Updates

Updates

7/10/08

I started 4th in the first heat race. The track was tacky and hooked up, and in hotlaps, I wasn't even lifting off the gas in the corners. On the start, going into turns 1&2, I passed 2 cars to put myself in 2nd place coming out of turn 2. I ran second for the remainder of the race. There were no dashes this week, due to the weather. So, when it came time to draw a pill to see where I would start in the main, I drew an 8! GRRR! I always draw bad pills for some reason! The track did not change much from the heat race, and on the start of the main, I passed 4 cars on the outside in turns 1&2! I was running 4th, and on lap 6 there was a yellow. On the restart, I got passed and was running 5th for the last few laps, then one of the leaders cut a RR tire with 2 laps to go. I ended up finishing 4th, my best finish so far at Grays harbor Raceway. Had a great time, and I'm starting to like the hooked up tracks too. But I still like dry slick better!

6/17/08

The track for this weekend was much tackier than it has been over the previous weekends. It made for a much faster race track also.

I drew a 14 pill, and that put me to start 3rd in the first Heat Race. I was running 4th when a yellow came out after a few laps into the race. On the restart, I got passed going into the corner because of my mistake of going high into turns 1 & 2. I ended up finishing 5th in the heat, not too far behind the guys in front of me.

I started 9th in the main. Passed a couple cars on the first 2 laps, and then spun out in turns 3 & 4. I got hit by one person, but it didn't do much damage. It bent my Left side nerf bar, and also bent the Left Front torsion tube slightly. But not enough to take me out of the race. I got pushed back off, and restarted 16th place.

I could not get my car to work on the bottom of the track real good. I ended up staying up towards the top of the track for the rest of the race. There were many yellows, and no long runs. I thought I would do better on longer runs, because the car would come to me. The race was shortened to 25 laps on the last restart, and they called for a green, white, checkered. I was running 6th, and really wanted to get a top 5 for the team. And I passed a guy for 5th coming out of turn 4 coming to the white flag. I knew it was going to be close, because I was racing another guy real close trying to get up to the front, and coming out of turn 4 for the checkered flag, we were almost side by side for the finish. It was alot of fun racing him, and I thanked him after the race for racing me so clean.

I can't wait for the next race! I want to thank my crew who did a great job on keeping the car clean all through the night! Some people that came down into the pits after the race were amazed that it was so clean!

5/19/08

In the main, I started about 14th. One lap later after we took the green, the suspension on the Left Front broke. We still really don't know what happened, but I didn't hit the berm this time, or hit any other cars. I was trying my hardest to keep the car out of the wall, and I did.

I'm disappointed I didn't get to run some more laps, because I felt we had a really good setup on the car for the main. The car felt good for the lap that I went, but I feel bad for crew, who worked hard all night long cleaning it, and shining up the tires, and I got to go out and make it dirty again.

Thanks to my crew for keeping the car clean all night long!

5/6/08

Photo courtesy of The Nicki Factor Photo courtesy of FletcherMotorsports

Ever since my first race on dirt in a quarter midget, I've always liked dry slick tracks. I'm not usually a driver that's on the edge, like you have to be on a tacky, hooked up track. This past weekends track was pretty much how I liked it.

There were about the same amount of cars this weekend as the weekend before, but, since Skagit got rained out, some drivers came down to Elma.

Track was much drier than the first race, so there wasn't as much mud to clean off the car. :) Our best washman Rob was gone this weekend, so thanks Jim, Doug, and Barry for helping get it clean! It looked good all night!

I got to start on the outside front row of the 2nd heat race again...I really like that spot, so I'm hoping I'll start there again next weekend! :) The handling of the car in the heat race was really good. The car was hooked up, and running good. I couldn't catch the leader in the heat, but no one was quite close enough to get by me, and so I finished the race 2nd. The most thing I need to work on is getting my entry into the corner figured out. The corners at Grays Harbor are just so wide and sweeping of a corner, it throws me off. I'll get it down with more laps I think.

That put me in the dash. It's kind of funny because Marshall was telling me the other day that he wanted me to see me in the dash sometime this year. Well, Marshall, I was in the dash! :) I started 2nd in the dash, we almost missed it though! I was going to go look up at the track and see what it was doing, and I should have been in the car already. Luckily, I got out in time. I finished 3rd of the 4 cars in the dash. I think the rush to get in got my adrenaline pumping a bit, and I should have just taken a deep breath and relaxed a little bit. I think I would have done better if I would have done that.

I started 4th in the main. And in the first corner, I fell back to about 8th. I just need to get more comfortable on the starts, starting next to other cars. I'm just still trying to figure out what the car is exactly going to do when I enter a corner. But, that will come with some more laps in the car.

I ran around 6-7th for about half the race. I hit the berm coming out of two again. I really need to stop doing that. I got lucky again. Went a few more laps, then I spun out. The car was loose from the beginning, and with the fuel load burning off, it kept getting looser as the race went on. But, I just pulled the wing back to compensate for that. I did miss my mark getting into the corner though. I keep pinching the corner getting in, and that screwed me up coming off, and I just spun out.

I restarted at the end of the line. A few laps later, a couple of cars got together, and I got by them with no problems. So, on the restart, that put me about 7th again.

Restarted again, and I passed a car or two. On lap 27, two of the leaders got together. One of them tried to keep it going. I was right behind Henry Van Dam, and he got into the car that was stopped, and flipped over on his side. I had nowhere to go, and hit the stopped car also. I hit him with my right side, and the car spun back around and tipped over on its side. I thought the car was ok. My dad said it was just a "Tommy tip-over". LOL. Every time I hear that I just start cracking up. :)

I got towed to the work area. I'm glad my dad's good friend Doug was with us, because he was up in the stands watching, but when my dad went to the trailer to get a new LF tire, Doug was already back at the trailer getting stuff. I would have to say he ran a 100 miles an hour to get back to our trailer.

My crew got the LF tire put on, and I got pushed back off. They didn't see that my right side header was smashed in, but I got pushed off anyways. I noticed the sound of it right off the bat, and made sure to watch the gauges if anything was going wrong.

I restarted towards the back again. I wasn't last, but I think there was one or two more cars behind me. The green flag waved, and in 3 laps, I passed two or three more cars to get a 5th place finishing position.

My dad and Marshall said they were happy to see me pass a few cars after the incident.

I was happy with how the night went. I just need to stop hitting the berm, and to perfect my entry into the corner some more, then I think I will be running better.

I want to thank all my friends who came out to watch me race. And one of the teachers from my Jr. High School was there, and her husband told me she was clapping every time I went by...Thanks Mrs. Fox!! :) And she was happy to get one of my autograph cards to put on her wall in her classroom. Her walls in her classroom are filled with anything to do with racing. :)

See ya next weekend at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma!

4/30/08

Photos courtesy of FletcherMotorsports

In the winter of 2003/2004, we built the Quarter Midget Track that is right next door to the "Big Track." Ever since the track was moved to that location, I've always wanted to get out and race a sprint car on the Big Track. It was one of my goals since I was 12, and after finishing out my quarter midget career. This weekend, I finally got to make my debut at Grays Harbor Raceway, in front of my friends and family, some who have never seen me inside of a race car....and it finally stopped raining here in the North West.

The evening started off with packing. I'm lucky I have a fantastic guy to clean my car, because I think this was the dirtiest this car has ever been! Thanks Rob and Jim! :)

Came off the track to get ready for hot laps. Hot laps I didn't really learn much about what the car was going to do. All I figured out was that the track was going to be a real tacky, stuck down track.

I was in the first heat race, and I was starting 2nd, outside of a guy who I used to watch as a kid, who would drive so close to the outside wall, you would see sparks flying off the RR as he just stuck it around on the outside. Jayme Barnes.

Track was not good up top, and tried all I could to get down low to the groove. It would have to wait till the next corner, and fell in the 4th position. I was not prepared for what to expect on a tacky track, since I have not drove on a tacky track yet. The G-Forces were amazing. I have never had to rest my head against my Butler Built head set....I finished the heat race in 4th. Car was tight the whole race.

We changed a few things on the car for the main. Put a stiffer torsion bar in it. We should have listened to Marshall, because the bar we put in wasn't the right one. :)

I started 6th in the main, and got down to the 5th spot. There was a flip a few laps later.

I got a good start. I started coming up on a lapped car, and got stuck behind him. I waited too long to pass him, and I lost the 5th spot. At the same time I came up on the lapped car, the leaders were passing me. There were 3 of them. I wasn't expecting the 2nd and 3rd place cars to also pass me, especially one of them who went up top to pass.

I finished the race in 6th. Much better than I expected.

The car was still tight. I wish I would have put some more stagger in it to loosen it up some. Next time I'll make sure I do that. :)

I want to thank all my friends and family who came down. One of my best friends from elementary school came down with his dad and his little brother. They've never seen me race a sprint car before, and they said they had a lot of fun. Thanks Skip, Derrick, and Trevor! (Nice job driving the car into the trailer Trevor!)

Next weekend is Gray's Harbor again! I can't wait!

3/30/08

Racing season is so close I can taste it! Our ASCS Wesmar powered 360 Maxim is all but ready to go.

A few more product sponsors came on board for the 2008 season as well. Hooker Harness, Simpson Race Products, Performance Coatings, Rod End Supply, and Parts Plus of Puyallup. Advanced Powder Coating and A1A BuyNSell also came on board for the 2008 season.

We started our Wesmar engine last weekend also. I posted the two videos of that under the slideshows page. It was great to hear what a sprint car sounded like again! :)

The only thing that went wrong while starting the engine, is now I have a bent rear bumper! Who was the push truck driver?! LOL

I got my dads truck all waxed up too, hoping he was going to let me drive it to school one day, but nope! At least it looks like new again :) Actually, it looked new before. It's never been in the rain, so its always clean :) But he still won't let me drive it! :(

Nicki has been taking all of the videos. She is doing a great job taking the videos, and being "The Nicki Factor."

Our play day is scheduled for the 12th, and 19th of April. We will probably just run one of them, but we should have a fun time while we're there. And the first race is April 26th.

There are pictures of our new engine, and some more misc. pictures in the pictures section. :)

1/24/08

I have been learning a lot about presenting/marketing myself to companies and businesses. I am getting more and more comfortable talking to people who I don't know. I am working to secure old sponsors, and generate new sponsors. Beckler's Mobile Welding Services has come back on board for the 08 season, as well as Beach Hut Vacations.

Mostly, I have just been getting ready for this year to start. Since I didn't have any power steering on my non-wing car, thanks dad! :), I sent the power steering gear and pump to get serviced. Because I'm growing so much, it was time to order a new seat, and a new suit. I can't wait to see it when it's done! ( I think my dad wants to put a few rubber bands around me to keep me small!)

We are finalizing a motor plan for this year also. There will be more news on that in a few weeks.

It's great talking to all the people that I spoke with at the PRI show. Most of them remember who I am, so it was easier to talk with them. I'm glad they all remember who I was. That way they can picture a face of who they are talking to.

Check back soon for more updates. The racing season is just around the corner! And I am really excited to start!

12/12/07

Marshall and I headed out last Wednesday (the 5th), to go to the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. We left about 9:00AM that morning, and I thought we were arriving 5 hours later, but with the 3 hours difference, it was like flying into the future! Haha.

We found our hotel, then drove the rental car around to find everywhere we were supposed to go the next morning. I had to see everything before I went there, so I wouldn't get...uh, sick. We slept, not very much though, and at 8:30AM, headed off to the Orange County Convention Center.

We picked up our credentials to get into the PRI Show and headed in. The convention center is HUGE! 1,000,000 square feet of building. I was amazed at how big it was, and how many booths were set up. Marshall wasn't surprised though, because he has already been there before. I guess he knew what to expect. Right as you walk in, there are some really cool cars, like drag cars, stock cars, and some other stuff. We couldn't go into the actual show until 9:30AM. I couldn't wait to go in to see all the booths, and people.

When they started letting everybody in, we went straight to the MPD Racing booth, where I met up with John and Pattie from MPD. They are very nice people. John has a lot of great stories about when he used to race quarter midgets with Jeff, and when they got into sprint cars. He gave me good advice also. Things like, staying out of trouble, not wrecking hotel rooms, and how to make myself confident in presenting myself to other people.

So, for the next three days, Marshall and I walked around all of the booths. I had them all planned out, so we knew where to go. The first few people I talked to, I was kind of nervous. I didn't know what to expect. Marshall supported me, telling me that the sales people running the booths like to talk to the racers. I got a lot better as I went. I was getting confident and having full conversations with people, and telling them what I thought of their products.

One of the stops I made was to the Butlerbuilt Seats booth. I got measured for a seat, so they could have all the information about my size, so when we ordered my next seat, they didn't have to take anymore measurements. Everybody I talked to at the show was very nice, and asked me questions about my racing.

Then while getting measured for a suit at the Design 500 booth, Brian Paulus noticed me. I have always liked talking to Brian, ever since I was like 11 years old. I was happy to see him, because I haven't talked to him for over a year. He gave some good advice also, and some not racing related...won't really go into that, but it's about signing autographs...lol.

He introduced me to a couple of people. First one was Doug Auld. Doug is from the Sprint & Midget Magazine. He is a really nice guy, and was great to talk to. He also introduced me to Bob Seymour. I had a good conversation with Bob too. He has been around racing for a long time, and seems very smart about the racing business. It was great getting the time to talk to him.

Brian also designed my suit on his computer. It looks really good, maybe because Brian's an artist. lol. I really appreciate Brian's advice, and support. He's a great person to hang out with. Hopefully I'll see him again soon.

Orlando...umm, how do I explain this, it's all about GOLF, and TATTOOS, and GIFT SHOPS. There ain't nothin' else in that town. Every block there's a golf shop, tattoo shop, or gift shop. I don't really like golf myself, but Marshall says I should for maybe someday down the road...I don't know about the golf thing though. You have to wear them funny lookin' shorts. LOL. I don't think I have any of those...I think.

There was also the Stars of Karting race, and the Sprint & Midget Race, at the Orlando Speedworld. It was an asphalt race, so there wasn't as much passing as on the dirt, but there was this one guy in the Sprint main, that went to the second groove, and made a couple of passes. It was cool watching him do that.

The hotel was making me sick. The first room, the safe didn't work. We needed a safe, so asked if we could get a new room. We got another room, dropped our stuff off real quick, and went to dinner. I'm tellin' ya, they need some Sonic Burgers around here. When we got back, we noticed the room smelled like somebody has been smoking in there for years. We needed another room! This time, the hotel guy gave us two room keys. The first one that we tested smelled like it had a 1000 air fresheners in it. I couldn't stand it. Then, the 4th room was perfect. It had a good working safe, and didn't smell. The bad part about all of this, was that we had to move our stuff 3 times. Unpack, pack, unpack, pack back up again! lol. The hotel guy still said "my pleasure" though. He always said that, it was kind of funny.

Overall, it was a great experience - a priceless one. I learned so much being there. For me, it wasn't about going there to make the biggest deal, it was about learning to communicate. And that's just what I did. I made some good relationships with people, and everyone I talked to said I sure do smile a lot! lol.

I want to thank John and Pattie from MPD Racing for helping me attend the PRI Show. It was a great opportunity and experience that I will never forget.

Also, Brian Paulus. Thanks Brian. You make me laugh a lot, and gave some good advice. You helped me a lot.

Dave McNary. If it weren't for you, I would have never had the chance to go and meet the great people there. Thank You!

Marshall Schlenz. No more getting me wet while driving down the street. I wish we would have had power windows so I could stop the window from going down! Thanks for your help, I couldn't have done it without you...my pleasure! HAHA.

Keep a look out for more updates!! Including the 2008 Racing Schedule...it's coming very soon!

10/28/07

Last Wednesday, I applied for my drivers license. My sister Nicki has been planning for me to come into her class and talk about the racing. So, after I passed my drivers test with a 92, (I failed backing around a corner, but not parallel parking - I guess I'm better backing into the corner, then around!) but, Nicki asked me to come to her class the next day after I got out of school. It was fun going back to my old grade school to tell the kids about my racing, and what all the safety gear does for you. I had a great time talking to the "Mighty Mains" sixth grade class. They asked a lot of good questions, some that even made me think! I have never done anything like that before, so it felt pretty good to know that all those kids wanted to learn about it. I signed a picture for each of them, and had Nicki take it into them on the next day. The neatest part of it all, was when they each sent me a card that said thank you for coming into our class. Some of them also said that, "this picture will be worth money someday!" I smiled when I read each of them, they are all really creative.

Thank you Mrs. Mains for allowing me the time to come into your class!

10/18/07

A Big Thank You...

There are a few people I would like to thank for helping me this year. I wouldn't have been able to run any races if weren't for them. First, I would like to thank Marshall Schlenz. Marshall, thank you very much for your help this year. There is no way I would have been able to race this year without you. Not just the motor you let me use, but the advice that you gave me before each race helped a bunch! I'm glad that I'm the kid you pick to give all the grief to. Maybe I'll give you some grief someday. Thank you.

Dennis Schlenz. Thanks for fulfilling that promise you made to me a couple of years ago.

Jim Sievert. Thanks for keeping the motor running good! You're a big help at the track, and knowing what to do with the motor. Maybe I'll have to learn that second "language" you speak sometimes so I can understand what you're saying! Lol.

Rob Leland. THE greatest car washer ever! The car was always shiny when it went out on the track. Thanks for keeping my car looking good!

Diana Schlenz. Thanks for making lunch and dinner for my dad and I when we were busy with the car. It was good food!

Kailey. The "wishing star girl". Thanks Kailey, you made a great wish!

Greg & Tina Burgess. Thanks for being a great supporter of my racing. I'll make sure to get you some BBQ Sauce, ok Tina?

Greg Bishop. Thanks for your advice, and keeping your Nextel handy!

Michael Beckler. Great welder! Thanks for all your help.

Slim. Thanks for making us an offer we couldn't refuse.

Doug Munroe. Us skinny guys gotta stick together! Thanks for making me strong.

Vern Page. Thanks for putting that walk-through in your fence so I can go over and ask you for something. You haven't let me down.

The Nicki Factor. Keeping me up to date on my workout program. It paid off at Hanford the second time!

Mom. I'm glad you're taking breaths now. Just have to figure out something for dad...

Dad. Thanks for believing in me!

10/16/07

Last weekend, Marshall came over to fire the car to get the motor winterized. Marshall couldn't turn the steering wheel at all. My dad said, "TJ, is this how it always feels?" I said yes. "You've been running without power steering!" I was like what, no I'm not. My dad and Marshall just started cracking up. I wouldn't have any idea what power steering should feel like. I've only ran that car 3 times. The steering has always been a little harder than my winged car, but I figured that's just because my non-wing car has an older steering box. Then, I told my mom. She couldn't believe it. Her eyes got real big and she said, "You WHAT?!" I told her again and she went outside to my dad, with her hands on her hips, and she said, "Fix It." It was really funny. I probably would have been able to run the whole 30 laps my first time at Hanford. Lol.

10/2/07

I had another fun time at Kings Speedway. I learned a bunch too. I'm really glad it wasn't 100 degrees like last time, and I think everyone else was too. I didn't get worn out as much, but part of why I didn't, is because I've been making sure I am working out. My arms got a little tired on Fridays show, but not on Saturday. I was able to drive the car a little bit harder, and not worry about falling out of the seat.

Friday night, the track was real tacky all night long. I just couldn't get the car sideways enough going through the corner. That's not usually how I like to drive, just throwing the car sideways like that. I told my dad to not change anything on my car. I just wanted seat time, getting used to driving a sprint car without the wing. I started on the outside front row of the heat race. I had a confidence problem. I just let them all go the first corner. This was the first thing I learned when I was down there this time. I should have just told the race director, "I want to start in the back." I just wasn't comfortable up in the front yet. I was in the B-main. I wanted to start in the back this time, and that's what I did. I passed some cars, and was in the transfer spot to the A-main. On the last lap, I got passed, and didn't go to the A-main. I was happy with how I did. My dad and I watched the A-main together though, so I could learn some more by watching other cars.

About lap 10, there was a crash. Two cars got together, and it was a real bad wreck.

My dad said it was probably a good thing I wasn't racing that race. We walked back to our trailer and he asked me, "you still wanna do this?" I told him yes, I do. I try not to think about those things when racing. This is what I want to do. As long as I have the best of the best safety gear, and make sure it all fits me good, I can't do anything else to protect me while I'm racing.

Saturday, was just my type of track, real dry slick! I would barely have to turn the car going in the corner, just use the gas and the brake to keep me sideways. I still wanted to start in the back every race I had that night. I feel more comfortable starting in the back. I passed a few cars to get a transfer spot to the A-main. There was a couple of cars in other races that crashed out, so there wasn't a B-main anymore. It was going to be awhile to my main, so I watched the winged 360 cars, and the winged 410 cars. Those were pretty cool to see. The were real fast too. I also had a special person helping me out, none other than Jimmy Sills. He was a great help. I learned a lot from him down there. Thanks Jimmy Sills!

In the main, I started 23rd place. In about 6 laps, I made it all the way to 16th. Passing guys on the outside mostly because most of them were on the bottom. But there was a problem during those six laps, I couldn't see anything when coming out of the corners! It was because of all the guys who were smokin their tires. They smoked their tires, but didn't have their brakes glowing. I didn't smoke my tires once, because I was using lots of brake to keep from doing that. My dad loves to see the brake rotors glowing coming off the corner. Anyways, there was a yellow, and we restarted again. The next lap, I totally missed my mark. I thought I could run around the outside, but nope! I flew off the end of the track. It was my fault, but I was ok. My dad joked about it later. Have you ever seen the animated movie "CARS"? Well, if you have, do you remember the part when Lighting McQueen was trying to run on dirt in the little town of Radiator Springs? He was supposed to turn right, to go left. Well he turned right, and went right! LOL. And he went into the bushes...that's what popped into my dads head when he saw that.

We restarted again, and a few laps later, there was a big pile up in front of me. I had nowhere to go, so I spun into them. 2 DOT's, is a disqualification. Can't argue that, so I was done. I knew I would have gone forward, because my tires were still in good shape, everyone else's were bald. I had fun and learned a lot.

9/16/07

Since Hanford, I've been making sure I am working out at home. School also started, and I'm taking a weight training class in school. One of my friends sent me some videos of some non-wing races so I can watch them and learn what to do. I'm having fun, and looking forward to race without the wing again before the end of the year. I feel that I'm ready and I'm making sure that I won't fall out of the seat again!

8/28/07 Update

I had fun at Kings Speedway in Hanford, California. The track was dry slick, and it was about 100˚ down there! I probably drank 20 bottles of water to keep hydrated.

The non-wing cars drive a lot different then a winged car. If you aren't on the gas, the car is going to hook up and you wont be able to get the car sideways until the next corner. That was what I struggled with most of the night.

I was supposed to get all 3 hot lap sessions, but only got one because of my transponder. I couldn't get the car figured out through the corner, so I struggled in qualifying and the heat race. I could get the car sideways going into the corners, but when I lifted off the gas just a little bit, the car straightened up, then I couldn't turn the car back sideways.

In the A-Main, I started 18th. I couldn't see anything going into the first corner! There was so much dust. I saw most of the guys on the bottom, so I tried going high, and it worked until lap 5. I was running 15th, the I spun out. A car hit me, and tore off my front bumper! My car was ok, but the other guys car wasn't. I restarted 18th again I was running the top the whole time because most of the guys were on the bottom and I couldn't get down there. By lap 15, I was in 9th! Then I went, "Oh, Crap." I now realized what I should have been doing at home to strengthen myself to drive that car. My arms were rubber, I couldn't steer the car anymore. On lap 18 of 30, I pulled off the track. I think it was the right move because I didn't wreck myself, or anybody else.

I had fun and cant wait to go back to Kings Speedway again. Thanks to everyone in the pits helping me.

There will be pictures soon.

8/20/07 Update

We now have the non-wing car ready to go. We only need a couple of parts, but other than that it is ready. We should be firing the motor on Wednesday or Thursday. Here are some pictures of my non-wing car and check back often for more updates.

8/16/07 Update

We are currently in the process of putting my non-wing car together. The car is going together well. I learned that not all spindle nuts fit every spindle! I ordered a set and they didn't fit, so I asked a friend if he had a set and he did. It took awhile to get the shifter cable lined up right. It was off just a little bit and we had to readjust it to fit right. We will be putting the motor in shortly. We bought a engine hoist, so now we have the tools to swap motors between cars. I can't wait to see what a non-wing car drives like!

6/30/07 Update

On the 30th, I went down to Madras, Oregon to race my sprint car for the first time. I wasn't nervous or scared, I was just really excited and couldn't wait to get on the track...

I pushed out for hot laps, and the car was really winging down on the left rear. I told my dad, and so we put a softer tie down shock on the left rear to help that. I started 5th in the 2nd heat race. I passed the guy for 4th in the first corner, passing is way different in quarter midgets than the sprint car. My car was really loose, and the track was dry slick - just how I like it! I was working on the guy to pass for 3rd, then I spun out. I said, "crap!" I got pushed back off, and passed for 4th again. On the last lap of the last corner, I passed the guy for third coming out of the corner, and just barely beat him to the line. I felt really great after that, and I knew I had a chance to win if everything worked out good.

In the pits, my dad and Jim changed some tires to get less stagger in the car for the main. During that time, there were kids coming over to me, and saying good job, and you looked good out there. That made me feel very good because that was my very first time racing other cars in a sprint car. There was this little blonde haired kid, who came over to my car, and he said," My friend's were telling me that you look like Harry Potter." Everyone started laughing. It was really funny.

I got ready for the main, and pushed off for the main. They give you a couple of hot laps before the race starts. I knew I was starting 2nd, so I tested the high line in turns 1 & 2 to make sure it was nice and sticky up there. We lined up to start the race, and I hammered the gas down and took off. I raced the guy on the outside, and I made the pass in the corner. I couldn't tell how far ahead I was, but I couldn't hear anyone behind me so I slowed down just a bit. Then there was a yellow flag. My dad got my attention and he was signaling me to slow down! I knew I was going to be ok so I just gave him the thumbs up. We bunched back up and went green again. The race was 20 laps, and then I saw the white flag come out, I was like, "Oh my god, I'm winning!" I went around turn 4, and took the checkered flag. I was so happy that I won my first sprint car race.

Everyone was very happy for me, and saying awesome job. My dad said he needed medication or something because he couldn't watch me because he was so nervous. After all the races were finished, we pushed my car onto the front stretch and a lady in the stands said, "who is the driver of that 19 car?" I peeked around the corner and she said, "Get over here!" I didn't even know who she was, but she was very excited that I won.

I don't think my first sprint car race could have gone any better. Thank you to all those that supported me, and those who called me to say congratulations. Thanks you Scott Arnold for letting me come down there to race, I had a great time.

6/24/07 update

Thanks to Marshall & Jim, we now have a Shaver 360 installed! It's a good thing Marshall has a long driveway! And we ate pretty good too! Thanks Diana!

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