The Saturday night racer faces some very real issues with the fuel systems in their cars. The demands on the fuel system can make or break a racing program depending on the level of preparation that the racer places on the system.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I hate brakes! I hate the fact that I have to lift my foot off the gas pedal and slow the car down as I reach the corner. I would rather keep the gas pedal mashed on the floor and not have to worry whether or not my brakes are still going to be functioning at the end of the race. But I don't live in this fantasy world. Like many of you, I race on short tracks, where brakes are so crucial to not only how well you stop but also how well your car is handling.

Stock car racing and automatic transmissions aren't two things that you normally think of going together. But you can find automatic transmissions at racetracks across the country, and they are helping to provide some pretty good competition.

Over the past 10 years, few types of race vehicles have produced as many Cup regulars as 600 Racing's Legends Cars. They have become wildly popular around the country, not only because of their vintage look, but because of the rules set in place by the Legends sanctioning body, INEX. The rules are written in such a way that setup is important, but the cars themselves are built in such a way that the driver is most responsible for when the car ends up in Victory Lane.

They say you can't have your cake and eat it too. Sometimes that's true, but there are times when you really can have both. We recently sat down with Weir Schankel of Van Alstine Manufacturing. Van Alstine produces tools to help maintain and modify tires, and its grooving and siping products are very popular among racers. Because of its relationship with several of the top racers in the nation, Schankel has worked with many of these racers on developing their tire programs.

It's a novel concept that can pay dividends to a race program: A racer can change the look of a car in an afternoon or design a radical graphics package that can be applied over and over again if the car gets damaged in a crash. Or, in the matter of a few hours, the look of a car can be completely changed if a new sponsor comes aboard.

In competition on dirt, more so than in any other form of motorsports, the battle is not just against other drivers. Dirt racers also have to battle the track by keeping it out of the various mechanical systems on the car. Dirt can ruin a very expensive engine, transmission, rearend, brakes, and the cooling system. And dirt seems to find its way into the various systems of the car no matter how hard you try to keep it out.

One of the biggest challenges facing racers during summer months is keeping a racecar's engine as cool as possible. It is important that teams keep a close watch on water temperature throughout race day. However, racers often lament overheating problems but have no idea the type of radiator on their car.

There's nothing more frustrating than discovering there is something major amiss with a race engine, whether at the shop or at the track. The worst part is the realization that there is nothing you can do outside of heading to your engine builder. That, of course, requires using valuable time to pull out the engine.

I often wonder why dirt track drivers don't lose their minds, because a dirt track is never the same. Teams venture out for practice on a wet, smooth track, but by the time the feature rolls around the track is hard, dry, and usually has a few ruts in it. Keeping up with the track can be frustrating. This is why dirt drivers who keep a close eye on their shock setup and make the needed changes throughout an event will run up front.

Too often racers will receive an engine package from their engine builder that has been dyno tuned for maximum power and then are afraid to touch it on the racetrack for fear of messing it up. But top teams understand that conditions in the engine dyno room are carefully controlled to help any engine produce peak power. Fuel flow is steady; plenty of fresh, clean air is fed to the carburetor and every possible variable-including humidity-is monitored and accounted for. That level of control just isn't possible on the racetrack and sometimes-often actually-adjustments have to be made in compromise.

Short track racing is filled with excitement and drama. For the fans, one of the most anticipated occurrences is a big crash. This typically draws "oohs" and "aahs" from spectators. But it will elicit a completely different reaction from teams represented in an accident, as team members will be faced with a small dilemma concerning their car. Do they buy new body panels to replace ones damaged in the accident? Or do they repair the damaged pieces?

Maintaining and building a racecar involves many different components: chassis, body, transmission, brakes, and the perennial favorite-the engine. If we look at the various components of engine building, we can break the engine into logical sub-groups or systems, including the ignition, exhaust, intake, and oil system. Then within the various systems are the individual components that make up a particular system.

Every now and then, a new design or advancement in technology produces a new and innovative part for short track competition. At first glance, it might appear that bumpstops fall into this category, but in truth they are nothing new. Bumpstops first broke on the scene in the late '80s and early '90s. NASCAR quickly outlawed them because of the potential complexities and to help smaller teams that might be unable to adapt.

In dirt racing, cleaning your car can sometimes be as damaging as anything you can do to it on the track. If you aren't careful, water can invade the hubs and ruin your wheel bearings, cause electrical problems, and even contaminate the fuel system. But washing your car is a weekly chore that's as routine for most dirt racers as loading up to go to the racetrack.

The typical racer understands that he has to protect himself from the worst happening during an accident. He will do so by purchasing a helmet, a seat, and a good set of belts.

Myths and traditions are passed down through each generation, even with car and truck maintenance. That's especially true with diesel trucks because of the seeming complexity of the engines. While these engines can be complex, what was true for diesel engines in the past may not be true with the diesel engines of today.

Stock Car Racing visits regularly with many of the top organizations involved in motorsports to find out what questions they are most frequently asked by the average short track racer. This month we speak with Randy gillis of JE Pistons, one of the top manufacturers of high-performance pistons in the industry.

Each summer, race teams across the nation dread the high summer temperatures. Days when the temperature reaches the high 90s are worrisome to drivers because of the added stress the heat causes on not only the engine, but every aspect of the car-including the driver. It can be extremely difficult to keep cool every piece that makes up the car. This is why teams at some local tracks can be seen running up to the car's radiator after a race and spraying it down with a fire extinguisher.

It seems like no other part of the modern racing engine elicits as many questions or as much mystery as the camshaft.

A number of times each season, our race team unloads our car at the chassis manufacturer because of the quality of work the company can perform. However, we lose valuable time while the car is there, not to mention the money we spend having our car worked on. Depending on the work requirements with the chassis, it takes from one to three weeks for everything to be finished. We are not able to accomplish anything else on the car during this time, and it almost always puts us behind on getting the car ready to make the next race.

There is a reason that most Mini-Stock (or other four-cylinder) events are dominated by Fox body Ford Mustangs. Ford's Fox platform for the Mustang ran from production years 1979 through 1993, and was an incredibly popular car. It was relatively lightweight, cheap, and featured good handling. And here's a plus for stock car racers: The four-cylinder engine offered in the base Mustangs, as well as Ranger pickups, is an excellent motor option for Mini-Stock racing.

Even if you are only running 20-lap features, attempting to race for an entire season can often turn into a bit of an endurance adventure. Assuming that you suffer no wreck damage, wear and tear still accumulates over time, and the high-stress environment of stock car racing only accelerates that pace.

The debate will always be present: Other than the driver, which is more important to the success of a team, the chassis or the engine?