Your bumper is your main tool in pushing..You can work a car around to get a good placement with a wide bumper...
I like a full width board from fender to fender..This helps you to turn a car easier and not get any contact with
the sprinter your working with..It doesn't take much to ride up a rear wheel when making a tight turn with a
sprint or midget..I set my bottom height off the ground at 11 inches..This is a good for working with midgets and
mini sprints also...We used frame pieces from a camping trailer..Its one by eight boxed steel that we chopped and welded..Then its framed with a steel banding..It rises above the
top bumper a foot for over ride protection from stock cars..Red Stauffer and Ron Johnson installed my initials in
the center (JK)
I have use two treated 2x10's for for the total height of my bumper..The last 7 years i have used a plastic bumper..You can use what ever wood you
want but use alot of paint for the finish...The more paint the longer the surface will last...Some use rubber for a facing but I like to be able
slide my cars around a little bit..
You can mount the bumper direct to your truck frame like my Jeep is or as a bolt on like above.
MORE AND MORE PUSHERS ARE USING THE RECEIVER HITCHES ON THEIR TRUCKS TO SHED THE BUMPER DURING THE WEEK...JUST MAKE
SURE THAT IT'S SOLIDLY MOUNTED..FRIENDS ASK "WHO'D TAKE A NEW TRUCK AND DO THAT"...ANSWER IS ONLY A SPECIAL BREED OF PUSHERS...AM I RIGHT OR NOT..?
TIRES and TRACTION
I find that a good mud & snow tire provides excellant traction on and off the track..You need a tire that will bite into the dirt with little spin
..In mud that clears quick..and on pavement that doesn't go up in smoke..I have been on BFGOODRICH TIRES for fifteen years using the ALL TERRAIN
KO SERIES and they are the best i've ever had...I use four wheel drive at all times,even when the track is dry..I feel it takes it gives you the
best grip...I will use it on pavement at times if the push off area is dirty...You do need weight if you use a two wheel drive vehicle..
The last thing you need is wheel hop..Setting there spinning your tires does little to get the show going..One thing to remember if you get the
sprint car sideways don't be afraid to stop and correct yourself...It only takes a second to ride over a rear wheel and do $1000 to $2000 dollars
damage to a sprint..I talking wing,shocks ,tailtank,wheels,etc..You get the picture..
SHOCKS
This is one thing thats up to you.I like a firm shock..BILSTEIN has provided me shocks for years and they never fail..I have used coil overs to
beef up the front suspention..You have to remember your carrying extra weight with the push bumper..
VEHICLE PRESENTATION AND VISIBILITY
The cleaner the better but it will get dirty..There will be nights when you will hide in the pits trying not to go
on the track.Having to run in the surface is just part of being there..Do it with a grain of salt for the better
the grove the better the race..If you have aleast a coat of wax it tends to shed the dirt quicker..Its going to get
dirty and scratched..Try as you want scratches happen...One shot with the wipers and its a done
thing..Even a friend picking off a little dirt can do it...Try to keep a full washer tank and a bottle of windex
in your truck..Paper towels are a pushers best tool..RainX works at times letting sticky mud dry and sometimes
slide off..But once you use your wipers it tends to get a little weird and smear..Keep a squeege behind the seat..
A water hose and that can wash a muddy truck fast...I have cleaned my Jeep in a gas station before going to the
motel if there wasn't a car wash around that way..
I've tried baby oil and other release products and have had varied results..The best is a good shot gun riding with you who can use the hose..If
you have sponcers remember to aleast wipe their decals off..If all the above fails wait to you have a sunny day and crack the dirt off like a hard boiled egg..
SAFETY LIGHTS
This is must I think..Your flashers are good but not that brite..I like a strobe mounted of the roof or light bar..A magnet mounting on the hood
is helpful too..It better to be seen than hit..It does happen..
SCANNERS and RADIOS
A good investment is a scanner..To know what is happening with track problems and the program is a must I beleive..If a car has a problem you can
get to it quicker if needed..Work with the track crew ..Don't try to run your own show..Low cost two-way radios can be programed to the track
frequency ..But be sure the track will let you use it though..
PUSHING--101--THE BASIC
The only way to learn is to do it...But if you follow what I have to say it surely will help..
You have to remember a sprint car doesn't have a flywheel , clutch , transmission , or starter..The rear end is where it is placed in gear with a
cable..This drive line will be damaged it you hit the car going to fast..
Approach the sprinter in a slow manor..Remember the driver is only three feet in front of your truck...Roll up to the push bar easy..Like you were
patting your lady on the butt..Make sure your square behind it..Because they will slide sideways at times and you must be ready to adjust ..
Don't push until the driver waves you on..Even if the pit steward says go take a look at the driver to see if he has his gear on or is adjusting
something..You also have to watch for his pit crew adjusting the air pressure at the last moment..Once you know how the drivers are in preparedness
it will be easier...Pay attention to the drivers signals..He may want you to roll him up the line to push off..He may
motion you to litely tap him to get his car in gear..Keep watching...
Pay attention and make sure the wheels are turning on what your pushing..It doesn't take long to flat spot a set of tires..(Glenda Lacer photo)
Once you are rollng get your speed up to twenty mph if possible...Its not a drag race but they like to be rolling before they fire the
motor...The driver won't fire until he gets the oil pressure up...He also needs some speed so the motor won't load up on alcohol...If you hear the
motor pop as its trys to fire don't stop pushing until the drver pulls away from you or waves you off...Sometimes the motor has to cycle a couple
of times to get the fuel right..
Once its running ease off and turn away...But keep your foot near the brake petal..You never know the car may stop for some reason...Go in the
pattern the other push trucks are using to keep flow back to the push off area...NEVER STOP AND BACK UP ON OR OFF THE TRACK
..!!!!...Always keep your eyes scanning the push off area for people walking in front of you...
When there is a caution on the track for a spin or accident try to work as a team with another truck to restart the sprinter...One can turn he car
around and the other push it off..This saves time not having to stop and turn around to correct yourself...When turning a car you may have to do a
90* turn..Beware your bumper may dig into their tire and lift you off the track..Very embarrassing and you could ride up and do damage...This is
where the team works real good..
NEVER BLOCK THE TRACK...!!Always leave a lane open for the cars to get through..
If there is a red flag and you are not needed at the accident site go to the lead cars and get behind them..Don't touch the car if you have to wait
..This can cause a disqualification at some tracks..If the driver needs a paper towel they usually won't say anything....Once they give you the
yellow to start pushing go to the next car that comes to you after the one your starting drives off..Always leave a lane open at the top of the
track for cars that are started...This can look like a ballet at times as we work the restarts...
In case of a spin or accident the driver may not be able to turn his fuel off on time...This wil lead to having to back off the motor to plurge it
of alcohol...If this is not done the motor will not turn over and you may cause damage to it or the drivetrain...To back off the motor a strap or
chain bolted to your bumper is used..It is secured to the sprint car rear bumper and you pull it backward five or six feet in gear..This should
turn the rear tires and clean the motor..If this doesn't work a couple of people need to push down on the tires as you pull the car backward to
help get it turning ...You can push the car from the front but you have to careful not to damage the front wing..
This should be some help to you pushers..You have to careful at all times and use your mirrors always to keep in touch of whats coming up behind
you....
Pit pushing is a dangerous thing we have to do at times...Drivers will always need help if they have motor problems...We also find that to warm up
the motors it may be the only place to push off...You have to watch out for people walking in front of you..Use you horn and lights alot...Try to
use the least populated portion of the pits with the longest pushing area...The quicker you can get one going the better , so really mash the gas..
If you can send someone in front of you to warn to people the better...Watch out for guys wires,over head wires,signs,holes,ditches,etc...Just
be careful..
WRECKERS
I knew the push truck purest will say wreckers are not made for pushing...Well we all know most tracks will use them if they need them..So bare
with me there really are some good pushers out...
Wreckers are like the kid that grew up to fast and bullyed the neighborhood kids..The first thing to remember when pushing a sprint car is to get
square and straight behind them..If you start sliding a car sideways stop and correct yourself..There is to much weight on your truck and before
you know it the car is sideways and you have driven over it...That is the main problem we usually have...On the track remember sprint cars are not
stock cars and need a place to get by you on a caution..They can't stop and wait for you to turn around ...Everything else for push trucks applys
to you also...
THE TRACK RULES
Always remember the owner is the boss and you are the guest...Very few push trucks get paid...Even if he may be a follower of a WW2 youth group its
his call...
Work with the track and ambulance crews to help them if they need you...Try to keep a fire extingusher in your truck...A jug of water is good it
the driver gets a hot foot or has alcohol to delute it...
