Bad Dog Racing 2004

November 22, 2004

Greg's VW is proud to be an active Sponsor of a group of dedicated motorsports enthusiasts. Together we have formed a race team known as, "Bad Dog Racing". Based in Northern California, we have built racecars and successfully competed at many venues throughout California and neighboring states. Since it's inception over 15 years ago, Bad Dog Racing has aquired a number of Championship titles. The Team's efforts have brought it to the forefront in many catagories of motorsports

We are not a start-up or novice group of competitors. We are a team with a foundation of seasoned racers. We have been together for a number of years. We are highly visible at each event. Our Drivers and Crew are well groomed and have a very professional appearance. Our team is always looking sharp, as well as being fast. Our tools and pit equipment are in good order and well maintained. Our pit crew members are friendly and knowledgeable. Other competitors often look to us for help, and information. Whether it be to borrow tools, parts, or manpower, we assist in any capacity. Our group is envied and respected among our peers.

Whenever possible, we communicate our efforts and adventures to the local Media. Members of our team have appeared on network and cable television. Our Racecars have been seen on Prime Time news highlights (ABC KXTV-10). Driver profiles have been the focus of Spotlight interviews (TNN Motor Madness). Speedvision has captured images of the Bad Dog Racing Team dominating "The Battle of the Imports", recently held at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield.

The Bad Dog Racing Drivers have quickly risen to the top ranks of the NASA Pro-VW Drag Racing Series. The year 2000 proved to be highly successful with wins in five out of six races. The 2001 year brought a second "Rookie of the Year" Tittle, along with many top 5 finishes. In 2002 BDR captured it's first Championship in the NASA Pro-Vw Drag Racing Series. 2003 was an especially memorable year for BDR as Lynn "BlondeDog" Urrutia finished in the Runner-up position in the NASA Series. Her achievement has historic significance, for she is the first woman to finish in the top 3. Rick DeLeon made a strong run at the 2004 Championship, and finished in the Runner-up position. The year 2005 and beyond promise to be exciting and victorious, as the team continues to be perennial championship contenders. Our success strives from a brilliant aptitude for racing, expert technical abilities, and strong support from family, friends, and first-class sponsors.

We have developed this web page to post events, results, and driver standings. Updates are performed on a regular basis to keep information fresh and current. Our performances for the 1999-2004 seasons are well documented. Our team is well established and consistent. Our drivers are accomplished, determined, focused, and will continue to demonstrate the ability to win Championshipsl. We pledge to improve and impress in the 2005 Season. Follow our progress as we compete in the NASA VW Drag Racing Series.

Sponsorship Inquires

DOG-O-RAMA 53!

This is going to be a rather lengthy Race Report, so I figured I'd give you all a heads up. You may want to just delete this one for I will rant on like a proud new father about our success at BOR. Then again you may just want to save this one for when you have the time to review it.

Our sincerest regards go out to Greg Tims. Hope all is well after he experienced a scary crash just after he launched. I was at the starting line and from my perspective, the car was out of shape from the get go. He was hard left on a wheelie and was on a path to cross the center line. Correcting right seemed to upset the car more putting him on a straight line into the guardrail. Upon impact the car rolled over onto the top of the guardrail, spinning like a top before it landed back onto the track rolling again, then landing upright on its wheels. Photographers, and crew members scattered in all directions as the car came towards them. Greg climbed from the car unassisted but was taken into the ambulance for precautionary measures. As of this writing I understand Greg is OK and evaluating damage to the car.
I was glad to see and spend a few minutes with Dave Smith Jr., son of the owner of Sacramento Raceway. Dave was caught up in a horrible accident during a recent Sacramento event. Being one of the hardest working crew members, Dave often finds himself in risky situations so that the rest of us can enjoy the action in a safe and comfortable enviorment. A confusing series of events took place at the starting line as 2 Jet Cars lined up. Apparently one of the Jet Cars, Rolling Thunder, had it's operating cable fail during an after burn blast and the throttle stuck. The intense air flow started to pull Dave towards the jet intake. As he fought to escape the vacuum, he ended up behind the second jet car, War Hawk, just as the pilot flashed his afterburner. Dave was severly burned and thrown through the air shattereing his right wrist upon landing. He managed to get back on his feet and thought to himself "Hey!, I came out of that pretty good!". At this point he noticed his crushed hand and gave it a pull to reset the fractured bones. As the safety crew arrived he refused to let them strap him to a backboard or a gurney, and insisted to walk to the Ambulance on his own. Once inside the ambulance his smoldering body was encapsulated in a "Bubble Bag" and he was rushed to the UC Davis Burn Center. He spent the next 5 days there with a Morphine IV. His wrist was reconstructed with breakthru state-of-the-art medical technology using Titanium splints, bolts, and screws. Not one to be tied down and against the recomendations of his Doctors, he literally pulled the IV from his arm and checked himself out to continue healing in the comfort of his own home. Dave looked remarkably well healed when I spoke with him.. Good enough to be back at work at the starting line. The only teltale sign of his injuries was the splint on his wrist. I can't imagine the pain he endured in this ordeal. Makes it seem very trivial that I complain about the sunburn I got this last BOR.
These two events remind me just how dangerous it can be at the Racetrack. That we all need to be aware of our surroundings. Cars spinning out of control, and intense sources of heat at every turn. Many of our collegues are running well over 100MPH in these odd shaped cars that are easily upset. A 4 foot high guardrail my not be enough containment or protection in the next mishap.

Our racing weekend started the proceeding Friday afternoon. We got a later than normal start and found ourselves among the thousands of people headed out for the long weekend. Caught up in the crowds of assorted vehicles we kept ourselves entertained admiring the rigs towing boats, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, and other assorted toys as each group mapped a route to their place of recreation. Our destination, Sacramento Raceway the home of the longest running VW event anywhere in the world, Bug-O-Rama! We shift our attention from the NASA Series and focus on the competition drawn to BOR.

Absent from our group this time out were our female racers. Lynn was busy as wedding planner, and Maid of Honor for her mom's wedding. Gloria was caring for a gravely ill pet, hoping for it to show some signs of recovery.
Typically we would take advantage of Friday evening's Test-N-Tune session and set up a pit on the asphalt for the weekend. This time around we would pack and prep things, hoping to get an early start in the morning.
Enroute from Southern California was "MadDog" Simon Rameriz and family. Simon was not only set to step into his crew chief duties, but was delivering a Ceramic Coated Merged Exhaust system that he picked up at KYMCO. We installed the unique type 3 pipes on SpeedDog's Drag Panel Bus that features a pancake engine. His Bus was an instant conversation piece for those not familiar with this engine/Bus combination. Many curious onlookers were taking pictures and getting a closer look at Brian's powerplant. The BDR type 2's are a big hit with the crowd. Our Pit has become somewhat of a sideshow attraction with the only Busses in recent years racing at BOR.
Once inside the gates we set up along one of the return roads and watched the parade of enthusiasts file in. I had thought that the VW scene has somewhat started to die off. But the long lines of show and race cars spoke a different story. The swappers were encamped far beyond the finish line. The track officals saw it neccessary to close off the first return road due to the high volume of pedestrians in that area.
Once the lanes opened up our racers each made a pass. Satisfied with the racecar's performance, each were parked in the pit and saved for raceday. The track conditions seemed perfect and many racers were recording "Best Ever" passes in their log books. We watched the time and qualifing runs that are the feature of Saturday nights scheduled events.
It was a bit windy in the afternoon but as the breeze started to die the warm evening air had a sense of magic in it. We talked about the festive atmosphere that was developing. It seemed that a memorable event was already taking place. Not a group wanting to miss out on anything, we decided at the last minute to campout. We rushed out to gather supplies, racing the clock and the 10pm curfew. We decided to order up some Pizza's for dinner considering our limited time frame. We ordered an extra pizza just in case we were late getting back to the front gate figuring we could bribe our way back in. As it turned out we were the last vehicle to pass thru the gate before it was locked behind us just as the rear bumper cleared.
Once back inside it was obvious the famous BOR Saturday nite party was well underway. There were campfires accompanied by fun and laughter heard from every campsite as we found our way back to the pits. We exchanged greetings and salutations as we crossed paths with friends old and new. Our good friends over at the W5R pit were keeping themselves and others entertained with 50 foot long wheelstands in their golf cart. Pit vehicles of all kinds were buzzing around. We made our way thru the swap meet area hoping to get a good deal on needed items. The evening activities were remenescent of a "Burning Man" type event. All in all it seemed everyone had a good time. Fun was had by all.

Sunday morning we caught up on all the "Buzztalk" in the pits. We heard Dominic "The Burnout King" had a camshaft break. With the help of the good people at Paradise VW, they managed to obtain and install a new cam to get him back into the program. Quite an accomplishment considering the primitive conditions existing at the racetrack. Once back on the track Dom ran a personal best 11.67 at 115mph.
Another "Never say die" story comes out of the DRKC ranks. First pass by John Varela ended with a broken hockey stick as he shifted into second gear. He raced thru the swap meet area and found a replacement. He and crew feverishly worked as they "gently" diassembled the pristine car with the precision of a team of surgeons. Repairs were made and they had the car together and re-fired by midnight. John went on to finish third in the prestegious DRKC class. Congratulations John!
Our good buddy Nick Wharton of W5R was happy with recent changes to his Racecar. Taking and evaluating information offered by friends and sponsors, chassis adjustments were made. The results were remarkable. I stood behind Nick's Racecar at the starting line and watched it launch like an NHRA Pro-Stock car. It was straight as an arrow through the 1320, a very impressive machine to watch. Nick was the number one qualifier in his class.
Scott Bakken was busy working on his front suspension when I saw him in the pits. I didn't want to distract Scott from his task at hand, but super-nice guy that he is, he paused for a moment to tell me about his last run. Seems he had more excitement than anyone behind the wheel would ever want. As the car launched, he went very hard right. He said "I was that close to the guardrail!", as he held out his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. I wished Scott good luck, and let him get back to his chassis tuning. Later in the program I watched as Scott staged his car. It was another scary moment as I saw what he described earlier happen all over again. He was right....It was about an inch!
The biggest buzz out of the pit area had to be the re-emergence of Allen Wiess. I say re-emergence, but it was more like he was never absent. Allen set what many may have percieved as an impossible goal to re-construct a racecar and have it ready by this BOR. We have followed the progress on his racecar construction via Cal-look.com. Every step of the way Allen posted progress and pictures. The results of his hard labor and efforts were put to the test in the very competitive Super/Gas Class. I caught up with Allen in the pits and he was all smiles as he spoke of the car's performance, 11.31 at 115mph. He praises the help of his family, good friends, and first class sponsors. Without their help his goal my not have been realized. Wiess Racing was rewarded with a finish in the Quarter Finals. Not bad for the first time out.
Fast female E-Girl has found new speed with recent improvements to her Racecar. If memory serves me right she has raced in 3 out of the 8 BOR classes all in the same racecar! In this event she makes it 4 different classes as she steps into Super Comp. Running too fast for the 11.90 Super Gas class, she thought it wiser to run the 10.90 index. Although she was soft in the qualifing numbers, it was good enough to make it into the finals. The last race in the S/C class found the privateers of DLH Racing run Heads-Up against Pat Downs backed by Mega Sponsor CB Performance. In the end it was a Runner-Up finish for E-Girl. A new trophy and a paycheck make for a great outing for DLH.

Then there were the Top-Guns of VW Drag Racing. The crew from VW Paradise brought out 2 new race machines. The new Dragster is flirting with 210MPH in it's debut setting the speed bar at a higher level. The Nu-Beetle Funny Car is a combination of art and technology running 7.80 at 170mph. Just when you think the speed and time barrier has been met, these guys take us to a new dimension.
The Fouts and Shuh Dragster came out to make some exhibition passes. Eserini Racing stands alone and unchallenged in the watercooled record books. Staggs Racing ran a quickest ever on a track in less than perfect condition, 8.14 at 161mph. If you went to Bug-O-Rama to see speed and power, you weren't disappointed.
The action was captured by SpeedTV, The Discovery Channel, Ocean Street Video, and by many professional photographers. We are anxious to view the many images documenting this event.

In our own camp, the addition of the merged exhaust system to SpeedDog's Poppy Cleaners Drag Panel, shaved off a full second! (LMAO!) Unbelievable!
J-Dog started off his weekend running out of gas in the staging lanes?? After getting towed back to the pits he went into high stress mode because the fuel station was closed. DesertDog gave him the last of his racegas and Jason calmed down...for the moment. After one practice run, and many trips to the fuel station, we finally found it open for business. A gas can full of racegas, and J-Dog is happy again.
All Racecars were running strong and ready for elimination's. During practice SpeedDog missed a third gear shift and we all tried to persuade him not to "speed-shift". In our own experimenting we have found a good clean, accurate shift is far better than "slammin" shifts. It's not something that can be measured on a time slip. It's easy to say, and easy to nod your head that you "Get it", but tough to carry out when you are in the heat of a race.
First round of elimination's for SpeedDog proved old habits are hard to break. He misses third gear again with another speed shift! His competitor races on, pedal to the metal and gets to the stripe first by at least 25 cars lengths....only to breakout! Phew!! A sure loss for SpeedDog turns into a gift....a white win slip at the timing booth. It takes as much luck as it does skill to advance on at BOR.
J-Dog wins all of his rounds and finds his way into the finals, only to match up with teammate SpeedDog. I think this is a first, an all Bus Final round. An odd car shows up in the staging lanes behind them, and it was understood that he was just there for a time run. Brain and Jason stage their busses. They launch pulling rear wheelies as they leave the line. At the top end of the track J-Dog takes the win.
Now here is where it gets a little weird, it seems that the odd ball car is saying he is still in the running for Trophy Class. This car was not in the lanes all day, then shows up and gets a bye run into the final? In all the confusion the officials don't know how to rule and force J-Dog to run against the odd ball car. Jason takes the win...again. J-Dog is all smiles with his first ever win.
Back at the staging lanes it is discovered that Mr. odd ball lost in the Sportsman class and then jumped into the Trophy Lane. It just took the Tower a while to sort it all out. Mr. odd ball is rightfully disqualified and Runner-up Trophy is properly awarded to SpeedDog. Unbelievable!
In the Sportsman ranks, always the largest field, Tony "DaddyDog" DeAnda went round after round collecting a wad of white time slips to make it into the late rounds. In the Semifinal round Tony found himself up against the Poderzay Bros. Sedan. The Poderzay family is recognized as the team to beat with many wins at BOR over the years. In a close race DaddyDog takes a well earned win. He returns to the staging only to lineup against the other Poderzay car. This time it's the Poderzay Drag Vert. It's another close one, but Tony comes out on top making it his second BOR win.
The Pro-Eliminator Class is tougher than ever. With 22 entries in Super Gas and only the top 16 making the cut, the 6 that didn't make it in run Pro-Eliminator. Rick's Drag Buggy is running right on the number and he wins his first 2 rounds. We are troubled by the light cloud of smoke that rolls off the back of his car at the top end. Back in the Pits we see some oil dripping and hurriedly replace the valve cover gasket on the drivers side of the engine. Next run Rick takes another win but the light cloud is still there. This is seen by the officials and they stop action for a moment to check the track. We know full well that they are gonna check his car out closely before he is allowed to run again. Back in the pits we hose down the engine with Brake-Kleen and scramble to find the source of the leak. A pinhole is found in the number 3 exhaust pushrod tube. We usually have an expandable "Bungie" tube to make a hasty repair but we find that over the years of giving them out to other needy racers, we come up empty handed. Rick races through the pits asking racers if they have a spare. Unable to find one he races over to the Dealer row and buys a new set for $40.00, all the while the PA system is calling for winners to immediately come back to the staring lane. In the meantime I'm trying to think of a patch fix that might get use through the next round. With time running out I get out the OLE 200 mile-an-hour tape (duct tape...."Hey it saved the Astronauts!"), and start to wrap the tube. Rick gets back to the pits out of breath and tosses me the pack of bungie tubes. I show him my fix and explain to him, "We need to tow you up to the staging lanes. Don't start the engine until you are ready to run. If you aren't DQ'd and win, shutoff as soon as you cross the finish line and I'll tow you back up to the line." He looked at my repair, sorta rolled his eyes and nodded. I go to grab our tow strap and again come up empty handed again....you guessed it....loaned that out too. I found a piece of rope tied it up to Rick's axle beam and looped the other end around the hitch and off we went.
Not being an accomplished tow driver to the staging lanes, I have a new respect for those that are. First off I start to freak out because all the people leaving the track are clogging up the road to the starting line. Upon closer inspection I see that they keep the right side of the road clear for racers...Good Idea! As I roll closer to the back of the lanes I figure out that I don't know what lane Rick is running in. I open the door and yell back and he tells me lane 5. OK...got that worked out, make the turn thinking that I got it under control now. That's right about when a crew member riding in the back of the tow vehicle for Pat Downs yells out to me, "Hey Dude! You lost your car back there!" A quick check in the rear view mirror I see Rick starting to climb out of the Buggy as he rolls to a stop. "Damn!" Throw it in reverse and hook it up again. Just as we get to the back of lane 5 the suit up call is made for Pro-Eliminator. We just made it. Seeing all this unfold before him, Chad Axford (Son of Wayne, Jr. Drag Racer, and accomplished Tow Co-Driver) asks me if I need any help. Let me tell ya, those words never sounded so good! "Hop in Buddy!"
I made a quick check under Rick's engine, no leaks. I pull forward and Chad instructs me not to stop in front of the Ambulance or Rescue Truck. He also mentions that if you park too far forward people along the fence get upset cuz you block their view. Rick stages, takes the light, and wins another round (12.37 on a 12.35 Dial-in). No smoke this time! I roll down the tow vehicle road and find Rick at the end of the track. As we approach the timing booth Chad suggests I really should have the car number on the windshield.
We hurry back up to the staging lanes and this time I find I really tied that sucker tight. A few anxious moments pass and I get the knot untied. Who woulda thought so much goes on when you tow a car around? The duct tape repair seems to be holding up and Rick wins another in the Semifinals (12.36 on a 12.35). Another lap around the track and we are back in line for the Finals.
What has seemed like a very long day has all come down to this last race. a clean start for both cars, and from this point it looks like a close race. At the top end the win light glows for Rick, another 12.36. I High Five with Chad and lay on the horn as I roll down the Tow Road, (Always wanted to do that!).
Back in the pits we start to celebrate the Team's good fortune. Many friends stop by to congratulate our drivers. A quick trip to the promoters camp and the team collects the trophies and prize money. The Victory Circle at BOR has been visited by some of the biggest names in VW Racing. Back in the pits we take pictures and breakout the champagne. Nothing like a good champagne fight! We catch our breath and just kinda soak in the great feel of winning at BOR. This is the first Bug-O-Rama win for Jason and Rick. Rick steps up and pledges to buy new Keeper Straps for all the trailers with a share of his prize money. He is "Oh What a Guy!".
In closing I need to say that I am very proud to be a part of this Team. I like to think they represented, and carried the torch for the NASA Racers. We don't have the flashiest racecars, and certainly not the fastest racecars either. We have had some success along with the heart breaks too. We are just a small part of a much larger picture. We are honored to stand alongside our many colleagues that peruse the same goals and rewards.

Next Race NASA 4 June 26, 2004

NASA VW Drag Racing Series (Race #3)

An old faithful friend was put to rest at the last NASA Race. The 1995 Ford Aerostar that has worked so well for us as tow vehicle and crew hauler, suffered a major failure and has been retired. We put this vehicle through it's paces as it dutifully performed for us over the years. We logged more than 200,000 miles (most of them towing!) and it never failed us once. Even on its last haul it safely and comfortably delivered it's payload and occupants to the track. Once we parked it in the pits, a head gasket failed. Thankfully Sacramento Raceway is only a ten minute drive from home and it seemed like a fitting final ride. The Aerostar is now resting peacefully at the Racehouse and will be repaired and gifted to our recently married daughter to be used in a more gentle roll for their import accessory business.
After much thought and consideration, we decided to replace the old workhorse with a larger more powerful tow vehicle. We looked at many vehicles and finally decided on a GMC Suburban. Newest addition to the Bad Dog fleet is our white 5.7 liter 1500 Suburban. This purchase will make it easier for us to make it to more of the distant venues including Vegas, Phoenix, Bakersfield and Irwindale.
Also new to the Bad Dog fleet is Brian "SpeedDog" Gomez's new 2004 Chevy Silverado 4 door pickup. Hauling the Drag Panel seemed to be an effort for his previous truck so Brian stepped up and now can comfortably carry the whole "FanDamnily" to the race track. This sweet new ride is state-of-the-art with all the bells and whistles. A word of warning....Don't try to put anything into the bed of his truck until he gets a bed liner! We understand the last person that did should make a full recovery.

In between races we participated in local VW Events. First up was the B.Y.O.B (Bring Yer Own Bus) show and swap meet. Although the weather was threatening, the stout die-hard bus fanatics showed up in droves to participate. Still in it's infancy BYOB has filled a void on the Saturday proceeding the huge Kelley Park show. Type II's of all shapes, sizes, and colors where on hand. There where tall buses, short buses, stretched buses, bus trailers, a school bus, and of course...rust buses! The swap meet was bustling with buyers and (23)window shoppers. The gift raffle is one of the richest seen anywhere and well worth the trek. The weather was kind to the event promoters, SV2's as the rain held off until the very end.
Next up was the world renown Kelley Park show celebrating it's 20th anniversary. The rain kept many of the finest vintage VW's at home. The very stout braved the elements and drive in with their Split Windows, Kubelwagens, Hubmeullers, Schwimmwagens, and an assortment of rarely seen military vehicles. It's true when they say "Bad news travels fast". The VW community was troubled to hear the theft of HotDogFred's 21 window bus from his hotel. When questioned by police, the hotel clerk offered he knew exactly when the theft took place (4am) because he saw 5 people pushing the bus out of the parking lot. Apparently he did not find it odd enough to justify a call to authorities.
Another dastardly deed took place at the host hotel. A very pristine and original convertible was stripped in the parking lot. The owner took extra precaution and chained his priceless VW to a tree and parked a truck in front of it. The vandals raped his car by stealing the rear window and seats. I hope the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Commemorative (individually numbered) 20th anniversary plaques were quickly snatched up by a few lucky participants. Even with the rain the line up of Split and Oval window Beetles surrounding the main square was an impressive sight. I have been to every Kelley Park show since it's inception. It has become a victim of it's own success and changes will continue to be made if this show is to remain in it's current historic location. I applaud the hard work and effort put into this show by all the members of the Golden Gate Chapter of the Vintage Volkswagen Club of America. I look forward to the next two decades of one of the premier VW events to be found anywhere in the world and feel fortunate to have it in our own backyard.
The next event was the "VW's At The Bay" show and swap held in Vallejo. Our own YoyaDog brought out her super sweet Drag Buggy to show. Also from the NASA ranks Tom Simon displayed his feature/cover car, the ultra clean Drag Fasty. Both Gloria and Tom took top honor's for their respective classes. Although the crowd head count was low (Mother's Day and all), the participants were entertained with events throughout the day. A "T-wrench" contest had participants changing rear tires on an early Beetle. The Burn-out contest is always a thrill to watch, and a fiery engine blow was quite the spectacle. The weather was perfect making for a nice Sunday cruise to and from the event.

Round three of the NASA Series was part of the huge Fremont Reunion Drags weekend at Sacramento Raceway. T3his event features AA/Fuel Dragsters, Pro Gas, Jr. Fuel, 8.60 Nostalgia 2, 7.60 Nostalgia 1 Eliminator, and of course the NASA VW's. A large fanfare was expected. The crew goes beyond their regular routine to prepare the track surface. The added rubber laid down by the Nitro Fuelers and still night air make a recipe for a fast track.
So far this year Michael Meyers is proving he is the man to beat as he comes to this race with a comfortable points lead. Rick O'liver (defending champion) has become a hot commodity behind the wheel of his 11second Drag Ghia. A dominating performance in round 2 puts a Bounty Hunter target on Rick's head.
Team W5R is looking strong with 3 Racecars running in the 10's, and a great position in the Rookie battle. Their intense focus on performance tuning has produced incredible results. The prize for the fastest pass of the year is sure to come out of this camp.
Through the first pair of races of the 2004 season, "DesertDog" has scored well in the points to lead the team from Bad Dog Racing.
During signup a nasty Dust Devil ripped through the NASA pits like the Tasmanian Devil on boost. Tom Simon was not much impressed with the damage left upon his car from an un-tethered EZ-up that sailed through air scoring a direct hit.
At the drivers meeting a schedule change was proposed for the race date which conflicts with the PRA race in Denver. Most likely another race date will be added to the schedule later in the year. Notably absent from race 3 were Pat Downs, Daniel "Weeble" Vetter, and "Flawless" Mike Lawless. Mike opted to forgo race 3 to lend a hand to good friend Allen Weiss who is feverishly finishing the construction of his new racecar.
For those who haven't heard, Allen is rebounding from a crash in Phoenix during the first PRA race. Thankfully Allen suffered only minor injuries, but was devasted that he hurt his car enough to warrant replacing it. He has been busy ever since constructing a new racecar with the goal of having it ready for BOR. Mike Lawless vow's he'll be back for the next NASA race stating, "...and I won't be playing nice!". Bring it on Mike!
Eric "The Red" Ormasen was in attendance minus his racecar. Recent improvements where still in process. ETR was on-hand to help out fellow W5R team mates as needed.
Thanks to DesertDog Rick, we made pairs by drawing custom made poker chips embossed with the VW emblem surrounded by the NASA series title.

Lois pulled the number 1 spot for the second time in a row and will get the first bye run.
First pair find DesertDog Rick starting his day with a win over the super fast sedan driven by Anton.
BlondeDog impresses the huge crowd with a perfect .000 light, and a win over teammate SpeedDog Brian. Paid professionals rarely hit this mark. Sacramento Raceway rewards the first three racers of the season a $500.00 prize for hitting this elusive benchmark. Unfortunately for Lynn, she is the fourth person of the 2004 season to score a perfect mark. It's one thing to hit .000 with a collection of electronic launch controls on board compared to achieving this goal in a VW with a clutch. Undoubtedly Lynn has nailed down the best light of the year with this performance, and is the first to do so in the NASA Series. Another historic achievement for this female racer.
Points leader Mike Meyers scores another win over Chris Brown in a double red-light race. Chris was the first foul.
GrandDog gets a first round win over Nick Wharton.
Defending race champion Rick O'liver keeps his winning streak going with a win over Gloria "YoyaDog" DeLeon.
Cliff Witham is instructed to shut down at the starting line by the officials that have spotted a fuel leak on his Turbo Sedan. Wayne Axford takes a solo pass and advances into round 2.
Greg Schmidt scores his first win of the year over J-Dog in the DragBus.
Last pair of round one finds Brian Sorlie with a win over fellow rookie contender Clint Ormasen.

DesertDog Rick gets the bye run in round 2.
Lynn vs Lois starts off the second round action with the Drag Ghia finding another win light. Lynn advances on.
Meyer rolls on to another win over GrandDog.
Wayne Axford can't cash in on the Bounty Hunter Award as Rick O'liver logs another victory.
Rookie Brian Sorlie races to another win over Greg Schmidt behind the wheel of Shannon's Drag Buggy.

Lynn gets a bye run to start round 3
Meyer's day ends with another red light and a loss to the Drag Buggy of DesertDog Rick.
Rick O'liver logs another win over Brian Sorlie

For the second straight time Rick O'liver gets a bye run into the final round.
Only race in the semi finals is a match-up between team mates BlondeDog and DesertDog. Lynn runs a fraction too fast (.001) and breaks out giving the win to Rick.

It's been a long day for the NASA racers and the final round stages at 10pm. There is still a large crowd in the stands to watch the finale of the feature race. Rick O'liver lights the tree in the far lane, DesertDog Rick lines up on the tower side. The starting lights begin their sequence and O'liver leaves too early drawing a red light.

In the winners circle Rick "DesertDog" DeLeon collects the Bounty Hunter reward, Jackpot payoff, winner's trophy, and winner's sticker. Even after all that the biggest reward comes when a sweet young adoring fan finds Rick in the pits, and asks him to sign her event T-shirt. You gotta love it!

Next up is Bug-O-Rama on Memorial Day weekend. See you at the Races!

NASA VW Drag Racing Series (Race #2)

The second race of the NASA VW Drag Racing Series was the feature race for Saturday's CMI Speed and Show Expo. Six Racecars from BDR were at the ready to challenge for points, and prizes. Although "JrDog" was unable to make the race because of work obligations, we still had six entries thanks to Brian "SpeedDog" Gomez.
Fresh off a Runner-up finish in the Bus class at Drag Day, Brian's interest in VW Drag racing was rekindled. He recently obtained a vintage VW Panel Bus with the rare option of having double cargo doors (one set of doors on each side). This Panel Bus previously used as a delivery vehicle for a dry cleaning business came into SpeedDog's possession equipped with a dual Weber carbureted Type 3 engine. The weathered bus still had the business lettering and logo clearly visible on three sides. Brian and son Calvin made this a father/son project as they feverishly worked hard and long hours to complete the vehicle. The body had been extensively modified to add large air intake scoops, and the rear fenders had been cut to allow installation of rather large off-road tires. Being one that prefers old VW's in their original construction, Brian and Calvin began the reconstruction project by searching for, and installing original side louvers, and reworking the fenders back into their original shape. With a little welding, some body filler, paint, and a much needed scrub and wash....the bus started to look pretty good. A trip to Greg's VW Service was made to get brake and transmission work accomplished, The engine was serviced and tuned, a fresh battery was installed, and an overall safety check was done. A new set of tires was installed, and the bus was ready for it's first test drive. Once around the block was all Brian and Calvin needed to know they had a Bus with some get up and go! Brian has been involved with VW's for many years and primarily he has been a Bus guy. He has bought and sold many a bus, and has been the president of BATA (Bay Area Transporter Association), needless to say, he has driven many buses. His comment was, "This is the fastest Bus I've ever driven!".
Completed to it's first stage of restoration, the Drag Panel Bus was ready to be tech inspected and raced. Brian was ready to take some of the competition to "The Cleaners!".
There was no doubt that an Import race was in town as we were passed by long lines of "Fast and Furious Wannabe's" on the way to the race track. I think we have become a bit desensitized to the somewhat immature and reckless operators and their whiney sounding rice rockets. I guess the only things that still bug me about this crowd is the trash they leave behind, and the fact that so many leave their car alarms on to wail all day long. To some of the new members of NASA, this race may contain a bit of culture shock. Once you get used to the crowd, you just have to set your tolerance level a little higher. The track security and officials have done a pretty good job about keeping the crowds in order, but they cannot be everywhere at once.
With all the different events going on, Burnout Contest, Bikini Contest, Car Show, etc, etc....the NASA pits were setup along one of the return roads, somewhat removed from the hornets nest of activity. In a sense we had our own unique community filled with VW Drag Racing vehicles. To top the list, the Eserini's brought out their Roadster to make an attempt to improve their own record holding accomplishments. Also on hand was Pat Downs with the CB Performance 10 second Drag Sedan. What a treat it was to have Pat and crew partake of a NASA race. Pat has to be the fastest "Rookie(?)" to ever signup for a NASA race. His name will be added to the prestigious list of Racers running a 10 second or faster car in the NASA Series. We are sure this team is a favorite to set low ET, and top MPH this year.
Twenty drivers signed up for this race and we were sad to hear Eric "The Red" Ormasen, and Daniel "Weeble" Vetter could not make the lineup. ETR's racecar was undergoing major modifications and he was focused on having the car ready for the PRA Phoenix race later in the month. Weeble was packed up and ready to go to when he discovered a mechanical failure in his car. The problem appeared severe enough to prevent him from taking it to the track. Hoping to help out, Bad Dog Racing offered the use of their Car-Carrier to Webble so that he might be able to salvage some points, after all he was in second place. The Carrier would need some "Wrenching" to make sure it would pass tech. Although he considered the offer, Dan did not want to borrow a vehicle and risk something happening to it. He'll be back in the next race to pick up where he left off. Also missing from the roster was Anton Belichev, Jeremiah Wiley, and Tony DeAnda
Tech inspection was kept in-house as Tom Simon recruited the help of Brian Gomez to check out all entries. The call to the lanes for the start of practice soon followed.
Racers made adjustments to their cars as needed, and then returned to the lanes for the second and final practice round. Hard luck hits Nick Wharton as his racecar breaks a turbo shaft. This failure is very disappointing as Nick has worked so hard on dialing in the chassis. His car was also looking so good with the new Chrome Lettering applied just before this race. The team from Eserini Racing offered Nick one of their back up turbos, but it was just not going to work with Nick's setup. Greatful for the offer, but unable to take advantage of it Nick was out of the running for today.
At the drivers meeting Tom Simon was able to hand out two awards to NASA members that could not make it to the Awards Banquet held back in January. The trophies for best light of the year were presented to Michael Meyer, and Chris Brown who shared the recognition by posting a .501 reaction time. The next presentation was for the Hard Charger awarded to Andrew "2-Stroke" Foldhazi for posting two wins, and finishing third in points in running only 4 out of the scheduled 7 races. After his name was called a couple of times and everyone searched high and low for him, it was relayed to us that Andy was over at the Bikini Contest (No....he did not win!).
Numbers were pulled, matches were made and the call came from the Tower.

With 19 cars in the lineup first bye went to Lois and her "Flying Ace"
First pair found DesertDog Rick vs. fast rookie Pat Downs. Pat wasted no time laying down the best light of the day with a .002 reaction time but transaxle problems prevented him from making a full power run. DesertDog logs a win against one of the premier racers in our sport today.
Next pair finds our own "J-Dog" in the Drag Bus breakout in a loss against Dan "Magoo" Ruble who had his own mechanical gremlins to post a sub-par run to take the win. Tough loss for J-Dog as his Bus seems to keep getting faster.
Third race of the first round goes to Cliff Witham in a win over rookie teammate Clint Ormasen.
All eyes were on the next pair. Anytime "Flawless" Mike Lawless stages the "White Knuckle Ride", it's a must see event. His immaculent Karmann Ghia is well recognized for speed, power, and consistency. Up for the challenge Wayne Axford stages across from Mike. At the top end of the track the win light flashes for Axford. Anytime you come out on top in a race against Lawless, not only is it a relief, but a huge confidence builder too.
The trooper that he is, Rick Oliver who was feeling a bit under the weather staged his Drag Ghia and "Tree'd" the GrandDog with a .071 reaction time. Greg ran right on his number with a 14.501 on a 14.50 dial-in....and lost! Just goes to show there is much more to drag racing then just going fast with a consistent car.
Another new member to join NASA this year is rookie Brian Salorie(sp?), borrowing his sister's (Shannon Brown) Drag Buggy. This Drag Buggy has been meticulously prepped and maintained by Chris Brown. He paired up with Greg Schmidt in his Drag Ghia. Brian looks like a natural with a win his first time out in the NASA Series. Congratulations on your first win Brian!
Another teammate match comes up with the next pair. SpeedDog in the "Poppy Cleaners" Panel Bus has to race YoyaDog in her Drag Buggy. SpeedDog gets the first green light and he literally launches as the rear wheels hop off the ground about 5 inches. Gloria is unable to catch him at the top end of the track, and Brian scores his first win in his return to the series in a bus.
Chris Brown brought his Tribal Flamed Notchback this time out and has to run against the always tough Dave Calta. Chris is right on the mark and scores a win in the first round.
Last pair finds defending champ Michael Meyer lining up against BlondeDog in her Drag Ghia. Lynn really wants this one, and is the first racer with a shot at the Bounty Hunter money. The race is decided with an uncharacteristic missed shift by Lynn. Meyer moves on to round 2.

DesertDog logs another win vs rookie contender Lois in the Flying Ace to start off the second round of elimination's.
Magoo can't fix the problem he experienced during the first race in time to make the call, So Cliff Witham gets a solo run for the win.
Rick Oliver was seen in between rounds making additional adjustments to his Racecar. The extra effort paid off with a win over Wayne Axford.
The Battle of the Brian's is next up as Brian G. stages against Brian S. The win goes to SpeedDog (Brian G) as he clicks off another "Clean" run.
Chris Brown misses out on the Bounty Hunter payoff with a loss to Meyer. Meyer is on a roll that dates back to the final race of last year with more than 10 straight rounds of victories.

Five Racers make it into the quarterfinals and DesertDog gets the bye run.
Rick Oliver continues to tweak on his Racecar between rounds and scores another win against Cliff Witham.
SpeedDog was hoping to take Meyer to the "Cleaners" and collect the reward along the way, but Michael continues the momentum and logs another victory.

Rick Oliver gets the bye run into the final round. Only semifinal run finds DesertDog vs. Meyer. A big red light ends the day for the last Dog running. DesertDog Rick DeLeon will take home fourth round points.

Once again Rick Oliver is thrashing away on his racecar prepping for the final round. Rick has worked hard to get to this point and he is double checking every little detail hoping to give himself the edge in this first final round appearance. Meyer is odds on favorite.
The call is made and both competitors find their way to the starting line. In only a few moments both cars are off and roaring down the track. It's gonna be close, but at the top end Meyer can't catch Rick Oliver. A deafening cheer goes up from the remaining spectators congratulating Rick on his first win in the NASA Series.

There is nothing quite like the feel one has when you return to the pits and there is a crowd of people cheering, and waiting for a chance to shake your hand. As Rick emerged from his Racecar, he quickly busted out some moves that would put MC Hammer to shame with his celebration dance. For a guy that was feeling a little under the weather when he arrived to the track, a win seems to be the best medicine...Yeah!!, just what the doctor ordered!
Pictures were taken, money was paid, trophies were handed out, and Rick received his first winner sticker.
Congratulations Rick Oliver!!

I have started a NASA Racing photo album which can be seen at:
NASA Racing 2004
Photos are available on a more immediate basis by posting them at this website.

In closing I'd like to thank our friend Tom Simon who helped us out at the end of the day. We were taken by surprise when one of our towing vehicles decided to blow a head gasket after we arrived at the track. This left us with no way of towing my Racecar home at the end of the day. Tom did us a huge favor by hooking up the trailer and taking a detour to deliver it to our Racehouse. Is he a great guy...or what?
Thanks again Tom!

Next Nasa Race, May 15 Sacramento Raceway

Drag Day of 2004

Bad Dog Racing was able to send four racecars to the first Drag Day of 2004. Rick and Gloria would spend the week proceeding Drag Day at Gloria's parents home in San Diego. They would leave bright and early Sunday morning to meet the rest of us at Irwindale. This was the first real test for the new truck bed car carrier system devised and fabricated by Rick. The rack/bed setup will now enable both Drag Buggies to appear at any race facility without having to purchase a two car trailer. The system worked perfectly.

Leaving from the Sacramento and Bay Area's were Greg and Lynn towing Lynn's Drag Ghia, and Brian with wife Suzanne and kids towing the 67' Campmobile bus class entry. Restricted to taking just one racecar Greg and Lynn had made an arrangement as to who's racecar would go to Drag Day. The deal was whoever had a better outing at the first NASA race of the year, would get to race at Irwindale. Needless to say....Greg would crew for the team, and take pictures of the event. This was also the first opportunity for Lynn to race on another track.

Our Southern California chapter of BDR would meet us at the track. It was great to see Simon "MadDog" Ramirez and family, "EdDog", and "DivaDog", seemed like a long overdue reunion. Many story lines played out which started the Drag Day epic at least two weeks prior to the actual event. Thanks to the continuing dialogue posted on Cal-look.com, participants were well informed of this major event which officially kicked off the VW drag racing season. Most racers already had a warm up event posted in their log books from racing at the nostalgic March Meet held annually at Famosa Raceway (Bakersfield), the NHRA Import race at Fontana, or the first NASA race at Sacramento Raceway. Other racers were well practiced with visits to their local speedway for Test-N-Tune sessions.
After checking into our hotel Greg and Lynn freshened up and made plans to go to the pre-Drag Day party hosted by Scott and Betty Bakken. Once again our gracious hosts went all out inviting us into their warm home, and setting out a wonderful spread of food and wine. We enjoyed the opportunity to share stories and laughs with some of the hottest names in VW Drag Racing. This tight knit group of friends make up most of the top 10 list on the CLF. We enjoyed conversation with Cindy and Mike Lawless, Susie and Ken Jevec, Sue and Allen Wiess, and many others. We watched video's, checked out pictures, and got a chance to kick around in Scott's garage. You have to watch your step....he has a handful of race motors, assorted high performance heads, rods, piston sets, and cams carelessly laying about! All fun stuff!

We were honored to be invited by the Bakken's and hope to visit with them again at the next Drag Day (we'll bring our 2003 bottling of our Bad Dog Zin!). We took many pictures and will post them on our website. The list of racers that signed up to run at Drag Day read like a "Who's Who" of CLF regulars. Some of the most recognizable names in present day VW drag racing were on hand to vie for cash and awards. Sheldon, Staggs, Palmer, Bakken, Weiss, Mohr, and E-Girl to name just a few stood ready to make their bid for top honors. Multi car teams from Bad Dog Racing, Wide 5 Racing, and Cal-Look.com set up impressive pits areas. Current Champ "Flawless" Mike Lawless was poised to defend his title, but the race to the top of the ladder would be challenging to say the least. The Tech area was packed with long lines of Racecars six rows deep, but the well rehearsed staff kept things moving at a brisk pace. There were many posts on cal-look.com about racers scrambling to repair or complete their cars to have them ready for this event. Yet other very accomplished racers with lots of seat time would resort to back-up cars to compete in rather than miss this event. Joel Mohr was selected by Dan of Ocean Street Video to carry an onboard camera to give us a unique perspective of an adrenaline filled run at Irwindale, one that few of us will ever experience first hand. In addition to OSV, HotVW's, local press, and other major publications were on hand to cover the event. There was even a production company conducting interviews and auditions for a reality show based on competition between friends and family members. They also interviewed Dyno Don, and made audio recordings of many engines. The show car area was filled with many different stock and custom vehicles. You were sure to find something to catch your eye. Whether it be a full original restoration, a custom flamed paint job, or a classic looking street rod there was something for all tastes to be seen. The swap meet area was busy with buyers looking for that finishing piece for their car, another toy for their collection, or a racer that just broke something on his car hoping to make a hasty repair to get back into the program. MC extraordinaire Dyno Don kept the large crowd entertained, informed and excited with his colorful delivery. His vast knowledge of all things VW enhanced the audio portion of the show. With smokey burnout's, sky high wheelie's, and drivers fighting to control their overpowered machines, who better than Dyno Don to electrify a crowd and get them to react with so much passion. After the drivers meeting the staging lanes quickly filled with every type of VW competing in eight different classes. Exhibition runs were also made by Marty Staggs in his new front engine altered Drag Machine. It takes a unique individual to build, tune, and pilot the mechanical marvel that Marty has created with the finest of craftsmanship. It won''t take long for him to tame this ride capable of extreme speeds and velocities. I took many pictures throughout the day, and closely watched the performances of our team cars. All seem to be running consistent numbers. Being that Brian was running his Bus for the first time, I paid close attention to his runs. On one run it looked like Brian was waving to the crowd as he went through the gears. I thought to myself, "This guy is such a character!", but it's not unusual for him. I later asked him about it he smiled and said "Each time I shifted,,,,the sun visor flipped down and I couldn't see, so I was pushing it back up into place!" We both laughed about that one.

As the sun climbed into the sky and temperatures soared the heat started to take it's toll as racecars began to suffer mechanical failures. Broken transaxles seem all to common at Irwindale, and the staring line crew were busy all day mopping up after oil downs. A dozen or so cars were pushed of to the side as their day ended early. As frustrating as it may be, nothing is more troubling than a halt in the days activities due to a medical emergency and that is just what happened in the staging lanes. Tragically a man riding a quadrunner lost control and was knocked unconscious as he was thrown from the machine. Unclear as to whether the accident was caused by reckless behavior, careless operation, or just plan misfortune he needed immediate assistance. Bill Mortimer, an ex-paramedic was in the staging lanes when the mishap took place, and was the first person to offer assistance. The victim appeared to be struggling to breath, and Bill reacted by making sure he had a clear airway. The rescue team at Irwindale quickly responded and a call was made to dispatch Fire and Ambulance. The man was stabilized and transported to a local Medical Center. We applaud the quick actions of those that rushed to his aid. Once the safety crew returned to their stations, the action resumed. Even with the long delays, most drivers got two time runs before the lanes were shut down so the track staff can break for lunch and then prep the track for elimination's. Lane officials instructed all contenders to have a dial-in time clearly marked on their car, and directed them into the proper lanes. An erie calmness filled the staging lanes as the drivers gathered their thoughts and went over their own starting line routines just before elimination's. Many were still adjusting to the new LED timing which was installed at the track just days before this event.

Some classes had long lines of cars requiring many rounds of elimination's, while others seemed lightly contested. Close match ups made for exciting racing throughout the day. A racers performance had to be right on the mark to make it through the field of tough competitors. It would be hard to pick a best race of the day, but three favorites come to mind for me personally. One of the most exciting races was seen in the Blimp Jackpot class as Scott Bakken launched hard carrying the front of the car high into the air, just as the car touched down Scott grabbed second gear and aired out the front end again! Moments after reentry his power dropped off and he came up short at the finish line. As he came down the return road, a deafening roar went up from the crowd. Scott really wowed the masses with that incredible run. Back in the pits he discovered a spark plug wire was jarred loose from the vertical performance he just concluded. Still he was all smiles from completing one of the wildest rides ever seen at Irwindale. You gotta admire a guy like that.

Another great match was the final round in the A1 Muffler Quick 16. Lining up was CLF regular and defending champ Mike Lawless vs. Cal-look.com sponsored racecar of Troy Palmer. Talk about saving the best for last, with these two fierce competitors, it was anyone's race. At the top end of the track the win light glowed for Lawless as he won yet another class to add to his DRKC victory from his last Drag Day. Best race of the day had to be the final run. After winning not only their respective classes and besting their competition in the challenge for Top Eliminator it came down to this last pair. Staging in the far lane was Jorge DeLeon in his 62' Bus, in the tower side we find the roaring V8 powered 72 sedan of Miles Marshall. Most of the crowd was pulling for the Bus. The lopsided dial-in times gave the Bus a seven-second head start. As Jorge approached half track the amber lights started their countdown sequence for Miles. Once again the LED timing got the better of the racer as Miles went red. The crowd went nuts. Unaware of what was happening Jorge was still yet to get to the finish line. He held on tight as the windblast of the V8 sedan rocked his Bus as it blew by. It wasn't until he got his time slip that he knew he had won. He was greeted with cheers as he drove past the grandstands. As far as our own group of racers went, best finish went to Brian "SpeedDog" Gomez with a Runner-up in the Bus Class. Rick "DesertDog" DeLeon went three rounds, Gloria "YoyaDog" DeLeon ran a great 10.02 on a 10. dial-in but got "tree'd". Lynn "BlondeDog" went out in the first round with a red-light, Damn those new LED's!

As the sun started to sink into the horizon, the awards ceremony took place. Dyno Don added his own unique touch as he handed out the trophies, prizes, and cash awards to the top performers. As long as this review is, there are so many other stories and perspectives to be heard. To get even more info about this event be sure to scroll through the many posts and replies now seen at the Cal-look forum.

Congratulations to all the winners of HotVW's Drag Day, and a great big thanks goes to Rich Kimball and his great staff for once again allowing us all to enjoy a fantastic event. I'm sure we are all looking forward to the next Drag Day!

Next race for Bad Dog Racing....NASA Race 2. April 3rd, Sacramento Raceway.

Drag Day Results

A1 Muffler Quick 16
Winner: Mike Lawless ET: 7.807 MPH: 71.41
Runner Up: Troy Palmer ET: 7.385 MPH: 90.42

BLIMP Jackpot Bracket
Winner: Don Mehling ET: 8.344 MPH: 64.26
Runner-up: Mike Engert ET: 9.613 MPH: 70:16

BRKT 1 8.58 and Quicker
Winner: Todd Selland ET: 7.418 MPH: 88.88
Runner-up: Anthony Amaro ET: 8.001 MPH: 82.85

BRKT 2 8.59 to 9.99
Winner: Lino Twiguez ET: 8.674 MPH: 71.44
Runner-up: John Blunt ET: 10.528 MPH: 51.65

BRKT 3 10.00 and Slower
Winner: Nathaniel Papaloana ET: 11.209 MPH: 60.61
Runner-up: Rikki Munoz ET: 13.724 MPH: 49.58

BRKT 4 All Water-cooled Cars
Winner: Miles Marshall ET: 7.167 MPH: 89.48
Runner-up: Kyle Heike ET: 10.556 MPH: 69.39

OldVolks.com Bus Bracket
Winner: Jorge DeLeon ET: 14.899 MPH: 43.71
Runner-up: Brian Gomez ET: 13.719 MPH: 47.89

Top Eliminator
Winner: Jorge DeLeon ET: 14.742 MPH: 45.02
Runner-up: Miles Marshall ET: 7.312 MPH: 98.01

Topline Top Speed
Jason Eggum MPH: 113.52

Rancho Low ET
Marty Staggs ET: 5.97

NASA VW Drag Racing Series (Race #1)

Clear, warm, longer days, the sweet smell of spring in the air, and the late nights finishing up projects in the garage signal the start of the racing season. Seven "Dogs" pledged to make the first race. GrandDog, BlondeDog, DesertDog, YoyaDog, J-Dog, Jr. Dog, and DaddyDog made up our team for the first NASA race of 2004.

Lynn, Gloria, and Rick Jr. all wanted to do some testing. We made a plan to go to Test-N-Tune the Saturday before the race. Gloria was eager to try out the changes to her "Tigger" Drag Buggy. We mounted the new Phoenix drag slicks she won at the awards banquet, we lowered and reset her seat, changed the throttle cable and pedal assembly, and also made some changes to the carburetor linkage. Rick Jr's Drag Baja had been in moth balls and we wanted to make some shake down passes and check out the carburetion. Lynn just wanted to get some seat time, and get used to driving with a helmet (a birthday gift from Greg). We were amazed at the crowd we found at the track. Seems everyone had the itch to try out their racecars. It was a warm clear day, and it brought out the racers in big numbers. Every kind of drag vehicle was to be seen at Sacramento Raceway. The closest pit we could find was one beyond the timing booth along one of the return roads. The large crowd appeared to overwhelm the staff as long delays were experienced throughout the day. Our drivers made initial passes and returned to the pits where we adjusted and tuned the racecars as needed. Also seen testing were W5R members Anton and Nick, with their Turbo Powered Drag Sedans. Jason arrived a bit later and made some passes in the DragBus. After waiting out the delays in the staging lanes, we made some additional runs then wrapped up our session and headed back to the racehouse. We inventoried and cleaned-up our pit equipment. Some new equipment was added, while others pieces were replaced. Changes made to Rick's trailer made for easier loading and transport of tools. We washed our racecars, loaded them up on the transporters, and carefully covered them up, in a sense tucking them in for the night under the full moon. Tomorrow was going to be a big (and long) day.

We arrived early at the track to find huge motorhomes, state of the art trailers. The roar of full race engines was heard in the pit areas, and the smell of alcohol filled the air. We found sleek full race dragsters with incredible paint jobs. Drivers wearing the latest in protective racewear. Custom tow vehicles, with crew members sporting the colors and logo's of their team. This was a serious group of contenders, running the latest and most advanced pieces of high performance engine technology. We were humbled by the professionalism that surrounded us. Two and three generations of family members, dedicated to their fearless racers were present. I started taking pictures in awe of my surroundings for this was my first real firsthand experience of.... Junior Drag Racing! We planned to get to the track early to root on our friend, Chad Axford. Chad is in his rookie season of Jr. Drag racing. Father and fellow NASA Racer Wayne Axford is the crew chief and tuner of Chad's sleek racing machine. Although this is only his first year, Chad is already in the top ten in this highly contested points series. We admired Chad's flamed rear-engined dragster featuring a racing wing. Pictures of this sweet racecar will be featured on our website soon.

As expected a large turnout of NASA racers found their way into the pits. New racers and cars were seen being readied for today's action. Old friends and new, I made my way around to greet all the racers, and take some pictures of their cars. Many were busy finishing up last minute details. New to the NASA Series are Mike Lawless, Daniel "Weeble" Vetter, Jeremiah Wiley, Clint Ormosen, and Lois B. Returning after a long hiatus is Greg Schmidt. New Racecars were being debuted by Cliff Witham, and Eric "The Red" Ormosen. Mike Lawless, although a rookie for the NASA series, is an accomplished racer with a long list of wins. Most recently Mike won the very prestigious "Top Eliminator" at HotVW's sponsored Drag Day. He is also the two time "Back to Back" Champion of the Renn Kafer Cup Series. Mike is an artist and runs Lawless Designs, his very successful T-shirt business. Many of the top names in motorsports are outfitted with Lawless creations. Look for "Flawless" Mike Lawless to win many rounds of elimination's. Daniel Vetter, "Weeble" to his friends, has been in the VW scene for many years. Weeble was a founding member of a VW club in the San Jose area. He has owned many different VW's over the years, and has a 56' Drag Ghia project under construction. He is a regular all major VW events, and is eager to try his hand at NASA VW drag racing. With some guidance of his mentor Dan "Dr. Ruble", Weeble may just be the surprise rookie of the 2004 season. Jeremiah Wiley was curious about all the talk of the NASA series. He also has a Drag Ghia in the building stages. Rather than wait until his racecar was done, he rolled in with his 67' Campmobile. His bus features a 2 liter engine, with dual 44 weber carburetors, and a webcam. Jeremiah will get some seat time with his first time on track experience as he joins the rookie class of 2004. Clint Ormosen borrowed last years Rookie of the Year winner, brother Eric Ormosen's Drag Ghia Coupe to compete in this years series. Clint is another member of the strong W5R (Wide 5 Racing) team. This group of racers is sure to make a strong challenge in the points race this year. Lois B., although unable to race due to racecar woes suffered at Test-N-Tune, is the latest woman racer to join NASA. Lois will be driving the Barnett Import Repair sponsored 65 Drag Sedan affectionately named "The Flying Ace". Her car will feature a Bud Whitfield prepared 2332cc powerplant. We will keep an eye on Lois as she and Richard parade this gem of a racecar in her sophomore season.

Two rounds of practice are run with some cars suffering from mechanical difficulties. Anton's Turbo needs some attention at the throttle cable and pedal assembly. Rick Oliver's Ghia may have some clutch issues. Gloria's Drag Buggy needs additional adjustments at the carburetor linkage, and Rick Jr's Drag Baja is refusing to improve with ongoing carburetion issues. At the Drivers meeting Tom Simon announces the addition of another major sponsor. DRD Racing Heads has joined the other fine series sponsors, and will pledge a set of heads to the 2004 series champion. A great turnout of 21 racers are on hand for the meeting, but a total of 19 will race. Withdrawing from competition are Rick Oliver, and Rick DeLeon Jr. Greg's VW will again sponsor a "Bounty Hunter" award giving $50.00 to any racer that can eliminate the previous race winner. In this case Michael Meyer is the target. Numbers are pulled, matches are made...let's go racing.

Lucky newcomer Weeble gets the bye run in the first round. First pair is the brothers Ormosen. Eric and W5R teamates have been feverishly wrenching away on ETR's (Eric "The Red") new Racecar for this year. Eric is debuting his all new Chassis Racecar. In the opposite lane is Clint racing Eric's Ghia Coupe. At the finish line it's Clint with the win light, but watch for ETR to run hard this year as he works out the bugs in his new Racecar. Wayne Axford pairs up with Lynn Urrutia. Lynn has always performed well at the start of each season winning the opening race the last 2 years running. Lynn starts her day off right with a win, and also sets the best reaction time of the day (.030 LED timing) as she moves on to round 2. Mike Lawless finds himself in an unusual position as he spots a full 10 second head start to Jeremiah in the Bus. Mike waits an eternity before getting a green light, meanwhile the bus is disappearing off in the distance. About 3/4 track Mike thinks he is not going to catch him as they near the finish line, but the win light comes on for the "White Knuckle Ride" as the bus goes way too fast(?) and breaks out. Greg Schmidt's first win in his return to NASA will have to wait as he loses a close one to the "DesertDog" as Rick scores a win. Gloria "YoyaDog" can add a win to her log book as she prevails over the super fast W5R Turbo Sedan piloted by Anton the "White Russian". J-Dog's MSD Launch control seems to be working well as he takes the DragBus into the second round with a win over the always tough Dave Calta. Newlywed Chris Brown's new racecar (a Drag Ghia Coupe) is still not ready. Wife Shannon (ROTY 2002) is pregnant and will not race this year. So Chris conveniently finds himself in the seat of her Drag Buggy. Although he cannot find the speed or produce the numbers that Shannon has posted in the past, he finds enough to win over Cliff Witham. Cliff is also racing a new car this year. Watch for his Turbo Drag Sedan to become a major threat as he works out the new car blues. Tony "DaddyDog" DeAnda chases down GrandDog in their first round match up and lifts to bumper race Greg to the line. "What was I thinking" is all Tony can say when he returns to the pits. Seems he lifted too much too early as he gives this one away to a Bad Dog teammate. Nick Wharton is all over the racetrack as he corrects all the way down the 1320 in a loss to Mike Meyer. The super fast Turbo Drag Sedan is in need of additional chassis tuning to keep it straight. Nick will most likely lay down the fastest pass of the year once he gets his Racecar to properly hook up. It's always exciting to watch this car run.

Round 2 finds another rookie match up as Clint matches up with Weeble. Both of these Racecars are sporting stock 1600cc single port engines. Advise from Dr. Ruble seems to be paying off as Weeble wins "The Battle of the Single Ports" and advances on. The LED lighting gets the best of BlondeDog as she red-lights and fouls out giving Mike Lawless an easy win. Lawless would have broke out in this race as he set a personal best running a 11.44 on a 11.47 dial in. First foul loses, Lawless moves on. Next pair finds husband/wife match up as DesertDog lines up across from YoyaDog. Well, someone has to lose, unfortunately Gloria will go home with second round points as she comes up short on a very close race. Rick will go on to the third round. J-Dog is beside himself as he takes the DragBus to a break out loss against Chris Brown. The amount of break out....007. J-Dog will be tough this year. Chris is starting to feel real comfortable in the wife's Buggy! Last pair of round 2 finds GrandDog with a chance to eliminate Mike Meyer and keep his own Bounty reward. It was not to be as Greg gets to the line first, but too fast as he breaks out giving Meyer an easy win.

Round 3 awards Lawless with a bye run. Rather then run it hard, Mike goes easy and saves it for the next round. DesertDog redlights against rookie Weeble. Mr. Vetter scores yet another victory. Chris Brown misses out on the bounty money and ends his day in the third round in a loss against Meyer.

Only three cars left in the fourth round which gives Meyer, who originally pulled number 18 a bye round into the finals. So here we go with a lopsided semifinal rookie match. Daniel "Weeble" Vetter vs. "Flawless" Mike Lawless. Keep in mind that this is the first time Weeble has ever been on a track, and he is racing a stock car borrowed from his girlfriend. Lawless is a master at this game, with lots of seat time in a proven racecar that he has taken to the winners circle many times. Many are looking beyond this race to a Lawless/Meyer finale. Weeble gets the green light and is off, moments later Lawless is off with a sub-par launch. In another moment the crowd is stunned as Mike misses a shift. It's only a moment, but it can't be made up....Weeble wins against one of the very best. It's an incredible win for the first timer. This sets up the final round.

It's late and many have already packed up and headed home. We are compelled to stay for the final. It's a Cinderella story for the Rookie. It can only be described as phenomenal for the first time racer to come this far in his very first race. Lined up in the other lane is the favorite, Michael Meyer. Many of us can't help but root for the underdog, As it turns out Meyer gets the win light. Not only does Meyer get the win, but he is the first one to claim the bounty award for two wins in a row.

Well, that pretty much wraps it up for the first race of the year. A great day of racing with lots of action and many story lines. We wish to congratulate the trophy winners of the NASA opener, especially Daniel "Weeble" Vetter. What a day he had! It just goes to show you don't need a full bore race car to be competitive in NASA VW Drag Racing. Above all else, this series provides fun. Just ask anyone who raced today!

Pictures from this event will appear at www.thesamba.com in addition to our website www.gregsvw.com

Next race for BDR March 21, 2004 We will be taking the long haul to Irwindale to compete in Drag Day. Looks like we will have 5 cars racing.
Next NASA race April 3, 2004

See You In The Winners Circle!

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