A couple weeks back I had the opportunity to road trip it back down the hillbilly highway (I-75 S) for a little bit of nitro racing with the Texas Jungle Team in South Florida. You really get to know your teammates after a 13 hour one-way car ride. Take for example, Nitro Nick from Cleveland, OH. Nick drives a truck during the day, plays lead guitar in a band at night, and works as a crew chief on a nitro funny car as time permits…talk about a diverse and interesting dude! We hit if off straight away, and were immediately swapping jokes & stories like a couple of reunited high school homies. When he told us the story about a dingy Cleveland pet store operated by a drunken Cajun transplant that specialized in biting Ferets…I was laughing so hard that I thought my sides were going to split open, and it was all I could do to hold the car on the road. Army Armstrong…what can I say? He’s a rock solid dood, man of his word, and fearless. With tens of thousands of fans present for the most attended IHRA race in history, and every eye in the house on the Jungle Jim car, Army was the epitome of quite strength. Racing really is (for me anyways) all about friends, fans and the journey…

Nick, Army, EG, Gator Alley, and Nitro

Friday – It became apparent, that every funny car team on the premises had it loaded for bear…high budget, low budget, it didn’t matter, just throw the nitro at it, crank up the timing, pack the chute, and hope for the best. It was wild. Cars were sideways at 230 mph, blowing up, burning down, you name it. Nick said it best, “what we’re asking these engines to do on nitro methane is sort of like skinning a cat…there’s a thousand ways to do it, and the cat doesn’t like any of them.” The Jungle Jim car had handling issues on both passes, but Army being the seasoned veteran that he is, kept ‘er out of trouble and we lived to fight another day. Crew chief Rudy and team member Martin patiently showed me the ropes and a system for between round maintenance was established. We worked late into the night, long after the satisfied fans had gone home, making sure that JJ2 would have the goods come Sat.

Big Crowd at PBIR for the IHRA Nitro Jam

Saturday morning – Nick and I went on a mission to find a fresh air refill for the JJ2 on-board breathing apparatus. After airing up at a local scuba shop, we got back to the track, and established a plan of attack. Between rounds, Rudy and I would service the clutch, Martin would run the valves, and I’d do the tires, oil and fuel…it doesn’t sound like much, but cram all that into 45 minutes or so, and it gets stressful…even if everything goes according to plan…which it never does. At 6 p.m, the “IHRA Fanfest” started, and we got mobbed by all shapes, sizes and ages, clamoring for posters, stickers, etc. It was a very different scene than I’m used to. There must be something in nitro that alters peoples’ brains…there was a guy running a Tennessee waterfall haircut, wide open (I’m not exaggerating), wearing a muscle shirt, and tight-tuck rolled Levi’s that literally ran towards the header pipes, as if the antidote were in it, every time we started the car. While most casual fans were about 30-60 ft. back, covering their ears, eyes, nose, and hoping that it would stop soon, this lunatic was inhaling every bit of spent fuel that the BAE 526 had to offer. I apologize for not capturing this moment on film, but it was similar to watching a car crash plus I had my hands full.

Dunn & Gone Say Thanks

At the end of the evening, we had 4 full passes down the racetrack, and didn’t blow anything up too badly (with the exception of a few push rods). Most of the other teams weren’t nearly as fortunate, therefore I’d call it a success. After words, Team Owner Henry Gutierrez very generously offered to make me a crew member for the invitation only NHRA 50th Anniversary Winter Nationals to be held in Pomona, CA this weekend and to stay on with the team for the following weekend’s national event in Phoenix, AZ. Although honored, after much consideration/deliberation, we decided that it’d be best to stay on the farm and push forward with Project 5.30. I’ve got 5 weeks left, and the clock is ticking….loudly.

The Jungle Jim Funny Car with Army Armstrong behind the wheel.

After staring at the windshield for another 13 hours, Army and Nick dropped me off in sweet home Chatta-vegas, mid-night Sunday, where the locals had weathered about 6-8 inches of snow during a freak storm over the weekend. Before I knew it, I was at work 8 a.m. on Monday, and I felt about as woozy as a deep-sea diver that hadn’t properly decompressed before coming to the surface. Oh well, it was definitely worth it…and I can’t wait to do it again. Maybe next time I’ll get myself a muscle shirt, Levi’s and a 10/90 haircut/wig just for the occasion.

That’s it for now, look for plenty more on project 5.30 in the next week or two.

EG

It’s not every day that you happen to come across two nitro funny cars while on your way to pick up toilet paper and potato chips…but that’s exactly what a few lucky gear heads ran into last Friday morning in the Wal-mart parking lot in Lookout Valley, TN. My buddies Army Armstrong and Heath Fike were trucking it through town in a 53 ft. rig hauling JJ2 to Oklahoma where they were to rendezvous with the rest of the Texas Jungle crew. Since Chatt-a-Vegas is on the way, they decided to swing through for an impromptu visit and to pick up JJ2’s older brother, JJ1, for a family reunion of sorts to be held in Bakersfield, CA (read:NHRA Hot Rod Reunion). (more…)

– Bowling Green, KY

A couple of weekends ago, I had the privilege of attending the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, KY.  It’s difficult to put into words what an awesome experience I had, and the positive impression that Texas Jungle Racing, the fans, and fellow competitors left upon me.  Take it from a fan of the sport, no story or images can really do it justice…it’s just something that you need to see for yourself.
Thursday morning my buddy Steven and I loaded up the restored, original bodied, Jungle Jim Nitro Funny (from here on out it will be referred to as JJ1) Car that rests peacefully at Honest Charley Speed Shop and Coker Tire HQ in Chattanooga, TN.  The plan was to transport JJ1 to Bowling Green and rendezvous with the Texas Jungle Racing Team which was hauling up the brand new Jungle Jim Car (from here on out it will be referred to as JJ2) from San Antonio.  JJ2 was purpose built under the current rules/specs/guidelines for nostalgia funny car racing, and was completed about a month ago.  Although the car had been fired up and shook down a time or two, this would be its first attempt at the full quarter mile under power.  JJ1 is for show…JJ2 is for go!

(more…)

…well, I have a race result, and unfortunately it’s not a very good one.  On Friday, May 22nd my crew chief Steven Farrow, his trusty assistant Lee “Golden Gallon” Hitchcock and I made the journey to Baileyton, Alabama (home of the Tater Hauler) for an outlaw style 6.0 – Modified Class, “Heads Up” race.  The drive took as about 2 ½ hours across some of the most beautiful terrain that the Southeast has to offer. (more…)

Greetings from the foothills of the Tennessee Smokey Mountains.  It’s gone from brisk here to flat-out cold.  Somebody told me the other day that this weird form of condensation on my truck in the early mornings is actually frost…or frozen water.  Well, when I let my oh-so spoiled dogs out for bathroom & breakfast, they walk gingerly across it, then usually stop, turn around and glare at me like they’re being punished.  Oh well, I can’t do anything about the weather, cold paws, (or the air conditioner that’s still running in my office) and in spite of it all, we’ve managed to get things pretty heated up here in the Performance division of Coker Tire. (more…)