The last month or so has been a very good stretch for Team DBP and the PiranaZ GTO. We still haven’t broken through for our first Pro Stock win, but I think it’s safe to say we’re getting very close. People have asked what we’re doing differently, and most seem surprised when I answer “nothing”. We’re still doing our own engines, and I’m still working with the same crew.

If anything has changed, I’d say it’s that we’re finally getting to race in air that lets us show the power we’ve had all along. And thanks to the Reading and Richmond rain-outs, we’ve gotten to spend a little more time at the shop than we otherwise would have. And that’s allowed us to keep our best parts & pieces fresh- even if we’re logging serious overtime!

The last month or so has been a very good stretch for Team DBP and the PiranaZ GTO. We still haven’t broken through for our first Pro Stock win, but I think it’s safe to say we’re getting very close. People have asked what we’re doing differently, and most seem surprised when I answer “nothing”. We’re still doing our own engines, and I’m still working with the same crew.

If anything has changed, I’d say it’s that we’re finally getting to race in air that lets us show the power we’ve had all along. And thanks to the Reading and Richmond rain-outs, we’ve gotten to spend a little more time at the shop than we otherwise would have. And that’s allowed us to keep our best parts & pieces fresh- even if we’re logging serious overtime!

Unfortunately, we’re still not getting to track test as often as we’d like. And that’s led to some painful lessons on race day, which makes looking back over this season a little bittersweet. We’re proud of the way we’ve been running, but disappointed about the four or five races we believe we could have won, but didn’t.

I know racers tend to have selective memories, and there may be several other drivers who feel the same way about their seasons. But I think our performance backs it up- especially over the last few races. Which is why I was a little… let’s say, upset… after reading Evan Knoll’s comments earlier this month regarding the present level of competition in Pro Stock.

While it’s tough to argue that the Ken Black Racing team isn’t running away with this year’s championship (again); it’s also really hard to read that someone as knowledgeable as Evan sees them as invincible, or believes their advantage is purely based on horsepower. To put it bluntly, we DON’T.

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As Anderson himself has said, excelling in Pro Stock requires constant R&D- in the shop and on the race track. There are literally hundreds of interdependent variables, and what worked last weekend in Richmond isn’t going to work two weeks from now in Vegas.

In a perfect world, we’d have tested at the Strip (or somewhere similar) recently, and would have a much better idea how we want to set the car up for the ACDelco Nationals. But the reality is we can’t afford to, so instead we’ll study our notes from the spring race, and make our best guess as to where we need to be to begin qualifying next weekend. Which is basically what we’ve been doing all season, and for the most part my guys (Mike Elliott, Mike Stanfield, Larry Griffitt and Bart Price) have done a great job getting us close from race-to-race.

So while I agree with Evan that talk is cheap, all I can say about the rest of his editorial is that it’s going up on our shop wall for added motivation! Because the only thing I’m personally willing to concede to KBR is that they’ve made good use of the incredible resources they have at their disposal.

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Am I saying we could do better with that kind of budget? Who knows, as we don’t- and likely won’t ever- have that kind of money to spend. But as the guy who builds & dynos the engines going under the purple hood, I am comfortable saying that to be as close to Team Summit as we are right now (on 10-20% of the budget) is more than a turkey leg and a giblet!

See you in Vegas,
Stanfield

PS- Evan, if you’d like to order some dressing & potatoes or just want to buy a t-shirt, I can be reached at:
1 (800) THE-OTHER-GREG…

 

 

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