Tony Stewart

DanicaFreak said:
did you rebuild the engines between passes, ND?
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Yes, we would rebuild the engine, service the blower and put a new clutch pack in every run. My job on Jim Dunn's car was building and servicing the cylinder heads. When I started there, they were using AJP stage-6 heads, but we changed to stage-7 a couple of years later. I will never forget when I walked into the shop one day in the off season right before Christmas and big Jim with a smile as big as Dallas said my Christmas present was in my cylinder head room. I opened the door and there was a pallet with about $60,000 worth of new stage -7 heads and all of the new valves, keepers and fuel rails to change over from the stage-6 heads. I always started the season out with 14 heads in the head cabinet in the trailer ready to bolt on. When we would get to the track, I would pull 2 sets out of the cabinet and put headers on them and 1 set would go on the car and the other set would be sitting on a pan at the end of my cylinder head table. After each run a crewmember on each side of the car would pull their head off and bring it to me and put the other set back on the car after the bottom in guy was finished installing the new pistons. While all of this was being done another guy was putting a new clutch pack in. As soon as the heads were on my table, I would pull all of the valves out and check the valve spring pressure and put new exhaust valves in and check the stretch on the titanium intake valves and if they were in our spec range then they went back in for the next round. If the tune up needed changed I would change the fuel nozzles before the heads went back on the car also. I would throw the exhaust valves in a box and would recut them as much as 3 times before throwing them away unless they were burnt and then I would just give them to fans. If we didn't burn a head up, I would rotate the same 2 sets on qualifying days. If we did burn one up, I would just pull another one out of the cabinet and then when I got the time, I would strip it down and send it out to get welded and machined. If it was too far gone, I would just throw it in the junk pile back at the shop. On race day due to the small amount of time between rounds I would just pull out a new set every round we went and didn't service any heads until I got back to the shop or at the next track if I didn't go back to the shop. I usually would stay out for 4 to 5 races and have stayed out for 6 but that is really cutting it close on parts.
 
DanicaFreak said:
did you rebuild the engines between passes, ND?
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I should probably clarify something from my post above. The bottom end guy doesn't actually install the new pistons. The crewmembers that pull the heads off actually stuffs the new piston rack in the cylinders from the top and the bottom end guy guides the rod on to the crank journal and installs and torques the rod caps from below. That is why they have the nickname divers. That is a job that should have been on Mike Rowes Dirty Jobs. A lot of them wear a head sock on a very hot day lying under a very hot engine while nitro and oil is dripping in their eyes and sometimes getting stepped on, getting tools dropped on them, or getting their fingers pinched by a rod. Plus, after inspecting the main journals, they have to re-install the main caps and torque them while laying on their back with no real leverage which is not easy. The bottom end or the clutch is probably the 2 toughest positions on a team. That being said there are girls that do that do those jobs very well and love doing it. :)
 
Tony Stewart was my favorite driver growing up. I'm glad he's succeeding at other forms of racing post-retirement.
 
When we were in Phoenix, I spent a good half hour in Hagan's camp talking to his guys on Saturday night after everything was packed up. They were loving on Rosco, we had just tore up parts, so one of his guys and I were talking about top end/valvetrain geometery, lifecycles, and then we got onto the procharger conversation. He works 4 days a week at a local performance shop, and 3 days a week for TSR.

I think alot of fans underestimate just how much personality and relaxation happens after the track goes cold. After around 7:30, nitro alley becomes hangout alley.
 
Magnethead said:
When we were in Phoenix, I spent a good half hour in Hagan's camp talking to his guys on Saturday night after everything was packed up. They were loving on Rosco, we had just tore up parts, so one of his guys and I were talking about top end/valvetrain geometery, lifecycles, and then we got onto the procharger conversation. He works 4 days a week at a local performance shop, and 3 days a week for TSR.

I think alot of fans underestimate just how much personality and relaxation happens after the track goes cold. After around 7:30, nitro alley becomes hangout alley.
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Yep, you got that right. :D If you want to party Texas style just stop by Steve Torrences pit after a win. Another good place to party after a race is Scott Palmers. But the king of parties which came with a live band and the first world-famous 6,000 hp "nitro margarita and snow cone maker/ mixer" was at Del Worsham's pit after the World Finals in Pomona Ca or the Nostalgia Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield. Del built the first one which was around 6,000 hp and then Scott palmer built a later model with 10,000 hp. I was on Dels crew and drove the white hauler that was in the video there at Famoso in Bakersfield. We used to have some pretty good times back in those days.



 
Yep, got to see Palmer's at the Motorplex Stampede of Speed a couple years ago.
 
DanicaFreak said:
There was some argument on twitter with the some saying that top alcohol is not like Xfininty.

what say you @Nitro Dude
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I guess I missed this old post.

So from the inside, here is how I would break it down. Stick with me, it gets confusing

Pros: (ie, cup)
Top Fuel
Funny Car
Pro Stock / Mountain Motor Pro Stock
Pro Stock Bike
Pro-Mod

Pro-Am: (ie, Xfinity, trucks)
Top Alcohol Dragster
Top Alcohol Funny Car
Pro-Mod

Am: (ie, Arca)
Top Dragster
Top Sportsman
Competition Eliminator

Regional: (ie, K&N East/West Series)
Top Dragster
Top Sportsman
Competition Eliminator
E/T Bike

Ok, now with that list done.

Some classes don't have intermediate jumps. Bikes is one of those. You run an E/T bike, then spend a bunch of money and buy a ride to get in Pro Stock Bike.
Funny car is another. There's nothing comparable below Top Alcohol Funny Car. You just spend the money and buy a ride and learn from scratch.

Some classes have multiple lateral jumps.
Top, Comp, Top fit that category. That's what we run.
We all have our regional areas (there's 7 NHRA regions in the continent. Mexico is split in half between west coast and Texas, Canada is split in half or thirds between west coast, east cost, and north central).
By the format of the rules/points system, we have to stay within a region for 5 races and can count 2 out of region races. The more regional races you run, the sooner you can register for a national event - those with 7 "grade points" can register 9 weeks before the event, those with 1 "grade points" can register 2 weeks before the event, IF there are any openings in registration. Once a class hits quota, no more can register. Some events, like Pomona, will fill up all 36 entries of Top/Comp/Top at 7 or 6 grade points. There are some "jobless" professionals that will go to 6 or 7 or 10 nationals, but you still have to hit the regional events, so it's impossible to hit all the nationals. (A national itself does not earn you a grade points). Grade points expire after two *calendar* years. So you have to constantly accrue them.

Competition Eliminator usually has retired Pro-Stock or Pro-Mod cars in it, but Top Sportsman also has fitment for the same within the rule book. Just like cars got handed down from cup to arca, they get handed from Pro-Stock or Pro-Mod to Comp or T/S.

Clear as mud?
 
Tony's funny car ended up in the kitty litter during qualifying this weekend. They had to pullout the backup car.
 
You have to admit that Tony sure picked the right team to give his money to. The McPhillips crew is absolutely dominating early on this year. Mobile1 and NHRA in general have got to be loving all the extra publicity this is bringing them
 
Magnethead said:
You have to admit that Tony sure picked the right team to give his money to. The McPhillips crew is absolutely dominating early on this year. Mobile1 and NHRA in general have got to be loving all the extra publicity this is bringing them
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The thing that really impresses me about the way Tony has went about moving into the NHRA family is that he has not showed any kind of arrogance whatsoever. He could have come in and started right at the top by competing in a top fuel or nitro funny car, but he chose to start at a lower level and put in the dedication to be successful in the alcohol/A-fuel class, first. I have so much respect for him because of that and how good he is doing in that class. Those cars are not easy to drive, and his lights have been very good. He looks like he has driven an A-fuel dragster for years.
 
Not a bad week in Ohio for TSR. Tony qualifies number 1 in Top Alcohol dragster and Leah qualifies number 1 in Top Fuel dragster and wins the race... and the TSR funny car runners up in Funny car.
 
Nitro Dude said:
Not a bad week in Ohio for TSR. Tony qualifies number 1 in Top Alcohol dragster and Leah qualifies number 1 in Top Fuel dragster and wins the race... and the TSR funny car runners up in Funny car.
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I made my way to Norwalk on Sunday (also went to Night of Thunder at National Trail the night before which was super fun!) - fourth time now there and had a great time as always. Blake Alexander winning was epic. Actually a lot of "Man I'm glad that person won" going on up to and including Leah winning. I know NHRA has all sorts of problems but I'm still having a blast seeing it. Well, except Pro Stock. I just kinda feel bad when I see Pro Stock.
 
Nitro Dude said:
Not a bad week in Ohio for TSR. Tony qualifies number 1 in Top Alcohol dragster and Leah qualifies number 1 in Top Fuel dragster and wins the race... and the TSR funny car runners up in Funny car.
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Norwalk was awesome on Sunday. Good breeze and some pretty competitive racing

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Mispeedway15 said:
Norwalk was awesome on Sunday. Good breeze and some pretty competitive racing
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I had my camera with me but barely got any shots. Hopefully one or two came out. My buddy and I sit down in Force 1B about 4 rows up from the bottom. Second year in a row that the people on either side of us complained that, well, we showed up and took up space and made things less comfortable. Rather than get into it, we wound up standing at the fence for the rest of the nitro eliminations. Next year we might have to get there early (if they don't start it early because of weather...again...for the 3rd year in a row) just to take up that space and be the a-holes to them for encroaching on my God-Given Right To Manspread. ;)
 
Tony is number 2 in top alcohol dragster points also. TSR is doing pretty good so far in 2023.
 
Tony showing why he's one of the most versatile racers in recent memory, proud to say that he was my favorite driver growing up.

I'm not a huge fan of drag racing. NASCAR itself is pretty dangerous, these things are like missiles. It's the same reason why I don't like IndyCar. Stewart seems to love himself that adrenaline though.
 
JJ_14 said:
Tony showing why he's one of the most versatile racers in recent memory, proud to say that he was my favorite driver growing up.

I'm not a huge fan of drag racing. NASCAR itself is pretty dangerous, these things are like missiles. It's the same reason why I don't like IndyCar. Stewart seems to love himself that adrenaline though.
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The championships in all of the areas he has excelled in, it's a mile long, make him one of the greatest of all times. Big fan also.
 
What a year for TSR. Tony ended up number 2 in the Top Alcohol Dragster championship hunt in 2023 in his first year driving an A-fuel dragster. His nitro funny car driven by Matt Hagen won yesterday in Texas which put him in the points lead with only 2 races left in the NHRA season and his wife Leah also won yesterday in Texas in her Top fuel dragster which put her in the points lead in TopFuel with only 2 races left in the season.
 
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