Car 54 Update

10/15-10/17 World Series

I drove the 20 car for McNamara Automotive this weekend but it started with a rainy Friday. We were able to make it out for one quick slick practice. Although we did not get to see how the car handled, I was able to try to get used to a new car. There were a lot of new drivers to Thompson on the damp track causing a lot of spin out and ended with one slamming the wall ending their season a couple days early. Saturday we were able to see what the car could do. Although I was able to get better times than the car has ever seen, it was off the pace with the rest of the field. We made adjustments to make the handling better but the motor just lacked the power we needed to be competitive. In the heat we started near the back and dropped to almost last giving us a 19^th starting position for the feature out of 26 cars. We made passes and also got passed but in the end we finished in 19^th.

9/26/10

Things seemed to be going well in practice. We were the same lap time as we did the past few races. In the heat we started 2^nd but dropped back to finish 9^th. That gave us a starting position of 17^th out of the 31 car field. We had a good run going after only minor damage from trying to avoid a wreck in the front of the pack which blocked the track. This put us closer to the front. We were running in 9^th with only 5 laps to go until the clutch blew up causing the car to slow up coming out of turn 2 leaving the 1 car with nowhere to go but in the back of us, spinning us out. Unfortunately it was another good run that ended with a DNF. We finished the season in 16^th place in the points. Not where we wanted to be, but we learned a lot this year and know how to get the car closer to the front than we have the past.

9/9/10

We finished the repairs from last week to the car late Wednesday night. In practice the car was not the same as the week before but we were able to make adjustments to get the car even faster. In the heat we started on the pole but slipped to 2^nd on the start. We held 2^nd through half way until we were spun in turns 3 and 4 where cars could not avoid us. We bent many suspension parts on the left side which we replaced for the feature. We started in the middle of the pack but the car was not the same but was getting better as the laps increased until a spin happened in front of us; we went low and onto the grass but that was not low enough. Once again we had to get towed off the track.

9/2/10

In practice we were 0.3 seconds faster per lap. And the car was going well in the heat after the first lap we dropped from the pole to third. Once in third we were bumped back to 6th by an overanxious fourth place driver. The 55 car broke before the finish which gave us a 5^th place heat race finish. In the feature we started in the pole but slipped back to 6^th after a few laps then the 45 hit the wall coming out of turn four. We tried to go under him but there was a car to the inside that stopped us from going low enough. We hit the 45 hard and bent and broke much of the right front taking us out.

8/26/10

A decent finish of 13^th and a car we can improve on for next week rather than repair is what came out of this week. In practice the car was powerful but lacked the handling to get us where we wanted to be. We started the feature in 13^th and stayed around that position most of the race. The 45 was faster than us in the beginning of the race but his car slowly lost its handling as we caught up to him. It seemed as though he lost power or maybe had to let up coming out of turn 2 letting us by with the 46 right behind us. We held him off for a while until he pulled on the side of us. We battled it out for a couple laps with less than 5 to go, until a lapped car did not move to the low groove. We lost 12^th position and finished in 13^th. Not a bad finish, and this week we can work on speed and not have to worry about the motor. Click here for pictures

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.