10/21/2026
It was great seeing everyone at NHMS this year. Despite the weather and mechanical issues it was a good weekend, because racecar! We brought two cars to the race again this year. Elmo's Revenge, Saturn SW2, and Oscar's Junkheap, a 1974 AMC Javelin. Friday was its usual mess of fixing up small things on the cars to get through tech. Luckily for us, it wasn't as rainy as predicted. The cars eventually made it through tech and we were set to go for Saturday. Despite our pleading to get the wagon in Class C, we were left in Class B. NHMS is the only track the Wagon is remotely competitive in so we stayed positive. The Javelin continued on in Class C, which is its natural home and its not competitive anywhere but that's a different story. The only upgrades was finally swapping the terrible AMC 5.9L engine with a 4.8L engine from a 2001 Silverado.
Saturday:
The Wagon was humming along pretty well, we got as high as 25th overall before we ran into some issues. An issue with the brakes was causing a pad not to contact the rotor. A quick trip into the paddock solved that. The Javelin was generally problematic from the start. It started to overheat so we brought it in to find a leaking water pump gasket. A leaking fitting in the rear vent was found and addressed but a quick trip to the parts store and some time in the paddock to fix the water pump an we were back out on the track.
Clutch problems plagued the Javelin for the next hour or so. The clutch wasn't disengaging. After inspecting things, the line for the hydraulic throw out bearing was damaged. It took the rest of the day but the Javelin was ready to go back on the track.
Sunday:
Clutch problems plagued the Javelin a bit more in the morning. Eventually, re-bleeding and a fluid change finally resolved the issues. The wagon plugged along with a visit to the paddock to fix a blown tire and a rear bumper repair. The wagon took a direct hit to the rear in the bowl, thank god for zip ties. It got interesting in the late afternoon and I, personally, may have set a new record. I "broke" two cars within an hour. I finally got a chance to drive the Javelin. After about two laps, I was heading into T1 and the brake pedal went to the floor. After managing to save it and not take out a Johnston's Toyota car in the process. I headed back to the paddock. The drivers rear caliper bracket snapped on me so the car was parked for the day. Since I didn't get a chance to turn any laps, I was next up in the Wagon in 10minutes. After a brief delay to have a drink and change my underwear, I hopped in the Wagon. I was getting into the groove of the wagon when I came upon a red flag. While waiting on the track workers to clear everything, I started the car for a bit and saw smoke. I shut down the car until it was time to go. Brought the car to the paddock to find out that both electric fans failed causing a minor overheat. That ended the Wagon's weekend.
I hope everyone else had a great weekend and we'll see you all next year!
