Rocky Mountain Race Week 2023
The epic roar of V8 engines, turbochargers, and tires screeching echoed against Kearney, Nebraska's buildings. This was the grand return of Rocky Mountain Race Week's survivors, who emerged victorious after a difficult journey littered with challenges and mechanical hitches. Our Speedway Motors team was there, soaking in the spectacle, bearing witness to the sacrifices, the hurdles overcome, and the subsequent glory as competitors pulled into the final checkpoint of this grueling yet exhilarating event.
Just a week earlier, these racers were highly motivated and energetic, ready to fight for the win in their respective classes. The 2023 Rocky Mountain Race Week schedule was a legitimate test: racers had to trek across four different tracks, hundreds of miles apart, proving their "street" cars could handle the drag strip's environmental characteristics all while driving from track to track amid regular traffic.
The racing was intense, a heated battle where each racer was striving for an average time that rendered them as close as possible to their class’ target E/T. All the while, these racers grappled with potential mechanical issues and the daunting task of driving their cars over 1,000 miles across four distinct tracks under the unforgiving summer heat.
Competitors began their preparation months ahead of the race, bracing themselves for a wide variety of potential issues. These ranged from the relatively minor, such as changing a spark plug, to significant overhauls like a complete drivetrain swap roadside. The challenge wasn't just about weathering unpredictable conditions but also about handling the changing elevation that these powerful machines had to negotiate during the course of the competition.
The organizers designed this route meticulously, ensuring to push the racers and their street cars to the peak of their capabilities, particularly those with vehicles capable of record-breaking times on the drag strip.
Kearney Raceway Park marked the race's beginning and end, a location notorious for its extreme heat and humidity during Nebraska summers. After overcoming the initial challenge at Kearney, racers had a day to drive to the next track - the famous Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado. This first 400-mile drive was an endurance test for the cars' resilience and endurance.
Once they proved they could make the journey through a respectable pass at elevation, the racers ventured onto another Colorado track in Pueblo. The journey to Pueblo, over 100 miles, continued to test the racers and their machines. As the altitude changed, these vehicles had to adapt and prove their worth. The racers spent two days racing in Pueblo, recording their official times for Rocky Mountain Race Week before heading back to Kearney for the final day of exhibition racing.
The journey was riddled with tough decisions. The fastest racer faced a significant challenge when they encountered an issue with one of their engine's pistons. The question that posed itself: risk running the motor on seven cylinders and potentially incur damage on the way back to Kearney to qualify for their class win? Or, should they opt for a safer, though time-consuming, engine swap? Decisions like these could spell victory or defeat for a racer.
At the event's end, the racers had weathered one of the planet's most demanding automotive challenges. But this inherent difficulty is precisely what keeps them coming back, year after year. The challenge of testing not just a machine's mechanical reliability but also one's grit and determination is what these racers thrive on. It's what they need to finish at Kearney and bask in the glory of victory at week's end!