2021 Edition - Volume 2

#TeamA2D
Pit-Side Report

GREEN FLAG  

• We recap trips to Attica and Bridgeport for #TeamA2D's newest member, Kyle Reinhardt!
• Austin Berry suffers a setback at Selinsgrove.  We have the details.
• We preview Zach Newlin's busy Pennsylvania sprint car season!
• This week's chapter of Tales From the Car Wash brings us possibly the most humorous victory story you'll ever read!
• Austin Berry logged a heat win at Port Royal.  We have the full story.
• New #TeamA2D shirts, hoodies and decals!  Get the details in Slide Job.
• In our Open Red stop this week, we share some tire education.

NEWS FROM THE PITS

OPEN RED

• Siping - Siping is a technique first patented in the 1920's by a man named John Sipe who came up with the idea of putting razor cuts in his shoes to give him better traction. When applying this technique to a dirt tire, siping will do many things. First, this will help the tire build heat quicker which will help the tire "fire" better. Siping will also dissipate heat when the tire gets to operating temperature and the sipes open up.
• Grooving - Grooving will help channel the dirt out the tire to help maintain a good contact patch between the tire and track surface--just like the grooves in your street tire which help keep your car from hydroplaning. Grooving will also create more edges for better traction or grip. Unlike siping in which you should go no deeper than 1/2 the depth of the tread block, grooving is typically the full depth of the tread block.
• Sealing Over - Drivers talk about their tires “sealing over” or getting “glazed”. No one knows exactly what is happening but one theory is that the heating of the tire during a race liquifies resins in the rubber compounds. These resins work to the surface and result in a shiny, glazed look and a slicker surface if the tire cools off during a caution or between races.
• Grinding - A disc grinder is used on the surface of the tire.  Grinding removes the microscopic layer of sealed rubber (described in 'Sealing Over') and mechanically roughs up the smoothed tread blocks to give more bite.
• Blistering - Blisters occur when the tread overheats, which leads to the creation of air bubbles inside the tread, which causes it to lift.
• Chunking - Loss of chunks of the tire tread during racing occurs when overheating and blistering is extreme enough to cause pieces of the tread to break away from the tire.

Check out the two articles below to learn more about how all these tire terms are related and get some insight from experts about tire temperature goals and how to read them, what you can learn from your tires after a race, why you should wash your tires between races, and other interesting tips!

      GetStartedRacing.com - Dirt Tire Prep (2017)

      Hoosier.com/News - Siping and Grooving Hoosier Sprint Tires (2021)

PARTNER PIT STOP

SLIDE JOB

TALES FROM THE CAR WASH

The goal of this section of our newsletter is to share some entertaining, funny and surprising stories.  These tales don't always originate from the late night car wash stop most team's make...but the car wash is often where the stories become lore among race teams. 

I Won!

One night, not too many years ago, one member of #TeamA2D was competing in a feature on a small, Pennsylvania dirt track.  As the laps remaining in the feature grew fewer, he had taken over second place.  As he diced through lapped traffic, he could see the leader not far ahead.  His focused intensified.  There was a lot of traffic to navigate but he knew he was fast enough to catch the leader. 

At a glance, the flagman clearly had his hands full up there.  The move over flag was flying a lot, then suddenly another glimpse revealed the white flag.  It was now or never!  Our team member 'got up on the wheel' even further as they say, laser focused on the leader.  He dove into turn one hard and took his shot.  A great run off turn 2 shot him by the leader down the backstretch.  The lights remained green and he sailed under the checkered flag as the yellow lights flashed on. 

Victory!  This called for a celebration.  Queue the donuts in turn 3, then off to victory lane.  As our guy rolled down the front stretch to park it, he only had one question.  Why was there another car parked in victory lane?  

Well, that would be because that other car had actually won.

The 'pass for the lead' made by our guy was unfortunately just after the ACTUAL checkered, but his laser focus on the leader resulted in not seeing the flagman transition from the white to the checkered flag as the lapped cars, the leader and he passed under the flag stand tightly bunched. 

"#%@&.....If I just hadn't done donuts."  ;)

Which member of #TeamA2D had this mildly embarrassing moment?  We'll let you figure it out. :)  

NEXT TIME BY

What's up next for #TeamA2D?
 

Zach Newlin

• The 358 sprint car season at Williams Grove Speedway begins April 16 and Zach Daddy will be behind the wheel of the Mansberger Motorsports #21m!
• Newlin will wheel the 21m again at The Grove the following Friday, April 23.
• The Burke Motorsports 410 sprint car is expected to make its 2021 debut in the next few weeks with Newlin at the wheel.

Kyle Reinhardt

• The RQM Enterprises, Capitol Renegade #91 team has a busy mid-April stretch of All Star Circuit of Champions races on their schedule.  The team will compete in 4 events in 4 nights:
  • Apr 15 - Virginia Motor Speedway [UPDATE: Finished 6th!  Story next issue.]
  • Apr 16 - Williams Grove Speedway
  • Apr 17 - Port Royal Speedway
  • Apr 18 - Bedford Speedway

Austin Berry

• The next race for ABR will be Friday, April 30 when the United Late Model Series (ULMS) invades Bedford Speedway to compete in the $8,500 to win Billy Winn 85th Anniversary Classic!