[thstone]

I don't bring any spares.

Ok, that's not entirely true - I carry a quart of oil and some spare fuses, but that's it.

Instead, I am fanatical about maintenance. Here is what I do:

1. Careful observation during the previous track event: How did the car run? How did it feel? Any weird noises? Any strange vibrations? Any smoke (even for a moment)? Anything at all out of the ordinary? I don't ignore anything. I trust my gut that if I think that something isn't right, then it probably isn't right. Almost every component provides a sign or an indication that its getting ready to fail - pay attention to the signs.

2. Detailed inspection/investigation before the next event: Start with what you noticed from the previous event and investigate each concern until you find the cause or convince yourself that it wasn't a real issue. Then, go over the car from head to toe and actively look for problems. When was the last time that you pulled the front bumper cover just to see if everything was ok underneath? You the idea - go looking for problems. Most drivers do a quick glance and think, its fine. Take a few minutes and say to yourself, "Based on what I know about my car, what would be the first problem that I would expect to crop up?". A lot of the time, you know in your heart where the lingering issues are. Then go and investigate. If you can convince yourself that the problem won't crop up, then move on to the next one. If you can't convince yourself that its going to be ok, then do something about it.

3. Timely replacement plan of known wear items: If you regularly read this forum, then you probably already have a good idea of what parts are known to commonly fail or will eventually fail (AOS, water pump, light AGM battery, wheel bearings, coil packs, etc). Put together a plan to replace these items on a scheduled basis.

4. Do a (road) test: Do a test to make sure that whatever was done on the car, was done properly and nothing else was messed up in the process. Don't just assume that whatever was done, fixed the problem or that it didn't create another problem. Many problems are like peeling an onion where the next layer is another issue.

For example, if you did some electrical work, after you confirm that the problem is indeed fixed, take 10 mins and make sure that all of the other electrical accessories are still working.

Another example, I just replaced my engine. I will drive it for a couple of days to get a sense of how its running. Cold starts. Hot starts. Smooth acceleration/deceleration. Any codes? Etc. If that goes well, then I'll take it to a dyno to make sure that its making the expected power. And if that goes well, then I'll take it to an open test day at a race tack and run it at speed for an hour or two. If that goes well, then I'm ready to go to a race weekend.