Tabla de contenidos para February 2016 en Circle Track

Several years ago, Circle Track embarked on building a race car with our resident project car driver, Dalton Zehr. The theory was to take a hard look at crate motor racing and determine how one could legally improve the performance of these cars by focusing on nonengine items. We played around with transmissions, rear ends, fuel cell placement, and more. While the car was being built, we yanked the Chevrolet Performance 604 crate motor out of its … well … crate and proceeded to turn it into a flogging mule to test new parts, rebuilt carbs, and things of the sort. Once the car was together and ready for testing, roughly a year later, we sent the motor off to Wegner Automotive to be certified so that Dalton could drop…

A Racer’s Reminder This post was found on Facebook. It was written by Don Wickstrum, who races and owns race cars at Madison (Wisconsin) International Speedway. We at Circle Track thought it was a good piece from a racer’s perspective on the promoter/racer relationship. Thanks to Don for letting us run it. Dear Racers and Car Owners: First off this is not pointed at any persons or teams, but all of us as a racing community. What I say I say in love. I want to remind all of us of a few things. 1. You are not track owners, and no different than being an armchair quarterback; you don’t have a clue (nor do I) what it takes to own a track. There is a good reason why more…

Every race team, no matter how successful they have been during the season, will have some complaint with how the car worked. If the car was good and won races, and maybe the Championship, the analysis is more fine-tuned than if you couldn’t finish in the Top 5 or 10. Whatever the situation is, now is the time to review the problems you had, think out a solution for next season and execute those changes. The least you need to do is set up a plan of how to work out those solutions if a definitive answer cannot be found. To do that, you need to have a good understanding of how the dynamics work in your car. We are going to try to help you find your problem by…

Obtaining perfect balance is important to your engine’s performance. The harmonic balancer reduces torsional vibration of the crankshaft, which is the motion naturally generated during each power stroke. The benefits of a good harmonic balancer include greater valvetrain and timing efficiency and reduction of wear in critical engine components, such as bearings, the oil pump, and the crankshaft. Fluidampr’s design was born from top race engine builders who requested viscous damper technology that is engineered for long life, high-power diesel applications. It was brought to professional motorsports to replace failing elastomer designs. What was discovered was that unlike a stock elastomer harmonic balancer, the Fluidampr Performance Dampers protect across a broad frequency range and become more efficient when magnitude increases through the rpm range. Because stock elastomer harmonic balancers are…

This subject has been covered before and will be covered again in the future, and again after that. It is important to bring this up every so often so that NEW readers/racers can gain some knowledge about the importance of what should be in a good sponsorship proposal. Now that you have made contact with the marketing director at a company you would like to have as a sponsor, it is now time to put together a good strong proposal based on the information you have gained from them. Keep in mind that I said “made contact with.” Don’t send a proposal unless you have first talked with the marketing director or the contact you have made at the company. The same holds true for the racer seeking sponsorship from…

In one of my first articles I said I’d let you know a little more about me before we got into the tough stuff. I guess we can consider this one the transition piece—one more tidbit of information, then let’s get chatting. Shall we? Believe it or not my first major of choice in college was Environmental Science. Here is the question I got (and still get when I let people know that I have a bachelor’s degree in the field), “How does someone who loves racing get into that?” Well, to be honest, racing played a big part in it … I always wanted to be a meteorologist, and this particular major at my small school was as close as I could get. However, I then realized how much…

Custom AN Hose Assemblies Creating AN braided hose assemblies can be a tough and tedious task. Summit Racing has a solution to take that hassle away with their custom AN Hose Assemblies, featuring Summit Racing Hose and USA-made hose ends. Summit’s hose assemblies are professionally made and tested up to 100 psi. There is no need to worry about wasted hose as each assembly is cut to order by the inch up to 240 inches. There are several types of hose to choose from, including stainless steel braided hose for gasoline, oil, or coolant, braided nylon hose that can handle heats up to 275 degrees F, premium braided nylon hose, which can also handle E-85, and Summit Racing aluminum hose ends, which are available in six different angles and six…

Before starting this valvespring story I thought I had a grasp of its mechanics, but then as it developed it became ever more complicated until it reached a point where I doubted if I had any intuitive understanding of how these operations worked! Happily, the accumulated reams of data were simplified when Dick Boyer entered the picture. Here, courtesy of Erson Cams, are several sound rules to remember. It’s a brief insight developed for those interested in high-performance engine technology that explains the severity of the environment in which the valvespring operates and some of its relationships with the various functions of the valvetrain. The primary factors considered when selecting valvesprings in a racing engine are first, the amount of valve lift; and second, engine speed. As engine speed increases…

We have talked about postseason evaluation of your race car and part of that process is examining and possibly rewiring the car. If you compiled a list of what causes most on-track failures, faulty wiring would be right near the top. A top MSD rep says that most of the ignition box failures they see result from bad ground wires to the ignition. There is a process and methods that can help you avoid wiring and electrical failures and the following is from an interview with noted short track legend, Dick Anderson. Dick has wired hundreds, if not thousands, of race cars in his long and storied career. In his words, “I know these things because I have made all of the mistakes.” To say that he has encountered most,…

Recently updated, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company’s Dynasty 210 and Maxstar 210 deliver up to 210 amps of output power in an easy-to-use, versatile, portable package with some of the best TIG and stick performance on the market. This package also allows for upgrade flexibility. The upgraded Dynasty 210 has a power source that is AC/DC TIG/stick capable. It will weld up to 1/4-inch steel and aluminum in a single pass. The Maxstar, which is DC TIG/stick capable, welds up to 1/4-inch steel in a single pass. Each standalone power source weighs no more than 50 pounds. They also feature dualcarry handles and a carrying strap to increase ease in portability. The upgraded Dynasty and Maxstar are designed with the welder in mind. The welders were upgraded to combat challenges welding…

We put this Guide together to give you, our fellow racers, the most comprehensive listing of more than 300 manufacturers who are dedicated to building quality oval track racing components. Divided into more than 30 different categories, the Guide lists each company alphabetically, but I want to bring your attention specifically to those companies that are listed in red. These companies have an ongoing advertising relationship with Circle Track magazine. And they are the ones who allow the Circle Track staff to bring you the best in oval track racing technology each and every month. As you look through this guide and formulate your purchase decisions for the new season, I would ask you to please consider supporting those companies in red. As advertisers in Circle Track, they seek to…

We finally got what we wanted. Some time ago, CT General Manager and Editor-In-Chief Rob Fisher and I discussed the possibility of developing a seminar series. Since then we have kept our eye out for opportunities along those lines and other projects kept stealing our attention away. Then, as my previous article explained, I became aware of the GRIP seminar put on by partners Jason Enders and Gary Crooks. I was invited to the 2015 edition last February and was taken by the extent of real-world knowledge that was presented. I quickly concluded that we could do no better than this. I entered into discussion with Jason and Gary and they expressed interest in having CT be a sponsor and promoter of the seminar for 2016. I know a little…

The season has wrapped up. Depending on where you live it’s time for that long draught from throttle therapy that could last between October and April. Some will have the chance to compete in the big late fall/early winter shows, but eventually the season will draw to a close. As the holidays hit, racing strays from your mind, that recliner starts feeling too good on Saturday and Sunday, and there is plenty of football or hockey to keep your attention. It’s no surprise during those winter months a lot of drivers tend to go into their shells. Sure, you work on the car to get it ready for the next season (see Bob’s articles on refreshing your race car), but even that can be part of the problem. If in…

Attention sanctions, if you do not see your organization listed here please email Rob Fisher at rfisher@enthusiastnetwork.com with your 2016 schedule and ask to be added to the Race Dates list. Sorry, no tracks, there just isn’t enough space. 4C Supermodifieds www.4csupermodifieds.com Four-cylinder Supermodifieds All Star Circuit of Champions www.allstarsprint.com Winged 410 Sprint Cars American Modified Series www.americanmodifiedseries.com Modifieds—Dirt American Canadian Tour (ACT) www.acttour.com Crate Late Models ARCA (Automobile Race Club of America) www.arcaracing.com Full-bodied stock cars ASA Sportsman Series Schedule www.asaoktire.com Sportsman ASA ProAutoSports www.proautosports.com or www.asa-racing.com Road Racing American Sprint Car Series www.ascsracing.com Sprint Cars, Midgets Badger Midget Auto Racing Association www.bmara.com Midgets—Dirt Big 8 Series www.big8series.com Super Late Models—Asphalt Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series www.buckeyesprints.com Non-winged 410 Sprint Cars—Dirt CARS Pro Cup Series www.carsprocup.com Super Late Models—Asphalt Carolina…