We arrived soon after the gates opened for CCFS, but there still wasn’t much room with sprint car haulers everywhere. Over 50 of the 360’s joined us on the card for this special event. Unfortunately, like last year, the track was a tad rough for our cars. We even saw it after hot laps resulted in a broken clevis. Thankfully DJ of Junior’s Performance Products had a spare (and a spare for the spare) that we could use. A not-so-great heat run meant a 19th place start for the feature. We had worked ourselves up to just outside the top 10 when the rear end gave up the ghost coming off the 2nd turn. The housing itself split in two, from which the resultant motion made some quick work of suspension components in the rear of the car. The season officially concluded with a ride back to the pits on the tow truck. Well, I suppose it truly ended with various hijinx of trying to get the car on and off the trailer.

After stowing the car in the garage, we used Saturday as an opportunity to actually take in some racing (unlike last year). We partook in the events at the Syracuse Fairgrounds for the day, and enjoyed some libations (and peanuts) at the Texas Roadhouse thereafter. It was a good opportunity to discuss plans for next season. Once those are finalised, they will be posted soon thereafter.

Until it is more frigid,
-Michael

We will have more details to follow in the days ahead, but for now we are off to prep the car to make another run at the leader board at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds.

The Team at halfbakedschemes.com is excited to announce that a new sponsor has come on board for the ESDCA Mod-Lite #41. It is EmpireStateTools.com – the place you can go to “fill your toolbox, without emptying your wallet.”

They have picked an exciting time to join, as the Team is prepping to run the final two races of the year during Super Dirt Week festivities at both Brewerton Speedway and Cayuga County Fair Speedway. These races are during the 2nd week of October, “the fastest week in upstate NY.”

Empirestatetools.com will also be on the car for the 2009 season. You will be able to find information on it once the 2008 season has concluded. There is no need to rush this one to completion when there are more races to run! In the meantime, head on over to empirestatetools.com and peruse their inventory. If you need a tool, chances are they have it. If they do not, tell them you want it and they will find it for you. And when you talk to them, make sure you tell ‘em that “#41 sent you!”

Halfbakedschemes PR
2008.09.19

With little to do preparation wise (the car was essentially ready to go after the last missed event), we showed up staggeringly early to Brewerton Speedway on Friday night. Typically we get there with little to no parking in the pits. This time we had our pick of the place.

We picked a great spot that allowed us to take many glamour shots of the new wheels and tyres.

A nearly full field of cars showed up, but not enough to warrant a B-main. This was an important fact as we were able to ride around in the heat to try and find a solution to a minor issue. The new, I mean spare, rear end gear caused us to run out of gear halfway down the straight where the rev limiter was hit with fervor. Anyway, we started in the rear for the feature and kept our nose clean despite a handful of spins, incidents, and one track cloggage. We also learned the difficulty of trying to shift multiple times per lap. But, it worked out, the car rolled back on the trailer, and we walked out with 16th place money after starting 28th.

After a bath to make Stan presentable for Autograph Night, it was off to Fulton Speedway.

He stretched his legs during practise, showing that the spare gear was perfect for the larger expanse of dirt there. We were also able to pass 4 cars in 5 laps during the heat, allowing us to start much further up in the pack for the main. But before that everyone rolled onto the straightaway where kids and parents came by. Some little ones climbed in and out of the car, which was fun despite me learning that saying “no really, please stop doing that” really does not work. I also got my first interview over the live microphone, which only whetted my appetite for wanting to do it after a victory.

The feature was much different than the heat. The track continued to slick over, which found us heading backwards. We were finally able to find some bite and were making headway back to the front when a car lost it in front of us. A lack of racing room and locked brakes resulted in a impact with the stopped vehicle. The impact was square to a rear wheel, which surely meant the rear end was dead. But, after being separated and taking a cautious lap, nothing seemed amiss. The hammer was dropped and a few cars were passed in the last laps, leading to another 16th place finish (of 26).

Sunday morning was supposed to be for routing maintenance, but the dawn light showed a mangled rim. It, interestingly enough, looked exactly like a front bumper now! But, everything seemed square, nothing had shifted (that we knew of), so the car was gussied up for another Autograph Night and dragged to the closest track to home base, Utica-Rome Speedway.

For the third night in a row we arrived early. Practise showed that we had found another location where we would be inbetween gears. But U-R is too circular in nature and did not lend itself to shifting, so we spent some time getting acquainted with the rev limiter again. The feature was chaotic, with cars bounding all over the place, and driving way too deep into places. Despite this fact, things were relatively civil until the last lap, when one car broke, another spun right in front again (at least it was the other rear wheel this time), and the officials felt we could just race to the flag.
The finish ended up being a stout 12th of 20, as it could have been much higher given the incidents, dodging a muffler that was right in the racing groove, and getting passed by multiple cars under yellow.

Picture courtesy of Post-Time Photo

Picture courtesy of Post-Time Photo

The team returned home exhausted where it refueled at Applebees. Monday was just for another car wash. Hopefully we can get through the last two events on the schedule for 2008 – in front of the biggest audiences, during Super Dirt Week in October.

We actually arrived to the track early, which is something that rarely happens. I pulled a #2 out of the hat, which I knew meant I would get the pole in the heat. I am not sure that I was thrilled with that proposition having had no seat time yet in 2008. I slipped back a bit off the initial start and finished out the heat in 5th place of 10. This equated to a 9th place grid spot for the Main. There was a rough section in the centre of the track, and drivers split it. You either ran the very bottom or traversed the high side. I hugged the uke tyres lining the infield and managed to run in the top 10 for a good portion of the race. A flat tyre mid-way through the event sent us pitside and to an early exit. The only benefit to this was that the car was on the trailer before the heavens opened right after the feature. It also provides great incentive to dial up the ole Hoosier dealer!

The new bits have arrived and are awaiting the aforementioned new shoes to accompany them. These should make their way onto the car in anticipation of the next outing which is on the nation’s birthday (at Brewerton, NY). The team has some making up to do for last year when a suspension collapse off the final turn left us scrambling to get the car on the trailer in the dark as the fireworks went off. If that outing is successful we will race the following day at Canandaigua Speedway.

Until then, this is Michael signing off.

…and this is Michael “posing” for the press!

Stan itching to get out on the track.

One of the unique and new features for this season’s schedule was the addition of two “mini-series.” These did not offer any points towards the regular season chase, but were scored separately. These were circled on the team calendar because it allowed us to maximize the race time given the hellacious travel requirements. The first was a mid-season festival, with seven races in eight days. We elected to hit the two in the latter half of the week, with extra pit support from the official team mom and team “widow.”

Race #2 – 7/6 – Brewerton Speedway in Brewerton, NY – Summer Speedweeks event
34 cars signed in for the evening’s event which meant that 4 were not going to race. A slip-up on a late restart in the heat meant a 9th/10 finish and a trip to the last chance qualifier. A strong run in the B-main yielded a 3rd place finish and a 27th place start in the A-main. It was quite a rush with 29 other cars out on the track (one that was barely more than 1/2 the size of the previous venue) and a nearly full grandstand. Michael ran a smart race and was in 16th on the final lap when a car spun coming out of turn 4. A quick tap of the brake resulted in the right front getting run over, which caused the tie rod to bend and suspension to collapse. He made it across the line, but fell back to 19th. The tow truck provided some assistance from there. It couldn’t assist us in getting the car on the trailer, which was helped by the lights being shut off for the festive fireworks display.
Race #3 – 7/7 – Fulton Speedway in Fulton, NY – Summer Speedweeks event
We thrashed most of the next day to get ready for the next night, finally finishing up about 30 minutes later than we had intended to leave for the track. The track was brutally rough, which meant no heroics in the qualifier and an 8th/10 finish. The feature was a war of attrition and many yellows. The right front spindle broke coming out of turn 4 on the last lap, which caused the car to dart for the wall. Somehow it was kept off the concrete and brought across the line. The result was a 10th place finish and another adventurous trip onto the trailer. It was not soon thereafter that a car dolly was part of the team’s tool collection. The finale for the night was the second trip to the greasy mecca that is Buffalo Wild Wings.

Because the previous two races were not logistically challenging enough, we decided to really push ourselves a mere two weeks later. Despite having run a single autocross in the season to date, we entered the SCCA National ProSolo event in Romulus, NY. Given that the ESDCA was running nearby, we brought both cars. Two cars, six trips with the trailer, it was an exhausting but fun weekend.

Race #4 – 7/21 – Canandaigua Speedway in Canandaigua, NY- ESDCA points event
The events on Saturday ran long, so Michael actually skipped his afternoon runs to get to the oval track on time. The remainder of the crew came once they had finished competing, resulting in a great cheering section. 22 cars showed up. A 4th place finish in the heat netted a 10th place starting spot for the feature. Michael was cruising along when a flip occurred right as he set the car for the turn. He averted the rollover by driving into the infield, but proceeded to beach the car in the process. This meant he had to start at the rear of the pack. He passed a handful of cars to get back to 14th place finishing position. Applebee’s was subject to our dirtiness for a post race meal.

It was time to “relax” a bit, so the team next hit up the track that is closest to the home base, a mere 20 minutes away. Well, at least it should have been more relaxing, but the team rushed back the morning of from NJ where they competed in the Chevy Rev It Up event the previous day.

Race #5 – 8/5 – Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, NY – ESDCA points event
21 cars showed up at this venue that was new for the circuit. It was only the ESDCA’s second ever event there. It is a combination track, using turns 1 and 2 of the banked outside track, with 3 and 4 being part of the infield and flat. The heat went well, with a 5th place finish being obtained. Michael was stuck in traffic in the feature with a 13th place finish being the net result. And yes, the team certainly enjoyed the short drive home.

The team was gearing up for the season ending events, and planned to sit tight until then. However, the lure of a fun track where we did well outweighed the potential risk of wrecking the car before the last push. That being said, it was back off to Canandaigua.

Race # 6 – 9/15 – Canandaigua Speedway in Canandaigua, NY- ESDCA points event
It rained for most of the morning and early afternoon, but the radar looked promising. We headed out anyway, driving through the rain. We attempted to cover the car with a blue tarp, but the wind beat it to shreds. It finally gave up the ghost as we pulled into the pit area, coating the car with a lovely fine blue powder tint. But from there on, the night was eerily similar to the last time there. We took the same pit stall, roughly the same number of cars showed up, and we once again had a big cheering section. This time it was led by Jeff “Gilligan” LaChausse, RIT FSAE alumnus. Once again we finished 4th in the first heat, landed the 10th starting spot, averted a flip, and had to restart at the rear of the pack. Unlike last time, Michael was able to work back through the field, including passing two cars on the last lap. This yielded the team’s second top 10 finish of the year, a 7th. Applebee’s was the post race venue once again as well.

Since the car was still in one piece, it was confirmed that the team would enter all the events of the Super Dirt Week series. This was the second of the two aforementioned “mini-series”, and coincided with the Northeast’s biggest dirt racing event – Super Dirt Week. Super Dirt Week is a week-long smorgasbord of racing all over the area culminating in races at the Syracuse Mile for the primary divisions. The ESDCA version was 3 races in 3 days at 3 tracks.

Race #7 – 10/4 – Brewerton Speedway in Brewerton, NY – Super Dirt Week series event
The place was jammed for this event with the stands full of spectators. A stout field of 29 cars showed. We finished 6th/10 in our heat, meaning a 16th place starting spot for the feature. Michael was running well, following a multi-time feature winner to the front, when another spindle broke. He was able to limp to the infield, but was greeted with another tough time getting the car on the trailer and a disappointing 26th place finish.

Race #8 – 10/5 – Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport, NY – Super Dirt Week series event
31 cars showed for the 2nd event of 3. Luckily, the kind folks at Blackburn Truck Bodies welded up our broken spindles so that we could get the car back together. It was a rough, rough track due to rain. Given the luck from the previous night Michael did not make too many moves in either the heat or the feature but rode around to an 18th place finish.

Race #9 – 10/6 – Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, NY- Super Dirt Week series event
We were paired up with the 360ci sprint cars for this night. This meant we were the undercard. With impending rain we only received 2 laps of practice for the 21 cars that showed. The race was rescheduled for the next night, but we had to pass due to the slight complication of Michael having to get back to Michigan for work.

That finishing stretch only made us more eager to get back out there, but we have to wait 7 months yet. The intent is to rebuild the suspension over the winter so as to eliminate whatever is causing our spindle failures. On the positive side though, the season went about as well as we could have hoped. The plan was to hit 8 races, and we made 9. We did not have any severe contact with other vehicles or immovable objects. We aspired to finish between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way through the field, which we typically did. And we had some top 10 finishes, which only whetted our appetite further. The club has implemented some rules for 2008 which should level the playing field a tad and make us even more competitive. That fact, combined with the knowledge we gained this year, has us anxiously waiting for the schedule to be released. We will run a comparable program in 2008, again focusing on stretches where we can hit multiple races. Our goals are going to be set substantially higher however, with a focus on running in the top 10 more often.

2007 Season, by the numbers:

Races: 9
Tracks: 7
Top 10’s: 2
Season Points: 46th of 62 (4 races of 27 contested)
Summer Speedweek Points: 29th of 47 (2 races of 7 contested)
Super Dirt Week Points: 18th of 37 (3 races of 3 contested

Other firsts included the Team’s first start(s) from the front row, the first visit from racing widow Lindsay (and racing Mom Darlene) and the first (and second) slight alterations to the chassis. Pics inside!

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The team purchased a Mod Lite (or dwarf car), which is a smaller scale racecar powered by a motorcycle engine. Yes, it will only turn left. And it looks like it will only see action on dirt ovals.

The team’s schedule is undecided yet, but presumably it will be campaigned at multiple venues in upstate NY with Brewerton Speedway being its home track. Forays to Whip City in MA, Mercer in PA, or Merritville in Ontario, Canada could be on the horizon. Keep your eyes here for updates.