Jimmy Cummins
CEO, Cummins Lumber Co.
well you are right, insecure isnt quite the right word to use. I have talked to my parents a lot about this subject, and it comes down to what you want out of racing. Some people are happy going to the same place every week and racing with just that group. Some people like being the big fish in the small pond. I like racing around here, but I like going other places and meeting new people. I figure you only are on the track maybe 20 to 30 minutes a night racing, the rest of the time you are socializing. I can go to race in kentucky, indiana, farmer city, fairbury, oklahoma etc and have people that know me and help me out, etc.
As far the round-up, the point i am trying to make is this isnt supposed to be an allied race, i think a stub car from shepps or indiana or michigan or new york should have much as an opportunity to race as it as any pevely car, without having to do radical things to their car. the only thing a pevely car should have an advantage of is not having to travel and knowing the race track.
as far as the clutch / transmission rules, i think the triple disk rule allied came up with is silly. This may be subject to a different post, but going to a triple disk is real silly. for a clutch flex plate, and throw out bearing it cost me close to $700, and i had to sell some of my old stuff for 50 cents on the dollar. If something happens, good luck selling your 3 disk and you cant run it in a mod either competitively. you can buy a bert for around 800 and a brinn for 900-1000, and have a lot better part. I know people say they wouldnt use a used bert or brinn, but i bet they dont have a brand new 3 speed so what is the difference? Before you throw another fit, i just want to say i wish they would have not changed the rule at all, and i have no idea why they did. I just think it would have made more sense to go from a stock clutch to a brinn.
I already stated what i think about carbs, i dont have a problem with 2 barrel carbs, but you CAN get a decent 4 barrel for the same price as a good 2 barrel, and again, if you want to move up you have something you can use.
As far as engine rules, like i said, I have 2 real good allied motors now, by that i mean 4340 cranks, h-beam rods, good lightweight pistons, etc and i only have about $1000 more invest in my 414 engine, and that is because i bought a dart SHP block. and the 414 makes atleast 100 more horsepower. The more restricted the rules are, the more stuff costs. And the more cheating goes on. Look at the crate class as an example. I dont have a problem with spec engines if they are going to be checked. i won 12 features and had 6 2nds in about 23 nights at belleville and got my engine checked once or twice. I would bet there are people cheating at pevely, like with light cranks or 50cc heads, and they aren't getting checked. 50cc heads are ILLEGAL according to the compression rule, incase you didnt know, unless you have dish pistons or a .100 thick head gasket. FYI a regular head gasket is .040. If you have a 50cc head with .005 deck height and a .040 head gasket you are about 12.48 to 1.
and lastly, before i get back to the garage, i would love to get another modified again, but have nowhere near the money to do that. when i ran a mod a few years ago i did pretty decent with a old swingarm lightning and i ran my sportsman engine most of the year, but i also ran mid-pack and usually averaged about $100 a night in winnings. that was 3 years ago too. 600 to 650 horse engines were big back then, now guys are 700 plus, that is why a few guys that were fast then have not been as good. korte pretty much whooped guys when he raced a mod this year with a 792 horse engine, i cant afford that. and i dont want to sound too arrogant but i am beyond the point of my racing life that i just like driving around in circles, i want to be competitive. If you want to travel some with a sportsman, good luck going to oklahoma, indiana, clarksville, or that race coming up in peoria with a 400 horse allied engine, a 3 speed and a 2 barrel and running well. I dont see that happening.
As far the round-up, the point i am trying to make is this isnt supposed to be an allied race, i think a stub car from shepps or indiana or michigan or new york should have much as an opportunity to race as it as any pevely car, without having to do radical things to their car. the only thing a pevely car should have an advantage of is not having to travel and knowing the race track.
as far as the clutch / transmission rules, i think the triple disk rule allied came up with is silly. This may be subject to a different post, but going to a triple disk is real silly. for a clutch flex plate, and throw out bearing it cost me close to $700, and i had to sell some of my old stuff for 50 cents on the dollar. If something happens, good luck selling your 3 disk and you cant run it in a mod either competitively. you can buy a bert for around 800 and a brinn for 900-1000, and have a lot better part. I know people say they wouldnt use a used bert or brinn, but i bet they dont have a brand new 3 speed so what is the difference? Before you throw another fit, i just want to say i wish they would have not changed the rule at all, and i have no idea why they did. I just think it would have made more sense to go from a stock clutch to a brinn.
I already stated what i think about carbs, i dont have a problem with 2 barrel carbs, but you CAN get a decent 4 barrel for the same price as a good 2 barrel, and again, if you want to move up you have something you can use.
As far as engine rules, like i said, I have 2 real good allied motors now, by that i mean 4340 cranks, h-beam rods, good lightweight pistons, etc and i only have about $1000 more invest in my 414 engine, and that is because i bought a dart SHP block. and the 414 makes atleast 100 more horsepower. The more restricted the rules are, the more stuff costs. And the more cheating goes on. Look at the crate class as an example. I dont have a problem with spec engines if they are going to be checked. i won 12 features and had 6 2nds in about 23 nights at belleville and got my engine checked once or twice. I would bet there are people cheating at pevely, like with light cranks or 50cc heads, and they aren't getting checked. 50cc heads are ILLEGAL according to the compression rule, incase you didnt know, unless you have dish pistons or a .100 thick head gasket. FYI a regular head gasket is .040. If you have a 50cc head with .005 deck height and a .040 head gasket you are about 12.48 to 1.
and lastly, before i get back to the garage, i would love to get another modified again, but have nowhere near the money to do that. when i ran a mod a few years ago i did pretty decent with a old swingarm lightning and i ran my sportsman engine most of the year, but i also ran mid-pack and usually averaged about $100 a night in winnings. that was 3 years ago too. 600 to 650 horse engines were big back then, now guys are 700 plus, that is why a few guys that were fast then have not been as good. korte pretty much whooped guys when he raced a mod this year with a 792 horse engine, i cant afford that. and i dont want to sound too arrogant but i am beyond the point of my racing life that i just like driving around in circles, i want to be competitive. If you want to travel some with a sportsman, good luck going to oklahoma, indiana, clarksville, or that race coming up in peoria with a 400 horse allied engine, a 3 speed and a 2 barrel and running well. I dont see that happening.
We need all the classes we have. We need them so guys/gals have a place to race that suits them. Weather it be financially or experience wise.
