 |
| The CAT National |
| On a Friday in July, 2002, I went to Road America racetrack in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, to see a racecar driver that I work in the pit crew for. When we arrived, everyone was sitting or standing around waiting for registration to open so we could get into the track. We sat around telling all kinds of stories. My dad and the driver, Bob, met each other as teenagers. They talked about the cars they owned and raced and wrecked while growing up, and lots of other things. They got so tied up with stories that time flew by and registration opened. We got through the registration line and entered the track. We found a spot in the grass to park the trailer and saved a space for Bob's friend, Tom, who is also a racecar driver. We lowered the trailer off of the truck, and I moved the truck and parked it out of the way. The wench slowly rolled the car out of the trailer so that we could reach the materials to set up the canopy. Once we set that up, along with the running boards for underneath the car, we pulled the car onto the boards, put it on jack stands, threw a car cover on it, locked things up, and went to our hotel. We traveled quite a few miles away from the track to get a decent hotel, checked in at the desk, and went to our rooms. Our room had dogs next door that would not keep quiet, so we had to change rooms because of that. Once we unloaded our luggage and set things up, we went out for dinner. We went to a restaurant about a mile or so away from the racetrack. We met a few members of our crew there and some of their wives. Once again, stories came up, and jokes and insults flew all around the table. The waitress took our drink order. I wanted root beer, some of the others took beer, and the driver took a margarita. One of my best friends, Carolyn, ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri. She waited for them to bring it to her and finally it came. When she tasted it, it wasn't so virgin; it was spiked with alcohol. She hated the taste and returned it immediately. When she got it back, it tasted much better. While we were sitting at the table waiting for food, Carolyn and I talked about school, music, racing, and some stupid stuff we've done recently, and other subjects. The driver paid the bill after we were done eating, and we returned to our hotels and went to sleep after a couple hours of television, of course. We woke up the next morning at O'dark thirty to get ready to go eat breakfast before taking off for the track. We put on clothes that you can almost guarantee will get some kind of dirt spot or something on it before the end of the day, and shoes and socks that are comfortable. We left for breakfast to a restaurant/gas station type deal. We fueled up our cars, trucks and stomachs, and within a half hour or so we were out of there and on our way to the racetrack. We arrived at our trailers and took off the car covers. We fuel the cars up and start them to assure that all the temperatures are normal, that it sounds okay, that it idles at the right rate, that the brake lights are working, that the clutch works properly, and other things as well. Once the car gets to a certain water temperature, then it's okay to shut it off. Usually while a crew member sits in the car, the driver is climbing into his Nomex suit, which is flame retardant, and his racing suit to protect the Nomex layer even further, and his shoes and helmet as well. Now, after waiting in a line, the drivers are ready to get on the track for practice laps where they can go their fastest around the corners and bump and rub with the other drivers every once in a while. Bob was further ahead than Tom, and the flag was green to start. Tom went for a few laps and his oil pump froze up on him. It locked up the engine which caused it to blow. He was out of the race now, and Bob was still driving around and having fun. After 25 minutes or so, practice was over and it was time to return to their trailers to inspect the cars. Tom had his car towed to the location of his trailer so he could get it out and fixed. Once Bob showed up at his trailer, the crew parked the pit cart in front of the car and they began to take the hood and trunk off to work on it. One of the crew guys began to ask the driver how the car felt, what changes he thought should be made to make the car handle better, and tell him what his lap times were. When the driver was done being "interviewed" work began on the car. All work is to be done before qualifying runs. I mostly helped out with Tom's car to help with his engine problems. It took us until the end of the day to get the engine out and the car back together. First, we disconnected all the water, oil, and gas lines; next we unbolted the headers and carburetor; then we unbolted the transmission and unhooked all the cords. Finally, we unbolted the engine mounts and slowly removed the motor out of the vehicle. Once that was completed, we put the nose back on and tied down all the wires and cords to keep them in one spot for the trip home. |
| written by Billy W, my son |
| Home |
| Continue |
 |
 |