3 races in, what have I learned?

A couple of fixes there.

8 people will say they will help with the car.  4 will.

16 people will say they will come to the race.  5 will.

Don't worry about that guy with the big engine.  It will blow up.

Don't worry about the guy with the race hauler.  He will spend most of the race in the box.

Help anyone who asks.  Offer to help people who don't ask.  They will help you.

Race hard, but take care of the people on track with you.

Know what kind of badge engineering went into your car.

Everything will take twice as long and cost twice as much as you would think.

Stay at the track overnight.  That's the fun part...aside from driving the car.

Think really hard about who is going to drive the car for the first stint.  Ask yourself if you really want to be the one out there with EVERYONE. (I love driving the first stint).

If you have few tools, no experience and a slow car then don't worry about it.  You can still do well.

+1000.  The only one I can add is

10 people say they will pay 3 will

+1

Luckily my teammates were as desperate for some racing action as I was. Thank God it was cool in Omaha, we had two race suits and one helmet for 4 guys. We had to borrow a helmet so that we could refuel.

Things i have learned:
1) EVERYBODY CHEATS except me
2) Everybody will help if they can
3) Alcohol/money are good bribes, but the manual to a Lada is a better bribe
4) You are not going to win, even if you won in the past
5) If you make contact, find that driver, and appologize

Eight races in and I've learned:

- be generally useful.  That way, when you need help, it will appear.
- bring a spare.  If you can manage it, bring a spare transmission, a spare clutch cable, spare hose clamps, spare zip ties, a spare engine (especially if your name is Brain and your car is a Fairmont), spare brake pads and spare hubs.  Just bring as much extra crap as you can carry.
- don't, DON'T mess with the judges.
- don't forget to eat.  Seriously, without food, the human behind the wheel won't be able to go roundy roundy.  And then your car won't go roundy roundy either.
- drink until you think you're going to explode.  And then drink some more.  (And I mean water or Gatorade - not beer!  Shrimpandboots, this means you!)
- you can never have enough 10mm sockets.
- nor can you ever have enough <insert your lug nut socket size here> mm sockets.
- if you haven't invested in air tools, do so now.
- the easiest way to decrease the weight in your car is to eat salad.  The 2.5 lbs you might get from ripping out the dash won't hold a candle to the 10 lbs you drop by going on a diet.
- if you can afford it, get a HANS or Defender device.  Your brain is your most important asset.  Do you really want to trust that to a fancy donut?
- don't forget that this race is supposed to be fun.  If you're not grinning at the end of your stint, you're doing it wrong.

awww, no love for the pillagerz! buick?

This is a very good thing to know.

Our car has been thru 7 Tech inspections, and there are still things that get failed by the Tech guys.  And this isn't a complaint, it's for our safety afterall, but still a good lesson learned.

I jest, of course, Thanks for the props! yes, thanks to the rain + my patience + full-tread-depth All-season performance tires + probably being in a relatively fat buick let us lead the race for something-odd 30 minutes or so. My team tends to be very quiet over the radio so when something that awesome happens, I actually DON'T KNOW until after I come in to pit. It works surprisingly well for keeping my concentration up and let's me ride the high later. Honestly in that car though I thought cougarbait and the little douche coupe were still ahead. 

Bucksnort's a great group of guys too, We seem to run into Tim a lot when we do walmart runs or even on the road to the race. I think the mega-cheat cars have their place on the track too. BS lap them to oblivion, and let them barrel around the track! Randy Pobst's vic was pretty damn epic to watch powersliding around T3,4,5, and by 6 it was too far away but you get the idea.

back on topic though, One of the best learning bits i can share is the fantastic time that can be had simply trolling the paddock for free grub and socializing with fellow racers. It makes the on-track experience much more personable and friendly!

Pobst's Crown Vic was usually powersliding spectacularly through 8/9, too. Again, I don't know this from following, but we were pitted down that way and watched most of the race from that 7/8/9 area.

This was one of my favorite parts of our weekend in Joliet. We walked around late Friday night and ran into some damn cool people. Everyone was willing to share beer, food, and lots of stories.

I'd also thrown in:

If you are thinking about putting together a team, go watch a race first. You can walk around the pits freely to see all the madness and you'll get a better grasp on what you're getting yourself into. Having said that, my co-captain and I were entirely hooked after attending American Irony last year.

Put together a good team. It helps if you're all friends and can joke your way through whatever inevitable catastrophes you encounter.

A good paddock space is probably worth getting to the track early.

You don't have to theme your car, but it seems more fun if you do. Our car breezed through BS because Judge Phil loved our theme. I still don't think he knows what kind of car we have.

Bring beer: It's great for unwinding at the end of the day and it's better for bartering.

Most importantly: Enjoy the moment.  Driving was fun, but it was only part of the madness we experienced. Enjoy waking up at sunrise on a race track (or working on all night until the sun rises) and enjoy the chaos everywhere during the day.

Doctawife and Cpchampion are a couple of the biggest junkies I know in Texas.  The Doc made some nice points, like don't forget to eat and stay hydrated.

Even when things are going right, I always seem to be busy and have to make sure I stop to eat. 

As others have said, the race is fun and the Paddock is a blast when the track goes cold.

Early morning at the track gives me about the same feeling I get being at a lake in the morning.

Bring what you can to make your weekend more fun and comfortable. 

This is supposed to be fun.