Through six events for the SK Modified division at Stafford Speedway in 2022 Bryan Narducci has been the hottest and most consistent driver in the field.
Narducci had a win, three seconds, a third and a fifth place to open the 2022 season at Stafford. After a second place finish Friday Narducci had built up a 28-point lead over Stephen Kopcik at the top of the SK Modified standings at Stafford.
But as of Monday afternoon, Narducci is no longer at the top of those standings.
Stafford Speedway management announced Monday that Narducci has been disqualified from his second place finish in Friday’s 40-lap SK Modified feature.
The penalty bulletin from Stafford read: “Following post race technical inspection #85 SK Modified – Bryan Narducci, has been removed from the June 17th finishing order due to a violation of rule 20E – 10.4 Section F – Transmission.”
Section F of the rule reads: “Machining or lightening of any internal rotating or non-rotating parts including gears, shafts, and case are not permitted. Gun drilled transmission shafts are not permitted.”
The penalty dropped Narducci to fourth in the SK Modified standings. He now sits 22 points behind new points leader Kopcik. Ronnie Williams is second in the standings, four points behind Kopcik. Reigning Stafford SK Modified champion Todd Owen is third in the standings, 10 points off the lead.
Narducci was not immediately available for comment on Monday afternoon.
Wonder if that tranny has been in the car since opening day? If so might explain his dominance.
Reducing rotating weight makes a ton of difference.
Whoa those Richmond and Jerico transmissions are plug and play aren’t they?
Not suggesting Uncle Jeff had anything to do with this since it’s the Petty Cash team but he is a tranny specialist. That’s a question.
OK so checking the 85’s fast times in every feature there were only a hand full of cars with best laps faster then the 85 so there’s that. My question is does it dramatically affect the acceleration response time especially in traffic. Narducci has been rocketing to the front a lot while the other top cars are doing what is normal which is struggle a bit.
What’s Dodge like to say? This changes everything!
Easy there, could me more to this. A good explanation or gray area.
The Jericho and Richmond are not the only acceptable trannys. GM & OEM trannys are acceptable as well if they meet the rules as specified.
20E- 10.4 TRANSMISSION- The GM OEM production stock 3 or 4 speed transmission (top loader not permitted), Richmond two speed transmission (see approved part numbers below), or the Jerico 2SP (see approved part numbers below) transmission must be used.
A. All transmissions must have a constant engagement of the input shaft with gear and countershaft with cluster gears.
B. High gear must have a ratio of 1 to 1 and no other gear may have a ratio higher than 1.20 to 1.
C. The shifter and all of its components must be aluminum or steel.
D. Five-speed transmissions, with gears removed are not permitted. Quick change transmissions are not permitted.
E. Automatic or semi-automatic transmissions are not permitted.
F. Machining or lightening of any internal rotating or non-rotating parts including gears, shafts, and case are not permitted. Gun drilled transmission shafts are not permitted. Welding on any internal part is not permitted. Lightweight parts, machining, coatings, or special bearing upgrades are not permitted.
G. Additional or different from OEM bearings other than the tail-shaft, which may have roller bearings, are not permitted.
H. The transmission must be a “side shift” unit. Top shift transmissions are not permitted.
GM OEM Transmission-
OEM Stock cast iron, aluminum or magnesium transmission housings, or the Magnus part number MRPSA-1009 housing is permitted. The OEM Stock transmission side cover must be used. Removal of first gear or replacement of first gear with a metal spacer, in 4-speed transmissions is permitted. All other forward and reverse gears must be in working order, and they must be operational from inside the driver’s compartment. Only OEM type, steel, angle cut forward gears are permitted. OEM gear ratios must be used. Lightweight parts, machining, coatings, or special bearing upgrades are not permitted.
Richmond Two Speed-
Modification of the dog-ring and slider (high gear only) in Richmond 2-speed transmissions is permitted. The following Richmond 2-speed transmission part numbers are the only approved Richmond part numbers: 7020010X, 7020026X, 7027010X, 7027026X, the X representing Richmond’s ratios letter designator. The following Richmond produced low gear ratios are the only approved ratio for use in the Richmond 2-speed transmission: 1.2250, 1.3391, 1.4588, 1.5956, 1.7442. Lightweight parts, machining, coatings, or special bearing upgrades are not permitted.
Jerico 2SP-
The Jerico oval track 2speed transmission (part # 2SP, base model) as produced by Jerico is permitted.
The Jerico 2 speed transmission may be run, with only the following “Low Gear’ options allowed: 1.2250 to 1.7100, and “High Gear” must be 1:1. No modifications or options are allowed to the base Jerico 2SP.
The addition of any optional parts (other than base model supplied / needed), and/or any lightweight parts, machining, coatings, or special bearing upgrades are not permitted.
no gray area here . Stafford does their due diligence in tech ! now he will be labeled a cheater. ! but so have many others… wont be the last car this season to be caught !
Richmond and especially Jericho transmissions are race purposed pieces built to withstand more power than what an SK can throw at them. So whittling a few extra ounces can only help, never hurt. I applaud Stafford tech for digging in. All these teams work extremely hard to gain an edge but you have to keep them honest.
It’s awesome seeing this car power through the field
Good ol ted I loved when he raced those colors
I love this stuff so I’m going to be interested to know everything about it. Stock, Magnus, Jerico or Richmond but more importantly who built it. And if there’s one you can bet there are more then one and who has them. This thing could go back to the beginning of last year when Petty Cash blasted into front runner status with a journeyman driver right from the beginning.
Fearn Motorsports, Gambacorta, Kopcik and more successful teams and drivers then I can remember have been penalized for illegal parts. This isn’t a Narducci thing it’s a team thing. Over time no one cares. It’s part of the sport. You get caught, pay the price in the short term and move on.
Stafford gets all the credit here. It’s not easy finding this stuff. Really smart guys are going out of their way to find hard to discover advantages and spending a lot of money in the process.
I admire smart cheating. This was smart until it wasn’t. Now it’s a crap ton of money down the drain. The trick is you have to sense when to put the legal tranny back in. Just spit balling here but if you’re first in points with a win and a bunch of top 5’s you yank the cheater for a bit. They got cocky. Oops, wrong night.
Bryan doesn’t call the shots on what parts are used – so no he won’t be labeled as a cheater. The person that instructed to put that tranny is the cheater- not very bright if he thinks he can get away with it for an entire racing season- makes more sense to start removing questionable parts when you keep finishing on the podium- same thing happened wit Kopcik with the shocks. You will still see Bryan on the podium this year and maybe another win.
Thank you Stafford Tech!!!!
First let me say as part owner of the 85 race team, that Brian Narducci ‘Drives’ the 85 race car. He comes to the track and drives the car for ‘free’ he DID NOT buy nor does he buy ANY race parts or tires! He is NOT a cheater as the article suggests and many may think. \We buy the parts engines etc.. We purchased a transmission for our car and got burned! BUYER BEWARE! There are no parts!!!! You all can blame me for this but please do not blame Brian he only drives the car thank you
If I recall correctly, TC got caught for the same infraction many years ago. Stafford SK’s are so competitive, I’m sure all the front runners are tempted to tinker with some rules.
If you cheat long enough you will get caught. The question; was it really worth it? Always feels better to beat them legal. Maybe cheating should also come with a week or two off in addition to negating the finishing position, or a loss of like 50 points. Bet there would be allot less cheating. The track should also keep the illegal parts till the end of the season.
While I take complete and full responsibility for this disqualification and standby and applaud Stafford Speedway and their tech department for doing its job and doing its job correctly I also would like to throw a couple things out there. This was completely done unintentional and unknowingly, I know most people will say yeah sure always is not on purpose,but in this case it wasn’t. The transmission is the same transmission from last year, please do not discredit the driving ability of either Tyler Hines or Bryan Narducci as both are great drivers and have a great ability and the transmission is not what won the race it was that said ability as well as our teams work ethic at the shop and at the track. While being the Crew Chief, it is my responsibility to make sure everything is legal and also looking for speed or one up on the competition,I am sorry to all the competitors at the track,to past and present drivers,and our car owners, crew members, and fans of our team, and take full accountability for everything. While this is something to not take lightly I hope that we can move on from this and continue on with the race season on the path that we have been going and I appreciate everyone’s opinions comments and concerns.
JJ
Crew Chief
Petty Cash Motorsports
Man that sure is impressive for you two to come into this forum and take responsibility thanks for that. And if a few of us are somewhat skeptical on the not knowing part hopefully you can understand that too.
I know I never thought this was a Narducci thing, thought it was a team thing. The article just good objective reporting as the issue broke.
One thing is for sure. This will be in the rear view mirror in short order and if the outstanding results continue then it won’t even register as a faint memory.
typically the illegal parts are confiscated by the track forever…. or used to be. I never got my parts back
Gotta give JJ credit for taking the heat and coming out with his statement.
I’ll just give my two cents and add that I did hear from a couple people that the 85 team was not trying to hide anything and was not being sneaky in tech. As in, being real slow to give your parts to tech or remove them from the car LOL.
Very well could be the scenario where JJ ( or someone) calls the tranny supplier and says “listen send me your best Jerico money can buy”. That guy says SURE! Next thing you know you have the best of the best and unwittingly it is not built to your track rules. Definitely plausible.
One way to deter cheating is – disqualification from the race, loss of points and no longer will receive points the rest of the season. – this should even up the competition as the year goes.
Tick Mike wrote,
“First let me say as part owner of the 85 race team, that Brian Narducci ‘Drives’ the 85 race car. He comes to the track and drives the car for ‘free’ he DID NOT buy nor does he buy ANY race parts or tires! He is NOT a cheater as the article suggests and many may think. \We buy the parts engines etc.. We purchased a transmission for our car and got burned! BUYER BEWARE! There are no parts!!!! You all can blame me for this but please do not blame Brian he only drives the car thank you”
Well, so much to analyze here.
Where in the article is it suggested that the driver is a cheater? I did not see anything in the article that even sniffed that Narducci is presented as cheater. Nothing at all. Rules were enforced, it is what it is. Call it whatever you want, but don’t play a victim card here. Getting caught violating the rules does not make the transgressor a victim. The driver is the public face and representative of the car, it’s gonna reflect on the driver. As a result of the illegal parts, the driver loses points and is penalized. That’s the way it works. He used a cheated up car and he can’t claim he didn’t know as an excuse. I’d love to see a driver throw the car owner, crew chief, or other team member under the bus and blame them while claiming innocence. That would be hilarious. 😆 The driver is stuck in the position of using an illegal car, making it appear as if he cheated. It can not be said he didn’t cheat, and ignorance is still not a valid excuse.
How many races did Ryan Newman win in the modified with the cheated engine, and you think he had no idea what was going on???? He clearly knew he had an engine that blew away all other cars with ease. And the effort put into that engine was extensive and not cheap. Watching the impound of that car was like watching a high profile perp walk.
So the transmission was a bought piece… okay. It is very expensive to massage all those parts… very expensive. No transmission shop is going to supply a massaged transmission and sell it at a “OEM” or “as supplied by the manufacturer” price and eat the cost of all the machining.
Let’s look at history… back in the day when built engines ruled, they used a very small 4bbl carb that was supposed to be used “as supplied by the manufacturer”. Some mods were allowed/required, such as safety wiring. Now these carbs list for about $800- $900, but when they finally made it on to the engine, they cost the owner thousands of dollars. Thousands. It only takes a few minutes to drill a couple holes to safety wire the venturis, definitely not going to escalate the cost to several thousand dollars. No carb supplier is going to sell a carb at the unopened box price after putting in many hours of massaging. And that was standard operating procedure. Remember when there was plenty of carburetor shenanigans going on and NASCAR did extra, unannounced carb inspections? It was tense. TC and JBon got caught, and the engine builder thrown under the bus. And then the time a carb was confiscated at Waterford, I think it was during early event inspections, the carb was clearly heavily reworked because it was re-colorized. That was laughable!!!! 🤣
If Tick Mike really did not know what he was buying, I have ocean front property to sell in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.
In some ways, this sounds like stupid people when they get caught in possession of illegal drugs. They say it wasn’t theirs, they don’t do drugs, they were just holding it for someone else. Well, use of the drugs was not the question, illegal possession was and they gave that up on their own. Stupid, stupid, stupid…
I’m pretty sure owners know exactly what they are buying and what they are paying for. It’s preposterous to think that a trans shop supplied an extra-machined piece to a customer at a normal rules-compliant piece price.
“BUYER BEWARE!” Oh, please. Not that excuse again.
“There are no parts!!!!” What does that even mean???? Trying to deny the machined parts that were found in tech????
Says everything is bought, then “buyer beware”, then “there are no parts!!!!”
Somebody got some ‘splainin to do.
Just can not believe a trans shop can do machining and still sell the piece at a price that did not get attention or raise questions.
Somebody pays the bills and knew if they were paying for a less expensive rules compliant transmission with the normal work, or the machined version which will be much more expensive. Somebody knew.
Denying, playing the victim, redirecting, deflecting, or playing the martyr is just laughable. Right out of the Trump University pamphlet.
💵 💰 💵 💰 💵 💰 💵 💰 💵 💰 💵 💰 💵 💰 💵 💰
So just like the engine builder got thrown under the bus when TC and JBon were caught with the illegal carbs, the transmission supplier is being thrown under the bus in this case.
Looks like JJ took a bullet for someone.
The claim that this was the same trans from last year and the non-compliance was not found in tech in all that time, and the team never found out or knew about it in all that time???? That claim will need much more evidence.
🤣🤣🤣🥹🥹🥹😝🥹🤣🤣🥹🥹😂😂😂😝😝😝
Looks like transmissions should be tech’d more frequently. 😝😝😝😝😝😝
Stafford Tech, make sure you do transmissions frequently for a few races.
When you are on the highway and you pass a speed trap, notice how people just fly when they pass the speed trap?
Steve you are correct about them taking parts , they never kept the transmission they gave it back!
What is 2645 -2604? ”Thats right little Bobby a lot less you win’ Class dismissed!!!!!!
I heard about that transmission three weeks ago. Not sure why tech didn’t check transmission two weeks ago. A few more teams may be in front of Bryan in points. Question is,what will the 85 team do this week. Not saying cheating. Lol.
Brian thanked Uncle Jeff in an interview not smart!!!
Confiscating illegal parts is quite silly. More illegal parts can be made. And they are. Carbs, shocks, clutch discs, drive shafts, etc. are altered regularly… you all know it. Confiscation is also discretionary. Just because the transmission was returned means absolutely nothing. Many of you should also know that when parts are found to be questionable but not flagrantly illegal, and not confiscated, the team is told to make sure that part is never used again. Geez, can’t tell you how many times that has happened.
So is someone trying to say that there were no illegal parts in the transmission?
Please, say so if that is the truth.
i get it,, regulations even the field and also provide a degree of safety,, maybe we should stop calling these things modified,,,,,,,:
I give both Jj and tick mike an applause. You are both stand up guy’s in my book although I’ve never met you. I can see how it could happen like I think Stu Fear said, or also if you bought a used piece. Thank you both, and best of luck moving forward.
Thank you, Rob p, were not running or hiding we were sold S**t and we will be back you watch, anyone who knows racing knows we have a great driver and great car and great Pettit motor we can’t help it if people sell you bulls**t. and we will not use it as an excuse!!!!
Drive shaft you should have come and told us 3 weeks ago Sents you knew about our tranny maybe you were the one we bought it from. BUYER Beware!!!!
Hey Diet Bud, we did not have an ‘Uncle Jeff ‘ tranny in the car, Brian can thank his uncle or anyone else any time he wants get your facts straight before you accuse.
Kindergarten teacher what are you on man.
Taking responsibility for the illegal part but not admitting any responsibility for it being there. Boy that sounds like a politician. So far I’ve read three highly respected crew chiefs say pretty much the same thing. We buy the parts and put them in. Boy it’s changed in 40 years we used to know everything about what we we were paying for and what was in it. It’s counter intuitive to claim ignorance in a sport where even the smallest of details is considered carefully but OK if you say so.
Thanked Uncle Jeff…..hmmm…..interesting.
So far the only driver/owner I can recall taking complete responsibility for an infraction which was illegal shocks was Gambacorda. Yup I put them in, they got me, erased from the event and that’s fine. Will change them out and see you next week. Now that’s a guy standing up and taking it on the chin.
Doug, i guess you didn’t read JJ and my post! NO POLITICIAN here Dougi – we bought the thing we put it in the car! NO ONE BUYS A TRANNY AND OPENS IT UP to see what is inside! we take FULL responsibility!!!!!
If you buy a steak dinner at a recommended Steak house and get food poising, it’s your fault for eating it even though you didn’t know it was bad and tasted good right DOUG LOL!
Tick Mike I’m thinking you should get checked for Lyme disease I here it can effect the brain
Thank you once again for weighing in.
I get there are details we fans have no right to know. Like what make of transmission it was, who sold it to you and if they’ve sold you all your transmissions. What parts in it were reworked, was the goal of the work to reduce the rotational weight, lessen the dead weight of the transmission or both. Did the transmission physically weight less and why wouldn’t that be noticeable compared to other transmissions your shop must have? Did former racer and transmission specialist Jeff Pearl supply the transmission?
Again I know it’s none of our business and my questions are more rhetorical. It’s just fans are naturally curious and old racers perhaps more so.
I don’t consider this a big deal it’s more the curiosity of a tech geek. A number of people have expressed appreciation for you taking the time to weigh in me included. I’ve watched Bryan over the years, been amazed at seeing him put it all together this year and am sure it is in part due to you and your crew chiefs leadership.
Ok so tell us who built and sold you this transmission so no one else gets caught in the same trap and/or can not run the same transmission next week.
Rick mike, no thanks needed, your legit with me. I’ve never seen anyone own up to it like you and JJ, and it is legit that you could have been sold a bad piece, even from someone reputable, who may have used it not knowing themselves. If I purchased a tranny from a trusted source, or a front running team, I wouldn’t open it up, disassemble it, and start weighing the pieces. Who does that? Even gun drilled shafts are hard to detect without weighing them.
Driveshaft, did you actually know about this 3 weeks ago, or are you just blowing smoke out your ass? Or are you the guy who sold it to them, knowing it was a bad piece?
Rick mike, JJ Brian and the crew, best of luck, I’m sure you’ll find victory lane soon. Best of luck.
Tick Mike wrote,
“Doug, i guess you didn’t read JJ and my post! NO POLITICIAN here Dougi – we bought the thing we put it in the car! NO ONE BUYS A TRANNY AND OPENS IT UP to see what is inside! we take FULL responsibility!!!!!
If you buy a steak dinner at a recommended Steak house and get food poising, it’s your fault for eating it even though you didn’t know it was bad and tasted good right DOUG LOL!”
Playing the “I didn’t know card” is just pathetic. And insulting. SERIOUSLY????? Who would buy a major piece of racing equipment, such as the transmission, and not know exactly what they bought? Give me a freaking break!!!!
NO ONE THAT RUNS A COMPETITIVE CAR BUYS A TRANNY, OR ANY MAJOR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, OFF THE SHELF. THERE IS ALWAYS SOME SORT OF CUSTOMIZATION 😉😉. NOBODY DOES NOT SPECIFY EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT 😉😉, AND NOBODY DOES NOT KNOW EXACTLY EVERY DETAIL OF WHAT IS INSIDE 😉😉. NOBODY SPENDS THAT KIND OF MONEY AND NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE BUYING 😉😉.
One way or another, it was well known what was inside the transmission. Every damn detail.
To Tick Mike and JJ, kudos to both of you for accepting responsibility for the mistake made, and based on that, I do believe it was a mistake and not intentional. I’ve been in the business of auto, truck, high performance, and industrial parts since the 70’s. Very seldom will anyone take the time, effort, and expense to tear apart a brand-new major component unless they plan to modify it themselves in some way. I’ve sold a lot of engines and transmissions over the years, and the only time anyone has taken one apart has been due to a warranty-related failure. Buyers put their faith in the person and company they are dealing with, expecting that they are honest, honorable, and properly representing the product they are selling. Unfortunately that is not always the case. I am anticipating your team will prove that transmission was certainly not the only reason for your success this year by continuing to do well!
Seriously. I like Bryan,its just about the points,so just come down,we will all move on by Friday at 3pm.
This is bad but I did play each of the victory lane chats the 85 appeared in and found no mention in any of them of Uncle Jeff or anything associated with the transmission. Tick Mike, JJ has the car on rails, Florida Connection, the Trashers and Galante family, Waddell Communications, everyone that makes this happen etc, etc, etc. Very consistent actually……no tranny.
So what’s at stake in two days? How about a review of the 85’s performance to this point?
4/24 9th to 2nd-most positions improved to get to the podium
5/13 7th to 2nd second most positions improved to get to the podium
5/20 15th to 5th most positions improved in the event
6/3 11th to 3rd second most positions improved to get to the podium
6/10 14th to 1st most positions improved to get to the podium
6/17 9th to 2nd would have been the second most cars passed to get to the podium…disqualified.
Most cars passed in the insanely competitive SK division and with no starting spot near the front, no wrecks, no controversy involving the 85 just good hard racing. Even with some sort of competitive advantage you still have to navigate traffic so credit that in any event.
That’s the record so far for the 85 and it’s remarkable. The past is the past and now things get really interesting. Can Narducci and the 85 team come even close to that torrid pace or will they fall off. The ever confident to the point of cockiness Tick Mike says they will be as competitive as ever. That’s the line in the sand so now he and the team get to show if they can make good on it.
This Friday with pristine weather all eyes will be on the 85 with the pressure on.
Zoom, zoom.
85 will win this week
You guys who think they new that the transmission was a cheater are a bunch of hacks especially you Goodfella as usual, did Stafford Tech have to do any scientific discovery? No they pulled the cover off and said your kidding, who is going to put that in there car knowing it could have to be teched some week get a clue.
How many times has this happened. Driver gets a dq for something illegal. That driver comes back the following week and either wins or is just as fast as ever. I can’t remember the last time or even ever a guy gets a dq and then sucks the rest of the season. This will be a nothing burger.
Hey Hillary 2024… Ryan Newman has sucked since he got caught with that illegal engine.
That’s just one. There are more.
If you’ve ever played sports like baseball and basketball you may feel like it was always more fun with ref’s and umpires. Shirts and skins was fine but structured sports with neutral observers watching and judging your actions always made it have more meaning and in the end be more memorable.
Never good enough to be broken down after a race as a fan later on would stay to watch the crews of Gunning, Christopher, Potter…..whomever working late into the night exposing or removing parts. Officials watching over them intently, examining what they were doing or the parts that were their focus for the night. My recollection, there were rarely any harsh words or even grumpiness. It was just part of what you did when successful and in a way an honor to get the attention. Richly satisfying after you pass the examination.
I wouldn’t agree with the implication that rules and structure don’t matter. That vigorous enforcement of infractions be they on or off the track, behavior related or for components is a waste of time. The crew chief of the 85 said as much in so many words and you can bet the overwhelming majority of competitors agree.
Sure there will always be some folks expressing the “kill the ump” mentality that’s part of the sport too. Kopcik has pretty much said he thought his penalty on shocks last year was more the ignorance of the inspectors and Anglace went out of his way to make his feelings known on the call by Tapley and company. But in the end after things calm down they all know the officials are doing a thankless yet critical job. Doing it well for the most part and there is no short track racing without them.
Forget the track ownership or management for just a second. Just think of the men and women with day jobs that decide to wear the black hat every weekend knowing they may end up the most unpopular person at the track. Sure we are instructed to stand up, wave and make noise for the drivers but how about some thanks for the people calling the balls and strikes?
A lot of us have squabbled about this incident taking sides or mentioning different angles to it. Team members have weighed in giving their perspectives.
It sounds contentious but it’s all pretty cool when you think of it. Officials did that. They just make decisions and actions more consequential and the sport more fun.
Mr. Courchesne see’s it. The tremendous story that could evolve this with the 85 team coming back from this setback to go on to win the championship. Tonight could be the first chapter. Can’t wait for tonight and am all in rooting for them to do well.
Tick Mike has condescended to me here and in the past as well it’s really quite an honor, Referring to me as “Dougi”. And why not. On the local racing ladder he’s in the skyboxes. Investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the sport, a supporter of our favorite racing publication RaceDayCt and a successful car owner. I’m not even on the first rung of the ladder spending a mere few hundred dollars a season. In the overall picture inconsequential if not irrelevant.
I’ll admit this guy that calls himself Tick Mike has me cowed to a degree. His ubiquitous countenance gazing at me with that pleasant smile as I type even this. Or is it a smirk telling me don’t do Dougi you keyboard cowboy loser? And I know if I go too far that pleasant demeanor evoked in the logo can turn into a prickly, combative, foul mouthed attacker. In hockey parlance throwing the gloves down with bare fists at the ready.
No need for that I know my place. So I know to heap several teaspoons of sugar on anything Mr. Meyhoefer is connected to in order to sneak a little vinegar in. He no doubt sees through it but still may pull the string a bit as I escape with merely a grade school play on my screen ID.
There it is as usual. Tick Mike over on the side giving me that look. Is he giving me that don’t do it look or is it me cowed?
I’m absolutely certain that the information that the 85 team has provided in this thread is accurate to the extent it’s been provided. On the other hand the hundreds of times I’ve picked up a Saginaw or Muncie four speed I could have gloves on with my eyes covered and know the difference. The comparison obviously not as obvious comparing Jerico’s, Richmond’s or whatever the 85 shop has but they surely don’t have one transmission. They may have gotten the offending unit from a fellow racer which could explain the internals being off script. Still there are multiple transmissions in the shop, visual and weight keys that customarily truly talented wrenches don’t miss and the 85 shop is nothing if not talented. Oh well that’s all history now.
So am I buying what the 85 team is saying……..100%. Tick Mike is still leering at me over in the margin and I could swear that smile is turning to a sneer.
All kidding aside I just appreciate the heck out everything about the Petty Cash team. Didn’t love Narducci’s driving style now do in a big way funky tranny or not. Add Tick Mike to the people we know as individuals like Dunleavy that pour vast amounts of money into local racing not to mention their personal time and entrepreneurial expertise. This guy JJ the crew chief I get it now. The Owens, Rocco, Williams and sometime Kopcik dominated podiums blasted apart in 2021 suddenly became history in part because of Petty Cash. Maybe not unlike TBR where the cars are so good you can put any driver in one and they magnify the drivers strengths.
It’s natural to judge any keyboard cowboy harshly for active, A list racers just ask Stuart Fearn. Just remember this guys. fans make the sport go and while it’s always better to have Trump like adoring fans that think everything you say and do is flawless we below the first rungers with a teaspoon of vinegar at times have value to. Studying and appreciating everything you do in the sport in detail. Highlighting in the written word just how hard it is to get where you have.
How smart is this guy known as Tick Mike? There’s the fact that ticks normally are considered something to avoid yet the guy with Tick in his name is known to be the solution. That and I can’t be the only one with that logo imprinted on my brain.
There, the smiles back or at least I think it is.
Good luck tonight!