Numbers for Nationals

[Steve Glusman]

Need advice here from the club membership......

I'm co-driving a 62 Spitfire in Nationals and my goal of course, is not to come in last place.....

The car has a white decaled number 62 @ 8" inside a blue meatball on a white car.

I need to add a number 1 as the co-driver....

Clearly the meatball has no room for a "1"

What is the acceptable way to add the number 1 for nationals?

[Steve Ekstrand]

You need a one on blue background to add to the edge of the meatball. You can curve or trim the blue material to elongate the meatball.

The door break is awkward to do that here. What about a whole new magnetic meatball with 162 on it to go over the permanent one.

[Don Salyers]

Need advice here from the club membership......

I'm co-driving a 62 Spitfire in Nationals and my goal of course, is not to come in last place.....

Steve, I sure hope that we can assign the "make everyone feel good" title to somebody other than us!!!
Spitfires are sure ugly though--- :barf:

Don

[David Avard]

What about a whole new magnetic meatball with 162 on it to go over the permanent one.

That assumes that there is some actual metal behind that vinyl sticker.

Of course, you could always use some blue tape, but that is kind of ghetto, although a certain ESP Camaro used to use a piece of orange tape for its "1".

[Steve Glusman]

Will Nationals accept blue tape for a "1" ?

Perhaps I can just use a blue 1 magnet and forget the meatball thing.....better than tape....would nationals be ok with that?


Steve G

[Mari Clements]

Will Nationals accept blue tape for a "1" ?

Short answer--No.

Longer answer--running 1000+ cars in four days is a pretty big logistical feat. The chances are very good that the course workers will not know you or your car, and when watching you and your co-driver blaze past them at speed, will mis-read the 162 as 62 at least once over the course of your runs. That's why the rulebook says that "All numbers and class letters must use the same typeface and the same color....The '1' on two-driver cars and the 'L' on Ladies class cars are subject to all of the above requirements with regard to placement, color, size, and stroke."

So, the suggestions that you create an "addendum" to your meatball that makes it a "meat-oval" or get a second, larger meatball to cover the first one are good ideas.

Your meatball is kind of nice--certainly makes it easy to pick out the number. Don't forget you also need class letters that are also the same typeface and color (and 25-75% of the height of the numbers, but at least 4" tall).

[David Avard]

New meatball magnets from SPS (a Nationals sponsor) are $22 each in 8" number size. You can order them for pickup here in Topeka, saving you the shipping costs.

Some of our local members also make magnets.

[Jayson Woodruff]

First, the metal question is a good one. Is there enough medal in there for a mag to stick to?

I'd figure on not using that driver's side meatball. Easiest thing and least invasive to the car owner is to just slap on your own plate mag 162. The existing vinyl is often enough thickness to make the magnet not stick. So you might plan to line out the exisiting 62 and put the 162 plate down stream. If there's not enough steel at all, then same plan with static. Or slap some sticky '162' on there and line out the appropriate 2 or 3 digit number.

Make sure any line outs are good. While I don't think there's a specific rule stating it many line outs are impossible to see. A 1/2" piece of white masking tape ain't going to do it. A 2" wide blue painter's tape in the form of an X would work.

Beyond that, you'll need to re-do the existing.

Jay (will not have time to do it) W

[Bill Martin]

The actual rules include all numbers must be the same color, size & font. However, the actual rules are seldom followed as long as the result is clear from a suitable distance. Like ourselves, they always talk about how tough they're going to be and it never happens.

If you really get hard up, just make up some legal paper numbers and tape them over the meatball. Have new ones each day in case it rains. -- Bill

[Steve Towers]

If you really get hard up, just make up some legal paper numbers and tape them over the meatball. Have new ones each day in case it rains.

I had my paper numbers laminated. I've used them over and over, and they're waterproof.

[Sebastian Rios]

My first year at Nats, the tech inspector actually used a template to make sure my numbers were legal.

[Keith Brown]

My first year at Nats, the tech inspector actually used a template to make sure my numbers were legal.

And the same folks are in charge of tech again this year, If you have any doubts about your numbers being legal, (read the spec) do something about it now. Don't wait until you are in Topeka.

[Bob Pl]

My first year at Nats, the tech inspector actually used a template to make sure my numbers were legal.

Holy NASCAR, it would truly suck to fail tech for a number/class violation.

It boggles the mind what T&S puts up with locally.

:barf:

[Steve Glusman]

Glad they are soooo concerned about the numbers and not my driving skills!

Steve G #424

[Steve Ekstrand]

You have driving skills???



You set that up so nice Steve.... Somebody had to send it into the parking lot....