auto racing – Page 161 – The Driver Suit Blog

My Thoughts on the IndyCar Racing Memorabilia Market

By David G. Firestone

I had a thought this last weekend, and I have to ask this question. Does IndyCar know that the race-used memorabilia market exists? Based on the research I’ve done over the past few years, I don’t know it they do. NASCAR, the NHRA, Formula 1, ARCA, and even the SCCA have not only figured out that the market exists, but they’ve embraced it. IndyCar is so far behind, that I’m not sure the league, the teams or the drivers really understand that there is a market for race-used equipment and uniforms.

I wrote about this some time ago, and I wondered then, as I wonder now. What amazes me here is that not only do the teams not seem to understand that fans want race-used memorabilia, they don’t seem to understand that fans want team BRANDED items. HALF of the team websites don’t have store options, and of the ones that do, only one, Team Penske, doesn’t link to IndyCar’s website. Am I missing something here? Why wouldn’t teams want to sell their own merch?

Above and beyond the obvious, one would think that tires, the most expendable part of the race car, would make their way on to eBay. You would think that, but it never happens. I don’t understand this. What happens to all the used tires from IndyCar races? I’m not saying that every tire should be sold, but you would think that one or two might get sold to fans! As of this writing, of the hundreds of race-used tires on eBay, THREE OF THEM are IndyCar tires!

I’d like someone, and I don’t care who to explain this to me! Could someone from IndyCar, one of the teams, or Firestone to get in touch with me, and tell me why the race-used tires don’t get sold as memorabilia to fans. Do NOT try and tell me that you think fans wouldn’t buy them! NASCAR and the NHRA have shown that there is a market for race-used tires! EVEN FORMULA ONE SELLS OFF TIRES!

IndyCar and their teams should be run by smart people, yet whoever is in charge doesn’t seem to understand that there is money to be made from race-used memorabilia. It goes further than just tires. Engine parts, pit crew uniforms, driver uniforms, and damaged body panels all are in demand by fans and collectors, yet little, if anything ever comes to the regular market. Occasionally, teams and/or drivers will donate items to charity auctions and raffles, but a lot of memorabilia never sees the light of day.

This isn’t a situation where teams would lose money either. Race-used memorabilia is in such short supply, and much of the stuff that is on eBay has questionable authentication, if any. Teams could sell used racing parts, and uniforms with good authentication and make a killing! Yet only a few teams take advantage of the market. Do you know how much money you are leaving on the table?

I’m saying this because I’m a racing uniform guy, and a racing memorabilia guy. I would love to have more IndyCar stuff in my collection, but I can’t, because nothing is hitting the market. Every other sport in America has embraced the game-used memorabilia market, yet IndyCar, one of the most technologically advanced forms of motorsports in the United States doesn’t grasp this. If they don’t, it will be just another bad decision from an organization that has made so many over recent years. I really hope someone will wake up…but I’m not betting the farm on it.

Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-John Hale Funny Car Gloves

This week, we look at a pair of race-worn and autographed funny car gloves used by John Hale of Jim Dunn Racing.

Paint Scheme Grades-March 4, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Quikrete Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow, same A- grade.

Elliott Sadler #7 Golden Corral Chevy SS-Same scheme as 2017, same A grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS-Same scheme as 2017, same A grade.

Brendan Gaughan #75 Beard Oil Chevy SS-It’s a smooth simple clean look, with a great color scheme. I give it an A.,

Robby Gordon’s SCORE Pit Crew Suits Part 1

By David G. Firestone

Love him or hate him, you can’t disagree with the fact that Robby Gordon LOVES to race. From five SCORE International championships, to three Baja 500 wins, three Baja 1000 wins, two wins in IndyCar, three wins in the Cup Series, and one win in the Xfinity Series, Gordon can win in any series he is in. Gordon also founded the Speed Energy Formula Off-Road series in 2012.

Gordon is the son of Robert “Baja Bob” Gordon, and grew up with off road racing. He got his start in off-road racing, and transitioned into other forms of auto racing. In his early SCORE days, Robby preferred Ford over all others. This continued in to the 1990’s, though he would never be a part of the famed Ford Rough Riders.

I recently acquired two firesuits supposedly worn by Robby Gordon’s pit crew during the early 1990’s. Research on SCORE stats and information isn’t as easy as NASCAR or IndyCar. However, I have reason to believe that these two suits date between 1994 and 1995. I’ll start with the first one, a non Nomex example, which shows some light wear. The front collar is a Velcro design with a FORD logo embroidered into it.The cowl tag is a Simpson non Nomex variation, with two flag tags. One is a size tag indicating M, the other is a made on tag indicating it was made in 8/91.Here is the first indication that this was used in SCORE, the right chest patch features an ULTRA CUSTOM WHEEL patch sewn into it.Evidence indicating that these suits date to 1994-1995 is on the left chest. Sewn into the material, which feels rather unusual, almost like a dipped polyester, is a VALVOLINE patch, and a SHILO INN patch. These two logos are clearly visible in all photos of Robby’s CART rides in 1994 and 1995. All of the chest logos are also visible in what few photos I’ve been able to find of Robby’s SCORE rides in 1995.The front torso doesn’t have any logos adorning it, nor does the belt. The legs are unadorned, and have standard cuffs.The shoulders have no adornment, and the sleeves have three red stripes on the upper sleeve, and nothing on the lower sleeve. The left sleeve has a SIMPSON patch. The back of the suit shows some light wear.The back of the neck has no adornment at all.The back torso has a large FORD blue oval patch sewn into it.I’m fully convinced this is a SCORE suit and not a CART suit. First off, no crew member would be dumb enough not to wear a Nomex suit. Second, the lack of customization is a telling piece of evidence. Between photos and videos, I’ve been able to determine that Gordon wore a blue suit in CART. While there is evidence that Gordon at the very least wore a suit with some customization, for a SCORE crew in that era, it doesn’t seem so far fetched that they would wear a cheap suit with some patches while working on the truck. Based on all of the above evidence, I can safely say that this is a SCORE pit crew suit from 1994-1995, more than likely 1994.

I have a second pit crew suit from Robby Gordon’s SCORE team, possibly from 1995, which we will examine next week.

Throwback Thursday-Tom Bigelow-1981

Tom Bigelow gets ready to race his 1981 #56 Genesee Beer Penske Chevy

The blue fade effect is amazing, the color scheme is great, and I love the retro Genesee logos and car number. I wish the blue was the more prominent color, but the white works well, especially with the blue fade. I would also say that white on white doesn’t work for sponsor logos, especially on the front right wing. It’s a solid A scheme.

Paint Scheme Tracker-March 1, 2017

By David G. Firestone

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1

Jamie McMurray #1 GearWrench Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, black, with yellow, and red stripes across bottom. A

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy SS–No change. B+

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, blue front, red rear, stripes between. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS–No change. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Grand Mac Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, black, with green front and cutting edge design. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as Cessna/McDonald’s, but with colors reversed. A

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion–No Change A

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Auto Trader Ford Fusion–No Change D-

Brad Keselowski #2 SKF Ford Fusion–No Change. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, black front, with red designs near wheel well, white fade across quarter panels. A-

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme, but with a few minor stripe changes. D+

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS–New sponsor for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but many of the stripes have been removed. A

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Quikrete Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as Dow but with Quikrete on quarter panels. A-

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, all blue with more detail in the mountains. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same as 2017 Busch, but with Busch Light on quarter panel. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5

Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy SS–No Change. C+

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Chevy SS–No Change. D+

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, silver, with black door, and red stripes. A

Kasey Kahne #5 UniFrst Chevy SS–No Change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Trevor Bayne #6 Liberty National Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, blue with silver and white across sides, white roof. B-

Trevor Bayne #6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion–Except for the change from 16 to 6, no change. B-

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, white with multi-colored checkerboard pattern on bottom. A

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7

Elliott Sadler #7 Golden Corral Chevy SS–No change.A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10

Danica Patrick #10 Code 3 Associates Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, white front, green stripe, and blue bottom. A

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, lighter blue, Post-It motif replaced by silver wing, and some minor color changes. F

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but side and front stripes are bigger. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, lighter blue, with an orange paintbrush design on sides. B-

GERMAIN RACING #13

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Chevy SS-No change. A

Ty Dillon #13 Twisted Tea Chevy SS–Aside from the new team, no change. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14

Clint Bowyer #14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-New scheme for 2017, white top, red and white stripe across side, blue bottom. A

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #15

Michael Waltrip #15 Aaron’s Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2017, blue photo motif across car, white hood, yellow door numbers. D-

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Sunny D Ford Fusion–No change. F

Rickey Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Comemorative Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme, but the colors have been reversed. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford Fusion–No change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry–Aside from moving the characters around, no major changes for 2017. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #19

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Toyota Camry–Same basic scheme as 2016, Aaris replaces Surfboard. A

Daniel Suarez #19 Stanley Toyota Camry–No change. B+

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt/Flexwolt Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, yellow, with black stripes up the sides and hood. A

Matt Kenseth #20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–New sponsor for 2017, same as 2016 #18. F

Matt Kenseth #20 Tide Pods Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017 orange front with subtle designs, blue rear with subtle designs. F

WOOD BROTHER RACING #21

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion–No Change. A

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion–No change D

Joey Logano #22 AAA Ford Fusion–No Change. D

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Fusion–No Change. D-

Joey Logano #22 AAA of Southern California Ford Fusion–No Change. D

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2016, all yellow, with some lighter yellow geometrical designs across car. A

BK RACING #23

Joey Gase #23 Best Furnishing Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, blue with paintbrush style white and yellow designs across side. F

Joey Gase #23 Schluter Systems Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme, but stripes have been replaced by geometric designs D-

Joey Gase #23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but angled lines replace curved lines. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

Chase Elliott #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but with yellow accents across sides. A

Chase Elliott #24 Kelly Blue Book Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, design similar to #11 FedEx. A

Chase Elliott #24 Sun Energy Chevy SS–No Change. F

Chase Elliott #24 Hooters Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, white sides with orange stripes, orange roof. C-

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Richmond Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, black front, yellow sides, black at bottom of wheel well. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Peak Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, new Menard’s template with Peak colors. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31

Ryan Newman #31 CAT Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, white with black cutting edge design on front, black stripe across hood and top of car. B-

Ryan Newman #31 Granger Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, red replaces green, black replaces white and red.

GO FAS RACING #32

Matt DiBenedetto #32 EJ Wade Foundation Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, white with blue ribbon design on sides.F

CIRCLE SPORT/TMG MOTORSPORTS #33

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Starter Chevy SS–Aside from the new team, no change.A

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34

Landon Cassill #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion–No change. A

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #37

Chris Buescher #37 Cottonelle Chevy SS-New team for 2017, white sides with blue roof and bottom. A

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Checklist Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as #47 Kroger. B+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38

David Ragan #38 Camping World/Good Sam Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, blue front, yellow and red oval design on rear. B-

David Ragan #38 Jacob Companies Ford Fusion–New sponsor for 2017, blue with white and silver zig-zag design across car.C-

STEWART-HAAS RACING #41

Kurt Busch #41 Monster Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Kurt Busch #41 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, same as #14, but with green replacing blue. A

Kurt Busch #41 Mobil 1 Annual Protection Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as other SHR Mobil 1 schemes, but with gold trim. A

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy SS–Aside from the new car number, no change. F

Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS–No change. A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion–No Change. B+

Aric Almiroa #43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2016, same basic scheme, but with more lightning. A

Aric Almirola #43 STP Ford Fusion–No change. B-

Aric Almirola #43 Fresh From Florida Ford Fusion–No change. F

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #47

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger/Stouffers/Cheez It’s Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, white with blue diagonal stripes, and black and red curves across sides. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Chevy SS–New scheme for 2016, light blue with diagonal stripes and geometric patterns on side. F

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy SS–New scheme for 2016, dark blue with diagonal stripes and geometric patterns on side. F

RICK WARE RACING #51

Timmy Hill #51 Spoonful Music Foundation Chevy SS-New team for 2017, white with racing stripe design on hood, plain white sides. A

TRISTAR MOTORSPORTS #72

Cole Whitt #72 Florida Lottery Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, black sides, orange and blue hood to roof. D-

BEARD RACING #75

Brendan Gaughan #75 Beard Oil Chevy SS-New team for 2017, all black with white logos and numbers. A

FURNITURE ROW RACING #77

Erik Jones #77 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry–New team for 2017, red front, red and yellow lightning stripe across black sides, red rear. C-

Erik Jones #77 5-Hour Energy Extra Stength Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2017, same as 2017 5-Hour Energy, but with Extra Strength on sides and hood. C-

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Toyota Camry–No change. A

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry–No change. A

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, red and black stripes with a camo stripe at the bottom. C-

Martin Truex Jr. #78 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, same as #77.C-

BK RACING #83

Corey LaJoie #83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry–No change.B-

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, blue design similar to last year’s. with blue vertical stripes next to silver door numbers. A

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta Chevy SS -New scheme for 2017, yellow front, a series of red and yellow geometrical designs across sides, red rear. F

LEAVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Michael McDowell #95 K-LOVE Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same colors, but with stripes across front half of sides. A

GAUNT BROS RACING #96

DJ Kennington #96 Lordco Toyota Camry-New team for 2017, blue front, black middle, white rear, curve stripes between the three. C-

My Thoughts On A Few Subjects

By David G. Firestone

Just a short one this week. A new development has me concerned. Last week, Jayski, which is my go-to site for paint schemes and NASCAR news became a part of the ESPN webpage. I’ve been going there every day, and they don’t seem to be updating their paint scheme link pages. I’m not that worried, I still have team sites, Facebook, NASCAR, and Twitter, so the tracker, and the grades will continue. I hope they start fixing the links soon.

I’ve also been working on a new website schedule. Basically everything is going to remain the same, but I’m going to compress my work setup, so I can get more done in less time. It’s been working well, I’m happy with it.

As I’m typing this, I’m watching Spring Training baseball. I’ve said before that I LOVE Spring Training baseball. It’s the MLB equivalent of getting a bunch of kids together and hitting the ball around in the street. It’s very laid back, and everyone is just there for fun. Stats and standings don’t matter. It’s simply fun baseball. I also love the road sign patches on the uniforms.

Lastly, for you energy drink drinkers out there, I have a new recommendation. Get some Kickstart Mango Lime. I didn’t expect much, but it won me over. It has a really good mango flavor, and the lime isn’t overpowering. It’s my new favorite energy drink.

Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-Jack Beckman Collection

Season 17 starts with a Jack Beckman revisit.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 25, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy SS-It’s a better scheme, much more toned down, great color scheme, and an overall great look. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Grand Mac Chevy SS-I’m not a fan of green on race cars, but this works very well. The design scheme looks good, and it’s a really good scheme. I give it an A.

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy SS–It’s a better scheme, much more toned down, great color scheme, and an overall great look. A

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion-For the switch to Ford, Aspen Dental redesigned their car, and at best it can be described as “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” The changes did nothing to improve the overall look of the car. It’s not a good scheme, and I give it an F.

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Ford Fusion-For the switch to Ford, TaxAct redesigned their car. The changes did not change the grade of the car. It’s still a great looking car, and the bigger stripes are an improvement. It is an A scheme for sure.

Michael Waltrip #15 Aaron’s Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2017, blue photo motif across car, white hood, yellow door numbers. D-

Matt Kenseth #20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as 2016 #18, same F grade.

Matt Kenseth #20 Tide Pods Toyota Camry-Talk about a downgrade! The 2016 throwback scheme was one of the best. Tide has always had great schemes, but this new scheme is a disaster! I hate the orange/blue separation, the subtle designs, and the overall look. Even a great color scheme can’t save this from an F grade.

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Starter Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

David Ragan #38 Camping World/Good Sam Ford Fusion-I’m not big on the design scheme. I think the old Front Row template would have worked better. I do like the color scheme, and the design isn;t horrible, so I’ll give it a B-.

David Ragan #38 Jacob Companies Ford Fusion–It’s a bad design with a mediocre color scheme, and the two don’t work with each other. Taking everything into account, this is a C-scheme.

Timmy Hill #51 Spoonful Music Foundation Chevy SS-Good design, great color scheme, and a great look will always earn an A.

Martin Truex Jr. #78 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #77 same C- grade.

1/4 Mile of Bliss in Tucson

By David G. Firestone

When you ask which states are auto racing hot beds, certain states automatically come to mind. Anyone who thinks of auto racing associates Indiana, Florida, California, and the southern states, Alabama, Georgia, The Carolinas, Tennessee, Texas, and Kentucky. New York, and Illinois are often thought of as well. There are a lot of states

One state that doesn’t get the respect it deserves as an auto racing state is Arizona. The state has a number of well-known tracks, including the now defunct Manzanita Speedway, and the ill-fated Phoenix street circuit, Phoenix International Speedway, Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, and Tucson Raceway Park. The climate in Arizona, especially Tucson is great for car collectors and racers, since the weather isn’t as damaging to cars as it is in many other places in the country.

While Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is the most well-known dragway in Arizona, it isn’t the only one. A former dragstrip located in Phoenix was Speedworld Raceway, and Tucson has Tucson Dragway. Drag racing has a long history in Tucson, dating back to the 1960’s. The original Tucson Dragway was built in 1962, and opened in 1964. The dragway operated continually until 1985. Te story goes that apparently, it was discovered that the strip was being used as a landing strip for drug dealer airplanes. After the 1985 AHRA Winternationals on February 17, 1985, the old track closed for good, and is now overgrown on state-owned land.

Drag racing seemed dead in Tucson, but shortly after, a new track, Southwestern International Raceway, a 1/4 mile dragstrip, opened shortly after the closing. Since then, Southwestern International Raceway re-branded to Tucson Dragway has hosted IHRA, and AHRA events, but is currently an NHRA-affiliated track. Located near the Pima County Fairgrounds, it is also one of the most active drag strips in the United States. The 2017 schedule alone has 60 events over the course of the year.

Last week, I discussed my trip to Tucson. I had asked if I could come down to Tucson Dragway, and track manager Matthew DeYoung was kind enough to let me come down and photograph the track. The facility is a nice one.I started at the starting line, and I photographed the burnout box, the maintenance shed, and the tower.I noticed a tumbleweed stuck in the sticky rubber near the beginning of the track.I noticed all of the track equipment, parked behind the starting line. Matt was nice enough to let me photograph the Christmas tree, I like the “No U-turns” sign on the tree. I noticed the little shed just in front of the tree, near the starting line, which has some of the basic maintenance items needed for racing events.I then stared down the dragstrip, and felt serene. The look, and the scent is something that drag racing fans love about a dragstrip. I walked down the strip, walking in the racing groove, and out of the racing groove. I noticed that while the track is sticky, the groove isn’t as sticky as the area out of the groove…

As I got to the 1/8^th mark, I took photographs of the sensors and the foam blocks that are used to record times. Then I walked to the finish line, indicated by the black line on the wall. Since Tucson Dragway is close to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, a C-130 flew over the finish line, and I tested my zoom lens. Tucson Dragway is a nice facility, and it’s really close to Tucson Speedway, a 0.375 mile paved oval, one of three in the state of Arizona. They don’t have a partnership, but they do work with each other occasionally. I would like to thank Matthew DeYoung for letting me come down and photograph the track.

Next week, I’m going to shift focus to some off-road stuff.