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Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis IN (September 15 - 18, 2005)
Hurry up, Now sit there
Thursday, September 15, 2005 - by Kevyn Ashbay (crew)
Today had one running theme: Hurry up and wait! We were up
well before the sun to make it to IRP before the gates opened at noon. Have to
mention that we stopped by “Grandma’s” restaurant
somewhere between here and
there and it actually lived up to the “home cooking” that was on the sign, the
biscuits and gravy wasn’t half bad. At 11:30 we are in line and waiting. By 1 PM
we were in and parked. It seems that no matter how much planning goes into these
things, nothing is ever easy. People are parking with the wrong tracks, which
makes other people park in the wrong spots and it just snowballs from there. And
again we wait. Three of the six bikes make it today and the others were planning
on being here tomorrow so no surprise there. After some dinner it’s back to the
Holiday Inn and basically to bed early.
Friday, September 16, 2005
We seem to be waiting so I thought
id kill some time and make an entry. Its 1:15 and we’ve been here since the
gates opened at 7 AM. I set the alarm for 6:30 but apparently it was set for
Michigan time so we
were
up and ready at 5:30. So that gave us plenty of time for breakfast and a stop to
Kroger’s for some lunch and dinner food. It rained most of the night and this
morning. Everyone got there brooms out and started sweeping water wherever
wasn’t in there pit spot. Dan got the worst of it because he was basically
swimming in 3 inches of water this morning. But we all pitched in and got a lot
of it moved across the road. At this point most of the main roads are dry but
all the low spots are still wet so you have to dodge them when you’re riding
about. I guess that’s it for now, hopefully only a few more hours until we get
our first time trial, and then our second is still (supposedly) scheduled for
tonight. I’ll check back in when we have some numbers…
It’s actually Saturday morning,
but it was rather eventful for nothing happening. First time trial came about
when it was supposed to, with us running a 9.972 @ 127.26. But it didn’t help us
much with the humidity at almost 85% and the bike had some electrical problems
that we had to fix. And at that point we
continued to wait for the second round of time trials but as dusk came in so id
the fog and humidity that turned into slow drizzle that never let up. So they
called it for the evening and the schedule for tomorrow is for us to only get
one time run. That means the we will only have one good run (if its good) to
dial off of. As for everyone else: Dawn’s bike had some issues that I believe
were electrical as well. McCarten dropped a piston and, as we left, was putting
it back together for the third time. Donnie had a good smooth run. Paul seemed
to be where he’s supposed to be. And Bill is going to the finals of the Race of
Champoins that is Saturday morning.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
We woke up to dry, cold air, which
is great for racing! Gates were at 7AM and we were there ready to wait. By 3 the
progress had got to the bikes and their second time run. The electrical gremlins
seem to be 
gone when it ran
a 9.820 @ 130.17 MPH. It drove through the tire-shake out of the hole, but
everything seems to be looking good. Right now, we are waiting for first round
of eliminations to begin. The track as a whole his doing ok. We started slow in
Sportsman but Pro ET brought us back up with 8 out of the 12 advancing. I can
hear the PA in the background and it seems like our Super Pro drivers are doing
well too. Hopefully the bikes can continue the Route 66 success! A little update
from yesterday, Bill Turner finished 2nd in the Race of Champions so
congratulations to him. I think he’s on a role right now, so I’m glad we do not
have to run in the other lane!
Well, things didn't go quite as planned. Everyone of the bikes lost in the first round except Dawn. I watched the humidity climb and the temp drop on the pager as we were in staging. Not wanting to change our dial and second-guess ourselves we left it alone. I was thinking it was going to slow down because of all the water in the air and Shelly was thinking it would pick up because of the temp. Turns out Shelly was right and it broke put by quite a bit ending our run for the 2005 season.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Not having to be up early was kind
of nice but not having to race isn't! Were here to pack up all our stuff and
cheer on the few remaining members of our Route 66 team. Dawn was our last
remaining bike
entrant for
Route 66. We cheered as loud as we could and she cut a .00 light but broke out
by a hundredth more than her competitor (who just happened to beat us last
night). So that was the end of that and we pickup our last few things and headed
back to Michigan with only a couple of the whole team left standing. It wasn't a
very good weekend for the Route 66 team. But I think we are kind of at a
disadvantage because the Pro and Super Pro classes both run only 1/8 here while
they run the full 1/4 mile at home in Chicago. Granted its not THAT big of a
deal but when you get the best of the best in the division its defiantly doesn't
help. Just that much makes a huge difference in drag racing (not to make excuses
because we all lost on the same track as the winners)!
_______________________________________
Route 66 Raceway, Joliet IL (August 19 - 20, 2005)
No rain, No rain, Big Money, STOP
Friday, August 19, 2005 - by Kevyn Ashbay (crew)
A short day at work, made for a longer day at the shop working on the cooling fans of my Camaro (That is for sale!!!) I got a lot more done than I really expected. I am trying to get it all setup for next weekend in Stanton, and I'm sure it will be all set. So, about 6 PM the rig leaves for our last trip to Chicago of the year. As with most of our trips this year, it includes a stop at the Big Boy in Stevensville and fuel at the Pilot. This gas station is always busy, you would think there isn't another one for hundreds of miles. After checking into the hotel I had been trying to make a habit of jumping in the pool but today I was just too tired (even after my nap on the way here) so it was right to bed.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
We were expecting rain for most of
the night and at least up until 9 or 10 AM but when I woke up, there was barely
any traces. Some of the bigger potholes and things were filled but nothing like
what we 
expected. Quite the
uneventful day was being started and heading into second time trial Bob noticed
a disparity from tire pressure like it normal is which may have stumbled us into
some good things, but those will have to be tested! With all the hopes in the
world the bulb absent from the top of the score board after first round really
hit me hard. You start to wonder what you have to do to get a win. Aside from a
win here and there its been quite some time since any of us have had great
confidence like we have had in the past. But like I said, we may have found some
things that can help and we have three weeks to figure it out, and as silly as
it sounds, I have confidence that we will find our confidence!
_______________________________________
Route 66 Raceway, Joliet IL (August 5-7, 2005)
King: No, Queen: YES!!!
Friday, August 5, 2005 - by Kevyn Ashbay (crew)
After a hard day at work we leave the shop and head towards Illinois. Big Boy for dinner and diesel (trailer loads of cigarettes for others) at "1-800-Arnells" and we make it to our home away from home... Holiday Inn. We stay a mere 10-15 minutes away from the track which gives us every extra second of sleep we can get. Getting in past 11 PM central confines us to the end of crazy movie and right to sleep.
Saturday, August 6, 2005
Wake-up call comes in at 6:20 and as
I always do I head straight for the continental breakfast. This isn't just some
ordinary coffee and donuts, this is a room full of free food. I can't turn down
free food, let alone tables and tables of it! During my shower everyone else
always goes and gets 
breakfast
and on the way out the door I have to stop back in for my cinnamon buns that
will get me through, at least, time trials. We get right in the gate because we
are a bit late because a crane just had to park in front of us while putting up
the new Holiday Inn sign. Unlike the last couple of races, things came out of
the box great and we put up two livable runs during time trials and on we went
to first round. Apparently the
separation between the two drivers dials was less that we planned for and things
got completely out of sync at the line which ended our day early. Today is the
yearly "King of the Track" event at Route 66 which basically takes the winners
of each of the four categories and runs them off until there is one "King"
standing with a NHRA Wally. The bike class seems to like showing up the rest of
the classes because we took the top prize again, only this year the king is a
queen. Dawn Florey ran right through every car and dragster they threw at her.
So I personally would like to congratulate her on a excellent job. She's only
been racing a little over a year and it already looks like we have some stiff
competition in points next year. Look out!
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Again with the wake-up call and again with the breakfast. More cinnamon buns for in-between runs and we are off. Today came out of the trailer like anyone who races bracket cars would LOVE. Two runs within a thousandth of each other. So I had high hopes coming into first round. Unlike yesterday, today unexpected mechanical error put us on the trailer. From what we can decipher, the drive belt spun inside the converter and by the 60 foot mark, we were already behind. Squandering absolutely beautiful .003 reaction. With our heads either between our knees or banging upon a wall (depending on who you talk to) all is packed up and heading back for Michigan. I am hoping a weekend off of "serious" racing will recharge some batteries and get us ready for the final bracket race in Joliet and prepare us for an extensive run into bracket Finals in Indy.
_______________________________________
Indianapolis Raceway Park (July 29 - 30, 2005)
Nice place you got here, Indy
Friday, June 29, 2005 - by Kevyn Ashbay (crew)
We left a bit
later then I had anticipated, but I guess it was right on time for when Bob and
Shelly were planning. As usual when they head south they call ahead when they
are in front of the D&W by my house so I can start walking to
meat them there on a nearby
road. (There is no where to to turn around the trailer) We made our usual first
stop for dinner, today was Cracker Barrel. This was the first time I had ever
been there and the food really didn't impress me, namely the mashed potatoes
that weren't even close to my Grandma's. But it wasn't by any means a total loss
as I found five new pez dispensers to add to my collection. After getting fuel
at the "usual" stop, which is Pilot in Lafayette, we headed on for the hotel.
This time it was a Ramada Inn and after making a couple turnarounds and
switching to a different room because of precarious smells, we should have knew
it was going to be an off weekend. After a dip in the pool, it was off to bed
for our EARLY wakeup call.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Up early to ride the
last hour or so to the track, I grabbed a couple of the donuts from the so
called continental breakfast and we headed out. We stopped across the street for
a "real" breakfast of McDonalds and we hit the highway.
Only a short wait at the
gates and the setup began after a couple slight adjustments of trailer
orientation. Everything started out like normal, but I soon found out why
everyone says that Indy races are slow. Every time I would look over at the
track, they had stopped running for some reason. Some times I don't think they
had reasons other than not stopping in the last 20 minutes. But, we made it
through the first time trial and were trying to decipher the unusually slow
numbers the bike ran. By the time the second time trials began we believed we
got everything under control and just as Shelly expected it ran a 6.10 at 110.22
MPH. At that point, looking back, we should have quit while we were ahead. As it
came time for first round, the sun was out in full force. Not knowing how the
lane and bike selection worked we planned on being in the right lane because
that was where our successful
trial run came, but that was not to be as we got switched at the last minute to
the left and changed the dial from a 6.09 to a 6.10 as the left lane is
traditionally slower. Seeing the win light in the opponents lane was bad enough
but to look over and see the 6.09 on the board made everyone a little mad.
Everyone calmed down and we packed up quite quick and go on our way home. It had
been a long night and day so everyone took turns driving and sleeping. I got to
drive the rig for about an hour just over the Michigan border. I have never been
so scared of driving in my life, and had so much fun at the same time. I was
having a hard time keeping a straight face and not smiling. Overall it was a
good weekend, as I had never been to Indy before. So it was a good chance to get
my feet wet before bracket finals in September. Oh well, back to the points
series in Chicago. We better be ready because two races in one weekend can make
or break a year, as the first double weekend started the year off with a LARGE
BANG!!!
- 2005 Season
Diary
- 2006 Season Diary
- 2007 Season Diary
- 2008 Season Diary
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