We're In Great Bend Kansas for Day Three of Rocky Mountain Race Week

We're currently located in Great Bend, Kansas, and it's day three of the Rocky Mountain Race Week. After yesterday's racing, we've got to deal with the aftermath, including a few heavy hitters who are missing due to heavy thunderstorms that forced them to stay 120 miles away from the racetrack last night. The storms were so severe that they claimed the lives of two drivers, and the road conditions were hazardous enough that some drivers arrived at the track early this morning with little or no sleep.

Tom Bailey's Day Was Cut Short

Tom Bailey had a hard day yesterday when he suffered a mechanical failure. His valve tip broke, causing him to lose his competition. What started as a minor issue ended up being much worse when it was discovered that the valve drop caused a hole in the piston. This meant that Tom was out of the competition for good.

Sleep Was Not an Option

While some drivers were able to get a few hours of rest before arriving at the track, others had to deal with the consequences of heavy thunderstorms and poor road conditions. Alex Taylor, one of the team members from Crower, ran a 944 just recently, but it was not good enough for ETU. When asked if her performance was affected by lack of sleep or the carnage on the road, she attributed her struggles to big power, saying that adrenaline helped her push through.

Team Eric Yost and His Plan

Eric Yost is another driver who had a tough night due to heavy thunderstorms. He's planning to run a drag radial, which means he'll have to deal with the challenges of racing on pavement instead of asphalt. To get more information about his plan, we decided to check in with him.

Tough Night for Joe Barry and Friends

Joe Barry and other drivers were behind us when it came time to leave the track last night. As a result, they arrived at the track later than some of the other competitors. This meant that they had to take on the challenges of racing on a hot and slippery surface without getting much rest.

Doug's Story

The story of Doug is particularly interesting because he was able to make it to the track despite having to drive over 120 miles to get there in one night. His team had planned for this, knowing that they would need to stay late at the track due to heavy thunderstorms.

Early Morning Arrival

While some drivers were able to arrive at the track early and get a head start on the day, others faced much more challenging conditions. The heavy thunderstorms made it difficult for anyone to get a good night's sleep, let alone enjoy a relaxing morning drive.

Mountain Driving is a Different Story

One of the things that sets mountain driving apart from other forms of driving is the scenery and the sense of adventure that comes with exploring new roads. Darrell loves to row his own gears down a drag strip because it adds an extra layer of excitement to the experience.

Consistency is Key in Drag Racing

Drag racing can be unpredictable, as you never know what's going to happen when you're pushing your car down the track at high speeds. However, consistency is key to success in this sport, and drivers who are able to maintain their focus and composure over the course of a race tend to do better.

Racing on Different Tracks

One of the things that makes Rocky Mountain Race Week so unique is the variety of tracks and racing conditions that competitors face. While some racers might prefer the smooth asphalt of one track, others might thrive in the rougher conditions of another.

The Cool Cars We Found Along the Way

As we made our way to Kearney, Nebraska, we stumbled upon a bunch of cool old cars lined up outside a local bar. A Chevrolet station wagon from the early 1960s and a 73 Square Body Seater were among the highlights.

Tow Trucks and Other Vehicles

We also spotted a few tow trucks and other vehicles that looked like they belonged in the past, such as an Econoline van from the 1970s. These finds made our journey to Kearney all the more interesting.

The Trip Was Worth It

Despite making a wrong turn and driving extra miles, we finally arrived at the track after a long drive. We were excited to see what was waiting for us when we got there, including some cool local cars that would be featured on this page.

A Quick Drink Before Calling It a Night

We decided to grab a quick drink before calling it a night.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're in Great Bend Kansas for day three a Rocky Mountain Race week and after yesterday's racing there's a few fit heavy hitters that are out yeah and the road also killed a couple of guys because we had to heavy thunderstorms which means some of them stayed 120 miles away from the racetrack last night and they're not even here yet yesterday Tom Bailey had a hardened valve tip that failed he asked the guys from Crower for some parts to help him fix it they did a lash cap and some other stuff but it turns out it wasn't the valve that was the only problem that valve dropped punched a hole in the piston and now he is out of the competition horrible weather and a bunch of carnage on the road meant that some of our drivers got here really early this morning and got little or no sleep and team crowler's Alex Taylor she's one of them and you ran a 944 just a little bit ago but that's not the ETU were wanting and is that because of the lack of sleep or the carnage or this incredible heat we're seeing I don't think it's a sleep because I got plenty of adrenaline and I just think it's saying well you've got big power just like Cosmo Motors team Eric Yost and he's also trying to plan a drag radial so we'll go check with him and see if he has any tricks and we'll let you know oh yeah it was it was a tough night we we seen Joe Barry and all them guys there they were behind us so you know they came in later than what we did well Doug and those guys stays like a hundred twenty miles away from here as my understanding so that they could just get some sleep because they knew they'd never make it otherwise right right yeah I mean at night in the rain whole drag radials pulling the trailer none of that equals fun it was rough so with the no sleep are you gonna be on your game today or what do you wanna be good we're just gonna try to put in crews and brought us one you know we got that other time we're gonna I'm gonna pull just a little bit out of top in and try to run like a six 80s and I can't try to keep it in there keep it time yeah whatever I want to see a 70 you and that'll boy over there in the back when I get painting me I'm gonna try to run 50 for real I'm on I don't know what we're gonna do with our hair but I really would like to see a scar little figure we think we have it but uh you know how to Friday yeah I mean I just hate paying the murse to track with that thin air right but we're really gonna try to pack it in it here at Rocky Mountain race week there's classes for everybody you know Nova's like this one you expect but what you don't expect is 1,100 horsepower Chevy pickups like this one that Wade boy down exit 1222 power twelve hundred and twenty-two horsepower you know I don't know if I've ever seen one that rolls coal harder than this thing it's insane what the hell made you do this well you know it's just something different and you know early on when I started tweaking with them I just learned there was so much versatility being able to run them on the street and be able to get fuel mileage like I was getting twenty one and a half miles per gallon the rain didn't scare you one bit this thing's at home in that stuff so I go for mountain drives all the time so it was uh it was actually nice just getting to cruise and hang out and get this check out all the scenery so Darrell here knows that the most fun way you can go down a drag strip is by rowing your own gears and it's awesome this thing is brutal well a good thing about a four-speed car and drag Rocky Mountain drag week is it's about your time turning so are you having a great time and n is the thing is it consistent no it's a Hail Mary every bath you don't know what's gonna happen when you let out the closets I could tell you which tracks are good which tracks are bad but these tracks have been great normally on race week the heavy hitters are the guys that do the 1 and Duns where they make a big lap and then hit the highway and the guys with the lower horsepower cars they make a million laps but the tables are turned here in Great Bend the heat is so hot the track surface is so hot but the little guys are able to make it down it the big boys they're having a hard time which means they're here late means they've got to keep taking run you the craziness of Rocky Mountain race week is officially on the boys in the turbo Pontiac blew up a motor and I heard that they've got a new one coming and they're gonna repair it alright ladies and gentlemans four o'clock we ran late because we were late starting and now everybody's leaving it's our turn to finally hit the road Bernie one of the cool things about driving across the country is you never know what you're gonna find and we find this place with all these cool old cars lined up early sixties Chevrolet station wagon 73 square body seat an Econoline van which is ultra cool got we got a tow mate or tow truck out there there's lots of stuff to look at we're finally here in Kearney Nebraska and it was a long drive we made a wrong turn drove extra hundred miles whatever but the competitors apparently did the same thing because they're not very many of them here right now I know Doug Klein is still on the road and those boys are probably still put in the four eight in the Pontiac back in Great Bend but we're here and I see a couple of cool local cars so we're gonna go check what happened this is fully my speed and the trip tourism no way I want one the guys that are here are taking full advantage of the Yoast bar and as much as I would love to stand around and drink beer my dishes are done so I am calling it a night we are out on day three of Rocky Mountain Race Week\n"