The Green Booger takes VORRA USA 500 Second Year in a Row

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Photo provided by Team Myers Racing from a friend who took the photos. Since there were only two of us, this is the only race photo we have at the moment. Thanks guys!

“It’s not the easy ones you remember – it’s always the hard ones, where you’ve struggled to finish the car, just get to the race, or have a hard time in the race itself that you remember.”

Truer words have never been spoken. Our friend and competitor Dave Meek Jr., who stated this to us at the 2013 VORRA USA 500, is no stranger to racing and how we are driven to persevere through the blood, sweat, sleepless nights, pain, overall suffering, and more to reach that pinnacle of elation that you only achieve surrounded by a cage and spinning rubber in the middle of a desert.

Our 2013 USA 500 experience started off not even with our own car. We had prior obligations to button up on customers cars before we could work on our own. As a result, the Booger was completely behind schedule, something we had not done in such a way since 2009. It needed a complete change of the front clip due to the cancer and fatigue plaguing its stability – halfway between the windshield and roof to halfway between the door frame was cut off and a new clip fitted and welded in place. Plus the installation of the new beam. More about that process can be read in prior posts. When we received the car from Sierra Auto Body with its new green paint job, it was exactly one week from when we should be on the road headed to Yerington, NV. In other words, GAME ON.

The car had go from a shell to a race car while still maintaining a regular work and [kid] school schedule. We are lucky that Larry G’s brother Alternate Larry C (Chris Herrod), an electrical engineer, donated his time and knowledge to us every night in trade for good home-cooked meals. We had completely removed the old, tired wiring harness originally found in a bucket of water and used out of necessity, as well as the dash and tired gauges. Alternate Larry C was employed to replace and reorganize all gauges, switches, etc. and re-wire, well, everything. We were also provided a visit from our friend and fellow competitor Ryan Crook from CBCFS Racing (#1116) who also put time in on the Booger to help us out. Larry C (Cody Dynes) also made the trip to help out when he could. We worked every day until after 12 am, and the car slowly started looking like the Green Booger again. Friday marked crunch time (and time for the kids to visit Grandma and Grandpa!) and while Larry G rebuilt the engine, Alternate Larry C and Larry M labored continuously on the car. And labored. After a period of quiet, Chris piped up from inside the car under the hood, “Hey, it’s getting light out here.” We had worked without stopping all the way through the night. But wait, there’s more!

This is a random picture for Troy Robinson. Even our parrot Jesse reads the Dusty Times.
This is a random picture for Troy Robinson. Even our parrot Jesse reads the Dusty Times.

The engine was re-installed about 9am and fired right up. It was like hearing an old friend’s voice again. There was still so much to do at a time when we should already be on the road. Wes Harbor, director of VORRA, confirmed permission to arrive late at the track if necessary. It was disappointing to know we weren’t going to make the parade with everyone else. We were finally able to hit the road for the three hour tour to Yerington and arrived around 11pm. This marked 39 hours straight of being awake. We were welcomed by Bob Messer, racing with Meek Racing, who had saved a spot for us at their pit. It was just Larry G and Larry M at this race, Gary Herrod at the wheel and Megan co-driving. Meek Racing offered to pit for us, as we would otherwise have had to Chinese Fire Drill the car ourselves. We cannot express our gratitude enough for the kindness and assistance they offered, as well as the great and friendly competition with their own car. They even had hamburgers ready for us when the race was over.

5am arrived far too quickly and we had the final touches to perform (head/neck restraints and helmet kits to install, fuel the car, etc.). By the time we were able to hit the starting line, 20 minutes had elapsed since the last car had left. Our timer was started with the last car off the line, Team Myers Racing, at 6:31am. We knew we had some time to make up.

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If we weren’t exhausted enough already, the first and last sections of the lap certainly does it to you. An impressive rock garden before and after pit one jarred your bones and ripped the wheel from your hands. At one point Larry G put his hands in the air and said to the Booger, “Why don’t you just do what YOU want to do then?” It did. We took advantage of the better quality track in lap one and made up some time – if we had started when our timer was set, we would have made a one hour and fifty-seven minute 68 mile lap. Pretty good for a little Class 11! At one point we were attempting to allow a truck to pass in a corner, and went high on a berm of silt. Unfortunately it was silty for the truck as well, so as his rear was sliding around, the silt gave way under the Booger and it slid down into the truck at the same time! We only received a crinkle in the fender for that, and I don’t think I’ll even pop that back out yet. It’s not every day you can say that the Class 11 rubbed a truck!

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The car ran strong and felt great, until around mile ten at the start of our third lap. An all too familiar clunk and shudder became increasingly apparent. We knew this sound – it’s enough to bring on the flashbacks of mile 113 of the 2011 VORRA USA 500 where our cage self-destructed in the rear. Upon inspection, we found it wasn’t as bad as we thought. The part of the trailing arm that held the shock mount actually sheared away, leaving our shock free-hanging and bouncing. We caught in time before damage could be done though, pulled it up into the car and ratchet strapped the shock to the cage. The sheared section was still attached to the shock. We decided to feel it out, after about ten miles realized that 1. it wasn’t too different as long as Larry G drove the car accordingly (especially for the subsequent bounce effect the car now had in the rear) and 2. silt was definitely our friend by acting as a natural shock absorber. We were actually grateful for the increasing silt as the trucks and buggies made their way through the laps – we were even able to hit over 80mph in the back stretch.

As the miles rolled on, we were surprised to see many cars on the side of the road. It was definitely turning out to be a brutal course towards the end. One particular large rock we hit just right to make it turn the WRONG way and roll all the way down our driver’s side. At pit, Dave promptly let us know that we had a hole in our pan when Larry G asked him to check for a rock that had been interfering with the pedals. We didn’t realize he meant a cavern and twice-dented 1/4 inch aluminum skid pan until after the race was over. This hole also created a few laughs in the desert when we started hearing hissing noises – we remembered the Desert Dawgs story of Petfinder #1106 picking up a rattlesnake in the desert. We picked up our feet then located the source of the hissing, which was actually just a fresh-air pump with dirt in the bearings.

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It was after dark and we were just using our stock headlights on the fenders when we pulled into pit. Despite exhaustion, lack of sleep or nutrition, and already being sore from building the car, we had every intention of forging on. We knew that Meek Racing was running a solid race, and while we didn’t think we would catch them we also can’t quit on our own determined little green car. Imagine our surprise when our headlights revealed #1142 loaded on their trailer! Meek’s family began fueling our car and asked if we wanted the KC covers off when Bob Messer told us, “Why go out there and beat yourselves and your car up more? You’re already first – just go cross the finish line and come back.” It was tempting…yet we wanted to continue…but Bob was right. We didn’t know much longer the trailing arm would hold together, even if it felt solid now. The Booger was running flawless even after five laps of hard racing. Meek Racing was prepared to assist us if we chose to go on – but it was fair to allow them a good night’s sleep too. We called our race and parked the car after crossing the line for a first in class and 16th overall out of 32 cars entered.

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What a grueling test of endurance and mind over matter this race ended up being, on a personal level. Logic and body were telling us not to make it, to hang it up and go to bed, there’s always next year. Heart and soul screamed about how close we were and what a shame it would be to not TRY, to not give the car a chance to give its all after everything we had done for it to bring it back to VORRA better than before. I think the racing addiction also burned about the racing level in our blood being a critical low, as well. Neither of us regret this true test of mettle and team work, or that we are stubbornly determined to follow through. We are both better for it, and know we WOULD have regretted the “What-Ifs” had we not pushed on and got out there on the track. What we DO regret is the way it ended for Meek Racing – they were running a great race, and to have their transmission break at race mile 58 when they had been running so solid was a tragedy. We would have much preferred to race them to the very end. The feel isn’t nearly the same as 2012, when we accomplished the 535 mile finish, first in class, and the “Road to Glory” overall win. You can read more about that here.

In the end, the true competition is the desert itself.

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– We are so grateful to VORRA and crew for their accommodation and allowing us to tech late, as well as the excellent and professional job they always do to put on such successful races. Thank you for cheering for each car as they came through the check points – that really makes you feel like number one at a time when you just might need that extra push to keep going.
– Thank you to Jim Carius and his Head/Neck Restraint rental program for VORRA racers.
– Thank you to Cody Dynes and Ryan Crook for your assistance in getting the Booger ready.
– Thank you so much to Chris Herrod, for without his expertise the car would not have even made it on the trailer – Gary and I simply didn’t have the time to address the wiring ourselves when so much else had to be done. One of our biggest issues with the Booger is now behind us because of his professional services.
– Thank you to Mike and Mollie Herrod and Don and Marsha Carlson for taking care of the kids while we were racing, both human and furry.
– Thank you to Optima Batteries for one outstanding product. We are still running the same battery as last year when we raced 80 miles without an alternator, then drove to two car shows, and then two short course races with the same dead alternator. Yellow Top Optimas just can’t be beat.
– Thank you to Fox Shocks for one incredible performing product. We joked during this race that one Fox in the rear was better than two of our previous shocks we had before we purchased our Fox. Our shocks have never failed us.
– Thank you to Jeremy of Sierra Auto Body in Placerville, CA and his excellent “go-green” services at last minute for the Booger.
– Thank you to JR at Gould’s Pro-Cylinder in Placerville, CA for all of your support and willingness to clean our engine case and heads at last minute. As usual.
– Thank you to Spot-On Signs & Graphics in Diamond Springs, CA for durable stickers at last minute that were so easy to put on the car.
– Thank you to German Auto Werks in Placerville, CA for your sponsorship of parts, especially last minute ones.
– Thank you Breaker Glass in Placerville, CA for our new windshield in plenty of time!
– Thank you so much to Meek Racing and Bob Messer for your assistance at the track. You willingly jumped in and offered to pit for us when we had none. We cannot express how grateful we are to you for that, and we definitely would not have had as much success (or the lap times we did) had you not taken care of us. The cold water, cold wet paper towels, and sandwiches were most definitely appreciated as well!
– I suppose a thanks to the Green Booger itself would be redundant, but it has brought so much happiness and great experiences to our lives, and our families closer together. It is the grumpy family member with a major personality that keeps on giving its all when you treat it right.
– Thank you to everyone who has followed and appreciated this little green race car with the silly name that could. Your support means a lot to us!
– Last, but certainly not least, a special thank you to Larry G for everything he brings forth, for all the sacrifices he makes, his selflessness in helping others and giving advice in their time of need, and for never growing frustrated with all the demands placed upon him.

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PS> To CBCFS Racing #1116, we did pick up your skid pan and bumper from VORRA this weekend. You guys still want this thing?! LOL!

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