There used to be a 3/8 mile paved circle track in El Cajon. The name of the track was Cajon Speedway. It has been torn down for awhile now for airport expansion.
In 1996 and 1997 our shop helped sponsor a team that included a well known Outlaw engine builder who had a shop right next to ours. The class we helped with was a Sportsman Class. We took care of the tranny work.
We also helped with a Modified team a few years after the Sportsman deal.
Jerry Gay was the driver in the Sportsman car. We won the Sportsman Championship in 1996.
Murl Bruton was the engine builder and Crew Chief during those years. Better known for his drag boat engines, he also was involved in Outlaw engine building. He was nick named "The Wizard" by his adoring competitors. The name of his drag boat was "Hellfire".
I used to visit him next door and sit with him while he told his stories of his glory days. If you have racing in your blood, it's like you have glue on your azz stuck to the chair while listening to his stories. On the outside, Murl gave the impression of a salty old grouch, but once you got to know him he would show his teddy bear side. A true gentleman. I would compare his persona to that of John Wayne. He became a true friend to me and my wife. So now you all understand the dedication I gave to him in my first video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_SJ_zRkOE0
He knew some great people in the racing world. Smokey Yunick came out to visit him once before he passed away. You'd think, wow, Smokey Yunick, but he was just a regular fella just like the rest of us. Smokey was a true innovator.
There's a head porter in town who also happens to be nick named Smokey. Some people in the Buick community out here also know of him. Steve Stanley is his name. He partnered with Murl during his hayday and they ate up the competition.
Murl even has Nascar connections. He knew Junior Johnson, among other well known names. The stories he told were amazing. One story I remember was about a time when Murl was helping out someone and was standing next to Junior watching the racing. Murl's car went up into the weeds and started a fire, and Junior, with his deep voice and slow southern draw, turned his head to Murl and said, "Your boy is out there on fire".
When my project was still just a dream, I remember bouncing ideas off of Murl. As time progressed with the project, I could tell Murl was as excited about the project as I was. He passed away 2 weeks before I was ready to take the car to the track. That hit me hard. Still brings tears to my eyes. He was truly a great racer and friend.
So you ask how I know about the best of the best pushing the limits and beyond. Now you know.
Dusty. I am well aware of the cost of a teardown inspection. They had the same deal at the circle track. It was also realized that if a racer was a jerk, competitors would gladly pay out the money to inconvenience the fella.
In fact, they had a deal where you could buy the competitor's engine and you had to give him yours in the deal. A sort of trade. If you wanted to have that winners engine, just fork out a small amount of money and give him your engine and you had a top notch engine to teardown and study.
So you guys think racers don't push the rules and beyond. Get involved in some circle track racing and get an education.
Oh yeah, Thanks for accepting my apology 
