There’s good and bad to everything in life, right? In drag racing there’s also good and bad when you get called to the infamous “tech barn” especially when we are talking about the NHRA US Nationals. If you are a stock eliminator that took care of business during class eliminations, Saturday means that your stuff will be under the microscope of the tech department. But what does that mean and what does that look like? This video from 2013 is one of the best and most raw looks at the teardown process we have ever seen. No, it does not give us a blow by blow of the inspection but it shows the massive size and scope of the operation at the US Nationals.
Shot by Randi Lyn Shipp, we ride with her early in the morning to the tech shed and then we ride back to the pits after the process is complete. You will be blown away by how many cars are being torn to pieces both inside and behind the barn under tents. There are traditional old school stockers, late model Factory Stock Showdown style cars, and on and on and on. It is the kind of pleasurable pain one endures to prove that they have the baddest version of their own combo on Earth.
We can’t wait for Indy and hundreds of stock eliminator racers across the country are hoping for the same experience Randi Lyn shows us here. Awesome!
Tear down is a fact of life at any level of Class Racing… Many folks don;t realize is that the tear down process costs the racer money in gaskets oil, filters etc… I had an acquaintance who was a K/Stock terror and record holder and he would have a dozen head and intake gaskets and cases of oil just because of the teardown process..
Do they still tag the engines after they’ve passed tech once? Used to be they’d put a tag on them if they passed, and as long as that tag was not removed, you didn’t have to go through the process again.
No on the tag. We were torn down at Indy and asked if the engine could be sealed as we were going to Earlville in less than a week to set the SS/L record. We were told that we would have to tear down for the record. The tech man was surprised when I brought him the other head to check instead of the one that he passed at Indy. Told him we might as well have fresh head gaskets in both.
There is nothing better than passing tech and setting the Wally on the car to let everyone know.
BENT VALVE
Cool video, Brian. I can’t wait til Indy either!
Will you still be doing the track p.a. for the Hemi Shootout semis and finals with Herb McCandless on Friday night?
that brings back memories. I miss my S/SS people…