EVENT REPORTS
15: DELAWARE RACE #12, September 3, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After a good run last week I was very anxious to get racing again. We did wonder what the impact would be of some traction compound that Speedway officials had sprayed on the outside groove. Unfortunately, we didn't get to try it out before heavy rains came, and our event was postponed by one day. Now we would be a support race for the inaugural APC 300 Late Model event, which was great, but we would only get one 15-minute practice session to see how the track reacted to the traction compound and heavy rain. During practice the car wasn't great, not nearly as good as last week despite keeping the same setup. Adjusting for the Feature was a bit tricky - how much would the track change after 200 laps of Late Model racing that would preceed us? We took our best guess and lined up third on the grid (thanks to a roll of the dice inversion).
Normally that would be a great starting position, but today it put us behind #33 who was not running well. On lap one, turn one #33 got up into #87 (who started on the outside pole). Number 33 dipped down below the track's rumble strip, then back up onto the track. I had no choice but to check up, then got tapped in the right and rear, while to whole outside lane took off. Suddenly I was in 8th or 9th place, and it was quickly apparent that the car was very loose. I was able to make my way up to 5th place when there was a caution flag. That put me on the outside for the restart, and there was no grip up there, it was like ice. After a couple of laps I was able to get down to the inside lane, in 7th place, I was not able to advance from there. That was especially frustrating because #87 was up front and flying, getting lots of bonus points and passing us in the season point standings.
So, our season ended on a frustrating note. But looking back a couple of days later we realized that it was a pretty good racing season (off the track was a very different, very difficult story). We had one FEATURE win and three second place finishes - including back to back podium finishes under a handicapping system that really makes that tough. We didn't wreck the car (or engine), and sixth place was a nice improvment over last year (eleventh place). With a few breaks we can do even better next year.
 
14: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #11, August 25, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
A bad reaction to a bee sting early in the day had me worried that I couldn't race tonight, but some medical attention and a bit of time got things settled down to where I could drive safely (if uncomfortably). In Practice the car was good, but loose off the turns and we made some adjustments heading into our heat race. I started 8th, on the outside, and got stuck there for the first few laps. The car was still too loose to work in the outside groove, so I backed off and settled into 11th place, on the inside. I was able to make it back to 9th place by race end, not a great start to the night.
That finish put us in 14th place (outside) for the Feature. Uncle Don made some significant changes to the car, hoping to tighten it up some. The car was better, but I wasn't able to make make much progress. Around mid race #42 Jamie Ramsey hit the turn 4 wall hard, causing a long red flag period.
On the re-start I figured that I didn't have much to lose and decided to start trying the outside groove again. Thanks to Uncle Don's adjustments Scarlett worked pretty decent up there and I started to work through the field. I made it to fifth place, just missing fourth place by inches. After the race I felt pretty good about how things had gone on the outside groove, and am really looking forward to trying it again next race.
13: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #10, August 11, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
The Team took a well earned vacation break the past couple of weeks but that didn't stop Uncle Don from trying to sort out why our handling is not right. He found a slightly bent ball joint and made a few other tweaks to get ready for tonight's racing. During our first practice session the car would not run, with a bit of help from Vic (B.T. Racing) we found out that some debris had somehow gotten into the needle and seat area in the carb. Once cleaned out the car ran fine (thanks Vic) so we could turn our attention to handling. Unfortunately that didn't go to well either, something came loose in the front end of the car and I had to come in early again. It turned out to be the front sway bar, but the Team couldn't find out why it had come loose or how to make sure it wouldn't happen again.
I headed to my Heat race (Heat #2) not knowing how the car would handle. I started in 6th place, on the outside. The car was not great but I was able to work my way up to third place by the end of the race. The sway bar was loose again so the Team worked hard to make it right for the Feature. I drew 11th place for the Feature (sixth row, inside) behind some quick cars. The car was pretty tight this time, but I was able to advance a few positions. About 10 laps in I settled in behind #33, with #98 outside on my right and #88 pressing from the rear. We battled close quarters like that lap after lap. I bumped #33 a couple of times (sorry Jamie) and I got bumped a couple of times by #88. Jamie Grover (#33) didn't make any mistakes and I had to settle for seventh place.
Seventh place is OK I guess, but I had a lot of fun racing tonight. It was good experience racing door to door with #98 Ray Morneau. Congratulations to #87 Jeremy Ouellette who won his first feature race tonight.
12: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #9, July 28, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After a welcome break we were back on the track on a very hot, humid night. Uncle Don tried hard to find a fix for a 'tight' condition that has been vexing us recently, but in Practice the car was still not right. We adjusted for our Heat race and I lined up on the outside pole in Heat 2. Right away I could feel something was wrong, the car felt a lot like it did the night we broke a rear spring. Quickly I fell back in the field and finished 8th.
The Team made some radical changes in preparation for the Feature, where I lined up 7th, on the inside for a change. On lap one, in turn 2, there was a big wreck which I was able to avoid. On the restart I started 3rd and was able to quickly move into second behind #9, D.J. DeJesus who has been running very well the past few weeks. The car was much better, but still tight through the middle of the turns. I was able to get under #9 in a few laps and settle into the lead. Out front I could run my own line, compensating for the tight condition and hoping to stretch out my lead. Soon #98 broke free from the pack and tracked me down. The was no point in fighting him, he was really hooked up and any battle would just let the rest of the pack catch up. I moved up and let him by, settling into second place where I could once again run my own line. Late in the race there was a caution, allowing the pack to move up on my bumper. Rather than taking a run at the leader I was more concerned about hanging on to second place, there were some quick cars right behind me. Fortunately I was able to get a good re-start and hang on, getting my third second place finish of the year.
We feel pretty fortunate tonight, getting a great finish when the car wasn't working well. Thanks Team for making a good call on adjustments for the Feature, it was just enough to run up front when the opportunity presented itself.
11: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #8, July 14, 2006. [FULL RACE RESULTS]
With all the damage we got last week, Uncle Don and the Team had to work very very hard to get ready for racing again. Meanwhile there was a bit of controversy during the past week, with concerns raised about the legality of the engine in #42 Jamie Ramsey's car. During the Drivers Meeting Kevin Bulmer gave us an important reminder about the destructive power of negative thinking and Jeff Wilcox spent time reviewing the Speedway's tech and officiating procedures.
In Practice we had some steering and suspension bugs to sort through and the car was pretty tight due to the hot, greasy track. In our Heat the car was a bit tough to handle, but I managed to climb from 5th to 3rd place. In the pits the Team discovered a problem with the front right ball joint, no doubt more damage as a result of our trip into the Turn 1 wall last week.
I started 5th in the Feature. The car was still pretty tight but I was able to make a couple of passes and move into 3rd place. Up front D.J. DeJesus (#9) had a great start and he led the first 15 laps before #28, Duane Manning, was able to get under him in Turn 1. I followed Duane into 2nd, right behind him. I made one try on the outside but I couldn't complete a pass, so I had to settle in and see if he gave me any room down low. He didn't and late in the race I faded a bit as our handling went away. Still, I was able to hang on the second place, a good finish and nice after last week's disappointment.
Congratulations to Duane Manning and the B.T. Racing Team, it was nice to see #28 out front again.
10: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #7, July 7, 2006. [FULL RACE RESULTS]
Thanks to Traction London Driveline and Uncle Don's hard work we were ready to go for the Kendall Street Stock Showdown. The Showdown format included Qualifying + 3 Race 'Segments' (20-laps + 20-laps +15-laps). Starting positions for the Segments would include an 'Inversion' of cars, the number to be inverted to be determined by a roll of dice. The winner of the final Segment would win $1000.00 thanks to Kendall Oil.
When we arrived at the track we got a bit of a surprise - Enduros had been invited to join us for the Showdown. Speedway Officials assured us that the Enduros would stay out of our way and not to worry about fluids on the track and that typical Enduro sort of thing: "We'll watch that, we'll keep them down and behind you, not to worry".
In Qualifying I went out 14th and set the 3rd best time, with the Inversion that put us back in 11th place for the first Segment. There was a fair bit of bumpin' and bangin' considering there were 2 Segments to go. In the middle Segment things got rougher. About mid-race an Enduro (inverted towards the front) blew an engine right in front of me. I slid up and tapped the Turn 1 wall, then #66 also hit the wall hard and bounced hard into my rear end. I went quickly to the pits and the Team put on a new rim and tire, and I finished 12th. During the break between Segments 2 and 3 the Team worked hard to fix the front suspension and tape the rear body work together. I started 12th in Segment 3, and there was a lot more bumping and banging. Early on I put the fan into the radiator, spun in my own water, and got hit once again. That ended our night. Several other cars experienced similar (or worse) results. Looks like the racing forumla tonight was: [$1000 prize + Inversions + Enduros] = Demo Derby.
9: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #6, June 30, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After a tough, emotional week last week we looked forward to better racing this week. The Team worked hard to repair the front suspension and get some handling back in the car. In Practice the car didn't feel quite right, although we did spend some good laps in the upper groove. We started mid-pack in our Heat, but I quickly lost ground, something was very wrong, the car was not handling at all. I managed to hang on to 6th place at the finish. Back in the pits we discovered a problem with our right rear spring and shackle. Uncle Don and the Team tried a fix and we started 10th in our Feature. The car was no better, in fact it was worse since it was very unpredicatable from corner to corner, loose one lap and tight the next time through. I had my hands full and should feel lucky to finish 10th and not wreck, but I don't. Krapmandu! Ah well, off to Traction London Driveline to get a rear spring repaired before the big Kendall Street Stock Showdown next week.
8: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #5, June 23, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
When Dave Lawrence passed away suddenly racing didn't seem too important. As the week wore on we realized that Dave loved racing and he would expect it to continue. We headed to the track anticipating a very emotional night; it was. The were some anxious greetings, sad faces, and more Dave stories in the Pits. Kevin Bulmer and the Delaware Speedway crew held a wonderful memorial for Dave right before racing started. [London Free Press coverage]
In my Heat race I lined up 9th, at the back of the field in Heat 2. Early in the race #93 started spilling fuel and the track got very slippery, I had to back off until he pulled off and the track dried. I managed to get to 6th place but I realized that I was pressing too hard, not in a ryhthm, and I needed to settle down. I started 14th in the Feature. The car was pretty good and I started to make my way forward. I spent quite a few laps on the outside groove which was good experience until I overdrove the car in turn one and fell back. About mid-race coming out of turn four something snapped in the front right of the car (the sway bar) and I almost put it into the wall. I was pretty out of shape and caused trouble for those behind me, sorry. I pressed on the best I could, fighting a very loose race car. I managed to climb to seventh place by the end of the race (28 laps tonight in honour of Dave), not a bad finish for an emotionally difficult night.
7: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #4, June 9, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
After great runs the past 2 weeks we were eager to get racing again. Even though we would have to start at the back of the second (fast) heat, I was looking forward to getting some seat time racing with some very experienced racers. Unfortunately we got very little practice tonight due to the Auto Value Super Sprints big show and we didn't get time to sort the car out on a very cool evening. I lined up eighth for my Heat behind some quick cars but at least on the inside lane (the only one working tonight). I was hoping that we could just power ahead on the inside but a couple of laps in #88 broke suddenly, our lane checked up, and the outside lane moved ahead. I had to settle for 8th place in a shortened (8-lap) race.
I started 10th in the Feature. Jamie Grover (#33) was able to grab the early lead, and he drove away from the field, hoping to avoid a repeat of last week. Behind him there was a lot of bumping and banging. I was able to climb to 4th place after the mid-point of the race. After a restart I spent a few laps behind Scott Nagy (#99) who was giving up nothing in the lower groove. I was pressing hard and when he had to check up I banged him pretty good in turn 4 (sorry Scott). Finally I tried to go around him, a bad move since my car was much too loose to work in the upper groove. I quickly got shuffled back to 7th place where I finished. I guess I should have settled for fourth place, but I came to race so maybe seventh isn't too bad. Congrats to Darrell Lake who was able to make his car work on the outside, he was able to grab a hard earned 2nd place tonight. And congrats to Jamie Grover, who won the Feature.
6: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #3, June 2, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
We headed to the track tonight hoping to back up last week's solid run with another good night. In Practice the car was good, not great, tight in and loose off the corners. We started our Heat (with the 2nd, fast group) in sixth place and advanced to fourth place by the finish. Uncle Don made some more adjustments to loosen the car up and we headed to the Feature hoping for a solid run.
We started in 7th place and right from the start we were able to make some progress, passing slower cars, settling into 3rd place behind #33 and #88. On lap #10 someone got a bit impatient and they got together in turn 1. Suddenly I found myself in first place with a car that was good, but getting looser and looser on warm tires. The racing behind us was pretty rough, and there was a series of cautions that allowed my tires to cool down a bit. On lap 20 there was a red flag to clean up a huge wreck on the front straight. The red flag allowed my tires to cool but it also allowed me to run last week's 'bump and run' through my mind a few times. On the restart I hit my marks while #87 (he raced me clean) and #28 closed in. Thankfully I was able to get a 2-3 car length lead on the final back stretch and I was on my way to a FEATURE WIN! Awesome!
I didn't have a perfect car tonight, but it was quick enough to pass some cars and stay out front when the race came to us. We feel bad for Jamie Grover (#33), this was his race to win, but then, we know what that feels like after last week. A BIG THANKS to Uncle Don and the Team who worked so hard to get the car ready for tonight's great run.
5: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #2, May 26, 2006. [PHOTOS] [FULL RACE RESULTS]
A week off plus a rain out gave us lots of time to work on our brake problem. Uncle Don re-did the front suspension and brakes once again, and we got a tip from Jamie Ramsey (#34) who had worked through a similar problem in the past. We took Jamie's advice and headed to the track eager to get some decent laps on the car.
In Practice the car was pretty good and we were optimistic going into our Heat race. Dad always says that there's good and bad in all things, and the 'good' in our poor finish last time was starting on the outside pole. I was determined to take advantage and I got a good jump and moved quickly into first place, leading the rest of the way for our first win of the season.
That win put us on the pole for the Feature, and once again I was determined to take advantage and get a good finish. The car was a bit tight, but I was able to put down some good laps and hold onto the lead. As the race progressed it turned into a four car race, with #93 right on my bumper. He closed well going into the corners, but I was able to get a good jump off the corners despite tightness through the turns. I led right up until the last corner of the last lap when #93 "helped" me get loose by banging my back left corner. I had expected a bump but not a hit that hard, and I was glad that I was able to hang on to the car and not wreck. Of course I lost momentum and #93 was able to get by, leaving me with a 2nd place finish, and a very good points night. And brakes!
In Tech we had to remove the clutch, flywheel, and transmission, lots of work for the Team. Thanks to the Team for doing all of that hard work on a hot car, and thanks to Jamie Ramsey for the brake advice.
4: DELAWARE RACE NIGHT #1, May 5, 2006. [FULL RACE RESULTS]
Well, after a long winter and lots of work by Uncle Don, Steve Williams, and the rest of the Team, we were ready to go racing with Scarlett again. Even though Scarlett perfomed well during practice days, Dad was nervous about Scarlett, the last two times that we raced her she had brake problems and hit the wall hard. In Practice, on used tires she was pretty good. For the last session we put on new tires but she didn't respond as expected, getting tight in the centre of turns. We adjusted and headed to Heat 1 optimistic that we had at least a decent setup. All that optimism went out the window on lap 5, heading into turn 3 we lost the brakes and I had to spin out into the infield grass. I limped back to the pits and the Team went to work. We thought we had it fixed and went out to line up for the Feature but quickly discovered something was very wrong. I went back to the pits and we discovered that the front right wheel bearing was cracked. We couldn't get it off and so Uncle Don threw the wheel on and we went out for one green flag lap. What a frustrating *~#!*#&*&#^%* start to the season! Ah well, now we've got nowhere to go but up next week.
3: PRACTICE, April 29, 2006. [PHOTOS]
Since I had to miss the last practice day we decided to try and get a few laps in before Delaware's first race day of the season. That meant that we would have to run with the Challenger Trucks during their practice sessions, but that would give us a chance to see how the car was in the outside groove. However, Speedway officials, trying to get some rubber on the outside lane, blocked the lower groove, forcing all of us up to the top. As a result we didn't get a chance to run enough clean laps to see how the car was handling, but at least I got a bit more seat time. After practice we got to enjoy the first Truck, Modified, and Late Model racing of the year. Congrats to Matt Robblee who became the second Junior Racing League grad to win a Feature race at Delaware Speedway.
2: PRACTICE DAY 2, April 15, 2006. [PHOTOS] [VIDEO]
Andrew was disappointed that he could not go racing this weekend, he had his first (of 7) Engineering final exams today. However, this offered a great opportunity to let Uncle Don go racing. He purchased a drivers suit and helmet and took Gert out for today's Practice. Don did great, running some clean laps and keeping out of the way to start. Later in day he picked up the pace a bit and laid down some respectable laps. He also got his first 'donut' and his first cut tire. Judging by the smiles we think that Uncle Don had a great time and hope that he does it again.
Today we also asked Dave Lawrence to use Gert to take a special guest for a ride around Delaware Speedway. Fan Suzanne from Baxter, Ontario got some (really) hot laps around the track and has a new perspective on what it's like to go stock car racing. Thanks Dave. Thanks also to Jeff Wilcox (Delaware Race Director) and Kevin Bulmer (Delaware President) for allowing us to offer Suzanne this experience.
1: PRACTICE DAY 1, April 8, 2006. [PHOTOS]
Well, after a ton of work Uncle Don and the Team had Scarlett back together in time for Practice. Scarlett looked pretty good even though we haven't finished all the paint and decal work yet. It was bright and sunny, but very cold at Delaware Speedway when we arrived for our first laps of 2006. After a quick Tech Inspection (mainly safety items) we hit the track. We took it easy to begin, just to make sure everything was tight and secure. We had time for 5 practice sessions during the day and after the final session we were pretty happy with how Scarlett was performing. We headed home cold, but optimistic. Next weekend I am writing exams, so Uncle Don will bring out Gert to get her ready as a backup car AND to get some racing experience himself.
PREVIOUS SEASON RESULTS
- 2005 - 11th Place, 4 Heat Wins, 8 Top 3 finishes, 11 Top 5 finishes.
- 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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