SCOTT PALMER "MR. VERSATILE"
Thu, 2008-04-10 08:43
Dictionary.com defines versatile as - capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of
various tasks, fields of endeavor.
IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam racing defines versatile as Scott Palmer.
Palmer races an 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster on at least 12 weekends of the year and when not, chances are you’ll find him driving a 2,500-horse, suspended chassis Pro Modified doorslammer.
Each combination is unique in its driving challenges.
“My biggest problem in the Pro Mod is I tend to drive to the center line and get out of the groove,” Palmer said. “I have to be really careful when I drive the doorslammer and pay extra attention to what I’m doing.” Dictionary.com defines versatile as - capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of
various tasks, fields of endeavor.
IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam racing defines versatile as Scott Palmer.
Palmer races an 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster on at least 12 weekends of the year and when not, chances are you’ll find him driving a 2,500-horse, suspended chassis Pro Modified doorslammer.
Each combination is unique in its driving challenges.
“My biggest problem in the Pro Mod is I tend to drive to the center line and get out of the groove,” Palmer said. “I have to be really careful when I drive the doorslammer and pay extra attention to what I’m doing.”
Palmer got his drag racing start behind the wheel of a doorslammer. He flirted briefly with an alcohol car before returning to the full-bodied car and then on to Top Fuel dragster.”
“We raced Doorslammers forever; ran at Tulsa at the midnight drags with the door car,” Palmer recalled. “Actually I went to Alcohol Funny car then we took the Alcohol Funny car drive train, put in a Pro Mod, ant then I got a Top Fuel car.”
The Top Fuel dragster would forever change the way Palmer looked at drag racing.
“Top Fuel racing is the toughest thing I have ever tried to do,” Palmer
confided. “It's just brutal. It's hard on the crew guys; it's hard on
your wallet and it's hard to find sponsors. It's just unbelievably
hard. No one, unless they have actually done this could imagine how
hard it would be. I can understand why people are drivers because there
is so much responsibility on having a team.”
Case in point, Palmer neglected one key team owner responsibility headed into the San Antonio race weekend.
“We forgot to get rooms for the crew,” Palmer admitted. “You tend to overlook things when you are trying to get the car ready. You get your tires and parts and then forget food. You even let your crew’s transportation back and forth to the hotel slip your mind too. There's just a lot of little things that people don't realize go on behind the scene.”
Last season, Palmer took a break from the challenges of racing over his head in Top Fuel to return to the simpler choice of Pro Modified racing. He quickly realized how fun drag racing can be and fell in love with the sport all over again.
“We took the Pro Mod last year to a race at Bill and Timmy Woods track in Oklahoma, a little eighth mile track and we actually loaded it up and took it there on an open trailer,” Palmer said with a chuckle. “There were only two of us and we won the race and left with the money. We just had a great time and it's a lot less stressful.”
A couple of weeks later he was back in the Top Fuel dragster. Why?
“I have no idea,” Palmer said. “A friend of mine told me I fell and hit my head somewhere along the line. I think he's right.”
Don’t expect Palmer to tire any time soon of what some call “beating his head against the wall” in racing against the higher financed teams.
“Last year we were on a limited budget and had some sponsors pull back their sponsorships, which really hurt us because we had a good deal going,” Palmer explained. “Instead, we regrouped and went to less races and ended up running 4.50s and qualified sixth at Norwalk at the NHRA race, went to the semis at Tulsa and had a good year.
“All and all, we had a good year last year. We just have to work harder like most all under-funded teams. We have less crew, less money, you gotta watch the parts, you kinda got to take care of your stuff or it'll put you out of business.”
Palmer credits the generosity of Bill Miller [BME Pistons] and Tom Akers [Wizard Warehouse] for keeping him going by “sending me parts when they shouldn't have.”
“You know it's hard to do this without friends,” Palmer added.
“It makes it all worthwhile,” Palmer said. “I have a lot of crew guys, one of our crew guys just got his first win, he's on Antron Brown’s crew. A lot of them go and get jobs on bigger teams but they stick with me for a long time and they are loyal, they're still loyal. They call still and see how we're doing, check up on us. But we have guys here who have offers at big teams to go be a crew guy, but they stick it out with us.”
Scott Palmer races Top Fuel from the heart. (Roger Richards)
IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam racing defines versatile as Scott Palmer.
Palmer races an 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster on at least 12 weekends of the year and when not, chances are you’ll find him driving a 2,500-horse, suspended chassis Pro Modified doorslammer.
Each combination is unique in its driving challenges.
“My biggest problem in the Pro Mod is I tend to drive to the center line and get out of the groove,” Palmer said. “I have to be really careful when I drive the doorslammer and pay extra attention to what I’m doing.” Dictionary.com defines versatile as - capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of
Scott Palmer races Top Fuel from the heart. (Roger Richards)
IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam racing defines versatile as Scott Palmer.
Palmer races an 8,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster on at least 12 weekends of the year and when not, chances are you’ll find him driving a 2,500-horse, suspended chassis Pro Modified doorslammer.
Each combination is unique in its driving challenges.
“My biggest problem in the Pro Mod is I tend to drive to the center line and get out of the groove,” Palmer said. “I have to be really careful when I drive the doorslammer and pay extra attention to what I’m doing.”
Palmer got his drag racing start behind the wheel of a doorslammer. He flirted briefly with an alcohol car before returning to the full-bodied car and then on to Top Fuel dragster.”
“We raced Doorslammers forever; ran at Tulsa at the midnight drags with the door car,” Palmer recalled. “Actually I went to Alcohol Funny car then we took the Alcohol Funny car drive train, put in a Pro Mod, ant then I got a Top Fuel car.”
The Top Fuel dragster would forever change the way Palmer looked at drag racing.
“Top Fuel racing is the toughest thing I have ever tried to do,” Palmer
confided. “It's just brutal. It's hard on the crew guys; it's hard on
your wallet and it's hard to find sponsors. It's just unbelievably
hard. No one, unless they have actually done this could imagine how
hard it would be. I can understand why people are drivers because there
is so much responsibility on having a team.” Case in point, Palmer neglected one key team owner responsibility headed into the San Antonio race weekend.
“We forgot to get rooms for the crew,” Palmer admitted. “You tend to overlook things when you are trying to get the car ready. You get your tires and parts and then forget food. You even let your crew’s transportation back and forth to the hotel slip your mind too. There's just a lot of little things that people don't realize go on behind the scene.”
Last season, Palmer took a break from the challenges of racing over his head in Top Fuel to return to the simpler choice of Pro Modified racing. He quickly realized how fun drag racing can be and fell in love with the sport all over again.
“We took the Pro Mod last year to a race at Bill and Timmy Woods track in Oklahoma, a little eighth mile track and we actually loaded it up and took it there on an open trailer,” Palmer said with a chuckle. “There were only two of us and we won the race and left with the money. We just had a great time and it's a lot less stressful.”
A couple of weeks later he was back in the Top Fuel dragster. Why?
“I have no idea,” Palmer said. “A friend of mine told me I fell and hit my head somewhere along the line. I think he's right.”
Don’t expect Palmer to tire any time soon of what some call “beating his head against the wall” in racing against the higher financed teams.
“Last year we were on a limited budget and had some sponsors pull back their sponsorships, which really hurt us because we had a good deal going,” Palmer explained. “Instead, we regrouped and went to less races and ended up running 4.50s and qualified sixth at Norwalk at the NHRA race, went to the semis at Tulsa and had a good year.
“All and all, we had a good year last year. We just have to work harder like most all under-funded teams. We have less crew, less money, you gotta watch the parts, you kinda got to take care of your stuff or it'll put you out of business.”
Palmer credits the generosity of Bill Miller [BME Pistons] and Tom Akers [Wizard Warehouse] for keeping him going by “sending me parts when they shouldn't have.”
“You know it's hard to do this without friends,” Palmer added.
“It makes it all worthwhile,” Palmer said. “I have a lot of crew guys, one of our crew guys just got his first win, he's on Antron Brown’s crew. A lot of them go and get jobs on bigger teams but they stick with me for a long time and they are loyal, they're still loyal. They call still and see how we're doing, check up on us. But we have guys here who have offers at big teams to go be a crew guy, but they stick it out with us.”
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