Stanley and Weiss Racing ADRL Pro Modified Outlaw Camaro News, Updates and Press
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Stanley And Weiss Racing Camaro Pro Mod To Begin Testing
2013 Has Arrived!!!
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 12/6/2012
Photos Courtesy Of Roger N. Richards

The new year has arrived and the Stanley & Weiss Racing team is ready and eager to get this new season started. As those of you who follow us realize, we have had a very on-again, off-again love-hate relationship with our Appalachia on Steroids Camaro over the last two years. It would throw us a bone, build our hopes up and then when we least expected it, it would kick us squarely in the teeth and then chuckle at our frustrations!

BUT we are over that now, forever more! It is quite amazing what a little bit of success at TWO different race tracks thousands of miles apart at year's end can do to lift the morale of an entire team. It was a great feeling to drive home from the last ADRL race at Dallas in October with thoughts on how to improve on what we had learned at the Shakedown Nationals held at Englishtown, New Jersey's bad fast race track. Nobody on the premises or out in the drag racing world was any more surprised or any more in shock at the number the car put up on Saturday night than the team! We always knew we still had "it". We just didn't know what rock "it" was hidden under! Then to go to Dallas, Texas and run a 3.70 at 207.24 was the icing on that proverbial cake! And this run was accomplished with an expert light pedal job performed by John Stanley, our driver extraordinaire. You can see the logo on the butterflies "WFO!" appear part of the way off the starting line after the car started to smoke the tires in this series that was captured by that GREAT photog person Mr. Roger Richards!

John Stanley ADRL Camaro Pro Mod Pass Sequence 1John Stanley ADRL Camaro Pro Mod Pass Sequence 2

John Stanley ADRL Camaro Pro Mod Pass Sequence 3John Stanley ADRL Camaro Pro Mod Pass Sequence 4

Now we are in the process of getting the Camaro ready for a test session in West Palm Beach, Florida in Mid January. We have made a few changes to the car mainly in the rear wing area trying to lesson some of the down force we have down track. We have been working all year with our friends Eric from Penske Racing Shocks and Garret of Garret Race Cars trying to eliminate some of the drag this down force creates. We have also been aggressively attacking the weight issue once again looking for any tiny bit we can save and we believe we have found a bit, but only the scales will truly tell the tale.

We should know lots more on the evening of January 20, 2013 and you all shall be among the first we shall share this information with.

To the ADRL we say: "Bring it on!", we are back and we are bringing help to our party...

Steel Dynamics Bar Products Racing Sponsor

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Finishing Off The Pro Mod Racing Season
Part Two Of The End Of 2012
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 12/4/2012
Photos Courtesy Of Axle Weiss

Jason Scuggs offers me some valuable This is how I would do it if I was you. advice.As I told all of our readers in the last update we went into what was going to be our last ADRL race of 2012 in Norwalk, Ohio. We had been chasing our tails for way to long, fooling around with different transmission / torque converter combinations that showed promise until we got to an ADRL prepped race track.

So with our revamped converter in place we decided to make one hit with it and if it didn't show promise, out it would come and in would go the one we had ran earlier but with some changes inside. On the first qualifier John left the line well for about twenty feet and then the Camaro went into instant tire smoke. So what did we do? Not what we said we were going to do! Imagine that, a drag racer not sticking to the game plan! We thought that perhaps we had been a bit weak on the tuneup and that the car had tried driving over the tire. So for the second qualifier we got a bit more aggressive and the car left the line and did not smoke the tires until TEN feet out!

Converter change number three in four rounds! Hmmm...So we then put the other converter in for the night session and it went down the track but not fast enough to make us take notice. Our friend and previous converter lender racer, Roger Henson had offered us a converter to put in and do a "try before you buy" deal. After a bit of banter and bickering back and forth between the two old guys, one rich and one poor, and with the blessing of Roger's wheel man, his own self Bubba Stanton agreed that we could purchase the converter we were going to try. On the last shot on Saturday morning we went down the race track yet again but not quite quick enough to make the cut. We learned a lesson yet again, something that I ragged on Eric Dillard of Proline Racing fame about! I didn't put on MY Big Boy pants and wussed out on getting aggressive and we paid the price for it.

But we learned after looking at the data and the incrementals that we had a piece in the car that could be the answer to our issues. So we decided to attend the Shakedown Nationals at the famed Raceway Park facility in Englishtown, New Jersey and see if indeed it would work. And as you all know from reading our last writeup, it worked well. VERY WELL!

I put on MY Big Boy pants, tuned The Orange Ho up and sent it!

YEE-HAAA was the result...

Thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying the war stories. There will be more to come!

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Stanley And Weiss Racing Camaro Pro Mod Year Ends With Pro Mod Record
Three Down And None To Go
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 11/7/2012
Photos Courtesy Of goDragRacing.org

John Stanley On his way to his personal best 3.599 ADRL Camaro Pro Mod record At Raceway Park Shakedown Nationals

A lot of you must be wondering where we our website updates have been for the last month. There is a valid reason for this that has to attributed to the year that we suffered through once again! We went to the next to the last ADRL race in Norwalk, Ohio with the mental outlook that we would use it strictly as a test session! We had come to the realization that our combination was just not working with our torque converter/transmission decisions. I shall over the next short while give all of you a full recount of each of the last three races. But we thought it only fitting that all of our loyal readers know that after all the strife we have had in 2012 that ALMOST matched our 2011 season we have ended the 2012 season on a high note and are very confident that once again we have a race car in our pit area that can contend for round wins against the baddest pro mod race cars on the planet, ADRL Pro Extreme!

On what do we base that bold prediction you may ask? Well thats very easy! Can You say the words "Shakedown Nationals" or "ADRL World Finals VIII? At the Shakedown Nationals with our good friend Chris Russo alongside John Stanley became only the FIFTH driver to record a time in the 3.5 second range on our shores! Although John went through the 1/8th traps enveloped in a flash ball of flame our trusty Appalachia on Steroids Camaro produced a 3.599 1/8th mile time slip! We backed up that run on Sunday with a 3.672 1/8th mile time slip even though John felt the car nosing over and clicked it right in the traps!

John Stanley On The Loud Pedal before his incredible Pro Mod PassAfter those two runs we made the conscious decision to venture forth to Ennis, Texas for the last race of the ADRL season. Even though our season to date had tested us to the ends of our financial means we knew that we had to do this to prove to ourselves that we could produce those kind of numbers on an ADRL prepped race track. Our good friends Bronte Henning and his son Jay from Darwin, Australia of all places had been with us at Englishtown, New Jersey for the above mentioned passes and offered to assist with the cost of diesel fuel if we would go. That very generous offer gave us the added financial well being to be able to put Clifford The Big WHITE dog into the wind!

And the decision to make this trip bore fruit at the end of John's first qualifying run when he was rewarded with a 3.702 at our fastest speed ever recorded, 207.24 with a slight pedal in low gear! And that run qualified us for the second quickest Pro Extreme field ever. It felt very good going to bed Friday night knowing that we would not be bumped from the show. And now we have put the Camaro on stands and are working away on changes for 2013. Those you will see as well throughout the winter months.

we will be announcing a brand new major sponsor for our teamThanks to all who support us and special heartfelt thanks MUST go to Scott and Jimmy, our two crew guys who give new meaning to the word team. They never gave up on our abilities and these last two races justified their optimism! Thank you Scott and Jimmy, we could not do this with out you!

And soon we will be announcing a brand new major sponsor for our team, a company who has never before been involved in drag racing and chose us to carry their brand and introduce their products to the many companies who have components in and around all of our race cars. I will give just one little hint...

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Yellow Bullet Nationals - ADRL Memphis
A Tale Of Two Races
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 9/26/2012
Photos Courtesy Of Axle Weiss and goDragRacing.org

John Stanley blasts to a 3.75 at The 2012 Yellow Bullet NationalsBefore attending the ADRL's race in Memphis, Tennessee we decided to do a bit of testing at the infamous "Yellow Bullet.com Nationals at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland. We had made some changes to the fuel system on the car after the ADRL race in Charlotte, North Carolina and needed to be sure all the components were working together as they should be. We had to make some changes when a few unexpected glitches reared their heads and we missed the 5PM cutoff time for testing on Friday. The powers that be made the decision that we could run at the end of qualifying on Friday night and again on Saturday night if we wished. So, needless to say we readily agreed as we needed to be sure all things worked as they should.

When the radial cars were all done their qualifying we got our chance at the new Cecil county surface at 11:55pm! After a crowd pleasing burnout John staged the car and was off and gone in a flash lighting up the scoreboards with a 3.75 run that stood as our quickest ever. This run also made believers of some other people at the track in a great car making it down that late at night and after three classes of radial cars! Thanks must go out to Monty of Yellow Bullet fame, Dave at Finishline Performance and Jim at Cecil County Dragway for allowing us some time on their race track.

The infamous Danny Lowery awaiting a great John Stanley prepared home cooked breakast.So then it was off to Memphis with a lot of confidence and a bounce in our step, assured that we were once again going to do well. And as has become the norm for us, that sure was not true. Our first two qualifiers were used to try several different things in the fuel system and to see if indeed all was working as it was supposed to. The Friday night qualifier came and we went to the lanes prepared to put a good number up on our behalf, but NOOOOOOOO that wasn't to be AGAIN! As John started into his burnout the parachutes came out of their packs for no reason whatsoever! That witch, called fate and spelled with large capital "B" had struck again! When we got back to the pits we found that the electric/air solenoid safety switch had malfunctioned and left the air bleed slowly into the activation cylinder and releasing the parachutes! Just another way for us to get bit in the butt!!! The last qualifier on Saturday was a fair hit that stood up till the last few cars went down and we were once again left on the outside looking in.

But we did find out what was causing our fuel management issue and that has hopefully been cured as well. The faulty solenoid has been replaced and we are soon to be off to the last ADRL race we will attend in 2012 in Norwalk, Ohio. We have made the mental adjustment to consider it a great test session on an ADRL track in preparation for whatever it is we decide to do in 2013. I know that I keep saying this, BUT sooner or later things have to swing back our way!

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Pro Mod Racing in Germany
With Marcus Hilt And Trouble Racing Team
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 8/29/2012
Photos Courtesy Of Ivan Sansom and Camp Stanley

Marcus Hilt Trouble Racing Corvette Pro Mod Getting ready to rock and roll!This long awaited racing weekend was to start on Friday for all competitors with two rounds of Pro qualifying scheduled for Friday afternoon/evening. But this was not to be as the race track surface had developed some serious issues after its power wash three weeks earlier prior to the Formula One race. The track staff worked diligently to try and prepare the track for the horsepower that was about to attack it. They treated it and drug it and treated it and drug it long into the night throughout the week. The decision was sadly made to cancel the Pro sessions on Friday so they could continue in their attempts to prepare the track. Marcus Hilt "Trouble Racing" and I along with his entire crew were ready to race but sadly we would have to wait out the night!

Saturday dawned a beautiful day for the racers without a cloud in the sky and no rain forecast for days. This was a welcome sight for the racers who had gathered from all of Europe to contest this drag race. They have been plagued with rain at almost every round this year and it was fantastic to see the blue skies and the desire to race. But the largest issue was still the race track. It did not appear to be cooperating so well to the efforts of the track staff. The powers that be ran three rounds of sportsman cars in an attempt to get some rubber down on the track for the high horsepower cars. But this was all to no avail.

The first round of qualifying gave credence to the term "pedal fest"! No one got down the track at all in any kind of a representative fashion. But Marcus came out of that first round of Pro Mod qualifying as the number one qualifier with an 8.34 at a bit over 195! And this was in field that had four to five race cars that are proven five second runners! My old guy theories for getting a car down a marginal race track stood me in good stead throughout the weekend. I told Marcus before the first round not to worry about the race track and to use his "Supermarket Valet Parking Racer" skills in the driver's compartment and he would be fine. I assured him that we would go down this track whether or not anyone else did! The car may not be fast, it may not be pretty but we would go from end to the other! And do it we did! We were the only Pro Mod to get down the track all three times the entire weekend. We ended up number four qualifier with an 8.10 pass and posted the third fastest speed for the Pro Mods at a bit over 200MPH! I told John Smith, he of Top Fuel crew chief fame that it was like being at a match race in Dorchester, South Carolina on a starry Saturday night!

And the oil pressure issues that were plaguing Marcus' JanCen Racing Engines power plant for the last several years were solved as well, thanks yet again to the very same recommendation Mike Janis made to me about our own oiling issues at the ADRL Z Max race. As I have said before "it is great to have knowledgeable friends that are willing to impart that knowledge".

Marcus Hilt Trouble Racing Corvette Pro Mod pit areaSunday dawned another beautiful sunny day and the facility was fast filling up with spectators eager to take in the spectacle that is European drag racing. But as the old stories say, "Alas and alack" there was to be no Pro racing on this Sunday. The Pro racers held a meeting and determined that they felt the track was unsafe for elimination style competition. The offer was made by the powers that be to any racer who wished to have some "demo runs" for the fans. This offer was respectfully declined by almost the entire group of Pro racers.

I will not delve into the whys and wherefores of the decisions that were made to race, not to race or anything else about what was going to be an outstanding racing weekend. As an outsider it is not my place to render opinions or make suggestions. I just feel really bad for the racers who made the investment to attend the round and to the spectators who paid good money to see great racing. Hopefully some decisions can be made to eliminate this ever happening again. These decisions must be made if the European drag racing community is going to survive as a true multi-national championship entity. Good luck to all in accomplishing that chore.

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Pro Mod Drag Racing Hockenheim, Germany
Life Is An Adventure
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 8/18/2012

Transporting Camp Stanley To The Hospital
My Thursday transport system!

Camp Stanley Getting IV Fluids At Race Track
They stuck me EVERYWHERE looking for a functional vein for an IV!
After what was a successful outing at Z Max Dragway for the Stanley & Weiss team, it was off to the infamous Hockenheimring facility in Hockenheim, Germany for me once again. I had agreed to come and help Marcus Hilt with the Pro Mod Corvette from Switzerland another time. I flew out of Washington/Dulles airport on Wednesday evening into Frankfurt, Germany arriving at 900 am. My large Swiss friend, "Andy" met me there to transport me to the race track. Little did either of us know that this would not be the end of him transporting me throughout the day!

When I got out of the car at Marcus' pit area I really did not feel very well. I had some slight equilibrium issues and had proceeded to break out into a cold sweat. Thinking it was massive jet lag to go along with not so much sleep I went upstairs to lie down for a nap. And that went not so well either! I woke up several times with my pillow and sheet soaking wet from my cold sweat. I went downstairs and when Andy offered to take me to the medical center at the track I readily agreed. When we arrived there was no one in attendance so off to the main entrance Andy took me at a high rate of speed. The security people after hearing Andy's story and taking one look at me promptly called an ambulance because they could tell I was in dire straits. They then brought in another ambulance with a doctor in it to assist the paramedics! After a ride to the hospital in said ambulance I was promptly fed massive amounts of fluids through an IV because the diagnosis of the doctors said I was seriously dehydrated and basically wrecked from not drinking enough fluids, not eating enough and doing way to much the last week or so.

Andy purchased me three packs of water on the way back to the track and everyone in the pits for the entire weekend was on me like flies on honey to DRINK WATER! My wife said DRINK WATER! Axle said DRINK WATER! John said DRINK WATER! The entire world it seemed was on the DRINK WATER kick! Jorgen Leanders' wife gave me some magic fizzy pills that are supposed to help put the nutrients back into your system that you lose when you sweat so much and they worked miracles for me! My thanks go out to all who worked me over the entire weekend to EAT SOMETHING, DRINK WATER and all that went with that advice. And my special thanks go out to Andy for looking out for me by going back and getting my pills and my passport for the hospital staff. And thank you Andy, as well, for sitting on the hard hospital chair for hours waiting to see if I was leaving or staying.

My body was telling me that although my mind thought I was fifty, my body knew I was getting close to seventy! And I now know that I need to slow down a bit if I wish to continue getting up in the morning, seeing my breath on the mirror and realizing that I am STILL on the correct side of the dirt!

And that was the first part of my latest adventure. There will be a "race" report to follow in the next few days. I used the word race in parentheses for a reason! Stay tuned, this adventure will get more interesting…

While You're Here, Take A Look At The Qualifying Runs, Marcus Hilt is the Black 63 Corvette with "Old School Flames In Primer Wrap".
Because of video length We've Given You Links:
Drag Racing 2012 - Pro Mod Qualy #1 - NitrOlympX Hockenheim
Drag Racing 2012 - Pro Modified Qualy #2 - NitrOlympX Hockenheim
Drag Racing 2012 - Pro Modified Qualy #3 - NitrOlympX Hockenheim

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ADRL Z Max Dragway "Our Pro Mod Camaro Is Working"
Moving On Up In ADRL Competition
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 8/8/2012 | Photos by Axle Weiss

The Appalachia on Steroids Camaro at Z Max The qualifying, yes I did say "qualifying", ladder we did at the spectacular Z Max Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina! We managed to finally get ourselves qualified in the second round with a 3.84, backed up by a 3.81 in the third qualifying round which cemented our spot in the field even after we blew the tires off on the last shot. We had changed a lot of things on the car before the race to try and eliminate any variables that could be creating a glitch in what we are trying to do.

The ignition system that came back from Electrimotion did its job as did the new Rage fuel pump. AND we kept the blower on the car the entire race, which is a large plus for us here of late! Our nagging lack of oil pressure issues was cured after a visit to our pits by Mike Janis of JanCen Racing Engines. The old analogy that sometimes we cannot "see the forest for the trees" was very apt in this case. In one of our weight saving exercises over the winter we changed the style of oil filter we were using. When Mike spied it nestled between the frame rails he knew that was the cause of our problems. Isn't experience along with "friends in high places" a grand thing? We took the element out of the filter and made THREE hits on the same oil and problem solved!

Getting ready to get it on with Mr TindleWe went into eliminations in the first round facing the newly wrapped Corvette out of the Taylor Racing stables piloted by Tim Tindle for our second race in a row! After strong burnouts both cars staged, got a quick tree, but were off with no dramas whatsoever. And yet again Mr Tindle nipped John in the traps with that infamous Taylor Brother's horsepower! One of these times the cards will fall our way in the traps! To lose by only .0022 seconds (EIGHT inches) is just about as close as you can get. But our day will come! We are back on the right track and are finding that the car is responding to the changes we make at any given time. And it is also telling us that if you go over the edge it will definitely let you know!

So now it is on to some testing before the next race in Memphis during the month of September. We think we have turned another corner in the search for our consistently fast race car. "The Appalachia on Steroids" Camaro at Z Max Getting ready to "get it on" with Mr Tindle.

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ADRL Pro Extreme Virginia With Stanley & Weiss Racing
HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 7/6/2012 | Photos by Axle Weiss

The Pro Mod preparing to do battle At ADRL Virgina 2012It was really that hot in Richmond! The temperature and the ADRL racing as well. Our first qualifier on Friday netted us a lazy 3.91 in 99F heat. Someone, not mentioning any names definitely underestimated the track! But the Appalachia on Steroids Camaro went right down the middle of the race track and absolutely, positively NOTHING fell off of it!

We didn't have anything for the 3.60's and 3.70's being put up but we were more than pleased with the car. This left us in the 9th spot which was fine by us for the first qualifier.

The second and third qualifiers were cancelled because of some severe summer thunderstorms all around the area. But luckily all the storms went all around us and all we saw some rain and a bit of wind.

Could you two big guys help a brother out with some speed tips???Saturday dawned a beautiful day and with the schedule moved up to a 900am start to give everyone two more qualifiers it was time to GIT-R-DONE! The severe drop in temperature to a cool 83F gave hope to no one falling over due to heat stroke during the first qualifier.

On this pass the bright orange Camaro produced a great for us, 3.804 and again went right down the middle of the race track. For the third qualifier the temperature had risen to 93F again but the car performed flawlessly again and gave us another 3.80, this time with a .003 on the end. And this made us the second quickest car of the round as we were racing the race track and not trying to rotate the earth. This left us twelfth in the field for a first round matchup with the Tim Tindle juggernaut out of the Taylor Racing camp.

At the drop of tree, Tim was a man of his word, he left John go first! We had talked before the round began and I asked Tim not to make my kid look too bad and he said he would give him a couple of numbers! ADRL racing is so Old School, almost always fun right up till the the race is on!

BUT Tim wasn't ready for John to put a .004 on him at hit and he was just able to pass the very capable John Stanley in the traps for a victory of a half of a car length. It was a GREAT drag race and one of the type that we shall be winning again real soon.

We have our consistent race car back under us that went right down the race track FOUR times in a row, one of the few that did that all weekend! We ran a 3.911, a 3.804, a 3.803 and a 3.802! This was great for us but we are a tenth off the pace to be competitive so now it is on to Michigan to do our utmost to step our game up another notch.

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2012 ADRL Gateway Drags IV Presented by CarSafe
We Really Hate BIG Black Clouds
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 6/09/2012 | Photos Courtesy Of Roger Richards - Axle Weiss

So one more ADRL race has been attended and back in the thick of the what the heck can go wrong NEXT scenario! We left Maple Grove feeling positive about the Appalachia on Steroids Pro Extreme Camaro. We felt that we had finally turned the performance corner with our car and were headed onward and upward.

Testing At MIR ADRL Camaro Pro ModWe tested at Royce Miller's Maryland International Raceway two weeks before the St Louis event and we were really confident that we had hit on something our car really liked. The first hit gave up only a 3.82 but it was attached to a 200.45 MPH speed. That was the FIRST speed over 200 for us in THREE years outside of one at Dave Hance's Shakedown at Etown race a few years back in mineshaft air. We made a few little changes and that produced a 3.78 at 199.78. The front half improved a bunch and we thought we were on to something. We put the orange gal away and headed home full of optimism.

Axle Weiss working hard at NOT getting dirtyI took the time to make a stop at VP Racing fuels in Terre Haute, IN to spend a bit of time with our friend and supporter, Jason Rueckert and to pick up some of that great GO-JUICE! Then it was on to the Gateway City, St Louis, Missouri. The other half of Stanley & Weiss Racing resides in Kirkwood, Missouri and we knew we had to do the "assistant financier" of our operation proud. We did a display for the ADRL at a car wash in Granite City, IL to help promote the race that was very well attended.

One Granite City's finest spend some time with John Stanley Pro Mod DriverEven the local constabulary came by and spent some time with us. Always give these guys and gals a tip of your hat because they have a tough row to hoe at times.

Friday morning dawned chilly and blustery but it was a beautiful sunny day none the less. Our first qualifier was made with the exact same setup as at MIR and it rewarded us with a 3.82 AGAIN at 200.32! The front part was VERY weak but that was easily changed as we had proven at MIR. So the changes were made and off to the second qualifier we went. At the flash of the yellow bulbs John Stanley was off like a shot! The 60 foot improved .043 and the Camaro had the wheels skimming the surface of the great track afforded us. Till about 1.7 in when our blower backfire AGAIN caught our attention! "There is NO WAY that thing can be that lean" were the first words out of mouth to our GREAT crew as we headed off to pick up John in the bottom end.

Jimmy is toiling away at fixing things In The Supercharged Hemi, Note the piston carnage in Number 5!And no it wasn't lean! The data showed us a large spike in the boost and RPMs and then the blower "left the building"! We checked things out and found an intake valve stem raised up so off with that head it was to discover the head of the intake valve buried in the intake port! And of course the valve seat was gone as well and those pieces swapped sides which meant off with the other head to get the bits out, swap a rod/piston assembly, a head and go back together for the last qualifier. This we accomplished and after a warm-up to be sure all was well, we had no leaks and the wheels went round frontwards and backwards, off to the lanes we went. At the hit of the throttle in the burnout the car jumped up on the tires BUT when John plugged it into second gear it seemed as if it jumped out of gear!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, back to the pits, take it apart again only to find that the center was twisted out of the flywheel!! Leave it to us to find that one thing to screw up a run! We borrowed a flywheel from our fellow racers Larry and Mick Snyder to run the last qualifier till they could get us a new one this week to go back in the car. And that, as well was to no avail as the heat and track conditions were not at all conducive to us bumping into a 3.77 field. But give it a shot we did as the Camaro ALMOST made it to the 60 foot clocks before the tires couldn't handle any more!

So now here we are preparing, ONCE AGAIN for the ADRL race in Richmond, VA in a few weeks. Joe at JanCen Engines is hard at work on repairing our great NRE head that we did our best to destroy. The new flywheel arrived from Snyder Motorsports and it and the transmission are back in the car. We will be ready once again!

Jason Scruggs made a very profound observation to me on Saturday morning when he told me we would be alright once "we got stuff to quit falling off our car"! And that is just about the crux of it! Once more wish us luck!

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2012 ADRL Maple Grove Northeast Drags Presented By Penske | ADRL Pro Extreme Review
An Outsiders View Of A Spectacular Race
By goDragRacing.org: Post Date: 5/12/2012 | Photos Courtesy Of Axle Weiss - goDragRacing.org - Seth Cohen - Roger Richards

Readers of this website may be wondering why the author has changed for this entry as goDragRacing.org and not the usual from our "Hagerstown Hero" Camp Stanley wordsmith; the answer is simple. As a guest of Stanley Weiss racing I was delegated by Camp Stanley and Axle Weiss to write a review of the ADRL Northeast Drags II presented by Penske at Maple Grove Raceway this past May as a true outsider after the race concluded.

When I say outsider, I'm as much a fan and spectator as I am a writer and photographer. I may have had one of the best seats in the house being on the track, yet I would've been just as comfortable in the stands during this event as the ADRL comes to PA. but once a year.

2012 ADRL Maple Grove Northeast Drags


2012 ADRL Maple Grove Drag Racing Photo Gallery by goDragRacing.org | ADRL Communications Here

ADRL Camaro Pro Mod Smokey Burnout Maple GroveMost people know me as a true northeast quarter mile only type of guy, and somewhat of a non-believer in 1/8th mile drag racing feeling that nothing could sway me until last year for my first ever ADRL event where I was blown away by the level of competition, the absolute violent nature of these machines and tenacity of the teams. You could say I'm now a believer.

Not to downplay any other organizations or associations across the United States, I feel I witnessed something at the Northeast Drags last year that I don't get to see often in our area. I simply wanted more and again this year, I got it.

You may also be wondering why this review is seemingly late in posting. Too many times I've seen races quickly forgotten only to move on to the next event as if it was just another race in passing, I'm not one that handles the immediate media gratification well with all this new technology so I leave it linger like the unforgettable taste of twenty year old scotch.

Read The Complete Race Review Here From A Spectators Perspective of The ADRL Northeast Drags Presented By Penske Maple Grove Full Review, Photos And Videos Here

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ADRL Spring Drags III in Bristol
Finally, The Camaro Pro Mod In From The Cold!!!
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 4/26/2012, Photos by: Tim Lewis and Roger Richards

Camaro Pro Mod Action At ADRL BristolThe ADRL Spring Drags III in Bristol, Tennessee gave the hard working Stanley & Weiss Racing team a much needed morale boost after the horrible, sorry state of affairs they had been enduring for what seemed like forever. As all who follow our adventures up and down the highway of drag racing life in the American Drag Racing League, the last twelve months have been anything but kind to us! The first race of the season in Houston, Texas gave us hope that we were finally on the right track with the Appalachia on Steroids Pro Extreme Camaro. The number seventeen qualifying spot may not have said much to rest of the world, but it gave us hope! Our short times were on par with the "hitters" in the Pro Extreme class but we were not racing only to the 330 foot mark!

The photogenic orange flamed Camaro rolled out the trailer with high hopes for a great outing. Our good friend Quain Stott loaned us a dusty old Waterman fuel pump he had stashed away up in the attic of his shop till the order could be filled for our new one. And Mike of JanCen Engines did a speedy "while you wait" flow system check so we had an idea where were! Then the new fuel system was designed and tweaked on over and over again in a dirt cellar in Appalachia. The first qualifier showed that indeed we were headed in the right direction, FINALLY! The scoreboards flashed us a 3.78 on the first hit on the new fuel system at only 195 MPH! We followed that up with a 3.80 run at again only 194+ in the MPH department. We were concerned that we may have some issues in the bell housing area so Brad of Bradco Converters proceeded to swap bits and pieces he had brought along to test and back in the car the converter went in plenty of time for the last qualifier on Friday night. That change netted us a 3.82 at the same 194+ mph. And although we had the consistency back that we have always prided ourselves on we were about a tenth of second shy in the ET department.

Camaro Pro Mod ADRL Spring Drags III in BristolSo we then decided to avail ourselves of an offer another friend Roger Henson the owner of the bright yellow missile piloted by Bubba Stanton of the loan of a converter he was no longer using. The rain on Saturday morning erased the last qualifier which meant we were going into eliminations with ANOTHER piece in the car that was new to us. But we were ready for it because we were getting to RACE on Saturday afternoon! A pleasure we had not enjoyed in ONE full year! That's correct; we had not qualified for an ADRL race since the very same race in Palm Beach, Florida this time last year! And we had not been able to lay claim to a 3.70 time slip in a year and a half! But it wasn't to be as John had to pedal the car first round and that, as we say was that!

But we are definitely upbeat and to have a lot of your competitors congratulate you on finally being headed in the right direction truly shows the camaraderie of the ADRL. Thanks to one and all for speaking from the heart and thanks also to all those who have given us little teeny-tiny tips to prod us in the correct direction!

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Testing ADRL Houston: Beginning The Season In Our Pro Mod Camaro
The Witch Has Yet To Leave
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 4/7/2012

The Mickey Thompson Tires brain trust was in attendance at Tulsa and HoustonWhat witch you ask? The one called "Fate" that sat on our shoulder all of last year! And a nasty one she still is! We went testing at Tulsa Raceway Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma before the first ADRL race in Houston. We needed to be sure the car went straight and we also bolted on a set of the new Mickey Thompson tires as well.

The testing with the car and the new tires went well enough for us to venture the last nine hours down the road to Houston with visions of doing well.

Dave Leahy of Electrimotion spent a lot of time with our team.But that wasn't quite how it went! Our first pass on Friday afternoon saw the Appalachia on Steroids Camaro post its best ever 330 foot pass at 2.511. AND this was after John very wisely lifted at 2.45 in when the car did exactly what Garret Livingston said it would do if it left hard on a good track! It went .943 to the 60 foot mark, which was our second best ever as well but drifted to the left some and with the front wheels just skimming the track surface discretion was the better part of valor. We knew we had two more hits to get it right so we made the adjustments we were to do and went up for the Friday night qualifier full of enthusiasm! But the dew on the racetrack made that a non-issue as we were the first pair out!

Dave, Roger Conley of Racepak and I were all perplexed!We awoke on Saturday to a beautiful spring morning in Texas with fantastic weather all around. We went to the lanes for the last qualifier again brimming with confidence. The car was set up a little bit on the soft side to be sure we got down and made The Show! The Camaro left well with a .952 60 foot and a 2.53 to the 330.

BUT shortly thereafter that witch STRUCK AGAIN!!! At 3.25 in the NRE headed hemi knocked the blower off and it still went 3.85! That got us in until the last car in the qualifying session knocked us out by .04 of a second.

EXACTLY the same deal as Houston in 2011! So now we are back in Appalachia trying to figure why the blower left the manifold!

The brain trust at JanCen Racing engines and I will figure this out for sure! ENOUGH is ENOUGH and that witch shall need to find another broom to ride at the race track, ours is no longer available!

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ANDRA Western Nationals 2012 | Wayne Keys, Perth Australia
I Love My "Job"! Part 1...
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 3/10/2012

The power of TWO Bullets One Yellow Bullet T Shirt, and one in the Keys Family Motorsports Top Comp helped propel Wayne Keys to a great outing!What an adventure the 2012 version of the ANDRA Westernationals at the beautiful Perth Motorplex in West Australia started out to be. The 36 hour journey started off on a sour note with airplane rides being delayed, then canceled, then rescheduled, then in turn delayed yet again all the while ending up at a different airport in California than was originally planned. But that was not the end of my airline trials and tribulations! All the wet, rainy weather up and down the east coast of Australia had wreaked havoc with their domestic travel schedules.

The flight to Perth that was to leave at 1:15PM was finally up and gone about an hour late which meant my large friend Troy was going to have to hang out at the airport a lot longer than either of us had contemplated. And all of this was a day later than I told him I would arrive! Sometimes I just don’t even know what day of the week I am to be where! But that is what being a Team is all about and the Keys Family Motorsports clan has that part nailed down tight as a drum! All in all it was a pretty hectic trek half way around the world.

After we gathered my bags it was off to the Keys' estate for a look at Australia's First to Fives roots blown lil red race car. And then it was straight into what the Australians do so well, put on a barbie! Lots of reminiscing and camaraderie along with stories galore from one and all.

Saturday dawned the first of the two beautiful racing days the weather gods bestowed on The "Plex". Our plan was to qualify well enough to have a respectable spot on the ladder and to not harm the index if possible. The Lil Red truck as some certain respected chassis builder has dubbed it had the potential to totally wreck the index if we wanted to.

This was evident by its recent string of six oh and five second runs and a win in Top Comp at the last meeting. This Competition Eliminator racing has created a massive paradigm shift in my own mindset of flat out racing. We set a plan in place to start out by just touching the National Record for MPH first and then let the ET chips fall where they may in eliminations. Our first qualifier cemented the MPH part and the next two qualifiers put us in the third qualifying spot against the index. So home for a good night's rest we went eagerly anticipating race day.



Slow Motion Drag Racing Video Of Wayne Keys Hanging On As The Car Goes Through Violent Tire Shake

Sunday brought out the best of all the many racers from across Australia that were on the grounds throughout the day. And the Keys Family Motorsport team did their part. They worked as the well-oiled team they are which allows Wayne to concentrate on his part which was getting the car off the starting line and to the other end safely. One of those showed his skills for all to see as he fought some shake in the middle of the track all the while peddling the car off and on several times, looking as if he was trying to tame a bucking bronco at the rodeo!

But the win light came on and the index was definitely safe after that wild ride! But it didn’t get to stay that way all afternoon for sure. Wayne had said if he was being chased he was not backing off to save the index, he was there to win the race! One of the rounds where he was being chased put a 6.05/234 on the boards after lifting right in the traps! This run was well and truly under the 6.15/230 National record. So we now had cemented the MPH record and had to be careful not to destroy the ET record and the index along with it. As long as we ran somewhere a little above the 6.05 and quicker than a 5.96 in the final the record along with the index would revert to the said 6.05.

Wayne Keys, left holds court in his pit.The final was a STUNNER to be quite honest. Wayne and lil red Betsy Bowed in the a$$ (it’s a long story…) were up against the John McSweeney BB/FC that had been well and truly almost a full second under its own index all weekend. The funny car got close to a tenth on the tree due to his softer index and at the flash of the third amber both cars were off and gone with Wayne in hot pursuit of the funny car. It was not to be this time as Wayne lost a GREAT drag race with a 5.93 at 238 plus!

Although the team had to settle for the runner-up trophy they had no shame in taking home both ends of a new National Record, a new track ET record and only clipped a tenth off their index! And we learned an awful lot about what the car liked and didn’t like throughout the weekend. The team had shown one and all that their suspension change over the winter and their JanCen ROOTS blower had all come together at a National round to cement their place as contenders in the National Competition Eliminator wars.

And now all I must do is transfer the success of the last two weekend’s Down Under to our own Stanley & Weiss team.

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Mike Evans Racing | Slamfest Doorslammer Tour 2012
Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 2/22/2012

Pro Mod Drag Racing In TasmaniaOr as my friend Mike Evans from Tasmania said: "Winners are grinners!" And winners and grinners the entire Mike Evans racing team was at the end of the day on Saturday, 18 February.

My bucket list has been slowly shrinking and soon all that will be left will be to create a new one. My list for Australia had only Tasmania and Darwin left on it and now Darwin will my last port of call left on the list. But that is for another day.

Mike Evans owns and drives a Camaro which he campaigns in Supercharged Outlaws. This is a class in Australian drag racing wherein they bracket race blown cars only! These race cars consist of door cars, funny cars, altered's and dragsters, all running on a dial your own format. Mike first came under the Stanley & Weiss umbrella at the Nitro Champs event held at Sydney Dragway in 2010.

Mike Evans Supercharged Outlaws CamaroAt that time the Camaro had been a best of 7.70 at the local track in Launceston, Tasmania. Mike had set a goal of running 200 mph in Sydney and if that had been accomplished he and his crew would enjoy the drive and the long boat ride home that much longer. When Mike left Sydney Dragway at the end of that meeting he had more than one time slip in the logbook over 200 mph and into the six second zone as well. Although I must admit I had fibbed to him a bit when he asked me if I thought his car could run a six. I gave Mike my copyrighted answer: "not if you shoved it off a cliff"! That answer always saves building expectations and creating disappointment if it does not happen.

So off I went to Tassie, as Tasmania is known in the land Down Under, where contrary to the myth spread the "The Mainlanders", no one I saw had two heads! I landed on a bright sunny day at the airport in Launceston without a hint of rain anywhere. After a trip to look over the local race track being prepped for the appearance of the Slamfest Doorslammer series it was off to the 300 acre farm of Mike and Cindy Evans. And a great wonderful place to roam it is for an ole guy from Appalachia. They have it all on their property including a spectacular view of one of the widest rivers I have ever seen and I have seen plenty all around the world. The property goes from flat ground sloping up to rolling hills which gives a great perspective of the property with goats, sheep, cattle and horses grazing contentedly.

Mike Evans Supercharged Outlaws Camaro TasmaniaThursday was spent in the "Toy Shed", as Mike's workshop is affectionately known going over the car and seeing what changes may be necessary and doing my utmost to convince Mike that I had just the thing at home he needed to solve this issue and that issue. The only thing I could get him to commit to was nothing! Oh well, some people can be convinced some of time of and Mike was not in the convincing mood. But it was all in good fun and laughs aplenty were had by all.

Friday was the day to load up the car and be sure that anything we may need and lots of stuff we may never need went in there as well. And then it was off to the race track to get the truck and trailer parked for the next day's racing. After looking over the track once more and seeing the progress made by Peter Kapiris' tire machine, we knew the track was going to be as good as it ever could be. We headed back home confident in the fact that Mike's decision to spend the money for the assistance at this race was a wise one. And the next day made him out to be a financial genius in that arena.

Mike Evans Supercharged Outlaws Camaro TasmaniaWe arrived at the track 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, but it was only 20 minutes as opposed to the 2 hours early that Mike tried to get accomplished! He paced and paced and tried to browbeat us into the need to leave earlier than HIS own departure time. But we arrived in plenty of time and Mike and the crew set about getting the car ready for the 11:00 AM test run that was allocated. We needed this extra shot at the race track because we had appeared on the scene with an engine combination that had not been down the track yet. The planned shutoff run was good and we gathered the data and made changes for the first qualifier. As we went through the three qualifiers Mike, the crew and the Camaro performed admirably. When the dust settled at the end of qualifying Mike held the number one qualifier spot over his good friend Paul Ward in his perennial number one qualifying dragster.



Wait For It, Wait For It, Watch for the Pro Mod type Camaro 1.48 seconds in. Is that bad ass or what?!

So into eliminations we went with an earned first round bye. Then into the second round we went and emerged with yet another victory earned by running right on the dial in. So into the final we went against the Championship leading little car with a blown small block Chevrolet between the frame rails. Mike had almost a tenth in the bank on the starting line and passed the little black car in the traps for the victory. We had accomplished what does not often happen! As I told you earlier we took an untried, untested combination to a race track where we qualified number one, set low ET, set top speed and won the meeting! It doesn't get much better than that. And to add to the pride of the Evans Racing crew, our number one qualifier in Supercharged Outlaws would have placed us fifth on the ladder in the Slamfest field. BUT it would have been all over for us after that!

All in all it was a very successful outing for one and all. And it was one that can only boost the confidence of the entire team heading into their Tassie Nationals in three weeks' time. They will be fine!

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Weight Watchers 101 at Garret Race Cars
The Camaro Pro Mod Goes On A Fitness - Diet Plan
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 2/11/2012

Garret Race Cars emporium in Marble Hill, MissouriAfter leaving the last race of the ADRL season in Ennis, Texas, Clifford, the Big Red Dog and I headed north for the foothills of Missouri. Off we went to the land of banjos playing by the creeks and fleeting glances of a Ned Beatty look alike running across the fields squealing like a pig! I believe that part of the lore to be true because at lunch one Saturday with the Garret Race Cars crew I swore I saw him myself!

But I digress; forgive me I had to spin my yarn!

Garrrett LivingstonMr. Livingston and I had formulated a plan over the summer for improving on the heavyweight parts of The Appalachia on Steroids Camaro over several months prior to the Ennis race. We decided to book it in for the end of the year after the installation of its NRE headed hemi power plant.

I left the Camaro and Clifford gracing the hill at the Garret Race Cars emporium in Marble Hill, Missouri and headed back to my own hill. And on schedule the first week of December, my friend and racing partner, the one and only Mr. Axle Weiss picked me up at the St Louis airport.

After a nice lunch with another friend from the racing community, we were off to Marble Hill to gather up our updated Camaro.

Upon arrival there were only a few little things to be completed and I would be on my way. The craftsmanship out of Garret Race Cars is second to none.

Camaro Pro Mod At Garret Race CarsOur car was to be treated the same as all the rest of the projects Garret does, well researched for the best way to spend what little bit of money we had to part with. When the car left the shop all the scheduled work was completed in perfect manner.

All of the plans made by Mr. Livingston and I were followed to the letter with a few extras added in.

Our new Strange Ultra 4-Link rear was nestled up under the car and ready for anything we could throw at it.

Camaro Pro Mod Rear SuspensionThe attention to detail proves just that in the images seen of the great cars that come out of this facility. And now we have one of them as well.

Now all we, as a team need to do is put 2011 as far in the rear view mirrors of Clifford, the Big Red Dog as we possibly can and be ready to rock and roll in Houston like we used to be known for!



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Poor Little Wild Willy
The Legend of Sean Misfuds "Wild Willy"
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 1/28/2012

Sean Misfuds Wild Willy RetiredCast away into a corner with the used bits and pieces of long ago power…

The baddest 41 Willys to grace the southern hemisphere and one of the BADDEST 41 Willys in the whole wide world now sits in a corner of a factory up on his pro jacks with bits and pieces being scavenged for this and that or to be loaned to a fellow racer to help them try to be what he once was.

The record holder of the quickest roots doorslammer was held for years by this intimidating race car, but now he sits forlornly wondering what is store for him next. His win at the last 16 car field of Top Doorslammers is now but a memory.

Is his fate to be covered up with a car cover and forgotten by one and all? Who knows what the future holds for this great piece of Australian drag racing lore???

The baddest 41 Willys to grace the southern hemisphere and one of the BADDEST 41 Willys in the whole wide world now sits in a corner of a factory up on his pro jacks with bits and pieces being scavenged for this and that or to be loaned to a fellow racer to help them try to be what he once was.

The record holder of the quickest roots doorslammer was held for years by this intimidating race car, but now he sits forlornly wondering what is store for him next. His win at the last 16 car field of Top Doorslammers is now but a memory.

Is his fate to be covered up with a car cover and forgotten by one and all? Who knows what the future holds for this great piece of Australian drag racing lore???

His master had found a new mountain to conquer, a Camaro just like all the rest of the Camaros! A car to make the spectators yawn and think, "not another Camaro"! And with PSI screw blower, of all things on top of its Jan-Cen engines hemi. That magic five second ride beckoned his master like a lady in the night. "Come find me. Search me out. I can be yours" were her cries. And so in search of her he went. And find her he did.

That 5.89 time slip was like the elixir of life and his master was rejuvenated and ready to be hard at it all over again! And now the Camaro shall be the one to be passed back on to another driver full time. And in its place will be a new different ride for Sean Mifsud! The next car of his dreams, a Plymouth Duster right out the Jan-Cen stable of winning race cars is to be his next challenge!

But rest assured all is not lost! Like a Phoenix, Wild Willy shall rise once again from the ashes and the dust of the Rollup Racing factory to again wow the crowds Australia wide. Bar the doors, lock up the women, hide your children! Be prepared one and all, for he shall return!

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A Teacher And His Understudies Perform
Wayne Keys Five Second AA/AP Pass At Perth Motorplex
By Camp Stanley: Post Date: 1/10/2012
Photos By Phil Luyer HIGH OCTANE PHOTOS, Video By Gardner Bros Videos

Wayne Keys on his way to the first AA/AP and Roots Supercharger 5 second passSometimes it is really hard given the time differential constraints, the internet glitches and all the rest of the issues to make things go as they should. But when you have racers and their crew wanting to take in all the knowledge available to them we just must make it happen!

And happen it did at the infamous Perth Motorplex on January 6, 2011 one of the last milestones in Australian drag racing fell! The pristine facility with the awesome hook from front to back gave it up to one of their own! The magic five second time slip we all seek was done and dusted to quote one of my very close friends down under!

Below please read the article from the Perth Motorplex website. Thank you to them for allowing us to pinch their words, photos and video.
It was a great night for a couple of Old Guys!

WAYNE KEYS CRACKS A 5 SECOND PASS AT PERTH!

It was action aplenty at the first night of the Nitro Funny Car 2 day event at the Perth Motorplex.

While the focus was on the nitro burners, the AA/AP twins of Wayne Keys and Daniel Gregorini continued their private war in the race to the first 5 second pass in a AA/AP classed vehicle.

Keys gave the 5 second time a scare in the first round of K Trans Top Comp with a 6.03 while Gregorini sat the round out.

In pristine (must be good for a 5) conditions, the second round of qualifying saw the race to the staging lanes won by Gregorini opting to run in his preferred right hand - Supercheap Autos Lane where he recorded a 6.014 at the previous event.

How happy is this little guy crewGregorini rocketed to a ridiculously close 6.001 at over 240mph (387kmh) with Keys sitting in the staging lanes right behind him watching.

Keys also opted to go into the right hand lane and on the very next pass put everyone out of their misery with a superb 5.97 second ET.

Congratulations to both racers on their outstanding achievements.

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