April 26, 2014
It’s the first practice day of the season! The day didn’t go quite as we had planned.
My Dad took the car out first to make sure everything felt right after the winter and the car was awesome. I went out for a the next practice and it was amazing. The car handled great through the corners and it was fast. In the second practice, the brakes weren’t right so when I brought the car in, turns out the brake caliper was hanging up. Mom went and bought new ones that we’ll change them on Sunday, we adjusted, and took the car out for a few more practices. The car was fantastic. It was a good day up to this point. Decided to go for one more practice and right at the end, there was a big puff of smoke and the car immediately shut down. I brought it in the pits and when we took the hood off, there was oil everywhere. With my Mom and Dad, we got the motor out of the car last night and it’s ready to go to Matt to be fixed. We are hopeful that it will be fixed by the end of the week so we can be at the track for opening night, but I know Matt is really busy, so I don’t know at this point what will happen.
Because my budget is pretty much done already with all the things we had to buy, my parents are going to take the money that they had set aside to get the Super Stock on the track and put it into this car instead to get me on the track as soon as possible. So the Super Stock will still be at the track this year, it’s going to be delayed for a bit.
May 4, 2014
Opening night was delayed by a day due to the weather, so on Sunday, we had the first invitational of the year. Exciting way to start the season.
With the help of our amazing engine builder, Matt at Speedy Auto Machine, got the motor rebuilt and ready to go back in the car by Friday. It appears that we overheated something which caused the issue with the motor. But Matt fixed it and I think it is even better than it was the weekend before. Special thanks to Phil, Branden and Josh Bullen, and Connor and Rob James for their help in getting the motor back in the car Friday night. Dad got home late Friday night and we spent most of Saturday doing the rest of the work that was needed on the car, so the rain out wasn’t terrible for us.
On Sunday, we pulled into the track and there were a lot of cars there, almost 100 from what I understand. It was a great turn out for a great show.
We drew for position for the start of the heat race. I pulled #3 so I would be in the first race, starting 3rd. It was fun because, three of my friends are rookies this year and they were all in the same heat as me. My friend Connor James was to start on the pole, but had to go scratch due to a problem with the car, and Nic Montanari and Gerrit Tiemersma were in the heat as well. With Connor starting scratch, that moved me up to starting outside pole. The 89 car was on the pole for the start of the race, with the 51 of Eric York behind me. I think it was on the second lap when I pulled ahead of the 89 car to take the lead, which was a short lead since the 51 dove to the inside of me going into corner 1. I was in 2nd for a number of laps when the always fast, Miles Tyson went by me on the outside to take the 2nd position. With 2 or 3 laps to go, the caution came out and we had to line up for the restart. I lined up in 3rd behind the 51 for the restart. Through corner 3 I thought the 51 was going to go, but he didn’t go as soon as I expected and I had to lift so I didn’t run into the back of him and when I lifted, it gave the 21 car the opportunity to get by me. So, I think it was a good heat race, I finished 4th, and the car felt good and fast. My friends, Gerrit Tiemersma finished 5th, Connor James 6th and Nic Montanari 8th. Nic didn’t qualify through the heat race, but went on to finish 2nd in the Consi to transfer to the feature.
I was so pumped to find out that I qualified 10th out of about 37 cars. I didn’t qualify for Velocity last September, which was the only special that I entered last year, so to go from not qualifying for Velocity to qualifying 10th for the Spring Derby was pretty awesome for me. Since I qualified 10th, that is where I started in the feature. With Brandon McFerran starting in 11th, I was pretty confident he would get by me pretty quickly, as he is wicked fast out there, but thought I could hang on to that spot while things sorted out. We ran green for a long run and I was running in 10th position when a caution came out. On the restart, I lined up on the outside, with the #20 of Gerrit Tiemersma lined up on the inside in 11th. The outside line did not go at all. We quickly fell back on the outside until I was able to get down and into 14th position. Lost a lost of ground on that restart and it wasn’t quite done yet. With 2 laps to go, another car got past me and then on the last lap Ben Melenhorst got by me to put me back in the 16th position for the finish. All and all, I was extremely happy with the car and the finishes that I had on Sunday. Great start to the year.
May 10, 2014
Best. Day. Ever.
Went out for practice today and the car was just okay. Had a bit of a push. We made a tire pressure change and the car was much better.
For the Heat race, I started third. I had the 35 and 86 cars in my heat race, so I was pretty confident they would get by me as they are very fast. On lap 2, the 35 went underneath me and then the 86 wasn’t too far behind. This dropped me back to 6th position. The same lap, I would pass the 23 and a couple of laps later, I passed the 4 car and then went after the 31. It took me a few laps to get past the 31 as I would just get there, but then into the corner I had to back off. I waited patiently and then I was able to get underneath the 31 to make my way back to third position. I was very happy with this finish. I qualified for the feature and would be in the Dash for Cash.
In the Dash for Cash, I started 9th as I finished 3rd in the 3rd heat. My Mom and I talked about the race before hand and made the decision that since I wasn’t going to win the race, it would be best to sit back and just get some seat time. So I used the race to try a few different things like the lane I was running, breaking points into the corner etc. I finished 11th in the race.
For the feature, all drivers that qualified through their heat race, as well as the top 3 finishers in the consi races, were to draw numbers for their starting position in the feature. I drew #14. So, I would start on the outside in the 14th position with the fast #35 starting directly behind me in 16th. Lap #1 was uneventful, but lap #2 saw the first caution come out when the cars directly in front of me went 4 wide into corner 1. This did not work. They wrecked and I ended up getting into the #81 lightly, but then I was hit from behind by someone else and it gave me a flat tire. I went to the pits for a new left rear tire – thanks to Gerry and Richard and the #33 crew for getting my tire changed and getting me back out.
Only problem? We ended up with a right rear size tire on the left rear. I restarted the race in 22nd position. A caution came out a bit later, I think on lap 10, and I restarted the race in 14th position. I was driving the car as hard as I could on every lap. There were a few more cautions throughout the race but I just kept looking forward. Trying to keep my car clean and just pass as many cars as I could. On lap 17, the final caution came out and I was in the 7th position! My car was not great in the corners, but I just kept going as hard as I could. On the restart, I was able to get past the #6 car and claim 6th position. With two or three laps to go, I went high in the corner and the 6 was able to catch back up to me. We battled door handle to door handle for two or three laps and it was fantastic racing. I enjoy racing against the #6, he is a clean driver and fun to race with. That was the most fun I’ve had! In the end, I would stay just ahead of him coming out of corner four and keep a nose ahead of him at the finish line to take the 6th place finish in the feature! I couldn’t be more excited. With the caliber of drivers/cars at Sunset, finishing 6th behind #33, #49, #86, #64 and #35 felt like a win to me! It was a really fantastic night. The only downfall was that my Dad wasn’t able to be there to see it. I am looking forward to next week already.
May 17, 2014
Well, the weekend didn’t start out great. We loaded up the car and went to leave for Sunset, only to find that the battery in the truck was dead! Whoops! Apparently, since Mom and I left the trailer hooked up to the truck last week, maybe we left the inside trailer lights on and drained the battery. We had to put the battery charger on the truck and wait a bit. Because of that, we were late getting to the track and missed practice.
In the first heat, I would start in the 8th position. On the start of lap two, people at the front of the pack would get loose coming out of corner two causing everyone on the outside lane to check up and I ran into the back of the 78 car. No caution was brought out, but I had now fallen to 9th and the leaders where way ahead of me. I was pretty patient and passed the 78 during lap three, then would pass the 23 one the next lap. I fell in behind the 04 car however a caution would come out soon after and they put me back behind the 23 car on the restart. I restarted the race in 7th after the 68 would leave the track. A few laps and we would get by the 23, 20 and 04 and then a lap later passed the 31 to get into the 3rd position. I was making up ground on the 87, but there wasn’t enough laps left to catch him. The race would end 33, 87 and me. I was happy to come from 9th to 3rd in this race and qualify through the heats again for the feature. Now we would move on to the Dash for Cash.
Once again, in the Dash for Cash, my goal is to just get some seat time and some practice. I was to start 7th in this race. It was a pretty good race in the first few laps as myself, the 87 and 26 could battle for a bit, sometimes three wide and then I eventually cleared both cars and moved into the 5th position. I would run behind the 4 car for a bit before sliding up in corner one allowing the 81 to get inside me. In the end, I would finish 6th.
For the feature, all the cars from the Dash for Cash, plus the top six cars in the Consi draw for position. Personally, I think, just the cars that qualify for the feature should be be drawing for position and those that qualify through the consi should line up after those qualified cars. However, that’s not the way it is. I was already in my car so my Dad drew my number for me, and I’m never allowing him to do that again, as he drew number 18! I would start behind all the qualified cars and the 6 cars from the consi.
It was a good race. There was only one caution on the first lap as the starters called off the start. After that the race went green from start to finish. I made a few passes on the inside and out and ended up finishing in the 13th position. It was a good night overall, but I could have used a caution for sure. (Edited with official finish)
Special thanks to Chris from OnePromo.ca for coming out to support their drivers tonight. It was great meeting you!! If everyone has a moment, check out their facebook page and give them a like for me. Or follow them on twitter at OnePromo_ca
May 23, 2014
Today was not a good day
We struggled with the car all day! In practice, the car had a terrible push. I could not get the car through the corner at all. Tried a few different lines to see if I could get the car to corner better, but nothing was helping. After checking the car, we found something was bent in the rear and my Dad and Randy went to work fixing everything.
When it was time to line up for the heat race, I wasn’t sure how my car was going to be. I was to start 7th in the third heat race. The race itself, for me, was pretty uneventful. I had some fast cars in my heat and fell back at the beginning but managed to get myself back up a couple spots to finish where I started, in 7th. It was when I came off the track that the work would start. My car just shut off. I pulled into my pit area and my crew went to work, again. Turns out, it was the alternator. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t have enough time to get the alternator changed before the consi race, so the charger was on the car. All we could do at this point was get things ready to change after the consi and hope for the best in the race.
This was the first consi of the year that I had to go in since I have qualified through my heat races every week. I was going into the consi with a lot of pressure last night. Not only did I need to be in the consi, I had to finish in the top 8 of 12 cars as there were 35 mini stocks at Sunset last night and 7 cars were not making the feature. I wasn’t sure that my battery was going to last throughout the race and if I stalled the car, there was a good chance it wasn’t going to start again.
I started the consi in 5th position and pretty much immediately found trouble. Some cars had an issue coming out of corner 2 and I had to swerve and brake to miss everything, however, knowing that I couldn’t stall the car, once it was clear, I was back on the gas to keep the car moving, and the 34 of TJ Edwards was to my right. As I went forward toward him, he came to the left and I literally jumped up the side of his car. TJ and I would go to the back to restart the race. Not long after that, I would be going through corner 1 again when I got tapped on the left rear corner and got turned into the infield. I couldn’t save the car from stalling this time. If I couldn’t get the car started, I wouldn’t make the feature. Thankfully, there was enough power left in the battery to allow the car to start! But, I’d line up at the back again. I drove the car as hard as I could. It was not handling well at all but I knew I needed to move. I passed a few cars coming from the back and ended up finishing the consi in the same position I started, in 5th, but moving on to the feature. After the race, I spoke with TJ Edwards and explained what was going on with me and apologized to him for getting into his car. He was a great guy and everything was fine.
Now the work starts! Not only did my crew have to change the alternator before the feature, with jumping TJ’s car in the consi, I lost a tire and bent the control arm. Sorry everyone for the extra work.
In the feature, I would start deep in the field in 20th out of the 28 cars. The feature was a bit rough. There was an early caution when the pole sitter, 72, would spin and the 3rd place car, 4, would both go to the back on the restart. The 20 also got tapped and spun, but the caution was already out so he was given his spot back. This was not going to be the last caution! I was moving up and passing some cars and made my way as high as 13th, but always seemed to get jammed up on the restarts and would fall back again. Coming out of corner 4, my friend, Connor James #4, and I would hit when he was coming up on the outside of me and that would end up with him scraping off the wall and having issues that sent him into the pits. He was able to join the race not long after that. Sorry Connor!! The 64 would end up getting turned in corner 1 bringing out a caution. In the end, there were quite a few cautions in this race and every time I made up a few positions, I ended up losing them again on the restart. I have no idea where I finished the race, 14th maybe, but overall, it wasn’t a great night. However I did finish better than I started, so sure could have been even worse than it was!
Seems I have an issue with my go pro and it has corrupted my SD card so I don’t think there will be any videos posted this week unfortunately. I am still looking to see if we can retrieve the videos. Overall, it seems that nothing was working in my favour last night, pretty much if it could go wrong, it did.
So much thanks to my Dad, Randy, Gerry and Steve Slaughter Jr for all your help this weekend getting me back on the track.
Fan appreciation was a blast! I always love those nights. I hope everyone enjoyed it!
May 31, 2014
We got up to the track earlier on Saturday since we had some issues last week and wanted to get some practice in to check out the car. It seemed good in practice despite how hot it was outside, we got it running good!
In the first heat race, I would start on the pole. There were a couple of cars in the race that I thought could catch and pass me, but I was hopeful that I would have a good start and a good finish to the race. On the first lap of my heat race, the outside pole sitter would spin to bring out the caution on lap one. We lined up for a complete restart. I think it was the 68 that would get under me first,after a bump from another car going into corner 3 then a little bit later coming out of corner 2 i was bumped, which allowed another car underneath me and by the end of the race, I had fallen back to the 6th position and would be going to the consi again this week. Not the way I was looking for this race to go after starting on the pole. The car was pushing in the corners and not reacting as I hoped it would.
In the Consi, I would start in the 5th position, and basically just needed to finish the race to be in the feature as they were taking all but two cars. On the first lap, the pole sitter lost control of the car coming out of corner 4 for the green flag and ended up hitting the infield wall. That would change the line up for the start of the race and move me into the 4th position on the restart. A couple of laps later, the 87 would get under me and then a lap or so later I would get by the 94 car to take back 4th position and this is where I would end the consi. Car still wasn’t great, but we made the feature and were in for the invert.
Before the feature, my Dad made a bunch of changes to the car and basically threw a lot at it to try to make it better for me in the feature. We had the fans down on the track to pick numbers for each driver in the top 18 to determine where they would start the feature. My fan picked the 7th starting position for me. Considering this is the best starting position I’ve had so far this season, I was pretty happy to be starting up this high.
Coming to the green flag, I honestly don’t know if my car pushed up, I had contact with someone or what, but I shot up the track coming around the corner and almost hit the 51 car. Thankfully he saw me and moved up as well. This would open the door for the super fast 79 car and she would pass me on the front straight and move into the 8th position before the first corner of the first lap, but I actually expected this. On lap 10, there was a caution and I would line up for the restart in 10th. A few laps later, another car made an aggressive move between me and another car in corner 3 which would turn me toward the infield, but I kept driving the car, put a little more wheel in the corner and fought back to come out of four with my spot and the car going straight. However, I was into 14th position at this point and that is where I would continue until the finish of the race.
Every week my Mom tells me to give up a position to save the car. It’s not worth wrecking the car to try to finish one position higher, especially with my Dad away and not around to fix the car that often. This week, my Mom gave me permission to drive the car and not just give the position away. She felt I was being taken advantage of by people knowing I’d give up the position. Maybe this will be a good change…..or a lot of work for someone.
June 7, 2014
We went up to the track really early for practice and my Dad made a lot of changes to the car. I took it out for practice and the car was great. I didn’t go out for second practice, but made another change and took the car out for final practice and I was very happy with the car.
For the heat race, I would start in 7th. I had a few really good cars in my heat, so I wasn’t sure if I would make the Dash for Cash or not this week. The heat race was pretty uneventful and I only moved up to 6th place as I got trapped on the bottom and couldn’t make any moves. This would put me in the consi again this week.
In the consi, I had to finish in the two six again to make the invert, but basically just had to finish the race to move into the feature. I started the consi in 6th and finished in 6th, making the invert for the feature.
I was busy all night between racing and my sponsor, The Mortgage Station, was sponsoring the night, so I spent a lot of time in the VIP tent! What an amazing night. Met some wonderful people, had a great time with everyone. Because I was in the VIP tent, I just let someone else, I don’t even know who, pull my number for starting spot for the feature. Since I always pull a horribly high number, I figured they couldn’t do worse. They pulled the number 12, so this is where I would start the feature.
For the feature, I felt pretty good about our starting place and the car. Right from the beginning, it was a pretty good race and things were going well. I fell back a bit on the outside but was making up ground and running around 10th when the 37 car either spun, or got spun, in corner one right in the middle of the pack, right in front of me. I got slowed down pretty well, but the 9 car wasn’t able to get slowed down and there was simply no where to go. I hit the 37 and then got hit from behind by the 9. There was a lot of damage to my car, but not as bad as the 9 car as he was not able to finish the race. The 72 was also involved, but the track officials decided that since there was simply no where to go and no way to avoid the spinning 37 car, the 72, 9 and myself would not have to go to the back. I raced the car hard through the rest of the race and had a good night, a great run with the 6 car – I love racing with Terry, always a good battle and he is a good clean racer, I have a lot of respect for him. In the end, we came home in 12th position. I was happy with the finish, especially after the damage the car sustained. Finishing 12th out of 28th is respectable for me. It’s a stacked field out there and it’s a good feeling to be finishing in the top half.
Lots of work to do on the car, thankfully, my Dad is home for a few days to do some work. We have to remove the front bumper, fan was knocked loose as well and pretty much melted, had to remove the rear bumper and all the bars in the rear of the car. Lots of work! Oh and some body work to do as well. And just to clarify, for those that were wondering, I do NOT use my radio’s during any race, just sometimes during practice when my Dad and I are working on different things with the car.
June 14, 2014
Well, this was not the night that I was hoping for. My Dad and Randy were away in Michigan for the Nascar race, so we were short on crew, and a tow vehicle! So Phil Bullen offered to tow my car to the track, and he and his son Josh helped us out all day in the pits. And I couldn’t be more thankful, just for the tow, but for them being there considering how the day would go. We got there early for practice and the car felt great in first practice, until coming out of corner 4 and the car basically shut down. I was pushed into the pits and turns out that I blew the clutch. I checked around and no one had a spare clutch. I had a spare one at home, but wasn’t the right one for my transmission. Again, thankfully Phil was there as he was building a new transmission for someone and called that person and they agreed to let me use that transmission, which fit the clutch that I had at home. My Mom and Phil left to go home, good thing it’s only 6 minutes from the track, and then off to Phil’s for the tranny! While they were gone, my great crew, Richard & Gerry, along with help from Rob James, Paul Sr and Josh, started taking out the old tranny and clutch. When Mom and Phil got back, Phil finished building the tranny and then they installed everything. All in less than 1 1/2 hours. Great job!
Then came the issue. My transmission is a locked transmission, this new one was not. We spent the last few weeks trying to loosen up the car, and now suddenly, with this change of transmission, it was a bit of a disaster. They let me take the car out on the track to test it before the first race and it was horrible. I couldn’t even lift off the gas without the back end swinging around and spinning me out. We made a bunch of changes to the car to try to tighten it up and then we’d start the first heat race.
I was supposed to start on the pole for my heat race, however, after the few practice laps I did, we felt it would be best if I started scratch for the heat race and used the heat as practice to adjust to the difference in the transmission. I didn’t want to start on the pole and potentially spin the car in front of everyone, possibly damaging my own car as well as other cars. I’d have to drive the car differently and adjust my line to adapt to the change. On a positive, I managed to only spin the car once in my heat race! It was still so loose. I started the heat in 10th and finished in 9th. Not my best outing.
I would have to be in the consi again this week and since there were more than 28 cars at the track last night, it was very important to finish in the top 8 in the consi. I started the consi in the 7th position. We had tightened up the car some more before the consi and I adjusted my driving for all these changes and things were better. I was more comfortable with the car now and just focused on finishing in the top 8 so I could make the feature. And I did. I finished in 8th and would transfer to the main event. This is the first time that I wouldn’t be involved in the invert for the feature, and I would be starting dead last!
I started the feature 28th and after a few laps, got used to what the car was doing and started moving up through the field. There was an early caution on lap 3, can’t remember what that was for. On lap 15, I was running in the 21st position when I went too hard into the corner and spun out by myself. No damage, no one else involved so that was good. I was about to be lapped by the 35 car, so it was a bit of a bonus as it allowed me to stay on the lead lap. There was another caution on lap 16, can’t remember what for. We finished off the race and I ended up in 19th. Not the night I was looking for, but I’ll consider it a win. Many teams would have been on the trailer for the night if they lost a clutch, but my team and friends were AMAZING and worked hard to get me back out on the track last night. I am so thankful for each and every one of them and wouldn’t even know how to begin letting them all know how much their support means to me. Love you all! Happy Fathers Day to everyone, especially my Dad – Enjoy the Race Daddy!
July 5, 2014
Today did not start out how we had hoped. Went out in first practice just to break in the new brakes on the car and then turn a couple laps testing the new transmission only to have something go wrong with the car. Turns out we broke the half shaft. Didn’t have a spare at the track, so my parents went home to get a spare while Josh, Phil and Branden went to work taking out the old one. They got the new one back in and got me out for the final practice and the car was great. I was really looking forward to a good night of racing after being off the last two weekends.
In the first heat race, I was to start in the 6th position. Coming to the start of the race, the outside pole sitter jumped the start, the starters didn’t even throw the green flag and the race went to caution. A car in front of me was on the brake hard so I moved down to not run into her when another car, who didn’t realize that the race was under caution, came flying through the field and ran into the side of my car, pushing me into the side of the other car. My race ended before it started and I had to go to the infield with a flat tire, and as it turned out, a bent control arm. I didn’t even get to take the green flag to start this race, so off to the consi I would go.
We had 35 cars at Sunset last night, so making it into the feature was not guaranteed. Because I didn’t start the heat race, I started at the back of the consi, in 10th. The Pole sitter was spun on the first lap to bring out the caution. I ended up finishing the consi in 5th position and making the feature. My car was a little loose so we tightened it up a bit for the feature.
In the feature, I would start in 22nd position, out of 28 cars, and have to pass a lot of cars to made a decent finish. I was patient and waiting for opportunities to pass people and starting picking off positions one by one. The car made it through the race with little damage, only when the 37 almost got spun out and I got hit from behind by another car. In the end, I would finish the race in the 14th position. Not a bad night considering how bad it started. We are looking forward to racing at Sauble Speedway next weekend, and then we will be back at Sunset Speedway for fan appreciation on July 19th. Thanks to everyone for their help with the car again this week.
July 12, 2014
This weekend we went up to Sauble Speedway for the Home to Home series. It was not an EPIC weekend for me at all. We were supposed to have double heats for qualifying, but because of the weather, it was single only, which makes qualifying that much harder, especially when you start at the back. In the first heat of 12 cars, I started in the 8th position, and fell back to 10th where I would finish. So unfortunately, I had to go in the consi.
In the consi, I would start 10th out of 17 cars and would have to finish in the top 6 in order to transfer to the feature. I made my way up through the field and had found my way to a transfer spot, however, the car behind we kept hitting me and that slowed us both up and we were both passed and lost the transfer spot.
In the feature, I was the bubble car, so I would go out on the track for the pace laps and if anyone dropped out, I would start the race or they would send me off. It wouldn’t really matter as there was an accident further up in the field in the opening laps. Coming out of corner two and back on the throttle, the #64 would pass me and pull ahead of me, then suddenly swerved to the inside as the wreck was happening right in front of us. I couldn’t get my car stopped and hit the car in front of me, hard, and took us both out of the race. My apologies to him, it was a hard hit for both of us. I lost the rad and did some damage to the front end of the car. Special thanks to all the great people at the track that support me every week. I have some amazing friends there and I appreciate them all so much.
July 26, 2014
This was simply not going to be my day. In the first heat race, I would start on the outside pole and thought I had a good chance at a good finish. Coming to the start, I would be called for jumping the start On the second attempt, I was a little ahead of the pole sitter, who was very slow on both starts, but they threw the green flag. A couple of laps in, I would get pushed high and end up three wide so I had to lift instead of getting in a mess and lost about 4 positions. A caution would come out and I’d line up in 6th position. My car was good today and on the restart, I would be fast on the outside line and had the advantage on the outside when I was hit on the rear tire coming out of corner two, and I ended up spinning and bringing out the caution. When we were getting back in line, there was some confusion as I thought they were waving me up, so I moved up and they thought I was trying to run someone over, not sure if it was the starter or they thought I was going after another car or what, but I ended up being black flagged for driver misconduct. That was a first for me. I took my car to the infield, and I wasn’t happy about it. I went over to talk to my friend Gerrit, in the infield, and apparently as I was talking to him, people thought I was angry at him lol. But I wasn’t at all, I am just very animated apparently.
Off to the consi I would go. There were 42 or 43 cars at the track on Saturday trying to make it into the feature. This was going to be tough. There were two consi’s and I would start last (13th) in the first consi. I had broke my trailing arm in the heat race, but my Dad and Randy fixed it and the car was even better than it was in the heat race. I made a lot of passes and managed to finish in the 6th position.
In the feature, I would start 29th and have a long way to go. I had a few good battles with a few different people, narrowly missed the spinning cars of my friends, Connor James and Gerrit Tiemersma, unfortunately Gerrit would be hit and out of the race. I had a good race over all. Not a great result, finishing in 20th. But overall, the whole day was a little weird, but a good day. I was happy with the way the car worked.
July 27, 2014
Sunday was a much better day than Saturday! Special thanks to my Dad and Paul Howse as after racing on Saturday night, they took my car home and made a few changes. These two are amazing!
On Sunday, there were less cars for the invitational than we had the night before. Only 31 cars today. 28 normally start the feature race, but Mark said that if everyone behaved, he’d start all the cars.
In my first heat race, I started in 8th position and needed to finish in the top six in order to qualify for the feature and not have to go through the consi. Honestly, I had an very tough heat and wasn’t sure it was going to be possible. But the race went very well and I ended up moving up to the 6th position and made it into the feature!
In the feature, I would start in the 16th spot with a lot of fast cars in front of me. The 64 was the top qualifier and he rolled a 2 for the invert, giving the pole to the 33 car and basically starting the feature straight up, fast cars to the front. It was a pretty clean feature for the most part with only a few cautions. My car was super fast today and I think I had something for the cars ahead of me, but they were side by side racing and I couldn’t get by them. I ended up finishing the feature in 13th.
July 3, 2014
We decided to get a little extra seat time and head up to Sauble Speedway for the Dash for Cash. I was surprised that we were the only mini stock from Sunset that would go, actually there was only one mini stock, one super stock and one LLM from Sunset that went.
In practice my car was horrible. Set up loose for Sunset, the car was way too loose for Sauble. I spun the car through the corner a number of times in practice and each time we tightened it a bit more and it got better.
In the first heat race, I would start in 4th position. On lap two, while still running in fourth, on the outside, another car would decide to get under the car inside of me, making us three wide coming out of corner two, and pushing me up into the outside wall. When all cars qualify for the feature, and he would have likely passed me and the other car in a lap or two, I am not sure why someone would make it three wide. I broke the tie rod and was towed off the track. My Dad and Warren Paxton (thank you Warren!) worked on the car, changed the tie rod and I was ready for the second heat.
In the second heat, since I didn’t know how the car would be working, I went scratch. With a DNF in heat one, and a very stout field of cars, it didn’t really matter where I finished, so we figured it would be better to make sure the car was working okay instead of risking causing problems for myself, or another driver. The car was working very well, it was handling much better after the changes to tighten the car and I was happy with it. I ended up finishing 6th in the heat.
In the feature, I would start in 13th position – only 16 cars were at the track, but only 13 were able to make the feature. Within a couple of laps, I passed the car in front of me and by lap 10 there was a caution. We lined back up for the restart and I was in 10th position. My car was fast on the outside, and that was the line I preferred to be in, so this was a good starting position for me. Within a few laps, I had moved myself up to the 8th position when coming out of turn four, the car in front of me lost his right front tire. I reacted fast and got around him, and almost had him cleared, when he came down the track and clipped my rear bumper. This would turn me around in a hurry, and I would get a little air borne when I hit the front stretch wall head on and end up facing the wrong way on the track.
I would have to be towed from the track with a broken trailing arm (that’s two this week) and not one, not two, but three flat tires. Overall, I was happy with the night of racing. It wasn’t how we were hoping to end the race, but the difference in the car from practice to feature was great and the car worked very well on the outside. One day we’ll have a good finish at Sauble Speedway. Thanks to Jordan Howse for taking my bent rims home to fix for me! As always, thanks to Carl Mulder for his words of encouragement last night.
August 2, 2014
Tonight was exactly the kind of night that I needed! In practice the car was fantastic. There wasn’t anything in the first practice that I wanted to change. When we went out for last practice, it was a bit tight so my Dad made an air pressure adjustment and the car was fast.
In the first heat, I started in the 7th position. In the first lap, I passed two cars to move into 5th. Coming out of corner two the 86 would get loose and go toward the inside wall, however, he managed to save the car and we all continued without a caution. I would continue to pass cars throughout the race and made my way into 2nd spot with a few laps to go. The 6 was leading the race and I tried to catch up to him, but I blew my entry in one corner and at that point, I knew I wasn’t going to catch him. Great win for Terry Woodley and great 2nd place finish for myself. I was extremely happy at the end of the race, but I didn’t realize then that the night would only get better.
I would now be in the dash for cash with all the 12 qualifiers for the feature. With my second place finish in the first heat race, I would start in 4th position for the Dash. Within the first couple of laps, the 64, who started 3rd, would pass the first and second place cars and then I passed them as well, putting myself in 2nd place behind the 64. I continued to hold on to the 2nd place position, and at lap 5 or 6 I had some heat from behind from the 86 car. I managed to maintain 2nd when the 72 car would join the top four so it was now 64, me, 86 and 72. That’s a lot of top runners that I am racing with! I managed to hang on to 2nd position until the last lap when the 72 would get under the 86 and then they both got past me in the last corner. Finishing 4th against these quality, top running drivers, felt as good as a victory to me.
In the Feature, the top 18 draw for position, and I am the WORST at picking a starting position. I have never picked anything less that 12th starting position. Tonight would be no different as I picked the number 14. Starting position, in a field with this many competitive drivers, means so much. I am not picking my numbers any more, going to see if someone else can have better luck for me. So, we’d line up for the feature in 14th with the always fast 64 directly behind me. On lap one, the 64 would pass me on the outside, dropping me back a position. From there, my climb through the field would start. I was faster than the cars in front of me but with side by side racing, I was patient and waited for the right opportunities instead of making aggressive moves. I moved up into the 10th position and thought I would able to get another 2 or 3 spots before the end of the 25 lap feature. But that wasn’t to be. The 04 car threw it into corner 3 and I came down for the corner and we made contact spinning us both. I was able to drive out of the spin, but the 04 broke and the caution came out. Being an involved car, to the back I went. I would restart in 18th position now, with only 3 laps to go. I made a three wide move to go between two cars picking up two positions and then another move the next lap to pass another two cars on the back stretch. In three laps, I moved from the 18th position to (I think) the 12th position for the finish. I am pretty sure I got the 31 car at the line for 12th position, but if the transponder says I didn’t, then my finish will be 13th. And according to the Sunset page, my finish was 13th.
Overall, I don’t feel that the feature finish showed how well the car ran all day. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen and you don’t end with the result the car is capable of. Overall, it was a fantastic day, the car was awesome, and I am looking forward to doing it all over again today. I would have lost my 5th position in the points today to Gerrit, however, I am coming to the track today with the intention of getting that spot back!!
Congrats to the 64 on another feature win and to the 72 for an amazing 2nd place finish.
August 3, 2014
After I was so happy with my run yesterday, I came back to the track today with more confidence than ever. We took the car out for first practice and it felt great, there was nothing I wanted to change, so we didn’t do any more practice sessions. In the first heat race, I would start in the 4th position. On lap 1, I would get by the outside pole sitter and fall into third position. I batted with the next car for a number of laps before finally making the pass to put myself into second place. By this time, the 20, would be too far out in the lead to catch and I’d have to settle into second spot until the end.
By finishing 2nd, I was in the dash for cash again tonight, and I would start in the 6th position. I had a great start and would get up beside the 20 car, and we would race side by side for a few laps, with me on the outside. My car was too tight and I couldn’t hold it down in the corner and I’d end up losing the spot, and another to the 72 and finish the race in 6th position.
In the feature, since I pull horrible numbers all the time for starting position, my Dad pulled my number today and he was no better. He pulled 14th starting position for me. One day I might be lucky enough to end up with a starting position from the draw in the top 10. On the other hand, starting further back makes me a better racer, as I have to learn how to pass cars through the field, learn to be patient and learn the pick the right time to make moves. We made a tire pressure adjustment for the feature, so the car wouldn’t be so tight, and it was perfect. So I started in the 14th position and the race would go caution free until the almost the end. there was a caution when a car a couple places in front of me spun on the last lap. We would line up in 8th position for the restart, and I would take one more spot before the race would end and finish 7th on the track, but it wouldn’t count as I had just been lapped before the caution, so I was the first car one lap down. It was a great race for me, I managed to move through the field and each week that I have to do this, it teaches me more on the track. Not saying that I wouldn’t like a better starting position though! Congrats to the 64 again, but I feel bad for the 81. It was her race and if not for the late race caution, she would have hat tricked tonight.
August 9, 2014
Saturday would be a good day overall. Practice was good, we had a broken oil pressure gauge that had to be repaired, and after the repair, ended up with a bit of an oil leak. All checked out, nothing serious and practice was pretty uneventful. Car was fast and I was happy with it.
In the first heat, I would start in the 4th position and on the first lap, I passed the outside pole sitter and was racing side by side for 2nd position on the outside. After a lap or two, I would get by the 2nd place car and take over that position in the hunt again this week for my friend, the 20 car of Gerrit Tiemersma. Unfortunately, he had a lead on me again, and since our cars are very similar in speed, I wouldn’t be able to catch up to him and I’d finish in the heat race 2nd to him two weeks in a row.
In the dash for cash, I’d start in the 6th position and it was pretty uneventful as well as I would end up finishing in the same position that I started.
In the feature, a fan would draw my number for me, and since I am horrible at it, I was really hoping for a good draw from the fan. Lucky for me, they did pull a better number than I usually do, and I’d start the feature in 9th position. Not as far up as I’d hoped, but better. On the first lap of the feature, the 81 and 48 would get together on the back straight and the whole field behind them managed to miss them. I’d restart the race in the 7th position. I ran the majority of the race in the 6th and 7th position and was looking for a good finish this week. Toward the end of the race, there was a caution that would have me restarting in 7th position again. Based on how the cars were lined up, I was confident we would be able to end the night with a top five finish. However, this was not to be. On the restart the car in front of me didn’t get going and we dropped back as the outside lane went past. I’d drop back to 9th position due to this and this is where I would end the race. I was extremely happy with the top 10 finish, but upset because I felt we could have had a top five. The 84 car showed great sportsmanship tonight as Lisa loaned her car to another driver in order to keep him in the points battle, and Rookie of the Year lead, after he blew his motor in the heat race.
August 30, 2014
Last night was a great night for me. The car felt great in practice so I only did two practice sessions and waited for the night to begin.
In the first heat, I would start in the pole position with a few fast cars to hold off in order to get my first win of the year and the first win at Sunset. The #77 would start on the outside pole and we raced side by side for a bit before I pulled out by myself and pulled away from the field. About halfway through the race, I was a little concerned when I saw the #79 coming as she is a really good driver with a really fast car. However, I would manage to hold her off and bring home the win. It felt good considering the last three nights I had to settle for 2nd place in the heat races.
In the Dash for Cash, I would start on the outside pole, with a whole lot of fast cars in this race. I didn’t expect to finish up front as some of the other cars are much faster than my car, but I was able to finish mid pack in 6th and I was happy with that.
For the feature race, I would be involved in the invert and the draw for numbers. My friend, Dr. Ron Goodlin (smiledental.ca) was at the race track tonight so I asked him to draw the number for me, and he brought me some much better luck as I would start the feature in 5th position. The feature was a good race for me. I didn’t get a good start and fell back from the car in front of me and it took me a lap or two to catch back up. I was passed by a couple of fast cars with my bad start, but soon enough I would make an inside pass on the 98 car to take back a position. We ran green until lap 13, where I would line back up for the restart in 8th position. Unfortunately, one of the cars ahead of me in the outside lane was having some issues and was slow and would slow us down and we would be passed by some cars on the inside. Because of this, coming out of corner two, I had to make a more aggressive move and go in between two cars, making it three wide, to get by the other car before more cars passed us. A caution would come out after that and I would restart in the 10th position. On the restart, I managed to make an inside pass on the #20 car to take back a postion, but shortly after that, the #6 car would pass me. He got underneath me and I pulled back and went under him coming out of corner four, but I wasn’t able to make the pass stick and I would end up finishing the race in 9th position. Because the #6 car finished one position ahead of me, I would end up dropping in points. We were tied for 6th position in the points, but with Terry passing me, he is now one point ahead of me.
There is only one points night of racing left, on September 13, 2014, and based on how racing was last night, I think it’s going to be an interesting night of racing, with friendships put aside in order to get the points needed to maintain or move up a position.
It was an EPIC night for all EPIC Racewear/OnePromo.ca drivers.
September 13, 2014
Well, the final night of regular points racing did not go as we had hoped. In first practice the car had a bad vibration and the motor was breaking down. Dad and the crew made some changes and the car was much better in the second practice and it was fast.
In the first heat race, I would start in 8th position, and the car was running well. I had a lot of competition in my heat race and would only be able to move up to the 6th position, therefore, putting me in the Consi this week instead of the dash for cash.
In the Consi, I would start in the 3rd position and really wanted the win for this one. In the opening laps, the car was good, but a few laps in, the motor started to break down again. Thankfully, I would be able to hang on to finish in the 5th position and secure a spot in the feature and be involved in the invert for starting position.
I pulled the number 11 starting place in the feature. My team went to work to see if they could determine why the motor was breaking down. We went out for the feature, the car was great in the beginning and I began moving up through the field. Unfortunately, around lap 7, the car started to break down again and then it was just a matter of hanging on while cars went past me. I stayed out a few laps to see if the issue would clear up, but no luck. I figured it was best to pull the car into the pits to not do any further damage to the motor and not cause any issues for other cars on the track that could end up wrecking their car or mine due to my reduced speed.
Not the finish to the regular season that we were hoping for. The car was fast earlier and I was confident that we would have been able to finish well, but it wasn’t meant to be. I am both happy and disappointed with my 7th place points standing for the year. Happy because it was better than the goals I laid out for myself at the beginning of the year, but disappointed as I know that I could have done better. However, I did finish better in the points than I did last year, I did finish in the top 10 and I got a win, which were both my goals for this season.
I’d like to thank my Primary Sponsor, Twin Contracting, as well as all my associate sponsors, Paul Quail Trucking, SE Telecom, Mustard Seed Contracting, Canadian Vinyl Graphics, Razorback Racing, Radical Rods, Rides and Restoration, Speedy Auto Machine, The Mortgage Station and of course, my Grandmother, Lynne Tipton and my Parents. Without all these sponsors, none of this would be possible. So happy, James Stortz, from SE Telecom was able to get out for the last night of racing, unfortunately, it wasn’t a good night for us. Also, my crew and my “rent a crew”, My Dad, Randy, Richard, Gerry, Phil, Branden and Josh. Without all of you, we wouldn’t have done as well as we did.
So, now that the regular season is done, what’s up for us? Well, the plan was to race Thursday September 18/14 at the huge event at Sunset, promoted by SL Promotions, and the Velocity at Sunset on September 27th and 28th. But first up is to find out why my car is breaking down. We are going to figured a few things out today, take the injectors in to the engine builder to have them checked out and see what happens. As usual, my Dad is away this week, so at this point, Thursday is up in the air, but we are hopeful that we will be there.
Now the off season will be starting soon, and the hard work will start with trying to secure sponsorship for the 2015 season. We weren’t able to get the Super Stock out this year due to my Dad’s work commitments, however, he is in a new position beginning the end of the month and will not be travelling all the time. So the Mini Stock and the Super Stock will be out next year – SS with my Dad driving and I will practice it for the year at every opportunity we can get.
Congrats to Sam Shaw on her first feature win at Sunset, Brandon McFerran on his Championship, Jordan Howse on winning Rookie of the Year and Cayden Lapcevich on winning the Super Stock Championship. It was a great year!
September 18, 2014
We had trouble with the car Saturday night, seemed to be ignition issues, and we weren’t able to finish the feature. We made some changes on Sunday, went up to test on Wednesday, changed the distributor and computer, and it didn’t help. We had the injectors checked, and changed, no help. We went back to the track on Thursday, with a different distributor thanks to Brian Johnston, and changed the wires, which made a difference in first practice and the car was running great! Went out for the next practice and the car started breaking down again. We changed the spark plugs, changed the computer three times and still wasn’t better. Found a fuel issue and got that changed, but we ran out of practice time and weren’t able to test it before the heat race. We were hopeful that this was going to solve the issue and we’d be okay in the heat.
It was a HUGE field at Sunset. 53 Mini Stocks showed up and only 28 cars would make the feature. With the class of cars there, I was pretty sure that I would have to go through the consi’s to make the A main. I started 4th in the 4th heat race of 13 cars. The car was running great!! I lost one position early in the race, but was able to pass a car to put myself back in the 4th position. The last couple laps were tough as I had another car from Barrie on my bumper. I managed to hold him off and finished 4th! I was very excited to have qualified for the feature through the heat race, especially with how great the field of cars was. I was happy to not have to go through the consi races.
For the feature, I’d line up in 16th starting spot. It didn’t take long before the first caution would come out. The 72 of Jordan Howse got turned around after starting in 7th position and had to go to the back along with the car that spun him. During the caution, the 26 would give up a top five position to go into the pits with a flat tire. I assume he didn’t have any crew because he got out of the car and was changing the tire himself!! On the restart, I would be in the 13th position. Unfortunately it wouldn’t last long. On the restart, in corner 1, I got hit by the car behind me sending me spinning into the infield. The other car and I would go to the rear of the field after that. It was unfortunate at the time to go from 13th to the back on just lap two. The running order on the restart was 35, 86, 89, 50 and 64. We ran green for awhile but my car started to break down again. I was just going to pull into the pits on lap 21 when the caution came out for a spin by the 81, so I stayed out. I went in under caution, talked to Phil and Branden, and decided to try a few more laps before parking the car. The top five at this point was 35, 64, 86, 89 and 41. I took the green flag one more time and stayed on the track until lap 26 when the car was just so horrible I was only in the way, so I parked the car for the night. Around this time, the 64 pulled off the track as well, giving up his 2nd place position. The final running order at the end was 35, 89, 86, 41 and 72. The 72 went from 28th to 5th place, it was an amazing run.
Thank you to everyone that helped me out this week, I couldn’t do it without everyone. Thanks to Sunset for putting on a great show, the other drivers for the support of the show, SL Promotions for all their work, and all those that donated to this massive purse.
Thanks to my sponsors for the great year! We have one more race weekend left. We will be racing at Velocity next weekend, if I can get my car fixed, and then we will be done racing for the season. Then will come the hard work of trying to secure sponsors for next year.
It’s the first practice day of the season! The day didn’t go quite as we had planned.
My Dad took the car out first to make sure everything felt right after the winter and the car was awesome. I went out for a the next practice and it was amazing. The car handled great through the corners and it was fast. In the second practice, the brakes weren’t right so when I brought the car in, turns out the brake caliper was hanging up. Mom went and bought new ones that we’ll change them on Sunday, we adjusted, and took the car out for a few more practices. The car was fantastic. It was a good day up to this point. Decided to go for one more practice and right at the end, there was a big puff of smoke and the car immediately shut down. I brought it in the pits and when we took the hood off, there was oil everywhere. With my Mom and Dad, we got the motor out of the car last night and it’s ready to go to Matt to be fixed. We are hopeful that it will be fixed by the end of the week so we can be at the track for opening night, but I know Matt is really busy, so I don’t know at this point what will happen.
Because my budget is pretty much done already with all the things we had to buy, my parents are going to take the money that they had set aside to get the Super Stock on the track and put it into this car instead to get me on the track as soon as possible. So the Super Stock will still be at the track this year, it’s going to be delayed for a bit.
May 4, 2014
Opening night was delayed by a day due to the weather, so on Sunday, we had the first invitational of the year. Exciting way to start the season.
With the help of our amazing engine builder, Matt at Speedy Auto Machine, got the motor rebuilt and ready to go back in the car by Friday. It appears that we overheated something which caused the issue with the motor. But Matt fixed it and I think it is even better than it was the weekend before. Special thanks to Phil, Branden and Josh Bullen, and Connor and Rob James for their help in getting the motor back in the car Friday night. Dad got home late Friday night and we spent most of Saturday doing the rest of the work that was needed on the car, so the rain out wasn’t terrible for us.
On Sunday, we pulled into the track and there were a lot of cars there, almost 100 from what I understand. It was a great turn out for a great show.
We drew for position for the start of the heat race. I pulled #3 so I would be in the first race, starting 3rd. It was fun because, three of my friends are rookies this year and they were all in the same heat as me. My friend Connor James was to start on the pole, but had to go scratch due to a problem with the car, and Nic Montanari and Gerrit Tiemersma were in the heat as well. With Connor starting scratch, that moved me up to starting outside pole. The 89 car was on the pole for the start of the race, with the 51 of Eric York behind me. I think it was on the second lap when I pulled ahead of the 89 car to take the lead, which was a short lead since the 51 dove to the inside of me going into corner 1. I was in 2nd for a number of laps when the always fast, Miles Tyson went by me on the outside to take the 2nd position. With 2 or 3 laps to go, the caution came out and we had to line up for the restart. I lined up in 3rd behind the 51 for the restart. Through corner 3 I thought the 51 was going to go, but he didn’t go as soon as I expected and I had to lift so I didn’t run into the back of him and when I lifted, it gave the 21 car the opportunity to get by me. So, I think it was a good heat race, I finished 4th, and the car felt good and fast. My friends, Gerrit Tiemersma finished 5th, Connor James 6th and Nic Montanari 8th. Nic didn’t qualify through the heat race, but went on to finish 2nd in the Consi to transfer to the feature.
I was so pumped to find out that I qualified 10th out of about 37 cars. I didn’t qualify for Velocity last September, which was the only special that I entered last year, so to go from not qualifying for Velocity to qualifying 10th for the Spring Derby was pretty awesome for me. Since I qualified 10th, that is where I started in the feature. With Brandon McFerran starting in 11th, I was pretty confident he would get by me pretty quickly, as he is wicked fast out there, but thought I could hang on to that spot while things sorted out. We ran green for a long run and I was running in 10th position when a caution came out. On the restart, I lined up on the outside, with the #20 of Gerrit Tiemersma lined up on the inside in 11th. The outside line did not go at all. We quickly fell back on the outside until I was able to get down and into 14th position. Lost a lost of ground on that restart and it wasn’t quite done yet. With 2 laps to go, another car got past me and then on the last lap Ben Melenhorst got by me to put me back in the 16th position for the finish. All and all, I was extremely happy with the car and the finishes that I had on Sunday. Great start to the year.
May 10, 2014
Best. Day. Ever.
Went out for practice today and the car was just okay. Had a bit of a push. We made a tire pressure change and the car was much better.
For the Heat race, I started third. I had the 35 and 86 cars in my heat race, so I was pretty confident they would get by me as they are very fast. On lap 2, the 35 went underneath me and then the 86 wasn’t too far behind. This dropped me back to 6th position. The same lap, I would pass the 23 and a couple of laps later, I passed the 4 car and then went after the 31. It took me a few laps to get past the 31 as I would just get there, but then into the corner I had to back off. I waited patiently and then I was able to get underneath the 31 to make my way back to third position. I was very happy with this finish. I qualified for the feature and would be in the Dash for Cash.
In the Dash for Cash, I started 9th as I finished 3rd in the 3rd heat. My Mom and I talked about the race before hand and made the decision that since I wasn’t going to win the race, it would be best to sit back and just get some seat time. So I used the race to try a few different things like the lane I was running, breaking points into the corner etc. I finished 11th in the race.
For the feature, all drivers that qualified through their heat race, as well as the top 3 finishers in the consi races, were to draw numbers for their starting position in the feature. I drew #14. So, I would start on the outside in the 14th position with the fast #35 starting directly behind me in 16th. Lap #1 was uneventful, but lap #2 saw the first caution come out when the cars directly in front of me went 4 wide into corner 1. This did not work. They wrecked and I ended up getting into the #81 lightly, but then I was hit from behind by someone else and it gave me a flat tire. I went to the pits for a new left rear tire – thanks to Gerry and Richard and the #33 crew for getting my tire changed and getting me back out.
Only problem? We ended up with a right rear size tire on the left rear. I restarted the race in 22nd position. A caution came out a bit later, I think on lap 10, and I restarted the race in 14th position. I was driving the car as hard as I could on every lap. There were a few more cautions throughout the race but I just kept looking forward. Trying to keep my car clean and just pass as many cars as I could. On lap 17, the final caution came out and I was in the 7th position! My car was not great in the corners, but I just kept going as hard as I could. On the restart, I was able to get past the #6 car and claim 6th position. With two or three laps to go, I went high in the corner and the 6 was able to catch back up to me. We battled door handle to door handle for two or three laps and it was fantastic racing. I enjoy racing against the #6, he is a clean driver and fun to race with. That was the most fun I’ve had! In the end, I would stay just ahead of him coming out of corner four and keep a nose ahead of him at the finish line to take the 6th place finish in the feature! I couldn’t be more excited. With the caliber of drivers/cars at Sunset, finishing 6th behind #33, #49, #86, #64 and #35 felt like a win to me! It was a really fantastic night. The only downfall was that my Dad wasn’t able to be there to see it. I am looking forward to next week already.
May 17, 2014
Well, the weekend didn’t start out great. We loaded up the car and went to leave for Sunset, only to find that the battery in the truck was dead! Whoops! Apparently, since Mom and I left the trailer hooked up to the truck last week, maybe we left the inside trailer lights on and drained the battery. We had to put the battery charger on the truck and wait a bit. Because of that, we were late getting to the track and missed practice.
In the first heat, I would start in the 8th position. On the start of lap two, people at the front of the pack would get loose coming out of corner two causing everyone on the outside lane to check up and I ran into the back of the 78 car. No caution was brought out, but I had now fallen to 9th and the leaders where way ahead of me. I was pretty patient and passed the 78 during lap three, then would pass the 23 one the next lap. I fell in behind the 04 car however a caution would come out soon after and they put me back behind the 23 car on the restart. I restarted the race in 7th after the 68 would leave the track. A few laps and we would get by the 23, 20 and 04 and then a lap later passed the 31 to get into the 3rd position. I was making up ground on the 87, but there wasn’t enough laps left to catch him. The race would end 33, 87 and me. I was happy to come from 9th to 3rd in this race and qualify through the heats again for the feature. Now we would move on to the Dash for Cash.
Once again, in the Dash for Cash, my goal is to just get some seat time and some practice. I was to start 7th in this race. It was a pretty good race in the first few laps as myself, the 87 and 26 could battle for a bit, sometimes three wide and then I eventually cleared both cars and moved into the 5th position. I would run behind the 4 car for a bit before sliding up in corner one allowing the 81 to get inside me. In the end, I would finish 6th.
For the feature, all the cars from the Dash for Cash, plus the top six cars in the Consi draw for position. Personally, I think, just the cars that qualify for the feature should be be drawing for position and those that qualify through the consi should line up after those qualified cars. However, that’s not the way it is. I was already in my car so my Dad drew my number for me, and I’m never allowing him to do that again, as he drew number 18! I would start behind all the qualified cars and the 6 cars from the consi.
It was a good race. There was only one caution on the first lap as the starters called off the start. After that the race went green from start to finish. I made a few passes on the inside and out and ended up finishing in the 13th position. It was a good night overall, but I could have used a caution for sure. (Edited with official finish)
Special thanks to Chris from OnePromo.ca for coming out to support their drivers tonight. It was great meeting you!! If everyone has a moment, check out their facebook page and give them a like for me. Or follow them on twitter at OnePromo_ca
May 23, 2014
Today was not a good day
We struggled with the car all day! In practice, the car had a terrible push. I could not get the car through the corner at all. Tried a few different lines to see if I could get the car to corner better, but nothing was helping. After checking the car, we found something was bent in the rear and my Dad and Randy went to work fixing everything.
When it was time to line up for the heat race, I wasn’t sure how my car was going to be. I was to start 7th in the third heat race. The race itself, for me, was pretty uneventful. I had some fast cars in my heat and fell back at the beginning but managed to get myself back up a couple spots to finish where I started, in 7th. It was when I came off the track that the work would start. My car just shut off. I pulled into my pit area and my crew went to work, again. Turns out, it was the alternator. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t have enough time to get the alternator changed before the consi race, so the charger was on the car. All we could do at this point was get things ready to change after the consi and hope for the best in the race.
This was the first consi of the year that I had to go in since I have qualified through my heat races every week. I was going into the consi with a lot of pressure last night. Not only did I need to be in the consi, I had to finish in the top 8 of 12 cars as there were 35 mini stocks at Sunset last night and 7 cars were not making the feature. I wasn’t sure that my battery was going to last throughout the race and if I stalled the car, there was a good chance it wasn’t going to start again.
I started the consi in 5th position and pretty much immediately found trouble. Some cars had an issue coming out of corner 2 and I had to swerve and brake to miss everything, however, knowing that I couldn’t stall the car, once it was clear, I was back on the gas to keep the car moving, and the 34 of TJ Edwards was to my right. As I went forward toward him, he came to the left and I literally jumped up the side of his car. TJ and I would go to the back to restart the race. Not long after that, I would be going through corner 1 again when I got tapped on the left rear corner and got turned into the infield. I couldn’t save the car from stalling this time. If I couldn’t get the car started, I wouldn’t make the feature. Thankfully, there was enough power left in the battery to allow the car to start! But, I’d line up at the back again. I drove the car as hard as I could. It was not handling well at all but I knew I needed to move. I passed a few cars coming from the back and ended up finishing the consi in the same position I started, in 5th, but moving on to the feature. After the race, I spoke with TJ Edwards and explained what was going on with me and apologized to him for getting into his car. He was a great guy and everything was fine.
Now the work starts! Not only did my crew have to change the alternator before the feature, with jumping TJ’s car in the consi, I lost a tire and bent the control arm. Sorry everyone for the extra work.
In the feature, I would start deep in the field in 20th out of the 28 cars. The feature was a bit rough. There was an early caution when the pole sitter, 72, would spin and the 3rd place car, 4, would both go to the back on the restart. The 20 also got tapped and spun, but the caution was already out so he was given his spot back. This was not going to be the last caution! I was moving up and passing some cars and made my way as high as 13th, but always seemed to get jammed up on the restarts and would fall back again. Coming out of corner 4, my friend, Connor James #4, and I would hit when he was coming up on the outside of me and that would end up with him scraping off the wall and having issues that sent him into the pits. He was able to join the race not long after that. Sorry Connor!! The 64 would end up getting turned in corner 1 bringing out a caution. In the end, there were quite a few cautions in this race and every time I made up a few positions, I ended up losing them again on the restart. I have no idea where I finished the race, 14th maybe, but overall, it wasn’t a great night. However I did finish better than I started, so sure could have been even worse than it was!
Seems I have an issue with my go pro and it has corrupted my SD card so I don’t think there will be any videos posted this week unfortunately. I am still looking to see if we can retrieve the videos. Overall, it seems that nothing was working in my favour last night, pretty much if it could go wrong, it did.
So much thanks to my Dad, Randy, Gerry and Steve Slaughter Jr for all your help this weekend getting me back on the track.
Fan appreciation was a blast! I always love those nights. I hope everyone enjoyed it!
May 31, 2014
We got up to the track earlier on Saturday since we had some issues last week and wanted to get some practice in to check out the car. It seemed good in practice despite how hot it was outside, we got it running good!
In the first heat race, I would start on the pole. There were a couple of cars in the race that I thought could catch and pass me, but I was hopeful that I would have a good start and a good finish to the race. On the first lap of my heat race, the outside pole sitter would spin to bring out the caution on lap one. We lined up for a complete restart. I think it was the 68 that would get under me first,after a bump from another car going into corner 3 then a little bit later coming out of corner 2 i was bumped, which allowed another car underneath me and by the end of the race, I had fallen back to the 6th position and would be going to the consi again this week. Not the way I was looking for this race to go after starting on the pole. The car was pushing in the corners and not reacting as I hoped it would.
In the Consi, I would start in the 5th position, and basically just needed to finish the race to be in the feature as they were taking all but two cars. On the first lap, the pole sitter lost control of the car coming out of corner 4 for the green flag and ended up hitting the infield wall. That would change the line up for the start of the race and move me into the 4th position on the restart. A couple of laps later, the 87 would get under me and then a lap or so later I would get by the 94 car to take back 4th position and this is where I would end the consi. Car still wasn’t great, but we made the feature and were in for the invert.
Before the feature, my Dad made a bunch of changes to the car and basically threw a lot at it to try to make it better for me in the feature. We had the fans down on the track to pick numbers for each driver in the top 18 to determine where they would start the feature. My fan picked the 7th starting position for me. Considering this is the best starting position I’ve had so far this season, I was pretty happy to be starting up this high.
Coming to the green flag, I honestly don’t know if my car pushed up, I had contact with someone or what, but I shot up the track coming around the corner and almost hit the 51 car. Thankfully he saw me and moved up as well. This would open the door for the super fast 79 car and she would pass me on the front straight and move into the 8th position before the first corner of the first lap, but I actually expected this. On lap 10, there was a caution and I would line up for the restart in 10th. A few laps later, another car made an aggressive move between me and another car in corner 3 which would turn me toward the infield, but I kept driving the car, put a little more wheel in the corner and fought back to come out of four with my spot and the car going straight. However, I was into 14th position at this point and that is where I would continue until the finish of the race.
Every week my Mom tells me to give up a position to save the car. It’s not worth wrecking the car to try to finish one position higher, especially with my Dad away and not around to fix the car that often. This week, my Mom gave me permission to drive the car and not just give the position away. She felt I was being taken advantage of by people knowing I’d give up the position. Maybe this will be a good change…..or a lot of work for someone.
June 7, 2014
We went up to the track really early for practice and my Dad made a lot of changes to the car. I took it out for practice and the car was great. I didn’t go out for second practice, but made another change and took the car out for final practice and I was very happy with the car.
For the heat race, I would start in 7th. I had a few really good cars in my heat, so I wasn’t sure if I would make the Dash for Cash or not this week. The heat race was pretty uneventful and I only moved up to 6th place as I got trapped on the bottom and couldn’t make any moves. This would put me in the consi again this week.
In the consi, I had to finish in the two six again to make the invert, but basically just had to finish the race to move into the feature. I started the consi in 6th and finished in 6th, making the invert for the feature.
I was busy all night between racing and my sponsor, The Mortgage Station, was sponsoring the night, so I spent a lot of time in the VIP tent! What an amazing night. Met some wonderful people, had a great time with everyone. Because I was in the VIP tent, I just let someone else, I don’t even know who, pull my number for starting spot for the feature. Since I always pull a horribly high number, I figured they couldn’t do worse. They pulled the number 12, so this is where I would start the feature.
For the feature, I felt pretty good about our starting place and the car. Right from the beginning, it was a pretty good race and things were going well. I fell back a bit on the outside but was making up ground and running around 10th when the 37 car either spun, or got spun, in corner one right in the middle of the pack, right in front of me. I got slowed down pretty well, but the 9 car wasn’t able to get slowed down and there was simply no where to go. I hit the 37 and then got hit from behind by the 9. There was a lot of damage to my car, but not as bad as the 9 car as he was not able to finish the race. The 72 was also involved, but the track officials decided that since there was simply no where to go and no way to avoid the spinning 37 car, the 72, 9 and myself would not have to go to the back. I raced the car hard through the rest of the race and had a good night, a great run with the 6 car – I love racing with Terry, always a good battle and he is a good clean racer, I have a lot of respect for him. In the end, we came home in 12th position. I was happy with the finish, especially after the damage the car sustained. Finishing 12th out of 28th is respectable for me. It’s a stacked field out there and it’s a good feeling to be finishing in the top half.
Lots of work to do on the car, thankfully, my Dad is home for a few days to do some work. We have to remove the front bumper, fan was knocked loose as well and pretty much melted, had to remove the rear bumper and all the bars in the rear of the car. Lots of work! Oh and some body work to do as well. And just to clarify, for those that were wondering, I do NOT use my radio’s during any race, just sometimes during practice when my Dad and I are working on different things with the car.
June 14, 2014
Well, this was not the night that I was hoping for. My Dad and Randy were away in Michigan for the Nascar race, so we were short on crew, and a tow vehicle! So Phil Bullen offered to tow my car to the track, and he and his son Josh helped us out all day in the pits. And I couldn’t be more thankful, just for the tow, but for them being there considering how the day would go. We got there early for practice and the car felt great in first practice, until coming out of corner 4 and the car basically shut down. I was pushed into the pits and turns out that I blew the clutch. I checked around and no one had a spare clutch. I had a spare one at home, but wasn’t the right one for my transmission. Again, thankfully Phil was there as he was building a new transmission for someone and called that person and they agreed to let me use that transmission, which fit the clutch that I had at home. My Mom and Phil left to go home, good thing it’s only 6 minutes from the track, and then off to Phil’s for the tranny! While they were gone, my great crew, Richard & Gerry, along with help from Rob James, Paul Sr and Josh, started taking out the old tranny and clutch. When Mom and Phil got back, Phil finished building the tranny and then they installed everything. All in less than 1 1/2 hours. Great job!
Then came the issue. My transmission is a locked transmission, this new one was not. We spent the last few weeks trying to loosen up the car, and now suddenly, with this change of transmission, it was a bit of a disaster. They let me take the car out on the track to test it before the first race and it was horrible. I couldn’t even lift off the gas without the back end swinging around and spinning me out. We made a bunch of changes to the car to try to tighten it up and then we’d start the first heat race.
I was supposed to start on the pole for my heat race, however, after the few practice laps I did, we felt it would be best if I started scratch for the heat race and used the heat as practice to adjust to the difference in the transmission. I didn’t want to start on the pole and potentially spin the car in front of everyone, possibly damaging my own car as well as other cars. I’d have to drive the car differently and adjust my line to adapt to the change. On a positive, I managed to only spin the car once in my heat race! It was still so loose. I started the heat in 10th and finished in 9th. Not my best outing.
I would have to be in the consi again this week and since there were more than 28 cars at the track last night, it was very important to finish in the top 8 in the consi. I started the consi in the 7th position. We had tightened up the car some more before the consi and I adjusted my driving for all these changes and things were better. I was more comfortable with the car now and just focused on finishing in the top 8 so I could make the feature. And I did. I finished in 8th and would transfer to the main event. This is the first time that I wouldn’t be involved in the invert for the feature, and I would be starting dead last!
I started the feature 28th and after a few laps, got used to what the car was doing and started moving up through the field. There was an early caution on lap 3, can’t remember what that was for. On lap 15, I was running in the 21st position when I went too hard into the corner and spun out by myself. No damage, no one else involved so that was good. I was about to be lapped by the 35 car, so it was a bit of a bonus as it allowed me to stay on the lead lap. There was another caution on lap 16, can’t remember what for. We finished off the race and I ended up in 19th. Not the night I was looking for, but I’ll consider it a win. Many teams would have been on the trailer for the night if they lost a clutch, but my team and friends were AMAZING and worked hard to get me back out on the track last night. I am so thankful for each and every one of them and wouldn’t even know how to begin letting them all know how much their support means to me. Love you all! Happy Fathers Day to everyone, especially my Dad – Enjoy the Race Daddy!
July 5, 2014
Today did not start out how we had hoped. Went out in first practice just to break in the new brakes on the car and then turn a couple laps testing the new transmission only to have something go wrong with the car. Turns out we broke the half shaft. Didn’t have a spare at the track, so my parents went home to get a spare while Josh, Phil and Branden went to work taking out the old one. They got the new one back in and got me out for the final practice and the car was great. I was really looking forward to a good night of racing after being off the last two weekends.
In the first heat race, I was to start in the 6th position. Coming to the start of the race, the outside pole sitter jumped the start, the starters didn’t even throw the green flag and the race went to caution. A car in front of me was on the brake hard so I moved down to not run into her when another car, who didn’t realize that the race was under caution, came flying through the field and ran into the side of my car, pushing me into the side of the other car. My race ended before it started and I had to go to the infield with a flat tire, and as it turned out, a bent control arm. I didn’t even get to take the green flag to start this race, so off to the consi I would go.
We had 35 cars at Sunset last night, so making it into the feature was not guaranteed. Because I didn’t start the heat race, I started at the back of the consi, in 10th. The Pole sitter was spun on the first lap to bring out the caution. I ended up finishing the consi in 5th position and making the feature. My car was a little loose so we tightened it up a bit for the feature.
In the feature, I would start in 22nd position, out of 28 cars, and have to pass a lot of cars to made a decent finish. I was patient and waiting for opportunities to pass people and starting picking off positions one by one. The car made it through the race with little damage, only when the 37 almost got spun out and I got hit from behind by another car. In the end, I would finish the race in the 14th position. Not a bad night considering how bad it started. We are looking forward to racing at Sauble Speedway next weekend, and then we will be back at Sunset Speedway for fan appreciation on July 19th. Thanks to everyone for their help with the car again this week.
July 12, 2014
This weekend we went up to Sauble Speedway for the Home to Home series. It was not an EPIC weekend for me at all. We were supposed to have double heats for qualifying, but because of the weather, it was single only, which makes qualifying that much harder, especially when you start at the back. In the first heat of 12 cars, I started in the 8th position, and fell back to 10th where I would finish. So unfortunately, I had to go in the consi.
In the consi, I would start 10th out of 17 cars and would have to finish in the top 6 in order to transfer to the feature. I made my way up through the field and had found my way to a transfer spot, however, the car behind we kept hitting me and that slowed us both up and we were both passed and lost the transfer spot.
In the feature, I was the bubble car, so I would go out on the track for the pace laps and if anyone dropped out, I would start the race or they would send me off. It wouldn’t really matter as there was an accident further up in the field in the opening laps. Coming out of corner two and back on the throttle, the #64 would pass me and pull ahead of me, then suddenly swerved to the inside as the wreck was happening right in front of us. I couldn’t get my car stopped and hit the car in front of me, hard, and took us both out of the race. My apologies to him, it was a hard hit for both of us. I lost the rad and did some damage to the front end of the car. Special thanks to all the great people at the track that support me every week. I have some amazing friends there and I appreciate them all so much.
July 26, 2014
This was simply not going to be my day. In the first heat race, I would start on the outside pole and thought I had a good chance at a good finish. Coming to the start, I would be called for jumping the start On the second attempt, I was a little ahead of the pole sitter, who was very slow on both starts, but they threw the green flag. A couple of laps in, I would get pushed high and end up three wide so I had to lift instead of getting in a mess and lost about 4 positions. A caution would come out and I’d line up in 6th position. My car was good today and on the restart, I would be fast on the outside line and had the advantage on the outside when I was hit on the rear tire coming out of corner two, and I ended up spinning and bringing out the caution. When we were getting back in line, there was some confusion as I thought they were waving me up, so I moved up and they thought I was trying to run someone over, not sure if it was the starter or they thought I was going after another car or what, but I ended up being black flagged for driver misconduct. That was a first for me. I took my car to the infield, and I wasn’t happy about it. I went over to talk to my friend Gerrit, in the infield, and apparently as I was talking to him, people thought I was angry at him lol. But I wasn’t at all, I am just very animated apparently.
Off to the consi I would go. There were 42 or 43 cars at the track on Saturday trying to make it into the feature. This was going to be tough. There were two consi’s and I would start last (13th) in the first consi. I had broke my trailing arm in the heat race, but my Dad and Randy fixed it and the car was even better than it was in the heat race. I made a lot of passes and managed to finish in the 6th position.
In the feature, I would start 29th and have a long way to go. I had a few good battles with a few different people, narrowly missed the spinning cars of my friends, Connor James and Gerrit Tiemersma, unfortunately Gerrit would be hit and out of the race. I had a good race over all. Not a great result, finishing in 20th. But overall, the whole day was a little weird, but a good day. I was happy with the way the car worked.
July 27, 2014
Sunday was a much better day than Saturday! Special thanks to my Dad and Paul Howse as after racing on Saturday night, they took my car home and made a few changes. These two are amazing!
On Sunday, there were less cars for the invitational than we had the night before. Only 31 cars today. 28 normally start the feature race, but Mark said that if everyone behaved, he’d start all the cars.
In my first heat race, I started in 8th position and needed to finish in the top six in order to qualify for the feature and not have to go through the consi. Honestly, I had an very tough heat and wasn’t sure it was going to be possible. But the race went very well and I ended up moving up to the 6th position and made it into the feature!
In the feature, I would start in the 16th spot with a lot of fast cars in front of me. The 64 was the top qualifier and he rolled a 2 for the invert, giving the pole to the 33 car and basically starting the feature straight up, fast cars to the front. It was a pretty clean feature for the most part with only a few cautions. My car was super fast today and I think I had something for the cars ahead of me, but they were side by side racing and I couldn’t get by them. I ended up finishing the feature in 13th.
July 3, 2014
We decided to get a little extra seat time and head up to Sauble Speedway for the Dash for Cash. I was surprised that we were the only mini stock from Sunset that would go, actually there was only one mini stock, one super stock and one LLM from Sunset that went.
In practice my car was horrible. Set up loose for Sunset, the car was way too loose for Sauble. I spun the car through the corner a number of times in practice and each time we tightened it a bit more and it got better.
In the first heat race, I would start in 4th position. On lap two, while still running in fourth, on the outside, another car would decide to get under the car inside of me, making us three wide coming out of corner two, and pushing me up into the outside wall. When all cars qualify for the feature, and he would have likely passed me and the other car in a lap or two, I am not sure why someone would make it three wide. I broke the tie rod and was towed off the track. My Dad and Warren Paxton (thank you Warren!) worked on the car, changed the tie rod and I was ready for the second heat.
In the second heat, since I didn’t know how the car would be working, I went scratch. With a DNF in heat one, and a very stout field of cars, it didn’t really matter where I finished, so we figured it would be better to make sure the car was working okay instead of risking causing problems for myself, or another driver. The car was working very well, it was handling much better after the changes to tighten the car and I was happy with it. I ended up finishing 6th in the heat.
In the feature, I would start in 13th position – only 16 cars were at the track, but only 13 were able to make the feature. Within a couple of laps, I passed the car in front of me and by lap 10 there was a caution. We lined back up for the restart and I was in 10th position. My car was fast on the outside, and that was the line I preferred to be in, so this was a good starting position for me. Within a few laps, I had moved myself up to the 8th position when coming out of turn four, the car in front of me lost his right front tire. I reacted fast and got around him, and almost had him cleared, when he came down the track and clipped my rear bumper. This would turn me around in a hurry, and I would get a little air borne when I hit the front stretch wall head on and end up facing the wrong way on the track.
I would have to be towed from the track with a broken trailing arm (that’s two this week) and not one, not two, but three flat tires. Overall, I was happy with the night of racing. It wasn’t how we were hoping to end the race, but the difference in the car from practice to feature was great and the car worked very well on the outside. One day we’ll have a good finish at Sauble Speedway. Thanks to Jordan Howse for taking my bent rims home to fix for me! As always, thanks to Carl Mulder for his words of encouragement last night.
August 2, 2014
Tonight was exactly the kind of night that I needed! In practice the car was fantastic. There wasn’t anything in the first practice that I wanted to change. When we went out for last practice, it was a bit tight so my Dad made an air pressure adjustment and the car was fast.
In the first heat, I started in the 7th position. In the first lap, I passed two cars to move into 5th. Coming out of corner two the 86 would get loose and go toward the inside wall, however, he managed to save the car and we all continued without a caution. I would continue to pass cars throughout the race and made my way into 2nd spot with a few laps to go. The 6 was leading the race and I tried to catch up to him, but I blew my entry in one corner and at that point, I knew I wasn’t going to catch him. Great win for Terry Woodley and great 2nd place finish for myself. I was extremely happy at the end of the race, but I didn’t realize then that the night would only get better.
I would now be in the dash for cash with all the 12 qualifiers for the feature. With my second place finish in the first heat race, I would start in 4th position for the Dash. Within the first couple of laps, the 64, who started 3rd, would pass the first and second place cars and then I passed them as well, putting myself in 2nd place behind the 64. I continued to hold on to the 2nd place position, and at lap 5 or 6 I had some heat from behind from the 86 car. I managed to maintain 2nd when the 72 car would join the top four so it was now 64, me, 86 and 72. That’s a lot of top runners that I am racing with! I managed to hang on to 2nd position until the last lap when the 72 would get under the 86 and then they both got past me in the last corner. Finishing 4th against these quality, top running drivers, felt as good as a victory to me.
In the Feature, the top 18 draw for position, and I am the WORST at picking a starting position. I have never picked anything less that 12th starting position. Tonight would be no different as I picked the number 14. Starting position, in a field with this many competitive drivers, means so much. I am not picking my numbers any more, going to see if someone else can have better luck for me. So, we’d line up for the feature in 14th with the always fast 64 directly behind me. On lap one, the 64 would pass me on the outside, dropping me back a position. From there, my climb through the field would start. I was faster than the cars in front of me but with side by side racing, I was patient and waited for the right opportunities instead of making aggressive moves. I moved up into the 10th position and thought I would able to get another 2 or 3 spots before the end of the 25 lap feature. But that wasn’t to be. The 04 car threw it into corner 3 and I came down for the corner and we made contact spinning us both. I was able to drive out of the spin, but the 04 broke and the caution came out. Being an involved car, to the back I went. I would restart in 18th position now, with only 3 laps to go. I made a three wide move to go between two cars picking up two positions and then another move the next lap to pass another two cars on the back stretch. In three laps, I moved from the 18th position to (I think) the 12th position for the finish. I am pretty sure I got the 31 car at the line for 12th position, but if the transponder says I didn’t, then my finish will be 13th. And according to the Sunset page, my finish was 13th.
Overall, I don’t feel that the feature finish showed how well the car ran all day. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen and you don’t end with the result the car is capable of. Overall, it was a fantastic day, the car was awesome, and I am looking forward to doing it all over again today. I would have lost my 5th position in the points today to Gerrit, however, I am coming to the track today with the intention of getting that spot back!!
Congrats to the 64 on another feature win and to the 72 for an amazing 2nd place finish.
August 3, 2014
After I was so happy with my run yesterday, I came back to the track today with more confidence than ever. We took the car out for first practice and it felt great, there was nothing I wanted to change, so we didn’t do any more practice sessions. In the first heat race, I would start in the 4th position. On lap 1, I would get by the outside pole sitter and fall into third position. I batted with the next car for a number of laps before finally making the pass to put myself into second place. By this time, the 20, would be too far out in the lead to catch and I’d have to settle into second spot until the end.
By finishing 2nd, I was in the dash for cash again tonight, and I would start in the 6th position. I had a great start and would get up beside the 20 car, and we would race side by side for a few laps, with me on the outside. My car was too tight and I couldn’t hold it down in the corner and I’d end up losing the spot, and another to the 72 and finish the race in 6th position.
In the feature, since I pull horrible numbers all the time for starting position, my Dad pulled my number today and he was no better. He pulled 14th starting position for me. One day I might be lucky enough to end up with a starting position from the draw in the top 10. On the other hand, starting further back makes me a better racer, as I have to learn how to pass cars through the field, learn to be patient and learn the pick the right time to make moves. We made a tire pressure adjustment for the feature, so the car wouldn’t be so tight, and it was perfect. So I started in the 14th position and the race would go caution free until the almost the end. there was a caution when a car a couple places in front of me spun on the last lap. We would line up in 8th position for the restart, and I would take one more spot before the race would end and finish 7th on the track, but it wouldn’t count as I had just been lapped before the caution, so I was the first car one lap down. It was a great race for me, I managed to move through the field and each week that I have to do this, it teaches me more on the track. Not saying that I wouldn’t like a better starting position though! Congrats to the 64 again, but I feel bad for the 81. It was her race and if not for the late race caution, she would have hat tricked tonight.
August 9, 2014
Saturday would be a good day overall. Practice was good, we had a broken oil pressure gauge that had to be repaired, and after the repair, ended up with a bit of an oil leak. All checked out, nothing serious and practice was pretty uneventful. Car was fast and I was happy with it.
In the first heat, I would start in the 4th position and on the first lap, I passed the outside pole sitter and was racing side by side for 2nd position on the outside. After a lap or two, I would get by the 2nd place car and take over that position in the hunt again this week for my friend, the 20 car of Gerrit Tiemersma. Unfortunately, he had a lead on me again, and since our cars are very similar in speed, I wouldn’t be able to catch up to him and I’d finish in the heat race 2nd to him two weeks in a row.
In the dash for cash, I’d start in the 6th position and it was pretty uneventful as well as I would end up finishing in the same position that I started.
In the feature, a fan would draw my number for me, and since I am horrible at it, I was really hoping for a good draw from the fan. Lucky for me, they did pull a better number than I usually do, and I’d start the feature in 9th position. Not as far up as I’d hoped, but better. On the first lap of the feature, the 81 and 48 would get together on the back straight and the whole field behind them managed to miss them. I’d restart the race in the 7th position. I ran the majority of the race in the 6th and 7th position and was looking for a good finish this week. Toward the end of the race, there was a caution that would have me restarting in 7th position again. Based on how the cars were lined up, I was confident we would be able to end the night with a top five finish. However, this was not to be. On the restart the car in front of me didn’t get going and we dropped back as the outside lane went past. I’d drop back to 9th position due to this and this is where I would end the race. I was extremely happy with the top 10 finish, but upset because I felt we could have had a top five. The 84 car showed great sportsmanship tonight as Lisa loaned her car to another driver in order to keep him in the points battle, and Rookie of the Year lead, after he blew his motor in the heat race.
August 30, 2014
Last night was a great night for me. The car felt great in practice so I only did two practice sessions and waited for the night to begin.
In the first heat, I would start in the pole position with a few fast cars to hold off in order to get my first win of the year and the first win at Sunset. The #77 would start on the outside pole and we raced side by side for a bit before I pulled out by myself and pulled away from the field. About halfway through the race, I was a little concerned when I saw the #79 coming as she is a really good driver with a really fast car. However, I would manage to hold her off and bring home the win. It felt good considering the last three nights I had to settle for 2nd place in the heat races.
In the Dash for Cash, I would start on the outside pole, with a whole lot of fast cars in this race. I didn’t expect to finish up front as some of the other cars are much faster than my car, but I was able to finish mid pack in 6th and I was happy with that.
For the feature race, I would be involved in the invert and the draw for numbers. My friend, Dr. Ron Goodlin (smiledental.ca) was at the race track tonight so I asked him to draw the number for me, and he brought me some much better luck as I would start the feature in 5th position. The feature was a good race for me. I didn’t get a good start and fell back from the car in front of me and it took me a lap or two to catch back up. I was passed by a couple of fast cars with my bad start, but soon enough I would make an inside pass on the 98 car to take back a position. We ran green until lap 13, where I would line back up for the restart in 8th position. Unfortunately, one of the cars ahead of me in the outside lane was having some issues and was slow and would slow us down and we would be passed by some cars on the inside. Because of this, coming out of corner two, I had to make a more aggressive move and go in between two cars, making it three wide, to get by the other car before more cars passed us. A caution would come out after that and I would restart in the 10th position. On the restart, I managed to make an inside pass on the #20 car to take back a postion, but shortly after that, the #6 car would pass me. He got underneath me and I pulled back and went under him coming out of corner four, but I wasn’t able to make the pass stick and I would end up finishing the race in 9th position. Because the #6 car finished one position ahead of me, I would end up dropping in points. We were tied for 6th position in the points, but with Terry passing me, he is now one point ahead of me.
There is only one points night of racing left, on September 13, 2014, and based on how racing was last night, I think it’s going to be an interesting night of racing, with friendships put aside in order to get the points needed to maintain or move up a position.
It was an EPIC night for all EPIC Racewear/OnePromo.ca drivers.
September 13, 2014
Well, the final night of regular points racing did not go as we had hoped. In first practice the car had a bad vibration and the motor was breaking down. Dad and the crew made some changes and the car was much better in the second practice and it was fast.
In the first heat race, I would start in 8th position, and the car was running well. I had a lot of competition in my heat race and would only be able to move up to the 6th position, therefore, putting me in the Consi this week instead of the dash for cash.
In the Consi, I would start in the 3rd position and really wanted the win for this one. In the opening laps, the car was good, but a few laps in, the motor started to break down again. Thankfully, I would be able to hang on to finish in the 5th position and secure a spot in the feature and be involved in the invert for starting position.
I pulled the number 11 starting place in the feature. My team went to work to see if they could determine why the motor was breaking down. We went out for the feature, the car was great in the beginning and I began moving up through the field. Unfortunately, around lap 7, the car started to break down again and then it was just a matter of hanging on while cars went past me. I stayed out a few laps to see if the issue would clear up, but no luck. I figured it was best to pull the car into the pits to not do any further damage to the motor and not cause any issues for other cars on the track that could end up wrecking their car or mine due to my reduced speed.
Not the finish to the regular season that we were hoping for. The car was fast earlier and I was confident that we would have been able to finish well, but it wasn’t meant to be. I am both happy and disappointed with my 7th place points standing for the year. Happy because it was better than the goals I laid out for myself at the beginning of the year, but disappointed as I know that I could have done better. However, I did finish better in the points than I did last year, I did finish in the top 10 and I got a win, which were both my goals for this season.
I’d like to thank my Primary Sponsor, Twin Contracting, as well as all my associate sponsors, Paul Quail Trucking, SE Telecom, Mustard Seed Contracting, Canadian Vinyl Graphics, Razorback Racing, Radical Rods, Rides and Restoration, Speedy Auto Machine, The Mortgage Station and of course, my Grandmother, Lynne Tipton and my Parents. Without all these sponsors, none of this would be possible. So happy, James Stortz, from SE Telecom was able to get out for the last night of racing, unfortunately, it wasn’t a good night for us. Also, my crew and my “rent a crew”, My Dad, Randy, Richard, Gerry, Phil, Branden and Josh. Without all of you, we wouldn’t have done as well as we did.
So, now that the regular season is done, what’s up for us? Well, the plan was to race Thursday September 18/14 at the huge event at Sunset, promoted by SL Promotions, and the Velocity at Sunset on September 27th and 28th. But first up is to find out why my car is breaking down. We are going to figured a few things out today, take the injectors in to the engine builder to have them checked out and see what happens. As usual, my Dad is away this week, so at this point, Thursday is up in the air, but we are hopeful that we will be there.
Now the off season will be starting soon, and the hard work will start with trying to secure sponsorship for the 2015 season. We weren’t able to get the Super Stock out this year due to my Dad’s work commitments, however, he is in a new position beginning the end of the month and will not be travelling all the time. So the Mini Stock and the Super Stock will be out next year – SS with my Dad driving and I will practice it for the year at every opportunity we can get.
Congrats to Sam Shaw on her first feature win at Sunset, Brandon McFerran on his Championship, Jordan Howse on winning Rookie of the Year and Cayden Lapcevich on winning the Super Stock Championship. It was a great year!
September 18, 2014
We had trouble with the car Saturday night, seemed to be ignition issues, and we weren’t able to finish the feature. We made some changes on Sunday, went up to test on Wednesday, changed the distributor and computer, and it didn’t help. We had the injectors checked, and changed, no help. We went back to the track on Thursday, with a different distributor thanks to Brian Johnston, and changed the wires, which made a difference in first practice and the car was running great! Went out for the next practice and the car started breaking down again. We changed the spark plugs, changed the computer three times and still wasn’t better. Found a fuel issue and got that changed, but we ran out of practice time and weren’t able to test it before the heat race. We were hopeful that this was going to solve the issue and we’d be okay in the heat.
It was a HUGE field at Sunset. 53 Mini Stocks showed up and only 28 cars would make the feature. With the class of cars there, I was pretty sure that I would have to go through the consi’s to make the A main. I started 4th in the 4th heat race of 13 cars. The car was running great!! I lost one position early in the race, but was able to pass a car to put myself back in the 4th position. The last couple laps were tough as I had another car from Barrie on my bumper. I managed to hold him off and finished 4th! I was very excited to have qualified for the feature through the heat race, especially with how great the field of cars was. I was happy to not have to go through the consi races.
For the feature, I’d line up in 16th starting spot. It didn’t take long before the first caution would come out. The 72 of Jordan Howse got turned around after starting in 7th position and had to go to the back along with the car that spun him. During the caution, the 26 would give up a top five position to go into the pits with a flat tire. I assume he didn’t have any crew because he got out of the car and was changing the tire himself!! On the restart, I would be in the 13th position. Unfortunately it wouldn’t last long. On the restart, in corner 1, I got hit by the car behind me sending me spinning into the infield. The other car and I would go to the rear of the field after that. It was unfortunate at the time to go from 13th to the back on just lap two. The running order on the restart was 35, 86, 89, 50 and 64. We ran green for awhile but my car started to break down again. I was just going to pull into the pits on lap 21 when the caution came out for a spin by the 81, so I stayed out. I went in under caution, talked to Phil and Branden, and decided to try a few more laps before parking the car. The top five at this point was 35, 64, 86, 89 and 41. I took the green flag one more time and stayed on the track until lap 26 when the car was just so horrible I was only in the way, so I parked the car for the night. Around this time, the 64 pulled off the track as well, giving up his 2nd place position. The final running order at the end was 35, 89, 86, 41 and 72. The 72 went from 28th to 5th place, it was an amazing run.
Thank you to everyone that helped me out this week, I couldn’t do it without everyone. Thanks to Sunset for putting on a great show, the other drivers for the support of the show, SL Promotions for all their work, and all those that donated to this massive purse.
Thanks to my sponsors for the great year! We have one more race weekend left. We will be racing at Velocity next weekend, if I can get my car fixed, and then we will be done racing for the season. Then will come the hard work of trying to secure sponsors for next year.
