Post by cassy14 on Jul 29, 2008 12:34:25 GMT -6
Monster of the dirt track
Alex Byington
The Daily Times
Published July 26, 2008
For many around the Hill Country, the recent rain from the presence of Hurricane Dolly was a much-needed relief to the hot Texas summer.
But for Greg Dinsmore of Kerrville, it came as an unwanted halt to a four-race winning streak at the I-37 Raceway in Pleasanton.
With seven victories already to his credit, Dinsmore has been nearly unstoppable this season, winning the last four races dating back to June 20.
Sitting inside of his No. 8G IMCA Modified car, Dinsmore has made it a weekly habit of tearing up the dirt track before heading to the I-37 winner’s circle.
But wins didn’t always come easy for Dinsmore, who is in just his fourth year of racing after starting out running at the former Mountain Home racetrack.
“The first couple of years was a pretty big struggle, but this last year, the car has just been great,” Dinsmore said. “We got our mindset together as a team, because my wife helps me, and we put our minds together and we scaled the car and every week we’re checking things.”
Along with his wife, Candace, whom he met on a race track, the two have put together the most unbeatable mud-slinging machine in the Hill Country.
“My wife has been a big part of my racing — that’s where I met her, though racing,” Dinsmore said. “She inspires me to put things together and put things in our mind to make things go.”
Dinsmore credits his muse, who is driving her own MiniSprint car when she’s not helping her husband, as the brains behind the operation.
“She’ll actually be the brains sometimes and I’ll be thinking about something and she’ll through it out there and it might be right,” Dinsmore said. “Or she’ll say something and I say, ‘No, but you’re headed down the right path.’”
And that right path has led Dinsmore to the winner’s circle more times than any other IMCA Modified driver this season, leading the other 24 drivers with 508 points.
With a small block 350 engine that is stroked out to a 396, Dinsmore spends close to $30,000 a year maintaining a strong and powerful alcohol-burning ride.
But for Dinsmore, success doesn’t come from a strong engine. It’s all about the back of his 2007 Harris Chassis.
“The back of that car is where its at,” Dinsmore said. “You can do all you want with the car, the motor or anything, but my offer to anybody is that I’ll swap motors with you for a night — you need to work on the back.”
Racing on dirt, both in Pleasanton and in Abilene, Dinsmore has learned through experience that sometimes a powerful engine isn’t the best way to win.
“Dirt doesn’t hold you as well as asphalt, so if you get on a track, it’s slick like glass,” he said. “Let’s say you’re on a quarter-mile track and you’re turning 13-second times and its tacky.
“The car will go through the corner like lightning — you just lift and stand back and watch the 600 horsepower motor take off like a rocket,” Dinsmore added.
By following a simple formula, though, he’s been able to avoid any trouble on the track this season.
“I’ve learned this year to watch the left-wheel tire because if the car is not on the bar, the car’s not going fast,” Dinsmore said.
And fast is the name of the game in IMCA Modified racing, where the most successful drivers usually start from the back of the pack, usually forcing Dinsmore to make his move quickly.
“When you go from the back to the front, you’ve got to make up your mind to do it fast,” he said. “Once a driver gets in his groove and gets in his spot, it’s harder to pass.”
But with his wife and a strong support system of friends and family standing behind him, Dinsmore has found the right type of ingredients to put together the perfect winning combination.
“I’ve figured some things out on my car that a lot of people are banging their heads against the wall that have been beating me,” Dinsmore said.
Of course, he’s not telling what the “mystery” to his success is just yet, he’s got a few more races to win.
“The mystery is in the back of my car,” Dinsmore said. “... once you figure out that mystery, the car will go, the car will work like a dream.”
Alex Byington is a sports writer for the Times. Contact him at alex.byington(at)dailytimes.com.
Alex Byington
The Daily Times
Published July 26, 2008
For many around the Hill Country, the recent rain from the presence of Hurricane Dolly was a much-needed relief to the hot Texas summer.
But for Greg Dinsmore of Kerrville, it came as an unwanted halt to a four-race winning streak at the I-37 Raceway in Pleasanton.
With seven victories already to his credit, Dinsmore has been nearly unstoppable this season, winning the last four races dating back to June 20.
Sitting inside of his No. 8G IMCA Modified car, Dinsmore has made it a weekly habit of tearing up the dirt track before heading to the I-37 winner’s circle.
But wins didn’t always come easy for Dinsmore, who is in just his fourth year of racing after starting out running at the former Mountain Home racetrack.
“The first couple of years was a pretty big struggle, but this last year, the car has just been great,” Dinsmore said. “We got our mindset together as a team, because my wife helps me, and we put our minds together and we scaled the car and every week we’re checking things.”
Along with his wife, Candace, whom he met on a race track, the two have put together the most unbeatable mud-slinging machine in the Hill Country.
“My wife has been a big part of my racing — that’s where I met her, though racing,” Dinsmore said. “She inspires me to put things together and put things in our mind to make things go.”
Dinsmore credits his muse, who is driving her own MiniSprint car when she’s not helping her husband, as the brains behind the operation.
“She’ll actually be the brains sometimes and I’ll be thinking about something and she’ll through it out there and it might be right,” Dinsmore said. “Or she’ll say something and I say, ‘No, but you’re headed down the right path.’”
And that right path has led Dinsmore to the winner’s circle more times than any other IMCA Modified driver this season, leading the other 24 drivers with 508 points.
With a small block 350 engine that is stroked out to a 396, Dinsmore spends close to $30,000 a year maintaining a strong and powerful alcohol-burning ride.
But for Dinsmore, success doesn’t come from a strong engine. It’s all about the back of his 2007 Harris Chassis.
“The back of that car is where its at,” Dinsmore said. “You can do all you want with the car, the motor or anything, but my offer to anybody is that I’ll swap motors with you for a night — you need to work on the back.”
Racing on dirt, both in Pleasanton and in Abilene, Dinsmore has learned through experience that sometimes a powerful engine isn’t the best way to win.
“Dirt doesn’t hold you as well as asphalt, so if you get on a track, it’s slick like glass,” he said. “Let’s say you’re on a quarter-mile track and you’re turning 13-second times and its tacky.
“The car will go through the corner like lightning — you just lift and stand back and watch the 600 horsepower motor take off like a rocket,” Dinsmore added.
By following a simple formula, though, he’s been able to avoid any trouble on the track this season.
“I’ve learned this year to watch the left-wheel tire because if the car is not on the bar, the car’s not going fast,” Dinsmore said.
And fast is the name of the game in IMCA Modified racing, where the most successful drivers usually start from the back of the pack, usually forcing Dinsmore to make his move quickly.
“When you go from the back to the front, you’ve got to make up your mind to do it fast,” he said. “Once a driver gets in his groove and gets in his spot, it’s harder to pass.”
But with his wife and a strong support system of friends and family standing behind him, Dinsmore has found the right type of ingredients to put together the perfect winning combination.
“I’ve figured some things out on my car that a lot of people are banging their heads against the wall that have been beating me,” Dinsmore said.
Of course, he’s not telling what the “mystery” to his success is just yet, he’s got a few more races to win.
“The mystery is in the back of my car,” Dinsmore said. “... once you figure out that mystery, the car will go, the car will work like a dream.”
Alex Byington is a sports writer for the Times. Contact him at alex.byington(at)dailytimes.com.