NESCA

NB. Eldorado. Body by Ray McCollum.

The two classes to watch when we resume racing is going to be Super Pro Stock and Supercar Eliminator. We will do a bounty to see which Super Pro Stock runs in the 7’s and which Supercar Eliminator breaks into the 10’s. You can check www.nescadrags.com for the class rules.

Supercar Eliminator no bar cars. There's more to a no bar car than adding weight and go. The amount, placement and balance all come into play when trying to build one. For a bracket no bar car this is not as critical but for a Supercar it is. First your weights need to be balanced evenly. If there is more weight on the right side than the left, your car may unload the left rear tire. The same goes for the nose. Too much on the nose and your car may spin the tires. I've had cars immediately drop 5 tenths off the E.T. just based on weight placement. The same goes for the amount of weight to add. There is no perfect answer because each car and gearing is different. We've spent many years working on the right combinations and by no means is Supercar Eliminator easy but it is fun. We'll catch you on the next article.

Let's talk about controllers. No drag race legal controller is going to add power to your car but the way you use it can dramatically change your performance and E.T.. First let's look at a controller as being more of a stall converter than a throttle. You wouldn't go to the line with a real car and peg the rpm's to 8000 and dump the clutch so why would you do it with a slot car? Some controllers work off of a slide and others work from resistance. By reducing the initial sh...ock to the tires you can drop your sixty foot times and tire spin. On a slide controller adjusting how quick you pull the lever could change how hard it leaves, with a resistance controller adjusting your dial could greatly change the way your car performs. This may sound ridiculous to some but if you look at a slow motion video of these cars leaving the line and going down the track you will see exactly what I mean. We have slow motion videos on our website, www.nescadrags.com. Just remember, you want a smooth, quick transition of power not a violent shock. Come back as we talk about other performance tips. See more

An overlooked issue with friction on bar cars is the wheelie wheels. Have you spun yours to see how freely they turn? The reason a lot of issues don't really seem apparent is because they are present in bracket cars and no one is critiquing there bracket cars that much. Class racing is totally different. You want every advantage you can get out of your car as possible. If your car leaves the line and has to drag one or both of the wheelie wheels you better believe it is going... to go slower. It's like pushing a grocery cart with a stuck wheel. It moves much easier with the wheels spinning freely. Ok I think I've spoke enough about friction so we'll move onto other areas in our next article. I covered the most obvious areas of friction but you should examine your cars carefully for any areas I may have missed. Until the next article stay safe. See more

Friction is such and important topic until I just can't say enough about it. Another over looked area is tire growth. This is more prevalent with tall tires than short. Again, the power supply is a powerful tool in finding areas that are robbing you of horsepower. Some rubber has a higher deflection rate than others. What this does is make the tires swell under high acceleration. You can actually see this on the power supply as you go up on the power. When this happens your t...ires can rub your body or interior hence make you lose horsepower. If it is very light you may not even notice it going on. Tell tale signs would be light to dark black marks on the inside of your body or interior. Also restrict sideways movement of your body. Bodies that have too much sideways movement can touch your tires and slow down your car. Keep following us for more tips to get your class car running to it's best potential. Anyone that has ever seen me test my cars will tell you I make more bad passes than good to get there. See more

69 Camaro Pro Stock. Paint by Ray McCollum.

Everyone be safe and enjoy your holidays.

New NESCA Super Pro Stocker built by Wil Beach.

No racing this week. I’ll get back to you with any updates. Stay safe everyone.