Hicks Lawn Services truck racing
- Thread starter hickslawns
- Start date
We have a minimum weight. I'm thinking 2450#. I need to look it up and run across the scales before the race. Lol
Long story short: I'm living groundhog day every single time I go to race.
For the second race in a row, I went to load the truck and the slave cylinder gave out. This internal slave cylinder has been a nightmare. I may just need to find another transmission with an external slave cylinder. The combination on the truck is just bad. Between the Jerry rigged set up and weak factory style slave cylinder, it is just bad. So I opened the bottle of whiskey I got on my birthday last year and rode to the races with a buddy. Cleared my head for a bit and just enjoyed the races.
For the second race in a row, I went to load the truck and the slave cylinder gave out. This internal slave cylinder has been a nightmare. I may just need to find another transmission with an external slave cylinder. The combination on the truck is just bad. Between the Jerry rigged set up and weak factory style slave cylinder, it is just bad. So I opened the bottle of whiskey I got on my birthday last year and rode to the races with a buddy. Cleared my head for a bit and just enjoyed the races.
Well damn it Phil, this is not how the season was to open. Tell that crew chief and lead engineer to get this shit figured out!
Glad ya had fun, even if it was at the bottom of a whiskey bottle. You're doing this for fun, not for making $. Very very few make $ racing, farming, fishing etc. I hope ya can enjoy the shit one way or another and have some success soon. New clock starts Monday, good luck!
Thanks Adam. It is what it is. . . Racing. Sometimes stuff happens. Maybe God was protecting me?
Chris Hicks (some distant relation we haven't figured out exactly yet) is the all time winningest driver in these trucks. At least locally. 54 feature wins. Most of them in this truck. He is shifting to the modifieds. His brother stepped in to race his truck last night. Both raced heavily in the truck series for a solid decade so not a rookie. But sometimes stuff happens. Like a bit loose coming out of four, tapped by a truck below him, sent up towards the wall, then t-boned by a truck on the higher line. . . Rolled on his top. The third truck involved ended up on top of him as he was slammed into the wall. . . Nobody truly at fault. Just racing stuff. This truck was a legend around here and will never race again. Rarely beat. I can't remember the last time he lost. Maybe 3yrs ago? Darn shame to see this legend of a truck retired this way. His brother is sore today but okay.
And for the record: TODAY was a new day. I pulled the transmission this morning before graduation parties. We shall overcome the issues.
Ouch, glad everyone walked away from that one! I like the thinking, it was part of a bigger plan to keep ya safe. Hope the removal, fix and reinstall goes on without a hitch....you got this!
Saw it in person tonight. I watched the wreck. Saw it on the trailer. Now that he has the front end apart. . . .she is bad. I'm not posting pics other than the one he already posted on FB. That is the one you see.
Pulled transmission yesterday. Picked up bell housing, external slave cylinder tonight. Need a different hydraulic line and throw out bearing. I'll order tomorrow. Hopefully put her together in time to race at Good's in Deerfield on Saturday.
Pulled transmission yesterday. Picked up bell housing, external slave cylinder tonight. Need a different hydraulic line and throw out bearing. I'll order tomorrow. Hopefully put her together in time to race at Good's in Deerfield on Saturday.
We are on summer break. Plenty fair to say the season is not going as planned. 7/13 races completed. I've raced one of them. And that race was not even in one of my trucks. Ouch. This stings.
So what do we do in the face of frustration, set backs, and adversity? Dust ourselves off, set new goals, move on.
I'm 22nd in points. I have an obtainable goal and a lofty goal. Lofty goal: finish top five in points. Obtainable goal: finish too ten in points.
How?
First off, I need to be at and complete every race. Some of these are double header weekends. You get a couple extra points for attending these weekends as it encourages higher truck counts and an invite back to these tracks. But. . .Friday and Saturday night races are a challenge. You need to be on point and willing to give up a long weekend.
Secondly, I need to win as many heat races as possible. Extra points (and money pay out) for heat race wins.
Thirdly, I need to finish top 5 in every race. I am capable. The truck "should" be capable. Just need solid and conservative runs with no flat tires, wrecks, or silly mishaps.
Fourth would be to achieve my upper end goal: I need to podium every race in the last 6 races. Top three finishes aren't just handed out. I'd need myself and my truck to be performing at top level. Probably need a little luck here and there as well. But. . .we don't set goals which are easy to obtain. If we do, we never truly accomplish much in life.
Time will tell.
So what do we do in the face of frustration, set backs, and adversity? Dust ourselves off, set new goals, move on.
I'm 22nd in points. I have an obtainable goal and a lofty goal. Lofty goal: finish top five in points. Obtainable goal: finish too ten in points.
How?
First off, I need to be at and complete every race. Some of these are double header weekends. You get a couple extra points for attending these weekends as it encourages higher truck counts and an invite back to these tracks. But. . .Friday and Saturday night races are a challenge. You need to be on point and willing to give up a long weekend.
Secondly, I need to win as many heat races as possible. Extra points (and money pay out) for heat race wins.
Thirdly, I need to finish top 5 in every race. I am capable. The truck "should" be capable. Just need solid and conservative runs with no flat tires, wrecks, or silly mishaps.
Fourth would be to achieve my upper end goal: I need to podium every race in the last 6 races. Top three finishes aren't just handed out. I'd need myself and my truck to be performing at top level. Probably need a little luck here and there as well. But. . .we don't set goals which are easy to obtain. If we do, we never truly accomplish much in life.
Time will tell.
Had the truck ready Friday night. Tires prepped. Gear loaded. Holy crap, this might just happen! And. . . Then we got rained out. Oh well. It'll happen sooner or later.
Clutch still isn't right. Block of wood under the pedal keeps it from over extending. Going to have to work.
Clutch still isn't right. Block of wood under the pedal keeps it from over extending. Going to have to work.
Still loaded from the last rain out. Double header this weekend. If anyone wants to watch we are at Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg Friday and at Good's Raceway in Deerfield on Saturday.
Goals? Screw them. They haven't worked. Lol. How about some easy ones: compete in and finish both races. Let the track sort out the places. I really just want to see the truck start and finish a couple races while I break her in.
Goals? Screw them. They haven't worked. Lol. How about some easy ones: compete in and finish both races. Let the track sort out the places. I really just want to see the truck start and finish a couple races while I break her in.
I'm going to name this truck the "Browns". You know you're going to be disappointed. You just don't know how or when.
Drove 2.5hrs. Unloaded. Fired her up. Went to drivers meeting and pill draw. I was starting outside row 1 in the heat race. Couldn't have asked for a better draw. Went out for hot laps. Rut roh. Something not right. I rolled into the throttle. RPM's increased but she just wasn't putting power to the wheels. Initially I thought it was spinning tires on a slick track. Nah. Not the same feeling. And even if spinning you get more forward bite and momentum. Tried different things. Was not long and I knew the clutch wasn't locking up. I should be in second gear ripping 7000-8000RPMs and throwing dirt. Nope. Couldn't do anything but slip. The more laps I did, the worse it got. Never even made the heat race, let alone the feature. True frustration.
Zero issues at home. I have had plenty of issues with the hydraulics of the clutch this year. This is either a mechanical failure of the lever arm pushing the throw out bearing, or the clutch plate is flat out smoked. Driving down the road and around the field behind my barn I had zero issues. I really thought last night was going to be her first trip and a solid test. Nope. Just another test of my patience.
Bye bye 12 hrs of yesterday and today and roughly $200 in diesel, food, pit passes, etc. Also missed out on the races tonight due to it. Double header weekend with bonus points for hitting both shows. Screw the points. I just want the truck to complete a freaking race at this point. Last place is better than a DNS.
My consolation prize? My wife said it "looked pretty" in the pictures. That is like complementing a limp dick. Who cares what it looks like if it doesn't work.
Drove 2.5hrs. Unloaded. Fired her up. Went to drivers meeting and pill draw. I was starting outside row 1 in the heat race. Couldn't have asked for a better draw. Went out for hot laps. Rut roh. Something not right. I rolled into the throttle. RPM's increased but she just wasn't putting power to the wheels. Initially I thought it was spinning tires on a slick track. Nah. Not the same feeling. And even if spinning you get more forward bite and momentum. Tried different things. Was not long and I knew the clutch wasn't locking up. I should be in second gear ripping 7000-8000RPMs and throwing dirt. Nope. Couldn't do anything but slip. The more laps I did, the worse it got. Never even made the heat race, let alone the feature. True frustration.
Zero issues at home. I have had plenty of issues with the hydraulics of the clutch this year. This is either a mechanical failure of the lever arm pushing the throw out bearing, or the clutch plate is flat out smoked. Driving down the road and around the field behind my barn I had zero issues. I really thought last night was going to be her first trip and a solid test. Nope. Just another test of my patience.
Bye bye 12 hrs of yesterday and today and roughly $200 in diesel, food, pit passes, etc. Also missed out on the races tonight due to it. Double header weekend with bonus points for hitting both shows. Screw the points. I just want the truck to complete a freaking race at this point. Last place is better than a DNS.
My consolation prize? My wife said it "looked pretty" in the pictures. That is like complementing a limp dick. Who cares what it looks like if it doesn't work.
Will be at Muskingum County Speedway Saturday night. Busted butt. Pulled the transmission again. New clutch. Got her buttoned up this evening. Going to try this inaugural trip again. For the fourth freaking time this year. Fifth? I don't even know. But I am trying to be positive. The clutch was velvet. No grinding gears. No slipping. Seemed to dig good in the neighbors field.
One goal: complete a race. That's it. Not a single other goal in sight. Hot laps, heat race, and feature. Under my own power. Just finish the freaking race.
One goal: complete a race. That's it. Not a single other goal in sight. Hot laps, heat race, and feature. Under my own power. Just finish the freaking race.
Yo Phil good luck - btw - saw a vintage midget with offy enginge at the gas station yday - perfect condition - took me back to the day use to go to all the usac races