fun. 

Planned Events include:

The Icebreaker 2 feature race weekend.  April 10^th through 12^th

A practice session on the Thompson Road Course April 25^th

A NESST tour race event at Lee Speedway on May17th

We also would welcome any Sponsorship Partners for events this season.

Larry

January update

Slow but sure progress over the last couple months.  The frame repairs are complete.  I have picked up a new set of tin from Rayline Racing Bodies.

This week I hope to have the engine, tranny, drive train etc. back into the car.  Then installing the rest of the parts, and body mounting will follow.

My tentative Schedule For 2015....

We will start out at Thompson Speedway, possibly running the entire schedule there.  I also hope to compete with the New England Street Stock Tour for their event being held on the Thompson Speedway Road Course in September.

Other races for the street stock tour will be considered, if time allows, and if the series is able to peg the fun meter.

11/14/2014 Update

The 2014 Racing season is in the rear view.  Some highlights, and more than a few lowlights.

3 wins and a lot of fun playing spotter for Bobby Santos in the Tinio 44.  Scattered a few guest appearances as spotter for other drivers.

The #73  Modified was Sold.  The car made its way to Canada.

The 73 Sportsman car showed up at the Icebreaker not very well prepared, bad luck followed (they are often related).  Followed by soon after by a bad wreck on May 29^th.  (See www.Sidsview.com) The car then sat bent and idle.

The engine was oiled down and stored this summer.  I recently stripped the body off the car.  I hope to get the chassis down to Spafco soon to get the clip replaced again.

Once the frame is repaired we will await schedules being released, and begin putting a plan to attempt between 5 and 10 race events most likely for the 2015 season.  We always have room for sponsorship and crew help, and could help us be more competitive on the track next year.

I hope that we can add to our teams 67 wins next year.

Cheers

Larry

May 29th Race Report

Heat race win with a fast car, then a wreck on lap 1 of the feature.  Likely my final oval track pure racing event. A bit sad for sure.

Thank you again to Kim, Jonny, and Amy for the help at the track.  Thanx also to the Hutchins’ team for all of the help loading up our car.  It will need the front horns replaced it appears.

Preps for this event were again a challenge.  All crew members were tied up with other things, and tech from may 15^th had our engine torn all apart.  Once I got everything back together, not enough time remained to paint the car, so I worked to finish up some of the  other wished for chassis tweaks.

We showed up on race day to find out we were drawing for our heat race starting position.  How we would start the feature had yet to be determined.  This plain old sucks.  Believe it or not, some of us just may set up a car based on where we will start a race.  Going fast out front, and passing 17 cars requires entirely different plans. I happened to draw #11.  Which would have had me starting 4^th in my heat race.  Turns out that the planned 2^nd place starter, chose to go to the back of the field.  I then moved up to 2^nd for the start.  I then won my heat race fairly easily.

THEN>>>>>>>

The decision was made to invert the field.  A few chose to start  behind the rest of us.  I would start 18^th.  Points leader happened to spin out in his heat, so he finished poorly in his heat, and ta da, he starts the main event near the front.  See anything wrong yet?

The rest is just racing history, as likely is my oval track driving career.  I lasted 1 lap before the mixture of slow cars up front, fast cars out back, and guys with little racing experience mixed poorly through the field resulted in a huge pile up.  While stuck outside, I tried to squeeze by, I got drilled by a car coming straight up the track.  Hit me hard enough I did a 273 deg spin and planted the left front into the outside wall.

My days of spending 100 hours or more to prep for a night of demo derby style racing are done.

I will ponder things for a bit. Decide if I want to research road course racing, antique car racing clubs, move to another division, or even build a hot rod.  Once I know a direction, I will sell the stuff I do not need.  $13K would likely take my sportsman car just as it came off the track.  The engine could not be built from scratch for that.  I have spent 1000’s of hours making the car what it is / was.  There is no other machine just like it.

Until then, I have life to enjoy. I have my spotter duties with the Tinio team, and I can rub elbows with Muffy as an apprentice Spotter whore possibly.

A bit of time away from wreck repairs, will do my brain some good.

It was a fun ride, for a long time.

Cheers,

Larry

Thompson May 15th Report

Frustrations in preps to “Exposing me pistons”.

I wrecked pretty badly at the Icebreaker event.  Bent the front horns, all 4 tie rods, center link, spindle etc.  My biggest challenge was very little time to work on the car due to 75 hour per week work schedule.  Also adding to the challenge was car chief Jonny was not able to help until the night before the race due to his commitments elsewhere.

I finished re-attaching the body at about 11am Thursday, then began setting the car up after having changed most of the front end parts.  I missed all practice sessions too.

Our division did group time trials, and I had to ramp up speed carefully to give new brakes a chance to break in.  Was able to set third fastest time.  A redraw of fastest cars placed me on the pole, my first lucky break in a while.

The race…Corey Hutchings and I were putting on a pretty good show side by side for the first 6 laps, he finally tried a bit too hard and bumped me from the groove, that gave Moose the chance to knock me into the marbles and I fell all the way back to 5^th place on lap 7.  I got my rhythm back in a few laps and began making my way back towards the front.  Finishing 2^nd.

Then the bonus news in tech.  Pull a cylinder head.  Oh goodie.  Jonny, Amy and I pulled our Nats racing engine apart.  All good, but made for a pillow time after midnight.  4am wake up for work felt like I had only used the snooze button.

We hope to be even better prepared for the next race on May29th.  Maybe even some paint on the car.

Things are finally getting closer to normal.  

Cheers,

Larry

IceBreaker Update

The 73 arrived at the track mostly without paint

We made it to the Icebreaker Event, barely.  No time for a proper set up, no time for any paint.

It seemed everything that could go wrong, went wrong  during preps.

During the last week, everybody on the crew did their best to bail me out of my jamb.  Not much sleep for a few of us.

Saturday, we manage to make it to the track, only to find out the tire guys are out of tires.  We could only buy one right side tire(the last one they had).  Yikes.  The track scales are not really available for teams to use, and my lack of time to make adjustments at home, adds to my on track issues.  Car is just way off.

Saturday’s segment race I manage to survive, finish 5^th over-all, while battling some brake issues.  On Sunday am, we find that the right rear axle seal had been leaking.  Not a real help for drum brakes to work!

Sunday Race.

I was trying my best, with my Nat’s racing engine keeping me in the hunt.  My car seemed to have a mind of its own in the corners.  Loose, tight, very tight, good, etc. with each different trip through the corners.  I tried to adjust brakes while driving, to find that sweet balance that had been lost with the brake issues from Saturday.

Near lap 12, I had a run down the back straight and tried to make a pass for second over Scott Sundeen.  I slid into Scott, and either the ball joint broke (or had already broken) or the right front tire went down.  In hind sight, maybe the ball joint had failed a lap or two earlier causing the crazy handling.

Either way….after the bump with Scott, I tried to get back on the gas and the car shot to the right into the 96 car and the front straight wall.  Lots of damage.  Not certain what is worse, being taken out, or being the guy that causes the issue when my car failed on me.  I guess it sucks either way.

Damage to 73 after Sunday feature

We hope to get the car back together for the May 15^th race.  We will be 100%, or we just won’t show up at all.

Thanx again to Jonny, Wayne, David, Jimmy, Sean, Amy, and most of all Kim for helping this crazy adventure happen.

It wasn’t all fun and games this time around.  I certainly struggled.  It will end soon holding the checkered flag, most likely on May 16^th.

Ltd Sportsman Point Standings

Ltd Sportsman Icebreaker Results

Cheers

Larry

Will we make it to the Icebreaker????

Paint is highly over-rated, anyway.  

Boston Marathon fundraiser

Shawn Courchesne of Race Day CT has put out the word that Larry will donate his IceBreaker winnings to support his brother David, who is running in his 20th Boston Marathon this year.  Shawn writes....

"Thompson Speedway Limited Sportsman division competitor Larry Barnett is looking for race fans to help him participate in a special fundraiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Barnett’s brother David will be competing in his 20th Boston Marathon on April 21.

David Barnett is running to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in memory of his father and also his brother Jack.

Larry Barnett will donate his race winnings from the 20-lap Limited Sportsman feature at the Icebreaker at Thompson Speedway on April 6. He’s asking race fans to join him.

“I will donate my Icebreaker Sunday race purse to this cause. Will you donate $20 in honor of David’s 20th Boston Marathon. You could also consider donating $73 – such a nice number – or more?” — Larry Barnett"

Here is the link to David Barnett's Dana Farber page.  Please consider making a donation if you can.

David Barnett's Fundraising Page

IceBreaker Bound - Update

Countdown to the Icebreaker (April 5^th and 6^th) shows we are far behind on preps from where we wish we were.  No worries, we will be in top form by race day.

Big News:

BOSTON MARATHON!

I hope to help my brother David Barnett to raise money for Dana Farber cancer research.  David will be running in his 20^th straight Boston Marathon and will be running for Dana Farber in memory of my Dad and brother Jack.  The link to make a donation is here: http://www.runDFMC.org/2014/davidb.

Can we help him help all of us?  Please consider joining me in donating.  I will donate my Icebreaker Sunday race purse to this cause.  Will you donate $20 in honor of David’s 20^th Boston Marathon.  You could also consider donating $73 –such a nice number- or more?

SEGMENT RACE???

Everyone take a peek at the segment race rules for Saturday eve at the Icebreaker:  Segment Race Info.   The Sportsman division will have a special event, divided into three segments. 8 laps,  leave the track, then invert the field and race 9 laps, leave the track again, and come back for a final 10 lap leg, with starting positions based on lap times from the first segment.  Winner is car with lowest total number of the added up finish positions.  Confusing?- yes, will take a lot of time?-yes, but it won’t be without action.  I think the magic number could be 9 for the winner.

Engine:

If we listen closely, we may be able to hear the engine being run on Nat’s engine dyno at some point today. If it is ready, I may be able to pick it up later today.  Nat and crew hope for an even better engine, I asked him to make as many parts out of lead as possible.

SHORT INTERRUPTION FROM KIM TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACING:

We got a puppy!  She's a lot of work but very cute and someday she'll be a really good girl.  Her name is Ella and hopefully you'll see her with us at the track.  Here is a very short video showing her first day learning how to walk down stairs.

OK BACK TO RACING....

Body:

As seen in the photo, the body isn’t really on the car yet.  I have picked up all the body parts made by Rayline and Duraflex.  I will begin painting panels today.  Lettering will come from Jeff Winsor, and there is plenty of space on our car for some commercial sponsorship.  Want to be the first?

Chassis:

After having the front clip replaced by SPAFCO, we have installed all of the chassis parts, bled the brakes, and are ready to install the engine and body.  Final chassis tweaks will follow that.

Crew:

As always, Jonny has led the charge in the shop.  I have had to use up an entire vacation week to attempt to get back on schedule with the car.  Extra help here in the Moosup, CT shop, and at the track, is always welcome.

See everyone soon,

Larry

Racing in the Smith Family

Racing in the Smith Family
written by Leadfoot's sister-in-law Melissa Smith

Racing In The Smith Family - A Mom's Perspective

Nate’s Story

Camping at Thompson’s World Series has long been a Smith tradition. Nathan enjoys watching the Limited Sportsman cars, and one car in particular is important to him – Nathan’s uncle – #73 – Larry “Leadfoot” Barnett.

The 2010 World Series was fast approaching, and like most, Ron and Nate brought the camper down early to “rope off a spot.” They heard the unmistakable hum of Quarter Midget engines coming from the Little T and walked down to watch cars practicing that day. 3 year old Nate looked up at Ron – wide eyed – “Daddy, can I do that someday, like Uncle Larry?”  It was exactly what Ron wanted to hear his only child say. Ron grew up in racing, in one form or another. Three generations of Smiths have enjoyed following all forms of stock cars. Ron’s father, Bob, and Ron’s uncle, Charlie (AKA “Jake”), started at the Lonsdale Sports arena in the early 60’s racing backyard built “cut downs” and “jalopies”. His dad then moved on to drag racing. Ron, his dad, and brother have all helped out on various pit crews through the years. And Ron, an A Rider (Expert Class) in the NETRA Enduro circuit, had years of racing under his belt and in his blood.  That was all Ron had to hear Nathan say. He was off… Planning… Thinking…  And formulating a plan to get me on board… 

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Photo credit: Kim Smith Barnett

Now, I’m the first one to admit – Racing is not in my blood.  Unlike Ron, I did not grow up with the sport, and being a mom, my first thought was – Are you NUTS?  You’re going to put our only child in a gas powered car, in a fire suit, with a helmet on, in a 5 point harness, and encourage him to race around a track this size, with other kids doing the exact same thing? Yeah…Riiiiiight… But when Santa ever so graciously delivered a Quarter Midget on the Christmas that Nathan was 3 years old, (Unbeknownst to Mom by the way – That Santa is one tricky guy!), I had to get on board. Safety was my biggest concern, so I did my research, looked up some stats, and began to realize that more bad can happen to Nate riding a bike than it can in that car.  I also know that Ron would never do anything that would put Nate in harm’s way. Nathan turned 4 in April of 2011. Ron started taking Nathan to parking lots; they were practicing and having fun. We could see potential, and Nate enjoyed driving, so we were in!

On March 18, 2012, at just shy of 5 years of age, Nathan started his Red Rookie training. It became glaringly apparent to me that the leadership at the Little T was exemplary, stellar and second to none. Any safety concerns – if I had any left – were completely gone.

In his first year, our Red Rookie drove a 2004 Cheetah, small chassis car (which had many updates to be still competitive) and proudly stood on the podium with two 2nd places and two 3rd places. He worked hard and learned a lot. We all did! Ron acquired two sponsors for Nate that year: East Coast Collision, and Precision Saw & Mower. I created a website (www.nathansmithracing.com) and a facebook fan page (Nathan Smith Racing) for Nathan.

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Photo credit: Christina Hovey

When year 2 came, Ron bought Nathan a different car: a 2007 Nervo Grizzly, small chassis, built by NC Chassis, with all the bells and whistles.  We picked up two additional sponsors: The Trailer Outlet, which helped us acquire our race trailer; and Hamlett Signs & Graphics, which created the vehicle body wrap, as well as all the vinyl decals for our trailer. Nate started his second year as a Red Rookie, achieved his first 1st place win, along with finishing 3rd on his Super Feature day. We decided it was time to move to Blue Rookie. He achieved a 1st place in his very first Blue Rookie race, but, truthfully, Nate struggled with the faster pace. He faced challenges (both mechanically and personally) in his next couple of races, but then achieved a 3rd place finish at the Fall Finale, his last race of his second season. He stuck with it, tried his best, trusted in his own abilities, and overcame his fears. And that’s a skill set that all of our great kids – every one of the kids that race – will keep with them forever – A benefit that this mom never considered when the subject of Quarter Midget racing first came up…

In fact, Nathan has reaped a plethora of benefits from Quarter Midget racing:

1. Promotes self reliance
2. Provides an opportunity to overcome fears
3. Teaches the importance of following directions
4. Encourages focus
5. Instills a lifelong respect for driving and cars
6. Teaches how to be gracious – a gentleman – in wins and losses
7. Teaches that you aren’t going to win them all (In this world of “over-trophying”)
8. Brings our whole family unit – our team – closer

Yes, that is what Quarter Midget racing has done for Nathan for the last two (going on three) years. And I’m grateful for it. On a personal note, it’s helped Ron and I grow as parents: Figuring out how to encourage, and not push too hard; not getting caught up in Nathan’s accomplishments or challenges and not thinking of them as our own; focusing attention on small personal victories, instead of on checkered flags and trophies; understanding that Nate is a cautious kid, but once he gains his confidence, he spreads his wings and he flies – Allowing him the freedom and the time to do that is key.

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Photo credit: Kim Smith Barnett

Looking Up To Leadfoot

For all of us, there is a very important person who was a calm, encouraging voice as we navigated being rookie parents. Nathan’s uncle – Larry “Leadfoot” Barnett – has been racing over at Thompson and other local tracks for YEARS. Larry has had 67 career wins in his time as a race car driver, with 4 Limited Sportsman Championships at CT's Thompson Speedway. His resume boasts 57 track wins at Thompson alone. In 2012 and 2013, Larry raced not only in his Limited Sportsman car, but he also challenged himself by trying something new - Racing in the Modified Racing Series.  Larry had helped out on several Modified teams, and he always had it in the back of his mind that he wanted to try it someday. He really wanted to have a chance to do the set up on a Modified race car and then go out and attempt to prove that he could master the race set up. Racing in the Modified Racing Series offered many new challenges to Leadfoot, and he – and his Limited Sportsman pit crew – learned a lot as they navigated a new car, with new competition, at new tracks. In the end, Larry learned that challenging yourself is a great thing, even if it means that things don’t work out quite as you had hoped, and that going back to something that is within your means is OK. Sportsman racing, at the Big T, is where he will race for the rest of his career. He will continue to get his Modified Racing fix as a spotter. We can’t wait to cheer him on at The Icebreaker!

Larry is a consummate professional on the race circuit, and is always there to lend advice and offer support to Nathan. His biggest piece of advice to Nathan is: “Remember to enjoy what you are doing now. ‘Moving up’ isn't the key to success; having fun is.” Larry leads by example, and we try to encourage Nathan to always follow that example. What has Nate learned from his Uncle Larry?  Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, to try something new, even when the tide is against you. It’s important to always try to do your best, to strive for improvement, but still be humble and a gentleman. Gracious in wins, gracious in losses: Be grateful for the experience. And we are very grateful that he is in our corner.

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Photo credit: Kim Smith Barnett

Happy New Year!

1-1-14

Happy New Year Everyone!

This photo shows us trying to get the heavily damaged car back inside the

shop.  We are all trying to figure out how to keep front of car balanced on

a small cart, in the rain, on muddy ground, and manage to still steer the

car.  We gave the three stooges a run for comedy value. 

Everything modified related is still up for sale.  Have sold some of the

spare parts, the engine plates, the tranny, a few of the rims etc.

I have yet to sell the SK engine, the Modified car itself, the tour type

headers, clutch/ scatter shield kit and many of the parts.  Lots of calls

for info etc.  Make offers please.

My Current Plans for 2014

1. Fix our own Limited Sportsman car by replacing front clip.

2. Have our engine rebuilt top to bottom by Nats Racing Engines. (hope to

make it even better)

3. Run the entire 7 event (10 races) season at Thompson Speedway in the

Limited Sportsman Division.

4. I plan to be Spotter for Bobby Santos driving the Tinio #44 Whelen Mod

for entire schedule.

5. I might also Spot / or help out again for Damon Tinio (Thomson Late

Model), Mike Holdridge (vMRS Mod), and Todd Ceravolo (SK Mod) as time allows.

6. NO intention to drive in any modified car events with my car in 2014.  It

will get sold to the best offer made.

Cheers

Larry

Selling the Mod

We hope to sell our modified stuff.  Why you ask?

Reasons include the following:

1. costs to race keep climbing. For example, vMRS series rules now allow 4 tires each race vs 3 tires a year ago.  Change tires coming soon?
2. crew member availability declining. Had 10 crew members many races in 2012. had 3 attend final Seekonk race.
3. sponsorship decline. 0 dollars of sponsorship in 2013.
4. competition levels. More cars attend and compete for qualifying positions. 2011 season had less than full field often.  2013 season 10 cars went home several times.  Racing hasn’t suited my more conservative driving style, where I hoped to make my move at lap 73.  I completed only 1 of 6 attempted races in 2013.  Went home 4 times without even making the show.
5. My income has shrunk some, and fear further challenges in future.
6. Part time teams are very rarely successful.  We simply cannot afford to race enough to raise the bar.  Giving it your best, and yet not making a race isn’t very fun.
7. Might return to sportsman division, or find another driving option.  I still hope to hold a steering wheel in 2014 (in a place where I can compete, at reasonable out of my pocket cost).  I also enjoy playing spotter.

73 Mod & Equipment For Sale!!

2008 Design Troyer Modified

Chassis Built Dec. 2009

Last raced as #73 vMRS Seekonk DAV 2013

Larry Barnett 860-917-7056

leadfoot@barnett73.com

Car history:

*Raced the 2010 season as #91 SK modified at Waterford by Jeff  Paul / Gary Paul owner

* Purchased SK-complete. (LB winter of 2011) Converted to vMRS rules.  Attempted 11 events in 2012.  Attempted 6 events in 2013.  Stripped and frame corrected at North East (Brad L. and Co.) summer of 2013.  chassis set up at North East following assembly.

Bought $9000 in spare parts at 50% off with car.  Bought many more parts since to outfit as tour type car, plus tour type spares.  Many items never raced / new in boxes etc.

 

Car Buying Options:

As vMRS car.  Could sell “race ready” minus engine proper. Car has Jerico Transmission (rebuilt by Magnus august 2013). Quick change rear. Sweet steering rack. Pro Shocks.

As complete SK package.  Could remove tour type only parts.  Could supply SK engine, headers etc.  Engine was built by Gary Espinosa.  18K value at build time. 3 races old.

Stripped down chassis?

Current “in/on  car” details:

Best quality “Fast shaft” moly driveshaft. Lightweight battery. vMRS legal body. Adjustable panhard mount. Rs torque arm. Left panhard. 2.25 sweet rack. Headers for steel head engine. Bolaws 750 carb (have offer). 5-1/2 clutch, starter,  set up. 22 gallon cell.  Lajoie Seat ( I plan to remove it). 4 wil-wood calipers new 2013. oil tank / heater.

Tour Type parts / spares:

See above in car. Plus new flywheel. Ignition box, tour rear engine plate. 2013 belts.

SK Type parts:

Sk engine. Raced 3 races. Waterford 2010 season rules. 18k cost to build. Dart heads. Bowtie block. Told should sell for 12K. make offer.  VDL carb. Headers. Mufflers. W engine plates. Spare engine plates. Scatter shield. Clutch. Flywheel. Hood.

Misc. Parts. (Many items never raced)

*5.0” rims, 4.5’ inch rims, 6” rims, 1/4inch spacers. ½ spacers. Long studs. Wheel weights.

*New in box front hub, new in box rear hub. Sets of bearings and seals. Used hubs.

* 2 left side nerf bars. 3 rs nerf bars. Rear nerf bars.  Jigs to make all nerf bars.

* 4 new Frame saver sections plus 2 used frame savers. Plus jigs.

*Tin: New rear quarter panels. New rear section. Corvette style.  3 belly pans. Lots of misc. and used tin sections.

84 outlaw brake calipers. Used. Staggered piston size.

*2 Left side panhard support brackets. 2 spare shock tower bars. Rear end brackets. 1 plus spare for every bracket on car.

*RF sweet spindle. Spare pro shocks. 12+ springs, tie rod ends, race ready sweet rack, repairable sweet rack, shock hardware. Factory rebuilt small alternator. Hub drives.

Inventory reduction of Street stock type parts:

2 of 15” wide rims w/ modified tires 5 on 4 ¾” pattern.  4- 8” wide rims used for 2 open races. 3.73 posi rear end from Monty SS.  Several rear end housings.  Several Saginaw trannies rebuilt by Buzzy. Many chassis springs. Endless chassis parts.

 

Note: this is 10-16-13 version of my list. Will update as I remember / find more.

Cash talks.  Promise notes walk. Thanx to teams like 23 sportsman.

I am getting out of owning / driving a modified completely.  May consider repairing my sportsman car, pending rules, selling of modified stuff, and track schedules.

 

Next Mod Race - Seekonk Speedway DAV, October 5th

Larry and crew are preparing the car for its next race - at Seekonk Speedway's D.A.V. on Saturday, October 5th.  Hope to see you there!

Here's a long overdue update on the last three races of the 73 mod.

8-20-12
Rain has been altering race events for much of the summer.
The sportsman car still sits resting, no idea if I will ever care to repair it. I will sell the nats engine if someone wants a solid piece. Maybe the car too?

The modified:
Beech Ridge 8-3-13.
We made the long tow up to Beech Ridge, Maine. Had a good car in practice, but missed the set up for the heat race and missed qualifying in the heat.  On to the consi, and I could not get the car in gear for the start. Caught up to the pack (car was pretty fast), but didn't get far enough to make the race. Bummed out.

Waterford 8-10-13.
Made a few changes to the car for set up. Car was better. Missed qualifying in heat by one position again. This stuff isn't easy.  On to the consi. Was comfortably running in third when caution came out.  18 car forced me to the grass, and then a 5 car pile up ensued. After getting hit on all 4 corners, plus a car hit the a pillar with its tire. I was pretty sure that was a season ending crash.  Have I mentioned Waterford is not my favorite track?

Seekonk 8-17-13
Once getting the crumpled modified home and unloaded, we started finding some of the parts that were ok.
It turns out damage was nearly as bad as thought. Bumpers, nerf bars, rims, and several front end parts, but most of which we had spares.  We decide to shoot for going to seekonk.

Rob swapped the broken front end parts, Jonny swapped the bars, and hammered out the body. I began planning how to set the car up.  I flipped open the sportsman notebook and dove in. Actually made the decision to try some things on my own.

We make it to Seekonk and run practice, the car is really good.  Wayne Darling offers to jump on the radio as spotter. He gives me some "seekonk" tips, and we are fast. Qualify easily.

Race: start 9th. Get tapped from behind on lap 5 and infield I come.  Start working my way back forward, but I get too aggressive on Lap 36, and make contact with 19 car and break a tie rod end. Our race is done.
Bummer!

Until my next race, as usual I will play spotter for the Tinio modified, spot for Todd Ceravolo, and try to help the Holdridge team as much as I can.

Cheers,
LB

Next Mod Race - Thursday, July 25th

First, an update on the Sportsman car: 
On July 18th at Thompson, we picked up our 4th win of the season, our 67th win overall, in the first of two features. During the second race, the car was heavily damaged, when I was turned directly into the wall off turn 2 by Joe Plonski.  He will get an assist for anyone winning a race the remainder of this season.

It will be the last race for this year in my #73 sportsman car, and may be the last ever. I have no plans to make any repairs to the car.   All good things come to an end eventually.  With oval track racing potentially ending soon at Thompson speedway, it is hard to justify the work and money to make repairs.

I will sell my awesome Nat's Racing Engine for $6,000 now, or mothball everything for possible use someday.

Modified update:
We are almost done with preps to bring the car to Thompson speedway on July 25th.  I had hoped to concentrate on driving the mod on some of the shorter tracks, but do look forward to the better power under the hood I have this season.  We will plan our next event for the mod after the Thompson event.

Possibles:
Beach Ridge on August 3rd (tough because most of my crew can't attend)
Waterford August 10th(sorry, but I just don't like this track)
Or Seekonk on August 17th

For those who want to enjoy the video of an in-car camera when pummeling the car against the wall (without feeling the pain), see you tube video which should be posted soon.  It will be Here, on 3400 modified  videos.

Cheers,
LB

Seekonk Speedway Race Update, June 8th

Modified:

See photo by Howie Hodge and it tells the big story from seekonk speedway event.  Great shot, Howie!
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257091

My goals included driving to the car's potential. Of course who knows what that is without pushing the limits a bit.  I spun more times this event than the rest of my career combined!

Essentially we attempted to run per Brad's advice on set up, but could not get anywhere close to the correct sized tires ( very limited supply).  We learned from a few set up mistakes for sure. I tried to drive through the issues, and failed a few times.

here's a few more Howie photos from the event:
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257089
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257096
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257097
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257128
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257129
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257155
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257156
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257159
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257160
http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=257240


End results?
Respectable times in practice 12.222, and qualified in my heat race.  Four cars did not make it into the race. Then, I held on to an extremely loose car all feature to finish 14th.

Next Race?
Next mod race planned is for Lee Speedway on June 28th. Possibly Oxford plains event will follow next. Without any sponsorship, it is one race at a time.


Sportsman 73 at Thompson. Thank you John Simlick for helping out with some funds for fuel and tires. It means a lot! We still lead the point standings, but have only finished 3 point races completely. We have had 3 rain outs. Two rained out after we had our heat races. I plan to keep going back till I run out of time and money to prep the car. No promises as to how much longer my team can keep it going. So far the racing has been fun.

Whelen Tinio #44 team.
I will be zipping all over playing spotter for the 44 team. A few weeks ago Bobby Santos won the pole at Stafford, then managed to finish 5th with a Quirky brake issue.  I also went to Waterford to spot for the team.  Riverhead Speedway is next for the NASCAR tour type mods.
See everyone at the tracks!
Larry.

May 28th update

My night shift assignment is finally over.  Most weeks have been 75 hours at work.  Little time for anything at all.  I am back to day shift and 40 hours a week.  

I have no sponsorships for either car so far this season, but then again, you can't get money if you don't ask.  I will race when and where the fun is.  And where and when the crew can attend.  I am hopeful that the modified will respond to adjustments much better after getting the frame repaired.  I suspect it was not perfect when we got it.

Sportsman:  The old sportsman car is spot on.  We won both races at the Icebreaker, and it ran flawlessly on May 19^th for practice and the heat race before the rains came.  Was told that 32 cars were in attendance on the 19^th.  Things are looking better at Big T.

I am considering running the next race at Thompson with the Sportsman car.  Money and smiles will be the biggest factors.

Modified schedule??? Plan to finish up car this week.  Hopefully can bring it to Brad’s shop to allow his eagle eye to look it over.  I will be running the Seekonk race on June 8^th.  I will be skipping the Stafford Speedway event.  I currently plan to attend the race at Lee Speedway on June 28th.

I will be playing spotter for each of the Whelen Modified races, working with Sully Tinio’s #44 and driver Bobby Santos.  Great team.

See everyone at the Tracks.

Larry

Frame Repaired

Northeast Race Parts has replaced these parts of the frame of the 73 modified.  Several components were bent - these were the two biggest.  We are now trying to get the car back together to race at Thompson on the 19th, we'll see how quickly we can get it back into shape.
P.S. Congrats to Bobby Santos and the 44 Tinio team on their win at Stafford Speedway last week.

Thompson Speedway Icebreaker Weekend

We pulled the sportsman car out of its winter storage in time to attend Icebreaker weekend at Thompson Speedway. Luckily the car was race-ready when put into storage, so limited prep time was good enough. I was able to leave work from my night shift assignment, catch a short nap of about 2.73 hours, and make it to the track before the Saturday AM practice. My last minute decision to attend the icebreaker, along with many of my crew members having to work, ended up with a one-person crew on Saturday. David Nichols was there at Thompson for his first time ever!  I drew a #2 chip (very rare for me to draw well), and then headed out for practice. Car was awesome. No need for more practice.

I started in the front row in the heat race and pulled away leaving the others to battle. NO issues.

Then comes the “Best of the Rest race”. I was asked to participate. I was there to race as much as I could, so I agreed, based on the other cars that were expected. The plan was for me to start dead last. I was penalized for going three wide (even though that wasn’t the cause of an accident) part way through the race. I had to start last yet again. Car was perfect, and I slowly picked off the cars. I was able to pass multi-time winner Bill McNeil, Kevin Mason, and eventually former champ Scott Cook with three laps to go to take the win. I thought it was one hell of a win. Far from any walk in the park for sure.

Win # 64

Sunday: Another great race. A couple of race starts vs.  Steve Kenneway in which I was able to inch my way to the lead, then a side-by-side battle vs.Jesse Gleason. What a race. He had me beat - I thought, but I fought my way back over about 5 laps to finally take back the lead. Lots of fun. Win #65 in the books.

Win #65

My Spotter duties for the day did not go quite as well. Todd Ceravolo would finish a lonely 5^th in his Sunoco Mod, Danny Gamache joined the masses with a DNF is his light mod debut, and then Bobby Santos finished 18^th in the Tinio Whelen Mod. All will do better the next time around.

Modified plans:  I will not be attending the monadnock vMRS race. The car is nearly ready for a visit to North East Race Parts to get the frame checked and repaired. If that goes well, we might be able to race at Thompson on May 19^th.  Sportsman car? Depending on the modified, crew help etc. I will consider racing the May 19th show with the Sportsman car.  Stafford: I will be at the Sizzler to play Spotter for the Tinio / Santos # 44 Whelen Mod. Looking forward to running up front where we belong!

Boston Marathon: On the Monday after the IceBreaker I was finally able to manage going to see my big brother David run his 19th Boston Marathon.  His goal was to finish in 3 hours 10 minutes, so his son Jake, daughter Marie, and her boyfriend Xander joined the race at ~ mile marker 18 to help him power up the hills and maintain a pace needed to complete the race at his goal. All three kids (ok, not kids...in their 20's) are excellent runners and figured their presence would give him a kick in the pants.   

LB and Mom Janet wait at mile marker 25 for David to come by.

David runs every year in memory of our father Phil, our brother Jack, our uncle Bud, and others who have passed away due to cancer.  He has raised an astronomical amount of money for the Dana Farber team, and this year was no different. David beat his goal of 3 hours 10 minutes with an official finish of 3:07:52.

Marie, David, Xander, and Jake approach the family at mile marker 25.  Nice to see these smiles.

Sounds like his son Jake will join him next year, and his goal is to beat his own personal best Boston Marathon performance of 2 hours 46 minutes. Way to go, guys, we were all very proud of each of you on Monday!  Thankfully none of the family was directly involved in the chaos that ensued about an hour after David crossed the finish line.

LB's niece Marie, her boyfriend Xander, and his nephew Jake after they helped their Dad run the hardest 8 miles of the marathon.  They weren't even winded -- ah, youth.  

Waterford Speedbowl 4-6-2013

After a great team effort by LB and so many friends and family, LB did not qualify for the race yesterday.  That’s what makes it so depressing.  Even worse is seeing your car hit driver’s side square up against the turn one wall in the consi.

The day started out crappy; LB drew 49th out of 50 to qualify.  So, he started 10th in his heat out of 11 cars. He got stuck behind a slow car for a lap or two, and his car wasn’t responding to his efforts to get it to pass other cars.  He ended up spinning out in turn two by trying to force a pass.  The car seems not to be responding as it should be.  Consensus on what would be causing this crappy handling is that the frame is bent. 

Failing to qualify in the heat had the crew making some adjustments to the car to make it less tight.  In the consi, LB noticed a definite improvement to the heat but still the car was still not right.  Enter a tap from behind during a tense and all-out effort to qualify, and the turn one wall ends the hopes of qualifying in Sunday’s 100 lapper. 
 
LB planned to next race the modified at Thompson at the end of May.  LB and crew will be stripping the car down to the frame so that it can get tested to see if it’s bent. From there, we’ll make a plan on how to proceed. 

 

 

 

Update for March

 


The 73 car rolls off the trailer after having been treated to some attention by the Tinio #44 Whelen Mod crew.

We are behind schedule…..but so far ahead of normal! Last season we were hanging just-painted panels up to dry at 4am one day before the Waterford season-opener event. We then had to mount the entire body Thursday night. Friday we were trying to stack boards in an attempt to fit the modified into the car trailer. That was not pretty!

The 73 crew installs the motor

This year, we are far ahead of that. Chassis set up is nearly complete, thanks to Rob Clorite and also to the Tinio #44 Team. There are a few things to finish up, but car has been adjusted and scaled already. The body is mostly done, but we hope to make a couple of new front tin pieces.

The revamped pit box

We still are fine tuning the pit bull modifications, but it has been along for the journey to the Tinio Shop. It fits nicely into car trailer now. Yes, thanks to everyone’s help, I am hopeful for a solid run at the ‘Bowl on April 7^th.

Audrey is growing and looking forward to seeing her Grandpa race for the first time.

The Icebreaker is the following weekend. I will be there on Sunday to spot for the 44 Tinio Car.  It will be tough to pull off as I likely will work Friday and Saturday night shift. The 73 Sportsman being there is only a long shot, based on work schedule. I would love to get it there, but it seems unlikely I will have the free time to run it. Maybe later on in the year if not at the icebreaker. Cheers! LB