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Bristol: David Baca preview
Bacas Determined to 'Turn the Corner' at Thunder Valley Nationals BRISTOL, Tenn. - Tweaking, tinkering and testing continue to be vital parts of David and Dennis Baca's agenda as they scrutinize the tune-up of their Baca Motorsports Top Fuel ...
Published: Apr 27, 2005, 5:34 AM
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Bacas Determined to 'Turn the Corner' at Thunder Valley Nationals
BRISTOL, Tenn. - Tweaking, tinkering and testing continue to be vital parts of David and Dennis Baca's agenda as they scrutinize the tune-up of their Baca Motorsports Top Fuel dragster.
It's become more of an ongoing process and is taking much longer than David and his dad Dennis intended. They tested, looking for reasons why their racecar was reluctant to run the 1320-foot track without mechanical mishaps arising.
"Our testing results after our last race (at Las Vegas) didn't go as well as we hoped," David said. "This has been a challenging period for us. We thought we were going to turn the corner sooner . . . and now we hope we do it at Bristol."
Bristol Dragway hosts the fifth annual O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals, April 29-May 1, the sixth of 23 POWERade Series events.
Tuning one of these temperamental machines takes patience, understanding and, some say, masochistic tendencies. Nonetheless, Dennis Baca, who is co-tuner with Larry Meyer, isn't ready or willing to throw in the proverbial towel.
Baca's best run at Las Vegas was 4.662 seconds at 300.40 mph in qualifying, but it could've been much better. A brass fitting on a fuel line broke, turning the engine into a fireball before the car crossed the finish line.
"We made some personnel changes after the race," added David. "This is an important weekend for us because after this race, it's full speed ahead. We go into a busy part of the schedule that has us racing six times in seven weeks through the end of June. We'll definitely be on the go.
"We're going to find out what we're made of. We believe we have what it takes" to compete for race victories.
May's schedule features races at Atlanta (May 13-15), Columbus, Ohio (20-22) and Topeka, Kan. (27-29), followed by June's stops at Chicago (June 10-12), Englishtown, N.J. (17-19) and St. Louis (24-26)
Throughout 2005, Baca Motorsports appreciates the support of the following associate sponsors: Champion Spark Plugs, Don Steves Chevrolet (La Habra, Calif.), Goodyear, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools and Weld Racing Wheels.
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