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    • Behind The Wheel Feature With Casey




      BEHIND THE WHEEL FEATURE WITH CASEY CRONIN
      Powered By optima batteries
      Written By Brandy Phillips
      Photos By Brandy Phillips and Casey Cronin's Facebook Page

      There comes a time when you meet someone great, someone with knowledge, kindness and compassion. Upon meeting
      this person, you know that this person can never be forgotten.




      I have come across a handful of people since entering the pro-touring scene in 2008 that have remained close friends,
      but there are only a few I allow in the passenger seat of my truck. I have always been a person that will jump in
      someone else’s vehicle, observe how they drive and then apply certain aspects of their driving once I climb back into
      the driver seat. When you find a good instructor, one who just clicks with you, it is hard to have anyone else in that
      position. Luckily one of those incredible instructors is based right here in Southern California.





      When I speak of racing instructors, wandering minds might question what professional driver I am speaking of? Others
      might assume that I am speaking of someone that has been a long time member of the pro-touring community, won
      several events and races competitively attending several events throughout the year. In this case, this driver not only
      has a long history in racing, his skills behind the wheel have made an impact on over 2,500 CHP cadets during his
      years in the Academy.





      For many of us when I say the words CHP or for non-California’s maybe Highway Patrol, I bet more than half of you
      cringe. Yet, how cool would it be to work for the CHP as a driving instructor? By now some may have realized who I am
      talking about, but for those who still do not know, the man behind the uniform is no other than Casey Cronin.

      As most gearheads, there was an early automotive influence in Casey’s life. In the mid sixties Casey’s father was in
      charge of promoting the Ford Bronco for a dealership in Hayward, California. This lead to his family’s involvement in off
      road racing and Cronin’s purchase of his first vehicle, a pink Willys DJ 3A. Cronin’s high school years were spent
      converting the Jeep to four wheel drive, removing the flathead four cylinder to replace it with a V6, and installing a T10
      4 speed.





      Cronin went on to attend college and work for a small company in the four wheel drive aftermarket industry in Paso
      Robles. After a couple of years it was time for him to move on. With the help of a persistent friend, Cronin looked into
      joining the California Highway Patrol. After two years of testing, Casey Cronin was accepted into the Academy. Cronin
      spent ten years working in the San Fernando Valley, Bay Area, and metro Sacramento area. During the earlier years of
      his CHP career Cronin took advanced courses in Collision Investigation. Many of these courses involved vehicle dynamics,
      skid marks, time position calculations, and basic Newtonian physics. After a few years Cronin became a certified Accident
      Reconstructionist.

      In the summer of 1994, a teaching opportunity opened up at the CHP Academy for a driving instructor. Cronin applied,
      went through the selection process, and was assigned to the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) unit in
      December of 1994. It was a dream come true. This is where he would really learn to drive. During his time at the
      Academy, Cronin taught over 2,500 cadets and several members of various other law enforcement agencies. Cronin
      would also purchase his runout Camaro (B4C) patrol car, which would be his first autocross vehicle.

      Casey Cronin was promoted to Sergeant and became the EVOC unit supervisor. Cronin held that position for 3 1/2 years
      until he transferred to the Santa Barbara area and moved to Camarillo in 2001. While in the San Fernando Valley, Cronin
      also worked as a supervisor, which resulted in doing some driving demonstrations for the CHP at Irwindale Speedway. In
      2005 Cronin was promoted to Lieutenant and settled down in the Ventura office until retiring in 2013. While at Ventura,
      Cronin started a driver’s training program and decreased preventable collisions. When he started they had 13 in 2006,
      and when he retired in 2013 that number had dropped to zero.





      Though many might ask how one goes from wearing a uniform to a driving suit, it all seemed very natural for Cronin.
      Yet, the bigger question was how he got into the pro-touring scene? In short, the racing community had a bigger bond
      than one would think. Cronin’s racing adventures in Northern California helped him reunite with an old friend, Mike Maier,
      years later as the pro-touring scene started to grow. Maier, who had been running at the Del Mar autocross, convinced
      Cronin that Del Mar should be added to Cronin’s bucket list. Due to its laid back nature; Cronin agreed and decided that
      this event was a must once he retired.





      During this time several other events were starting including the NMCA West Hotchkis Autocross that was in junction with
      the drag racing event at the Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California. Cronin, who was running Hoosiers on his Camaro,
      was in the need of new tires. It was then that Cronin decided to switch to the 200 tread wear club and embark on his
      journey in the pro-touring racing movement.





      Cronin ran several events with his Camaro including the So Cal Challenge, NMCA West Hotchkis AutoX, the Street Machine
      Nationals, Run To the Coast, SCCA National Tours, and Camarillo Autocross. As he grew closer to his retirement, Cronin
      had another surprise waiting in the garage. Though his secret weapon would take some time to complete, Cronin stayed
      extremely occupied between his build and helping coordinate and expand Speed Limit Racing.





      Some may have heard of Speed Limit Racing while others know it as the Camarilo autocross. So how was Casey Cronin
      connected to this group? He explained that the short story is “he was the guy with the truck.” The longer version though
      helps explain how the whole autocross scene at the Camarillo Airport got started.





      Cronin was reading a thread on Pro-touring.com about Cris Gonzales rebuilding Mary Pozzi's Camaro. He kept following
      some of the stories and different builds when Cris mentioned he needed to test Karl Dunn’s 1969 Camaro Blu Balz.
      Cronin had just started a driver’s training program at the Camarillo Airport and had a mutual friend that could get Cris
      some test time. This was perfect since JCG Restoration was based in Oxnard.





      Cris’ test sessions eventually turned into the periodic open test and tune events. Cronin hauled the cones and other
      equipment in his truck and set up the course on Saturday for participants to race on Sunday. Darren Friedman, who is
      President of Speed Limit Racing, offered to buy some timing equipment, which quickly added even more appeal to these
      events. Eventually demand was so high Speed Limit Racing opened the event as a two-day autocross, allowing people to
      register for Saturday, Sunday or both.





      Speed Limit Racing is unlike many autocross events. Unlike other autocross events that have numerous classes and an
      event every quarter, Speed Limit Racing puts on an event every month and limits the total entries to ensure 12 runs per
      entrant. Cronin, who designs each course layout, structures each course differently depending on other upcoming race
      events. Knowing that several drivers come out to Camarillo to shakedown their vehicles before a big event, Cronin likes
      to incorporate elements of upcoming races into his autocross layouts so drivers can practice and setup their vehicles per
      that particular race.





      For example: the first couple months of the 2017 may reflect a tighter course to cater to those who will be attending the
      Goodguys Del Mar Autocross in April. When October comes around, Cronin will set up a slightly larger course with more
      speed to replicate a similar course to what a competition might see at the optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational at Auto
      Club Speedway in the fall. Rather than a competitive autocross series, Cronin likes to think that Speed Limit Racing is
      more of a developmental autocross venue.





      As I had stated in the beginning, Casey Cronin is an amazing driving instructor. After taking a glimpse at what he has
      been doing with Speed Limit Racing, we wanted to dive deeper into his role as an instructor. While completing his secret
      build, Cronin had quite a bit of time to play the role as an instructor, but once he finished his 1972 Vette, he still
      continued to put time aside to help others behind the wheel. So I wanted to hear his reason why:


      “That's not a short answer and will take a while. As a parent I'm sure you have had those moments when you are
      teaching your child something and for lack of a better term ‘you see the light come on.’ That is probably one of the
      greatest feelings in the world. When I was teaching at the CHP Academy, there would be those moments, when a cadet
      was struggling with a component of driving, and thru working with the cadet ‘the light would come on.’ It was such a
      rewarding feeling. To me driving is a life skill; not a professional skill like report writing or administering Field Sobriety
      Tests (FST). Driving is something you carry with you after work. Being a good driver will save you and possibly even
      your family or passengers in an emergency situation.

      So teaching and helping others with driving fundamentals is self-rewarding to me. I get a great a joy when I see the
      light come on as any parent would with their child. Autocross is more about self-improvement than competition. When
      a driver has plateaued, a certain level of frustration sets in. If I can offer a small piece of advise and they break
      through their plateau they have more fun. Isn't that what we are all trying to do, have fun?

      As for how I instruct, I try and break driving into three parts; Driver Ergonomics, Roadway Position, and Vehicle
      Dynamics. Anytime I offer a suggestion, I have observed something and usually I can help them find some time on
      the course. When teaching cadets, I always started with eye placement and moved on from there. When the cadet
      would began to struggle, I would drop back to eye placement, and things would start to come together and then we
      could move on. I've noticed that same trend in autocross and see drivers struggling with eye placement from time to
      time. At Speed Limit Racing, I have the freedom to do things I couldn't do elsewhere. We bought some lime green
      cones that I can set up, and use for visual ques. Then to help the student all I have to do is say "look to the next
      (green) cone." It’s just a matter of fine-tuning after that.” (Casey Cronin)





      As for those green cones, I have been one of those drivers that Cronin used that theory on and it worked. It took me a
      couple laps to get it down and break bad habits, but when I finally trusted Cronin and his advice, I was able to tackle one
      bad habit after the next and shave down my lap time.





      As for whom Cronin wanted to thank for getting him into this hobby, Cris Gonzales and JCG gang were at the top of his
      list. Cronin has enlisted Cris’ help on multiple occasions during the build of his Corvette and they still work closely to this
      day.

      Ken Mitchell was another name on Cronin’s list. Mitchell is one of Cronin’s first mentors in autocross who helped show
      him the ropes. He had a car similar to Cronin’s Camaro and helped him avoid some common mistakes while trying to
      make a third gen run. Just when Cronin thought it was time to spend some money on the car, Mitchell would co-driver his
      car at a National Tour event. He was always one and a half to two seconds faster than Cronin; essentially saving him a lot
      of money on parts he did not need at the time.





      Cronin did not want to end without thanking the guys over at Wilwood along with the infamous Danny Popp. Popp had
      always been available and very open with setup questions and other questions Cronin had during the construction and
      procurement phases of his Corvette.





      While reflecting back on his role within the pro-touring community, we asked Cronin what he hoped to see in 10 years
      regarding the pro-touring movement and the race events that incorporate these style of vehicles.


      “In the last five years I've seen the rise and fall of some of these events. I like the concept of multi-component events
      similar to Street Machine Challenge, RTTx, and Optima. However, I think it needs to get pared down to just a couple
      elements, say autocross and speed stop. Add the two times to determine the winner. Spectator access to the events is
      going to be key to the growth, continued sponsor interest, and financial stability.” (Casey Cronin)





      As for Casey, he hopes to still be driving for the next five to seven years. After that, he has considered helping run events
      if the opportunity came about.





      Casey Cronin is a name that if not already known, should be one you should watch out for. He is doing great things with
      his 1972 Corvette. Though all of the events he has participated in recently have been West Coast based, he has done
      exceptionally well over the last year and recently took home the Pro Class win at the Goodguys Del Mar autocross.





      So as we conclude this Behind the Wheel Feature, Cronin had one last piece of advice to give everyone reading this. When
      asking him what advice he would give to those looking to get into the pro-touring race movement or just racing in general
      these was his final words:

      “Our little sport is like golf for grease monkeys. Its not about the lowest score, but how well did you improve throughout
      the day. Money is not always the answer, predictable and reliable, are the two most important qualities. “







      Casey Cronin’s 1972 Corvette Specs:


      Make: Chevy

      Model:
      Corvette

      Year
      : 1972

      Engine
      : 355 cu in Small Block Chevy

      Engine Details: After my first engine ate itself, Cris Gonzales sold me the engine he took out of his C3 Corvette.
      Its an old school small block Chevy. Basic four bolt main block, forged crank, forged rods and 13:1 compression ratio
      forged pistons. Cast iron Sportsman II heads with 2.02 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves. Mechanical roller cam,
      lifters, and rockers, and stud girdle. I don't have any details on the camshaft regarding duration, lift, or lobe centers.
      The ignition is now a full MSD system; distributor, coil, 6AL ignition box. I’m currently running a Holley 750 double
      pumper on a Edelbrock Victor Jr intake manifold

      Horsepower / Torque: At the Pomona event the car made 264 horsepower on the chassis dyno.. Unfortunately
      the ignition system started cutting out around 4000 rpm limiting potential to maximum horsepower. (Cost me the win
      for the Street Machine Challenge at Pomona). I haven’t run it on a dyno but its making more power now!!

      Transmission Brand: Close ratio Muncie 4 speed with a Hurst shifter

      Clutch: 10.5 Clutch with a steel flywheel

      Exhaust: Hooker Headers and sidepipes with 3 inch insert mufflers that I fabricated using perforated stainless tubing

      Differential: Stock Corvette carrier and posi with 3.73 gears

      Brakes: I recently updated the stock rotors to a light weight “autocross only” model from Wilwood. The new rotors
      weigh eight pounds compared to 18 lbs for the stock rotor. The calipers are Wilwood D-8 Calipers which are one half
      the weight of the stock cast iron caliper.

      Wheel Brand: E/T LT III 18x12 wheels front and rear

      Tires Brand: 315/30x18 BFG Rival S in the front and 335/30/ x 18 BFG Rival S in the rear.

      Body & Paint: This past summer Greg Thurmond helped me install Custom Image Corvettes flares on the car. The car
      is currently painted in a rough primer. This coming summer, during a break in events, I’ll be working with Greg again to
      finish up the body work and have him paint the car.

      Interior: Not much right now. Stock interior panels will be added after its painted.

      Gauges: Stock Speedometer and mechanical drive tachometer. Autogage: Oil pressure and Water temperature gauges

      Seats: Kirkey Intermediate Roadrace seat for the driver and a stock seat on the passenger side.

      Harnesses / Roll Bar / Cage: Autopower roll bar, G-Force seat belts and shoulder harness

      Other modifications: The suspension system is pretty much as General Motors designed it back in the day. I
      changed to shorter and significantly stiffer springs in the front and poly bushings in the lower control arms. SPC
      adjustable upper control arms with Delrin bushings were added for quick changes at the track. I made my own front
      spreader bar to connect the upper control arm mounts, thus minimizing and flex. ridetech builds a really cool steering
      box support that I added with the Borgeson power steering kit. JRi double adjustable shocks were added the front and
      the rear. I fabricated my own upper abd lower rear shock mounts to accommodate the extended length of the shocks.
      The rear spring is one of the last made by Dick Gulstrand for the C3 Corvettes. It is about one and a half inches shorter
      than normal to accommodate more wheel offset in the rear. This allowed me to stay with the stock rear trailing arms. I
      made my own adjustable lower strut rods so I could quickly change camber at the track as necessary.











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