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Thumbing through my usual flurry of e:mails, ever so carefully deciding which will make the cut for "Ask Mr. Fishwrench" publication, I stumbled across this unique question. A reader from Minnesota asks, "What would be faster on a mile track, the Dupont #24 pulling a Skeeter, the Bud #8 pulling a Ranger or the Fishwrench.com #73 of Tim Lewis pulling a pontoon? Would you happen to have any pictures of these?"
At first glance I thought this Fishwrench reader wasn't quite right in the head, but then as I perused the e:mail again. I realized there was some legitimacy to the question, if not because of the logistics alone. Being this question can be approached from different angles, I refrained from forcing this into the typical "Ask Mr. Fishwrench" boxy format, noting its full-page worthiness.
Before formulating an answer to the question of which car can pull what boat the fastest, it's important to look at some vital measures. First, the #24 Dupont car weighs-in at a mere 3400 pounds, producing 550ft-lbs torque at around 5600rpm. The same applies to the #8 Budweiser car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. On the low end of the scale, the #73 Impala driven by Tim Lewis of Fishwrench.com produces a low 328ft-lbs of torque, and would blow up at 6500rpm. Although considerably less torque than a Winston Cup car, Tim Lewis still makes an impressive run on a 1/4-mile track at speeds well over 80mph.
The frames on all three cars are rigid and sturdy, with the Winston Cup cars being slightly stronger with their all welded steel frames. The #73 hobby stock car still rides on its original chassis with slight reinforcement added to the doors. For the most part, it is truly a "stock" car. In neither case is frame strength or towing capacity an issue.
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Next, boat weight needs to be taken into consideration. At 1600 pounds dry, the Skeeter is slightly leaner than a comparably equipped Ranger boat weighing 1730 pounds. Both are less than the much heftier Pontoon, running in the neighborhood of 2200 pounds. The weight of the pontoon puts Tim Lewis at an obvious disadvantage, where I doubt the DEI owned #8 will be phased by the extra 130 pounds of the Ranger. However, there is no question Jeff Gordon has an edge. Or does he...?
Finding the wall all by himself at Bristol, Jeff Gordon continued his longest streak of no finishes in the top five. Not since a win at Kansas Motor Speedway has Jeff Gordon had the opportunity to receive the obligatory interview of all top-five race finishers. Would I let Crash Gordon tow my Skeeter? I think not.
Dale Jr., sitting 6th in the Winston Cup points standings has made some impressive showings at the track. He's also blown more tires than Lewisnki has U.S. Presidents. With his car being a 1/8-inch lower than most of the competition, is it any wonder that tire rub is one of his biggest racing woes? Where exactly would you mount a trailer hitch ball on car bumper just inches off the ground? I have visions of Ranger scraps being spewed around a mile long track. Sure, the boat would make it to the landing, but boats full of cranks and holes usually don't make for good fishing.
Riding high on a stock chassis with firm suspension, and an engine built for the job, the #73 hobby stock of Tim Lewis would quite handily haul a pontoon around a track of any length. And with his treaded tires, Lewis could back that very pontoon into any boat landing of his choice, and pull it out just the same. It is the "stock" in his stock car that allows him to do this. The #73 hobby stock can pull my boat anytime.
Jeff Gordon's #24 pulling a Skeeter is nothing more than an accident waiting to happen, and probably happen in the first 100 laps. The #8 pulling a Ranger; well that's a blown tire, a bunch of fiberglass chunks and a trip to the scrap yard. But, put a pontoon behind the #73 Fishwrench.com car and you've got yourself a pretty boat-towing machine. Fishwrench.com...always a winner.
Look for Tim Lewis and his #73 Fishwrench Hobby Stock at Raceway Park in Shakopee, MN.