Getting Your Car Race Ready This Spring

It’s always a surprise for gearheads. November, December, and even January seem to be endless as we all sit around waiting on those parts for our winter projects. Then suddenly, February arrives and it sets in: Spring is almost here and you’re nowhere near ready for race season. Suddenly that clock is turbocharged as you scramble to get all the odds and ends together in time to hit the track.

If you’re new to racing, it’s easy to become entirely consumed with installing those big and flashy mods. You never forget to rebuild an engine or install a blower. No, what throws a wrench in your spokes are the little things. Not having extra plugs, jets, fuel supply—these will leave you fumbling around in the pits like an idiot. So today, we’re going to run through a list of the not-so-little-things you can’t leave out when getting your car race ready, as well as the top suppliers to turn to.

Let’s Make Sure We Don’t Burn Down

I know, I said little things, but you never want to leave the wiring unchecked. Even if the car fires up just fine after being parked all winter, there’s still a chance that some wires could have become damaged. Who knows—maybe a mouse found his way in there to raise hell. All it takes is one little wire shorting out to cause a big fire.

Painless Performance

You already know who to call when a track car needs a harness, and that’s Painless Performance. They’ve got something for everyone and just about every application. Obviously, the brand’s claim to fame is its simple yet modern wiring harnesses designed to update classic muscle cars. But for track-oriented vehicles, you also have the option of grabbing the Track Rocker.

Available in 4, 6, or 8 switch configurations, with mounting options available for dash mount, roll bar mount (1⅝” and 1¾”), or flanged under dash mount, Painless makes it easy to pick the proper system to run everything you need for the track. You can hook up the ignition, starter, fuel supply, cooling fans—even EFI can be run with this system. The durable switch panels are plug-and-play with the Painless Track Rocker system, including everything necessary for a simple installation.

Fuel Delivery

Just because it’s such an obvious feature doesn’t mean it’s impossible to forget. When making upgrades in a race against time, it’s really easy to get tunnel vision. Let’s start with the worst-case scenario: a last-minute realization that you don’t have a proper fuel system. Maybe you made some major updates in power which warrant the use of a better pump. Or maybe as you climbed under the car during a routine checkup, you found some holes in the tank that weren’t there before. Whatever the situation is, you need to get something in the car that can feed fuel to the engine.

Aeromotive

If you’re running EFI or big power, and aren’t concerned with stock equipment, Aeromotive’s 340 Stealth Fuel Cells are an extremely good solution for track applications. Now, before you argue about cost—I agree, it’s an investment. But the “buy once cry once” concept really does apply with Aeromotive’s 340 series.

These systems are extremely versatile in what they can support. Typically, as power changes and updates are made to the engine, the fuel pump often needs to be replaced; this is not the case with 340 fuel systems. The pumps used in these systems can operate with EFI or carbs, either naturally-aspirated or with boost.

“Simply strap the cell in, hook up your feed and return lines, and you’re done,” says Aeromotive. “Now you have a complete ‘in-tank’ fuel system without the need for expensive custom tanks or the hassle of welding sump boxes or modifying inadequate pick up tubes. The Stealth Fuel Cells are truly universal, preforming perfectly in any application. By matching the right regulator to your application, this system will be the last fuel system you will ever need to buy.”

The good news is that if you want this pump but would prefer a factory type tank, Aeromotive offers that configuration as well.

Plumbing

It’s far more likely that you’ll run into an issue with plumbing, especially if it’s your first time around with a second-hand, hard-used race car. Fuel lines can crack over time, fittings get chewed up, and sometimes the fuel supply is a little too close to a heat source.

“If it runs, it runs,” is always a good thing to stick to because “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? (Especially when you need to save money for fuel and hotdogs on race day.) But keep in mind that if a line blows out, or you can’t get a line off to make adjustments, or you run into a vapor lock issue at the track, there’s a good chance that the only thing you’ll be doing on race day is stocking up on hotdogs and fuel.

Aeroquip

You want to make sure everything is clean and safe to run on the big day. Aeroquip offers pretty much everything you’ll need to run fuel to the engine, including standard braided hose all the way to AN fuel lines for serious applications. If you need to make your system meet spec or simply freshen it up, then these are the guys to turn to.

While you’re at it, grabbing yourself a proper set of AN Fitting Wrenches can really be worth it. Instead of risking the chance of chewing up those fittings and having to repeat the process in a few years, you could grab the right tool for the job and avoid over-tightening.

If Running a Carb Make Sure You’re Ready

Success on race day with a carburetor comes from a combination of wisdom, experience and preparedness. If you’re new to the world of carbs, chances are there’s a lot being thrown at you that can be hard to understand.

There are a lot of brand names out there but for wide open throttle, racers all around the world swear by Holley-style units. I say “style” because there are a lot of brands selling this type of carburetor. Why? Because it works.

Jet Performance

If you’re familiar with modern performance, you may be surprised to find that Jet Performance is one of the brands offering these types of carburetors. What may set you even further back in your seat is that they offer the coveted mechanical secondary style unit in a wide range of CFM. This means, pretty much whatever the application is calling for, one or more 4-barrel Holley carburetors can take advantage of this brand’s offerings.

There’s more to getting ready for race day than slapping a performance carb in place and taking off. You must be able to tune it at the track. While the most important thing to bring along is a mentor to help you dial it in, you also need to help them help you. Bring along a selection of jets, power valves, nozzles, spare accelerator pumps, and extra gaskets. The good news about running a Jet model of the Holley means you still have access to all of these goodies from Holley as they are the same platform, making your life easier.

Safety Gear

Perhaps the most important part of getting your car race ready, is making sure all your safety gear is in check. This means seat belts, racing jacket, roll cage, fire extinguisher, bellhousing, and even the helmet must meet the SFI requirements of the class you are in.

Furthermore, you want to make sure that they are within their usable lifespan. Helmets, jackets, seat belts and extinguishers must all be replaced after a period of time and the last thing you want is to fail a tech inspection because your gear is expired. Also, any tears, cracks, dings, or dents will warrant replacing.

Track-side Tools and Gear

Even a perfectly sound car in the garage will need some attention at the track. Obviously, newcomers won’t be tearing off heads or dropping pans between runs their first time around. But tweaking the carb, messing with tire pressure, and performing minor repairs will be necessary on race day—and this requires proper tools. While the guys in the pits are friendly enough to lend a hand, the last thing you want to do is run around borrowing tools, so bring a set of your own along with you.

Make sure you have at least two box wrenches and sockets that match any bolt or nut that can be found on your car. Even if you only intend on performing mild repairs, stuff happens. When it comes to tools: it’s better to have it and not need it, than the other way around.

Screwdrivers, pliers, snips, zip ties, and duct tape should also find their way into your track tool bag. You might even consider bringing along spare odds and ends like extra plugs, belts, hoses, and clamps in case anything minor does go wrong. If you can swing it: spare tires. Additionally, a torque wrench, timing light, means to refill the tires with air after letting them down, and a jack and jack stands could be the difference in a successful day at the track.

And don’t forget those fluids! If you spring a leak on account of gasket failure or something major, you’ll need to call it a day so you can perform the repair properly. However, an extra few quarts of oil, transmission fluid, tire prep, and fuel jugs from VP Fuel or SpeedFX will all work to keep you performing properly all night long.

What are you currently scrambling to finish on your track car? Let us know in the comments!