Table of contents for April 2016 in Circle Track

I rarely talk about personal items in this column, but in this case it’s actually appropriate to the story. My father, whom I owe my entire motorsports career to, has Parkinson’s Disease. It’s a degenerative illness that takes its toll—physically and emotionally— not just the patient but the patient’s family and friends. As I write this, he’s been dealing with it for about five years. As I mentioned in the outset, I owe my career to the guy. He’s the one who took me to my first race (I was 3, I think). He’s the one who footed the bill throughout those teenage racing years and one who encouraged me to pursue the career on the business side of racing. And he’s been there every step of the way. These…

MANUFACTURERS, SANCTIONING BODIES, RACE PROMOTERS, TRACK OWNERS: SEND US YOUR LATEST NEWS! EMAIL: RFISHER@ENTHUSIASTNETWORK.COM. 1 SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY MAY HAVE A NEW PROMOTIONAL TEAM FOR 2016 SELINSGROVE, PA—SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY has announced a possible new promotion team for 2016. Mike Heffner and Lincoln Speedway’s co-promoter Alan Kreitzer will take over as a new promotional group for 2016 and plan to host a racing season for the 2016 season. Steve Inch has been named as the track’s new promotor. At this time, the team plans to keep the regular Saturday night schedule in effect. For more information please visit www.selinsgrovespeedway.com. 2 EDELBROCK’S WAYNE MURRAY GETS PROMOTED TO PRESIDENT TORRANCE, CA— EDELBROCK’S Vice President Wayne Murray has been promoted to President. Murray began his Edelbrock career 46 years ago on the production line. In…

As I write this, Dick Anderson’s Florida modified has won 13 races in a row. Many believe he has some secret or is cheating. Here we will reveal all of the secrets of his setup and leave nothing out. Turns out, the setup is legal and simple. How do we know that? On October 24 his driver, Josh Todd, won a high-paying special race in St. Petersburg, Florida, against about 40 competitors, many of whom are considered the very best in this class. After the races were over, the tech crew tore the car apart until 3:00 a.m. and found nothing unusual. Oh, and he was required to change his ignition box before the race. At previous races, the tech officials had taken away his 100-pound weight break, offered for…

A quick look at this headline by a young racer (and probably his or her parents) may be deceiving. I’m sure they’re thinking, “Of course I’m not afraid to be a NASCAR star. That’s why I race.” Well, hang on—that’s not what this column is about. I’m here to tell you not to be afraid to be a star on the local level. I’m here to tell you that your racing career doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t) stop when the dreams of going big time come to an end. I’m here to tell you to embrace being a short-track hero. Before we get too far along, I will say I’m not telling you to give up on your dreams. Racers do rise through the ranks. It can happen, whether you…

Every race car driver has to start somewhere. A lot of up-andcomers may have the path carved out for them or have a guide who has been there before to point them to the right option. Some beginners just sit in the stands or wander around the pits trying to figure out where to begin. The path to success can be confusing. Back in racing’s early days, there were few options. Drivers typically had only one or two classes to choose from. Make your choice and live with it. As the sport evolved, though, so did the separation of divisions. A racetrack with three divisions 20 years ago might have six now. It’s also not impossible to find a racetrack or event that runs more than 10 divisions. A few…

We all know NASCAR Cup teams race for the big bucks—and spend big bucks trying to win those races. As a result, these teams absolutely cannot afford a mechanical breakdown that prevents a car from finishing a race. A crash? Well, that’s just racing. A middling 15th-place finish? Take the points and try harder next week. But a dropped valve or a broken lower control arm that results in a DNF simply isn’t an option. Cup teams will cycle out most of their racecars’ parts when most people consider them barely used. Lucky for you, instead of sending all those parts to scrap, many teams are willing to sell much of it, that isn’t custom made or proprietary, to everyday racers for a fraction of the original cost. Buying used…

Setups and trends have changed during the past decade as teams try to build a more perfect racing car. Most teams closely follow the trends, new techniques and setups, and the performances of the top teams. It’s fairly common for teams to try to copy the more successful team’s strategies and setups, or what we think they are doing, with their setups. Be very careful going down this road. I know for a fact, what is talked about as a team’s trick setup may be exaggerated or flat-out wrong. Not one single team I have known or worked with will offer up the real setup numbers when they are dominating. Who in their right mind would? You must take care of your own program, keeping in mind the goals you…

As you develop your setup for the new season, you must also rethink your shocks and how they work along with whatever setup you’re going to use. Most teams make changes to their setups due to lack of performance during the past season. This makes sense when you realize only 5 to 10 percent of cars consistently run up front at most tracks. This is a description of what a shock does, and does not do. Once you understand how it functions, you’ll be better prepared to match your shocks to the setup you decide to run. None of this is rocket science, but it does take a little understanding of mechanics. Once you understand it, you can not only start out the season with a more complete setup, but…

Probably 90 percent of teams want to make setup changes for the new season because they competed poorly the previous season. The primary setup component is the four springs we install in our racecars. You need to know how the springs affect your setup in order to make intelligent choices. When you choose the correct combination of spring rates to go along with the other components, you get what every racer wants—a balanced and fast race car. The car is supported by the springs. In modern-day racing, the spring that supports the car in the turns might be assisted by a bump device. In either case, the choice of spring rates—be they ride or bumps—determines how the car works and how efficiently the loading on the tires works. If you…