Untitled

Cordele GAS Race

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:40:00 -0400

This Saturday was my third Late Model Race and my first race at Watermelon Capital Speedway in the Late Model. We made a few changes to the car back at the shop and I headed down to Cordele with good confidence. When practice started I knew I wasn’t very good at all but I wasn’t too frustrated about it because I was trying to get to know the track. As practice went on we kept making changes to the car trying to get it more comfortable and driveable for me and we did do that. When qualifying rolled around my confidence was coming back because of how the car felt at the end of practice; even though the times weren’t very good at all. But I went out to qualify and picked up three or four tenths from where I practiced but that only placed me ninth in the lineup.

Once the race started I felt like the car was going to be good all night. It was pretty snug everywhere and I knew it would come to me as the night went on. Being as tight as I was there at the beginning with lower tire pressures it took my car about 5 laps to really come in. I started the race ninth and quickly got up to seventh and floated around there at about the halfway mark of the race. Then with about 20 laps to go I dropped my right rear tire off the track entering turn three and I went for a little spin. No harm, no fowl. I restarted back in the back and before I got to turn three of the first lap I was back to seventh. With about 15 laps left in the race we started having caution after caution. I stayed out of the trouble and found myself sitting in third place on the final restart. We took the green and getting down into turn one the car just wouldn’t turn. I lost two positions in the next lap and brought the car home to a solid 5th place finish. It wasn’t until I got into the pits that we found out I had a flat left front tire and it had been going down for about 15 laps. The car was bottoming out there at the end of the race so I knew something wasn’t right but it wasn’t so bad that the car wouldn’t handle so I wanted to stay out and finish in the top five. I have to thank the guys that helped me out down there: Uncle Bill, Ricky Turner, Jim Barfield, Allen Nolan, Carlos Gann, and Jeff Hanie. Also thanks to all of our contigency sponsors: Howe, Bosch, XRP, Circle Wheels, Mobile 1, Quarter Master, AFCO, Penske Shocks, Lincoln Electric, Racing Electronics, WIX Filters, The Decal Source, SWIFT Springs, Seymour Paints, VP Racing Fuels, Alpha Canvas Covers, Mechanix Wear, Butler Built Seats, Schroth Seatbelts, and Bell Helmets.

First Late Model Race

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:49:15 -0400

This Saturday was my first Pro Late Model race at Lanier National Speedway. It was a 60 lap local show that we ran to get my feet wet around other cars and being in a racing environment. We only got one 10 lap round of practice so it didn’t give us any time at all to make any changes on the car and try them. I was pretty tight there in that practice so when we came in we changed the left rear spring. Next up was qualifing and being my beginners luck I drew a 16 which had me the first car out to qualify. It was my first time qualifying in one of these cars so I wasn’t real sure what to expect but I felt like I layed down a respectable time of 14.21 seconds. When qualifying was all said and done I ended up third out of 12 cars. I fell from third to 5th on the start because I didn’t get a very good jump at the green but I held fifth and stayed right with the leaders. One of the top five cars started to fade and I picked that position up which put me to fourth before the caution came out. At the start of the race I had a little radio trouble and couldn’t hear anyone, including my spotter. After the first caution came out I got to fooling with the radio trying to fix it and it felt like I may have bumped the channel switch while trying to set the volume. But I got it fixed and could hear fine from then on. On that first restart I missed my shift from 2nd to 3rd gear and stacked everyone up behind me and cause a two car wreck. I got lucky I didn’t get caught up in it myself but I have to appologize to those guys for tearing up their cars. The race was red flagged for a little bit because they couldn’t get the two cars pulled apart but once they did it was back to green flag racing. On this restart I missed the shift again but got it back into gear fairly quick so I didn’t cause another accident. I slipped back to fifth because of the missed shift but quickly picked back up to fourth where I stayed for the rest of the race. I ran down the first 3 cars but once I got to the back of the third place car I was just too loose up off the corner to do anything with him. So I brought the car home in one piece to a fourth place finish. I’m proud of where I ended up but not so much how I ran because of my restarts. I have to thank everyone for coming up there and helping me and supporting: Uncle Bill, Jim, Jeffrey, Chase, my dad, and Casey. I also have to thank all of our contingency sponsors: AFCO, Alpha car covers, ARP bodies, Bowman bolts, Bosch, ButlerBuilt seats, Circle wheels, Gary Hess Designs, Howe, Lincoln Electric, Mechanix Wear, Mobile 1, Penske shocks, Quarter Master, Racing Electronics, Schroth Racing belts, Seymour paints, Swift springs, The Decal Source, VP Racing fuels, WIX filters, and Xtreme Racing Products.

June 4th

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:18:58 -0400

Today was my first time in my Crate Late Model racecar and my first time in any racecar since January 31st. I have been hunting a Late Model car since Februaury and finally got one about a month ago. Since then I’ve been working to get it running so I could go test it and see how I fared in a full size car. We got to the track and unloaded and with the help from the guys at the shop we tuned her in to running some pretty good lap times. My first time out I was just trying to get used to the correct racing line and the feel of the car in general. My first time out on the track I guess I got a little too comfortable a little too quick and lost the back end of the car coming off of turn 4 at Lanier National Speedway and spun the thing out. I never touched or came close to the wall so I drove it back into the pits so the guys could look at it.

When I got back to the pits Jim told me to hop out and have Casey or Chase take me around the track to show me the line. Once I figured that out we came back to the car to find out that the rear end was leaking out of the overflow vent and it was getting all over the right rear tire which was probably part of the cause of me spinning the car out. The guys fixed the leak and I went back out to turn some more laps and after seeing the line I was slowly getting more and more comfortable in the seat. I was on a set of tires that had 100 laps on them just to get used to everything and when I got going I was running consistent 14.40’s and 50’s. After making a few adjustments on the car and figuring out what was comfortable to me we filled her up with gas and put a newer set of tires on it to see how I would run. Those newer tires made a big difference and I ran a handful of 14.20’s and a lot of 30’s. My first time in my Late Model car went pretty darn good and I cannot wait until my first race. I have to that all the guys at the shop for helping me on my car and getting that thing running: Uncle Bill, Aunt Cindy, Jim Barfield, Ricky Turner, Terry Roberts, Phil Seabolt, Jeffrey Lovell, Chase Elliott, and Casey Roderick. They were all a huge help and I couldn’t have done it without them. I’ve also got to thank all of our contingency sponsors for helping us out: Bell Helmets, Schroth Belts, ButlerBuilt Seats, Mechanix Wear, Oakley, Sherwin Williams, Lincoln Electric, Penske, Racing Electronics, Howe, Quarter Master, AFCO, Mobile 1, Circle Wheels, XRP, Bosch, Bowman, WIX Filters, The Decal Source, SWIFT Springs, Seymour, Alpha Car Covers, and VP Racing.

Blog for January 31

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:00:17 -0500

Saturday afternoon’s race was race 6 of the Legends Winter Series, and it was our final road course race of the season. I had a new set of tires cut and ready to go and was looking forward to a good run in the 91 machine, but I had a little trouble very early. We had just started qualifying and I had run about 5 laps until a caution came out and slowed us down. My car had been a little free everywhere on the track and I knew it was just because my tires hadn’t come in quite yet so I wasn’t goin 100% just yet. Right when we went back to the green flag in qualifying I had a good run through the S’s and down the backstretch. It was the next corner that was going to bite me. I had been loose through here especially since I started running and this time around it got me. I made my entry just fine but as soon as I hit the apex of the corner the back end started to come around. It was more of a skating towards the wall rather than just loosing the rear of the car so I stood in the gas and backsteered trying to keep it going straight. As soon as I turned back and got in the throttle the car caught and snapped on me back into the wall. It killed the right front and my day was over from there on. I was so upset because I had an awesome car; I could feel it. But lack of driving ability kept me out of the final road course race and I was not happy. Even though I only made a few laps in qualifying I still set the 6th fastest time but had to give it up because the car was just too badly damaged. But we’ll come back and get ‘em next weekend at Lanier where I have a great car. I have to thank my sponsors: Bill Elliott Driver Development, the Dawsonville Pool Room, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, Oakley, and Bell Helmets.

Blog for January 10-11

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:09:04 -0500

Our fifth race of the Winter Series was held at Lanier National Speedway where once again weather threatened the weekend, but we managed to get through it with a two-day-show. We unloaded for practice and I was feeling good about the car other than a little transmission issue I thought the car was having. But practice went great. I ran faster than I ever had at Lanier and turned some 15.70s and 15.80s. The next practice the car changed a little due to the track conditions but I didn’t mess with the car. I started my heat race in fourth but had a slower car starting in front of me. Well for the first two laps of the race I was stuck on the outside behind this guy and I pushed him for a solid two laps before finally getting a break and passing him. At this time I had fallen to fifth place and I was on the march back to the front. I was not being patient with anyone and when I got to the third place car I shoved him off into the corner a couple of times. The second time I got him a little loose and sent him up the track and drove under him. The first two cars were too far ahead to get to but I ran them down a significant amount and I knew I had an awesome car.

The main race got postponed until Sunday so we had to come back and start fresh. I started my main race in sixth position and I couldn’t get down on the start. I got shuffled a long way back and once I finally got to the bottom the caution came out. So I restarted on the bottom and on the restart there was a huge accident up front but I got through the carnage and found myself sitting in ninth place. That was where I restarted the race and I drove like a mad man trying to get back up front. I seemed to drive right by everyone until I got to fourth place because from there it was a chase to the front three. I did everything I could to catch those guys but they had too much distance on me to make a race out of it. I just about caught them coming to the checkered but I had to settle for fourth overall and third in the Pro divison. I have to thank everyone for helping out this weekend and my sponsors: the Bill Elliott Driver Development team, the Dawsonville Pool Room, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, Oakley, and Bell Helmets.

Blog for January 3

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:41:56 -0500

The fourth race of the Georgia Winter Series was held at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA on Saturday. I started out the day with a good car in practice and I knew it would only get better as the tires came in more and more. However I messed up by not going to draw in time for the heat races so I was playing catch up the whole afternoon. I had to start 7th in the second heat race and and got up to fourth before the checkered flag. In the main race I started 8th and on the start, before getting into turn one, I got to the bottom of the track. By lap 3 I was in sixth place and there I got stuck for a few laps behind one of my competitors. After racing with him for about 6 laps I cleared him and started driving away. I had a fast car and I knew it, however it took me too long to get around the other competitors. To add on top of that we had a caution free race which didn’t help me in catching the top four cars, which were a straightaway in front of me once I cleared the fifth place car. As the race went on I was catching the top four cars but ran out of laps. I had a fast car but my mistake at the beginning of the day by not drawing caused me to play catch up in every race. I firmly believe if I had drawn and gotten a decent starting position then I could have been up front contending with those guys but my I messed up. I have to thank everyone for helping out this weekend. Also I have to thank my sponsors: the Dawsonville Pool Room, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, Bell Helmets, Oakley, and the Bill Elliott Driver Development team.

Blog for December 13

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:31:15 -0500

This Saturday was our third race of the Georgia Winter Series and our first road race of the year. I absolutely love the road races because it’s something different and you have to be very consistent to be fast at them. I ran well last season on the road course so I felt very confident going into the first of three road races. We showed up at the track and got the cars unloaded for practice/qualifying. We had 45 minutes to set our fastest time to see where we would line up in our qualifying races. When I got on the track it took me about a lap or two to get back into the swing of things on turning left and right and up-shifting and down-shifting, but once I got back used to it I was hammer down. After qualifying was all said and done I wound up third on the speed charts. That qualifying effort secured me in the A-main race which ended up being a VERY good thing. After qualifying we had our driver’s meeting and my dad was going over the car and refueling it when he noticed something wrong with the rear end housing. The bracket for the pinion angle bar in the rear ended up bending which in turn bent the pinion angle bar itself and was binding everything up. So with that delimma on my hands we had to completely change out the whole rear end housing and only had three qualiying races to do it in. If it wasn’t for the AWESOME group of guys on the Bill Elliott Driver Development team and a few others there to help out then there would have been no way I would have raced Saturday. It was a definite thrash but in the end we got everything done and I went out for the A-main heat race. I ran the car hard without even thinking about just changing the rear end and finished one position behind where I started, fourth. After coming back into the pits it was just a short break to refuel and check the tire pressures before heading back out to the main event. In the main event I started in the fourth position. It was really only a four car race when it came down to it. My teammate, Chase Elliott, was a part of that top four so it was fun racing against him where I really started my racing career… back on the road course. This time it was just in a Legends car and not in a high performance kart. Well there wasn’t much passing between the four of us and we kind of checked out from the rest of the field. There a few laps in Chase was running in front of me and going into the 90 degree left-hander at the end of the back straightaway he slipped up and went off the track which moved me from fourth to third. Third place was where I stayed for the rest of the race and I ended up third overall and second in the Pro division. My teammate, Chase, did a heck of a job coming from way back in the pack after his mistake and finished a solid sixth place overall and second in his class as well. My finish brought me to second in the Georgia Winter Series points and first in the Winter Flurry points standings. Once again I have to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who helped on my car Saturday: my dad, Uncle Bill, Chase, Casey, Mitch, David, Doug, and one of my competitors Jeff Haney. It honestly wouldn’t have been possible without you guys. I also have to thank my sponsors: the Dawsonville Pool Room, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, Oakley, and Bell Helmets.

Blog for December 6

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:34:17 -0500

The second race of the Georgia Winter Series was held at Watermelon Capital Speedway. This race was supposed to be the third of the series but the race at Lanier on the prior weekend was cancelled due to rain. I unloaded to car and ran the first practice just as quick as everyone else. I never touched the car after practice and ran the heat race just how I unloaded it. I started my heat race in the third position and on the start before we made it to the backstretch I was in second position. The third place car got back by me and I couldn’t figure out how. My car felt great through the corners but I was having to play with the throttle just enough exiting the corner to where they would get me down the straightaways. I finished a close third in my heat race and when I got back into the pits I talked to Bill about what to do. I told him what the car was doing and told him what I thought I needed to do and he suggested the same thing. I started fifth in the main race with my new adjustment and on the start got to fourth. I was faster than the third place car but couldn’t find a way around him. A caution came out and I knew that would help me. They had the “choose” rule in effect there where on the restart you can pick the inside or outside to restart. I chose the outside and that had me restarting on the outside of the front row and I knew it was about to get good. Little did I know I had someone behind me who was more than a little impatient. Going off into turn one he must have never lifted because he sent me WAY up the track into some oil and dirt and I watched the whole field go by. There was a caution right after what happened and we then restarted again. I chose the outside once again to make up some positions and on the green flag the same guy that punted me put a guy into the wall at the flag stand on the front stretch. It happened right in front of me so I got on the brakes and was already moved down to the bottom of the track before the car ever hit the wall. Well we never got back to green flag racing after that because we just kept having caution after caution. We only got to race 12 laps and I was pretty upset. On the final restart we had a green-white-checkered finish and I passed about four cars on the final laps to bring the car home to a fifth place finish. It was a frustrating race because I knew I had a top three car at least but circumstances didn’t lead to that. I have the thank my dad, Uncle Bill, Chase, and Aunt Cindy for helping out and making this weekend possible. I also have to thank my sponsors: the Dawsonville Pool Room, VP Racing fuels, Racing Electronics, Oakley, and Bell Helmets.

Blog for November 21

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:29:58 -0500

This Friday night at the Thunder Ring at Atlanta Motor Speedway kicked off the Georgia Winter Series. It was our first time back at the 1/4 mile track at Atlanta in about a month and I knew it was going to take a few laps to get back into the swing of things. I started fifth in my heat race and wound up finishing second in an uneventful 8 laps. I was too patient in the heat race and didn’t do all that I could have early to gain another position or two. With the heat race finish I started the main in sixth place and on the start was able to get down to the bottom fairly quick and found myself running in fifth place. It was a caution free race and while myself and the sixth place guy were racing the top four were getting away a little bit. Once I was done with the sixth place guy I set my sights on the fourth place driver. He was about half a straightaway in front of me and I kept digging the entire race trying to catch him. Right when I caught the fourth place car my brakes starting going a little soft so I had to drive a little differently. I managed to get by him with one lap to go and the third place guy was just a couple car lengths in front of me but one lap just wasn’t enough to get it done. I had a good car but being too patient in the heat race came back to bite me. I definitely won’t be like that again because if you get burried in the field anywhere, especially at Atlanta, it’s hard to make up the spots. I want to thank Bill, Chase, Casey, David, my dad, and Cindy for helping out. Also I want to thank my sponsors: Oakley, Racing Electronics, the Dawsonville Pool Room, VP Racing fuels, and Bell Helmets.

Fall Brawl 2008 at Anderson

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:52:16 -0500

The two day show in Anderson, SC started Saturday afternoon where we had practice and heat races. We unloaded the car on Saturday and were fast the first session out. I felt like the car could be better but I didn’t want to change anything just yet because I hadn’t been in the car in a month and figured it was maybe a little bit of my driving as well. As the practice sessions went on I decided to make a small change in the left rear to free the car up in the center of the corner hopeing it would fix my sideways drive up off. I tried that once and didn’t like it and went back to what was more comfortable and just as fast for the heat race. Heat races came around and I was starting 3 in the second heat. I knew I had a good car I just felt like I had to take care of my car so I could use it on Sunday for the main race. Well at the drop of the green flag I got racey and worked my way into the lead and lead a lap. The second place car turned under me coming off of turn four on lap 3 or 4 and the third place car followed him by. I stayed right with the two and watched them to see where I could beat them. I noticed the two started to get real racey and were getting close to wrecking each other so rather than risking tearing up my car in the heat race I stayed behind them knowing I had a good car for the main race on Sunday.

Race day came the next morning and we had a couple of practice sessions before the main race started. I figured something out in the last practice we had and I drove by the guy that was starting on the pole for the race so I was very confident in my car. The main race came and I was starting in sixth place. Right off the start things got tight but very fun. We were all racing close up front but it was a patient close. We gave each other room when we needed it and other times we didn’t. I slowly picked off the cars in front of me and worked my way up to second place by lap 14 or 15. I looked up in the mirror and noticed my teammate was tucked right in with me and I knew we were going for the front. I was behind the leader for about 1 or 2 laps trying to find his weak spot to open the door for myself and Chase. Going down into turn one on lap sixteen fate had other plans that day. We went down into the corner nose to tail and suddenly I felt a bump on my left rear. I stood in the gas trying to save the car but it was no match for the hit. I knew who had turned me but I knew there was no way he did it on purpose. Come to find out he was losing brakes during the race and they ended up going completely out on him right behind me. It’s just one of those racing deals that nobody can predict and nobody can do anything about. It didn’t tear up the car except the left rear fender but after bringing it into the pits and getting it looked at it just didn’t drive the same way after that. I had to start in the rear of the field for pitting but I drove back up and got around a few cars. It was definitely an upseting day knowing I had at winning car but it would have been good for the BEDD team to bring home a 1-2 finish. The car was awesome and I can’t wait to race again. I want to thank my dad, Terry, Jim, Chase, Casey, Cindy, and Sandy for helping out up there.

Blog for Nationals

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:12:00 -0400

Our week up at nationals in Elko, Minnesota started off on Thursday afternoon with practices running all day. The first practice session we ran I ended up third on the charts and I was ecstatic about that. After the first practice session I changed gears in the car because I wasn’t getting all I could out of the engine down the straightaways. After changing the gear I went back out in the second session and knocked another tenth off of my times. The second session I was sixth on the charts. The third and fourth sessions of the day was pretty much a constant. Nobody’s time really ever changed between the last two practices. So after practice day was over I was fifth in the Pro division. Friday brought qualifying and the heat races and was honestly probably the most stressful day up there. Since I was fifth on the speed charts I qualified with the first group in European qualifying. Apparently the track tightened up a little bit because of the rubber we had been putting down and I just didn’t adjust for it and it cost me a little time in qualifying. I ended our five lap run with a sixth place time and eventually that would be where I stood once everyone finished qualifying. The way they had the whole deal run for the heat races was the fastest cars started in the back in the heat races because they were doing things by points. So I started second to last in the first heat race. It was definitely a close heat race and from the looks of things it was the closest one that the Pro division had. I was just trying to tiptoe my way through the field because I knew I was in the show and I didn’t want to wreck my car. Sure enough the two leaders got together and it was a scramble to miss them. I went all the way to the top of the track and went between a car and the wall to miss the accident. The race restarted and I ended up finishing in fifth place. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but the car was in one piece and I knew I was in the A-main for sure. Well that concluded qualifying day and the next thing on my list was the A-main on Saturday night. With the points I accumulated, I wound up starting the feature event in 8th place.

Before the start of the main event they lined us up on the frontstretch to announce us to the crowd. Once that was completed it was time to get strapped in and be ready to race for fifty hard laps. I was a little worried about the start because I thought everyone was going to be impacient but it all worked out and I fell in line where I started. For the first few laps I ran in eighth place but slowly got to picking off a couple of cars. The second and third place cars got tangled together and it ended their night but moved me up two positions to fifth place. I ran there for a few laps and the guy behind me got me back right before a caution. I stayed floating around sixth place until one certain restart. Coming to take the green flag the leader got jacked up at the start finish line and got turned around in front of the whole field. I saw him spinning and lifted to go down inside immediately but he stayed straight and just backed the car down the fronstretch. So as soon as I saw that happening I hit the gas and got as close to the outside was as I could and just sneaked by before he turned back up the track. Three cars behind me it got UGLY. The 3 car never lifted and plowed him in the rear end causing a fireball and a lot more carnage. The race was red flagged for about ten minutes or so. I restarted in fourth place with 25 laps to go and I was feeling good now. I had stayed out of all of the trouble for the first half of the race and now the second half was coming so it was time to go. After the restart everyone started to get impacient and I just about got spun out once or twice. I gathered everything back together and was running in seventh or eighth with about ten or fifteen to go and was doing everything I could to get back up front. My car started to get loose getting in the corners but it wasn’t so violent that I couldn’t handle it. Well it looked as though I was going to come home with about an eighth place finish on the final lap and I went off into turn three going to attempt a pass coming to the flag but I got in too deep and just lost the car. I was in the gas so hard trying to save the thing but once it went around I stayed in the gas a looped in and drag raced some of the guys back to the line. Needless to say it was a very disappointing finish but I had an absolute blast. I went up there and practiced and ran in the top five all week against the nations best Legend’s racers so there is nothing I can be upset about. It was by far the most fun I have had racing and will never forget that trip to Elko, MN. I just want to thank everybody back at the shop in Dawsonville, Ga for helping us out and making this possible. I have to thank the Kittles for transporting our cars up there. Finally I want to thank my dad, Uncle Bill, Aunt Cindy, Chase, and my mom and step-dad for making the trip up there and doing everything they did for me to make this possible. The Aaron’s Dream Machine, BEDD sedan was awesome all weekend and I couldn’t have had a better time anywhere else.

Blog for September 27

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:36:50 -0400

Saturday night it was on to Lanier National Speedway for the final race of the 2008 INEX points season and the Georgia State Championship. I knew I had a good car when we unloaded because I hadn’t touched it from the week before. I was good in practice but the track was just a tad slow so I wasn’t too concerned with the lap times I ran. My draw for position had me starting my heat race in fourth place. I had a good car and before the end of lap two I was in second place and on the quick hunt for first. I caught the leader pretty fast and by the time we came to the white flag I was right there. I got and awesome run off of turn two and down the backside and got into the back of him fairly good. It also seemed like he lifted on the backstretch but he said he didn’t. Well I hit him hard enough to upset his car and I lifted so I wouldn’t wreck him so he took the heat race win. With the second place finish in the heat race I was starting fourth overall in the main race. We had a clean start for the main race and I quickly got in line in fourth. In the middle of turns three and four the front two got together and spun out right in front of me. I had quick enough reactions to dart to the outside and clear myself from the melee. Since we hadn’t completed a lap we restarted double file and I was starting second now. I got a great jump on the first restart but they wouldn’t let it fly and had us redo the start. On every restart we had I got an awesome jump and was in first before we got to turn one. Finally the race got going and once it did it was green flag the whole way. I put my car out front and kept it there the whole race winning by a straightaway. I crossed the line pumping my fist as the Pro Georgia State Champion. This win was by FAR the best win of my career so far. I have been through so many ups and downs this summer; I know that is what happens in this sport. But nothing compared to crossing that finish line knowing I had overcome everything and being the winner. I just have to thank everyone at the shop who helps out the Bill Elliott Driver Development team, Uncle Bill, Aunt Cindy, Chase (who also won the Semi-Pro Georgia State Championship), and my mom and dad for all making this possible.

Blog for September 26

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:20:40 -0400

Friday night it was back to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the final race there before the cutoff of the INEX points season. It had been a while since anyone had been on the track there so the track was a little of in the grip department but it was a fun night. In the heat race I started on the pole and got passed early in the 10 laps. However I had a faster car than the leader and just stalked him for nine laps before making my move to pass him coming off of turn two on the final lap. I completed the pass on him in turns three and four to secure the win in the heat race. In the main race I started on the outside pole and right off the start I couldn’t get in line to stay in second place. So I fell in line in the third spot and quickly made my way up to second. I once again just followed the leader the whole race and was faster than him here too but I didn’t want to push too hard too soon. I stayed right on him bumper the whole race and coming to the checkered flag out of turn four I turned under him and just missed the win by a bumper. It was a good night but also very frustrating. I knew I had the better car but once we got into tech I believe I found the culpret to my finishing in second place. My oil catcher for the crank case breather was just spitting oil out everywhere on the right front of my car and I believe a little bit may have gotten on my right front tire. But no excuses here. The car was there for sure, but the driver just got there one lap too late.

Blog for September 20

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:37:00 -0400

Saturday night it was back to the second home track of the Bill Elliott Driver Development team: Lanier National Speedway. Just one weekend ago I mirrored my best finish of the season with a second place and I knew I had a good car for Saturday’s race. I didn’t touch the car at the shop other than routine maintenance because I was so happy with it the week before. We went to the track and unloaded for practice where I was one of the fastest cars on the track. I could just feel that the car was awesome and I was so pumped up. I had a terrible draw this weekend with a 62 out of 80 so that started me seventh in the first heat race. I had such a good car I cannot even express to you how fast it was. In 8 laps I drove from seventh to second. On the white flag lap I made the pass for second coming out of turn two and down the backstretch the guy lifted and drove in behind me and nailed my bumper right in the middle of the corner. That sent me up the track and got me really loose so he got under me and just did beat my car back to the line. I ended up third but I knew I had an awesome car for the main race and that was where I would shine. Well the main race started with me in the fifth spot and from here the charge was on. My car was absolutely amazing. I could just turn under guys coming off of the corner and power beside them down the straightaways. My car really made me feel like Super Man, and anybody who has had a fast car can tell you what that feels like. Well before I knew it I was back up to second place on the track and first in the Pro division. I was chasing down the overall leader and thinking to myself “Just stay smooth and this one is yours.” Well I stayed smooth and was slowly catching the leader and wouldn’t you know it the caution came out. Then we got restarted and the caution came out again, and again, and again. On each restart I would duck out of line on the start because I got such a good run on the leader but I couldn’t complete the pass and I would have to lift. That caused the guys behind me to catch me in the middle of the corner but the cautions kept saving me. I should have realized it was a sign but I was being to hard headed and wasn’t thinking how a Pro division driver should be thinking. I should have just followed the leader and ran away from the field with him but I raced and I learned and I will never make that mistake again. Anyways, on the final restart I tried it again and it bit me big this time. I went from running second to running fifth in three laps because of my bonehead move, and that is where I ended up… fifth. I had the most amazing car I have ever had there and let my conscience take over and I beat myself. I just beat myself. One thing is for sure though; that car is spectacular and I will once again do my routine maintenance to her and she will be flying this weekend at the Georgia State Championship.

Blog for September 19

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:19:38 -0400

Friday night at Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina was our second time ever being there. It had been so long since we had been to that track that for the first time out in practice I was just trying to get re-aquainted with the track. The first time out in practice the car was pretty good but it was sputtering when I would get on the gas in the middle of the corner and that just killed my straightaway speed. I was also fighting a couple of things handling wise so I made a few adjustments before the heat races and they worked. I started on the outside pole of the heat race and got shuffled back quickly. Once I got in line I was running with the leaders and picked off a couple of spots to finish fifth in the heat race. With that finish I started the main race in fifth as well. The start was kind of rough and I lost a little track position but made it back up quick. I took a little too long to get by one of the cars but going into turn three I snuck under him and showed him my nose just enough to scare him and send him up the track. From there it was the front five running nose to tail. We ran away from everyone else and had an eventful race up front. We were darting in and out of line trying to pass because it’s such a tough place to pass at. With two laps to go the second place car fell out of line due to engine trouble and that picked me up one more spot. The first place Pro car was right in front of me and I could get to his bumper and touch him but I just couldn’t push him enough to turn under him. It was a great race and a lot of fun but I just couldn’t pull off the win. I ended up fourth over all and second in the Pro division for the second race in a row. I feel like I am really getting things figured out now and I know a few wins are in store real soon for the 91 car.

Blog for September 13

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:34:33 -0400

This weekend at Lanier National Speedway I tried something different from anything else I have done down there and boy did it work. The past two weeks there I have been getting really good draws and it didn’t change this week. I drew a 4 and that started me on the pole in the first heat race. I ran a good qualifying race and for the second week in a row led all of the laps but the most important one. I ended up a close second in the heat race which started me third in the main race. I had some stout competition there this weekend. The first and second place guys in national points were there as well as the usual front runners from week to week. Well at the drop of the green flag I knew I had a good car. I stayed right with the top three for the first half of the race just waiting on an opportunity to capitalize on a mistake. Well entering turn four on lap nine I capitalized. The first and second place cars tangled together bringing out a caution and I came out sitting in a very nice second place. With the choose rule in effect I found myself sitting in third for the restart and this was where things got a little messed up. Coming to the green flag down the backstretch the front two cars hit tires and almost wrecked right in front of me under caution. So I jumped out of line real fast and hit the brakes but they recovered the cars. Right when they got their cars squared away they just took off and started the race from the backstretch. By the time I got up to speed from trying to dodge their little mistake the second place car was able to get down in front of me. Once he came down it was a nose to tail race with the top three for the last 11 laps. I had a great car, but I just couldn’t get under the guys where I needed to to make the pass. I brought the car home in a close third place overall and second in the Pro class. I feel like I have an awesome race car and I cannot wait to take this thing back to Lanier to give it a run for the win.

Blog for September 6

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:47:18 -0400

Saturday night was another race for us to get dialed in at Lanier National Speedway, and dialed in is what we got. My day night started out good with a good draw for starting position in the heat race. I drew a 27 and that had me starting on the outside pole of the first heat race. The heat race came around and I knew who I was starting outside of and I had a good feeling I could get a jump on the start and pull down into turn one with the lead, and that I did. I got probably the best start I have ever gotten and before I went into turn one I had a once car length lead over second place. From there I just started stretching it out for the remainder of the heat race. We had just completed lap five and I was coming into turn three about to take the two to go signal and a caution came out. I could not believe it. Well I knew I had a good car but it was just a little snug middle off so I out a little bit of brake in it. I once again got a killer restart and pulled the second and third place guys down into turn one. I led lap six and going into turn three on lap seven I got too greedy and tried to get in too hard and it cost me… almost the car. I got so sideways I couldn’t believe it but I stood in the gas and held onto the car coming out of turn four. I went from leading to running on the outside in third place coming to the white flag. I raced my way back around to the checkered flag on the outside and held onto a disappointing third place finish in the heat race.

Now it was time for the main race and I knew my car was going to be awesome. My teammate, Chase Elliott, was racing in the Semi-Pro race just before me and I was watching him run up front. He was running second on the outside with two laps to go and he held on for his first Legends victory in a real nail biter so that got me pumped up for my race. I started on the inside in fifth place and got rolling real quick once again. I got held up early in the race by one of my competitors and finally just pushed him off of turn four and turned under him getting into turn one to complete the pass. From there the march was on to third place who was a good ways out there. However I steadily started cathcing him and I knew I had a fast car. I pulled right up to his bumper and was trying to make the pass on the inside coming off of turn four when I just all of a sudden spun the thing out. I absolutely could not believe what I just did. Here I was sitting in fourth place with a top three car knowing good and well I had the spot but I tried too hard to early and it cost me. I restarted the race with four laps to go and drove my car back up to an 8th place finish. It was a good charge there at the end but I was still sick because I knew I had an excellent car. One thing is for sure though. We will definitely be competing for a win this weekend at the James Garrison memorial race.

Blog for August 30

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:38:29 -0400

This weekend’s race at Lanier National Speedway was my first race back in the sedan that I flipped a few weeks back. After knowing how well I had run in that car before the accident and how the car felt in practice I had a good feeling about the race. We got there and went out for our ten laps of practice to see how the cars were. The track was real hot and slick so the cars were a little on the loose side, but when the track cooled off I knew my car would come to me. I drew an 18 for my starting position which placed me third in the second heat race. I got a good start at the beginning of the heat race and got down into turn one pretty good, but coming out of turn two the guy behind me got into me and almost spun me out. I caught the car and only lost one position down the back stretch. I regained my car and composure and caught the third place guy fast. I was faster than him but he was hard to pass so coming to the white flag down the back stretch I pushed him off into the corner a little harder than he wanted to go and I just turned under him and took third. The top two cars were too far out to catch up to in one lap but I was pleased with my car. After the heat race I knew it was going to be fast. I came in and didn’t make any changes except for putting a little lead on the car because I was too light. With the sun going down and the track getting cooler the track conditions were going to be good for my car. During the drivers meeting a random rain shower just dropped out of nowhere and that soaked the track. Now I knew the track was really going to tighten up and I was all for that. We lined up for the main race and I started sixth. On the start, within the first lap or two, I was by two cars and in fourth place hunting down the leaders. The leader had pulled out to a decent lead over the second and third place cars and I was catching them lap by lap. A caution came out for a spin in turn two and I figured that was just what I needed. We had a double file restart and nobody chose the outside so I did and restarted second.On the start getting into turn one, the car under me washed up the track and I had to go up with him and that hurt my momentum up off of turn two. I’m not too sure but I think we were three wide coming out of turn two and into turn three until I let them go and it was a good thing that I did. I stayed right there with them on the outside but they touched tires and just about wrecked in turn four. The going off into turn one they got into each other again and really almost lost it. They were so sideways that I had to jump on the brakes to keep from rear ending them. That killed my run down the back and a car got to my outside but he didn’t have enough steam to make the pass. Entering turn three there was a bumper on the track right in my line. I hit it dead center and after that the car got back loose for some reason. They FINALLY through the caution for the bumper and when they did I had a track official look at my tires to see if any of them were flat. They weren’t so I figured the car would be okay and I would continue up towards the front. Just after the final restart the car developed a vibration and I started to get worried then. I was completely confused as to what could have happened to make the car do that but it only got worse and worse as we got closer to the end of the race. I picked up one spot on the final restart to finish in sixth place overall. The 91 Bill Elliott Driver Development team car was awesome all night. I just made a mistake by hitting that bumper and it was unfortunate but at least I know I have a good car to compete with. We’ll go back to Lanier next weekend and see if we can make a run for the top spot.

Blog for August 16

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:49:14 -0400

Saturday night’s race at Lanier was a big one seeing as how it was a national qualifier for the Legends cars. Surprisingly enough there weren’t as many cars as I thought there would be but there were quite a few. The normal front runners showed up and I knew I could run with them so I felt like I had a good shot at competing for the win. We ran practice and figured out what had been wrong with the car for so long and that gave me some more confidence going into the Saturday night show. We unloaded and went out for practice and the car was working MUCH better. It was rotating in the middle of the corner very good, really too good. So we came in after practice and made a wedge adjustment to the car to tighten it up just a little bit. I started sixth in the heat race because my draw wasn’t very good at all. I had a pretty good car in the heat race but slower cars in front of me allowed the leaders to get away too much to do anything with. I got stuck in sixth for a good part of the race because the two cars in front of me were all over the place. They were loose and slipping and sliding in every corner. I just eased by both of them as quickly as I could but like I said by then the leaders were a straightaway ahead. I brought the car home to a fourth place finish in the heat race and that was going to start me eighth in the main race. I wasn’t real sure whether or not to adjust the car for the main race or not. I found out in the driver’s meeting that we were going to be running later than usual so I figured the track would gain more grip and the car would be just right. Turns out the track gained just a tick too much grip. In the feature race my car was pushing just enough in the middle of the corner to hurt me in rolling the corner which in turn effects my exit and straighaway speed. It was never really just a “ride along” race. I was constantly working on someone or someone was working on me and on top of that I was working the car too. I brought the Aaron’s Dream Machine home to a seventh place finish which was okay by my standards. I know I am capable of running in the top three which makes it a little bit frustrating but hey… that’s racing. We’ll be back in two weeks to compete up front once again and hopefully take home a win. I want to thank Aaron’s, ABF, and the Dawsonville Pool Room for sticking with us through everything. I also want to thank everyone who helps me out at the track: my dad, Uncle Bill, Casey Roderick, and David Roderick.

Blog for August 12

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:56:54 -0400

Tuesday night’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte was the final race of the Summer Shootout series. To start things out I drew about middle of the way, somewhere around 200 out of 400 positions. Having that draw started me fifth in the first heat race. I was excited about this last race because I felt like I had something figured out to where I could run up front again, but that wasn’t the case. I held my own for the first three or four laps of the heat race but after that I couldn’t hang on to the car. I’m not so sure that the car was really as bad as it looked moreso than I was having braking difficulties. That is one part of these cars that you have to have down pat if you plan on running good. The brakes just have to be there. Between the heat race and main races I changed brake pads and scuffed them in and all to check them out. However once I ran them in and then tested the car to see where it locked up first I found that I had MUCH better brakes but the balance of them was off. We did all we could at the track to make the car better and from there we went out for the main race. Right off the bat the car was sideways getting in the corner but that was from too much adjustment on the brake adjuster. But once I came out of the adjuster some it just used almost all right front brake and I was pushing very bad getting into the corner. I can’t really say what my car was doing but it felt tight when I got the brakes off of the rear. If your brakes are acting up then that affects your entry which in turn affects your middle and so on to the exit. It’s definitely a finesse adjustment and probably the most important on these Legend cars. But I stayed out of the wrecks in the race and picked off a few positions here and there when I had a good corner but it was still disappointing considering I know that myself and my car are capable of top five runs. I just have to thank Aaron’s, ABF, and the Dawsonville Pool Room for all of their support this season. I also want to thank my aunt and uncle for continueing to help me along in this once in a lifetime opportunity. You can bet once we get the car’s tweaks worked out we will be contending for wins in the Pro division.