What Spares Should I Take to the Track?

There is only one guarantee when it comes to your inventory of spares; no matter what you bring to the races, Murphy’s Law will prevail.  In most cases I’ve found no matter what I bring along, it’s always something else that I need.  Luckily you can often find someone in the pits with whatever it is.  In this article we’ll take a look at a short list of must have spares to keep in or on your trailer.  Although not all encompassing, we’ve built a rudimentary list based upon our own needs and those of fellow competitors who have wondered by our trailer searching for the right part to keep their night alive.  At the very worst, I figure carrying spares is kind of like carrying an umbrella to ensure it doesn’t rain—if you’ve got’em you’ll probably never need them.

How Much is Enough
Just how large of an inventory of spares you carry to the track is determined both by your budget and your commitment to finishing the night of racing.  I’ve seen racers at the sportsman/hobbyist level carry an

inventory of spares that would put most NASCAR or IndyCar team to shame.  Their inventories include everything from shocks, springs, axles, engines and in some cases complete chassis.  I’ve also seen competitors do quite well with a inventory of spares that neatly fits into a couple of plastic totes.  While it stands to reason that the larger your inventory of spares, the better your chances of making it through the evening of racing, you also need to consider the depth or enormity of repairs you want to undertake at the track.  For instance, we don’t chase points with any track or organization so we’ve decided in the interest of fun, the farthest we’ll go is minor repairs that can be quickly and easily done.  What this has meant to us is that we don’t carry and extra engine along to local races.  If we get to that point we’ll just pack it up and finish the night up enjoying the races from the stands.  However, for many of our fellow competitors who chase the season ending points race, the thrash required to change an engine at the track in between races is well worth it.  Before you decide how extensive your spare parts inventory will be, it is worth a little time to consider what type of repairs you are willing to do trackside. 

Wheels/Tires
At the very minimum a spare front and rear tire are an absolute necessity.  In most cases, the wheels/tires on a race car receive some portion of any impact in a racing incident make them suseptable to puncture or bending.  While in many classes the front and rear tires are similar enough in width that you can carry just a couple spares, other forms of racing require many different combinations of widths and offsets to strike the proper set-up.  Having the right wheel and tire mounted up and ready to go can make for an easy repair.  In some organizations and associations, you are actually allowed to change a wheel under caution or red flag conditions. 

Nuts/Bolts and Assorted Fastners
Perhaps one of the most necessary items in your inventory of spares is a good selection of nuts, bolts and assorted fastners.  No matter how your pre-race nut and bolt check is, you are bound to loose a nut, bult, Dzus or cotter pin at some point.  Even if it is not during the competition, it is equally as easy to loose one in the dust or gravel of the pits.  I’ve had to do the trailer to trailer search for just the right nut or bolt enough times that I have become a believer in carrying an assortment of nuts, bolts and other fastners.  You can easily create a nut and bolt kit by purchasing a tackle box type organizer from any hardware or home improvement store.  I’ve found the best way to fill the box is by using the bolts that you replace during your winter re-build as spares, (replacing your nuts and bolts in the off season is an excellent preventative maintenance measure) or better yet ordering extra bolts and placing them in your tackle box as spares.  Although finding Grade 8 bolts can be a challenge at the local hardware, most speed shops carry a good selection.  Many speed shops and chassis manufacturers even offer pre-packaged kits for the a specific chassis or type of car.  In addition to nuts and bolts, it is also a good idea if your kit also includes Dzus fastners, cotter pins and other miscelleaneous fastners.

Radius Rods and Rod Ends
Here are a few more items that seem to take the blunt of a racing incident.  I’ve seen very few accidents where there are not at least a couple of twisted radius rods and rod ends.  When it comes to rod ends, on most cars you will find that there are many of the same sized rod ends used throughout.  This means you don’t have to carry a ton of rod-ends to have yourself covered.  If you’re comfortable with it, you can even use the rod ends that you replace during your winter rebuild as back-ups. (this is assuming that you replace your rod ends each winter—an excellent idea)  I only recommend this in a pinch and would recommend that you replace the used rod end with a new one fairly quickly.  When it comes to radius rods and drag links, you might be surprised to know that you can carry a complete set of spare radius rods for very little expense.  Larry Fasse of Speed Partz commented, “I’ve found that I can outfit most guys with a complete set of spare radius rods for between $40 and $60.” 

Axles
Here’s one that’s a bit more pricey, but none the less often a necessity.  Just like wheels, radius rods and rod ends, axles tend to be on the receiving end of any on-track mid-adventure.  For most cars changing out an axle is a fairly straight forward and quick operation.  To make things even quicker, many competitors will have an axle complete with hubs and spindles ready to bolt right into their car.  An axle complete with hubs and spindles can easily be changed in 5 to 15 minutes.  However, carrying a spare, complete front and rear axle will but a bit of a dent in your wallet.

Fuel Pump
This is one that I speak about out of experience.  We’ve been through a few of them and have lended out quite a few of them at the track.  It’s not always the problem, but is commonly a first step in attempting to eliminate a fuel delivery problem.  If there is no fuel being delivered the fuel pump is always a suspect.  Depending on the type of fuel pump you use, this can be a bit of an expense—but one that will most likely pay benefits for yourself or a fellow racer.

Spark Plugs
A fouled or dirty plug can quickly ruin a night of racing.  Since changing your plugs should be a part of routing maintenance and is not too expensive, it is a good idea to always have an extra set along.  Whenever we purchase plugs we buy a few sets—just to make sure they are there when we need them.

Brake Pads & Brake Fluid
This is another item that is a good idea to have in your inventory of spares, even though it should be a part of your routine maintenance at the shop.  We’ve enough racers stop by the trailer looking for a set that we know it doesn’t always work this way.  Since most welter-weight racing cars only use a single caliper front and rear, buying an axle set (4 front or 4 rear) of pads means you’ll have a back-up set. 

As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, my intention was to only cover the extreme basics of your spare parts inventory.  I hope that this list is broad enough to cover some of the most common problems you encounter at the track.  In the event that Murphy’s Law does prevail and you find yourself at the track broken down without the right part, don’t forget that fellow competitors are often willing to lend or sell you what you need if they have a spare along.  Also many tracks have one or more parts vendors that carry a limited inventory of items that might fit the bill—however, don’t be surprised if you pay a little more.  Most of all I hope that simply having some spares along at the track is insurance that you will never need them.