The preparation for a weekend at the track has become a ritual, really! Typically, it involves changing the street wheels and tires for a wheel and tire package that I have set aside for track use only. The shiny chrome wheels, shod as they are with Michelin Pilot Sports are probably a good set-up for the track, but I have become fond of the black wheels and the Toyo R888s that see only track day usage. Once the wheels have been changed it’s a visit to the local car wash for a comprehensive bucket-wash and hand wax before I affix the car’s distinctive 116 numbers. The picture above is of the car in the garage as I go about changing the wheels. As I was working on the car, preparing this time for a weekend at the Auto Club Speedway, where only a short time before NASCAR had held its annual event, I recalled the many weekends that were spent watching my father perform maintenance on the family car, back in Sydney, Australia. Whether it was cleaning the carburetor, calibrating