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Eisele
Motorsports
Grinnell, IA |
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Jerry's Extreme
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Pahrump, NV. |
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Belleville
Motorsports
Belleville, KS |
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Kim Reason
Clear Lake, IA |
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O'Hanley's
9-inch rear ends
Las Vegas, NV. |
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| AUGUST
7, 2010 PAHRUMP VALLEY SPEEDWAY |
After
a month layoff we loaded up and headed off to Pahrump Valley
Speedway for another night of racing. During the time
off I changed the mounting points of the motor and the pull par as
well. Lots of changes and I have to admit I was
pretty nervous about it all working out. Most of the
week was spent staring at the car looking for things that may be
different now that things had moved. But it was time to
let the rubber hit the dirt. The night was a
neat one as it would be our 600th start in a modified.
To go along with the milestone I was debuting a new graphic scheme
on new doors, quarter panels, and sail panels as well as the cool
new blue wheels. Since Pahrump Valley Speedway was the
site of my first start, it was fitting that it was the site of my
600th. Chad, PVS promoter, had all the mods go on
the front stretch prior to racing to have them talk about it being a
special night for me and my team, very nice gesture. The crowd
was very kind in their applause and cheers.
Lined up outside row 1 for the 2nd heat race. The track
was really tacky for the heat race so I dialed in a little rear
brake to help it turn. Got a good start and took the
lead off turn 2. The car was really hooked up and felt
great. The feel of the changes was quite noticeable from
the seat. Moved around a little bit and saw what the car
had in different places and it was good in most places.
Won the heat.
Lined up 5th for the feature. Lightning, wind, and the
smell of rain forced officials to move our main event up in the
order and we scrambled to get things ready. Was really
unsure how to set the car up for the feature as the track had been
watered during intermission. Made a decision and went to
line up. The track was a little slicker than I had
anticipated but I was going to have to deal with it. We
rolled around under yellow awaiting another car that was having
trouble and needed a few extra laps to get out there. As
we rolled around I scoped out a line I wanted to run early to try
and make some headway. At the green I used
the low line to creep up to third going into turn 3. Lap
two was pretty exciting as I got a run in the middle of the two
leaders. We exited turn 4 with me in the middle and it
got a little bit narrow. Amazingly we all made it
through with just a little touch on my driver's door. I
escaped in the 2nd spot and I got alongside the leader entering turn
3. He got in a little high and spun handing the lead
over to me. Felt some pressure during the next couple of
runs but managed to stay out front. The last green flag
run had some excitement as I caught the rear of the field and had to
fight my way by some lapped cars. As the race
ended the team had earned yet another win. Awesome!
Thanks to mom & Blake for the help getting the car ready to go
at home and at the track and to Carly & Brett for their help and
support in the pits tonight! |
|
| JULY
3, 2010 PAHRUMP VALLEY SPEEDWAY |
With
the temperatures nearing 110 degrees, the 87N
was loaded up and headed to Pahrump Valley Speedway. I
had made a couple of changes to the chassis and wanted to test them
out on the track. The heat was pretty miserable in town
but once 'over the hump' it wasn't too bad. Pretty
tolerable. Lined up 5th for my heat and the inside row
got going pretty good. Was up to third pretty quickly
and then slipped into 2nd on the next lap. When the
leader pushed high in turn 4 on the 4th lap I had the car turned and
was able to drive by on the low side. Was able to
lead the final handful of laps to the checkered. Was
able to watch a little bit of the other races for the first time in
a while. I really miss being able to take in the other
classes, the racing is often very good. Decided to
add some fuel and some weight for the feature. The
motor sounded a little funny all day but the pitch seemed to change
as I headed out for the feature. The gauges were good
and it didn't seem to be down on power, so I went with it.
The track was very slippery by the time we took to the track and I
really tip toed around for the first few laps and took my time
slipping by cars. Finally got to the bumper of the
leader and he was holding the low line pretty well. I
decided to drive in on the high line and just as I did he slipped up
off the bottom some. Tried again the next turn but again
I wasn't able to get by. Followed in low and was able to
sneak by on the exit and into the lead. It seemed like I was
going so slow around the slippery track but I kept it straight and
on to victory lane. The car was really miserable to
drive, such a handful. I really don't care for the
changes I made to the ride. So back to how it was before
or maybe I'll put those back and try something else.
In the pits I had Jerry come over and take a listen to the car.
He agreed with a problem but didn't know what side to check.
I knew it was the driver's side and as soon as we removed the valve
cover we discovered a push rod with a broken tip.
Changed it and all is good. Whew.
Thanks Jerry!
Now I just need to find some place to race this month.
Nothing is really jumping out at me, well nothing closer than 400
miles away anyway. We'll see.
Thanks Mom & Blake for their help and support in the pits. |
|
| JUNE
27, 2010 BATTLE MOUNTAIN RACEWAY |
Got
to the hotel around 2am after the races on Saturday.
On Sunday Battle Mountain Raceway was having a rain-out make up race
for their regular weekly program. It was to start at
noon. Headed out to the track on about 4 hours of sleep.
The line ups were done on point average and I started 7th of 7 in my
heat race. The track was watered heavily before we went
out and it was a mess. Our heat race was sent out to
pack it and after slopping around for a while I pulled off.
Bad mood. You couldn't even tell what color the car was!
So I was wondering if I should even bother. Skipped the
heat, got out of my suit and stewed a little.
However after thinking about it, I decided to go ahead and run the A
main. There was just enough cars not to run a B so I
lined up in the 21st spot for the main. At the
green the dust was so heavy that I just hugged the bottom.
Wound up getting by a couple of cars and then picked off a few more
before the first yellow. The dust got better and better
as the race went on and the cars blackened the track surface.
While the track was slick, slick, slick, it was fun. I
tip toed my way all the way up to 6th place by the checkered flag
for another good run on the weekend. Glad I decided to
run. Hit the road by 5:30pm and arrived safely home just
after midnight Monday morning. What a LONG
weekend!
Thanks to Blake for his help today! |
|
| JUNE
26, 2010 BATTLE MOUNTAIN RACEWAY |
I
cannot sleep in hotels so after about 4 hours of sleep I was up and
ready for work again. Waited around a while for Blake to
get up and going before heading off to wash the car. Got
it all spiffed up and then stopped by the store to replenish the
coolers, the gas station to fill up the generator, and then McD's to
get a bite to eat. At the track I had to pull the gears
and take them to be teched. They were marked on Friday
and they wanted to see them Saturday morning. Got
the car up on stands and had the gears out and to tech by noon.
From there we went over the car, greased it and then fired up the
BBQ. Finally headed over to draw and got #163,
worse than yesterday! That placed me 6th of 7 cars in my
heat needing to be 2nd to transfer in. Some heavy
contact at the start off 2 had me scrambling to avoid it.
Wound up getting trapped in 5th but was able to move into 4th the
next time by. Worked my way up to third and was fighting
hard for 2nd. I didn't want to run the B.
Kept showing my nose to the car in front hoping to put the pressure
on. It finally paid off as the he looped it in turn 3 a
couple laps from the end. Finished 2nd and made the
main. That allowed me to head over to the tower for a
webcast interview with Chris Martinez, WWMT announcer.
After that I hit the tour trailer to redraw. I got 10th.
The track had a cool fireworks show for us as we rounded the track
before the A main. Picked up a few spots
early in the race using the outside and then moved to the bottom to
get a few more. The track began changing so I started to
use the outside. But with the level of competition as
soon as you move your line someone else fills the other.
I was fighting hard and actually got myself up to 3rd before a
yellow moved me back to 4th. Fell back to 5th late
in the race but made a last little charge to finish in 4th.
Another great run for the team!
Thanks again to Blake, Robert, Holli & family for their help in
the pits! |
|
| JUNE
25, 2010 BATTLE MOUNTAIN RACEWAY |
The
original departure time of 6:00am turned out to be more like 8:00am
as I took my time getting things going. But we weren't
on the road long before we had our first flat tire on the trailer.
A short pit stop had us back on the road and headed north.
Managed to take breaks here and there and enjoy some of the cooler
weather along the way to make the trip more tolerable.
Arrived around 3pm and headed out to the track. The pits
aren't very large at the small town track and the large haulers of
the tour competitors really makes them smaller. So I
wound up pitting next door at the motocross track parking.
Saved a few spots for the Delaney group with their stock cars and
modified. My draw for the heat was 131, ouch.
Started in the third row of the heat and needed to finish 2nd to
transfer to the A. At the first green I got a great
start cutting across the track off turn 2 and shot into the 3rd
spot. Yellow. Didn't get as good of a start the
next time but had a great battle for the top spots. Got
up to 3rd then slipped back to 4th at the very end in a competitive
race. Lined up 3rd for the B main needing 4th or
better to advance. I wasn't very aggressive at the start
and slipped into 4th. Didn't really want to ride in that
spot so I put a little pressure on to move up at least 1 spot.
Made the move inside of third and then got myself into a safe
spacing and rode out the remainder of laps to transfer.
Made a slight stagger adjustment for the feature and headed to line
up. I was 19th on the star studded grid with 30 laps of
racing ahead. The small track is fast enough to be scary
and tight enough to be even more frightening but I was ready for
battle. It was INTENSE on the opening lap.
Three wide many rows deep early and heck broke loose entering 3.
Cars stacked up and slipped through without a scratch.
The double file restarts make it so exciting (scary) that your heart
rate never comes down. The car was great and I was
moving right through the field. It felt great to finally
break the top 10 by half way. Had a great three
way battle going on for 7th place two cars nose to tail on the
bottom and me on the higher line just inches between us.
After many laps of side by side the unfortunate thing happened.
The front car got a little loose into 3 and I was right there.
The corner of his car barely scraped my roof post and that was
enough to send him around. Nothing intentional, but he
wasn't happy with me. Really worked hard those
last few laps to use the outside and got myself up to 5th by the
checkered flag. A run from 19th to 5th is awesome for
us. Congrats to local racer Ryan Cotrell for winning the
feature! He's followed the tour all year and is running
great.
Thanks Blake, Robert, Holli and their family for their help and
support in the pits. |
|
| JUNE
19, 2010 MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY |
The
final event before Mohave Valley Raceway's summer break brought out
some extra competition as 4 visitors from El Centro's track as well
as two others added to the mix of modifieds in the pits.
I had spent a lot of time this week reading articles, measuring,
reading set up sheets, as well as looking at and messing with the
suspension on the car. Made the decision on a direction to go
and was anxious to test it out. While I have been doing
pretty well, I haven't been happy with the overall traction with the
car. I started inside row two and at the green the
outside two rows jumped by and I slipped by the pole sitter and got
back to third place. The car was really good and I made a
diamond off the corner to jump along side second place.
Yellow. Back to third and a double file restart, leader
out front. Second chose the outside so I took the bottom
and got a great run to the green putting me solidly into 2nd place.
Put the pressure on the leader on the bottom and used another
outside in move to slip by and into the lead. Moved
around the last few laps seeing how the car was in different spots
and it was great. Won the heat race.
Mom BBQ'd a few hot dogs for the team during the downtime and I had
to decide what changes I was going to make for the feature.
I knew the track was going to dry out even more and wanted to make
sure I compensated for it. Changed a couple of
tires, added some fuel and headed off to line up. I was
lined up in the 5th spot meaning I would be locked to the bottom for
the first few laps. The action heated up quickly as we were
already three wide off turn 2 on lap 1 with me peeking inside.
Waited going into three and the door opened up. The car
turned great and shot off turn 4. The next lap I was up
to 2nd and approaching the leader as the caution waved.
With the leader alone I chose the bottom on the restart.
Got a good start but it was called back due to some jumping a few
rows back. The next start was a great one as I was
right on the bumper of the leader as we headed off into turn 1.
He chose the middle line and I shot to the inside and into the lead.
I was loving life as the car was turning and driving straight off
the turns like it had never driven before. It was like
the stars had aligned, one of those nights where you can't do any
wrong. My lead was built up to a comfortable distance as
the laps wound down to less than 10 to go. A yellow
going into turn 1 quickly turned red as the backstretch was littered
with cars in various states of position and condition.
All but one of the cars drove off under their own power while just
one needed to be pushed off. Got back to work on the
restart and was just waiting and waiting for someone to pressure me
on the topside. That never developed and the 87N team
drove to the win!
Thanks to Mom, Blake, Zach, and Michael for their help and support
in the pits. Hopefully the MVR fans enjoy the
break. We'll see you once the racing starts back up.
Happy Father's Day dad, this one's for you! |
|
| JUNE
5, 2010 MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY |
Who
left the heat on? Man it was hot heading down to Mohave
Valley Raceway on Saturday afternoon. The AC was on
blast the whole trip and the first 110 degree day greeted us as we
entered the pits. The heat just really takes it out of
you, especially when you don't have a few days of 100 degree
temperatures to get acclimated to it all. But we braved
it out. Got my gear on and headed out to pack the track.
It was pretty wet and looked like it would be in good shape for the
racing. Lined up inside row 3 for the heat race and the
car felt pretty good. Jumped up to the third spot and
was pressuring for 2nd. However the groove I needed was
the groove he was running so I started to hunt around.
Didn't really work out and I wound up losing ground to the leaders.
Finished 3rd. Made a couple of chassis adjustments for
the feature and filled it with fuel for the feature. It
had cooled off a little but I think it was a little mind over matter
if anything. Again lined up inside row 3 and the track
had developed a black line around the middle in the turns.
Tried the bottom early and got a spot moving up to 4th.
Finally got a run inside the 3rd place car and used the inside line
to take over that spot entering turn 3. Tried using the
bottom to move up on the leaders but wasn't making up any ground.
Instead I moved up a line and the car got better. Slowly
began to real in the leaders and as they battled the 2nd place car
got real loose off turn 2. I jumped to his outside and
we raced side by side into turn 3. The car stuck really
well and I went by into the 2nd position. Just after the
crossed flags I was getting to the bumper of the leader.
Was trying to adjust my line to find a way around. A
couple laps later the leader slipped up just a bit off turn 2 and I
slipped by on the inside. The other car slipped back to
my inside and kept the pressure on. Got a little
bit of room between us as the laps wound down and picked up the win.
Thanks Mom, Blake, Zach, Julie, and John for their help and support! |
|
| MAY
29, 2010 MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY |
Had
a busy week with getting exams graded and final grades figured out
for my classes. Still have two more days of exams (3
classes), but it's almost over! The busy week kept me
from working on the car and on Friday night I decided I would work
on the car Saturday morning and hope to be done in time to go to
Mohave Valley Raceway for a rain-out make up race. A
trip to the bank and Autozone got the day underway. The
car was due for an oilchange, etc. Blake worked on the
oil change and the usual maintenance while I changed the rear end
gears. We've all changed gears so many times over the
years we have it down to about 15 minutes. The best part
is we know exactly what we need before getting under the car, so we
aren't constantly bugging others for tools, etc.
Hit the road at 4pm and arrived at the track just a bit before track
packing started. Went to pack the track and was
surprised when they threw the green for hot laps! YIKES.
I like to pack the track as it allows the car to roll around, warm
up the engine oil, warm up the gear oil, etc. I tried
staying out of the way on the high side while trying to build heat.
Again the car count wasn't great, but I came to race, so I did.
Lined up 7th in the heat and got up to 2nd pretty quickly.
The car was skating quite a bit and just wasn't driving off the
turn. But I finished 2nd about 10 car lengths behind,
maybe more. I had a great support team in the pits as
Mom, Blake, Kelly, Julie's husband Zach and her brother all lent a
hand in getting the car ready for the feature. I decided to
change the set up completely, had no idea how it would react.
Started 5th in the feature and going into the turns on the first
lap, it was obvious the car was much different. I was
surprised how well it was biting off the turns and it took me
several laps to get it figured out. Caught up to the 1st
and 2nd place cars and spent too much time trying to pass on the
bottom of the race track. Should have trusted the car
and went high earlier. Once into 2nd the leader was
long, long gone. I wasn't losing ground, but I wasn't
really gaining ground either. The crossed flags had been
out about 5 laps earlier when suddenly the leader lost power and
left the track on the backstretch, gifting the lead to me.
I led the final 5 laps to steal one of those wins I certainly didn't
deserve. Felt really bad for the leader for his
misfortune, he had us all covered. After the race
I was greeted at the fence by a young man wanting me to sign his
cast. Unfortunately I didn't have a pen, so instead I
posed for a photo and let him take the trophy home.
The fans are always really cool to me there. It's
moments like that which make me appreciate having the means and the
ability to race my car.
Thanks to everyone for their help and support! Also
thanks to the fans for their warm welcome during driver intros. |
|
| MAY
22, 2010 PAHRUMP VALLEY SPEEDWAY |
So
we loaded up the car and I put my new class A license to good use
towing us over the hump to Pahrump. The car count was good at
the beginning of the year, went through a lull and then was picking
up. The competition was good, the track conditions have
been great, and the pay is decent, so what the heck, right?
Well it seems a few drivers had prior committments so the count was
down some. But hey, we were there and the fans were
braving the chilly, windy weather so those of us who were there
headed out there. Up first, heat race.
Lined up inside row 3 and everyone seemed to want the bottom so I
slithered my way to the outside going into turn 1 and the car railed
around the outside. Hard on the car, left front in the
air I was rounding the 2nd place car coming out of turn 2 when he
caught some of the slime on the inside and pushed out.
His right front went right in front of my left front and I climbed
up and over it sending me heading right for the wall. I
narrowly avoided slapping the wall as the car slammed down and I
kept going. Got through 3 & 4 ok and was right there
in 3rd spot, just inches off 2nd. Going into 1 my brake
pedal went to the floor and I just missed tagging the car in front
of me as my car shot straight up the track. I pulled
off, disgusted with myself for being so impatient.
Should have waited to make a move. I found the extra
brake line and Blake got it taken apart so we could get it squared
away for the feature.
The track was in great shape for the feature, very smooth and quite
heavy still considering the wind. Decided I needed to
take my time and not rush anything in the feature.
Didn't need to wreck myself again. The car was pretty
good early and before too long I was up to 3rd, then slipped inside
2nd place coming off turn 4 and set my sights on the leader.
Caught up to the leader and ran behind him for a couple of laps to
decide where I could slip by. After a couple of laps I
moved to the outside coming into turn 3 and made the pass for the
lead. Survived a couple of restarts and led the rest of
the way for the win.
Here's some video of my heat race the race before this one.
I start around the 1:00 mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByYVNPbSzu4
I know the economy is bad so, of course, car counts won't be high.
In Nevada they are terrible. Lovelock has gone from 14
to 5, Elko has had no more than 5 in its first 3 races, and
Winnemucca had only 4 last night. Mohave Valley had 7 at
their last race and I read where a track in Kansas had 3, while a
track in Iowa had only 7. WOW! It's just a
product of a lot of things. Some tracks are still
getting 20-30, but those are few and far between. Just
gotta keep having fun and hope for the best.
Thanks Blake & Mom for your help and support! |
|
| MAY
8, 2010 PAHRUMP VALLEY SPEEDWAY |
Whatever
the bug was I had, it really threw me for a loop. The ER
said I could only let it 'run its course' (lovely) so I just tried
to get some rest and went on with my daily routine.
Several days consisted of making it through school, coming home, and
going to bed for the night. I really don't like sleeping
that much so it wasn't my kind of thing to do. Still
cannot eat much as the food just doesn't taste the same and I really
have no appetite. But I needed to get out, so I decided
to go racing.
Lined up outside row 2 for the first heat race and the track was
really heavy and a little greasy in places. Tip
toed through the turns for the first couple of laps before finally
slipping into the lead. The track was changing every lap
and the car was becoming a handful. Normally the tracks
are slick and we work on adding bite. Well I had too much and
the car was very light on the front wheels. Steering was
an issue. Had a couple of near misses with the wall and
was actually losing my lead because I couldn't get the car to turn
very well. A yellow with a couple of laps left bunched
us back up and while the car was tough to turn I did hold on for the
win. Went and watched the next heat and those cars were
flying, they looked really good. Decided to watch the
track for a while to see what the feature set up would be.
I was light on fuel so I decided to put some in and remove some
weight from the car for the feature. I'm always over on the
minimum weight so I have some to room to spare. Lined up in
the 4th row for the feature as a couple of new cars moved me up in
the lineup. The track was in amazing shape with
just a small strip that wasn't packed down very low in the turns
which I tried to pack under yellow. Went into turn 1 in
the middle of the track and had to cut hard back low to turn under
some cars. We were three wide off turn 2 and down the
back stretch. As we exited turn 4 I had already slipped into
2nd place with the leader already several car lengths ahead.
Yellow. Back to racing and I was trying different lines
than the leader as he was just too good in his line for me.
Steadied the difference between the two of us but was still not too
close. Just in the middle of turn 3 the leader picked up
a push and headed right for the wall off 4. I slipped by
and into the lead. Shortly after taking the lead the
yellow waved. I, like last time, could hear and feel the
pressure from behind. It was relentless.
Lap after lap, turn after turn, inch after inch. My new
line was very touchy coming off 4. I had to be careful.
After two near misses with the front stretch wall I finally got a
good piece of it. WHACK. Had no choice but
to bury it in the 1st turn and hope for the best. Seemed
ok. Lapped traffic became the next obstacle on the short
1/4 mile track. Took a couple cars low and then another
on the outside. White flag! Heavy pressure
from behind. I sounded like 5 cars were on my rear bumper.
Exiting turn 2 the car bogged down and layed over.
Second place had hooked bumpers and I was dragging him off the turn.
A slight wiggle and still to the floor we released. Tip
toed through 3 and off 4 to the win. Whew, I finally got
to breathe for the first time in about 15 minutes.
Amazing.
Thanks Mom & Blake for their help in the pits.
Happy Mother's Day Mom! |
|
| APRIL
24, 2010 PAHRUMP VALLEY SPEEDWAY |
After
a brief hiatus to get myself out of the point race at Mohave Valley
Raceway and to attend the drags at LVMS, I loaded up the car and
headed 'over the hump' to Pahrump Valley Speedway's 4th sanctioned
race of the season. It would be their first night race
of the season so I was concerned if I would be able to stay awake
that long! haha. Considering I have raced for so
long, it is kind of strange that I am so out of the loop with
everything. I don't really email, text, call or talk to
any racers outside of the track. So I was
surprised to see it was a memorial race for a gentleman who had
helped out many racers through the years, most recently my friend
Levi Kiefer. It was nice to see so many people
there. Levi was there, Wyatt Ehrp, Jason Pike, Sam
Stringer, etc. Levi was one of the lead cars during the
ceremonial pace laps before races began as the family read a eulogy
and released balloons in the man's honor.
The track was in great shape for the heats. Smooth and
very, very quick. I watched the first heat from
staging and watched Levi put on a show. He flat flew
around that place. As I sat there I thought to myself,
'there is no effin' way I have ever gotten a car around a track that
quick.' Damn! I wanted to tag my
heat but the starter wasn't having any of that so I got the jump
from the outside pole and was hanging on for dear life as the track
was just really really tacky. I had left fuel out and kept the
weight off hoping it would loosen the car up but it was a handful.
Yanking up the left front and forcing me to really back it into the
turns. Even though I think I'm too old to go that
fast, I managed to hold my breath for enough laps to win the heat.
Lined up for the feature oddly enough on the front row. (I
don't think it was a correct line up, but I've stopped trying to
worry about that anymore) Levi was on the pole and
was there to win one for his fallen friend. It really
got me to thinking about my dad as we sat there waiting to go out.
I knew what Levi was racing for and I couldn't help but empathize
with that. The street stock race took quite a while to
complete so my thoughts were racing like crazy. Everyone's
crew was back and forth to their cars but my friends and crew were
at the other end, so I was there to drive myself crazy. (LOL).
Before too long something took my thoughts away from everything as I
had to pee really really bad. I was ready to unbuckle
and bolt but held it together and turns out I should have gone.
The track was really dry by the time we rolled out and I fell behind
at the green as we went into turn 1. Got a good run on
the outside but ducked in behind Levi as we entered 3.
He pushed up in the center of the turn and I got turned under him
and slipped into the lead. A quick yellow for a
spin slowed the action but once back to racing it was intense.
I knew I was being hounded and soon enough I saw Levi on the outside
entering the turns. I would slowly inch away off the
turns and he would return to my outside going in. A few
laps later I saw him inside my driver's door exiting turn 2.
Lapped traffic. We caught a car running right in my line
and followed him into turn 3. Levi jumped outside and it
was going to be close. Where would the lapped car go?
I was ready to push if I had to but the bad part was it was Kelly's
son and Jerry's grandson CJ in front of us. OH NO!!
He moved up slightly and I jumped inside and drove in a little hard
narrowly missing putting tiremarks down his door.
As the laps wound down I thought I may have pulled away, but NO!
The next lap I could feel the compression of his motor in my gut.
Rumbling my innards. White flag, one to go.
Held my line and crossed the line just ahead for the win.
Great to win, but I felt like crap. I know how much it
would have meant to everyone for Levi to win and I kind of felt like
a heel. It happens I guess.
Thanks to Mom & Blake for their help and support at the track!
My condolences go out to everyone who lost their family member or
friend. |
|
| APRIL
3, 2010 MOHAVE VALLEY RACEWAY |
Sixteen
modifieds checked in for race #4 on the season at Mohave Valley
Raceway on Saturday. I lined up outside row 2 for the
heat race and had a little different set up than I had the week
before. Transferred some weight in the car and was
anxious to give it a shot. We braved some pretty nasty
wind gusts on the way there and those winds seemed to dry out one
side of the track while leaving the other side pretty tacky.
Into turn 1 on lap 1 the car was really good. Got a
great bite off turn 2 and was having to ease up not to run into the
cars ahead of me. Got up on the outside off turn 2 the
next lap to take then used an outside in move in turn 3 to take the
lead. The car was pretty good and it felt great to
ride out the last few laps at the front to win the heat race.
Waited out the time between the heat and the feature chatting with a
few racers and hanging out with the team. The line up
had me inside row number 4 for the feature but I moved up a row when
another car started scratch on the field. The first few
laps were pretty tight as we raced in a large group.
There was nowhere to slip by and I was stuck with a faster car
without a line by. Managed to hold tight until cars
moved up off the bottom allowing me to slip by. Actually
slipped into the 2nd spot and began to chase the leader.
Yellow. The odd timing of the yellow put me back
all the way to 5th spot on the restart. One car slowed
on the next restart and bottled up the field. I shot up
to 3rd before the yellow waved again. On the next
start I was outside and coming off turn 2 the leader pushed up
higher on the track as I looked high. I cut back and
with a car to my inside I tried to split the gap. As I
got door to door with the leader we ran out of room and hopped
wheels. It was all elbows trying to gather it up but I
did and found myself in 2nd going into 3. Quickly
grabbed the lead and the car was great. Running the high
side in 1 & 2 and the low side in 3 & 4 I had built a
sizeable lead when the yellow waved just after half way.
Managed to lead a couple more laps after the restart but got passed
on the high side off four with a few laps to go. Jumped
up behind and gave chase but could only make it close for a couple
of laps. Wound up 2nd. Not too bad.
After the race I had my a$$ chewed by another driver for splitting
the gap early in the race. It was an aggressive move but
nothing too extreme from my point of view. However at
times it seems I'm held to a higher standand when it comes to
rubbing or touching other cars while racing. Took my
lashing and hope to be better next time. Hey, I'm human
right?
Thanks to Mom & Blake for their help and support in the pits. |
|
| MARCH
20, 2010 Mohave Valley Raceway |
Headed
out to Mohave Valley Raceway on Saturday for their third race of the
2010 season. The regular six division card was expanded
to 10 as some traveling divisions were added to the night's events.
The heats were divided up a little small and just 4 cars were in my
third heat which had me lining up outside row #1. My
lower than normal point average gave me the better start and I
jumped to the lead early. The track was black from top
to bottom with a little bit of moisture very low and very high.
Didn't really get much pressure from behind so I tried to move
around and try different lines in the heat. The car felt
good and was running great. Won the heat race.
Kim was out from Iowa and Zach and Julie were in the pits from
Golden Valley so we all visited during the down time and had a great
time. Fueled the car and headed out for the feature.
Started 6th and got to the bottom early moving up a couple of spots
quickly. The car was pretty good but wasn't all that
great, loose. Worked my way into the 2nd spot and the
leader was just steadily pulling away. A couple of
restarts allowed me to close in briefly but I couldn't keep up.
Eventually lost the 2nd spot to the eventual winner with about 6
laps to go. Brought the car home in 3rd spot.
Good run.
Thanks to Mom, Blake, Kelly, Kim, Zach, and Julie for their help and
support in the pits. |
|
| MARCH
13, 2010 Pahrump Valley Speedway |
So
obviously I wasn't thrilled with the goings-on at Mohave Valley last
weekend and felt like I was at the end of the rope with the racing.
However I woke up Sunday and went right to work, like usual, washing
the car at 7:00am in the driveway. Once I was finished
the car went up on jack stands and I started working through things
on the car. As the week went on we slowly went through
the engine, the carburetor, the brake system, the gears, the
driveline, the suspension, and I spent a little time trying to fix
my attitude. The latter is thought to be a lost cause.
Started the car on Saturday morning thinking I might go to Pahrump
to test the car, however one of the fuel delivery pieces had a small
leak due to some grinding I had done to gain clearance for the
secondary squirter. So a trip to American Racing Supply
in town got us the part we needed and all was well.
Decided to load the car up and go for it. I knew there
wouldn't be a lot of cars and I wasn't really concerned about that.
My main concern was finding out if the car was going to run and make
it through the afternoon. I really couldn't ask for
special test sessions as it was a real race for them, so I had to
line up for races. Lined up outside pole for the
heat race and the car was good. It lurched out there and
was really getting around the track. The track was
pretty heavy for an afternoon race and I was really having to muscle
it around the track. A little tricky exiting turn 2 as
it was heavy entering and then glazed off exiting.
Managed to win the heat race. Lined up on the pole for
the main and led every lap to win that. The interesting thing
in Pahrump is that the pay scale calls for $300 to win if there is
1-10 cars. So I might pick up some money for our
troubles. The car was great and the hard work this week
for us paid off. Hopefully we can keep it up and make it
through next weekend's race at Mohave Valley.
Mom couldn't make it, but that might not be a bad thing as it was
brutally cold with everyone braving 40-50mph winds all day.
BRRRR!
Thanks to Blake, Jerry, and Kelly for their help at the track and to
Blake for his help in the garage this week and every week. |
|
| MARCH
6, 2010 Mohave Valley Raceway |
Lined
up 3rd for the heat race and came out of turn 2 in 4th and slipped
back into third when a car slipped off the back stretch.
The motor had an odd sound to it like it had a broken header or
something but it was running decent and all the gauges were fine so
I kept going. Developed a mild vibration about 1/2 way
and wound up finishing the race in the third spot. Check
out the rear of the car and found an issue with the right rear brake
caliper. Took a while to get something rigged up to
'fix' it and as we buttoned up it was time to line up.
They had moved the mods up in the order as rain was on the way.
No chance to check the motor issue. Lined up in
the 7th spot and gave a little room on the opening lap as it was an
aggressive start. Moved by a few cars and knew there was
a problem with the car. It was just odd, can't really
explain the problem. But going into turn 2 the car just
kind of bogged down and I shot off the track. It bogged
down again and then that was that, I was on my way to the pits.
I'm not sure if the RR was locking up or binding up or what, but it
was enough to call it a night. A DNF. I'm
about out of parts right now and am not sure if I even have the
motivation to search out the issue. Maybe a yard sale is
in order. Then I can retire and get my new dodge
challenger!
To make matters worse I was called out at the driver's meeting
(something I dislike greatly). When we got home
and tried to start the car, it wouldn't turn over. The
carburetor leaked over the whole way home filling the engine with
raw fuel. Lovely! But as long as I'm
having fun, right?
Thanks Mom, Blake, Kelly, Zach, Julie, and Ralph for their help.
Lots of hard work on their parts for a few laps in the feature.
Something tells me they got the short end of the stick. |
|
| FEBRUARY
26, 2010 Las Vegas Motor Speedway |
Headed
out to LVMS around 4pm to avoid the pole day traffic exiting the
speedway. Just as I got there the Highway Patrol shut
off the lane I needed to get directly into the speedway.
Wound up taking the scenic route to get into the dirt track but made
it, a few groans here and there, but I made it. At least
33 modifieds graced the pits for the one week notice event, while
only 28 World of Outlaw teams were on hand. The mods
packed the track and the track was sloppy. I chose to
skip the first practice. Got to go out after the WoO
cars qualified and the track was really heavy. The car was
stuck like glue and a handful to drive. Made a couple of
changes for the heat as I had nothing to lose. I started 11th
of 12 in my heat with 6 transferring to the A main.
Managed to move up and was running pretty decent around 8th.
The car was decent but still a tad on the tight side.
Was playing it pretty safe and managed to get into the 5th spot.
The car, again, started to lose fuel pressure but picked up in time
for me to finish off the last two laps and transfer.
Adjusted the fuel pressure regulator and made a couple of extra
chassis adjustments as we would be running after the WoO feature
event. The track was in great shape for the feature.
I started 14th and was picking off cars one at a time.
Made my way to the bottom and found that the car was really good
there. The track was fast, carrying quite a bit more
speed than I have experienced this year. That coupled
with some really close racing bit me. While racing right
around the 6-7-8 spot I got into a car going towards turn 1.
He got side ways and into the sloppy inside line. That
put him right in line with the tractor tire and he shot up and
wacked it a good one. I spun to avoid it and still hit
him myself. Damn, big screw up for me.
But we both kept going and restarted at the tail of the LONG 22 or
23 car line of racecars. Back to racing and I was having
a blast. Using the 2nd lane and the inside I was able to
drive by quite a bit of the field to wind up in the 10th spot as the
final checker waved. Great run in a tough field of
cars.
Thanks Mom, Blake, Jerry, Carly & Brett for your help and
support out there. Also thanks to LVMS for putting on
the show for us. It was fun! Maybe we
can race there monthly now? hmmmmm |
|
| FEBRUARY
20, 2010 Mohave Valley Raceway |
After
a busy week at school we loaded up and made the trek to Mohave
Valley Raceway, again, with rain in the forecast. Canyon
Speedway Park's winter series race rained out earlier in the day and
a couple of cars from there swelled the car count to 19 by the time
we had arrived. How exciting to have so many cars
there. I had been pulling my hair out trying to figure
out the issue with the replacement motor. It certainly
wasn't as powerful (good) as the one I took out so many adjustments
needed to be made. I had to jet it down almost 20 jet
sizes, and had to go up 33 gear points just to get the car to run.
The motor last ran in early 2008 when it suddenly filled with a
cylinder with water between the heat and the feature. We
then drained the water, raced and won the feature that night.
Anyway, I volunteered to start at the back as I didn't really know
what the car would do. The track was heavy in the
cool conditions and wasn't packed all the way down leaving it pretty
narrow out there. A good start had us slipping into
third and right on the leaders. The car was pretty good
with just a touch of bog coming off the turns. However I
was trying to just get the car to clip the slop on the bottom to get
the car spinning the tires early. It was a very fast
track and I was all over 2nd place. The leader slipped
and we were all over him. I shot to the outside coming
off turn 2 only to slip off the top trying to give the inside room.
I stayed in it and shot back onto the track in third.
The leader slowed in turn 2 on the next lap and we narrowly slipped
by. I would stay in second and finish there, right
on the leader's rear bumper at the finish.
Jerry Jr came over during intermission to check out the jetting on
the car and said it seemed to be good. So I left the car
alone hoping the track would slick off some and free the car up.
For the redraw I actually drew a number good enough for the pole.
However I really wanted to work my way through the field so I asked
to start at the back of the 12 inverted spots. I knew
this would put many cars that would be tough to pass in front of me,
but after last weekend I needed to have some fun and try to pass
some cars. Took to the track in the 11th spot
actually and it was wild and crazy at the green. Lots of
switching lines and quite a bit of leaning on one another was going
on. My car was working great but with the extra gear it
was really screaming around there, just slightly hitting the rev
limiter at the end of the straights. I was using the
bottom when I really wanted to be up top, but it was crowded up
there. Made some progress and had a few bumps and rubs
before slipping into the 7th spot, then 5th. Finally got
into the fourth spot as the car was on a rail when I got to the top.
I was right on the 3rd place car when hit motor locked up going into
turn 3 and he spun. I was all over the brakes, elbows in
the air to avoid him and narrowly escaped hitting him as I shot off
turn 3. Whew! Oh no, there was another car spun
off the track that I had to quickly react to avoid.
On the restart I was able to slip into the third spot and was slowly
reeling in the 2nd place car when the yellow waved. I to
the outside of row two for the start and the inside car go the
slight jump allowing him to crowd me out going into 1 where he took
the top groove and the 2nd spot. A few laps into the run
he had distanced himself from me but I adjusted my line a little and
reeled him back in to put on the pressure. He slipped up
in turn 2 and spun to the infield. I was now in 2nd but
the leader was a ways out in front. Yellow.
I chose the outside as I felt it was my only shot at taking the lead
with the leader out front by himself. The same car
started inside of me and I knew I would need a better start to keep
him from moving up. Got a great start and was able to
fight my way by the inside car as he pressured me by moving up
alongside me. The leader got away a little but as the
laps wound down he began to move down and my run on the top side was
allowing me to close in. Got right to his bumper and was
trying everything to make my move. With two to go I was
right there with him going into turn 3. I got in a
little hot and the car twitched just enough to send me scooting off
the top of the track. I recovered, amazingly, still in
2nd where I would finish. EXCITING!
Once in the pits the car had a sizzling sound coming from the right
bank of headers. Water again in the motor.
It appears there is a crack somewhere that must open up when the
motor heats up. Back out of the car it comes.
Ugh! The little motor ran its guts out and almost picked
up another win.
Thanks Mom, Blake, Kelly, Zach, Walter, and Jerry & Eric for
their help and support this weekend. |
|
| FEBRUARY
13, 2010 Pahrump Valley Speedway |
| Following
the last race at Pahrump Valley Speedway I was advised to change to
the back up motor because the primary one sounded a little weak and
it was obvious it was losing a cylinder. After over 37
races, I guess it deserves a break. So Blake and I
switched motors and all was well. Showed up to Pahrump
to one, yes one other modified. Within the next hour
another two showed up bringing the grand total to, (are you ready
for this), FOUR modifieds. One was unfortunate and break
before the heat leaving three of us for the heat race.
After hot laps I leaned the motor down as it was very rich.
That was a sign of things to come but I headed out for the heat.
Had a decent race in the heat race as the three of us stayed close
and competed pretty well. My problem was the car was so
sluggish and flat. It just wouldn't get up and run,
seemed really stuck in the track. Wrong gear.
This motor isn't as 'good' as the primary one. In fact it's a
motor that is pushing 3 years old. It's smaller and the
combination requires more gear to get it moving. I don't
run a lot of gear so I always err on the side of less gear.
So all things considered I just loaded up after the heat and headed
home. I was sick to my stomach over the lack of cars and
the lack of performance from the car. Stinks. I
know times are tough, but there is something going on that is
keeping cars from showing up. Very sad that we cannot
get together, support the track, and race so close to home.
I am hearing a song becoming louder in the background......what's
that Willy......"on the road again...." you say? |
|
| JANUARY
30, 2010 Pahrump Valley Speedway |
I've
really had a lot on my mind these last few days and it really got my
down. In fact, I was in a real funk on Saturday morning
and contemplated just staying home, not racing. The
school district has been updating us, via email, that budget cuts
are imminent and have hinted that pay cuts are coming.
Anywhere from 10% to 25% is being thrown around. With
that, the racing won't exist. So that coupled with a few
other issues simply stressed me out. But I decided I
cannot worry about something that hasn't happened so on with the
racing. Went out to pack the track and then lined up for
hot laps, which I RARELY do, to check out the fuel issue with the
car. Good thing I did as it fell on its face
immediately. Off the track to adjust the fuel
pressure regulator and back out for 3 courtesy laps. It
again fluttered at first but then got to going for the rest of the
time. Lined up inside row two for the heat race
and myself and the outside front row car both slipped by the pole
sitter for 1st and 2nd. Once in second I just didn't
have the car set up tight enough and I slowly lost ground to the
leader. With a few laps to go the leader's rear end
wobbled and the car came to an abrupt stop in turn 2, handing the
lead over to me. From there I led the last couple of
laps to win the heat race! Our first checkered of 2010.
Fueled the car for the feature and added some weight to tighten it
up a little bit. The track was a little abrasive and was
chewing at the tires pretty good. With my DNF last
race I was scheduled to start a little closer to the front than
normal, outside row 3. However a feature scratch and
another car electing to start in the rear put me outside row 2.
Some contact between the front row made the first green a little
hairy and I went down the middle to come out of turn 2 in the 3rd
spot. Just out of 4 the 2nd place car pushed high and
got loose heading back across the track. I knew I
wouldn't make it by so I slowed up to let him spin by in front of me
at which time I was hit hard in the back. Managed to
keep the car straight and out of the spinning car to drive by.
Whew. Restart. On the next restart the
inside line got the jump and I was able to get in behind them to
pass the outside pole sitter. As I settled into 3rd the
battle for the lead was close in front of me. Coming off
turn 2 the second place car climbed the left rear of the leader and
they were briefly stuck together. I shot to the outside
and slipped by them both and into the lead. We
raced for another lap before the yellow waved. During
the caution there was a huge scuffle in the pits and people were
running to crowd around a car parked in the pits. A few
caution laps later the sheriff's cars sped in and the action outside
was better than that on the track. So much so I almost
missed the flashing of the lights to go back to green.
False start as the yellow waved coming out of 4 for the green.
Finally got back going and the car was good and actually kept
getting better. I was in a great rhythm and I
wasn't getting any pressure from behind. Was catching a
glimpse of the back of the field as the laps wound down and a lapped
car moved over to let me by easily. With about 10 to go
I got into turn 1 and the car got really tight. I wacked
the throttle to bring it around and the car snapped loose quickly.
I managed to save it and keep going although my heart skipped
several beats in the process. Led the remaining laps and
picked up our first feature win of the 2010 season.
The 87N team is proud to say we have wins in the 90's, the 00's, and
now the 10's! Dang, I'm old.
Thanks Mom, Blake, Kelly and Jerry Sr for their help and support in
the pits this weekend. |
|
| JANUARY
9, 2010 Pahrump Valley Speedway |
A
decent 16 car field of IMCA modifieds were in the pits at Pahrump
Valley Speedway on a beautiful 60 degree afternoon!
At the draw Todd Nunnally (car #86) showed me the chip he drew, #87.
We laughed. A few moments later I pull my chip out and
it's #86. Just some fun stuff for you fellow number
crazies. The track was pretty heavy for the early
races and it was still heavy as I lined up inside row 3 for my heat
race. One car pulled off after the short hot lap session
before the heat so I moved up to 2nd row. At the green
we got going quickly and it was pedal to the metal the entire 10 lap
distance. The car was a little tight and was
carrying the left front a decent amount of the time. But it
was a nice ride after a few months off. Finished
2nd in the heat. Elected to skip the dash for
cash. While working on the car for the feature I was
notified I was one of two cars up for the $50 best appearing car
award. Oddly enough, it was Todd Nunnally!
We went to the front stretch to have the fans scream out for their
favorite. I was worried going against the home-town
driver, but we ended up in a tie! Thanks fans!
Todd and I split the $50.
While driving off the track from the award ceremony I noticed the
car sounded funny on the left side. I looked for an
exhaust leak, a broken header, when Jerry arrived. He
found the culprit. The end had broken off the end of a push
rod. Changed it and all was well, whew, thought we might
have lost a cylinder.
I drew #15 which put me outside pole for the feature.
The track was a TaD bIT BuMPy out there but I was optimistic about
our chances. The pole car didn't make the initial call
so the inside row moved up. We raced side by side into
turn 1 and the inside slid up in front of me to catch the moisture.
I checked up and lost 2nd just as quickly. Once into
third it was hard to make a run as the yellow waved every other turn
it seemed like as the racers were having a hard time keeping it
going. Finally able to go a couple of rounds I was able
to take 2nd on the outside of turns 1 & 2 and finish it off
going into 3. Yellow. But I retained 2nd.
Got a good outside inside run on the leader and took the lead only
to slide up in turn 3 and lose it again out of 4. I
fought back and was taking the lead again as the yellow waved again.
Back to green I worked my way into the lead off turn 2 by making an
inside cut after setting the car high in turn 1. Once in
the lead I began to get heavy pressure from behind in the form of
Levi Kiefer. The yellows weren't helping as I couldn't
get away from him at all. We fought side by side
for some time before he was door to door with me going into turn 1.
He inside, myself outside. His car pushed right at
the exit and collided with my car just behind the left front tire
sending me up in the air slightly and flattening his tire.
I managed to hang on and maintain the lead. The lead,
yellow, lead, yellow trend continued. As we raced along
the car began to stumble off the turns. It got worse,
and worse and worse. Finally on a restart with just more
than a handful of laps to go the car gave up the ghost and I
puttered around and off the track, giving up the lead.
Bummer dude! I wound up 9th as attrition took its
toll on some of the field.
But hey, I lead some laps, got some dings, rubs, and bumps and
worked my sick, tired butt out some. :)
Thanks Mom, Blake, and Jerry Sr. for their help in the pits. |
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2010 Sponsors |
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Eisele
Motorsports
Grinnell, IA |
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Jerry's Extreme
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Pahrump, NV. |
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Belleville
Motorsports
Belleville, KS |
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Kim Reason
Clear Lake, IA |
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O'Hanley's
9-inch rear ends
Las Vegas, NV. |
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