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Perform On-Site Fabrication and Installation at Race Shop

2:54
38:30
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How a Rocket Scientist Changed NASCAR: Dr. Gas X-Pipe & The 1995 Daytona 500

What happens here

After optimizing the X-pipe design for fitment and durability, fabricate multiple units. Under extreme time pressure (e.g., less than 3 days before a major race like the Daytona 500), travel to the race shop with the newly fabricated components. Work with the race team's fabricators (e.g., Mark Giles) to install the optimized X-pipe system onto the actual race cars. Document the installation process, taking detailed photographs of the system's integration with the chassis, including the ovalized sections and reinforcement boxes, as well as components under the hood and within the cockpit. At this stage, the cars were often not fully decaled, providing clear views of the mechanical work.

Goal: Integrate X-pipe system into race car under tight deadlines

Tools and materials

  • Mechanics Tools Various — Performing the installation and adjustments
  • Photography Equipment — Documenting the installation process and final product
  • Race Car — Platform for installation and final fitting

What they say

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looks at me like, "Why in the world would somebody be carrying around two giant bags full of tubing?" And he asked to see what was inside. And I, of course, showed them. And he shook his head and he goes, "Okay." So, he checks checks my bags. From Salt Lake to Kingsport, which is the Tri-Cities area, which is near Abingdon, Virginia, there's no direct flight, so I had to go to Atlanta and then come back to Kingsport. And sure enough, the bags arrived, thank goodness. Got a car and it was Sunday evening when I made it there, so I drove I had the address and I more or less navigated my way there. And I walked in the door. It was locked. Knocked on it knocked on the door. One of the employees that was there, one from the engine room, came and I introduced I said, "I'm Boyd Butler from Dr. Gass." And he goes, "Oh, yeah, we've been waiting for you." He says, "Come with me." They [snorts] usher me in. It's one of first time ever ever in a NASCAR shop. I've never seen anything like it. We go into the engine room and there is Larry and Run Larry McClure and Run Pitman. >> You can see where the fans for the dynos are up there. >> Run Pitman with his characteristic toothpick. You ever meet Run? >> No. >> Oh, what a shame. He has his toothpick and he has it he can take with his tongue and he can spin it around and it's the more excited he gets, the faster that toothpick spin spins around. Uh anyway, true story. Larry says, "Come with me." So, we walk to the other side of the shop. The lights are all off, pitch black. And he flips on the breakers and you hear this It's just like in a movie. You hear these breakers they go clang and all of a sudden the lights go on and I'm looking there and here's these two cars right here. And I'm looking at this and it goes like I just thought, "Wow." That's uh there's more There's more pictures here as we go. I got some of the race and things I took in the pits. We'll We'll We'll get to that. See, there's There's a system being built. We'll We'll get to that. The cars were not fully decaled. They were They were about this condition right here. There's There's our system. Now, notice that this is This is discolored right here and then this is This is not. >> So, that's the system from the car that everybody knows. >> Correct. That is the winning system on on the It's been dyno tested, but that's the one that won the '95 Daytona 500 and that's That's the backside of Mark Giles right there. Mark…

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