Free
$0 to start
3 answers a month
Three written answers from the assistant each month. General direction only — no exact loads or numbers. A way to see how we think before you pay.
Ask by emailSetup help for dirt racers
Thirty years ago I was learning this the same way a lot of you are now. No crew chief. No budget for one. Just a car, a dirt track, and a lot of nights trying to figure out why it wouldn’t turn.
Cushion Line is for the local and regional dirt late model and modified racers still in that same place. You email a question. You get a straight answer by email — a suggestion to try, test, and learn from. Not a guarantee. Not a lecture.
If you’re willing to put the work in, we’re here.
— Cushion Line
Written answers, by email. No phone. No calls. No texts. No video.
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The line
Ask. Get an answer. Go deeper.
Everything is in writing, sent by email. You can read it in the shop, in the pits, or on the drive home.
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Ask
Email your question to cushionline@gmail.com, or use the form below. Late model or modified, local or regional — whatever’s going on with the car.
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Get an answer
Our assistant sends a written suggestion, drawn from years of setup work. Free answers give you the direction. They don’t hand out exact loads or numbers. Every answer is signed Cushion Line.
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Go deeper
If you need the full picture — the loads, the combinations, the “what to change with it” — you can send it to the owner as a paid expert answer, in writing, by email, in 3 days or in 24 hours.
Written only
No phone, no calls, no texts, no video. Questions come in by email. Answers go out by email, signed Cushion Line.
The numbers
Four ways to use the line.
Start free. Step up when you want more answers, or when a question needs the owner. All sales are final — you are paying for an opinion.
Pit Pass
$49 / month
or $490 a year
For racers who want to keep asking. More written answers from the assistant, by email, and the same option to send a question to the owner when you need one.
Expert answer
$150 / question
or $225 within 24 hours
A written answer from the owner, sent by email, signed Cushion Line. $150 within 3 days, or $225 within 24 hours. For the questions that need the full picture.
Season program
$3,500 / season
Limited to 3 teams
Season-long written help by email, limited to three teams. For a program that wants a line to the owner all year, still in writing — no calls, no trackside visits.
All sales are final. There are no refunds, because you are paying for an opinion. Read the disclaimer and terms before you buy.
The difference
A free answer, and an expert answer.
Same question. Two depths. Free answers give you the direction. Expert answers walk the details — still without handing you someone else’s sheet.
Free answer
Direction
“What will it do if I move my J-bar down on the pinion?”
Moving the J-bar down on the pinion end lowers the rear roll center on that side. That usually adds rear grip and tightens the car, mostly in the middle and on exit. Make small moves, one hole at a time, and expect the car to feel a little less free off the corner.
For how far to go and what to change with it, ask an expert question.
— Cushion Line
Expert answer · paid
The full picture
“What will it do if I move my J-bar down on the pinion?”
Moving the J-bar down on the pinion end lowers the rear roll center on that side. That usually adds rear grip and tightens the car, mostly in the middle and on exit.
How far you go depends on the car and the night. We’ll walk the holes with you — what one hole feels like, what two feels like — and how to pair it with your bar angle and right-rear support so the car doesn’t get tight on entry or lazy off the corner.
On a track that’s going slick, this is often a move you make as the feature goes on, not just at practice. We’ll tell you when to make it, what to watch for in the wheel, and what to change with it so the car stays balanced.
Make one change at a time and write down the result. These are starting points to test, not guarantees.
— Cushion Line
The racer
Who it’s for.
If you can already afford a full-time crew chief, you probably don’t need us. If you can’t, this is for you.
This is for you if
- You race a dirt late model at local or regional tracks
- You race a UMP or DIRTcar modified
- You’re learning on your own, the way a lot of us started
- You want a straight written answer, sent by email, that you can try and test
This isn’t for you if
- You want a phone call, a text, or a video meeting — we work by email, in writing only
- You want a guaranteed result. There isn’t one. Every answer is a suggestion.
- You already have a full-time crew chief. You probably don’t need us.
The question
Ask by email.
Write your question, agree to the disclaimer, and we’ll open a message to cushionline@gmail.com. Nothing is sent until you hit send in your mail app. There is no phone number, and we don’t take calls or texts.