News 2011

Fall Car Show Passes with Fying Colors!


The Wilson's NAPA Auto Parts car was just one of many show stoppers that was on display at the Fall Colors Show at Rock-n-Rogers.

Because of a menacing forecast that had Jim Billings and I twisting and turning beginning on Tuesday, there were questions if the Fall Colors Benefit Car Show was going to take place at all as rain shy exhibitors were justifiably concerned about the weather and their cars. But by Friday night it appeared that there was a likely chance that the rain would hold off until later on Saturday afternoon giving us the chance to squeak the show in between showers. Not only did we squeak it in but it was a success as the Fall Colors Car Show held at Rock-n-Rogers filled their lot to capacity.



We arrived at Rock-n-Rogers around 6 AM to not only set up the show but the dragster too. As soon as we started to unload the trailer it began to rain. Rather than panic and call off the show, we set everything up knowing it can all go back in the trailer if necessary. The rain was light and stopped 15 minutes later.

By 8 AM the first group of cars rolled in and by 10 AM the lot was jammed packed, not only by the cars on display but by spectators too. Everyone wanted to be sure it was not going to get wet before they committed to doing the show. The ladies representing Jan Cline were very impressed with the turn out as we raised over $1,500 for Jan. On top of that, May Trucking raised an additional $600 which brought the total to $2,100. Rick Kokal came to the event to present the check from May Trucking but got their a little to late to do so but we will make sure the check gets in the right hands.



Best of all everyone enjoyed themselves as it was reminiscent of the first show that Jim and I ever put on together a decade ago called Hot Rods for Mason. That show also took place at Rock-n-Rogers. By 1:30 PM light rain started to fall so we moved up the awards to 2PM to accommodate our exhibitors. But that was OK by us as we made about as much money as we were going to make anyway. Even though the rain shortened the event it was a comfortable day and we couldn't have asked for a better turn out.

A big thanks to: Rock-n-Rogers, KYKN, Royal Purple, Dr. Audio, CarQuest, Tom's Trophies, Jim, Cece, Vickie, Susan, Venesa, Russ, the face painters, Dave, Richard, Clayton, Kim and everyone that participated.

 

 

Capitol Car Shined at the Hop and Heritage Festival



The Capitol car was on display at Paul Finister's Hop and Heritage Festival car show on Saturday in downtown Independence. The event was probably the best display we had done all year in terms of a combination of a good show and professionalism on our part as the trailer looked beautiful thanks to a recent buff job by MV Mobile Detail and the recently wrapped canards which were the last piece of the puzzle, thanks to our friends from Supervinyl Signs and Banners who finished them up on Thursday.

The total package looked fabulous and attracted a great crowd as people came by all day including a lot of people we know from other shows and venues. But best of all a lot of young families came by that had never seen a dragster and we were obliged to let the kids sit in the car as well as some adults for picture taking. We had been asked to do this show for three years but there was always a conflict. We were just glad to finally do it and will return next year.

It was just a great day and a big thanks to Richard Lytle for doing another excellent job representing the team and sponsors.

 

 

After the Encore

Lisa Walters has a tri-fecta of three great rock reviews including Def Leppard and Heart, Lynard Skinnard and our friends from UFO whom was recently reviewed here. Check out After the Encore Here

 

Image Actionwear Race Report by Rich Bailey
Rain Wins the Day at Woodburn's Fall Classic

Well, for as hard as we worked it doesn't seem like the Fall Classic was a washout but it sure was. Saturday was off and on light rain and Sunday was just wet. The rain let up and cars reported to the staging lanes and then it just started coming down in buckets. It was a shame too because we had a lot of friends and family come out this weekend from Salem, Bend and Eugene to see us race and instead stood around in the rain.

On Saturday, the Top Comp class got one hit due to the rain and we tried to make the session but we had to fix a surprise leak which involved removing the heads to be sure they were not warped and we didn't have the car ready in time to make the call. The heads were fine and we were able to remedy the problem.

Then the rain came and the class didn't get another qualifying run until Sunday morning. There was also a lengthily oil down during the only Top Comp session which we were blamed for via a vicious rumor that was circulating around both sides of the pits, but the truth is our car never left our pit area on Saturday to cause such a calamity.

On Sunday, the forecast which originally called for rain improved to just a few scattered showers. But, they shouldn't have changed the forecast because it rained hard most of the morning which forced cancellation of the event around the time we had the car ready to go. The good news, if there is any, is that we got the car ready for the final Pacific ProComp race where we are sitting 4th in points, in Redding, California on October 8th. A big thanks to Rick Klampe, Richard Lytle, Mark "the Professor" Asbury and David Cookman for all of their help.

One other bit of good news was that we got the trailer renovated and it looks better than ever. A big thanks to Richard and his pal Keith for doing the breaks and bearings. In addition, our friends at MV Mobile detail buffed out the whole trailer, made a repair and have it looking like new.

 

Dragster a Big Hit at Oregon State Fair



The Capitol Dragster was a big hit at the Oregon State Fair. The car was on display both Saturday and Sunday from opening until 8 PM. There was a steady stream of people of all ages who stopped by to look at the car and as always kids including some adults got to sit in the car. We also handed out pictures, coupons and car show fliers both days.

One touching story happened on Monday was when a gentleman brought his son who was paralyzed from the waste down to come look at the race car. Crew member Richard Lytle along with the boy's father helped the boy into the car. Citing a paralyzed racer he once observed in Medford, Richard told the boy that he can some day be a racer too and told him the example of the paralyzed racer. The boy's dad was seen wiping away the tears after what had just happened. Of the limited things he could do at the fair was to sit in a 200 MPH dragster. That was pretty cool.

In drag racing dreams can come true as we once knew a disabled man named Doc Lavender that was severally disabled build his own race car with the help of some friends. Doc raced the car for several years and even won a race. Doc eventually passed on but his car was displayed in the NHRA Drag Racing Museum for a period of time. Drag racing and the car hobby in greneral is something that can be enjoyed by people of all skill levels and physical abilities.

A special thanks to Richard and Diana for all of their help this weekend as well as Jim Billings and the fair staff for the opportunity to display the car. Everyone was very accommodating and helpful.

See the Capitol Car in Action on You Tube!

Bobby Landsburg sent in this link of the Capitol car making a qualifying pass last year at the Pacific ProComp race. Click Here to see the run

 

Capitol Dragster at the People's Church

The Capitol car was on display at the People's Church on Saturday. It was a great event complete with a car crushing demo at the end of the day. A lot of folks stopped by to get a close look at the digger! Coincidentally, Capitol sponsored the event so we were at the right place!

 

 

A Good Time Had By All at AC Gilbert Discovery Village

The Capitol Auto Group Dragster was at one of Salem's most popular attractions on Friday, the AC Gilbert Discovery Village named after the inventor of the electric train and erector set, who once resided in Salem. The car was on display as part of an event where the kids made their own race cars out of recycled items, balloons and other such practical items.

The dragster was a giant hit with everyone that stopped by. The kids, parents and village staff could not have been nicer, all enjoying the moment. Kids got to sit in the car and even watch a demonstration on how to pack a chute. Autographed cards and coupons to Woodburn Dragstrip were given away. Thanks to Richard Lytle for all of his valuable help.

 

 

The Night of Fire Car Benefit Car Show in Pictures

Click Here to see photos from this year's Night of Fire Benefit Car Show

 

Capitol Team Rebounds by Making it to the Final Round in Medford After Three Day Engine Rebuild Marathon

After discovering a cracked cylinder wall the weekend prior at Woodburn Draqstrip, it was a race against time to get another engine in place for not only the Night of Fire Benefit Car Show but the Pacific ProComp event being held in conjunction with the Nitro Summerfest race in Medford the following day. A plan was put in place to make sure the car was ready in time. And even though not everything went according to plan, the team accomplished the goal of having the car ready for both big events.

After getting the engine to light up at the Night of Fire inside the "Ring of Fire" with well over 1800 people looking on, the team then loaded up the car and headed for Medford the next morning. After making some finishing touches on the tuning at Champion Raceway, the team made its first pass and recorded a 7.50 in 102 degree heat with a corrected altitude of over 4400 feet. Because of an ongoing problem with the car leaning out when the car backs up after the burnout, the team elected to not make the second qualifying session and instead went through the fuel system. The strategy worked as the problem was fixed in time for eliminations.

In the first round, Bailey met up with Butch Stroupe of Fulton California, who won the last PPC event in July. On paper, Stoupe had a one second advantage over Bailey but a transmission problem enabled him to back up after the burnout. Bailey patiently waited for Stroupe at the starting line before it was finally decided to give Bailey the single. Hoping not to go over the centerline or hurt the engine, Bailey made a conservative pass and stopped the clock with a 7.52 at 178 MPH.

In the final round, it would be Bailey taking on Steve LaBurn who traveled all the way from Anaheim California for the event and had beat Ed Wells with a 6.69 to Well's 6.73. Bailey had beat LaBurn last year in Medford and hoped the trend would continue. Between rounds, Bailey's crewchief Rick Klampe decided to hop up the engine by installing a smaller blower pulley which would increase the car's horsepower.

By this time it was dark and the fans along the grassy knoll and in the stands chose to hang around for the final. LaBurn took the left lane and did a conservative burnout in his injected Keith Black powered dragster. Bailey favored the left lane and kept his burnout short as well. At the hit it was Bailey out of the gate first with a .091 to LaBurn's .099. Bailey lead most of the way but LaBurn was able to catch up and pass Bailey right at the stripe. LaBurn recorded a 7.05 at 175 MPH to Bailey's valiant 7.14 at 189 MPH.

Bailey took some time to reflect on what had just happened. "It was a very close race but I saw LaBurn's win light come on so I knew we didn't win. But it was one of the most exciting races I have competed in. It was a major accomplishment to have the car run so well and go to the final round when you consider we didn't even have an engine at the start of the week. Rick Klampe and Richard Lytle worked so hard all week and I'm very grateful for their dedication in making this all possible."

 

Capitol Car Gets Giant Exposure on the Fourth of July

Fresh off a race in Medford, the new look Capitol Auto Group Dragster was towed in front of an approving audience at the Independence Days Parade. This year the weather was as hot as a firecracker which helped attract possibly the biggest crowd ever as thousands of people lined up and down the three mile parade route that started at Western Oregon University and ended up at the Independence Waterfront. The event always serves as a family gathering for members of the race team.

It didn't seem that the absence of the bigger Rocketeer graphic on the side of the dragster had any effect on the interest level of the public as both children and adults approached the car in droves. The new look design got good reviews from nearly everyone that saw it.

After the parade the car was transported straight to the Salem Riverfront for the Salem Riverfront Celebration which included live bands and a carnival capped with a giant fireworks display. The car attracted a steady crowd from the minute the car was unloaded out of the trailer to the end of the fireworks display eight hours later. Like the parade that snaked through Monmouth-Independence, the Salem Riverfront event brought out thousands. It's possible that as many as 50,000 people viewed the car in just one day. It was a great weekend for our team beginning with the race on Saturday and the parade on the 4th. Thanks to our race team including Richard Klampe, Richard Lytle, Kris Cary and Patrick Cary for all of their help through out the holiday weekend.

Rich Bailey's Race Report Sponsored by 1430 KYKN
Results from Pacific ProComp Race in Medford a Mixed Bag

The Night of Fire drag races at Champion Raceway generated a great turn out of fans, perhaps even more than last year's NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional race. While there wasn't a lot of cars entered, there was enough to keep the show going through out the night with few if any moments of down time. It was a great Saturday night style drag race reminiscent of the days when "Jungle Jim" and the "Blue Max" were a part of the drag racing scene and ruled drag strips from coast to coast. I was personally very happy to see such a great turn out of fans.

This weekend we debuted a new-look Capitol car which generated a lot of compliments and once again our trip to Medford was a good time but also a mixed bag. In the first stanza we met up with Garry Fauble in the popular Patriot car. We were looking for some revenge after our last outing and got it with a 7.40 run. In the second stanza, we took on California's Curtis Clevenger. It started out as a great run for us as I had an .004 light to his .088. On the top end I began to skate around as the car was moving around more than I was comfortable with so decided to lift which was uncharacteristic of me. But I guess maturity and experience is beginning to catch up to me. I recorded a 7.58 on that run since I lifted early.

In the elimination rounds we faced Ed Wells. Ed has been running very well lately and so we had to be on our game. Since the right lane was slick, as a result of the earlier pass, I did a very long burnout to get as much traction as I could. As I was backing up the car sounded like it was going lean and then it shut itself off. Meanwhile, the starter gave the nod to Ed to make a single run as we tried to fire back up but it was too late and all we could do watch as Ed sailed to victory. It wouldn't had mattered though as Ed ran a 6.78 which was a much quicker pass than we had run in qualifying and we just don't have that much horsepower.

In the second round we were back in to run against Curtis but regardless of the outcome Curtis would move on to the finals since he won his previous round and we did not. This time around the car shut itself off yet again just after the burnout. This time though the problem didn't take us off guard and the crew got the car plugged in and fired back up just in time to stage against Curtis. On this heat, Curtis had the better light with an 0.09 light and I went red. I tried chasing him down anyway but he got the stripe with a 6.52 to my 7.44.

What was gratifying to me and my team was the cheers and the standing "O" that my crew got when they went down in the truck to pick me up. The fans loved the drama at the starting line and the never say die attitude that we have. This is why we love Medford and will be back again in August for the Nitro Summerfest. As for our problem, we have a good idea of what the fly in the ointment is and we will have it remedied before the event. We will also hop up the blower more but we have to be conservative and not come back with a trailer full of broken parts. This coming weekend will be a car maintenance period where we try to avoid that from happening after a stint at the Marion County Fair on Friday.

Also of note: The Pacific ProComp class was won by Butch Stroupe over Curtis Clevenger. Stroupe ran a 6.60 to Clevenger's 6.52 in a hole shot. Darin Bay became the first driver to break 300 MPH in Medford by posting a 301 MPH blast in his Incinerator Jet Dragster.

 

 

Rose Festival Drags Track Report Presented by Walery's Pizza

Capitol Team Back Into the Sixes after a Two Year Drought

Photo by George Adams www.nortwestdragracing.com

Just as we suspected, we can squarely place the blame for our recent problems on the tires. They just didn't work and it cost us dearly as we couldn't go another race with them on the car. But who would know if you hadn't run them before? So after giving them a fair shot we went back to the Hoosier Tires that we have run in the past and w-o-l-l-a-h they worked! No more pitching blower belts and no more taking the engine to the moon by smoking the tires at the starting line and not getting down the track. Those days are gone.

I've always said that the best prescription when your struggling is a good ET and the "Doctor" Rick Klampe made a house call and delivered an effective cure for acute-tire-smoking-itis as the car improved greatly on every pass. Rick with the help of our good friends Art Mendoza, Garry Fauble and Lawrence "Bozo" Burns got the car running better than it has in two seasons. It was a thrash all weekend but Rick kept everything under control. The crew consisting of Rick Lytle, Patrick Cary and our truck driver Kris Cary worked hard all weekend with minimum breaks other than a few minutes for lunch.

Saturday

The plan was to match race against Garry Fauble in the "Patriot" blown alcohol dragster this weekend. We started the day off with a bye run when Garry couldn't make the call. The car had a respectable tune-up in it and we cut a second off our best and only run this season with a 7.50 at 187 MPH. I was a little disappointed as it sure seemed like a quicker pass but it wasn't. However, the car was showing some promise and we were all happy that we had a base line to work from. The run was dedicated to fan Robert Lansberg (by request) who had just graduated from Lake Oswego High School.

In the second stanza I ended up with a single when Garry experienced some problems and we ran a respectable 7.21 at 191 MPH which was the best run (so far) since the 2009 season. Our best pass last year was a 7.25 in Sonoma during the TEW Pinks event which was a good pass based on our engine combination last season.

On the third pass we ran a single as Garry elected not to run the late session. We made another great pass and improved with a 7.18. The run ended on a scary note as after I deployed the chutes the car began to bounce in the shut down area at 191 MPH! Then it made a noise and I felt the weight of the car shift to the right. Before I could react (and there wasn't much I could do) the car straightened itself out perhaps as a result of some divine intervention. I then turned off the track safely.

Once we got back to the pits the crew noticed that the engine had moved an inch forward and broke both heim joints holding it back. So we had a lot of work to do in the morning if we could find some parts which we did back a the house after doing some parts hunting around the town of Woodburn.

Sunday

On Sunday the game plan was to get to the track early and figure a way to move the engine back and fix the problem. Well, it turns out our 16 year old crew member, Patrick had the most clever idea of all and that was to jack up the engine slightly and roll the car forward an inch. I'll be damned if it didn't work! Then the thrashing really started as we uncovered several problems that needed to be corrected before the first round of the featured cars. By the time we got in the lanes at 12 noon we had a good 15 minutes to relax before our match with "the Patriot". The race between the two blown alcohol dragsters would turn out to be one of the most exciting races of the day!

After both cars backed up from a pair of long smoky burnouts, the cars carefully staged. At the light the Patriot got out of the gate first. I didn't see Garry and assumed that I smoked him off the line when in reality it was I that got smoked! At mid track I began to see him and he managed to past me right at the stripe by a nose. I had the faster time with a 6.95 at 197 MPH to Garry's 6.97 so he beat me on a hole shot. It didn't matter though as we got our first six second run in two years and we gave the fans an exciting side-by-side six second race!

What the fans didn't know was the excitement wasn't over for me as the chutes didn't deploy! As I realized this I flew right past the early turn out and began applying the breaks which caused the car to skip but not as hard as on the previous run. Lucky for me I was able to slow down just in time to make the final turn out. When we got back to the pits there were several people waiting to congratulate us on the great run.

The celebration didn't last but a minute as we had a lot of maintenance to do before the next run. Just as soon as we fixed the car, a surprise rain storm set in and that was the end of the Rose Festival Drags and a great day for our team. While we lost the race we won the battle as we put on a very close side by side six second race proving we can put on a good show. It's taken a while but we're back thanks to my crew, Art Mendoza, Lawerance Burns and the Patriot team. Also, a big thanks to our sponsors, our supporters, everyone at Woodburn Dragstrip, photographers George Adam, Larry and Andi McFarland. And a giant thanks to Clint Thompson for the tires which saved our season!

Capitol Dragster Concludes Science Project at School

Approximately 70 kids went through a science unit at Pringle School in South Salem learning about aerodynamics, momentum, acceleration, friction and other forces. Last Friday, the science project concluded with student racing cars they made utilizing the scientific techniques. Concluding the event was a visit by the Capitol Auto Group Racing Team. The dragster was on display and a presentation was made by driver Rich Bailey. He will briefly discuss many of the subjects covered in class including acceleration of course.

 

 

Capitol Team Make New Friends in Albany

The Capitol Auto Group Dragster is a familiar site in Albany, Oregon. The town of approximately 30,000 is a genuine conservative haven for hot rods. The dragster is displayed there often whether it's at the Stereo Store located at one of the town's busiest intersections, the Winter Rod and Speed Show, the Community College or the NAPA store up the street. This time around we were back hanging out with our good friends at the Stereo Store. There was a steady crowd of people all day as we gave away all of our remaining Woodburn Dragstrip coupons and signed plenty of handout cards. We even fired the car up a couple of times and the car sounds better now than it has so far this year. I'm optimistic that our problems are now behind us.

As usual we made some new friends and fans at the Stereo Store. At the event we pulled the blower off to check a couple of things which was preplanned and then got it ready for the fire up which made the demo more authentic to people that stopped by. Thanks to team members Rick Klampe and Richard Lytle. Richard who? Richard came on board the Capitol team effective immediately but was also with us at the season opener. Also, thanks to Brent Hunter and the Stereo Store staff for making us feel welcome as usual!

Dragster Displayed Inside at Seven Brides Brewery

Well, it's Memorial Day weekend and the weather forecast is looking crappy as usual. Nobody likes to spend the holiday weekend inside unless it's wet and wet it is. Happy Holidays! So, don't let the long holiday weekend go to waste! Head out to Silverton and check out the Seven Brides Brewery located next to Roth's Market on First Street. There will be live bands, wine tasting, brewery tours and demos. The Capitol Auto Group Dragster will be inside the brewery all weekend so go have a beer on us!

The Idiot Inn!
Idaho Man Cited for Keeping 32 Rattlers...in Motel Room!

This is a story you have to read to believe! An Idaho man pleaded gulty for collecting over 32 live rattlesnakes in a room at the Sunset Motel south of Twin Falls Idaho! READ IT HERE!

 

 

Wodburn Season Opener Race Report

It was an interesting Weekend to say the least. On Saturday, my opponent for the weekend, Garry Fauble, had a blower problem similar to our's a few weeks ago when we had a fuel leak from the back of the blower. So, to help Garry out, we had Kris run down to the house in the Mustang to grab a blower plate to hopefully remedy his problem. Unfortunately, it didn't work so in the first stanza we met up with Ed Wells and his new blown alcohol dragster.

Sadly for Ed, he had a problem and was unable to fire so we got a single. The good news is we finally got the car down the track but the ET was a little slow as it ran a 8.50 and 150 MPH. It was a good thing for us that Ed didn't get his car started because on his next hit he ran a 6.65 and 207 MPH! Ed would have cleaned our clock on that run!

Before you laugh at our slow pass, it was intentional. So far this year we have been hammered with gremlins at the starting line which has put that old monkey on our back so the strategy was to take a step back and slow the blower down and see if that's what the combination wanted. Then we could come back and make some adjustments and turn up the wick if that's what it wanted. Well, we came back and took some timing out of it and sped the blower up and leaned her out some. We planned to make another run at 4:00 during the last pro car session. Well, we got in line and were about 10 minutes way from making the pass when the rain started to come down. And that was it for the day.

On Sunday we went the other way and put the smaller pulley on the blower to speed the car up as everyone was hooking up on Woodburn's excellent new track. We also leaned it out but slowed the timing down. Garry kept working feverishly to get his car running but to no avail as he still had issues with his blower so we raced Russ Parker and the Photo Op funny car team instead in the opening round. We both did our burnouts but Russ was forced to shut off so I again got a single. Right of the line I went up in smoke and pitched another blower belt half way down track.

So we went back to the pit and put another belt on and got ready for the next round. Sadly, it began to shower and that ushered out most of the spectators for the day. But we still got a second run late in the day but as we came into the staging lanes the "Rodfather" ProMod was sadly destroyed in a bad top end crash. Lucky the driver was not hurt. So, the racing was delayed for quite some time. Just as soon as the crash was cleaned up it began to rain again so that was it for us and we rolled the car out of line and went back to the pits to load up as it was already 6:30 on a Sunday evening. I'm glad we did as the group of cars we would have ran with didn't get to run until we were completely loaded up ready to go.

Lesson learned from the weekend is the tires we are using are a big part of our problem and we are going back to a Hoosier top alcohol tire before we run again. Thanks to Gary Eickmann for pointing that out! Second, we are going to add a two step to lower the RPM of the converter at the starting line. We also have a little maintenance to do before the next event but nothing too major.

And as Brent reminded me on Facebook, a big giant thanks to my crew this weekend including: Rick, Rich, Mark, Patrick. Kris and Rod. You guys all rocked. And I'll go one step farther and thank our sponsors in no particular order: Capitol, Royal Purple, NGK, Walery's, Image Actionwear, Odyssey Battery, Adam's Rib, KYKN, Salem Geeks, Supervinyl, Competition Printing, Canby Transmission, King Bearings, isagenix, the Stereo Store and MV Mobile Detail for all of your support! I could not be out there without a crew or sponsors.

-Rich Bailey

Photo by George Adams

 

Capitol Auto Group Dragster Displayed at Show Biz

The Capitol Auto Group Dragster was displayed at Show Biz for the tenth straight year. At the booth $5.00 off tickets good for any major event this season were given away courtesy of Woodburn Dragstrip and Capitol Auto Group Racing. The show had a steady stream of traffic as always. Scott Casebeer from Capitol was in attendance as was Mike Adams of Adam's Rib, the KYKN crew and Jared Pearson of Salem Geeks. As always, a good time was had by all. UPS delivered a new batch of cards just in the nick of time. Thanks to Patrick Carey for all of his valuable help and doing a great job representing the race team and a shout out to the "team mom".

 

Capitol Car Displayed and Fired Up at "Bullhorn Frank's" Benefit Car Show at Duffy's Hanger

The Capitol Auto Group Dragster was displayed Saturday at Duffy's Hanger. The show organized by "Bullhorn Frank" was a benefit for the Diabetes Association and the parking lot was completely filled. The Capitol car was fired up a couple of times to the delight of those in attendance.

 

 

Renegade Raceway in Yakima, Washington has been one of my favorite facilities and it still is. The track is now promoted by Derick Snelson and he's doing everything possible to bring back regularly scheduled featured events to a track that was largely forgotten about over the last couple of years. This past weekend was the Season Opener featuring a dozen Pro Comp Cars which we had committed to participate in. With any luck, we would not over power the track like we did in Woodburn and maybe make it to the finals and bring home a few bucks. Some of the racers in attendance included a few of the big funny car hitters like Don and Shane Harder, Greg Howland as well as Ron Richardson in the Rapid Transit car. Representing the dragsters were Craig Wilcox, eventual winner Chris Davis and several others. Five states were represented in the Pro Comp field.

After watching the forecast flipflop at the last minute on Friday from good to bad, we were still committed to go as there was no turning back after working eight hours the day before to get ready for the race. After all "Yakima is the Palm Springs of Washington" at least that's what the sign says as you enter town so it couldn't rain that much or could it?

We left Salem on Friday morning hoping that we could arrive soon enough to get a test pass in on Friday night to be sure everything was correct. Once we entered the Columbia River Gorge on I-84 just east of Portland, the truck felt like it lost a back tire, then two tires! I got off of the road and up close to the guardrail and then surveyed the damage. At first glance, it looked like our weekend might be spent in Portland instead of Yakima. I called my insurance agent to see how far our towing insurance was covered to and it was only to Gresham! Not knowing a shop to call on a Friday afternoon he suggested we take the rig to Les Schwab. I know Les Schwab is good but can they fix a truck at 3 PM on a Friday afternoon with the damage largely unknown?

After calling Speed's Towing they brought out two two trucks to tow the truck and trailer into town. Once it was transported and unhooked the folks at Les Schwab got right on it. Meanwhile, Rick, Patrick, Kris and myself got some dinner and food for the weekend since it appeared that our problem was fixable. We ended up lucking out as the damage was limited to some broken studs. The hub, brakes and axel survived the wrath of the trailer weight but the wheels were not so lucky. There was a lot of damage to the fender but after fixing the the other side, I've become an expert at fiberglass work.

At 6PM we were back on the highway and the truck towed the trailer like a dream. However, it started to rain hard all the way to Yakima and that test and tune session had rained out. We went to the motel and cheked in. The next morning it was raining again at the motel but not at the track. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was windy and the later it got in the day the colder it had become.

At 6 PM we made the first pass and just like nearly everyone else in the Pro Comp field, I smoked and shuttered the tires bad. As a result, I pitched a belt right off of the starting line. The trouble was I had a new blower belt but it was waiting on my doorstep when I get home. I had just ordered it but had none at the track so I had to lick my wounds again and buy yet another one from Craig Wilcox.

Top Fuel racer Dean Alexander and his friend Ross, who spent a number of years working for John Force, helped us realign and change the belt. The belt also took out a hose which had to be replaced. Once all that was done and we fired up the car, we made it up to the line for the next session. I did my burnout and then as I moved forward I noticed a mechanical problem that was beyond anyone's control so I shut it off. It was demoralizing after the effort we all put in but we all kept our composure and kept our spirits high as we will race another day.

The crew was great. This was Rick's first outing as the crew chief and he did an excellent job. He's very professional and is the perfect choice for the team. Also, both Rick and I are very impressed at how well Patrick did as it was just the three of us along with Patrick's mom. For those that don't know Patrick is a 16 year old McNary student who started helping us last year at local events and he has come along way in a short time. I'd like to thank everyone for doing a super job.

-Rich Bailey

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Cap Racing's First Annual Online Swap Meet 5 inch snout will fit most competition blowers including Mooneyham or Littlefield. $290.00 Blower restraint that has one year left on it before needing to be re-certified. The hole fits a bird opening. In great shape. $150.00 2 inch high spacer plate that also works as an adapter between a bird size opening on a blower and a larger buzzard size opening. $85.00 Mag base for a pro mag 12. Standard deck BB Chevy $190.00 BTE hardened input shaft $200.00 RCI transmission blanket (out of cert) $25.00 Thanks for looking! Call Rich Bailey 503-370-9164 for more info or contact me here

 

Introducing Our New Crew Chief Rick Klampe

Effective immediately Rick Klampe is the new the crew chief of the Capitol Auto Group Dragster. Rick brings a rich background of drag racing experience and knowledge to the race team and is a class act both on and off the track. Simply put, I don't think we could have found any one better to replace our current chief, Brent Sanford than Rick. Brent is leaving the team for employment reasons but It should be noted that Brent will stay involved with Capitol Auto Group Racing if and when time permits.

There's no question that Rick will be a great representative for all of our marketing partners as he conducts himself as a true professional that shares the same passion for the sport of drag racing that the rest of the team does. Rick has his own dragster and is one of those rare individuals that can pretty much do it all mechanically. Rick is not only a driven competitor but is also someone that is enjoyable to be around and communicates well which is important to the overall success of the team.

The timing was right when I made the call to see if Rick was available as he was looking to stay involved in the sport after parking his own race car this year for economic reasons. Finding someone with Rick's credentials and dedication to the sport this close to the start of the season is not only a big relief to me personally but it also gives me optimism that we're in for a great season.

Rick lives in Bend but will commute over to the valley on race weekends. Rick is married and has three daughters, Misten, Nichole who have been involved with his racing program and his youngest daughter, Cori who is still in college. Speaking of family, Rick's uncle is Nyles Klampe, an NHRA Competition Eliminator Champion who coincidently was the first racer that I started helping as a kid. The addition of Rick Klampe to our team brings me full circle.


-Rich Bailey

 

 

An Easy Money Saving Solution to Keep Driving Our Big Cars and Trucks in the era of $4.00 to $5.00 per Gallon Gas

Now that we are in the era of the Obama Adminnistration, we were sure that 4.00 to 5.00 per gallon of gas was going to come at some point and here we are after two years of reasonable prices. Of course, speculators are mainly to blame based on world events but Obama hasn't helped things with his continued no drill policy. Below is a story we ran two years ago about a cost effective way to increase milage while reducing emmissions to zero.

This is controvercial as some don't believe it works. However, since this story was run, we know of two people that made these conversions and in both cases they learned how to do it from other family members who had already tried it and were successful. In both cases the people that have tried this that we talked to swore that it actually improved their gas milage by 30 percent. Below is the reprint of the original story with a few edits:

While I recycle and try to do my part, I only believe in sensible environmentalism. And as I have said before: if you could find a way to put a gallon of water, a quart of urine and a t-spoon of vanilla extract in the fuel tank without much effort then I'd give up on my criticism and cynical views of modern day environmentalism and carbon foot print. While I like many today question global warming, the day may have come where a little water will solve both our emission problems while giving us all better fuel economy. And all in the nick of time too when you consider the new draconian EPA regulations and an the continued threat of an unneeded climate bill which is sure to be a big burden to our economy and back pocket.



Believe it or not, this Ford Fairlane reportedly gets 35 Miles to the gallon!

Whie doing a car show in Spokane for Royal Purple at a NAPA Store, I discovered that you can now have you cake and eat it too. Let me explain. At the NAPA event there was a hybrid car on display, not a Toyota Prius but a beat up looking aqua colored 1974 Ford Fairlaine! The car's owner, a nice gentleman by the name of Ernie told me he went from getting 8 miles to the gallon that his big block Ford was producing to over 35 MPG by converting the Fairlane into a hybrid.

Ernie, who lives in Montana also told me that he often drives at over 80 MPH which is the norm over there with the big wide open spaces of Montana. On top of that, the Fairlane now has more power and zero emissions other than a little steam out of the tail pipe! And I will say that tail pipe looked pretty clean. Wow! what will the Sierra Club find to complain about now?


This is all it takes to produce the hydrogen that goes right to the air induction that mixes with oxygen!

So how does it work? In a nut shell, a "bubbler" and a small water tank actually produces hydrogen as you drive your car. The hydrogen produces a gas called HHO or Brown's gas. The HHO is then fed into the car's induction system and then burns the car's entire fuel much more efficiently. This gives the car more power and you are not consuming nearly as much fuel since there is no waste as all of the fuel is now being consumed. Normally a percentage of fuel never gets burned. So, only steam remains as all of the carbon is burned before it goes out to the tail pipe.

These hydrogen hybrids are safe and much cheaper then the $10,000 complete hydrogen car conversions which use only hydrogen and no gasoline at all. The gasoline-hydrogen hybrid is the most economical and burden free alternative which is virtually maintenance free other than pouring in some destilled water from time to time. Currently you can buy the plans or complete kits on the internet using the keyword Hydrogen Hybrid. If you buy the plans, all of the parts you need to make them can be bought at an Ace Hardware store or at a big box store like Lowes for less that $100.00.

The only hang up seems to be sensors that automatically richens or leans the engine. Since the HHO is able to burn all the fuel, the sensors may richen the engine making the whole thing a wash which is why these kits work better for older cars that don't have sensors. However some say there is a way to get around the sensors and one company is making a sensor to get around that.

It's hard to believe the manufactures and politicians don't jump on this as an alternative energy source. The problem is that no matter what we do to improve the environment most of the foes that want a climate bill would never settle for driving cars with zero emissions if its not a vehicle that they approve of like a truck or an SUV unless it's for them to drive a good examle of this was Al Gore's treck on US 26 between Portland and Cannon Beach where he was pulled over for speeding in a Lincoln Town Car! To these folks environmentalism is about the accumulation of power, personal welth and punitive punishment by those pushing these initiatives and not solving the problem if one even exists in the first place.

For more information I recommend doing a google search on hydrogen hybrids. There are plenty of pages to explore both pro and con.


Concert News: Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger to Play Together in Portland this Fall at the Rose Garden

Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger will be playing together at the Rose Garden on October 19. Journey is touring in support of their new CD titled Eclipse. Lets hope it's as good as their last record Revelation. And anyone who thinks Foreigner is washed up should guess again. Front man Kelly Hanson has done a great job as a replacement for Lou Gramm, and their latest work as a band (I can't slow down) is outstanding and better than anything they have put out in a long time. Just because a band has some different members doesn't mean they are no longer as good as the original. The Rolling Stones ran out of original members in the sixties.

Also, Journey Drummer Deen Castronovo will be playing with his own band JFK at the Keizer Fest in May. Kicking off the summer concert season is Brian Adams who will be playing in Salem at the Elsinore Theatre on April 13. Def Leppard and Heart will also be making a stop in the Rose City on September 14. So far no shows have been announced for the Oregon Garden.

 

Tommy Johnson's Survival Book on Cancer

Tommy Johnson sr. standing next to his camaro brcket car that he still races today.

I've known who Tommy Johnson Sr. is since the 80's when I was a regular reader of "Tommy's BS" that he included in his racing parts ads in National Dragster. I even bought my first fire suit directly from him. Now, Tommy's BS has evolved into something more serious: CANCER. If cancer isn't already at the top of your worst fears list it should be. We all have had loved ones die from this horrid disease that never seems to slow down.

As a result, there have been a lot of false claims about cures for cancer and sadly the internet is filled with a lot of quackery, mostly from people we have never heard of. Most of the people who go to this site knows who Tommy Johnson Sr is, or know of his son, funny car and top fuel racer Tommy Johnson Jr. Consequently, he holds much more credibility than others do simply because he's a real person we all know, not someone made up by a supermarket tabloid.

Tommy was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was expected to live just a few short months. That was ten years ago. Then he ran into someone that suggested he try some alternative remedies that did indeed work and he's around today to prove that. In fact, his "terminal" cancer is well documented.

As a result of questioning by others who heard about Tommy's success with cancer, Tommy wrote a book on his ordeal which documents the substances, mainly vitamin B17, that he regularly takes which has kept his cancer in check. The book is tailored to a racer's lifestyle and even include suggestions on some of the things to avoid such as red meat and solvents although I'd add cigarettes and alcohol to that list. However, you don't have to be a racer to follow the book. If anything the racing makes the book much more interesting.

This book is short and sweet and a must to keep around when the time comes and you need it. Or, pass it on to a friend or relative battling the disease. I got my copy two days after I ordered it for only $25.00 including shipping and it was even signed by Mr. Johnson himself. I posted this story as a service to our readers so you are aware this survival book is out there. It could save your life!

To order the Cancer book go to: www.cancerbook-tj.com

-Rich Bailey

Tommy Johnson Responds!
Wow! Thanks so much. I wrote it "from the heart" and as true as I know how to write it. I didn't do it for the money, it hasn't made money yet, I wrote it to help others with that terrible disease. Again "thanks". Tommy Sr.

 

Yes, it was on One Hell of a Run...

While on the subject of Tommy Johnson, here's a shot of his son Tommy Johnson Jr. making a spectacular pass at the NHRA Finals in Pomona. Notice the flex in the chassis and the intense flames!




Remembering Northwest Top Fuel Legend Ernie Hall

By David Cookman
I first met Ernie Hall when we moved to Cornelius Oregon in 1972. I was in 1st grade. My dad told me our new neighbor had a race car and I thought "cool". Ernie was helping my dad work on his Ford Bronco (Ernie had one too) and I tagged along. We went down to Western States Fire Apparatus (Ernie and his family owned it) and that is where he kept his Top Fuel dragster. He told me about it and explained a few things about car. I thought it was cool that he would take the time with a kid. Next time he was working on the car, he invited me and my dad down to see him start it up. I was in love!! The sound and smell of a Top Fuel car was awesome!

After that day all I wanted to do was drive a Top Fuel Dragster. I got to see him race that next summer at Portland International Raceway, and if there were any questions about my chosen sport, They were gone. That summer I saw my first funny car make a run, Twig Zeiglers Pizza Haven car, and Ernie introduced me to him after the event. Ernie introduced me to many drivers over the years, but Twig was still my favorite.

I think my favorite memory was at a race in Portland. I got to ride in the truck, and that is when they still push started them. It was the final round and Ernie was racing Jerry Ruth. When it went green, Jerry was gone and Ernie had a oil fire and just spun. He was upset, but he handled it so well. He was a man of integrity and class. I watched him help so many racers over the years, and away from the track he was the same kind of person.

Ernie and my dad were close, both our families were. Birthdays, anniversaries, get together's, and such were common. He was also a big practical joker. I remember opening our front curtains one day (I think it was my dads birthday) Happy Birthday John was written on the window, and out tree was covered in hangers. Another time they frosted a cereal box, and a sponge(so it looked like a cut piece of cake) and brought it over for a birthday. Try to eat that. I could tell many more, but I don't have that much room.

Ernie was Fire Chief for Cornelius for many years, and he had many interests. I remember he taught himself to play the banjo, and was very good at it. He was a great fabricator, and he made many things that you could not find. The woodstove in our house growing up was built by him and my dad. (it was set up to heat our water, and heat the house like a furnace) and I still cook on an aluminum griddle he had made, when I go camping. I could fill pages with memories, but I will end with this one. My parents used to go to Bakersfield and Pomona occasionally with Ernie and Carlee. Ernie had the trips planned out with no stops except for fuel. That is when you got something to drink, and bathroom breaks. My mom did not do so good with that one.

Pulling out a few memories of a family that were such a large part of my life for so many years is not easy. The Hall family are great friends, and I care about all of them. Ernie's example with Racers for Christ influenced me, and now serving as a Chaplain with Racers for Christ, I want to say thank you for your example, and you visible walk with God. It made a difference in my life.

Editors Note: Ernie Hall raced in Top Fuel until suffering a fatal heart attack at the 1989 Northwest Nationals. His car today is in a private car collection in his home town of Cornelius, Oregon. David Cookman is a Racers For Christ Chaplain and an ET Bracket Racer

The Blue Moon is Back this Summer!

Jim Billings is back at the popular Blue Moon for another great summer of cruising fun! This year's dates include: June 4th - June 18th - July 9th - July 16th - Aug 6th - Aug 20th - Last one Sept 3rd. In addition Jim will be promoting a car show at Oregon State Fair along with his gig at the Night of Fire. The Blue Moon is located on the Chemeketa College campus on Lancaster Drive just north of Silverton Road in Salem. This is a great venue and can hold a lot of cars. The food is good too.

 

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Shields Wins NHRA Winternationals Convincingly

POMONA CA - Duane Shields of Las Vegas won the 51st annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline, beating Don St. Arnaud of Edmonton in the final round on Sunday, February 27. Shields ran consistently well throughout the weekend and qualified his A/Fuel Dragster in the pole position of the Top Alcohol Dragster class. The historic event was even more special as it celebrated NHRA's 60th year.

After winning one of drag racing’s most prestigious events, it would appear that the win capped a great week for Duane Shields. But away from the track it was a difficult week as one of his close friends, Laurie Nason has been in a Las Vegas area hospital fighting for her life. And to start the week, Shields attended the funeral of his 20 year old nephew. “It’s been a very trying week for me personally” Shields said.

Shields qualified fifth with a respectable 5.36 in the opening round on Thursday. With the qualifying schedule up in the air due to inclement weather on Saturday, Shields left Pomona for much of the day. “I flew from Ontario to Las Vegas to visit Laurie in the hospital and then I got back to Pomona just in time for the final round of qualifying where we qualified number one” Shield recalled. Shields took the pole position with a sizzling 5.23 at 271 MPH.

On Sunday, Shields got a bye run in the first round but still made the most of it with another great pass, posting a 5.25 at 272 MPH. In the second round, Shields faced Kyle Rizzoli who got out of the gate first with a 0.050 to Shields’ 0.071. Shields was able to overcome the starting line deficit as he charged past Rizzoli before half track scoring the fastest run of the event with another 5.25 at 275 MPH to Rizzoli’s 5.34 at 271 MPH. “I knew Rizzoli was going to be tough as he has a lot sportsman racing experience and is good at the starting line” Shields said.

The competition didn't get any easier in the semi finals as Shields took on Shawn Cowie who was also in “the zone” and had posted a 5.24 in the opening round and a 5.26 in the prior round. At the hit, Cowie went red which gave the win to Shields. Shields continued to show consistency with a 5.28 at 268 MPH pass while Cowie recorded a 5.25 at 261 MPH run to prove that it would have been a close race. “We got real lucky and got a break as Cowie had a very good run” Shields explained.

In the final round, Shields would battle first time finalist, Don St. Arnaud from Edmonton. “I get a little nervous facing a first time finalist because I’ve made many of them first time winners over the years” Shields said. Shields was also a little nervous about the track conditions. “It was getting cooler by the minute and they didn't run any cars for about twenty minutes prior to the finals in the Top Alcohol classes, but NHRA did a good job prepping the track and had jet track driers heating the track" said Shields.

The final round was another dandy as Shields made a fourth straight run during eliminations in the 5.20 range. As the light went green it was St. Arnaud off the line first with a 0.050 to Shields’ 0.078 but that was as much of a lead as St. Arnaud would get as Shields blew by him 300 feet into the run and never looked back to score the Winternationals victory. Shields recorded a 5.27 at 274 MPH over St. Arnaud’s 5.38 at 268 MPH. “St. Arnaud ran well. He has some former members from the Lucas team helping him. There were no easy match ups today as every round was tough. The field has tightened up and the racing will be very close all year” Shields predicted.

Shields thanked his crew for turning the car around in some very tight time frames, sometimes less than an hour. He then made a special dedication to his hospitalized friend, “I am dedicating this win to Laurie Nason. I have been her cancer coach for eleven years” Shields said.

Along with his crew, Shields thanked his sponsors Hussey Copper and NGK Spark Plugs.

 

THUNDER IN THE PIPES: Part #6
The Chance of a Life Time: Crewing on the Northwind

By Jim Rockstad

At the time, I felt like I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Working on and traveling with the Northwind top fuel dragster. Most of my life, so far, was about being around hot cars and all of a sudden I’m on the Northwind Racing Team. Is this for real?

In the spring of 1965, the car was ready to go and the plans for the tour were going together. Throughout that spring and summer we went to Bakersfield, Puyallup, Pacific Raceways (SIR), Woodburn, Arlington and several other race tracks on the west coast. I was eating, sleeping and drinking drag racing 24 hours a day! I just couldn’t consume enough of the sport.

At the time, I couldn’t think of a better place to be than where I was at 22 years old. Certainly, as I look back now, some additional schooling would have been a better place for me to be but as you will see in future parts of this story it will all work out in a fine fashion.

I was working in my passion….how could anybody do better than that?

There were definite problems with this new Fuller-designed fuel dragster. The magicar
design which meant the motor and rear end were mounted on a sub-frame allowing some
downward force from the motor torque for traction. The Fuller-design was a new
approach to gaining traction which was well before the slipping clutch approach and it
made a lot of sense on paper. The handling of the car always seemed to be a huge
question mark and in a sport where consistency is so important, it caused a lot of
frustration.

Finally, the magicar sub frame was removed and the car was turned into a conventional
car after many ill handling runs early that year.

Later that summer, as the ill handling continued at times, it was thought the extra long
draglink that was needed was causing a lot of the problems as it would bounce up and
down as the car would accelerate down the quarter mile. Several runs where made at
Riverside Raceway while observers stood on the bridge over the top of the drag strip
to confirm or deny the problem. The ill handling only happened some of the times, not
every run. To this very day nobody really knows why the car would handle sometimes
just fine and in other runs it would get wild and somewhat squirely.

Whatever the problem was there needed to be a fix right away.

Early in the racing season of 1965 Dave Jeffers drove the gold car. He lived in California
and the cost of bringing him to the Northwest was substantial for the team budget. Many
of the races were in the Northwest and it was just too costly to fly him back and forth.
From the very first run on the car at over 200 miles per hour at Lions Drag Strip and then
at Bakersfield in March Jeffers showed the potential of the Albrich-tuned Northwind.

Qualifying 19th for the 64 car field at 7:85 the Northwind out-qualified some of the best
in the field. Don Prudhomme was #20; Chris Karamensines was #29; Art Malone #45;
Connie Swingle #50; Jeep Hampshire #53 and Kenny Safford #60. Some of the “big
guns” didn’t even make the field as there was 125 top fuel cars at that event……that’s
right, one hundred and twenty five cars!

It was a dream for me to even be there.

Mike Snively with Ed Pink power beat the Northwind and went on to win the event.

Although Ed McCulloch didn’t want to return to driving, after crashing his Chevy
dragster the year prior, but he decided to give it a try in the Northwest. In the spring of
1965 was when Ed started driving the car full time and he was a natural. Although a lot
of the early runs made by the car in 1965 were sketchy to speeds and elapsed times, the
one that really stands out was in May of that year at Woodburn Drag Strip. The Jim
Albrich-tuned Chrysler ran 206.88 mph which encouraged track operator Al Beachell to
make a very important telephone call That speed mark was one of the fastest in
the country, at that time, and so Beachell called Pete Robinson in Georgia. Bring him
on!!

 

 

Darrell Gwynn: a True Sports Hero Yesterday and Today

Arguably, Darrell Gywnn was one of the greatest drivers in drag racing history. He competed in Top Fuel in the greatest era of drag racing battling the likes of Don Garlits, Shirley Muldoney, Joe Amato, and the late Gary Ormsby for NHRA Championships and won a lot of races along the way. Then in 1990, Gwynn had a very bad crash in England during an exhibiton race that he was unable to walk away from. As a result of his injuries, he was paralyzed and lost an arm. Drag racing's favorite son would never race again.

Since then, Gywnn has never slowed down and took the role of a car owner. In fact, it was Gywnn who landed the landmark New York Yankees sponsorship from the Stienbrenner family as well as a sponsorship from La Victoria Salsa. At that time Mike Dunn was handling the driving chores.

Rather than giving up on life after his accident, Gwynn became a winner larger than life off the track as he launched the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, dedicated to the cure of paralysis. Gwynn is active in fund-raising and educational programs. The foundation's Quality of Life initiatives include programs such as a national wheelchair giveaway to financially underprivileged paralysis victims.

Durring the recent Barrett Jackson Auction which was televised on the Speed Channel, a beautifully restored replica of Darrell Gwynn's Coors Extra Gold Top Fuel Dragster was auctioned off. The dragster was sold to a collector in Phoenix for $200,000, the car was then donated back to the foundation. The car was then auctioned off a second time and then a third time raising over $400,000 to the Darrell Gwynn foundation.

Gwynn's driving suit and helmet was also included with the car. Also during the auction, Gywnn presented a $30,000 wheelchair to a young boy who now gained some freedom thanks to the foundation.

Darryl Gwynn's path in life proves God can use any event no matter how tragic to his glory. Darryl Gywnn is not just a hero in drag racing, but an Amerivcan hero in all of sports. He is a true sports figure that everyone should admire and follow his lead. To learn more about Darrell go to his web site here

 

Memories of that First Pro Comp Race in Yakima

After ranting about bringing back the Pro Comp class at the end of 2007 on this web site, one guy out there read my rant and took me up on the idea. Derek Snelson leased the YakIma track and promoted that first ever Pro Comp race in the modern era of drag racing (at least that we know of under the name Pro Comp). When Derek called with the news i was very excited until I learned of the date: July 4-5.

It so happens that we have an unspoken agreement with our sponsor Capitol Auto Group to participate in the annual Western Days parade held on July 4th, in the same way we have an unspoken agreement to participate in the annual Christmas Parade. After learning how important the Christmas Parade was to Capitol the year I didn't do it, I knew that I better not miss the Western Days Parade even if I had to miss the race!

So what were we to do but be in two places at once? The plan was to get to the parade early in order to be in the front of the line and stage the trailer at the end of the route so we could quickly load up and haul ass to Yakima just as soon as we got through the parade! The plan was executed perfectly. Once we got the car in the trailer we picked up Ken Logan and got out of Dodge.

Four hours later, we pull into Renegade Raceway with about 30 minutes before the first round of qualifying. We pull in right behind the stands and immediately draw a crowd as we unload the car which was something that has never happened before at a race. Brent was on is game and we had the car in the air and fired up in minutes. Once the car was warmed up we got the car into the lanes and ready for qualifying. In the first round we raced the Village Transmission car and i let up early not knowing what to expect from the track. In the next round I gave it a full pull and qualified fourth to end the evening.

On Saturday, we did some servicing on the car prior to the first round as racing didn't start until late in the day. The format was a round robin progam where everyone got one more pass and then the fastest two car came back for the final round. It was do or die and we went out and gave it our all and improved to the third position which was obviously still not enough to earn a spot in the final round. Greg Howland and Shane Harder would go on to the final round, or so I thought.

While we were disappointed, we knew that's racing and we were ready to pack it in until Derek came by our pit with an offer to give us one more shot to make it into the final round. While I wanted to take Derek up on his offer, I declined as I considered it moving the goal posts in the middle of the game for those that had already made it into the finals. Minutes later Don Harter, one of the racers in the final round came over to our pit and gave us the "green light" to knock his team off and get into the final round. I explained to him that i didn't think it would be fair to get another chance. Don then talked me into it. "There are a lot of spectators here that paid to see a good show. We need some more blown cars to make another run between now and the final round. Don't worry about us do it for the fans" Don said. That was all it took and I agreed to do it.

We went out there under the lights trying to knock Harder off but we came 200th of a second short and Harder was back in the final round where his team would lose a close race to Greg Howland. I came away with a lot of respect for the Harder team which i still have to this day, They were willing to take the bullet just so the fans would get there money's worth and see some more action. it was a great event that I'll never forget and it was the re-birth of Pro Comp and the shape of things to come.

Snelson Named Track Manager
Renegade Raceway to Host Two Pro Comp Events

Three years ago jet car racer and promoter Derek Snelson took over Renegade Raceway for one weekend and promoted the first ever Pro Comp race in the west and perhaps the entire country since NHRA ended the popular class in 1981 and split up the dragsters and funny cars putting them into their own classes. In 2011, Snelson returns to Renegade, only now he's the track's new manager, who will put his promotion skills to work along with the lessons he learned the first time around when he promoted that successful first race in July of 2008.

Snelson is excited about taking over the management of the Yakima, Washington track and plans to take small steps in gradually improving the facility. "The first year we plan to focus on getting the starting line into shape and then we'll go from there" Snelson said.

Snelson's first responsibility is to his local racers and promises a strong Summit Bracket Racing Series. "Everyone who races at Yakima is treated good and we will continue that. It won't matter if they race a 13 second Pinto or a 6 second dragster, everyone is treated the same" Snelson said.

Next in line is an aggressive spectator oriented program that will bring professional style drag racing back to Renegade throughout the 2011 season. "We need some noise makers. We will be running our jet car out there and will even run some nitro funny cars at selected events and are planning a special Wednesday night race in August. But what we're really excited about is having both Pro Comp and Pro Mods return to Renegade" Snelson said.

There will be two Pro Comp races in 2011 that will bookend the season. The first race will be an open 8 car show planned for the Season Opener, May 6-8. The second event will end the season with the Washington State Championships, October 13-14. "We were the first track to have a Pro Comp race which worked out well and I want to build on that success" Snelson said.

For the season opener, Friday will be an optional test and tune with the big show on Saturday night when blown alcohol funny cars and dragsters will compete head-to-head. On Sunday, will be a Summit race for bracket cars only. Pro Comp competitors will be given free car entry, free crew entry and camping. The Pro Comp winner will receive $1,000.00 with the runner-up taking home 500.00. In addition, non-finalists will receive round money based on performance. There will also be special awards including a long distance award and a best appearing crew award. According to Snelson, the Pro Comp cars will run on the eighth mile only while the brackets will compete on the full quartermile.

 

Capitol is Back with a Brand New Look!

A brand new look is coming to the Capitol Auto Group Racing Team this spring after nearly four years with the current design. While the car still looks good as is, it was time for a change to coincide with Capitol Auto Group's new logo and Capitol's re-location to the Salem Parkway.

Groundbreaking took place this past fall and construction on the new complex has been going non-stop ever since. The new location will house Toyota, Scion, Subaru and eventually their GM brands, Chevrolet and Cadillac. Just prior to groundbreaking part of the property was used by ABC's Extreme Home Makeover Show during filming of the Oregon School for the Deaf building project, which is located near by.

The new design looks similar to past Capitol cars from the top but features a fireworks display which symbolizes encouragement for those stricken with cancer as part of the team's involvement with the Children's Cancer Association. On the sides, shades of blue fade to white with flames serving as a light but dynamic background.

"It was a difficult decision to make the change from the current design as the Rocketeer character was a big draw for kids and young car-buying families. But, after several seasons it was time to come up with a fresh new look to keep up with all of the exciting changes happening at Capitol Auto Group" said Rich Bailey, the driver and owner of the car.

The vinyl wrap will be applied by Mark Adams of Supervinyl Signs. And the good news for Rocketeer fans is that the Rocketeer will be riding on the nose of the car and under the vinyl and can be back for another appearance sometime in the future with the help of a heat gun, but Bailey plans for the new design to stay around for a while. The wrap is expected to be applied in March.

The Surprising Story Behind the Rocketeer

Jon Rowley, second from the left was the original owner of the Rocketeer. The car above, the Retro-Rocket is his latest creation and has a few of the tricks the Rocketeer has.

By Rich Bailey
While at the California Hot Rod Reunion in 2009, at Bakersfield there was a front engine dragster with a rocket theme called the "Retro-Rocket". I walked over to the car while it was sitting in the staging lanes and introduced myself and told the owner, Jon Rowley, that I owned the Rocketeer Dragster which was a cousin to his car. Coincidentally, I didn't know this when I approached Mr. Rowley and his crew, but he was the original owner and designer of the Rocketeer Dragster that I now own. Being that he is the original owner of the unique machine, I fixed him up with a t-shirt and a handout card so he could see that the Rocketeer legend has lived on and he seemed to be impressed with the current treatment of the car.

After spending some time with the Retro-Rocket team I mentioned something about the Rocketeer car being built after the Disney themed movie made in the late 1990's. Well, it turned out that the car wasn't built after the popular Disney movie after all, which was what we had been told by the second owner who sold the car to us. Please read on.



The Rocketeer Dragster was originally built as a tribute for a young junior dragster racer in Arizona that was dying from cancer. The boy loved the Rocketeer character from comic books so when Mr Rowley had the dragster built he designed with unique body panels and features such as the wild paint job in honor of the boy's interest. And when the boy eventually past away, a small replica of the Rocketeer car was placed in the boy's casket. When we purchased the Rocketeer we noticed some lettering on the car that said "Raymond Rides". We never figured out what that meant until now. Raymond was the name of the boy that had died.

Many of you know our dedication and fund raising for kids with cancer so it seems like it was meant to be that we ended up with the Rocketeer Dragster. The car was for sale as I wanted to go with a funny car but not any more. I can't sell it now nor do I want too. The Rocketeer will always be a part of our team even if the character takes a vacation from the side ot the dragster for a while.


Besides the Rocketeer Dragster, there is a Rocketeer Funny Car based in California Driven by Alex Barrett and freinds of the Rocketeer Dragster team.

Capracing.com Welcomes American Muscle, First Exclusive Internet Advertiser

capracing.com welcomes it's first ever exclusive internet advertiser, American Muscle. American Muscle sells restoration parts and new accessories to spruce up that new or old Mustang of yours online at www.americanmuscle.com.

"We are extremely proud to have American Muscle, a first class company advertising on our website. In fact, I shopped on their site a few months ago and will be sprucing up my own Mustang using their specialty parts" Rich Bailey said. Accessories can be purchased pre-painted and their selection of parts is endless. American Muscle is also a big mover of Royal Purple Synthetic Oil. a long time sponsor of Cap Racing.

Besides selling parts, they have all kinds of features on their site including how to tips, tech articles and even a project car section that features a car similar to Bailey's, a 2005 Legend Lime V6. "My Mustang will look a little different but will be fairly similar to there's once it's done" said Bailey. Bailey's Mustang was purchased at Capitol Toyota two years ago and still looks like new.

NGK Renews Marketing Program for 2011

Rich Bailey and Capitol Auto Group Racing welcomes back NGK Spark Plugs as a product sponsor in 2011. Bailey has been using NGK Spark Plugs exclusively since he began his racing career 14 years ago. "I remember driving down to the local GI Joe's store and buying the exact plug that Gary Eickmann would recommend and they had it! It is one of those rare racing products you can get most anywhere. Sadly, GI Joe's is a thing of the past but lucky for all of the blown alcohol racers, NGK is still going strong" Bailey said.

NGK is a high quality plug and the choice of most blown alcohol teams across the country. The plugs are always close to the correct gap thickness right out of the box and the porcelain rarely cracks under the extreme conditions of blown alcohol racing which makes them a favorite of the top teams including A/Fuel Dragster standout Duane Shields.

NGK Spark Pugs can be bought at auto parts stores everywhere including Knechts, Stuarts, Baxter's and Performance in Salem.

NGK also has an off the hook website devoted to racing known as "Art of fast" which Bailey is a featured racer on. Go to http://www.artoffast.com/ to check it out

Capracing.com Tops One Million Hits Again!

Once again, www.capracing.com topped over one million hits for the year according to Awestats, the gold standard for tracking such information. In fact, this was our best year yet in terms of visitors. A special thanks to everyone who comes here. It's for you regular readers that I try to keep the site updated as often as possible and occasionally I'll even break a story or too.

In 2011, capracing will continue to keep you posted on the ups and downs of the Capitol race team and some added news and opinions from around the sport including stories from Jim Rockstad, the former president of Seattle International Raceway. We'll also throw in and a BS story or two on slow news days just to keep things unpredictable. One million hits, not bad for a little race team from Salem, Oregon.

 

Top Eliminator West Renamed Pacific ProComp

Beginning it 2011, Top Eliminator West will be renamed Pacific ProComp. "When I would talk to people about Top Eliminator West they would almost always say “that’s just like the old Pro Comp class that would run dragsters and funny cars together.” So after great consideration I will be changing the name to Pacific ProComp. I think that people will identify with the class more readily, because we do run any car (rear engine dragsters, front engine dragsters, funny cars, pro mods, alterds, Etc.) with any engine combination" explained association president Curtis Clevenger.

In addition to the name, there will be other changes made in the off-season including raising the index to 6.60 and make it an all run class. "The index change will save parts, draw more cars and still be a crowd-pleasing show. There will be a bigger turn out of cars in the 6.60-6.90 range and more cars will show up to compete if they know that they are going to make first round. We will still make qualifying exciting with incentives for the top qualifier" Clevenger said.

Also, all electronics on the throttle after the car is launched and down track will not be permitted except on engine timing. Everything else will remain the same with a heads up 4 tenths pro-tree. There will also be no limits on cubic inch, fuel, blowers or nitrous, chassis or body style.

 

Capitol Racing to be involved with CCA

Capitol Auto Group Racing will be involved with the Portland-based Children Cancer Association's activities in 2011. More exciting details coming soon.

 

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