Interview: Big Daddy reflects on his ORTC experience

Every time you get a phone call from the legendary “Big Daddy” Dwayne Gutridge you want to grab a pen and paper because you just never know when one of them age old secrets are going to pop out. Well that phone call came just today and I was so pleased to hear Dwayne in relatively good spirits with a positive outlook on the rest of the racing season. Gutridge made the long haul from New Jersey to the ORTC race in Georgia this past weekend and unfortunately he had a minor mishap during qualifying which ended his weekend prematurely.

Dwayne has informed us that the cause of the accident was a blown head gasket which pushed water out and under the tires sending him head on into the wall.

This is where all of his hard work and efforts shined throughout his proactive stance to safety in the drag radial class. Joey Gambino is the man responsible for the fabrication on Dwayne’s car which allowed him to walk away unscathed. A situation that could always be worse, but in this case the damage is primarily cosmetic aside from the turbo and piping damage. With his positive outlook on the situation, they will go to work on making repairs to get back after it real soon. I was fortunate enough to get the inside track on just how good of  a run the legendary black Mustang was on.

Dwayne and David Wolfe analyzed the data and from the 1.18 second sixty foot time to the  3.09 at the 330 foot mark he was on a pass which would of been a career best. Gutridge pedaled the car just prior to the 330 mark due to the car going into a wheelie and then it rattled the tires slowing him down a bit. His previous best was a 1.24 sixty foot and 3.14 to the 330 at last years Shakedown at Etown. The eighth mile time came in at 4.62 seconds which would calculate to a 4.54 second run at Georgia.

Dwayne’s insight on the competition is always well thought out and he usually has a good idea of what will happen at any given time. He was willing to answer a few questions for us during his busy day. Go grab a beverage and settle in because this is going to get good!

PowerTV: David Wolfe was quite impressive at the ORTC. How do you feel about what he accomplished?

BD: David did exactly what he said he was going to do. He told me a few weeks ago that he was coming out and was going to run 4.30’s. He didn’t have time to test so Grant McCrary and David came with what they had and knew that they could run in the 4.40’s consistently. We go to the track with a plan and a motive to execute that plan. Unfortunately I had a mishap or I would have been the second fastest car on the property right behind Wolfe. It was what we wanted to do and then meet up in the finals like back in the day at World Ford.

PowerTV: What makes Wolfe’s combination so lethal to the competition compared to larger cubic inch engines?

BD: Wolfe is running 532 cubic inches.  That is small compared to Dave Hance and a lot of the other competitors. David knows how to race and how to get it done when he gets to the races. When most of these guys are scratching their heads because Wolfe just went a 4.47, they are thinking it is time to get more aggressive and throw power at it. David was doing just the opposite each pass, GMac was pulling the power out and kept going faster each round. These cars with the Mickey Thompsons on them don’t like the torque but will handle all the horsepower you can put down. This is where the short stroke of combinations like mine and David’s are using power more efficiently.

PowerTV: What can we expect to see from Big Daddy thorughout the rest of the season?

BD: Well first we have to get the car repaired. From that point I am coming back out to finish what we started. We have to work on the car and we know it will go really fast with what we have. Donald Long did a good job with the rules for the ORTC limiting the turbos on the big blocks. Since I run the small block, I can run up to a 91mm but we have a long way to go with what I have now.

I know that we can run low 4.50’s and into the 40’s so I need to get back out there. A lot of my success is based off the people that I deal with. You know, we have been racing Wolfe for eleven years and he is a very smart man. He knows how to race and we have shared data to strategize our next plan of attack. When you deal with good people and you listen to what they say you can use all of that to your advantage.

BD: Oh and one more thing for all the haters……..I am going to be back out and when I do I will be better than before. These guys better have their crap together because when I come back they are going to have their hand full. I am coming back with a vengeance and I sure do hope they are ready for me!