Anyone into Drag Racing here?

Serendipity

Was wondering if anyone in the tri-state area would like to go to a drag strip sometime this Spring, preferrably in the New Jersey area? I know some of you guys (Face) drag race so it would be awesome to learn more about / ins and outs of the sport (seems like a lot of fun to me). I've only been to Englishtown to watch the NHRA dragsters and it was a blast.

So is there anyone else into drag racing here? I'd like to watch / be in the pits and see how it's done.

concealer404

Yep, but i'm unfortunately not in that area.

I mainly do it for fun, but have entered local bracket racing tournaments in the past.

Grab a cheap car and get to it! Doesn't have to cost much. I'm shooting for mid/low 12s this season, and i've currently got about.... $1400 into the car including purchase price.

Serendipity

What kind of car do you have?

concealer404

A FWD bucket of crap.

It's a 1990 Mazda MX6 GT. Purchased for the princely sum of $900.

Suspension has been redone since that picture. Some creative junkyard engineering and some custom springs later, and it's got a nice rake to it, and some extremely high spring rates in the back in an attempt to keep traction. Unfortunately, FWD means i'm fighting basic physics all the way down the track. Good thing i just do this for fun, huh?

Face

concealer404 wrote: »

A FWD bucket of crap.

It's a 1990 Mazda MX6 GT. Purchased for the princely sum of $900.

Suspension has been redone since that picture. Some creative junkyard engineering and some custom springs later, and it's got a nice rake to it, and some extremely high spring rates in the back in an attempt to keep traction. Unfortunately, FWD means i'm fighting basic physics all the way down the track. Good thing i just do this for fun, huh?

Heavy duty sway bars, solid bushings, and spring spacers in the rear will do wonders in the 1/4 mile.

Serendipity

Mike,

I sent you a PM.

concealer404

Face wrote: »

Heavy duty sway bars, solid bushings, and spring spacers in the rear will do wonders in the 1/4 mile.

So would tires that AREN'T Nexens. Last time out, it ran a 13.2xx @ 118mph if that tells you anything.

Already got an Addco 1" rear bar, and SuperPro Poly bushings that need to be installed.

Unfortunately, this car is a jack of all trades. It's to be my DD, and is entered in Winged Warrior Indy and the Grassroots Motorsports $2010 Challenge, so it's also gotta hustle around an autocross course. Of course, completely different setups, so i expect it to fail miserably at pretty much everything. But at least it's entertaining.

Yes. That IS the exhaust that you see poking out of the bumper.

Serendipity

concealer404 wrote: »

Yes. That IS the exhaust that you see poking out of the bumper.

I thought exhausts usually go out the back... but what do I know?

Toolfan66

Face wrote: »

Heavy duty sway bars, solid bushings, and spring spacers in the rear will do wonders in the 1/4 mile.

Agreed, I had a 70 Monty Carlo Years ago and when I rebuilt the underside and added the heavy duty swaybars and bushings, it made a world of difference.. and I miss that car big time..

sda2mike

i used to drag race at atco raceway in south jersey..fun for awhile. had a 98 z28. put some $$ in to make it faster. really craved to have a 1 mile race, instead of 1/4..:cool:

TouchOfEvil

I enjoy a good trip to the track but i'm in Louisiana.

Serendipity

sda2mike wrote: »

i used to drag race at atco raceway in south jersey..fun for awhile. had a 98 z28. put some $$ in to make it faster. really craved to have a 1 mile race, instead of 1/4..:cool:

Atco is 2-3 hours from here, anyone near Englishtown or Island Dragway?

Face

concealer404 wrote: »

So would tires that AREN'T Nexens. Last time out, it ran a 13.2xx @ 118mph if that tells you anything.

Already got an Addco 1" rear bar, and SuperPro Poly bushings that need to be installed.

Unfortunately, this car is a jack of all trades. It's to be my DD, and is entered in Winged Warrior Indy and the Grassroots Motorsports $2010 Challenge, so it's also gotta hustle around an autocross course. Of course, completely different setups, so i expect it to fail miserably at pretty much everything. But at least it's entertaining.

Well, I was trying to point out non-obvious things. Sways and heavy duty bushings would also help autocross, etc...just leave the spring spacers out.

sda2mike wrote: »

i used to drag race at atco raceway in south jersey..fun for awhile. had a 98 z28. put some $$ in to make it faster. really craved to have a 1 mile race, instead of 1/4..:cool:

Atco is a fast track, I miss racing there. Cecil is the fastest in the area though, most swear it's downhill.

Serendipity wrote: »

Atco is 2-3 hours from here, anyone near Englishtown or Island Dragway?

From what I hear, Island isn't a really nice track.

Jstas

Island is alright provided you don't go expecting much. On test and tune nights and street nights, track prep is lacking. But when they do brackets and time index, they do a decent job with track prep. It can be hard to find though especially since the one farmer shutdown his entrance to the track. It got me lost a couple years ago. Hadn't been up there in like 6 year and stuff was different enough that I got lost.

One thing though, if you're running some hardware and you can run better than say 9.50's, Island has a real short shutdown length and it can get scary. I've seen guys at test and tune with fast cars (better than 9.50's) pull chutes at the 1200 foot mark and take the hit on the E.T. and speed at the top end.

Island also doesn't have a wall going out real far from the line and a friend of mine almost got drilled when the guy in the right lane broke an axle and made a sharp left turn, crossed in front of him before the 60 foot mark and drilled the wall instead. the burnout area used to be real bumpy and cars would get squirrelly on a long burnout but they re-paved it a few years ago and it seems better. I haven't been up in like 4 years though so things might have changed.

But for what most people here are running Island is alot of fun. It's a grassroots, backwoods style track and if you are running a street car, you're guaranteed to get a ton of runs in for your money. That and it's in God's country in a part of NJ that most ignorant and short-sighted people with poor opinions of NJ will never see and likely can't get past the fact that it actually exists in their feeble minds.

Oh and probably some of the best track food I've ever had. Better than the big tracks like Englishtown and MIR and Maple Grove.

BTW, Maple Grove, a bit farther past Island and facilities on par with the biggest tracks in the country. Plus, it' nestled in the foothills of the Poconos and it's absolutely gorgeous. It is at elevation so you won't run the fastest times you can but if you go up for a street night or a test and tune, you'll get a bunch of runs in. They run that place like a factory. It's about the same distance as Atco is from most people on Lawn Guy Land.


Problem is that most dragstrips in the area are not open right now. Atco is but on a day to day basis. If the weather stays good the rest of the week, they will be open Saturday and Sunday most likely. But official season opening doesn't come until about the 2nd week of April for most places.

concealer404

Serendipity wrote: »

I thought exhausts usually go out the back... but what do I know?

You would be correct.

Due to packaging constraints on the turbo setup, though, i don't have room to run an appropriately sized downpipe to the underside of the car without spending a crapload of cash on a custom unit, or grinding out my crossmember and relocating my radiator hoses. I didn't feel like doing either.

Was way easier and cheaper to run it straight out the side of the car.

Serendipity

So does anyone want to go to Island Dragway, E-town, or Atco sometime in April?