Welcome

I just have to say it, “Gas City was a gas!!”  The track is a large, wide track.  The clay is dark and really sticky.  Went out for hot laps, and the track was fast.  Did the pill draw thing instead of qualifying.  I’ll tell you what, I don’t know how many pills there were in that cage, but I think I pulled the highest number…a 62.  Started at the rear of my heat race.

They started the night by running the street stock feature that had gotten rained out the week before.  Then they sent the USAC Focus Midgets out for their heat race.  Then it was our turn.  The track was like a plowed field, with ruts almost a foot high.  Running into them was like hitting a curb.  I spent the whole race trying desperately to find a way around the track without one or more of the wheels coming off the ground.  After our race the modifieds went out, and they were having trouble with the ruts too.  At intermission, they went out and tried to work the track back in.

We went out for the feature in our favorite spot, outside of the last row…  At one point in time I passed the fellow in front of me to gain a position, but that didn’t last long.  The track was better, but the ruts were still more than I really wanted to deal with.  The car and I really took a pounding.  Even though I was at the back of the pack, I ended up finishing in 10th place, simply because others were breaking down and dropping out.  Collin Erwin went into turn #2 and the ruts simply flipped his car.  He is all right, but the car is pretty battered.  I will say one thing though, for as bad as we did, the pay was pretty good.  We made more than we paid to get in to race…

Well, we have the car all tucked away for the night.  We will be off to Logansport tomorrow to see how we fare at that venue.

We had the video camera on for the heat and the feature, but the pounding we took locked up the Mini DV (recording device) both times.  I have no idea how much video we got, but I will post what I did get, when I get back home.

That is all for now,

Bill

Out west of Logansport, Indiana on US 24 is an institution devoted to miro sprint racing, which has seen untold thousands of races since it’s inception in 1959.  Although probably not as hallowed as the brick strip at Indianapolis, or the high banks of Daytona, this small bullring is a well-oiled machine that hosts some of the best drivers in the Midwest.  We were very happy when we had the opportunity to make a few circuits of the track, and see if we could figure out how to get around that small circle of Indiana clay.

Because we were new to the track, about five of us had the chance to get a few hot laps in before qualifying started.  Everyone else got their first feel of the track in the qualifying session.  They ran us 5 at a time for 7 laps.  Best lap of the session is your time for the night.  We qualified with an 11.483, which was way back in the pack.  Most of the cars were in the 10-second range.

We lined up for our heat race on the inside of the 4th row.  We had done a quick gear change, and had made some chassis adjustments, with hopes of running the high line, or cushion.  I tried through most of the race, but I couldn’t seem to figure out how to hit it right.  I decided that I wasn’t ready for rim riding as while I was experimenting, everyone else had driven away and left me.

Back at the trailer we made the decision to tighten the car up and try it again.  We changed gears too while we were at it, as the track was slicking up.  We had kind of a mess on our hands in the consi, as the car was loose when I ran the cushion, and tight as a drum on the bottom.  We did a little better, finishing 7th.

We were still banging the rev limiter pretty hard, so I took more gear out of the car, and set the chassis back to what we normally run at Jackson.  They started all 21 of us in the A Main, which was a 40-lap event.  It was a tribute to a local legend, Howard Weaver, who was on hand to award the trophies to the winners.  We started the race on a tacky track, as they had groomed and watered it during the intermission.  I was in the groove finally, and able to pass a few cars right off the bat.  Then only 6 or 7 laps in, the track started to slick up, and we were all done.  The car was super loose, and all I could do was pedal the throttle and hope for the best.  I didn’t feel too bad, as after 40 laps I was only lapped by the leader twice.  We finished the race in 17th place.

After experiencing racing at US 24 Speedway, I must say that I am very impressed with the place, and the people who run it.  They are nice to talk to, helpful, and very good at what they do.  They have very specific rules, and are not one least bit shy to enforce them.  They have a black flag, and they know how to use it. 

The track is very well maintained, with very wide straights and corners.  There are two grooves to choose from, and three wide racing is very common.  It’s not the fastest way around the track for everyone, but those that run the rim are just awesome to watch, especially in the non-wing class.  I would suggest that anyone wanting to learn how to operate a class micro track, would be well advised to go visit this track, and take lots of notes…

I’m sorry, but I don’t have a lot of video to share from this weekend.  The camera didn’t work at all while we were at Gas City, as both files were corrupt and unreadable.  I only had the camera in the car for the heat race at US 24, and not only was the lens protector smudgy, but the sun hit the camera at a bad angle on the backstretch.  I did upload that video for anyone who is interested, but it’s not the best quality.

We will be taking yet another week off from racing next week, July 4th, as Jackson Speedway is not racing, and I don’t have the day off from work.  So, we will see you back at Jackson Speedway once again in two weeks, July 11th.

See ya all then!

Bill