ARCA: Springfield Buckeroo report

• Jack Durbin
• MNI - Motorsport News International
• Thu Aug 22 15:55:24 EDT 1996

>From: Mike Buckley 

The ARCA Supercars hit the one mile dirt track in Springfield, IL as the
State Fair was winding down for the Springfield portion of the fair.

We almost didn't race.  The Silvercrown cars were cancelled the day before
for heavy rain and between Saturday and Sunday, the Springfield area saw 9"
of the wet stuff.  It was still raining when we arrived at the track, the
crew played Ucher.  The sun began to peek out just after noon and pretty soon
they were running wreckers and four wheelers around the VERY messy track.
 The sportsman cars then hit the track to run it in.  I think they turned
twice as many laps running it in than their feature.  These guys never get
enough credit, if it wern't for them, no racin' .

The track was now run in and drying up quickly, but it was very bumpy.  There
was a spot in the middle of the front stretch,(mini hill) that would lift the
car and bounce the whole car.  Practice for us was horrible.  We had the
wrong gear for our V-6 and the car would not pull out of the corners.  The
track was bumpy enough going into the corners, I couldn't figure out how
anybody was sticking it in the corner.  However, everyone was except me.

We changed the gear and threw on the good tires for qualifying.  I still
didn't drive into the corners but the car felt 100% better.  We were the 3rd
qualifier to hit the track, so when I got back to the pit and saw my
disgusting time, I went down to turn 1 and started watching how some of these
dirt track aces were throwing the car into the corner.  Went and sought help
from Frank Kimmel and Eric Smith about their lines and started concentrating
on how I was going to pass 34 cars in the race.....:)

The race went along smooth enough for our team.  The overheating problems we
encountered at Indy were gone.  I could actually see out the window.  What I
was missing was horsepower.  It didn't take to long in the race for me to
figure out that my corner entry speed was low and I started driving into the
corners instead of just braking into them.  However, that V-6 of ours would
not get up and go.  Four and Five cars could pass on the straights.  We got
lapped on lap 17.  We managed to get a caution before losing the 2nd lap.  We
finally lost the 2nd one at lap 49.  We were then good enough, or lucky
enough to be fast enough not to lose another lap in the 2nd half of the race.
 We finished in 15th place after starting in the 33rd spot.

I lost the power steering belt at lap 45.  The bumps, ruts and the fact that
the car is set up to turn left had me working hard to keep the car straight
down those long straight aways.  The car was running cool, but the driver was
overheating.  My arms are still sore, 3 days later.  I think I lost about 10
lbs.  I now know why the drivers in the old days were HUGE guys with big
arms.

Tim Steele won the race, with a V-6 motor.  I think we were the only two cars
in the field with a V-6, however his sounded like a jet blower (to quote Phil
Rider).  We talked to him after the race.  We turned ours 8400 rpm, he said
his tach broke somewhere over 9200 and they don't know what they actually
cranked that jet blower at.

We had a great meeting with Phil Rider who was there to take in the weekend
activities.  He didn't get to see much of the Silvercrown cars, but he said
he saw one heck of an ARCA race up at the front of the pack.  He managed to
somehow stay dry in the morning, and keep out of the mud in the afternoon.
 No easy feat on this day.  Hopefully he got some good pictures of our war
wagon, and of the Southtown car too.  Hey, I did manage to pass a few cars
Phil.

Our next event is again at a one mile dirt track in DuQuion, IL over the
labor day weekend(Sunday).  Any racing fans in that region should definitly
take in the ARCA show, then the Silvercrown cars the next day. We are
actively looking for more horsepower in our little power plant.  Some new
valve springs and a good carburator should wake that thing up.  Look for us
at the Illinios State fair.


Mike Buckley
ARCA #48
http://crestcomm.com/motorsports/buckley.htm