PRP Improvements

[Swarzkopf]

Sound pretty good so far...from their website:

PRP closed so we could start on some improvements...and here we are....maintenance is clearing gravel from about 8 feet on each side of the road in the pits to be paved by Gene Nagy's company later this week. This is to help keep gravel from making it's way to the burnout box. Keeping gravel from the burnout box will allow us to move the burnout area away from the starting line so we can keep cars from doing burnouts past the starting line, hence....getting cars to the line faster, making the program go faster! Michael Tedesco, owner of PRP, has several plans in the making to make your experience here at Pittsburgh Raceway even more enjoyable! Keep checking back here for updates and news!

http://www.pittsburghracewaypark.com/images/image/improvement1_sm.jpg

http://www.pittsburghracewaypark.com/index.php

Guys have been bitching about this for years- glad they're finally addressing it.

I'm still pissed that the track is closed with this awesome weather we're having, but I have to say that this year at PRP was the best year I've had out there- the track seemed to be run alot more efficiently, I routinely got 6 passes in on T&Ts (compared to 3 in previous years), cleanups seemed to go faster...overall it was just a better experience than in previous years. I hope they continue to improve.

[Rodeheavers]

This is our home town local track and i really feel we need to support it. Trust me when i say this, there are some crappy tracks out there!!! PRP has had some set backs but nothing is perfect.
I remember when I was young and went there on TNT to race my car, we used to get 5-8 runs a night, and sometimes we got 2-5 runs... It all kinda depended on if anybody oiled down the track or blew up on the line... But those are problems that every track has... One big problem is we have a TON of hillbillys going to that track and everytime i go I see/hear a car that sounds like its gonna let loose and sure enough they have... The last time I went this year there was a regal with a 350 in it that sounded terrible, I mean it had a knock, luckily he only made it to the burnout box and it stalled and would not start back up... If he would have ran that car, I think he would have blown it all over the track.

[ChuckT]

Hit the PRP site again today. New asphalt down, working on the water lines, improving drainage... :whoo:

And Tim is correct, PRP is not perfect, and there are plenty of worse tracks out there, and if we don't support what we have, it could disappear. You know when a track closes, chances are it will never reopen.

I also feel 2010 was a great season. I would have liked to have a shot at getting an 11.9x pass, but at least the track is taking full advantage of this good weather to make improvements. I just hope 2011 is just as good.

[Rodeheavers]

Hit the PRP site again today. New asphalt down, working on the water lines, improving drainage... :whoo:

And Tim is correct, PRP is not perfect, and there are plenty of worse tracks out there, and if we don't support what we have, it could disappear. You know when a track closes, chances are it will never reopen.

I also feel 2010 was a great season. I would have liked to have a shot at getting an 11.9x pass, but at least the track is taking full advantage of this good weather to make improvements. I just hope 2011 is just as good.

X2 on the weather, the new paving/concrete needs plenty of good weather to cure correctly.

[Balaska347]

I also agree with the above post. There were a lot of changes Greg Miller made last year as the track manager for the TNT's. Unfortunately he was let go at the end of the year. I would hate to see PRP take a set back in 2011 from all the changes Greg made.

[Swarzkopf]

The track was definitely alot better under his management. Like you said...I REALLY hope it doesn't revert.

WTF was he let go? Seemed like he was doing a great job.

[Quik83Z]

Yeah, why was he let go?

IMO, I thought he was really moving the operation of the track in a positive direction...

[SK360]

Maybe they can work on making their timing system consistent lane to lane. This is the biggest problem there for me.

[Red]

I heard they might be moving the stageing lanes and pushing the starting line back. More like Norwalks lay out? I just hope they don't put up 4 foot tall concrete walls on the track like Milan did. The improvments look good. how far are they paving? just enough to park the cars on to keep gravel off them? I hope they put some more speakers down top end by where I pitted at. I had to listen to the radio to hear them call classes.

Chuck, I was by your car like 20 times at the classic. I only seen you sunday when they called your class and I ended up missing your pass.

[ChuckT]

Greg is my friend, and I realize I may not be 100% objective. However, there were things I disagreed with him on. But, for the most part, I thought it was an excellent year. You will never please 100% of the people 100% of the time, but I thought it was a good mix of events, overall well run. I think he did a lot to raise PRP's reputation locally and with traveling racers. I hope PRP doesn't let his momentum wane.

I believe that was the plan at one point. But, that's a pretty major reconfiguration, as in, labor intensive and expensive. Not only for the earth moving and paving, but now you have to dig up the timing electronics, and redo that wiring, plus it would be very time consuming given the small window to work with before and after winter, where the ground is not frozen.

For the walls, do you mean the barriers along the track, Red? I haven't been to Milan. I'm guessing the ones at Norwalk at 3 feet high?

The wind was doing a number on me... I never get cold, but the wind was such a bear I couldn't get warm. I'd sit in the stands for a session, get some pics, watch Greg, Scotty, and whoever else I might know until I couldn't take anymore. So I was in the motorhome or at Greg's truck or trailer. You didn't miss anything with my pass Sunday. I'm still mad I misread the conditions, and I couldn't hit that tree if I tried to run it over. She's .090, I'm .095, I'm ripping it from right before the first stripe, knock 2mph out, she dropped a little but still went dead on with an 8, and I went .022 under, taking .025.

[Mater]

I heard they might be moving the stageing lanes and pushing the starting line back. More like Norwalks lay out? I just hope they don't put up 4 foot tall concrete walls on the track like Milan did. The improvments look good. how far are they paving? just enough to park the cars on to keep gravel off them? I hope they put some more speakers down top end by where I pitted at. I had to listen to the radio to hear them call classes.

.
welcome to 5 years ago plane!:target:

[Quik83Z]

I think he did a lot to raise PRP's reputation locally and with traveling racers. I hope PRP doesn't let his momentum wane.

X2

[Red]

I always thought Greg was a good guy, he ran the track very well (from what I seen). The only thing about prp that I don't get is what about a GM event. They have the Mopar event but no GM event.

No the walls at Norwalk are a nice setup. At Milan, there 4 foot tall and when watching a race, you can only see the roof of the cars racing. All though I haven't been to Milan in two years, they could of lowered them.

Yeah I understand Chuck, the wind at the classic is always the killer. I was riding around on the golf cart and was cold as hell. I did the same thing, watch a class run then ride around so my dad could hang out with all his old friends from michigan. Then we'd head back to Doc's motorhome and warm up. How was the air show? I missed it, I drove into Detroit after the kids hour.

I heard them say you'r name when you was racing and I ran but didn't make it to the fence in time. When they said you went under, I didnt believe it. I don't think I seen you go under your dial once this past season. Where you there for the whole event like Mark and Russ? I want to take the Camaro next year but Don't know about staying for a whole week. I guess I could do like greg and scotty did and drop the car off and then come back later in the week.

[SK360]

Once again with all the improvements I hope they look at the timing system... it doesn't seem to be a problem for those race cars with a little higher ride height but for lower street cars it makes no sense.

I can trap 117 all day in the left lane, make a pass in the right and it shows 112... which is right, which is wrong? I drive an automatic that dead hooks, not like its the car.

[Red]

Once again with all the improvements I hope they look at the timing system... it doesn't seem to be a problem for those race cars with a little higher ride height but for lower street cars it makes no sense.

I can trap 117 all day in the left lane, make a pass in the right and it shows 112... which is right, which is wrong? I drive an automatic that dead hooks, not like its the car.

how's you'r 60ft and 1/8 compare on the runs? are the et's the same? I was always told mph doesn't mean anything to et. I was runing 12:50 @ 112, put a new set of slicks on and went to 12:35 @ 109. Everything was in my 60ft, I was breaking the slicks loose which gained more mph up top.

[Swarzkopf]

The MPH discrepancy doesn't really bother me- I just make sure to run the left lane all day. LOL

I think the left lane is pretty much spot on and something is F'd with the right lane, since all my cars in the left lane trap right about where they theoretically should.

I really wish PRP was open tommorow. Actually, I wish it was spring. I hate the lack of car related stuff over the winter. :(

[SK360]

how's you'r 60ft and 1/8 compare on the runs? are the et's the same? I was always told mph doesn't mean anything to et. I was runing 12:50 @ 112, put a new set of slicks on and went to 12:35 @ 109. Everything was in my 60ft, I was breaking the slicks loose which gained more mph up top.

I don't spin with decent track prep.... I will have to look at the slips.

they were both close in 60, 1/8 and 1/4 but the traps make 0 sense lane to lane.

This dates back years for me and I never noticed it. When I was headers only all of my slips from the right lane show a 105 trap and all the slips from the left lane show 108 traps.

When my buddy Andy came in for Hot Rod Drag Week he commented the left lane was giving him traps 4-5mph over his best trap ever.

Something is not right.

[AdamantiumSilvr]

Its great seein improvements!

[ChuckT]

Back in the Keystone days, there used to be Ford vs GM, Mopar vs GM, and those days drew pretty well I thought. The Chrysler Classic now is part of a touring points series, but if they couldn't get a Super Chevy show in, nothing says they couldn't go back to something like that. One place they lack is advertising to the masses. It's one thing for someone who frequents the PRP site, or forums like these to know what's going on, but for the general enthusiast who doesn't, those are the ones they need to reach with tv, radio, newspaper ads, sponsoring cruises, having a completed schedule done ASAP and at least in time for the World of Wheels show, etc.

I know a couple other guys who get faster mph readings left lane compared to right. It's weird to me, because the Cutlass doesn't vary at all.

Red, the air show was ok. Couple of decent wheelies. I'll have to try to find some links and post them. I'm glad the cars purposely built to flip over are gone. There was a Nash Metropolitan that put it on the bumper that was a surprise.

Scotty towed me out with Bud Brank's motorhome. We went out for the kick off race Sunday, left our stuff there, then went back out Thursday. I couldn't do the whole week either. It worked out good this year, going Sunday and coming back. Just wished the rain would have held off that first Sunday, because we had no luck in the tent.

[Red]

Some of my dad's friends from Detroit were asking if PRP had a chevy show. We plan to take the camaro to Milan in the summer and some of my dad's friends are supposed to follow us back and race at prp for a weekend event. I just don't want my camaro to come up missing while in michigan with all the race cars being stolen up there now a days.

Wasn't there a guy from Canada in a vega or pinto that used to flip it over all the time during the air show. In 05 I put my camera in Doc's chevelle for the air show but all you could see on the video was the tree come down and then the dark ohio sky.

I was talking to Andy about a GM show and he was saying he mentioned it to greg since the two wheel tuesday was stopped why not add a big 3 tuesday. But that was the last I heard about that idea.

[Quik83Z]

One place they lack is advertising to the masses. It's one thing for someone who frequents the PRP site, or forums like these to know what's going on, but for the general enthusiast who doesn't, those are the ones they need to reach with tv, radio, newspaper ads, sponsoring cruises, having a completed schedule done ASAP and at least in time for the World of Wheels show, etc.

X a million

Really would like to see the stands full of people on race day....

[Balaska347]

I don't spin with decent track prep.... I will have to look at the slips.

they were both close in 60, 1/8 and 1/4 but the traps make 0 sense lane to lane.

This dates back years for me and I never noticed it. When I was headers only all of my slips from the right lane show a 105 trap and all the slips from the left lane show 108 traps.

When my buddy Andy came in for Hot Rod Drag Week he commented the left lane was giving him traps 4-5mph over his best trap ever.

Something is not right.


Whatever your car traps in the right lane would be correct, which would be 112mph. The reason you are trapping 117 in the left is because there is a dip in the left lane at the finish line and the nose of the car is tripping the beam and not the tires. Its not the timing system. It is set exacatly where it should be. Its not just low cars that have this problem it is the ones that aren't low enough or not high enough to trip the beam the same from lane to lane with the dip in the left lane.

[ChuckT]

I have only gone the last handful of Classics. I believe it was Chevettes the guy from Canada purpose built to flip over. I think maybe he did a Gremlin too? This is from '08, after he had flipped it, and he was getting loaded up.
'08 is when Norwalk changed the rules to the wheelie entrant had to be entered in an eliminator class, and not just there for the contest.

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/chucktcutlass/Norwalk%202008/various206.jpg

[SK360]

Whatever your car traps in the right lane would be correct, which would be 112mph. The reason you are trapping 117 in the left is because there is a dip in the left lane at the finish line and the nose of the car is tripping the beam and not the tires. Its not the timing system. It is set exacatly where it should be. Its not just low cars that have this problem it is the ones that aren't low enough or not high enough to trip the beam the same from lane to lane with the dip in the left lane.

Ugh.

Should probably look into fixing this... whacky traps are not fun. Overheard people wondering wtf was going on with the differences in the pits at drag week this year.

[Swarzkopf]

What did your GTO trap at MIR? Was it 5 MPH lower than your traps at PRP?

[SK360]

I got 2 balls out passes down at MIR... last one I let out due to treeing the hell out of my opponent in bracket elims.

First was an 11.551@118.28 then an 11.614@117.67 both on 1.63 60's... Being one of the best tracks in the country I am confident those are correct... the DA was right for racing too, -1300 when I ran the 11.551. I ran 11.93@117 something at PRP on a 1.66 60' and ~ 1200 DA

Really kills my desire to go to PRP for testing/tuning, can't trust anything coming out of their timing especially if i go left/right.