Lowes Report, 2003
By: Bruce GriggsThe Griggs Racing AI/X west team challenges the AI/X East crowd at Lowes Motor Speedway, Charlotte North Carolina.
The American Iron West Griggs Racing Team of GR40 #42 AI driver’s Guy Cunningham and #31 Keith Videtto along with GR40 driver AIX driver Bruce Griggs traveled to the heart of NASCAR country to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte North Carolina for an AI East event in what should turn out to be the first in a series of shootouts between east and west.
The event is hopefully a historical one, and fitting to be at such a historical racetrack. The course included nearly a complete lap of the high banked 1 ½ mile oval, as entrance and exit of the infield was in turn one of the oval. Lowes is a track not for the feint of heart, as speeds of excess of 165mph were recorded entering turn three of the oval lined with unmovable concrete walls. I believe our AI group may have a new respect for the athletic ability and endurance of NASCAR drivers that turn 200 or more laps in a single race, as the g loads on the high banks were considerable and we AI/X drivers only needed to sustain them for about 15 or 16 laps per session.
Unfortunately the Griggs team didn’t have time to organize video of the event and the team’s digital Nikon quit working before any pictures could be taken. So the only picture we have is of Lester Lesneski, of Monroe, North Carolina who’s intercooled Vortech supercharged GR40 Mustang was the class of the field. One could say that East coast AIX points leader Dan “Slick” Schlickenmeyer, in his 408 stroker powered GR40 Mustang was pretty much just as fast, but suffered from a loose condition all weekend brought about by a fading traction-lock differential. Slick is soon to upgrade to a GR40 Hybrid 8.8 unit with Gold track.
Not being acclimated to the South Eastern heat and humidity, on arrival we found ourselves in slow motion, but soon we got up to speed. Saturday morning we encountered a clutch release hydraulic problem that was hard to diagnose with Keith’s car. This occurred immediately before qualifying and Keith had to attempt qualifying with no clutch release system. Not good on a synchromesh transmission, and although he did obtain a good qualifying time he lost 3rd and fourth gears. Subsequently the team installed a new transmission and repaired what looked like a damaged hydraulic fitting to the hydraulic release bearing which was thought to be what was wrong with the clutch. But, immediately before the race, the crew found a leaking hose end as well, improperly assembled by the manufacturer. Unfortunately the timing of this discovery precluded Keith starting the race, and he had to sit it out.
Guy on the other hand was fast, qualifying on the pole in AI and setting a new track record. The team’s last minute attempt to fix Keith’s car made Guy late to the grid, and this forced him to start the race from the rear. The field was large and meant having to do a lot of passing in short order to make it to the front. Guy and his GR40 Mustang were up to the task and made a determined drive through the highly competitive field to take the win. This was after laps and laps of side by side, sometimes three abreast racing with the competitive eastern AI field. His win was well deserved.
My AIX race was a little different. Lester’s Vortech supercharged GR40 Mustang was painted black primer, as it had nearly all its body panels replaced from an incident in its last race which made it look menacing to say the least. Its power was awesome. And the GR40 chassis was up to the task of delivering it as he took fast time of the field, setting a new track record as well. I qualified about a half second behind with my little 306 cubic engine trying as hard as it could on the high-speed course. Slick was third fast with his 408.
When race time arrived, I was held up getting to pre-grid as well, but I thought I left in time, there were two cars blocking the gate I needed to get through to get to my starting position on the outside front row, so I waited patiently for them to move which took a few minutes. But the field started onto the track without me so I revved my engine and beat on the roof of my car to get their attention and they finally moved out of the way.
I blasted around the track to take up my position on the front row. This is normal in most sanctioning bodies when you are held up like this, but not starting from your pre-grid position is not allowed in NASA and technically I was supposed to start in the rear. But since it was not my fault I couldn’t get to the grid, I thought I should be able to get away with it. We took the green after two parade laps and I moved over behind Lester who shot away from me. I then followed him in second while Slick was close behind me. The three of us ran hard like this for two laps turning almost identical times, except Lester would just drive away from me on the back straight, and Dan would fall back when driving out of the slow corners because of his differential problem. Then coming off the oval, Lester overcooked it and spun in turn one, letting me have the lead.
Slick and I ran that way until I came around and thought I saw a black flag at the starter’s stand. I looked long and hard at it as I thought the little tiny number they were holding up might just be a 40 (mine). Knowing that black flags are shown for three laps, I went around again noting to look carefully to see if the number was indeed mine.
Slick was running a little better, getting a handle on his loose but high-powered car. He drew closer to me so I went into the high banks harder than I had all day, not lifting at all, running up high with just a little dab of brake from my left foot to settle the car down over the significant bumps. I drew away from Slick and then as I came off the banking I focused on the flagman to see what number he was holding up.
Unfortunately, The number was small enough and I stared at it just long enough to overshoot turn one. I then had to do a reentry, which gave up the lead to Slick with Lester trying to run him down in second. Since the flagman’s number looked like a 37 to me, and nobody anywhere else indicated to me I needed to stop, and since no flags were pointed at me, I continued.
The next lap, in the middle of the high bank, running as hard as I could, My little GR40 Mustang hit something on the track as I heard something hit a wheel tub, and then the car jumped to the right about a half a lane. It was spooky. I drove the next lap wondering if something was falling off.
Later after running as hard as I could, gaining on the leaders significantly as they battled, on the 13th lap, with just two more laps to go I turned into the high banks, and the right front tire went down, suddenly. It turned the car right, up toward the wall as I turned hard left, braced for impact. I fully expected contact, and hard, but my little GR40 Mustang just drew up to about a foot of the wall and stayed there for about 100 yards before slowing coming off the banking under complete control.
This little episode gave me pause. I have run high-banked tracks before, but in cars truly made for contact. My little GR40 Mustang is not designed to take a hard wall banging. I always wanted to test the chassis on rough high banks such as this, and it proved more than suitable to the job. It was fast and very, very stable. But, even though I try to reduce the risk as much as possible by many means the reality is it is real, it is there, and it could happen. The realization of the risk we take on tracks like this, was right in front of me for a couple of seconds. It has been many years since I had a serious altercation. I don’t want one.
I learned later that another competitor had lost a mounting bracket and cut a radiator hose in that part of the same turn, there was no debris flag, (nor even a visible flagman at the entrance of that very fast turn). I may have dodged a bullet, but I was not smiling. The speeds we go at tracks like this mean that in the interest of safety we need better communications, (radios) and timely reports and warnings as to what may be on the track.
Anyway, my 17th place or so finish was the worst I have ever had in AIX racing, and to find after the race I was black flagged and subsequently DQ’d for passing under the yellow on the parade lap to take my position on the front row was interesting. I didn’t protest because it was their show, and it wouldn’t have improved my position anyway and the rules are the rules. But, all is well, as after a hard fought dual Lester got around Slick and won the race. GR40s first and second with a very fast 65 Shelby in third driven by Andy Killian.
Sunday started after the crew got an 8-hour night’s sleep, the first in quite a while, and it was sorely needed. Keith’s car was repaired and he qualified third fast in AI, Guy qualified on the front row next to pole sitter Lester, and I started from the outside of the second row, having not gotten a clear lap in qualifying. Slick was on my left.
For the AI race I can only report what I heard from the many spectators that came by. They all were very excited and stated the race for the lead was phenomenal. It was a three-way battle for the lead with many, many lead changes. Guy Cunningham in his #42 took off with the lead, but was soon caught by James Hoover of Virginia in his beautiful bright orange with equine graphics ‘95 GR40 Mustang, and Griggs Racing Team member Keith Videtto in his now proving-to-be-fast #31 GR40 machine. Keith won at Infineon his first time out with his new motor, but had to miss the Reno event. So after the disappointment of Saturday’s equipment failure, Keith was primed to move.
The AI battle saw so many lead changes per lap that I couldn’t get a reliable report. The result was a much-deserved win by Keith Videtto (remember that name, you will hear more of it in the future), with teammate Guy Cunningham second and the fast James Hoover third, a GR40 sweep, and the second victory of the weekend by the West.
For Sunday’s AIX race I have more info, as I was the driver of the #40 car yet again. Since I knew I couldn’t match the acceleration of Lester and Slick, I took the green with them and they accelerated away from me into turn one where I ran up on slicks bumper and pretty much stayed there through the infield, but as soon as we hit the oval, the two of them just pulled away down the back straight. Again I could gain on them through the high banks and down into turn one and get back on Slick’s bumper.
However, I didn’t want Slick to worry about me and let Lester get away so I dropped back far enough to keep the pressure off. Then oil drops started landing on my windshield going down the back straight. Since Slick had had an oil hose problem on Saturday, I backed off and followed at a distance through the banking. My little incident the day before that ended my race early was still on my mind.
Following the battle for the lead about 150 feet behind coming off the bank toward the start finish line I saw Lester lock up his left front tire and nearly miss turn one. I approached and straddled his tire mark, but found the oil on the track that locked his wheel. It was really slippery, but somehow I managed to get through the turn without losing it, skimming the cones and the concrete wall on the exit. In the next turn, Lester pulled off with a broken cam drive, and a hole in his timing cover, the oil was his. This put Slick in the lead, and I ran up behind him. He started running as hard as he could, and he began to lock his right front on entry in all the infield right-handers. So I worked as hard as I could to stay close expecting he might just make a mistake and give up the lead, and if not, then the retired F-18 pilot would win.
It was not to be however, as Slick’s right front tire went flat from all the punishment in the infield at about the halfway point. That put me in the lead by a wide margin as I looked back and saw nobody in the mirrors. I slowed down about 6-8 seconds a lap to reduce my risk of not finishing, but later about three laps from the end I had to speed it up as Andy Killian in his very powerful 65 Shelby was coming on strong.
I won easily at that point, and on the cool off lap I drove up close to the wall that almost ate me the day before, and I looked down across the speedway from the vantage point that only a driver can experience at Lowes. I photographed the scene in my mind for posterity, as I know, I may never have the opportunity to face the challenge of Lowes’ high banks again in my little GR40 Mustang. My sincere thanks to Chris Cobeto, Dan Schlickenmeyer, Lester Lesneski, Hoosier Tire, Koni, Dynotuning.com, and especially my crew, all the people that allowed me to have this great experience. And my sincerest thanks to all the GR40 owners that continue to believe in GR40 products.
Side note:
NASCAR Craftsman truck driver and Busch Grand National driver Barry Bodine, son of Winston Cup great Geoffrey Bodine, and nephew of Winston Cup regular Todd Bodine stopped by our garage during the weekend and expressed his family’s interest in AI/X racing and in GR40 cars and Griggs Racing Products for his DRACO performance Mustang shop in Mooresville North Carolina. As a courtesy I extended an offer for him to drive my GR40 AIX car in Sunday’s practice and he did so with the proper level of professionalism expected from someone with his experience. Although he was not properly fitted to the car, wallowing around in my large seat and had trouble depressing the pedals; he was fast from the get-go, running within 2 seconds of my best time. I advised him of the engines 7400-RPM rev-limit and asked him not to hit it and he returned it with the tattletale at 7300. He expressed how much he enjoyed the car, and how easy and forgiving it was to drive. He also said that barring a new NASCAR contract that takes him away; he held a sincere desire to race with us in 2004. The AI/X series needs his level of professionalism, and should welcome it. Both Barry and his lovely wife Leslyn stated how different it was being around American Iron road racers as opposed to the highly competitive atmosphere and high profile world of professional racing. They stated this would be great fun and that we all seemed like a great bunch of fun-loving and respectful competitors. Barry stated it was a refreshing change and looked forward to his possible participation.