LeMons Button-Turrible Inspections Wrap-Up: The Homer and the Heat Dominate

Some would argue that holding a race in one of the country's hotter locales at the end of June would be folly. This weekend, the 24 hours of LeMons has proven them correct by traveling to Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Southern California. The track itself is among the more popular on the LeMons calendar, but Mother Nature doesn't much feel like cooperating. While the usual story at a LeMons race is Man vs. Machine, this weekend's race is more of a Hemingway-esque Man vs. Nature vs. Machine saga, and we're only one day into it. Temps hovered around the 110 degree mark all afternoon, prompting a team to design the weekend's "Bribed" stencil, a vaguely phallic thermometer blowing its top. Although the weather seemed to dominate the conversation in the paddock, one car that couldn't be ignored was the new creation from the Porcubimmer team, The Homer. Murilee Martin covered this car in depth with photos of all the meticulous details that make this Simpsons homage such a masterpiece. It's tough to compete for attention with The Homer nearby, but this team found traction with an as yet un-honored Internet Meme, the Nyan Cat. Via the eight speakers mounted to the roof of their car, they kept everybody in the pits thinking of them. Look for the YouTube video if you want to stick a screw driver in your ear 15 seconds into watching it. As anybody who works on cars can tell you, arguments with parts-store clerks of any affiliation can be maddening. This team decided to honor their favorite with their super-cheaty car (that likely will blow shortly into the race), complete with Blinker Fluid and Muffler Bearings. O'RLY indeed. Another new entry with a well-developed theme is the Duck Dynasty Toyota MR2. They very closely mimicked the cult-hit reality TV show that bears the car's name, complete with duck calls. Incessant duck calls. As is typical in a race with 158 entries, it's hard to cover all the great entries. Some just stand out though, and just when we thought these Fiero enthusiasts couldn't be any dumber, they go and do something like this—and totally redeem themselves! Their very own, actual, real life, still-running Indy Fiero Pace Car! Or is that a parts car in disguise? Some more brave souls who captured our interest was this team who had the temerity to bring a car known for being fragile, temperamental  and difficult to fix—in other words, the perfect LeMons car! This Mitsubishi 3000 GT, though not the scarier, blow-uppitier VR4 model, will still be a challenge in the taxing climate. The team's car did feature a working Corona tap, that, luckily, was iced down. Nothing worse than warm Mexican beer. Another new-for-this-event racecar is Petty Cash Racing's latest Jeep. While no longer as novel in concept as when it claimed the title of Greatest Road racing Cherokee in History, this newest addition to the Jeep road-racing roster has been turning heads all weekend. Mostly in confusion. Back for their second attempt is this fantastic Ford Falcon. They even brought some of  ". . . their Pappy's Corn Squeezin's" to share with the LeMons Supreme Court. Anybody who will wear a wet-suit in 110 degree heat deserves some recognition. These surfer dudes, who work at GoPro, braved the climate to really cap off their wave-riding-themed BMW 535is. Blatant pandering to the LeMons supreme court is nothing new; fans of the series will recall the AMC Marlin of Speed Holes Racing duded up to resemble the esteemed LeMons Chief Justice. This team chose to honor LeMons veteran and sometimes-Judge Shawn Rodgers. Not only did they dress up their car, they donned Shawn disguises. Can you spot the Real McCoy? As mentioned, this weekend is going to be a torture test for both drivers and their cars. It's going to be a race of attrition, and the "fastest" car may very well not end up at the top of the podium on Sunday. It will be the team who can manage the conditions and simply keep turning laps; this will be true for all three classes, and there will be some great battles throughout the weekend. Be sure to check in here as the weekend progresses for updates. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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