RACE REPORTS
14: DELAWARE RACE #11, October 1, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
It was nice to get back on the track after a long, long layoff. Our car (Gert) was a bit off to start Practice, there seemed to be a problem in the left rear suspension. Uncle Don was able to diagnose a shock problem and he made repairs. We lined up 9th (out of 10) for our Heat race and once again we thought it wise to be cautious at the start of the race. Sure enough there was some early bumping and banging. Gert felt pretty good and I was able to work through traffic and ended up in 3rd place.
That finish put us in third place for the Feature, which promised to be an 'interesting' race given that the top four cars in our division were all gunning for the season Championship. I wanted to get a real good start but the outside lane got a super quick jump off the start and quickly we were back to sixth or seventh place. I moved up to fifth but that had us restarting on the outside row through a series of restarts (for cautions that invovled championship contenders). On a one groove track that wasn't the place to be, but on each restart I was able to get down low fairly quickly. I settled into a bit of a duel with my friend Darrell Lake. We battled back and forth with him ending up in third, me in fourth. We took some satisfaction in knowing that we were just as quick, maybe quicker, than the cars in front.
Gert really surprised us today, she was very quick, and this race was a good end to a very up and down season. Our plans for 2006 are up in the air (university comes first) so it was nice to finish on a positive note.
 
14: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #10, September 3, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After our crash last time out Uncle Don worked awfully hard and got the powertrain back into Gert. He also tried some suspension tweaks that had worked for Scarlett. In Practice Gert was pretty good, not perfect, but quicker than ever before. We lined up at the back of the pack (12th) for our Heat race, behind some a couple of cars that might have trouble getting around the track clean. We laid back for a lap and sure enough, trouble hit on the back straight before the first lap was complete. After the restart we carefully worked through traffic, ending up 6th.
That put us in 18th place (out of 24) for the Feature race. Again, some of the 'interesting' cars were lined up mid pack, it looked like the race might be a rough one. That was sure the case with a lot of bumping and banging and several cautions. While worrying about the cars in front, we got worked over from the back. Several times I got hit and turned sideways but I was always able to gather it up. We fought our way to 7th place by the end of the race. I was pretty happy with that result all things considered. Now it's off to university while we wait for our last race of the year on October 1st.
UPDATE:
Uncle Don arranged for Art Vandelay and Vandelay Industries to join us for the "Great Canadian Race Weekend" on September 3rd. Art, an architect who is in latex sales and importing and exporting, will hopefully lighten up the rest of our season and change our racing luck. Check out the new hood that Art did for us.
UPDATE:
We've decided to check out our powertrain, and if it's OK, move it back into Gert for the last 2 races of the season. Gert is not as competitive as Scarlett, but that's the hand that we've been dealt, and we'll do our best.
13: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #9, August 19, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After last race's excitement we were eager to get racing again. Uncle Don replaced our transmission, fixed our rear axle leak, and did some suspension tweeks. We also got all of the body and decal work done (it got worked over last week) and the car looked pretty decent. In Practice the car felt good, and over the 3 sessions we made it better and better. Delaware announced one extra session and so we went out for one final run. The car felt awesome.
Then disaster struck. Heading into turn one I hit the brakes and nothing happened. Suddenly we were headed right for the wall. I tried to spin out but nothing worked and we were into the wall hard. Flames started to come from under the hood so I got out of the car as quickly as I could. The Delaware Safety Crew was very quick to respond, and the fire was put out right away. Scarlett was towed back to the pits and put right into the trailer. Fans later told us that they heard a loud bang just as we entered the corner, so perhaps we blew a tire at exactly the time I hit the brakes. Whatever, Scarlett's front clip is done, again, and there's lots of other damage.
You just can't imagine how frustrating this is. Once again we got the car working well and then BANG! - disaster again. Now we must go back and review things and decide if we can get back on the track in Gert in 2 weeks. At least friend Darrell Lake had a great night, winning his heat race and finishing 3rd in the Feature.
12: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #8, August 05, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
Preparations for tonight's special Kendall Motor Oil Street Stock Showdown included re-arched rear springs and 4 new (overdue) 'sticker' tires. The Kendall Showdown format included qualifying and 3 race segments - 20 laps, inversion and 20 more laps, another inversion and a 10 lap sprint to the finish. That Showdown was preceded by a Canusa 10-lap Street Stock Eliminator race.
We heat cycled our new tires in Practice, the car felt pretty good although our transmission was starting to leak a bit. We went out and qualified in 7th place (out of 24 cars). We were fairly happy with that but were concerned that our rear differential was starting to act up. We ran a conservative race in the Eliminator, trying to save our differential and tranny for the big event.
The car ran pretty well in the first 20-lap Showdown segment and we were able to climb to second place. Speedway officials rolled the dice to determine how many cars would be inverted and we started the next segment in 7th place. Despite a rear differential that was starting to bind up in the corners we climbed to 5th place by the end of the race. That finish and another roll of the dice put us in 8th place for the final 10-lap segment. That was a pretty intense race and the car was starting to loose traction since the differential had started to leak. We managed to climb to 4th place before getting bumped out of the way on the last lap, we finished 7th. The transmission and differential stayed together, but they were leaking pretty good after the race.
We are pretty happy with our results tonight - 3 top-tens on a super competitive night, despite our transmission and differential problems. Kevin Trevellin wasn't so lucky with Gert - he blew a clutch during qualifying and wasn't able to run any race laps. Disappointing for him after all of the work that he did to get ready for this special event.
We want to thank Dave Graham and his team at Case 'N Drum Oil, and Kendall Motor Oil for sponsoring the first ever Delaware Street Stock Showdown.
UPDATE:
Kevin Trevellin, owner of Trevellin Motorsports, has borrowed Gert for the upcoming Kendall Motor Oil Street Stock Showdown. Kevin will put his own engine in Gert and run "for fun" during the event. We loaned him the car because it will boost the Delaware car count and it will give our sponsors some valuable, bonus exposure. We hope that Kevin has fun racing against his boss (#15) and that he takes it easy on Gert (as promised), our loyal backup racecar.
11: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #7, July 15, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
Well, after installing a new ball joint and doing some rear bumper repairs (we got lots of "help" last week) we headed to the track hoping to find some better luck in the Feature race. During practice we got a brief scare when we lost power - but it was just a battery connection problem. We still had a vibration around 5,000 RPM but our temperature and oil pressure were still good, and our max RPM was up a bit. During the second practice session we cut a right rear tire so we had to scramble to get the correct replacement. We started our Heat in fourth place. The car was loose but we fought our way into the lead with one lap to go. Nice to win, but would that jinx us again in the Feature?
Just before our Feature we discovered another cut right rear tire. Out of options we quickly borrowed a right side tire (they're uni-directional) from Darrell Lake (thanks), but we had no time to double-check our rear tire stagger. We started on the outside pole, and despite being really loose, we managed to grab the lead for a few laps. The car got looser and looser as the tires heated up and eventually we slipped back to 3rd place. While the car was a handful, we were in pretty good shape until a late caution tightened up the field. After the restart we just tried to hang on to the car, falling back to 6th place. While it was tough to loose ground with a loose race car, with all the troubles we've had in Features this year it was nice to finish the race in the top ten.
Now we have 3 weeks to get a couple of new tires and get ready for the Kendall Street Stock Showdown (50 Lap) event on August 5th. In the meantime check out an interview with Darrell Lake and his racing family in the London Free Press.
10: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #6, July 01, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
We were pretty nervous about our prospects tonight - would our engine hold together or would this be the end of the season. The engine sounded fine and it ran pretty good in Practice. We were down about 500 RPM, and there was a vibration over 5,000 RPM, but it pulled well coming off the corners. Most important, our temperature and oil pressure where good, and it just didn't feel like it was going to fly apart and hurt our car or someone else's.
Practice was not as productive as it might have been, once again the Speedway blocked of the lower groove, trying to create a second lane for the Cintas Late Models. We started our Heat race in 3rd place, and the motor still felt fine. The handling was good also, so we pressed ahead, moving into first place after a couple of laps. We held on for a very satisfying Heat win. Who would have guessed.
Our Heat win put us on the outside pole for the Feature. Again, the motor seemed fine and we decided to race. On a lap 5 (or 6) restart we jumped from 3rd to first place, unreal. Then reality did strike - coming out of turn 2 our front left ball joint broke. We were towed back to the pits, Uncle Don just couldn't make repairs in time to get back on the track. Very, very frustrating. Down on RPM, we were not going to win but we would have had a good finish. However, as Dad pointed out - we did better tonight than we had any right to expect, we didn't hit anything when the ball joint broke, and the motor sounds good enough to try again in two weeks.
UPDATE 2:
We've had a lot of trouble accepting an end to our season, but a new engine is not in the cards. We decided to try and find a short term solution - something to get us on the track July 1st - to buy us a bit more time (we don't race July 8th). After weighing our options we've decided to put our engine back together and see if it lasts for a few laps. Amazingly Steve Williams (Parts Manager, Brian Finch Pontiac Buick GMC Ltd.) found 3 matching pistons, barely used and in good condition. We honed the cylinder walls and put them in, now we have to see how well (and long) things hold together.
UPDATE:
Uncle Don and Dave Lawrence had a look at the motor on Sunday. Compression in two cylinders was bad so they pulled the engine and it went in to the machine shop (Carquest) Monday morning. They pulled the heads and discovered 3 holed pistons on the left side. That's the end of that motor (a rebuild would cost almost as much as a new motor) and perhaps the end of our season. Anyone want to buy some Vortec heads?
9: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #5, June 24, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
Well, we got Scarlett finished and ready to race in time for our 5th points race of the year. It was a very hot, humid evening and during Practice we ran into some battery/electrical troubles, so we never really got to work on our setup as planned. Uncle Don ended up taking the battery out of his truck and putting it in the car for our Heat race. I started 3rd, got a good start, and quickly moved into first place, where I finished. The car felt pretty good.
That win put us on the pole for the Feature. I got a decent start but knew right away that something was wrong, the car wouldn't rev over 5,000 RPM. We got banged around a bit but tried to hold our line and let cars go by on the outside. Suddenly, about mid-race I lost oil pressure and shut the engine down, and coasted into the pits. It was not clear how serious the problem is, but it doesn't look good.
8: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #4, June 17, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
While work continues on Scarlett we headed back to the track with Gert. After our disappointment last week we were eager to find out just what was going on with Gert's setup. We tried several different things and she seemed to get better through each round of Practice. We lined up 5th for our Heat, Gert felt OK and we worked up to 2nd place. We couldn't get around #8 who was hard on the brakes in the corner and very quick on the straights. That finish put us on the outside pole for the Feature, beside #8. He was quick off the front straight so we settled into 2nd behind him. That's where we stayed for a while, unable to make a move under #8. Soon #28 and #89 caught us both, going around the outside. Frustrated, I decided to try the outside too - bad move. Gert just wasn't up to it and I got stuck outside for a couple of laps, slipping back to 5th or 6th place. I got back down low and settled in, Gert was getting more and more loose as the race wore on. Around the 3/4 point #17 spun me out in turn #3 (he apologized later), I went down through the infield and got back on the track, but now back in 15th place. I worked my way back to 12th place by the end of the race. Looking back maybe I shouldn't have gone outside on #8. I could have held onto a top 5 finish, but then again I was there to race, so ...
This weekend the motor comes out of Gert and moves back into Scarlett.
7: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #3, June 10, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
Well, it was very very hot and humid, but with no rain in the forecast we could finally give Gert her first run this year. After our practice last week we did feel a bit of optimism about how she would do, but in Practice, on a greasy track she was pretty loose. That's very different than last year when she was always tight. We adjusted throughout Practice, getting a bit better but not to where we wanted to be. We lined up 6th for our Heat and she felt pretty good to start. I was able to work through traffic to second place, closing in on the leader in the closing laps.
That put us in 3rd starting position for the Feature. Gert wasn't nearly as quick as #28 (Dave Lawrence) or some of the other front runners, but the Heat race gave us reason to believe that we might hang in for a good finish. That optimism started to go out the window on lap one, turn one. The pole sitter was very slow and the outside row flew past us, and pre-race adjustments didn't improve our loose condition. Suddenly we were 6th or 7th position and trying to hang on. We ended up 13th, but 2 cars got disqualified for rough driving, so we were scored 11th. Disappointing, but we came home in one piece, and we scored some important season points. And, Darrell Lake and I got to spend some time speaking with The Londoner motorports reporter Jennifer Ward, which was great.
This weekend we will continue to get Scarlett ready for racing again.
6: DELAWARE PRACTICE, June 3, 2005.
While we had a break in our schedule, we decided to take advantage of Delaware Speedway rules that allow us to practice on off nights. We wanted more practice with GERT since we will likely need to use her for our next race on June 10th. Uncle Don spent some time getting the front suspension geometry sorted out during the week and it paid off in Practice, the car was much more controllable. It was still very tight but some tweaking tire pressures helped, and Don has some ideas on how to improve it a bit more.
Now our attention turns back to getting Scarlett ready for racing.
5: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT, May 27, 2005. [PHOTOS]
Thanks to the hard work of Uncle Don, Brian Cohoon, Dad, Stephen Richmond, and Neil Richmond GERT was ready to go racing. During the first Practice session she ran lap times equal to her best last year, with the new Hoosier tires used this year really helping. However, she was a handful going into the corners, so the Team made lots of adjustments during the next Practice sessions. She got better, but not great. More changes were done for our Heat race but we never got a chance to see how they worked because thundershowers moved in and eventually cancelled the night's racing. That was really frustrating for the Team since all of the work done this week could have been devoted to getting our 2005 car repaired. Ah well, there's nothing you can do about the weather.
We did have a bit of fun while doing lots of laps attempting to dry the track. Gert still had the passenger seat that Uncle Don put in for Sponsor Day last year, so Darrell Lake hopped in and we went for some GO KNIGHTS GO! laps.
UPDATE:
We reviewed things and have decided to retrofit last year's car (GERT) so that we can get a car on the track for our sponsors, keep the Delaware car count up, and salvage some season points. It means a fair bit of work removing the engine and drivetrain from this year's car (Scarlett) and moving everything back to Gert (plus fixing a few things ignored as the 2004 season ended). Later we can evaluate fixing Scarlett or just continuing on with Gert.
4: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #2, May 21, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
A tale of two races. After another rainout last week it was good to get back to racing. Due to CASCAR Super Series qualifying Practice was a bit rushed, we didn't get to try all the things that we wanted to, and we cut a tire down. Uncle Don made some final adjustments and we lined up 2nd for our Heat. I got a very good start and jumped into the lead right away. The car was much better and I was able to lay down a couple of laps that were my quickest ever, going on to win my first checkered flag of the season.
That win put us in fourth place (2nd row, outside) for the Feature. We were optimistic about our chances at a good finish. On lap one, heading into turn one a car tried to make it 3 wide and I got hit from the rear, spinning me around and ripping the rear bumper right off my car. I headed to the pits for a quick check, then restarted at the back of the pack (20th). On the restart I felt out the car, then started to work my way back to the front. Around lap 5 or 6 I came into turn 1 pretty hard, the 3 cars in front of me locked up their brakes and I had to hit mine hard. I didn't hit anyone but suddenly my car shot up towards the turn 1 wall. I hit the wall pretty hard, and my night was over. Very disappointing and frustrating. Back in the pits we surveyed the damage, it looks like we need a new front clip. With university coming up this fall we may not have the budget for that, so some tough decisions will need to be made.
3: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #1, May 6, 2005. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After our rainout last week we were very anxious to get on the track and see how our new car was going to do. We used our first Practice session to heat cycle a couple of new tires, planning to work on handling in the next 2 sessions. Wrong. The car wouldn't start and we missed the next session. Uncle Don thrashed long and hard but he couldn't repair a bad starter and our spare wouldn't fit around the car's new exhaust configuration. Suddenly I had to learn all about bump starting. We got in one more Practice and found the car pretty loose. We made some adjustments for racing. With no starter I had to keep the car idling while waiting in line for our Heat, but suddenly the motor died. No fuel delivery. The Team pushed to car a long way back to the pits for more thrashing (and gasping for air). We got it rolling in time to take make the grid - thanks Team! I started 4th on the outside, the car was very loose and I slipped to 5th place. That put us in 11th place for the Feature. Despite pre-race adjustments the car was still very very loose. I worked as hard as I could and managed to climb to 9th place. Later we discovered a loose front sway bar, which explains why the car handled so poorly. It's back to the shop to resolve our starting and fuel system problems, but at least the car is in one piece and we know we can make the car handle better.
2: PRACTICE DAY 3, April 16, 2005. [PHOTOS]
Our second Practice day was fun, the weather was great once again and the car was pretty good. We started to dial in the suspension and we were pleased with our lap times. I was also starting to get comfortable with the new car, it's very different than last year's car. We would like a bit more practice time to experiment a bit more with tire pressures, etc. but we also want to get racing.
1: PRACTICE DAY 2, April 9, 2005. [PHOTOS]
Well, after a winter of preparations it was great to get on the track. The weather was perfect for early April, and the new car looked pretty good for its first time out in public. The car felt good right away and as the day wore on we started to build a bit of confidence. Our lap times were very encouraging. A new chassis and tires (Hoosier bias-plys) will take some practice to get used to, but we feel pretty good about things so far.
PREVIOUS SEASON RESULTS
- 2004 - 9th Place, 1 Feature Win, 2 Heat Wins, 9 Top 3 finishes, 13 Top 5 finishes .
- 2003 - 2nd Place, 3 Feature Wins, 9 Heat Wins, 21 Top 3 finishes, 31 Top 5 finishes .
- 2002 - 2nd Place, 2 Feature Wins, 4 Heat Wins.
- 2001 - 2 Feature Wins, 6 Heat Wins.
- 2000 - 2 Feature Wins, 5 Heat Wins.
- 1999 - Senior Division "Rookie of the Year".
- 1998 - 2nd Place, Sportsman, Classroom, and "Best Appearing Car & Team" Award Winner.
- 1997 - 3rd Place, Sportsman, and 'Classroom Achievement' Award Winner.
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