The BME Bulletin #3
Bill Miller Engineering's Top Fuel
Blog BACK ON TRACK After a frustrating spell of DNQs, the season turned around for the Bill Miller Engineering/Okuma/Red Line Oil Top Fuel dragster in September. The team qualified for the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, and then turned-in a season-best performance at the Texas Motorplex. Owner/Crew Chief Bill Miller talked about the turnaround: "After leaving Sonoma with my head down after not qualifying, we decided to regroup," Miller said. "With time off between Sonoma and Indy, we went back to the shop and tested our Gibson-Miller Mark II Superchargers on our revamped blower dyno. Armed with some solid data, we sat down and really analyzed what needed to be done with the fuel volume and fuel curve to complement the supercharger's output. Going into Indy with fresh parts and a fresh perspective, we were optimistic that we had a handle on the tune-up." That optimism proved to be well-founded when driver, Alan Bradshaw, ran 4.594 at 314.61 mph in the do-or-die Friday night qualifying session at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. That put the BME machine 11th on the qualifying sheet, but by the final session on Sunday, Bradshaw was 15th and in jeopardy of being bumped. "The session on Friday night usually sets the field, so I had everything turned up as far as it would go," Miller revealed. "I was determined not to err on the side of dropping cylinders, but we sacrificed the No. 6 piston for the cause. On Sunday we were down to 15th and sweating bullets looking at drivers like Doug Kalitta, Whit Bazemore and J.R. Todd who still hadn't made the field. But the track was hot, they didn't bump us, and the entire BME team was really happy. We were back on track." Bradshaw lined up against No. 2 qualifier Larry Dixon in the first round of eliminations. A pushrod problem caused the No. 1 cylinder to misfire, and the resulting dead cylinder ended the day for the BME team. Three weeks later, the BME transporter rolled into the Texas Motorplex for the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals. The concrete quarter-mile is the home track for Bradshaw, a resident of nearby Odessa. "The Fall Nationals was definitely a nice change of pace after the season we've had," said Bradshaw. "We eliminated a few variables and now we have a supercharger program that's producing positive results. With any R&D program, there's going to be moments when you pull your hair out and scream, and I think we're past the hair-pullin' moments now. "I said from Day One that I've got trust and faith in Bill," Bradshaw continued. "We may not figure it out overnight, but in due time we get there." Once again, the Friday night qualifying session proved crucial. Bradshaw ran 4.577 at 323.81 mph, his fastest speed in 2007. That put him in the No. 7 spot, a position he held through the conclusion of qualifying. "Dallas was essentially applying the lessons we learned in Indianapolis as far as fuel flow, blower overdrive, and compression ratio," Miller noted. "The car really hauled ass and the engine looked good. The fuel flow at the finish line was 85 gallons per minute. That's about 12 percent more fuel in the lights than anybody else runs, but the Gibson-Miller Mark II Supercharger moves enough air to burn it." With the choice of both lane and elimination order, Miller picked the left lane and the first pairing in eliminations, a psychological ploy that would prevent his first-round opponents from gauging the track. "I knew the track would be clean and fresh and, if we went out first, Bazemore and Beard wouldn't have the chance to judge the performance of the cars in front of us," Miller said with a chuckle. "When you're the underdog, you've got to use every advantage." Bradshaw stepped-up the role of giant killer, taking a .071-to-.092 second advantage in reaction times. The BME dragster held the lead to the 400-foot mark before it lost a cylinder and lost the decision, 4.557 to 4.693. "I did my job the best I could and put two hundredths in the bank for Bill," said Bradshaw. "After that we were just riding the bull and came up short at the end. "Putting down a good pass on Friday gave us the opportunity to test on Saturday," he added. "That's a luxury that the full-time teams enjoy. We weren't behind the eight-ball after qualifying on Friday, so that let us test with the sun shining on Saturday." Now, the BME team is gearing up for the final two races of the season in Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. "Without a doubt I'm looking forward to Las Vegas and Pomona," said Bradshaw. "I look for the car to run well out of the trailer because Vegas will almost certainly have better track and weather conditions than we experienced in Dallas. If we can get a good baseline in the first session and then go for the throat in Q2, that sets us up to further improve our understanding of the clutch with the new power we've got. "I'd like nothing better than to finish the year on a high note," said the Texan. "This season has been a learning experience for me as a driver and for Bill as a tuner. We've toughed it out, and now we're seeing the fruits of our labor."
BME RACE RESULTS
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
O'Reilly NHRA Fall
Nationals NEXT RACES
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