07/26/2026
is the word of the day.
Showed up Friday night ready. Didn’t have to do much other than clean up some unfinished stuff from the nitrous controls update.
Went out to Q1 and just before pulling out the driver window would not go up. It got caught under the felt some how. Assumed to be due to me climbing in and out the window working on it in the trailer. After Ang tried her best to get it freed up I had to unbuckle and grab the dzus tool that I couldn’t find while buckled and pry the glass around the felt. Got buckled back in and went out and went number 4 with an 8.922@153+. The car died in the shutdown, taking me back to GLD when it blew up the 555, but it would roll over free and not fire. Finally it did, then died twice. Called Ang to come get me with the cart, and took the hood off for no good reason. Finally it fired and idled. I changed nothing. Threw the hood on and made it to the time slip booth and died again. Finally got it fired again and drove back to the pit where it died pulling into it.
Knowing what all I had worked on I figured it was in the control box. As I worked on the box wiring the ignition would show on and off so assumed connection issues in the box. I tightened a few and it seemed ok. Made a couple minor tuning steps in hopes of moving up the ladder a little.
In the lanes I realized I delayed putting the bottle in a long time to ensure it was warm when it came time, but never put it in the car so walked back and grabbed it and put it in in the lanes.
Did a long burnout as the track was not sticky during the burnout on any run, came to a stop and it died and would not refire. I was a good ways out there. Got pushed all the way back, jumped out of the car and dove under the dash while I had Ang watch the indicator of ignition status and sure enough the wire on the terminal strip was loose. Jumped back in, buckled up quickly with her help, and made the end of the E85 group for Q2. Tires were already sticky so it didn’t really do a second burnout. Still went another 8.92 but didn’t move us up any. In fact Shannon, who I was lined up against for Q2, went 8.921 on that run and pushed me down 1 spot to 5th by .001. Tight field up top for sure.
That made me draw Phil Palicke for rd1 which is a turbo mustang. I had a mental plan to trust the car and threw that out the window at 5.5s when I womped it once, way too early in regards to track position. I went around him and had a car on him, so the womp brought it to about half a car. Knowing it was a turbo car I didn’t want it tighter than that due to top end pull. So I had my mind right BUT I didn’t consider a SCRAMBLE button. Suddenly he just drove around me and took the stripe. The Camaro wasn’t going to go under, but at the moment I guess felt I had to do something. So much for trusting the car.
Still a win as the car is not broke!!!! It was a great race due to my .016 light to his .045. Had I not pedaled it, it woulda been a real tight race. I went 8.99 to his 8.94. I woulda be 8.96 ish had I not pedaled it.
So yea , word of the day was as that is what we did all day it seems for the ignition issue, window, bottle in the lanes, and turbo scramble. Only thing missing was scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Can’t thank Angelica Leonard- Donnel enough for helping out these last two trips. She thinks what she does isn’t important but without her yesterday it woulda been real rough!!! Love ya babe!!!
Vfn Fiberglass
Byron Dragway
Team Live On
