Fuzzy Dice

I made the final in Pro ET at Orlando Speedworld tonight...

It was a beautiful day if a bit warm...I was a bit worried if my junk would run in the heat or nose over again...I got my first time shot at 3:30PM and the temp was 86* with a DA of +3100...thankfully the car ran great going 7.07 @ 96.50 mph...I had a .032 tree but I knew the car had more in it...why?...because I goofed up the burnout so my 60' time was too high...

On a tip from a buddy I changed my burnout routine and everything came together...I ran 7.031 at 96.55 mph with a ,021 tree...what happened was I do a high gear burnout with my glide and I was coming up on the rpm's too slow...especially with a 6000 stall converter...so I hit it much quicker and voila'....all was well...

First round I turn the corner of the staging lanes and see a buddy in the left lane...I hate running friends in any round so I slid over to the left lane (this was before the staging lanes began)....turns out another buddy pulls up next to me anyway...sigh...he dials 7.47 in his 69 chevelle and I dial 7.02 based on the 7.031 I just ran...

He leaves green and I know I am in trouble...the tree looks very different from this lane and I goof up and go .005 red...my own darn fault...I take the walk of shame and buy back in...btw, the car ran 7.032...

Second round I get one of my best friends in his 72 Dart...he dials 6.85 and I leave my dial at 7.02...I leave green and mathematically eliminate him with a .033 package to his .034 light...sorry pal...btw, I went 7.032....

Round three I get a hitter in a 67 mustang fastback dialed 7.13...this guy is good but has never beaten me...I leave the dial at 7.02 again...we leave together which spells trouble for him since he is the slower car...he is .069 on the tree to my .031...we get near the stripe and he is right next to me...oops...either he killed me on the tree of he is going way to fast...I park it and feed him the stripe...he goes two under...see ya my friend...

Next up in round four is another hitter who won the track championship in my class at Lakeland two years ago...he dials 7.57 and goes in deep...I am dialed 7.02 again...yawn...he rolls the beams for a red eye...when he let go of the button he had forgotten to arm his trans brake...oh well...I have a .031 tree and go 7.031...getting boring but in the best kind of way...

Round 5 brings up yet another hitter in his gen 3 Camaro...he is going rounds in both Pro and Super Pro...I lost to him at 5 cars a while ago so I owe him one...he dials 7.45 and I dial...well, you know already...
He leaves green and I do to...I have an .021 light to his .039...I take him through by .010 and he is on the trailer...my car runs....yup, 7.031...

Round six brings up another hitter, this time another former track champ...he is dialed 7.12 and I am dialed...yes, another 7.02...we leave and I tree him with an .013 to his .020...I whomp and tighten up the stripe taking the win...I go 7.055...The .013 light gets me the bye into the final beating an .021...

I hit the bye run tree for an .006 and run it to the 330' mark...the humidity is now over 90% and we have been round robin'd for the last three rounds...I finally put a 7.03 on the window hoping to go dead on...I am running a 80's S-10 and he is real good...he was .00x on the tree the last two rounds...

We agree to a $600/500 split and he dials 7.46...he leaves and I follow, both green...it is a very close race and I lead him through the stripe by 10 thou...drat!...his win light comes on...turns out I was .025 to his .029 on the tree but it was a double breakout...

I have been doing this for some time now but I still cannot figure out how to win a tight double break out...not sure there is a way...I could have parked it and let him go but with your nose in front, giving back the stripe is not a great plan,typically...oh well...

The best news is my car finally ran decent so I could put some driving skills to work...what a nice feeling...no chicken dinnah but pancakes will taste just fine...

Big thanks to Ricky, Bud and ZR1 John for their help...also thanks to big Mike and Richard for staying to support me...I got home a 1:40AM so it was a long day...btw, Big Mac went a lot of rounds in street so congrats to him...

kazman

NICE.

ralph

Congrats Fuzzy. Great string of lights and your equipment finally performed as well as the driver. Keep it going.

Seems like you have a lot of 7 sec cars down there. We have a bunch of 9 sec 1/4 mile cars up here in Pro, which i guess is around 6 sec 1/8s.

Mark Fields

Congrats on your car I love reading your post it's like your there keep it coming.

99ZX9R

Congrats Dan You were certainly a lumberjack on the tree.

I can't catch a break. Lost first rd yesterday in points and last Tues in gamblers. Not only an I trying to nail down this whole deep staging thing, but my opponents are out to gut me this year.

These are my opponents lights the first 3 races this year: -.001, .016, .007, .025 & .007

Red 69

Fuzzy, it is a good feeling to see you finally have the car performing as you wanted all along. It has been a long struggle for you, but now you have the tool and confidence to go the rounds. I'm now a happier Fuzzy Dice track groupie.

Fuzzy Dice

Thanks everyone...

"These are my opponents lights the first 3 races this year: -.001, .016, .007, .025 & .007"

Damn...not too much you can do with that bunch...especially if they can drive the rest of the track......deep staging takes some time to get used to, at least it did for me...you'll get it no doubt...

96collector

Great job, way to go Dan! it looks like you had Ryan in the second round.... did he ever get that new engine in his car?

Fuzzy Dice

Yes, Ralph, now that I look back we did have a bunch of 7 second cars...maybe the fact that the Super Chevy is at PBIR this weekend kept some of the faster chebby's away...lol...

Thanks red69...you of all people know what it has been like...for those that don't know, Red 69 went with me to Annapolis, Md. to pick up this car I bought off racing junk...this was supposed to be a turn key car ready to race at once...yes, the seller saw me coming...two years and three motors later it went down the track...

Along the way I replaced everything else.....

C5 Pete

Congrats Dan!

Fuzzy Dice

" did he ever get that new engine in his car? "

The 426 "semi-hemi" is just about finished but he is still running the 408...he found his problem...turns out it was trying to run on alchahol with a fuel cell in the trunk...he put a 3 gal cell under the hood and it seems to have fixed the problem...

383vett

Way to go Fuzzy.

BIGMAC

Dan,

Great to see car and driver do so well. It seems you have all the fuel delivery problems solved and you were really dialed in at the tree and the stripe.

Thanks for the shout-out but it reminds me how I threw away an .007 light when I dumped too soon and gave up the stripe . I will blame it on rust but it was sure fun to be back out there after my medical issue.

Jim

Fuzzy Dice

Nice going, Jim...all I know is everytime I turned around you were in the staging lanes next to me...lol...you shook that rust off real fast...see you soon...

I don't run NHRA points but Wade told me I am now 3rd and two rounds out of 1st....lol...

Mike Beck

Yes, typically a low 9 second car is 5.70 - 5.90 in the 1/8th, depends on the setup.

I am typically 6.2ish in the 1/8th going 9.7's in the 1/4.