Welcome to the 2008 250 class. We've got a good mix of returning drivers as well as some new blood that will be getting up to speed. Those of us with a few seasons under our belt have an obligation to do what we can to help our rookies learn the ropes, and keep the fans entertained. Our goal should be the most exciting A-main EVERY week. Deming is a great track for 250's, and I think we showed at playday that they are nimble enough to run side by side all day long. Let's use this thread as our 1-stop source for 250 info.
Looking for info on lines? Motors? Setup? Maintenance intervals? Looking for parts?
I'll kick it off with my first $.02. Don't worry about shifting right away. This will allow you to keep both hands on the wheel and focus on clicking off smooth consistent laps. If you're shifting, you'll do so over 100 times in a feature, once every 2-3 seconds. It's busy. While you can pull a tenth or two out of your lap times, you can easily scrub that back off if you're not shifting at the right time, or if your shifting is interupting your line. A ratio somewhere around 10:1(depending on motor combination) should provide enough power to get you down the straights without bogging down in the corners. Stock bore/stroke and 74mm strokers should be able to pull off a little higher gear (9.85-9.95), big-bores and 76mm strokers usually build their power a little higher in the RPM's (9.95-10.15). Most new drivers can probably go 3/4 of their first season or more without having to shift (other than restarts).
Alright, I'm going to round up to the nearest nickel... You may have already noticed, but 250's don't like low RPM's. Under caution, they'll drown themselves in fuel if the field paces too slow. There are a couple things you can do. Dragging the brake a couple seconds while give the car a little throttle will usually clean out the excess fuel in the crank case. You'll feel it build up power as it cleans out. Usually only have to do this on the lap before a restart. If you're leading, don't idle around in 1st gear under caution, especially if your racing in 4th/5th. This go for you veterans too! Some drivers may be using 3rd, and just can't keep the cars slow enough. It's just as frustrating as wheel packing behind an idling 600. Another benefit is it gets the field around to the corner workers to reset the lineup faster, so we spend less time under caution. Just a little throttle makes all the difference.
We've also recently purchased an inventory of lightly used parts that we will be clearing out to the teams that need them. Most are PMP components, but there are other generic parts, wheels, wings, etc. Once we get the list together, we'll post it, and can deliver parts to the track, or make available for pickup in Mill Creek. Send me a PM if there is something specific you're looking for.
You may have already noticed, but 250's don't like low RPM's. Under caution, they'll drown themselves in fuel if the field paces too slow. There are a couple things you can do. Dragging the brake a couple seconds while give the car a little throttle will usually clean out the excess fuel in the crank case. You'll feel it build up power as it cleans out. Usually only have to do this on the lap before a restart. If you're leading, don't idle around in 1st gear under caution, especially if your racing in 4th/5th. This go for you veterans too! Some drivers may be using 3rd, and just can't keep the cars slow enough. It's just as frustrating as wheel packing behind an idling 600. Another benefit is it gets the field around to the corner workers to reset the lineup faster, so we spend less time under caution. Just a little throttle makes all the difference.
