~ Mopar Mile-High Nationals (2006), Bandimere Speedway ~
 

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Two "Floppers" Getting Ready to Race
Moper Mile-High Nationals, 2006
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The 27th Annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals were held at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, west of Denver, on July 14, 15, and 16th.  Bandimere Speedway is often referred to as "Thunder Mountain" by the drag racing teams because of the fact that it is located in the Denver foothills, and the horrendous noise that the top fuel cars produce when they make their 330 mile-per-hour runs.  This track is also the highest elevation track on the NHRA drag racing circuit.

Lessons learned:  It was a really hot, dry day.  We took lots of sun screen and drank lots of water.  Not beer, not coke, not even iced tea or Gatorade - but lots and lots of water.  Staying hydrated was a big help and made the long, hot day a lot more pleasant - we got there really early and had to wait over 4 hours for the pro classes to start racing.  But it was worth it - we got lots of photos of the cars being readied for racing and beat the crowds (translation - a great parking spot!).

When you see a picture with a lot of haze and it appears blurry - don't try to adjust your monitor, and it wasn't a camera problem.   That is smoke you see from the aftermath of a burnout.  The cars all do burnouts to heat up the tires, seat the clutch plates, and get the engines up to temperature.  Another lesson learned - we sat too low in the grandstands!  We had seats on the third row, right behind the starting line.  That's why that stupid guard rail and various people are often in the way.

 

(More) Drag Racing Tid-Bits:

• About Bandimere Speedway:  It is located west of Denver at an altitude of around 5,800 feet above sea level.  The air temperature Saturday was as high as 99 degrees, with a track temperature of as high as 149 degrees.  Those factors made the density altitude at the track 9,880 feet above sea level.  In other words, the air was the same density at the track as it is at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet on a standard day - thin, making it hard for engines to make horsepower and hard to produce the appropriate down force on the rear wheels (with the rear wing).  This also makes it harder to stop because the pro cars all use parachutes - a high density altitude results in less air filling the chutes to provide stopping power.
   

• The terms "Top Fuel" and "Nitro" both refer to the two categories of the professional class (Top Fuel Dragster and Top Fuel Funny Car) that burn a combination of 85% nitro-methane (CH₃NO₂) and 15% methanol.  A 90% nitro mix is allowed only at Bandimere because of the high altitude.  This stuff is pumped into the engine at a rate of 60 gallons per minute and costs about $35 dollars a gallon.
   

• When you hear the term "hit of the throttle" in a top fuel car, it means that the driver steps on what we would refer to as a "gas pedal."  But the pedal does not feed fuel into the car in varying degrees like our street cars do.  It is just a switch - when the driver hits the throttle, it simply turns on a switch.  Computers actually control the rate of fuel flow as the car goes down the track.  (Isn't that cool?  Us computer geeks have a place in drag racing!)
   

• Nitro cars produce as much as 8,000 horse-power, and go the length of a quarter-mile in times anywhere between 4 and 6 seconds.  The top speed in Friday's qualifying was around 327 miles-per-hour.  An amazing speed given the high altitude.
   

• Question: Why are drag races only a quarter mile?  Drag races are not an endurance race.  Drag races are acceleration contests to see who can go a quarter of a mile as quick (elapsed time) as possible.  By the time a nitro car is 660 feet down the track, it is traveling at around 227 miles per hour.
   

• A driver can have a quicker elapsed time than his or her opponent and still lose the race.  Once the "christmas tree" turns green (right after displaying three amber lights), the first one to the end wins.  If a driver has a quicker reaction time to the light (cutting a good light) he or she can get to the end faster than a car who has a better elapsed time.  This is known as a "hole-shot" win.  The saying in drag racing is:  "If you see a green light, you're late!"
   

• The speed of a car is measured in the "speed trap" during the last 60 feet of the run.  In other words, it is not simply a matter of calculating the speed based on the elapsed time against the entire quarter mile.  A car can have a really quick elapsed time while having a relatively lower top speed.  Conversely, a car can have a really high top speed, but yet a higher elapsed time, and still lose a race.  Speed matters not - reaction time and elapsed time are everything.  Quick = low elapsed time.  Fast = high top speed.
   

• Drag racing is no longer a male dominated sport.  Denver native, Melanie Troxel, is the current points leader in Top Fuel Dragster.  Angelle Sampey, who made her drag racing debut at Bandimere in 1996, is the current points leader in Pro Stock Motorcycle.  Texas native Erica Enders is a contender in Pro Stock, Hillary Will drives in Top Fuel Dragster, and Karen Stoffer is a successful Pro Stock Motorcycle pilot.  The only professional class without a female driver is Top Fuel Funny Car - but that will change as John Force's daughter, Ashley (a frequent winner in the Top Alcohol Dragster class) is being primed to jump into a Force Racing Team funny car in the next year or two.
   

• The term "Thrashing" in drag racing refers to the turnaround activities between racing sessions.  In the Top Fuel classes, the engines are completely stripped down, inspected and rebuilt after every run.  The teams have only 75 minutes to take apart and rebuild the engine, pack the chutes, repair any body damage, warm it up, and get it to the staging area for the next race.  It is common to see a crew "thrashing" on the car in the pit area right after a race.

Catch the action on ESPN2!

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Bill's Photos:

Click on a postcard to see the full-sized image.

In the Pits and Around the Track:

         

         

       

       

         

         

         

         

   

 

Pro Classes - Top Fuel Dragster and Top Fuel Funny Car ("Floppers"):

         

         

         

         

         

 

 

         

         

         

   

 

Pro Classes - Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle:

         

         

 

         

         

         

   

 

 

Sportsman Classes - Eliminator, Super Comp., Super Gas, Altered, Others:

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

       

 

 

all photographs on this page taken by:

W. P. Flinn

(c) 2006