WooHoo! It's here! - $2000 Challenge Issue

I've been looking forward to this for months, and it finally arrived today!

I had to read that twice.   You don't have an issue with the Challenge, you have the Challenge issue.

I'm enjoying it too.  Now I need to resub since it had a last issue notice on it.

My first issue should be this one! Can't wait!

Crap, I meant to subscribe in time to get this one. Hopefully I can get it at the store.

I'm happy. 

Every year I read the Challenge review article I wish that the entrant information included

A: the car's weight as measured by the GRM scale at the event

and

B: the hp from the mythical Challenge Dyno supplied to the entrants at the event.

Just sayin'.  

Once again I am amazed (and a little intimidated) by what the challenge contestants achieve. Well done!

The whole reason I started reading this magazine. This particular issue with a dusty old Nova doing inappropriate things for 2k. 

Come on, Scott!  7th autocross time is better than "Carved the cones reasonably well"

also Calvin might be slightly put off at being called Cam.  
 

Challenge Issue To the Store!! 

Always one of the best annual issues.  Cannot wait to read it.

Patrick said:

also Calvin might be slightly put off at being called Cam.  
 

oh damn! By the time I am proofreading this one, I am so blurred from making sure everyone's name is spelled right I am sure I completely missed a reference to his brother that should've been him.

Marjorie Suddard said:

Patrick said:

also Calvin might be slightly put off at being called Cam.  
 

oh damn! By the time I am proofreading this one, I am so blurred from making sure everyone's name is spelled right I am sure I completely missed a reference to his brother that should've been him.

To all who don't know me or were not in attendance,

I melted when I saw the error.  Cameron was with us in spirit at the event but could not attend do to health issues.  Paula and I spent most of our available time preceding the event at the hospital with Cameron.  Calvin worked all day at his place of employment, and finished both of the cars in the evenings and on weekends that we took down to the event.  It was a last minute decision to even attend the event with concerns being for Cam.  Ultimately, with a lot of prayer and discussion with family to prepare for a possible emergency for Cameron, we headed down to Gainesville. 

Calvin finished the assembling, tuning, and loading the trailers.  On 10/4, we took the cars to a test session and Calvin made 32 passes trying to sort out the launch and 60' on both cars.  He was starting to dial in the fuel when we found a significant issue with the Sunbird.  So on 10/6 we ran over to a friend's dyno and the engine crapped the bed.  Calvin found a bunch of junk parts, pieced together the engine, installed it (not a small task in that car), fixed the rear suspension issue, helped me re-scale the car, loaded everything again and never complained.  We made the long trip down with heavy hearts but Cameron wanted us to run the event.  PACC Racing is Paula, Andrew, Cameron and Calvin and being down one was not what we wanted, but it was what we were dealt.  On 10/25, "the 9.90 run" was the first pass for the engine and suspension set up.  That 19 day sprint included a near 1000 mile tow down to the event.

I wanted to be running the car when my lifetime racing hero was on the track with us.  But I could not knowing how much Calvin poured into this event over the years and for this single event in particular.  We did not have a good showing.  The tune up in the 'bird was super conservative to get a number.  When we started throwing power at it the track was too slick.  No complaints, it just is.

For all who do know us,

Please let Calvin know that what he did was amazing, even beyond the thoughts and witness of this very proud father's observations.  I truly hope that everyone appreciated that Calvin laid down the fastest known stock bottom end Vortec 4200 pass and is the only person known at this time to go 10's with one of those engines.  He set a personal goal with that run and it was the punctuation to an 11 month effort for us.  I truly hope we see some engine bay love for that monster as it was an intense amount of work to make happen.  Between building, testing, changing, testing, adjusting and testing....you guys got to see history in an insignificant big world way, but a giant leap for 4200 world. 

I get giddy every time I see that Stude. Calvin's car is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. The fact that he chose the Atlas engine makes that car untouchable cool. For all time.

We are ALL very proud of Calvin (perhaps if like me proud just to say we know him, haha), but are we safe to assume Cameron is better?

Robbie said:

We are ALL very proud of Calvin (perhaps if like me proud just to say we know him, haha), but are we safe to assume Cameron is better?

Health wise yes.  Unfortunately while he was in the hospital his employer had a restructure and his department was eliminated.  He is still trying to find employment.

In reply to wheels777 :

I'm lucky to be able to call you and Calvin "friend". I'm also grateful for all the time you both take to answer my questions. One of these days I hope to be able to call you both "competitors", as well as "mentors". I'll start on the car build shortly, I promise.

Hopefully, Cameron will be healthy and in Gainesville in the fall. You have every right to be very proud of your boys. 

What better way for the void of Cameron's absence at the event to be filled than for Calvin to have dedicated the credit to Cam.  

More seriously though, add me to the list of those honored to share time and track with Calvin and all the Nelsons!  

wheels777 said:

Robbie said:

We are ALL very proud of Calvin (perhaps if like me proud just to say we know him, haha), but are we safe to assume Cameron is better?

Health wise yes.  Unfortunately while he was in the hospital his employer had a restructure and his department was eliminated.  He is still trying to find employment.

BSEE, yes?  Does he want to move to Detroit and work on autonomous vehicle stuff?  

Andrew, beyond our apologies, maybe we can use this screw-up to highlight how cool both your young men are? Could you send us an abbreviated version of your post above as a letter to the editor? We'd be happy to run it in the magazine to not only acknowledge and correct the error, but also give a Nelson family shout-out.

Margie

Marjorie Suddard said:

Andrew, beyond our apologies, maybe we can use this screw-up to highlight how cool both your young men are? Could you send us an abbreviated version of your post above as a letter to the editor? We'd be happy to run it in the magazine to not only acknowledge and correct the error, but also give a Nelson family shout-out.

Margie

Can do.  On a humorous note...he was reminded that he and his brother's names have been misapplied for as long as he could remember....I told him my brother and I could relate to that delight in life... 

wheels777 said:

Marjorie Suddard said:

Andrew, beyond our apologies, maybe we can use this screw-up to highlight how cool both your young men are? Could you send us an abbreviated version of your post above as a letter to the editor? We'd be happy to run it in the magazine to not only acknowledge and correct the error, but also give a Nelson family shout-out.

Margie

Can do.  On a humorous note...he was reminded that he and his brother's names have been misapplied for as long as he could remember....I told him my brother and I could relate to that delight in life... 

Thanks--and yeah, Tim and Tom are familiar. Different generations, same problem. Tim even has people come up to him and say "Ha! You misspelled your byline" when Tom writes stories.

Margie

Got mine today, I look forward to it all year.

Small niggling thing though, they glued the subscription card directly into the middle of the Datsaniti 2 page pic. Not at all bad for me, but seems like the printers kinda hurt the hard work you guys did on the magazine.

In reply to wheels777 :

I hit the like button on Calvin's videos and Instagram posts. The new project looks crazy. 

In reply to Andy Neuman :