Take a look at this, Inside the Struggles, Setbacks & Breakthroughs from Snowbirds Testing!
The Snowbirds Nationals weekend delivered everything a hardcore drag-racing team dreads and everything they need to evolve: frustration, confusion, small wins, expensive mistakes, and finally — a clear roadmap for what must change. The latest episode, “We Did Not Make It… Major Changes Coming!”, takes fans deep inside the tuning chaos, the lockup-converter drama, grudge-race hype, and a painful discovery that cost them precious performance.
Yet despite the struggles, the team leaves Bradenton more determined than ever, preparing for one of the biggest overhauls their program has seen.
The Lockup Converter Mystery: So Close, Yet So Far
Early test hits revealed the most frustrating scenario for any tuner: nothing they tried made the car better or worse. Whether adjusting the lockup strategy or timing, the results remained stubbornly unchanged. The crew knew the potential was there, sitting right under the surface, but the converter simply wasn’t doing what it needed to.
One early pass triggered the issue immediately as soon as the transbrake button was released, confirming something wasn’t activating correctly. The team planned to check the data to see whether the lockup even engaged.
Chasing the Number: Trying to Break Into the 6.20s
Coming into Q3 at Snowbirds, the team had run a respectable 3.69, the fastest pass on the car so far. But to get into the field, they needed to be in the 6.29 bump range, forcing an aggressive swing at the tune.
The heat was brutal, traction was questionable, and every pass mattered.
Spinning, Pedaling, and Fighting Track Conditions
A later pass delivered some positives — a razor-sharp .023 reaction time — but the car spun hard. Even with 15 degrees of timing pulled out, the driver had to pedal to recover, still managing a 1.52 short number. It was a promising sign for power, but a concerning sign for consistency.
The verdict: testing mode only, with much more work to do.
Grudge-Race Chaos: Smack Talk, Side Bets, and a Whole Lot of Heat
With emotions running high, the pits lit up with side bets and friendly trash-talk. Greg Wilson and Orland couldn’t avoid each other — they raced twice in grudge matches, then drew each other again in eliminations.
Side bets escalated:
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“I got $100 I’ll get you on the tree!”
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“That’s my second ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ right there!”
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“He’s going red in front of everyone — don’t jinx me!”
The grudge-race energy brought comedic relief during an otherwise stressful weekend.
Tire Trouble: The Hidden Culprit
One issue became impossible to ignore: the tires were too old.
The same set had been:
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Used for a 5.30 race
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Stored for 7–8 months
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Left in a non-AC shop
The result?
They simply went bad.
The team swapped to a fresh set, planning to log new data and get a baseline.
Final Shot at the Field: One Last Pass
The last qualifying attempt carried everything on the line. The burnout went wrong — no real smoke, fogged windshield, water distribution issues — nothing was working in their favor.
The final pass either needed to land… or send them back to testing.
The tires didn’t hold.
They did not make the field.
Back at the Shop: The Painful Truth Comes Out
Once home, the team reviewed data and made a brutal discovery:
When swapping the blower and hat from Moneybag onto the new car, they ALSO transferred Moneybag’s fuel map and tuneup — without rechecking timing.
This left five extra degrees of timing in the motor.
That mistake injured the engine.
As the driver said:
“That tuneup shouldn’t have hurt the engine. We should have checked it. We didn’t.”
Combined with the earlier blower problems and throttle-body issues, they were behind the eight-ball all weekend.
The Good News: The Car Shows Promise
Even with setbacks, the car:
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Ran 3.69
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Went 9.30s on test hits
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Handled well
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Drove straight
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Responded to tuning
The foundation is strong — they just need to fix the systems working against it.
Massive Conversion Coming: A New Direction
The team now announces a huge conversion coming for Rick’s car, focusing on:
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Fixing the 700 issues
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Correcting the E-Gate problems
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Preventing electrical components from activating at the wrong time
Fans will see the full transformation in upcoming videos.
Meanwhile, Codine, the big nitrous machine, is also joining the channel, and a major reveal is coming soon for Richard Bailey’s new Promod — including its official name.
And of course, the future of Moneybag will be addressed soon.
Conclusion: A Tough Weekend That Will Make the Team Stronger
They didn’t make the field.
They hurt an engine.
They battled tires, traction, blower swaps, timing errors, and brutal heat.
BUT—
They learned exactly what needs to change.
They found the hidden causes of their struggles.
And they’re already moving toward the most aggressive upgrades yet.
Snowbirds didn’t break them — it refocused them.
