The Ultimate Experience

It's hard to believe that the week is over already. Doug's team and the IRWIN machine didn't take home the trophy, but it was still a great week. I traveled back home yesterday and now I have to get back in to real life. Thanks to the Doug Herbert race team for their hospitality and thanks to IRWIN for awarding me this Ultimate Experience.

Day 6: Kieron's Play by Play of the Day

We got an early start on the car today, since our first run was at 12:30. We toned the IRWIN machine down a little bit, but still spun the tires. The track conditions were not ideal. Other race teams were having the same problems we were. There were numerous oil downs and almost everyone spun the tires, at least once. With our first pass of the day behind us, we toned the Herbert-IRWIN machine down even more to better suit track conditions. The next pass of the day would be our last qualifying run and we had to lay down a great pass because we were barely getting by up to that point. We brought the car to the line but one of the drivers that went before us ended up blowing the engine and we had to sit for about 30 minutes. It wasn't as bad for us as it was for Doug to wait; he was strapped into his hot car for that entire time. Doug went up to the line and laid down an awesome pass of 3.98 seconds, at over 300mph. That was motivating for all of us. Running at that speed put us in the number 12 position and got us into the show tomorrow. Everyone is pumped to tear down the track because we feel we have a great combination. Our first run is at noon tomorrow against Tony Schumacher, who is qualified 5th.

Day 6: We're in the Show!

Well, in the last four seconds, of the last hour of the day, we finally got the car hooked up and down the track to make it in the show. Talk about drama. Tomorrow we get to go racing. Our first round match up is a tough one, though. We have to line up against Schumacher in the 1st round. He usually does pretty well. We just need to be consistent and get down the track. Let's hope for the best.

Day 6: Watching Super Stock Hang the Front End

We had another early start today. We got everything unloaded and set up, with some time to spare. So I ducked away for a few minutes to check everything else going on at the dragway. I'm sitting down for a minute and actually watching some racing. These are the first cars I've seen go down the track, other than the Herbert-IRWIN machine. I'm watching Super Stock right now and it's pretty neat watching these cars hang the front end. I guess I better get back to the pits and see if they need a hand. We really need to get the car down the track with no issues today.

Day 5: Making Tweaks to Improve Traction

Yesterday, we got to the track around 10 am and got the car ready for our first pass later in the afternoon. During the first pass, the car spun the tires early in the run and ran 7.47 seconds, which isn't 100%. We brought the car back, serviced it and made a few changes. By the time we were ready for our second pass, the sun had set and it was dark. The second pass went the same as the first, with tire smoke early. We met up after that run and came up with a game plan for today to improve our traction. We feel confident we can really lay down 2 solid passes today and qualify much higher.

Day 5: Sending the Car Down the Track

They fired up the car for the first time around 3:00 pm today. Very impressive. It's pretty incredible when you can feel the horsepower. Around 6:00 pm, we sent the car down the track on it's first qualifying pass. The first qualifying pass didn't go so well. We spun the tires, which is never a good thing. There was plenty of horsepower but not enough traction. It is quite a feeling, though, when those cars take off. It literally shakes your entire body. Hopefully, we can get it all the way down the track on the next pass.

Day 4: B.R.A.K.E.S. Charity Dinner Raised a lot of Money

We had a great time at the B.R.A.K.E.S dinner at the Speedway Club, overlooking the Charlotte Motor Speedway track. (The first picture is the entry walk into the track and the second picture is what you see when you look out the windows from inside the Speedway Club.) There was a silent auction, as well as a live auction, with tons of motor sports memorabilia up for grabs to raise money for Doug Herbert's charity, B.R.A.K.E.S.. http://www.putonthebrakes.com/. Dinner was great and we learned more about the B.R.A.K.E.S. program and their mission. By far, the coolest part of the evening was the dog that was auctioned off. The bidding got up to $5,100 and wasn't going much higher. Then Allen Johnson came up to the stage and took the mic. Allen Johnson is sponsored by MOPAR and races in the Prostock class. http://www.allenjohnson.com/ When Allen took the mic, he said he would donate $5,000 if he could get 5 donors to donate $1,000 each. Five hands quickly went up. Then Allen extended his offer to another 5 people. Of course, 5 more hands were raised. The dog brought in $25,100 for the BRAKES program. The dinner was a success and everyone had a great time!

Day 4: Cool Facts About Dragsters

I found some Cool Facts About Dragsters, like the IRWIN one we are working on with Doug Herbert's team, on the website ultimatecarpage.com. It gives you a whole new perspective as to what we're actually working on. There are a ton more facts on the website, but here are just a few.

* One dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower than the first 8 rows at Daytona.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.

* The supercharger takes more power to drive than a stock hemi makes.

*Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

*Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

Day 4: Qualifying Starts Tomorrow

The fun starts tomorrow. We send the car down the track for the first time tomorrow for qualifying. Today, we were just buttoning up loose ends and getting the car through tech. It was nice to have a short easy day. I finally found some time to check out some NASCAR shops in the area. Penske racing has a very nice setup which includes a walkway that overlooks their garage area. If anyone wants to see a race shop, that's the one I'd recommend. I'm walking into the B.R.A.K.E.S. charity dinner and auction now. We're hoping to raise a good amount of money for Doug Herbert's cause.

Day 4: The Dragway is Starting to Get Busy

We finally made it! I just started classes at Ferris State University up in Wisconsin. I'm in the Automotive Engineering program and I couldn't get out of the first few days of classes this week. My Dad and I got in last night to the Charlotte area around 6pm. We were able to go out for some NC barbecue near the hotel. This morning I met Ron Wenzel from IRWIN and he introduced my Dad and I to some of the people at the IRWIN offices. After that, we headed down to the dragway in Concord, NC. I was helping to rebuild an engine earlier today. In one of the pictures above, you can see Nathan and Mike mounting rear tires. Most of the trailers are set for the races this weekend, but everything will really crank up tomorrow.

Day 3: The Real Fun is About to Begin

This profession is unlike any other. The time and effort put in by everyone on the team is incredible. It takes a lot of work to make this race happen. What you see on TV takes a ton of effort from everyone involved. One thing is for sure; Scott Gaddy, the crew chief, is one of the hardest working guys I've ever met. I thought I was a hard worker, but he's unbelievable and out worked me all day. You really have to be passionate about this to do it. I can promise you that most people involved in racing don't do it for the pay. They do it for the love of the sport. It's a good thing I love racing, because I've worked harder and longer in these past three days than I normally work in a week. But I love it. I can't wait to see the car go down the track. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel today as we were just about done unloading the truck. The real fun is about to begin.

Day 2: Loading up for Race Weekend

It was another late night at the race shop, loading cars and washing trucks. It was fairly uneventful, just a lot of the real work involved in preparing for the fun work. It all has to get done, though. I'm learning what racing is really about, long hours of hard work for short seconds of fun.

Day 1: In the Doug Herbert Race Shop

Left to Right: Ron Wenzel (IRWIN Marketing), Nathan Allen (SkillsUSA Student - Missouri), Scott Gaddy (Crew Chief), Doug Herbert (Top Fuel Driver)

It was quite a first day. I got into Charlotte on Sunday with no problems. I'm disappointed that my buddy, Keith Fritzmeyer, who is a huge race fan, wasn't able to join me. But hopefully these daily posts will keep him updated. I was actually still at the Doug Herbert race shop last night at 7:30, getting ready and cleaning everything. We got the IRWIN scoop on the car and put it on the dolly, so we can get it on the trailer. I learned they run really low compression, then supplement with 50 pounds of boost. They pump approximately 90 gallons per minute through the car. That is an astounding amount of fuel! It was an amazing first day, I can't wait to see what today brings.

The IRWIN Tools Ultimate Experience in Drag Racing Education

IRWIN Tools is proud to award the experience of a lifetime to Kieron Kohlmann, from Racine, WI, and Nathan Allen, from St. Clair, MO. In recognition of winning the 2010 National SkillsUSA Automotive Service Technology Competition, they will be spending an intense week preparing for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals Drag Race weekend in Concord, NC. They’ll be working alongside hot rod mechanics and legends to build and rebuild one of the NHRA's most famous "Top Fuel" dragsters on the strip. Get an inside look at the exciting world of drag racing from deep inside the Doug Herbert race shop. Follow the daily posts of these two aspiring automotive technicians as they twirl the iron and rebuild the IRWIN Tools dragster, heat after heat, until the final race for the trophy.