Is :Larson's Truck Really the Quickest Street Car?

[cstmwgn]

Not sure how you had your feeling hurt but ok. I have been on the power tour and know it's a test and tune format, nobody checked for safety equipment and it was a fun run deal. DW is more of a competition/race atmosphere. I like both for what they are, they are very different that's why they have different names and locales. I never implied that the participant at one was better than the other only that the events although automotive in nature were different.

Yeah - it seems I have a raw nerve about "less worthy cars" should just do PowerTour. I am familiar with what DragWeek is. I have performed trunk monkey duties on 4 DragWeeks. In fact all of those were done in a car that averaged higher that 11.50. I can think of lots of scenarios, where a slower car ( > 11.50) is competitive and in my opinion - has a right on DragWeek.

IF the owner:
used to drag race as a kid but for any number of reasons does not have a current competition car,
is a kid with a very limited budget and has built the most he can afford (aren't we suppose to encourage young people to participate in car events?)
has always been a drag racing fan but never actually experienced drag racing

Again, sorry for my earlier reaction.

[Nmbr1GMfan]

Yeah - it seems I have a raw nerve about "less worthy cars" should just do PowerTour. I am familiar with what DragWeek is. I have performed trunk monkey duties on 4 DragWeeks. In fact all of those were done in a car that averaged higher that 11.50. I can think of lots of scenarios, where a slower car ( > 11.50) is competitive and in my opinion - has a right on DragWeek.

IF the owner:
used to drag race as a kid but for any number of reasons does not have a current competition car,
is a kid with a very limited budget and has built the most he can afford (aren't we suppose to encourage young people to participate in car events?)
has always been a drag racing fan but never actually experienced drag racing

Again, sorry for my earlier reaction.

No sweat, I really like DW and HRPT. I think everyone should be allowed to participate BUT I see changes coming to maybe alleviate the 5 minute sellout. Just my .02

[Orange65]

I have a serious problem with making DW a "roll bar required" event. (Which, in the truly STREET-oriented classes, would also pretty much make it a "no pickups need apply" event.)

In hindsight, I am almost GLAD my wife and I were not able to make this soap opera.

These issues only come up before and after the event on the message boards. At the event, this is not the case. At least in my experience, everyone seemed to be out to have a good time and make some miles and killer passes. Oh, and some friends along the way. There are only a few who like to complain about DD but I never once heard anyone say a negative thing about anyone's class or car at the event (and I ran DD). It is possible that I missed something while there. The event is a good way to meet new people that share the same interest in street/ strip cars. Don't get caught up in the BS (and that ain't bang shift) that is slung on the message boards. The event is very cool and very fun.

[Firechickenman]

X2!

[TheEngineWorks.com]

I'm not gonna read all the posts here, but I feel the hours of changeover to convert the truck take away from it's accomplishments, somewhat.. With this said, it still holds the record, but I think an * could be in order. We are gonna attempt to step into the Unlimited fray, and I can tell you, I am gonna go to great pains to make sure we won't have to spend hours rebuilding the car every time we get to the track.. The pits around Larry's truck looked like a TF pit, or worse, with body panels, cooling systems, fuel systems, and any number of other items laying around in preparation to make a hit. My goal will be to change tires, and maybe a few other little items, but that's it, we will see how that works out. lol Oh yeah, we'll do it with an LS, too!

[squirrel]

Eddie, you ought to see if you can do it like Larry did with his Nova. No trailer...just a car.

[TheEngineWorks.com]

Eddie, you ought to see if you can do it like Larry did with his Nova. No trailer...just a car.

Unfortunately, that's one thing I won't be able to do with the new project, but I'm gonna try to travel as light as possible.. Oh yeah, won't be a 1/2 dozen people wrenching on my ride everyday either. I have the utmost respect for guys like Joe Berry, Doug Cline, and a few others who go into the 6's without it being a huge production. I know Larry was trying to make a statement, but some of it got lost with me. I think he could of done much better laying down a serious number without totally rebuilding his truck every day. That shit had to suck all the fun right outta it!

[squirrel]

Larry ran in the 6s with no trailer....it can't be that difficult, eh?

[RockJustRock]

Enough whining about how much manpower per car is expended AT THE TRACK. The support vehicle restrictions are for BETWEEN TRACKS. This is to prevent it from becoming essentially a flat tow situation by having an escort. People are taking the support vehicle rule adding it up with the Impound Area possibility and getting two wrenches per car for the whole week. The impound area is there to discourage the necessity of too many changes and Larson danced that dance in Great Bend. The one thing people should respect about Larson is the "no brag" aspect of his operation. He never stated in any certainty what he was doing for 2014 until a month before the event. Even then he had a full time journalist on his team announce the plan instead. He said he MIGHT build a full bore Pro Mod just to show how ridiculous things could get. He didn't. The truck has the dual parts aspect to approximate a Pro Mod yet has steel panels and aside from mods to the bed maintains a production silhouette. Now if he would have shown up a week after Drag Week 2013 and declared he was putting unlimited class on notice by building a car light enough to beat everyone with LS power we would have thought he was insane.

[MR P-BODY]

There is 1 way to eliminate a lot of this stuff... if you get put in
the impound that maybe you should have a time limit to be ready
to run.. that would eliminate the man power and the parts changing
issue in my opinion.... if someone is put in impound now I think you
have all the time you want... put a time limit on it and I think that
would change things big time... but again... JMO
EDIT
If the car/truck holds 2 people or 4 people(the number of people
that are riding in it) that should be all that are allowed to work on
it in impound

[TheEngineWorks.com]

What part of Larry's truck maintains a stock silhouette, the cab? The point is, I've seen what would seem like a small army thrashing on any number of DW cars, and it's just getting worse.. Where do all these people come from, clearly this is all pre-planned, it seems to be the same bunch of people working on the same cars all week long. This is just not fair to those who try and do it with nothing more than the driver and passenger, and the occasional helping hand if the shit hits the fan. If these people are not strategically placed in other vehicles as "support" then where do they come from??

I'm not hatin' on Larry, the guy is a madman, and no doubt has worked his ass off, and sacrificed a lot to get that truck ready for battle.. I'm just posing a question, is THIS what DW is supposed to look like, is it really a "street" vehicle when you have to spend hours with a full crew getting it ready to race, and then put it back in street trim to drive.. I mean look at his pits, I would like to think he built the truck to be over the top.


I think this type of stuff needs to be reeled in before DW just becomes a joke. Again, I don't see a problem with someone lending a hand here or there, but 6+ guys thrashing on one vehicle just to get it ready to make a pass is WAY over the top, and not in the spirit of DW.









Is THIS what DW is supposed to look like? I see at least a 1/2 dozen+ people just trying to get that truck in race trim.

[RockJustRock]

You mean the fenders and grill on the truck are way off from stock silhouette? What has Larry Larson ever done (aside from shading everyone in the most prestigious class in Drag Week by four tenths) to inspire all this negative scrutiny? Fastest ANYTHING will always have very little to do with "fair". Thrashing on a race car (street car?) is a much loved integral part of Drag Racing. You can't outlaw it. THEY DID IT THE RIGHT WAY IN GREAT BEND. Drop it. Would it really have been "FAIR" to have ushered Larry and Chad into impound at Thunder Valley?

[RockJustRock]

Should a win in a year when a lot of other cars broke get an asterisk (*) too?

[Nmbr1GMfan]

The only reason the truck was getting that kind of attention was due to a mechanical breakdown and lack of time. As was previously stated, 50 minutes to do the changeover.

[RockJustRock]

Re: Is :Larson's Truck Really the Quickest Street Car?

[COLOR=#6A6A6A !important]September 22nd, 2014, 03:39 PM

Last edited by TheEngineWorks.com; September 22nd, 2014, 03:44 PM.

I hate to quibble over 5 minutes, but play fair Eddie!

[/COLOR]