Journal for Fire & Ice Motorsports

September 12, 2004

We would like to apologize for not getting an update done sooner, the season came and went so quickly that there just was not time. We were unable to start the season like we planned with the car shows that we have attended in the past, because the truck was not together. Unfortunately after last year we needed to have the motor rebuilt. We finished last year on a broken motor, and when it went to get rebuilt we found out that not only was a push rod broke but a couple valves were damaged, and the camshaft was damaged also. This of course took longer to fix and we were unable to get the motor back in time to make the car shows. In addition to the motor we also had to make some changes to the primary hitch, to meet the new specifications and we had to build and add the new secondary safety hitch to the truck. There were other improvements that we had wanted to make to the truck however due to the lack of time, money and parts we were unable to make these improvements for the 2004 season.

Our season started at the Wild Wheels Weekend Pull in Mt. Upton, June 4-6. While we didn't compete in the classes Saturday night the truck did make it on Sunday for the "fun pull" to make a couple test runs. It seemed to run fairly good, however Paul took it easy since the first points pull was the following weekend in Lancaster, PA. June 12, 2004 brought the first points pull of the season for the Central New York Pullers Inc. at "The Buck" Motorsports Park in Lancaster, PA. The trip went fairly well, traveling with the Jr. Crew members we weren't sure how long it was going to take us, but we made it in about 6 ½ hours. We were the last class to pull that night and we finally started about 10pm. The Joker finished 14th, Paul was going down the track and about 150 feet the lights and fan stopped working and the temperature started to rise. This caused him to shut the truck down early to hopefully prevent any damage from being done. After getting the truck loaded we finally made it to our hotel room about 1am Sunday morning. Luckily the trip home was uneventful and we had a couple of weeks before the next points pull to figure out what happened with the electrical system.

We were going to have a pull July 2, 2004 at the Adirondeck International Speedway, however this pull was cancelled. That made the next points pull Tioga Co. Fair, Owego, NY July 8, 2004. This was the first time that our team went to this pull. Last year the club had a last minute pull there but we had a previous commitment and were unable to make it. This pull did not go to bad, it got off to a slow start as the first truck to hook broke at the end of the track and it took awhile to get it cleared off the track. On top of this we were watching the sky as it kept getting darker and hoping that the rain would hold off until we got to pull. The Joker ended up finishing 12th. The next pull was the Syracuse Nationals at the State Fairgrounds July 16 & 17, 2004. These two pulls were the ones everyone was talking about since the beginning of the season since it was the first time pulling was back at the fairgrounds in around ten years. Friday night brought the Joker an 11th place finish. They had to reset the sled twice before we finally started pulling with a weight of 27,500 lbs. on the sled. Saturday morning we ended up changing the plugs and timing to try and get the truck to run better that night. The pull was delayed some because of rain, which made the track muddy. We were the last class to pull and the Joker finished 12th. Unfortunately the truck was bouncing so Paul was getting out of it to try and keep from breaking anything. Running on the limited budget like we do, a break could have ended our season early and we were trying to keep that from happening. After the first four pulls we were in 12th place in points.

One problem that we were dealing with at all the pulls was achieving the correct weight for the class. By changing the primary hitch and adding the secondary hitch, and also replacing the front fenders our permanent weight of the truck changed. The only weights we had were in 100 lb. increments. Thus if we were heavy going across the scales we would have to loose it by 100 lbs. A couple of the pulls were also allowing heavier weights than what we normally run. This problem was solved after Holley, as Fred cut up a block of metal that we had to make smaller increments, to hopefully get our weight correct.
Holley, NY July 25, 2004 was the next pull. We finished 10th, but the truck was not running right. The temperature was high and it just didn't seem to be running good, we were not sure if it was firing on all eight cylinders or not. July 29, 2004 brought Boonville, NY where the Joker could have been a pogo stick the truck was bouncing so much. This of course does not make for a good run and we finished 10th. After this run we were up to 9th in points though because of making all the pulls. Before the next pull in Horseheads, NY we took out a couple of leaf springs in the front to try and solve the bouncing problem.

Horseheads, NY August 6, 2004 was the start of a couple very busy weeks. Taking out a couple springs did seem to help solve the bounce that we had been combating in the previous pulls. We ended up finishing 10th. The following Monday August 9, 2004 brought Honesdale, PA. This was a horsepower track (which we are lacking) and we ended up finishing 14th. Wednesday August 11, 2004 was what we like to refer to as the track from hell, Whitneyville, PA. In the years the CNY club has had pulls here we have not had good luck at this track. The first year we broke the steering arm and were unable to run, and then it took hours to get the truck loaded. Last year we ended up getting towed in and out because of the mud. On the track after finally getting the sled moving Paul smoked the tires and ended up breaking a push rod in the engine. We were hoping that this year would be better, but we again had problems. We finished 12th, but the truck was overheating and the oil pressure dropped at the end of the run, hopefully nothing was damaged.

Sunday August 15, 2004 we went to Cobleskill, NY. When we left Norwich the sun was shining, and we were hoping that it would be a good day. Shortly after arriving there the rain started though, and then it was the question of whether we were going to pull at all. Finally the rain stopped and the pull started. Paul drove to the scales, to the staging area, out onto the track and backed up to the sled, he moved ahead to tighten the chain and then there was nothing. The motor was running but the truck would not move; we lost the transmission. This was the only time during the season that the truck had to be winched onto the trailer. The good news was we had a spare transmission at home, the bad news we only had a day to get it changed before the next pull.

We managed to get the transmission changed to make it to the next pull Harford, PA August 17, 2004. There were some very surprised people in the club when we pulled in because they thought we were done for the year. We lucked out that it was the transmission and not the engine or an axle that was damaged. We finished 14th at Harford, the track was very sticky due to the rain that we had had in previous days. The Joker just didn't have the correct gearing to have good run. Bath, NY was the following night August 18, 2004. All things considered the Joker had a good run, we finished 12th however we were less than 40 feet behind the winning distance.

The last points pull of the season was Frankfort, NY August 21, 2004. This was another track that was muddy and sticky because of the recent rain. Seeing the first couple of trucks hook to the sled was making us worry how we were going to end up because they were having a difficult time even getting the sled moving off the line. They ended up resetting the sled, which made it a little better, but it was still difficult to get a decent run on the track. The Joker finished 11th at the final points pull of the season. The excitement there was after the truck was done pulling and it was being loaded onto the trailer. For some reason the throttle spring stuck and Paul almost went right off the trailer into the back of the tow vehicle with the truck. Luckily he managed to get it stopped in time and nothing was damaged.

The Joker finished 11th in points this year which was an improvement from our 17th place finish last year. We are hoping to be able to make some improvements over the winter that will allow us to be more competitive next year, and we are hoping to be able to finish in the top ten. We are hoping to be able to change the gearing with the transmission and if need be in the axles to make the truck more competitive in the 2005 season. One of the problems we had all season was not having the correct gearing to utilize the power we do have to its full advantage. We had hoped to be able to do this before the 2004 season, but we were unable to get all the parts needed to make this possible. While the gearing is the main project for the winter, there are also some other things that need to be worked on before next season.

We would like to extend our thanks for your support this year. Without it we would not have been able to do what we did this year. Some people laugh when we say we are a family run pulling team, but with your support we are able to go out and pull and show them that it can be done. While we may not have won any pulls, we did improve the truck from the previous years and will continue to improve in the future with the help of our sponsors.

Current - 2005 Season

2003 Season



	Check here often for updates through the season on how the Fire & Ice Motor-Sports team is doing. 2004 Season September 12, 2004 We would like to apologize for not getting an update done sooner, the season came and went so quickly that there just was not time. We were unable to start the season like we planned with the car shows that we have attended in the past, because the truck was not together. Unfortunately after last year we needed to have the motor rebuilt. We finished last year on a broken motor, and when it went to get rebuilt we found out that not only was a push rod broke but a couple valves were damaged, and the camshaft was damaged also. This of course took longer to fix and we were unable to get the motor back in time to make the car shows. In addition to the motor we also had to make some changes to the primary hitch, to meet the new specifications and we had to build and add the new secondary safety hitch to the truck. There were other improvements that we had wanted to make to the truck however due to the lack of time, money and parts we were unable to make these improvements for the 2004 season. Our season started at the Wild Wheels Weekend Pull in Mt. Upton, June 4-6. While we didn't compete in the classes Saturday night the truck did make it on Sunday for the "fun pull" to make a couple test runs. It seemed to run fairly good, however Paul took it easy since the first points pull was the following weekend in Lancaster, PA. June 12, 2004 brought the first points pull of the season for the Central New York Pullers Inc. at "The Buck" Motorsports Park in Lancaster, PA. The trip went fairly well, traveling with the Jr. Crew members we weren't sure how long it was going to take us, but we made it in about 6 ½ hours. We were the last class to pull that night and we finally started about 10pm. The Joker finished 14th, Paul was going down the track and about 150 feet the lights and fan stopped working and the temperature started to rise. This caused him to shut the truck down early to hopefully prevent any damage from being done. After getting the truck loaded we finally made it to our hotel room about 1am Sunday morning. Luckily the trip home was uneventful and we had a couple of weeks before the next points pull to figure out what happened with the electrical system. We were going to have a pull July 2, 2004 at the Adirondeck International Speedway, however this pull was cancelled. That made the next points pull Tioga Co. Fair, Owego, NY July 8, 2004. This was the first time that our team went to this pull. Last year the club had a last minute pull there but we had a previous commitment and were unable to make it. This pull did not go to bad, it got off to a slow start as the first truck to hook broke at the end of the track and it took awhile to get it cleared off the track. On top of this we were watching the sky as it kept getting darker and hoping that the rain would hold off until we got to pull. The Joker ended up finishing 12th. The next pull was the Syracuse Nationals at the State Fairgrounds July 16 & 17, 2004. These two pulls were the ones everyone was talking about since the beginning of the season since it was the first time pulling was back at the fairgrounds in around ten years. Friday night brought the Joker an 11th place finish. They had to reset the sled twice before we finally started pulling with a weight of 27,500 lbs. on the sled. Saturday morning we ended up changing the plugs and timing to try and get the truck to run better that night. The pull was delayed some because of rain, which made the track muddy. We were the last class to pull and the Joker finished 12th. Unfortunately the truck was bouncing so Paul was getting out of it to try and keep from breaking anything. Running on the limited budget like we do, a break could have ended our season early and we were trying to keep that from happening. After the first four pulls we were in 12th place in points. One problem that we were dealing with at all the pulls was achieving the correct weight for the class. By changing the primary hitch and adding the secondary hitch, and also replacing the front fenders our permanent weight of the truck changed. The only weights we had were in 100 lb. increments. Thus if we were heavy going across the scales we would have to loose it by 100 lbs. A couple of the pulls were also allowing heavier weights than what we normally run. This problem was solved after Holley, as Fred cut up a block of metal that we had to make smaller increments, to hopefully get our weight correct. Holley, NY July 25, 2004 was the next pull. We finished 10th, but the truck was not running right. The temperature was high and it just didn't seem to be running good, we were not sure if it was firing on all eight cylinders or not. July 29, 2004 brought Boonville, NY where the Joker could have been a pogo stick the truck was bouncing so much. This of course does not make for a good run and we finished 10th. After this run we were up to 9th in points though because of making all the pulls. Before the next pull in Horseheads, NY we took out a couple of leaf springs in the front to try and solve the bouncing problem. Horseheads, NY August 6, 2004 was the start of a couple very busy weeks. Taking out a couple springs did seem to help solve the bounce that we had been combating in the previous pulls. We ended up finishing 10th. The following Monday August 9, 2004 brought Honesdale, PA. This was a horsepower track (which we are lacking) and we ended up finishing 14th. Wednesday August 11, 2004 was what we like to refer to as the track from hell, Whitneyville, PA. In the years the CNY club has had pulls here we have not had good luck at this track. The first year we broke the steering arm and were unable to run, and then it took hours to get the truck loaded. Last year we ended up getting towed in and out because of the mud. On the track after finally getting the sled moving Paul smoked the tires and ended up breaking a push rod in the engine. We were hoping that this year would be better, but we again had problems. We finished 12th, but the truck was overheating and the oil pressure dropped at the end of the run, hopefully nothing was damaged. Sunday August 15, 2004 we went to Cobleskill, NY. When we left Norwich the sun was shining, and we were hoping that it would be a good day. Shortly after arriving there the rain started though, and then it was the question of whether we were going to pull at all. Finally the rain stopped and the pull started. Paul drove to the scales, to the staging area, out onto the track and backed up to the sled, he moved ahead to tighten the chain and then there was nothing. The motor was running but the truck would not move; we lost the transmission. This was the only time during the season that the truck had to be winched onto the trailer. The good news was we had a spare transmission at home, the bad news we only had a day to get it changed before the next pull. We managed to get the transmission changed to make it to the next pull Harford, PA August 17, 2004. There were some very surprised people in the club when we pulled in because they thought we were done for the year. We lucked out that it was the transmission and not the engine or an axle that was damaged. We finished 14th at Harford, the track was very sticky due to the rain that we had had in previous days. The Joker just didn't have the correct gearing to have good run. Bath, NY was the following night August 18, 2004. All things considered the Joker had a good run, we finished 12th however we were less than 40 feet behind the winning distance. The last points pull of the season was Frankfort, NY August 21, 2004. This was another track that was muddy and sticky because of the recent rain. Seeing the first couple of trucks hook to the sled was making us worry how we were going to end up because they were having a difficult time even getting the sled moving off the line. They ended up resetting the sled, which made it a little better, but it was still difficult to get a decent run on the track. The Joker finished 11th at the final points pull of the season. The excitement there was after the truck was done pulling and it was being loaded onto the trailer. For some reason the throttle spring stuck and Paul almost went right off the trailer into the back of the tow vehicle with the truck. Luckily he managed to get it stopped in time and nothing was damaged. The Joker finished 11th in points this year which was an improvement from our 17th place finish last year. We are hoping to be able to make some improvements over the winter that will allow us to be more competitive next year, and we are hoping to be able to finish in the top ten. We are hoping to be able to change the gearing with the transmission and if need be in the axles to make the truck more competitive in the 2005 season. One of the problems we had all season was not having the correct gearing to utilize the power we do have to its full advantage. We had hoped to be able to do this before the 2004 season, but we were unable to get all the parts needed to make this possible. While the gearing is the main project for the winter, there are also some other things that need to be worked on before next season. We would like to extend our thanks for your support this year. Without it we would not have been able to do what we did this year. Some people laugh when we say we are a family run pulling team, but with your support we are able to go out and pull and show them that it can be done. While we may not have won any pulls, we did improve the truck from the previous years and will continue to improve in the future with the help of our sponsors. Current - 2005 Season 2003 Season 2002 Season October 2002 August 2002 April 2002