The demise of Rocket Chassis

[BTExpress]

So this morning I was checking out the results from last night on DoD and saw it was a pretty good night for Rocket with Erb, Sheppard, Turbo, Ferree, Rickman, Shirley and Eckert all picking up wins. I am sure there were others that I missed, but I'd say that was a pretty good Saturday night from the folks in Shinnston, WV. Don't stick a fork in them just yet.

[Highside Hustler25]

Yep. Michael Norris was another.

[KTMLew]

So this morning I was checking out the results from last night on DoD and saw it was a pretty good night for Rocket with Erb, Sheppard, Turbo, Ferree, Rickman, Shirley and Eckert all picking up wins. I am sure there were others that I missed, but I'd say that was a pretty good Saturday night from the folks in Shinnston, WV. Don't stick a fork in them just yet.

Even a blind sow picks-up an acorn now & then.

[84wedge]

Rockets love starting on the front row, and the cushion. Take that with a grain of salt from the guy whose screensaver is Mark Richards getting punched in the mouth. :cool:

[KTMLew]

Rockets love starting on the front row, and the cushion. Take that with a grain of salt from the guy whose screensaver is Mark Richards getting punched in the mouth. :cool:

He has a punchable face.

[Snake X3]

So this morning I was checking out the results from last night on DoD and saw it was a pretty good night for Rocket with Erb, Sheppard, Turbo, Ferree, Rickman, Shirley and Eckert all picking up wins. I am sure there were others that I missed, but I'd say that was a pretty good Saturday night from the folks in Shinnston, WV. Don't stick a fork in them just yet.

What was the total purse for those wins? Thanks! :)

[Pennsboro32]

Yep, 4m said rocket is done. It must have been true.

[KTMLew]

B-Shep stinking up the show so far. Car must be bad cause he's running the bottom.

[Pennsboro32]

Sheppards washed. Rockets done. They can only win on bullrings.

1-2-3 tonight..

[TerryM]

Sheppards washed. Rockets done. They can only win on bullrings.

1-2-3 tonight..
Hahaha, you beat me to it!

[KTMLew]

Sheppards washed. Rockets done. They can only win on bullrings.

1-2-3 tonight..

Yeah it was a pretty pathetic effort. They should just quit.

[Raceready]

So this morning I was checking out the results from last night on DoD and saw it was a pretty good night for Rocket with Erb, Sheppard, Turbo, Ferree, Rickman, Shirley and Eckert all picking up wins. I am sure there were others that I missed, but I'd say that was a pretty good Saturday night from the folks in Shinnston, WV. Don't stick a fork in them just yet.It sounds like maybe they might pick up an important significant win that matters somewhere somehow before the end of the decade ? ?

[84wedge]

Again, from the front row. Call me when he passes a bunch of cars.

[Highside Hustler25]

Sheppards washed. Rockets done. They can only win on bullrings.

Steinbrenner's here. George is dead. Call me back!

sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[KTMLew]

Again, from the front row. Call me when he passes a bunch of cars.

Didn't know they started top 3 from front row? But they do suck.

[TerryM]

Steinbrenner's here. George is dead. Call me back!

sorry, I couldn't help myself.
What the he!! did you trade Jay Buhner for? He had 30 home runs, and over 100 RBI last year. He has a rocket for an arm! You don’t know what the he!! you’re doing!

[TerryM]

Again, from the front row. Call me when he passes a bunch of cars.
Aren’t the point leaders of the top three series in the country driving Rockets? I mean, we aren’t just talking about a race or two.

[KTMLew]

Don't be bringing your facts into this hate fest.

[ZERO25]

I bet Mark gets a real kick outa proven you 4m haters wrong!

[KTMLew]

I bet Mark gets a real kick outa proven you 4m haters wrong!

I doubt Mark knows what the internetz is/are/was/were, etc, etc. Too busy counting his money from selling inferior chassis.

I was there the night he was changing leaf spring mounts on their Howe 5th coil chassis at Rodney Combs WRC shop.

He has a very punchable face.

[Highside Hustler25]

I doubt Mark knows what the internetz is/are/was/were, etc, etc. Too busy counting his money from selling inferior chassis.

I was there the night he was changing leaf spring mounts on their Howe 5th coil chassis at Rodney Combs WRC shop.

He has a very punchable face.

You sound like that 13 year old pimpley faced internet tough guy. Problem is, if you are stating facts, you're obviously older. Kind of embarrassing really.

[KTMLew]

You sound like that 13 year old pimpley faced internet tough guy. Problem is, if you are stating facts, you're obviously older. Kind of embarrassing really.

I could be trolling a bit too. Really thought that's what the whole thread was about?

[Raceready]

I doubt Mark knows what the internetz is/are/was/were, etc, etc. Too busy counting his money from selling inferior chassis. I was there the night he was changing leaf spring mounts on their Howe 5th coil chassis at Rodney Combs WRC shop. He has a very punchable face.If'n you that long of tooth, you probably remember when Ray Callahan sent a chassis jig with Richards so that he could begin producing Bullitt Chassis for the eastern states ? ?

[KTMLew]

If'n you that long of tooth, you probably remember when Ray Callahan sent a chassis jig with Richards so that he could begin producing Bullitt Chassis for the eastern states ? ?

That sounds familiar. According to their website Bullet built a couple chassis to Marks specs then refused to build more. I think they did build a few Bullitt chassis but not very many. I had changed employment status and didn't have much time for the race car stuff then. Lost the thread for several years.

Did help Tim Hitt some with the early Rocket stuff as we were from same town. Bought a bunch of engines from their families salvage yard when I was running my own repair shop. Hard to believe it's been 30+ years.

[Josh Bayko]

Rockets are leaving both national series, so they must be junk

[dirtcrazy4u]

Mark laughs all the way to the bank. When steve baker ran ppms on a regular schedule he would show up with changes to that car all the time. Rocket just as Longhorn does, works hard to find speed. I'm sure both shops have had there competitors chassis on a table taking measurements. In going past rocket HQ last Wednesday I did notice something new to me. Rocket motors ! I guess Mark has gone into the used vehicle market. By the way, when Sheppard starts mid pack he is usually passing cars. They get qualifying back in line he will be a definate threat.

[Dlmfan123]

Car company has been there for a few years

[Raceready]

That sounds familiar. According to their website Bullet built a couple chassis to Marks specs then refused to build more. I think they did build a few Bullitt chassis but not very many. I had changed employment status and didn't have much time for the race car stuff then. Lost the thread for several years. Did help Tim Hitt some with the early Rocket stuff as we were from same town. Bought a bunch of engines from their families salvage yard when I was running my own repair shop. Hard to believe it's been 30+ years.It's been said that Ray Callahan ended up getting the short end of that deal. Between that and the passing of Brett he just kind of racing.

[JustAddDirt]

It did take Mark suggesting the droop rule to all major sanctioning bodies to get his cars relevant again on the national stage. Not hating, just spitting facts. Not biased. I own and XR1

[bleedblue55]

It did take Mark suggesting the droop rule to all major sanctioning bodies to get his cars relevant again on the national stage. Not hating, just spitting facts. Not biased. I own and XR1

Pretty sure Ray Cook was the driving force behind the droop rule starting with his Southern Nationals Series

[dirtcrazy4u]

Yea blame ray cook for the stupid rule. That wedge nose gets into a guy that's crossed up he's going over, plain and simple. The LR shock and bodies are the problem. From my neighbor, who does run a slm with his son, Mark has had it with WRG and what they don't do. He relinquished a couple different things he heard but as he said you just never no who is telling who the hole story. There going all out up there on that hill in WV is what I can say.

[Pennsboro32]

McCreadie says the cars bodies now minus the droop rule produce better racing than they ever have.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Pretty sure Ray Cook was the driving force behind the droop rule starting with his Southern Nationals Series

And it went nowhere else for years. The current rule Lucas and woo adopted is very different from rays proposal.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

McCreadie says the cars bodies now minus the droop rule produce better racing than they ever have.

McCreadie is very McCreadie-centric. I have seen that first hand. I know he doesn't actually believe that. He raced when you could pass on entry or exit.

[ImCryn2]

It did take Mark suggesting the droop rule to all major sanctioning bodies to get his cars relevant again on the national stage. Not hating, just spitting facts. Not biased. I own and XR1

I think it had the opposite effect. Bad call on his part if that is true.

[Rajflyboy]

Then you got a guy like Chris Madden who can win in whatever chassis he is in. Doesn’t matter to his team.

[Raceready]

It's a good deal for the other drivers that he is not in a Longhorn he'd a maybe won that big old million and all the other races he was in perhaps ? ?

[Pennsboro32]

I wonder if anyone else noticed how many races rocket won over the weekend?

[JustAddDirt]

pretty sure he got his last couple cars bare steel from Rocket, so he can change a few things. specifically so it will turn. He is a purdy smart cat.

[foxfire2dirtracing]

Maybe a few tweaks from his knowledge of Bloomqist and Longhorn Chasis?

[foxfire2dirtracing]

I think most veteran drivers do their own changes to their cars. Those that rely on Chasis manufacturers for set-ups are probably the ones crying about no tech support?
Madden doesn’t use the Integra shocks like Rocket1 house car. Integra seems to be the leading brand for most rockets while Bilstein is heavy with Longhorns- hi XR Kevin Rumley.

[Josh Bayko]

What works for Madden probably wouldn’t work for Sheppard and vice versa. Their driving styles aren’t anywhere near similar.

Flo just put up an article where Mark basically says they have been trying new things most of the year. After Portsmouth, they had a team meeting and decided to get back to what they know works.

Then they went and absolutely dominated at Muskingum. Sometimes you lose your way attempting to reinvent the wheel.

[KTMLew]

Leaf springs. Get back on leaf springs.

[Raceready]

Leaf springs. Get back on leaf springs.In total agreement ! ! I would love to go back to the days when it was 80% driver and 20% car that won races ! !

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Bayko,

My understanding of that DoD article was Brandon was tired of doing it Marks way and was past ready to run what he knew he needed. "Not do what we always do, do what I need". Basically

[BTExpress]

How bout them Rockets?. O'Neal with the win tonight!!!

[SLIDING SIDEWAYS]

No longhorns entered?🤔

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Leaf springs. Get back on leaf springs.

You might be surprised at what would happen if leafs were mandatory.

[dirtcrazy4u]

CJ would smile and say I told you so.

[dirtcrazy4u]

As for rocket Shepp. On starts/restarts the car doesn't seem to have that jump. Yea I know it could be gear or Shepp not wanting to spin the tires. His heat race last night at Davenport showed that. Front row and after 1 lap was chasing some good equipment. That's a uphill struggle.

[grt74]

madden - and - marlar , can and will do whatever it takes to get a car to run, (with the hot wrench) along with a few others
i know mcdowell will tweak one too
if your really really good with the cars, there is some tweaking that can be done (to there liking)
ive seen a chassis leave with no up rights or crossmember several times

[Pennsboro32]

No longhorns entered?樂

Does Overton, McCreadie, Marlar count?

[Barbecueboy]

Mark Richards couldn’t get over to O’Neal quick enough last night …..that must have been a relief for him to see 71 beat up on some longhorns.

[zyoung25]

Hud was the only rocket that could turn on the bottom it appeared, Marlar couldn't get his car to work on the bottom either though. This was definitely the best race of the year IMO

[KTMLew]

Hud was the only rocket that could turn on the bottom it appeared, Marlar couldn't get his car to work on the bottom either though. This was definitely the best race of the year IMO

I'd love to see one of these top guys try the new Capital chassis. Only 2 running @ top level are Clanton & Bruening. After little digging found Marlar tried it last summer. Guess didn't last long. The Hunt The Front guy's 2022 seems to cut across the track pretty well. But they only have I think 4 races on it including the fiasco @ Eldora where turned first laps. Never hit on anything.

But anyway...would like to see somebody new try one. Think Owens is still running Rocket/Longhorn combo? I'd bet more than half-dozen different current chassis would fit right on the Longhorn jig.

[Rajflyboy]

This threads needs this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpcc43NV394

[Raceready]

That amazing drummer has an arm up on the competition !!

[Rajflyboy]

That amazing drummer has an arm up on the competition !!Having a real disability did not stop him one bit.

[KTMLew]

You might be surprised at what would happen if leafs were mandatory.

Gaze into your crystal ball and tell us!

I'd think with current technology they'd create a fiberglass or ?????????? spring with some type of coating to keep them from getting damage from rocks. I'd really like to see the suspension wars re-created. Swingarms unite!

[Rajflyboy]

Gaze into your crystal ball and tell us!I'd think with current technology they'd create a fiberglass or ?????????? spring with some type of coating to keep them from getting damage from rocks. I'd really like to see the suspension wars re-created. Swingarms unite!That would be fun

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Gaze into your crystal ball and tell us!

I'd think with current technology they'd create a fiberglass or ?????????? spring with some type of coating to keep them from getting damage from rocks. I'd really like to see the suspension wars re-created. Swingarms unite!

If they don't change the bodies, they will hike to the moon still. They won't run flat like 1990.

[KTMLew]

Man they sure do suck.

[KTMLew]

Starting on the poll again.

[BTExpress]

Rockets first and second tonight at Deer Creek....Madden wins from 11th. Just sayin'

[KTMLew]

Davenport running interference for Madden?

[Pennsboro32]

1-2 tonight.

[zyoung25]

Another good race. Everybody goes in the trailer happy again because of no bonzi sliders.

[ImCryn2]

Another good race. Everybody goes in the trailer happy again because of no bonzi sliders.

When the track is conducive to good racing there is no need for drivers to make high risk moves.

[Raceready]

Davenport running interference for Madden?Old Davvy looked like he had his own interference going on for himself for a while last night ! !

[Highside Hustler25]

The guys in Shinston are putting together a new piece for Sheppy. The one they wrecked at Deercreek is junked.

[dirtcrazy4u]

HH25, rocket has enough cars at team blue waiting to get pushed into the trailer

[Dlmfan123]

HH25, rocket has enough cars at team blue waiting to get pushed into the trailerThey are building a brand new car

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

They are building a brand new car

A replacement xr2.

[dirtcrazy4u]

If so, that would not surprise me, the haters can yak all they want about richards but he has been beat and he understands change is needed. I said at one point they were testing, trying different combinations. It's the mindset they have up on that hill in WV. Rayburn back in the day was the guy you had to beat, today it's rocket. Longhorn has made strides but they to found out just over a year or 2 ago maybe that car they were rolling out was not very good. In comes Rumley and things started to change. Now it's mark turn to catch up. The rest of these chassis makers are happy doing what there doing, except for scott, they'll let longhorn and rocket figure it out then move a few bars around that do nothing and call it there own design. Remember the pierce platinum, it was garbage, little Bobby gets in the Dunn Benson car which was an xr-1 for a year then Bob comes out with his new design. Sure

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

If so, that would not surprise me, the haters can yak all they want about richards but he has been beat and he understands change is needed. I said at one point they were testing, trying different combinations. It's the mindset they have up on that hill in WV. Rayburn back in the day was the guy you had to beat, today it's rocket. Longhorn has made strides but they to found out just over a year or 2 ago maybe that car they were rolling out was not very good. In comes Rumley and things started to change. Now it's mark turn to catch up. The rest of these chassis makers are happy doing what there doing, except for scott, they'll let longhorn and rocket figure it out then move a few bars around that do nothing and call it there own design. Remember the pierce platinum, it was garbage, little Bobby gets in the Dunn Benson car which was an xr-1 for a year then Bob comes out with his new design. Sure

They should have already been running the new design car. I don't know for sure if they have or not.

[84wedge]

the piece Madden is running seems a little more racey in traffic and in different lanes.

[KTMLew]

the piece Madden is running seems a little more racey in traffic and in different lanes.

Rockquist?

[ImCryn2]

Rockquist?

Why copy something that is not performing at this time?

[KTMLew]

Why copy something that is not performing at this time?

Point is whatever Madden has IS working.

[Raceready]

HH25, rocket has enough cars at team blue waiting to get pushed into the trailerIt may be time for a driver change if the last few years of crown jewel failures are of any indication. . .

[Barbecueboy]

I see an addition before I see a change……

[ImCryn2]

Point is whatever Madden has IS working.

Chris is a smart fella, he's good in most everything he drives.