Car 54 Update

8/19/10

Unfortunately the late Wednesday night attempt to get the car on the track did not work out. We got the car together and running in the early hours of Thursday morning but when we got to the track the car did not sound right. We found that last week’s issue caused more damage to the motor than we knew about and we were unable to race this week.

8/12/10

We had some trouble with the handling in the first practice but with some help from the 55 team we were able to improve. We did not have a heat race so we started 19^th of 24 cars. We worked our way up to 14^th with only about 5 laps the go the car shutdown and would not re-fire. We ended up with a 20^th place even though we did not finish. The motor needs a lot of work for next week and my son is sick therefore we may not get the car ready in time for Thursday’s race. Hopefully things will work out and we can get on the track.

8/5/10

Rained Out- Rescheduled to Sunday 9/26

7/29/10

The day started out bad but we ended up with a decent finish. In the first practice the car did not have the power still but in the second practice we found out why. I was running side by side with the 91 then all of a sudden the car just lost even more power. It turns out a lifter broke. Luckily we had a late start for our feature. We were able to pull the top end of the motor apart and replace the broken lifter before the start of the feature. Because we did not make the heat race we started dead last of 22 cars. We quickly passed a few cars then went back and forth with the 00, 38, 15 and 46. There were many cautions and wrecks, but we were able to stay out of all of them even with a couple close calls. In the end we finished with our best this season in 11^th. It turns out we did not get all the pieces of the lifter out of motor and over the weekend found that the pieces caused some damage to the motor. Unsure of the severity of the damage, we decided the replace the motor with our original that we just finished putting back together. Hopefully it will have the power we need this week.

7/22/10

Practices were not great but not too bad. Our times were not as fast as the past few weeks but not horrible either. The car went great through the entry and good through the middle but when on the gas the car was loose. With the lack of a heat race this week and shortened practices we had trouble tuning the car in. We started 16^th in the feature. We were faster through the turns than the cars we were racing against but the lack of momentum off the turn made it difficult to finish a pass. We had a few close battles throughout the race with the 46, 45, 02 and 38. We ended up with a 13^th place finish, not bad considering the poor handling of the car.

7/15/10

Practice started out great! We were running the fastest time we ever have. We were only a little slower than the top runners. Then we started 3^rd in the heat, the car started off loose and we dropped back to 8^th. The car came in near the end and we were faster than the 6^th and 7^th place cars that were battling for position. In the 4^th turn on the last lap, we made a bold move to go inside three wide to take 6^th. This put us on the pole for the feature. Something happened to the car’s power and we quickly dropped back after 2 laps. There was a caution and we were able to come off the track to check the car out. We made it back before the end of the caution but had to start last. The car was no better with power but the handling was great. We were able to make a few quick passes but then the excitement got to me. I started overdriving the car and caused a wreck which took out two innocent cars. On the restart the car filled up with smoke from a tire rub and then in turn 1 the tire blew out causing me to spin and hit the wall. Check out pictures from the day here. After a lot of work we have the car ready for the 22^nd when the PASS super late models will be there.

7/8/10

It was another decent week for us. We still are not where we want to be but the car is getting better. In the practice we broke a belt but we got it fixed quickly. In the heat we started on the pole but fell backwards after a couple laps. We started the feature in 16^th and with a last lap pass finished 14^th. The car stayed consistent throughout the race but still does not have the same power as the top runners and we still have some work to do on the handling. Some adjustments to the cam may give us the power we need off the turn for next week.

7/1/10

Finally we are headed in the right direction. The motor had some power but it needs to be tuned to get more power off the turn. We are back to running the lap times we were running last year at our best. The practices and heat went well with no issues. In the feature I had trouble getting around the 02 car and we lost the rest of the pack. once I got around the 02 I was not gaining or losing the pack. All we needed was a caution but it never came. We finished 13^th, a big improvement from the past few weeks. Hopefully with some adjustments this weekend we will continue to improve.

6/24/10

We got some tips from the 55 team on our setup for this week and we were excited, thinking this was the week for our luck to turn around. We tried something different from what we ever had and in practice, as expected, the car felt different. It took a little getting used to. The car was still a little off but is something we can work on to get better. In the second practice, we broke a brake rotor in the 3^rd turn but I was able to keep it off the wall. We got it fixed before the race. The feature went caution free but our car gradually got slower and slower down the straight aways as the race went on. It turns out the car was running on only 7 cylinders. We found out later that one of the lifters fell apart. Maybe next week our luck will turn around.

6/17/10

The motor was in and we were ready to race but still needs some adjustments to get all the power out of the motor that we can. We were not as fast as usual but were able to race. At the start of the feature the lack of power was apparent but once it hit high RPMs it wasn’t too bad. After 8 laps there was a caution and, when shifting, the car would not go into gear. Unfortunately, we had to get pushed off the track and did not finish the race. The shifter linkage came apart.

6/10/10

This would be probably the only week out of the season that would be happy to have rain on a Thursday. We found out that the car ran out of power because of a broken piston. We have been working on an extra motor that was not completed. My father put a lot of extra time in this week to try to get the car ready for today. I am not sure if it would have been ready if the rain did not pass though causing a rain out. The new motor will be ready to go in the main car for next week when the Modified Racing Series (formally the True Value Modified) is in town. Our makeup, along with the modified shoot out, from 6/3 will be on 6/24.

6/3/10

The practice seemed to go well, we were back to running our typical lap times. We started on the pole in our heat race but the car lost all the power it had in practice and we got passed by everyone. Before our race the rain started and the track could not be dried. Our feature next week will be based on today’s feature.

5/27/10, 50 Lap Feature

After our changes throughout the week, the car was still low on power. We started on the outside front row in the heat race but dropped to third quickly, shortly after we had our first caution. On the restart the leader “tried to pay the second place car back” by pushing him into the wall on the front stretch. His car bounced back inside right at my passenger door and I sup hitting the wall taking us out of the heat. With a quick response from the track welder, we were able to bend the rear rails of the car back away from the tire and get the torn bars welded up. Luckily we had no suspension damage. We got the body riveted and taped up in time for the 50 Lap feature. Unfortunately we started in the rear but we slowly gained spots but the lack of power was hurting us on the straights. We finished 16^th out of a 25 car field. The night was a little disappointing but considering the abuse the car took in the heat, I am pleased. We have a lot of work ahead of us this week end to get ready for next Thursdays TNT featuring the Tour Type Modified Shootout!

5/20/10

The start of Thursday Night Thunder. Things again did not go as planned but we managed to finish the race. Practice showed that we had some mechanical problems so in an attempt to repair them, we over compensated for the feature. The car was low on power out of the turn in the feature causing us to slip back from the start. We limped through the race to finish one lap down. Unfortunately it was one of our worst finishes, but we know what we need to do for next week’s 50 lap feature.

5/13/10

We ran into a little bad luck after practice on 5/6/10. We found out that the motor has a major issue. We took the backup car to practice today and found a setup we can work with for next week’s TNT. The start of the season is one week away and we are excited!

4/11/10- Ice Breaker, Day 2

Things went a little smoother today but we did not get the finish we were hoping for. We started 17^th and finished 17^th out of 23 cars. The car slowly lost it’s handling as the race went on and once again we went the entire race without a caution. Some good things came out of the weekend. 1) The car came off the track in one piece. 2) We know what we need to work on for the start of Thursday Night Thunder in May. 3) We had a lot of fun. 4) Our new spotter loves the race track.

The starting line up
Racing side by side	Luke, our new spotter
The backstretch	More side by side racing

4/10/10- Ice Breaker, Day 1

Things started out a little rough for us. We drew numbers for starting position in the heat race; I pulled a 48 which meant I was starting in the back of the pack. In the first practice rounds, we had an oil leak which we could not find. Finally we found it and got the car dialed in. In the heat race, a car spun in front of me without a caution causing me to fall back behind the pack. Just as I was catching the pack, another car spun in front of me causing me to lose the pack once again. This time I was not able to catch back up. I will start tomorrow in 17^th place.

4/3/10 – Practice

We took the backup car today to get the bugs worked out and the get it handling better. Now, if we need it this season, it will be ready.

3/27/10 - Practice

First time on the track since 2009! Although it did not go as well as we would have liked, the practice sessions helped us with what we needed to know. What do we need to work on to improve the cars for the Ice Breaker? We had time to get both cars on the track and found some minor issues that need to be fixed. We hope to make sure that both cars are ready if needed, one is ready for the next practice and we are trying to have the other ready before then also. The 10^th and 11^th is coming fast and we can’t wait to kick the season off.