---

RaceWise Dirt Track Chassis School Coming February 9-11

RACEWISE ‘18

BOONVILLE, IN - The nationally known RaceWise Dirt Track Chassis School will hold one of its three-day chassis schools in southern Minnesota on February 9-11. Once again, Deer Creek Speedway and Kevin Stoa Engineering will be the official hosts of the school.

The annual event attracts both novice and experienced dirt Late Model, Modified and Super/Pro/Street Stock racers from all over the country.

The school will be held in Albert Lea, MN at Riverland Community College. The RaceWise school has educated thousands of dirt track racers over the last 25-plus years. The list of RaceWise students reads like a “Who’s Who� directory of dirt track racers and chassis builders, including three winners of the World 100 and a multitude of other dirt track champions from coast to coast.

RaceWise is owned and operated by Mark Bush, who cofounded AFCO Racing Products, Dynatech Headers and U.S. Brake. Bush regularly helps dirt track chassis builders design suspensions, has developed a variety of innovative suspension components and has worked with major NASCAR teams.

Bush also does testing and technical work for various racing oriented businesses and race teams and writes tech articles for Dirt Late Model Magazine and Dirt Modified Magazine. Bush also owns and operates Mark Bush Racing, which both builds and upgrades dirt track race cars. MBR also provides complete shock absorber rebuild, repair, revalve and re-engineering services.

In addition to Mark Bush, well-known engine builder, Kevin Stoa of Kevin Stoa Engineering, will be on hand to help educated RaceWise students on the power side of dirt track racing. A shop tour is scheduled for Friday night. Additionally, an open panel discussion is scheduled for Saturday night at Riverland Community College. Guest speakers to be announced.

The premise of the RaceWise school is based on the simple fact that it’s very difficult to fix or improve something (including a race car) unless you understand how the item at hand actually works. As Bush tells students at the beginning of each RaceWise school, an engine tuner, for example, must understand, first and foremost, just how an engine works.
Similarly, a chassis tuner must understand how suspensions work and how tires make the two things that all dirt racers are constantly looking
for: side and forward bite.

According to Bush, it takes a clear understanding of the workings of suspension and tires for a racer to clearly understand what set-ups are best and what chassis adjustments are needed.

Without this understanding, chassis setup and tuning are pretty much done on a trial-and-error basis, which is usually costly, time consuming and non-productive, no matter how good or expensive a racer’s equipment may be.

The school follows the fully illustrated, 150-plus page RaceWise Manual (often referred to as the “bible of dirt track racing�) which is provided only to RaceWise students. The manual minimizes note taking, which improves the students’ opportunity to listen to the instructor attentively. Suspension and racing videos are also used, along with special simulators and software programs, to help demonstrate points and to simplify the learning process for students. According to Bush, the RaceWise program is “continually fine-tuned to make the schools as racer friendly as possible and to provide the latest information on chassis and suspension design, setup and tuning.� Each RaceWise student is asked for specific feedback regarding the class, which Bush uses to improve the schools each year.

Some of the main topics covered during the school include: driver/crew communications, driving technique analysis, how tires make and lose traction, what actually determines the handling of a dirt track race car, how to properly analyze handling, how changing track conditions influence handling and what adjustments are most effective in improving handling.

RaceWise students are taught not only how particular suspension adjustments affect handling but also why the adjustments cause handling to change. Additionally, students are given dozens of tips that will help them to improve their racing program. Over $1,000 in door prizes, supplied by some of the leading suppliers and manufactures of dirt track racing equipment, are given away at each RaceWise school.

Additional information on the RaceWise Dirt Track Chassis Schools is available on the RaceWise website (www.racewise.net) and/or by calling Mark Bush at (812)459-2222. The RaceWise website includes a free test for you to check your chassis tuning knowledge. You can register for the RaceWise school in Albert Lea, Minnesota by calling Deer Creek Speedway (877-327-7223).

Back to News