Page 19 - Nitro Madness Magazine Fall 2017

Story by Jeff Arend
Photos by Jeff Arend and Pam Conrad
If I had a dollar for every time restock, so each team needs 4-6 CYLINDER HEADS:
that I was asked how to get a people that need to have a CDL. In Each car has a left and right
crew position or driving job on addition, the support trucks that hand cylinder head person that is
a big show racing team, I could tow the cars to the starting line and responsible for everything that’s
probably fund my own team…well, back to the pit do not fit in the race needed to remove the injector/
maybe not. The truth is it may rigs, so you if you don’t have a CDL supercharger assembly, intake
not be as hard as you think, so I’ll chances are you will be driving or manifold and cylinder heads. On a
try and clear up a few common riding in a support vehicle from normal service they just swap out
misconceptions. race to race. In addition to a CDL, the complete cylinder head with the
welding or machining skills will
First of all, for the most part, definitely make you more desirable header attached, remove and install
mechanical abilities aren’t at in the eyes of the team owner or a new rack of pistons/rods, maybe
the top of most big teams’ job crew chief. change a sleeve or two and then set
requirements. They are looking the valve lash and hook everything
for a person with a clean CDL For the most part, all the jobs on back up again. Most teams will also
(commercial driver’s license) and a big team are pretty specialized service the cylinder heads when time
STANDING ON THE GAS SINCE 1963. and really not that hard to
Mickey Thompson was unstoppable. He was the first American to 400+MPH a good work ethic. Multiple car learn assuming you have basic allows and check for proper valve
at Bonneville & the manager of Lions Drag Strip. At heart, Mickey was a drag racer, teams generally have 2-3 rigs per mechanical skills. The bigger the spring height and pressure, making
now his DNA lives on in the innovative winning products we build today while we team to transport all the parts and sure the valves are straight and still
continue to break records in professional drag categories. pieces needed to race along with team, the more people they have lap in properly. If a cylinder head
UNCOMPROMISED CONSTRUCTION / UNDISPUTED PERFORMANCE. a hospitality trailer. The trucks and the more specific the jobs are. needs repair, it will usually need to be
and trailers need to get to all the Let’s look at what most teams cleaned and stripped bare in order to
#MICKEYTHOMPSONTIRES
races and then back to the shop to have for crew positions: be welded and machined at the shop.
M/T PROUDLY MAKES TIRES IN THE USA. MICKEYTHOMPSONTIRES.COM
Fall 2017 Nitro Madness Magazine 19