Tue Mar 17, 7:03 pm PT
BUENA PARK - It is with a heavy heart that I
must write of the passing of an integral member
of our slot car family. BPIR owner Chris Gallegos
succumbed Saturday, March 14th, after a lengthy
illness. The sad news was announced by Chris’
wife Lenore.
“Yes sadly, Chris passed away last night,
Saturday [the] 14th at approximately 10:30 pm.
He wasn't suffering any nor felt any pain, just
closed his eyes and took his last breath.”
Chris’ love for our hobby began with a small
store on Beach Blvd. in Buena Park, California
in the mid-90’s selling everything from comic books and toys, as well as slot car
parts for his roundy-round track. Upon moving to a larger store just down the
road on Orangethorpe Ave., a new, 1/4 mile drag strip was constructed and
developed a loyal following.
So successful was the business that, in 1999, Chris moved the shop a final time,
to its current location on Lincoln Ave, still within the city of Buena Park. Settling
for nothing but the best for his racers, Chris hired expert drag strip builder Tom
Cleland to build what would turn out to be, in many people’s opinion, the finest,
most state-of-the-art, 1/4 mile strip in the world.
Never showing favoritism among the roundy-round and drag racers, Chris was
the type of individual that you would want to own your local track. A “Hey, Bud”
and a smile always greeted every racer as they walked through the front door.
Always keeping up and knowing the latest in new technology, Chris never
hesitated to offer a tech tip to anyone that asked. If there was a part or tool one
of his racers needed that he did not have in stock, Chris made sure that item
was ordered and at the track in just a few days.
If the measure of a man is how others felt about him, Chris measured up with
the best of them.
Said Larry “Cuda” Andrews, “To me this is like losing my parents all over again.
I will surely miss Chris' smile and him calling out to me ‘The Cudaman’ or him
laughing at my attempt to speak Spanish. I was always proud when Chris would
tell people that I was just about his longest customer. That I was there when they
first opened as comics, toys, and slots back on Beach Blvd. To their move to
the old Yamaha shop on Orangethorpe to the store where it is now on Lincoln
Ave.”
SCCEC Board Member Vince Ito had this to say, “Even though you know in your
heart that this day would come, it doesn't make the news of Chris' passing any
easier. I am deeply saddened but take comfort in the knowledge that, after his
brave and courageous battle, Chris is now at peace. You will be missed my
friend...God speed and God bless you Lenore.”
“What can I say about Chris that hasn't been said already,” said Gary Lum.
“Chris and Lenore have always made me feel welcome. I'm going to miss the
handshake, smile and ‘hey buddy’ that greeted me when I walked in the door.
Chris was the one that motivated me enough to come back and play after 10
years. I'm truly going to miss him.”
Even thoughts from those who never met Chris rolled in. “The hobby of slot car
racing has lost a great track owner,” said Cal Starcher, owner of FAS TRAX OF
MD. “I never had the pleasure of meeting Chris, but do not recall ever hearing a
bad word about him.” Cal continued, “He's going racing in the sky with so many
others that passed before him. They needed a good track ‘Promoter’ to get
them organized.”
A memorial for Chris has been planned for this coming Saturday, March 21st. It
was Chris’ wish to be cremated, however, a viewing followed by a 45-minute
service will take place.
Said Lenore, “I have hired a caterer and we can all join and celebrate his life
together at Chris’s most loving surroundings and favorite place in the whole
wide world, Buena Park Raceway. Please, if you do not already have prior
commitments, try to attend. I know this would mean so much to Chris, to be
surrounded by his slot car friends.”
Times of viewing/services:
Viewing: 1:00 to 3:30 pm.
Service (Rosary): 3:30 to 4:15 pm.
Address:
First Congregational Church of Anaheim
515 North State College Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92806
Dinner/celebration of Chris’ life to be held at Buena Park Raceway at
approximately 6 pm (raceway will be closed to the public). If you cannot attend
the viewing and/or service, you are still welcome to meet at the raceway.
A donation site has been set up to offset some of the cost of the catering, as
well as the purchase of flowers for the service. Please click HERE and follow
the instructions.
Lenore concluded, “He was a good man, good husband and father and a good
friend to so many. He will be missed and I am broken-hearted. I lost my soul
mate and will be hard to live without him.
“Thanks to everyone for being his friend and thanks to all for your condolences.
Please know he loved all of you slot car racers and he loved Buena Park
Raceway more than life itself.”
I think I speak for everyone when I say:
Lenore, we all loved him, too.
of our slot car family. BPIR owner Chris Gallegos
succumbed Saturday, March 14th, after a lengthy
illness. The sad news was announced by Chris’
wife Lenore.
“Yes sadly, Chris passed away last night,
Saturday [the] 14th at approximately 10:30 pm.
He wasn't suffering any nor felt any pain, just
closed his eyes and took his last breath.”
Chris’ love for our hobby began with a small
store on Beach Blvd. in Buena Park, California
in the mid-
developed a loyal following.
So successful was the business that, in 1999, Chris moved the shop a final time,
to its current location on Lincoln Ave, still within the city of Buena Park. Settling
for nothing but the best for his racers, Chris hired expert drag strip builder Tom
Cleland to build what would turn out to be, in many people’s opinion, the finest,
most state-
Never showing favoritism among the roundy-
and a smile always greeted every racer as they walked through the front door.
Always keeping up and knowing the latest in new technology, Chris never
hesitated to offer a tech tip to anyone that asked. If there was a part or tool one
of his racers needed that he did not have in stock, Chris made sure that item
was ordered and at the track in just a few days.
If the measure of a man is how others felt about him, Chris measured up with
the best of them.
Said Larry “Cuda” Andrews, “To me this is like losing my parents all over again.
I will surely miss Chris' smile and him calling out to me ‘The Cudaman’ or him
laughing at my attempt to speak Spanish. I was always proud when Chris would
tell people that I was just about his longest customer. That I was there when they
first opened as comics, toys, and slots back on Beach Blvd. To their move to
the old Yamaha shop on Orangethorpe to the store where it is now on Lincoln
Ave.”
SCCEC Board Member Vince Ito had this to say, “Even though you know in your
heart that this day would come, it doesn't make the news of Chris' passing any
easier. I am deeply saddened but take comfort in the knowledge that, after his
brave and courageous battle, Chris is now at peace. You will be missed my
friend...God speed and God bless you Lenore.”
“What can I say about Chris that hasn't been said already,” said Gary Lum.
“Chris and Lenore have always made me feel welcome. I'm going to miss the
handshake, smile and ‘hey buddy’ that greeted me when I walked in the door.
Chris was the one that motivated me enough to come back and play after 10
years. I'm truly going to miss him.”
Even thoughts from those who never met Chris rolled in. “The hobby of slot car
racing has lost a great track owner,” said Cal Starcher, owner of FAS TRAX OF
MD. “I never had the pleasure of meeting Chris, but do not recall ever hearing a
bad word about him.” Cal continued, “He's going racing in the sky with so many
others that passed before him. They needed a good track ‘Promoter’ to get
them organized.”
A memorial for Chris has been planned for this coming Saturday, March 21st. It
was Chris’ wish to be cremated, however, a viewing followed by a 45-
Said Lenore, “I have hired a caterer and we can all join and celebrate his life
together at Chris’s most loving surroundings and favorite place in the whole
wide world, Buena Park Raceway. Please, if you do not already have prior
commitments, try to attend. I know this would mean so much to Chris, to be
surrounded by his slot car friends.”
Times of viewing/services:
Viewing: 1:00 to 3:30 pm.
Service (Rosary): 3:30 to 4:15 pm.
Address:
First Congregational Church of Anaheim
515 North State College Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92806
Dinner/celebration of Chris’ life to be held at Buena Park Raceway at
approximately 6 pm (raceway will be closed to the public). If you cannot attend
the viewing and/or service, you are still welcome to meet at the raceway.
A donation site has been set up to offset some of the cost of the catering, as
well as the purchase of flowers for the service. Please click HERE and follow
the instructions.
Lenore concluded, “He was a good man, good husband and father and a good
friend to so many. He will be missed and I am broken-
“Thanks to everyone for being his friend and thanks to all for your condolences.
Please know he loved all of you slot car racers and he loved Buena Park
Raceway more than life itself.”
I think I speak for everyone when I say:
Lenore, we all loved him, too.
January 7, 1942 - March 14, 2009
Mon Dec 8, 11:40 am PT
BUENA PARK - In order to help racers become more familiar
with the basics of each of the SCCEC classes, a
comprehensive overview of all classes is now available for
download in PDF format. This “quick-reference guide”
includes class abbreviations, indexes, motors, body styles
and weights acceptable for each SCCEC class. Classes
highlighted in yellow are new for 2008. While this overview
includes the most pertinent guidelines for you as you set up your SCCEC class-
and guidelines concerning each class.
comprehensive overview of all classes is now available for
download in PDF format. This “quick-
and weights acceptable for each SCCEC class. Classes
highlighted in yellow are new for 2008. While this overview
includes the most pertinent guidelines for you as you set up your SCCEC class-
and guidelines concerning each class.
Click the image to
download the PDF file
download the PDF file
Recap and Results
Hynd sweeps Comp; Rosales, Wilde also score
Sun Dec 28, 8:24 pm PT
BUENA PARK -- TJ Hynd notched the
Competition Eliminator victory this past
Saturday at the Comp Collision at the
Park, coming from the number one
qualifying position and defeating a red-
event marked the first race thrown by the
Southern California Competition
Eliminator Club in nearly five years. A
record turnout of 51 Comp cars made the
call for the first round of qualifying, trying
to bump their way into the tough 48 car
field.
Saturday at the Comp Collision at the
Park, coming from the number one
qualifying position and defeating a red-
event marked the first race thrown by the
Southern California Competition
Eliminator Club in nearly five years. A
record turnout of 51 Comp cars made the
call for the first round of qualifying, trying
to bump their way into the tough 48 car
field.
TJ Hynd shows off the 2003 Lexus GS300 he
drove to victory at the Comp Collision @ the Park
drove to victory at the Comp Collision @ the Park
If the heads-up categories are the champagne
of slot car drag racing, then Competition
Eliminator is the vegetable soup of slot car
drag racing. A hearty, stick to the bones, kind
of category. Champagne is great but you can't
live on it, you need substance to fill the void
and a healthy Competition Eliminator program
is just that. However, Competition Eliminator
is so different that no announcer will try to fully
explain the details of this eliminator over a
microphone. Therefore, this feature is meant
to answer the questions you want to know
about SCCEC Competition Eliminator but
were too afraid to ask.
Eliminator is the vegetable soup of slot car
drag racing. A hearty, stick to the bones, kind
of category. Champagne is great but you can't
live on it, you need substance to fill the void
and a healthy Competition Eliminator program
is just that. However, Competition Eliminator
is so different that no announcer will try to fully
explain the details of this eliminator over a
microphone. Therefore, this feature is meant
to answer the questions you want to know
about SCCEC Competition Eliminator but
were too afraid to ask.
Fri Jan 16, 10:44 pm PT
Tue Dec 16, 11:31 pm PT
Click the image to
Download the tech card
Download the tech card
Recap and Results
Comp turns into a “Wilde” ride while
Shaw and Hynd claim Index titles
Shaw and Hynd claim Index titles
Thurs April 30, 12:55 pm PT
BUENA PARK -- Paul Wilde scored the
Comp Eliminator victory this past
weekend at the 2009 SCCEC
SpringNationals @ the Park at Buena
Park International Raceway. In a final
round decided by a mere 17-thousandths
of a second, Wilde motored to victory with
his AA/NFC over Scott Stephens D/D. In
total, a record 63 entries vied for the title
during 6 grueling rounds of eliminations.
Lil’ Art Shaw claimed the win in Super
Gas after a five-year lay off and TJ Hynd
managed to get a piece of the pie in
Super Comp after failing to defend his
Comp title.
weekend at the 2009 SCCEC
SpringNationals @ the Park at Buena
Park International Raceway. In a final
round decided by a mere 17-
his AA/NFC over Scott Stephens D/D. In
total, a record 63 entries vied for the title
during 6 grueling rounds of eliminations.
Lil’ Art Shaw claimed the win in Super
Gas after a five-
Super Comp after failing to defend his
Comp title.
Paul Wilde drove his AA/NFC to
victory at the SpringNationals
victory at the SpringNationals
Real time hit counter shows
the number of visitors since
the introduction of the web site
the number of visitors since
the introduction of the web site
Sat May 9, 6:56 pm PT
On Wednesday, May 6th, the SCCEC
website reached the milestone 5000th
hit since the web site was created on
August 15th, 2008.
Here are the stats:
Average hits per month: 556
Average hits per week: 133
Average hits per day: 19
Editor’s note: Thank you all for visiting the SCCEC website to check out results,
photos, rules, ect. Thank you all also for participating in the two SCCEC events
thus far. Vince, Octavian and I created this organization for you all, the racers, to
help draw some much needed interest back to slot car drag racing. Of their
behalf, I want to extend my sincere appreciation for all of your help and support.
We will get the ball rolling again soon in order to announce the next SCCEC
sanctioned event.
--T.J. Hynd
SCCEC Webmaster
website reached the milestone 5000th
hit since the web site was created on
August 15th, 2008.
Here are the stats:
Average hits per month: 556
Average hits per week: 133
Average hits per day: 19
Editor’s note: Thank you all for visiting the SCCEC website to check out results,
photos, rules, ect. Thank you all also for participating in the two SCCEC events
thus far. Vince, Octavian and I created this organization for you all, the racers, to
help draw some much needed interest back to slot car drag racing. Of their
behalf, I want to extend my sincere appreciation for all of your help and support.
We will get the ball rolling again soon in order to announce the next SCCEC
sanctioned event.
-
Sat May 9, 7:31 pm PT
Push play to view movie
Sun July 5, 11:38 pm PT
The 2007 Mustang Cobra driven in the IHRA
by Robert Patrick I will try to replicate
by Robert Patrick I will try to replicate
By T.J. Hynd
Originally, I wanted to do four
or five installments of this blog,
however, I think I can fit the rest
of the project into two more
chapters of “How to...a
guide to building a modern
Pro Stock replica from a stock production model” . In this second installment, I
will continue to detail step-by-step how I built the 2007 Mustang Cobra.
Originally, I wanted to do four
or five installments of this blog,
however, I think I can fit the rest
of the project into two more
chapters of “How to...a
guide to building a modern
Pro Stock replica from a stock production model” . In this second installment, I
will continue to detail step-
My interpretation of the 2007 Mustang Cobra Pro Stock
Tue Jan 26, 9:43 pm PT
Kicking the new year off right...
The 2010 SCCEC Rulebook
now available online!
The 2010 SCCEC Rulebook
now available online!
Tue Jan 26, 11:47 pm PT
The Southern California Competition
Eliminator Club is proud to announce
the publication of the 2010 edition of
the SCCEC Rulebook.
Highlighting this year’s edition is the creation of Xtreme Comp (X/Comp) - a
true builder’s class with minimal restrictions that should make sub-0.600
elapsed times not uncommon. Also new additions for 2010 are Hemi Super
Modified (AH/SM) and four classes of Nostalgia Pro Stock (A, B, C and
D/NPS). Indexes for these new classes will be announced shortly. These
new additions bring the total number of classes sanctioned by the SCCEC to a
whopping sixty-six!
In addition to these new classes, some existing rules have been modified or
clarified. Some rules of interest falling into this category include:
- Must be ceramic-type magnets available through a major distributor
within the last 10 years unless otherwise noted [Group 20/12].
- [Ceramic magnet] dimensions: length: 0.500 in. (± 10%), width: 0.150 in.
(± 10%), height: 0.550 in. (± 2%).
- Rebalancing of the [SpeedFX S16D] armature permitted (except
T/NFC).
The SCCEC is planning to hold its first event of 2010, the second annual
SCCEC SpringNationals, in April or May. Details of this special event will
announced in the next few weeks.
Eliminator Club is proud to announce
the publication of the 2010 edition of
the SCCEC Rulebook.
Highlighting this year’s edition is the creation of Xtreme Comp (X/Comp) -
Modified (AH/SM) and four classes of Nostalgia Pro Stock (A, B, C and
D/NPS). Indexes for these new classes will be announced shortly. These
new additions bring the total number of classes sanctioned by the SCCEC to a
whopping sixty-
In addition to these new classes, some existing rules have been modified or
clarified. Some rules of interest falling into this category include:
-
-
-
The SCCEC is planning to hold its first event of 2010, the second annual
SCCEC SpringNationals, in April or May. Details of this special event will
announced in the next few weeks.
Official SCCEC apparel and
accessories now available in the
SCCEC online store
accessories now available in the
SCCEC online store
Fri Feb 5, 9:35 pm PT
Get your piece of the Southern
California Competition Eliminator
Club by heading to the new
official online store and click
through the hundreds of pages
of available items emblazoned
with the SCCEC logo. Brand
name men’s, women’s and
children’s apparel and
accessories are available in
dozens of colors and graphic
styles. Novelty items, such as
seat cushions, towels and
blankets are also available
with the Club logo.
Be the first at your track to sport
the new threads of the SCCEC!
California Competition Eliminator
Club by heading to the new
official online store and click
through the hundreds of pages
of available items emblazoned
with the SCCEC logo. Brand
name men’s, women’s and
children’s apparel and
accessories are available in
dozens of colors and graphic
styles. Novelty items, such as
seat cushions, towels and
blankets are also available
with the Club logo.
Be the first at your track to sport
the new threads of the SCCEC!
Browse
Wed Mar 3, 7:25 pm PT
The SCCEC has approved a handful
of addendums and adjustments to its
Official 2010 Rulebook.
The following summarizes the changes:
Pre-race prep
ADD: X/COMP ALLOTTED 120 SECONDS.
Group 20/12: End Bell
REMOVE: MUST BE ORIGINAL END BELL FOR CAN USED.
Super 16D Modified: Armature
NOW READS: ANY PRODUCTION S16D ARMATURE AVAILABLE THROUGH A
MAJOR DISTRIBUTOR WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS, UNLESS
OTHERWISE NOTED, MAY BE USED.
SpeedFX S16D (#PS-2001): Magnets
ADD: MINIMUM AIR GAP 0.570 IN. (ALLOWANCE OF -0.002 IN.).
X/Comp: Body
ADD: STYRENE BODIES MUST BE A KIT-
ALTERED: Body: Door Cars
ADD: STYRENE BODIES MUST BE A KIT-
ECONO ALTERED: Body: Door Cars: Funny Cars
ADD: STYRENE BODIES MUST BE A KIT-
These rules are enforceable immediately for all SCCEC-sanctioned events.
of addendums and adjustments to its
Official 2010 Rulebook.
The following summarizes the changes:
Pre-
Group 20/12: End Bell
REMOVE: MUST BE ORIGINAL END BELL FOR CAN USED.
Super 16D Modified: Armature
NOW READS: ANY PRODUCTION S16D ARMATURE AVAILABLE THROUGH A
MAJOR DISTRIBUTOR WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS, UNLESS
OTHERWISE NOTED, MAY BE USED.
SpeedFX S16D (#PS-
X/Comp: Body
ADD: STYRENE BODIES MUST BE A KIT-
ALTERED: Body: Door Cars
ADD: STYRENE BODIES MUST BE A KIT-
ECONO ALTERED: Body: Door Cars: Funny Cars
ADD: STYRENE BODIES MUST BE A KIT-
These rules are enforceable immediately for all SCCEC-
Addendums to the 2010 SCCEC
Rulebook released
Rulebook released
