Oh yeah...I'm a racer again!

[J.D.]

Went home to visit my folks in Arkansas this past weekend, brought my Explorer home to give to my sister....dad says what, you're going home with an empty trailer? I said yep why....he goes, nope...you're taking the race car home with you and you're racing. I was like hellll yeah....then, I think about all the money involved with racing....so it's more like ANOTHER money pit. It was my brothers race car, but he's moving up to Late Models...this here is a mini-stock(or pro-4, or mini-mod....called something different everywhere.) Dirt track car...weather providing I'll be racing this Saturday night! The frame is Mustang, with a late model style body and a semi-built 2.3 liter 4 cylinder pushing about 220 horse running about 8500-9000 RPMs on the track. pretty cool huh? Need to find me some sponsors now!

[LonesomeTriZ]

Man that is just a fun and exspensive hobby. I always thought the mini stock was the best class to race in.

[edog]

Is that a Ford motor?

[J.D.]

You've never heard of a Ford 2.3 liter? Haha yes it's a Ford engine. I did forget to mention though it's stroked out to a 2.5....and runs on Vp113 oxygenated fuel.

[Dirtcrasher]

Thats awesome, can't wait to see how you do!!

[Russell 350X]

Thats awsome JD, see if someone can take pics of ya racing, I want to see this!

[Eric250R]

Awesome man, my brother also races the 4 cylinder class.

[ProCarbine2k1]

Hate to ask.. but how much would it take to run with a similar setup as yours. I would LOVE to dirt track in a car like that, I do it on a quad but would love to jump in a car some day!

[J.D.]

Well here's the race recap: I got F'D. In the heat race the car was VERY loose coming out of the corner, so I cranked the LR weight jack and lost some RR pressure, car improved a lot. I started 4th, jumped to the lead by 2nd lap and had them (as I was told by the folks watching me) 8 car lengths on second. 1/2 way through the feature my tires started getting hot, RR grew and it was getting loose again on exit, I spun out coming out of 4. Somehow, some *Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited**E dited* decided to put me a lap down because of that, I had 3rd place, but according to the track I had 7th because I was "a lap down". These boys race kinda rough up here, cant hold their line to save their lives. I think I got hit 4 times, right side of my car is kinda tore up now. OH well....next week, hopefully I'll have a beadlock for the RR, I have to run about 20 lbs of air in it to keep it on the rim....beadlock I can run it down to 13 or so and that will tighten the car up a good bit. Hopefully I'll have a victory soon! Not bad for my first race again after 3 years in a completely new car though.

[J.D.]

Hate to ask.. but how much would it take to run with a similar setup as yours. I would LOVE to dirt track in a car like that, I do it on a quad but would love to jump in a car some day!



I'd have to say, just a rough guess, it would probably take a LEAST 6,000 to build a car like this, and that's probably a conservative figure, but I'm sure my dad has much more than that into it. I can just name off some quick things, I know the camshaft/followers are a grand by themselves, wheels are about 80 bucks a peice(times 8), tires run about 110 a piece(times 8), shocks I think about 80(not 100% sure). That's a little over 2500 cost right there, and you're only scratching the surface of everything you'd need to build one, plus the time and effort of modifying everything from a stock car. Personally, if I was to do it.....buy something somebody has already built and run from there. Then on top of cost, you have to look at maintenance. Every 3 races the oil gets changed, new spark plugs go in, every 6 new timing belt, the fuel is about 10 bucks a gallon uses about 5-7 gallons per race. Before each race the air filter needs to be cleaned, valve clearance check/adjusted, toe out check/adjusted, all nuts/bolts on the car need to be checked because these things vibrate bad. Something to think about though most dirt tracks have what they call a pure mini class, you take a street 4 cylinder car, strip it, put a roll cage and 5 point harness in it an go race. That's a lot cheaper route!

[smokinwrench]

Sounds like you might have this car figured out quick. You need to fill tires wiht nitrogen.

Don't forget it costs about $1,000 for all safty gear when I raced.

[J.D.]

Yeah that's true too....you could easily spend more than that on safety gear. Could I get nitrogen put in my little air tank? One of my tires has a slow leak so I need to air it up each race. What did you race smokin??

[Kilborg]

good to see you still around goku

4cyl racing is fun...but gets expensive just like anything else...i raced against 4cyl stangs as my main competition a few years ago when we ran dirt enduro. good fun.

[smokinwrench]

You just need to go get a nitrogen bottle and a regulator, it also works well to run impacts, nitrogen is cheap. Pick one up at any place that sells welding supplies.

I ran hobbystock class and enduros. I ran a 1979 montecarlo. Nothing special 350 12:1 pistons, big cam, doublehumps, cast iron intake, 2 barrel non holley carb, engine must appear stock on the outside according to rules.

It was the next to lowest class of racing around here. They had a pinto class the was lower, everyone ran the little pintos and the old 4 banger mustangs.

I prefered the enduros 2 hours or 200 laps, got a lot more enjoyment from those and they paid decent. I was also building derby cars at the same time and working on my Z28 not to mention being a mechanic during the day. I got so burnt out on all of it I have no desire to do it anymore.

[J.D.]

Hahaha yeah I can understand that, I figure probably 10 more years and I'll be so fed up I won't want to anymore. This car is faster than the hobbys.....at the track I run, the late models fastest is 13.6 laps times....I haven't got good enough I'm running about 14.4's right now, my brother ran a 14 flat when he raced up here. This lil thing will *Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited* and git!

[J.D.]

Won my first race tonight fellas. Had a damn good starting position(2nd place), green flag drops I hammer it and blow by 1st like he's sitting still, 6 laps to go I see number 11 is in 2nd, I look back in turn #4 and I see him just coming into 3....caution with 2 laps to go, green flag drops dude jumps on me, we run side by side front stretch, he had a little edge on me in 1 and 2, side by side down the back stretch, 3 and 4 he checks up loses momentum....1 lap to go and I hold first til the end. Damn it feels good to be back in the winners circle!

[Eric250R]

Awesome man, congrats. :beer

[firehart]

Can I be on your pit crew? I haven't been to a race in about 20 years.

[J.D.]

Haha if you wanna make it all the way to Tennessee, then yea!