Hola, fellow Sprint car fans of Florida. I know it’s been a while, but I’ve got the first safety article of 2011 ready to go. I haven’t been racing in a while, and that is where I usually come up with most of my ideas for these things, at the racetrack. Hopefully, we will be back at the track with the new dirt car in a few months. It seems like we’ve been building this thing forever. I’m excited to hear about all the dirt tracks bringing sprint cars back to the forefront, but still very disappointed about the ongoing saga with the pavement tracks. It was while I was hanging my head in disappointment that I came up with the topic for this article, footwear. I looked back through my articles and couldn’t believe I hadn’t done an article on driving shoes yet.

In this article we are going to cover everything you need to know safety-wise below the kneecaps. We’ll go over Nomex socks, safety boots, and even get into firesuits again. All of these working together will help reduce the risk of injury to your feet. If you’re like me, you need your feet to get to work. Something’s gotta pay for that next set of tires, right!

Don't forget to put some cotton socks on under your Nomex socks, like these from Simpson.

Before we put our fire shoes on, we have to have socks on. By now I hope everybody is using Nomex socks. As usual, if you’re not, you need to start. I even go as far as wearing a pair of pure cotton socks under my Nomex ones. This helps take the wear and tear off the thirty dollar Nomex socks, but it also adds one more layer of insulation. Plus, the cotton absorbs the sweat and keeps your Nomex socks from stinking up your helmet bag. Remember back to the Nomex underwear article, how wet Nomex can actually steam you in a fire situation. So try to keep your socks as dry as possible.

Alright, we’ve got our socks and we’re ready for shoes, now which ones should we use? Anybody that has picked up a parts catalog can tell you there hundreds of styles and about as many brands. All of them have a specific application. Sprint cars have a unique thing about them that differs from late models, modifieds, and any other stock type car. With all of those cars, not only does the shoe have to protect the driver’s foot from fire, but also from the ambient temperature of the foot box area. Most of those cars have the exhaust right near the floor pan or foot box. This causes those panels to heat up quite uncomfortably. The shoe has to be able to absorb or dissipate that heat away from the skin before it blisters or burns. Take for example in NASCAR, you see the drivers putting on the chrome booties on their heels. All those do is prevent the driver’s heels and ankles from burns from the floor pan.

In sprint cars ambient heat really isn’t an issue. Most of our cockpit heat is usuallys the result of a fire. Sprint car fires either come from the fuel pump area, which is located between the driver’s legs, or the fuel cell, which is located directly behind the driver. With this in mind, we know we are going to be dealing with a raw fuel fire, either from a loose or cracked fuel pump fitting, or a rupture of the fuel cell.  Fire shoes can be broken down into two categories, high-top or low-top. In my opinion, I can’t see why you would use a low-top shoe in a sprint car. The high top shoes offer better protection from fire, and also add a little more padding to the ankle area. This really comes in handy when the U-joint decides to go south.

The other aspect about fire shoes you have to consider is the material they are made of.

Our Factory Driver Ryan Partin uses the Alpinestars Tech 1z, made with kangaroo leather and Nomex lining.

Every company making fire shoes uses Nomex in the construction of them. The outer layer is usually a cloth type Nomex that is designed to help against fire and also make the shoes durable. The only bad thing about this is like what happens to a towel when it falls in a full bath tub, it absorbs the water. This is the same with the cloth type shoes. The shoes can actually absorb fuel if you have a leak or rupture. I can tell you a shoe full of methanol is not safe or very comfortable. It tends to burn after while, on fire or not. When I first started racing I had a fuel line soak my shoe at Ocala Raceway. It was Bo and Sonny Hartley that taught me you always have to have two pairs of shoes for just such an occurrence. I also found out me and Bo has the same shoe size.

Simpson makes a special leather shoe designed for sprint car drivers.

The other option is a shoe like I use now. I use the high-top, leather shoe by Simpson. I hope you guys know by now I’m not big on the shameless plugs, but they are the only company I know of that make such an animal. The leather does a better job at repelling the fuel, oil, and even dirt that the cloth shoes can absorb. I have had a fuel leak with the leather shoes on, and the strap that covers the laces area kept the methanol from getting in my socks. I’m not saying these are the only shoes to use. All the major companies make a safe and tested product, these just happen to be the ones I use and why. Whatever pair you choose or style you like, make sure they meet all the requirements for your series, and are the safest product you can get.

Well, we’ve got our socks on, and our shoes picked out, the only thing left to look at to keep our feet safe is our firesuit. The way your firesuit fits is very important to helping protect feet and ankles from fire. The way we sit in a sprint car is basically like sitting in a tight office chair. In this position it tends to pull your pant legs up when you’re seated. This exposes your ankles to the world. There is no point buying thick Nomex shoes and a double layer suit, if all you have covering your ankle is a thin sock out in the open.

Make sure when you order a firesuit to get a “Boot Cuff.” This allows the pant leg to fall over the top half of the shoe covering the ankle area. The next thing is to make sure you tell the manufacturer that you’re driving sprint cars. Most companies know they have to add a few more inches to the pant leg to counteract that bind when you sit in the seat. The last thing is to get a suit with an expandable back section. It adds a little price to the suit, but when you have this option it keeps the pant legs from drawing up when you sit down. Sometimes, when you have this option, they don’t have to make the legs as long as without it. The expandable lower back piece also prevents the suit from looking like a Nomex potato sack when you’re walking around the pits.

I know this hasn’t been one of my most exciting topics, but it is still one that needed to be addressed. I also know that this safety stuff isn’t cheap either. Always remember though, you need to be as safe as possible no matter what. The price of safety equipment is cheap compared to the skyrocketing price of emergency and rehabilitative healthcare.

I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you guys with a safety article. I’ve got a few in the works right now, and plan on getting another one out in a few weeks. As always, if you have any questions about this article or any of my past articles please e-mail me and we’ll get the info. Also, if you have any ideas for future articles let me know. Thanks to all of the guys at FloridaSprintCarFans.com for being patient with the lack of articles this year. Remember to keep checking here for new safety tips and the latest news in Florida sprint car racing.

You guys and gals take care.

Scotty 67

Be Safe and Have Fun!

I know it’s been a while, but I’m back with a new safety article.  I’m sorry it’s been so long, but I’ve just been busy down here with work and building some new cars for next season.  I don’t want to write you guys something half-ass, so I like to sit down and spend a good four hours on an article.  Lately, it’s been hard to find a spare four hours.  This article is one that has been on my list for months.  I feel it has to be one of the most important mechanical parts on any racecar, it is the throttle linkage.  I’m sure we all have at one time seen one stick or have seen the remains of what used to be a racecar from one sticking.  I had it happen to me in 1998.  I had a compression fracture in my spine, and let me tell you, it hurt.  Looking back though, I’m glad that is all that happened.

There are two basic types of throttle systems used in sprint cars.  They are either going to be a throttle cable or a throttle linkage.  The throttle cable is basically a cable that moves inside of a flexible housing.  Throttle linkages are composed of small rods, heim joints, and bell cranks.  Both of these systems are designed to move the throttle input on the carb or fuel injection when the gas pedal is pressed.

First, let’s go over throttle cables.  Throttle cables are very universal.  They can easily be switched from motor to motor, or carb to fuel injection.  They are very beneficial in a hard wreck.  In a hard frontal impact the motor will move forward, when it does this with a linkage system that is mounted to the car, it reacts as if the pedal is being applied.  With a cable system that is mounted to the motor, it doesn’t affect the throttle position.  This is good after a wreck; the motor is not going wide open while you’re knocked out.  That’s the good things about throttle cables. A bad side to them is they do require a bit of up keep.  It is a good idea to take them off often and clean them thoroughly.  After cleaning, they should be well lubed and checked for damage.  If you don’t, dirt and track grime build up inside the housing causing the cable to bind.  This leads us to the other problem with throttle cables, binding.  This can be caused by grime build-up, sharp bends, or high heat.  It is a good idea to use only as long of a cable as needed.  To long of a cable leaves it open to get snagged on something or cause a bind from a sharp bend.  High heat situations will cause the outer housing to melt causing it to bind up also.  When the cable binds, this is a possibility for a stuck throttle.  Another tip is to spend time on your mounting brackets for the cable.  Use quality parts and if you don’t know how to weld, don’t use anything in this system to learn how to.

Throttle linkages work a little differently.  They use a system of rods and bell cranks to mechanically actuate the throttle on the carb or fuel injection.  They are fairly simple in design, and can be adjusted easily, for different driving styles.  If a driver like very little pedal movement from idle to wide open or vice versa, the timing in the bell cranks can be adjusted in minutes, unlike a cables system that is pretty much set by the throw on the carb or fuel injection linkage.  The biggest problem is that they are mounted to the car.  Like I said earlier, when the motor moves and the throttle systems stays put, it’s like the driver is pulling the throttle linkage open.  It is very hard to get help to a driver in need when the motor is revving wide open.  Another problem I see is people not getting all the binds out of the system during construction.  The system should operate smooth as glass without any assistance or tight spots.  If it has any, at the shop is where they should be taken care of.  All the heim joints should work freely and be lubed weekly.  If they are not, they will stick and potentially bind.  Another downside to the linkage system is that the entire system is exposed.  All of the moving pieces are open to getting caught by breathers, hose clamps, spark plug wires, and even dash panels.  Any one of these things can cause the throttle to hang up.  It is a good idea to imagine a three inch radius around the entire system.  Anything in that radius should either be moved or secured so not to come near the linkages.

Something new to keep throttle linkages from sticking in a wreck are aluminum rods.  Normally, the rods are made of steel or stainless material.  In a frontal impact when the motor moves forward, the rods are designed to break, this causes the motor to go straight to an idle.  If the motor’s throttle is stuck after an accident, it can cause further damage to people and racecars sharing the racetrack.  These rods can be bought from your local speed shop relatively cheap.

Another hazard to the throttle system is the air cleaner system.  If the hose clamps on the air breathers are loose and let the breather fall down, they can sit on the barrel valve.  If this happens going down the straightaway, it holds the throttle in a wide open position.  This can also happen the other way.  The stacks can come loose from the injection system and get caught in the throttle.  It is always a good idea to check the stack clamps often and the hose clamps on the breathers to prevent this from happening.

Carb users also have problems with air cleaners.  On the deep dish air cleaner bottoms, they can snag the throttle linkage in a wide open scenario.  Always check this before you leave the shop or after changing anything in the fuel system.  If it doesn’t work 100% while testing it at the shop, then make it right.  If you make any mistakes in this area it will easily cost you a racecar.

I hope giving you these tips will give you something to look at next time you’re working on your ride.  I make it a point to handle the throttle linkage system of anything I drive myself, especially if I didn’t build it.  The point is no matter which system it is, is to make sure it works freely, it is well maintained, and has a clear area around the entire system.  By doing this you ensure that you won’t be buying a racecar because of a stuck throttle.  As a driver, I’m trying to make it stick even while I’m waiting to get fired off.  I would rather it stick in the pits than on the racetrack any day.

I don’t like doing safety articles on a lot of mechanical things, because everybody has their own way of doing it.  These are just a few tips that have worked for me and if somebody gets something out of it, then mission accomplished.  Remember, our goal is to keep you guys as safe as possible, and have fun in the process.  If you readers have any suggestions, please leave a comment, any helpful info is great.  The fewer the times this problem occurs, the less an opportunity of someone getting hurt.

As always, thanks for reading, and sorry about the wait.  If you have any questions or comments, get a hold of me or the web-site and we’ll get you the info.  Come back to FloridaSprintCarFans.com, the safest website in sprint car racing, for all the latest news.

Be Safe and Have Fun!

Scotty 67

scotty67hotty@yahoo.com

http://www.scottademaracing.com/