Purp's Adventure: Mega Bucks Meets No Bucks
By Laurie "Purple Girl" Watts
Tony Schumacher pulled up next to Laurie Watts in the staging lanes at Phoenix
this weekend, offering an interesting contrast in eras. Photo by Laurie Watts
People of the Fuel...
Took the lil' purple digger down to Firebird this weekend to test with the pros. It was something that I have wanted to do now for the past three years. Lots of Pros there and two other front motor dragsters. But I was the only FED there on Friday, so I had the show to myself. The car ran good; the track was kinda strange in that it was good for the first 60 feet, but kinda slick at about 330 feet. We were pitted in the dirt down below the land of two plugs. We had a nice time visiting and socializing, carrying on the 1320 tradition <g>. On one of my later passes I was sitting in the staging lanes as first car to go out after the pros went. When the Gods of Thunder would leave the line, my whole car would shake, the windscreen would vibrate, and the cloud of nitro lingered above me. Pretty cool.
We were sitting in the staging lanes late Saturday afternoon when who should pull up, but the long black dragster called the Army car? Yep, got a photo op and took advantage of it. I couldn't fit all of Shoe's car in the picture with mine off to the side. She looked so little sitting there beside it... but not helpless...<g>
Lots of visiting goin' on in the staging lanes; John Force looked the car over, as did his crew. A smile from Bernie
Fedderly, and a nod of approval from Dan Olsen...
As I was ready to make a pass, I noticed a black 1320 jacket standing next to the car. I looked up and Big Yohns was standing there, looking healthy and good I might add.
Chris Stinson and Ron Miller came down on Saturday to join the fun, and fun we had! Oh yeah we did test and tune too... the lil' car ran very consistent 9.90, 9.92, 9.94, 9.92, and 9.87. Yep 9.87. The best she has ever run. Then my husband decided to advance the timing just a little. We ran a 10.40; guess she didn't like that. Ron Miller kept insisting it was driver error, but Chris Stinson, knowing better, just kept quiet about it. <g> Needless to say we put the timing back to where it was and left the car alone. Its kinda funny ya know -- every time a car runs good, the credit goes to the crew chief. Any time a car runs badly, its driver error. Yep, the only adjustable nut is the one behind the wheel.
As we were sitting in the pits of purple an Alcohol Funny Car team came towing by and out the window of the tow vehicle I heard the words... "Slingshots Rule"...
Yes Boyz... Slingshots rule and so do the women who drive them..<g>
Purp
digger773@earthlink.net
