* Time Trials
EVENT REPORTS
15: RACE NIGHT 13, August 31, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [SHADOW REPORT] [PHOTOS]
Tonight was a double feature night - we finished last week's rained out program and then had a full night of racing to close out the 2008 season.
In the first (makeup) Feature I had a good run going until #51 Rabideau again spun me out in Turn 2 while I was challenging for second place. That's two Features in a row! I had to work like crazy to get back to 12th place by the end of the race. Speedway officials had promised me that if #51 wrecked me or anyone else again he would be parked. Didn't happen.
The second portion of the night went much better. I had a great run in my Heat, getting some valuable laps on the outside, and finishing 3rd. In the Feature I lined up 5th, then 3rd when #71 went to the back of the pack. I was able to get into the lead on lap 3, with Darrell Lake (#77) following right behind. We battled it out, bumper to bumper and door to door for the next 17 laps. (Mid race, during a caution, I waved to Darrell and he pulled up beside me. Later some fans asked what we were talking about. We weren't talking, we were just excited to be racing each other door to door, lap after lap.)
As the race went on my car got looser and looser, a real handful. On lap 20 Darrell tried to take advantage on the outside, but he got too high in turn 2, letting Ray Morneau (#98) get by him. For the next five laps Ray and I battled door to door, his car was working well on the outside. Coming off turn 4 on the last lap Ray was able to get ahead of me, capturing the win at the finish line.
I was disappointed to miss out on another Feature win tonight, but I really enjoyed racing door to door with Ray and Darrell. That's racing! Congrats to Ray Morneau on winning the race and the season championship. Awesome job Ray.
THANKS to my Team for a very competitive season. You guys worked so hard all year to give me a competitve car. THANKS!
 
14: RACE NIGHT 12, August 24, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS]
It was a hot and humid at the Speedway tonight. J.R. Fitzpatrick, defending NASCAR CTS Champion and ex-Junior Racing League driver, joined us in Dan Monaghan's Camaro Super Stock. Practice was delayed while Speedway officials sprayed the track with "syrup" again, hoping that a late application would improve its effectiveness. It was hard to tell if it worked in Practice, our car was loose and we struggled to get it dialed in.
With a storm brewing I lined up 5th, on the inside groove, for my Heat race. On lap 2, when everyone ahead moved down to the inside groove, I decided I didn't want to play follow the leader and I went outside. The car was still loose but I was able to get around the leader in a couple of laps, points leader Ray Morneau (#98) did the same. I fought a loose car the rest of the way, with Ray right on my tail. Ray raced me clean and I took a satisfying checkered flag at the end of the race. J.R. Fitzpatrick took the checkered flag in his Heat.
Thunder, lightning, and heavy rain soon englufed the Speedway and our Feature race was postponed. It looks like it will be run next week, at the start of the Great Canadian Race Weekend. See you there!
13: RACE NIGHT 11, August 17, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [SHADOW REPORT]
We headed back to the Speedway after fixing last week's damage and ensuring that the brakes were ready. Speedway officials once again put 'syrup' down on the upper groove, but they used a different technique and sprayed a wider band. It seemed to help a bit, we were able to put down a couple of good laps in Practice but we we still had a loose car. We adjusted some more for my Heat, I was in the 6th starting position, on the outside. Right from the green flag it was clear that the car was still pretty loose, not good for the upper groove. About mid race I was able to get down to the inside lane and pass a couple of cars to finish 4th.
I started the Feature in 10th place, on the outside again. I was able to get down to the inside groove on lap 2, in 8th place. On lap 3 I tried to pass on the outside but I got stuck up there for a couple of laps and had to move back down to the inside, in 7th place. Around mid race I was coming off turn 2 when the car got super loose and I almost hit the wall. By the time I had gathered it up 2 or 3 cars had gotten by. The car was suddenly super loose, a handful to drive. A couple of laps later, after a caution, I restarted in 9th place (on the outside). I tried for 3 laps to get under #51 in turn 3-4, each time he chopped me off. Finally I was able to nudge by and open up a couple of car lengths between us. However, going into turn 1 #51 made a banzai charge and he hit me hard from behind, spinning me out. Suddenly I was at the back of the pack, with a car that was too loose to race. I managed to finish 14th, very disappointing, my first time out of the top ten this year.
In the pits we discovered a broken front sway bar which explains why the car suddenly became a real handful. I went and visited the #51 pit and we had a long discussion about what had transpired. He admitted that he spun me out deliberately (out of frustration) and apologized. Racing is tough enough and mistakes happen, we shouldn't make things tougher by wrecking each other out there.
12: RACE NIGHT 10, August 10, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [SHADOW REPORT]
It was nice to get back to the Speedway after a long (and nice for the Team) break (3 weeks). Uncle Don did a lot of work to repair the extensive damage from last time out, and we hoped that we could find some of the magic that we had for the Super Stock Showdown. Instead we survived a very greasy, one groove track and bad brakes to come home seventh in the Feature.
Congrats to Stephen Richmond who won his first Feature race tonight.
The was a lot of excitement in the Throne Kings King of the Hill event tonight, favourite Venom was upset by Air Pressure.
More details and photos to follow soon.
11: RACE NIGHT 09, July 20, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [SHADOW REPORT]
Tonight was a rough night, we got banged around pretty good in our Heat and the Feature. In the Feature I had to race from the back of the pack after 2 separate incidents, including one when Don Dadson (#1) lost a rear axle and his wheel ended up under our car. We're not sure what to think about tonight's racing. Sure, we're a bit frustrated but we also feel pretty fortunate to get a top ten finish - it could have been much worse. More details and photos to follow soon.
10: RACE NIGHT 08, July 06, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [SHADOW REPORT]
After last week's run we were pretty eager to see how we might do in the 2007 Peterbilt Super Stock Showdown. The Showdown is a special format race made up of Time Trials plus 3 race segments, with Peterbilt putting up $1000 to win. We decided to get a couple of new right side tires for the big night.
In practice the car wasn't great and I lost my shifter after the third session (surprisingly Darrell Lake did also). The Team(s) made hasty repairs and we headed to Time Trials. Although the car still wasn't great I managed to qualify third, with the top four qualifiers (#98, #77, #3, #87) all breaking the track record.
After an inversion (roll of the dice) I started eighth in the first 15-lap segment. The car was not very good and I quickly got shuffled back, finishing 12 or 13th. That put me in 7th place for the second 20-lap segment. I got as high as 3rd place, but when #51 got out of shape and into my left door I had to let up and I fell back to 6th place. I eventually finished back in 7th place, the car was just not handling very well.
For the final, 20-lap points-paying segment the inversion put me in second place, on the outside pole. We really wanted to take advantage of that good starting spot so the Team decided to go back to our setup from last week, including our old right side tires. I knew I needed to start strong and I was aggressive right off the start. I threw the car into turn 1 pretty hard - and it stuck. Good call on the tires! I got off turn 2 well and moved down into first place heading to turn 3. On lap 2 Stephen Richmond (#24) broke a front right ball joint, bringing out a caution flag. I got a great jump on the restart and set off to build up as much of a lead as I could - I knew some good cars were comin' hard from behind. Scarlett was "hooked up" as they say; I was able to build up a large lead by the end of the race. Awesome!
 A big THANKS to my Team, they worked so hard; it was so nice to see that hard work pay off. (They get extra thanks for tech teardown tonight - clutch, flywheel, tranny, and rear differential - lots of hot, heavy work.) And THANKS to my sponsors who make racing possible, and to Peterbilt for putting on tonight's Showdown. THANKS EVERYONE!
9: RACE NIGHT 07, June 29, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [SHADOW REPORT]
It was the PartSource 140 Canada Day celebration at the Speedway tonight and we were anxious to have a celebration of our own. The car was much, much better thanks to the Team's hard, hard work and the frame straightening magic of Dave Silverthorn. While the car needs a new front clip, Dave pronounced it "80%" fit and Scarlett sure felt better, more predictable tonight. We cut a tire in practice, but we had a good run in our Heat, starting second on the outside and finishing second after a good run.
I started 8th, on the outside, in the Super Stock Feature. I was able to pass a couple of cars on the outside and worked my way to 3rd place where I got into a great duel with Scott Nagy (#99) and Chad Rijnen (#2). We battled back and forth for maybe 15 laps until I was finally able to get by on the outside. I settled in to second place and set my sights on first, but Ray Morneau (#98) was at least a half lap ahead. A lap 22 caution flag gave me a shot at #98 but I wasn't able to get by him and I finished a very satisfying second.
This week we were joined by JRL drivers Matt and Jon VanGrinsven, I'm glad that they got to see a great race this week.
8: RACE NIGHT 06, June 15, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [SHADOW REPORT]
Scarlett was very unpredictable last week and unpredictable in practice. The Team tried some radical changes to tighten her up and it got more loose. Aaaarrrrggghhhhh! I lined up 7th for my Heat, and of course Scarlett was loose and got worse as the race went on, I finished sixth.
I started the Feature in 12th place, on the outside. I advanced as high as 9th place, fighting the car all the way. Around lap 16, coming off turn 2, #11 squeezed me up into the wall. I managed to hang on but entering turn 3 #51 drilled me hard from behind, spinning me end for end and up into the outside wall. I hit pretty hard, so when I got restarted I dipped onto pit row so the Team could check for obvious problems. I restarted the race at the back and managed to get back to 10th place by the end of the race. In the pits we surveyed the damage - not a straight body panel anywhere and the rear frame was bent up. So, I guess its off to Dave Silverthorn's frame shop to look at both ends of the car, to see if she can be repaired in time for our next race.
Uncle Don was asked to teach the JRL Senior Division this summer. Part of his lesson plan included offering the drivers a chance to join our Team in the pits on race night. Brady Smith (JRL #39) was the first driver to join us. He sure saw a lot of thrashing tonight, but I wish we could have showed him a better race.
Speaking of the race, tonight's Super Stock Feature was one of the best Super Stock races ever, lots of side by side racing up front - I'm sorry that I missed it! Congratulations to Duane Mannning and B.T. Racing, Duane (#28) capped off a perfect night with a great Feature win. It was nice to see and very timely coming on the 1-year anniversary of Dave Lawrence's passing. Junior Racing grad Stephen Richmond (#24) also had a great race, finishing in 5th place.
7: RACE NIGHT 05, June 8, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS]
The Auto Value Super Sprints returned to Delaware Speedway tonight and so did our handling gremlins. During the week the Team worked hard to sort out what was happening to our front suspension. In practice we were able to get some decent lap times so we were hopeful for a good run tonight. I started 5th in Super Stock heat race #2 and as I went into turn one the car was unexpectedly loose, very loose. I was lucky to gather it up and lucky that I didn't wreck anyone else. I fell back to 8th place, getting back to only 7th place by the end of a frustrating run.
I lined up 11th, on the inside, for the Super Stock Feature. Despite some handling adjustments the car was once again very loose. Part of it was the car and part of it was the track - it seemed very greasy after the Super Spring heats. I tried my best and managed to get to 5th place by the end of the race. We should be happy with another top five finish, but our Team is a bit frustrated because we know that we could do better if the car was more predictable. Maybe the front clip (frame) might be more 'tweaked' from our May 18th wreck than we thought.
6: RACE NIGHT 04, May 25, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [Shadow Report]
Last week's practice wreck caused a surprising amount of damage and the Team had to do lots and lots of work to get ready for tonight (thanks!). In practice the car wasn't handling predictably at all and more thrashin' was in order. I headed to my heat race uncertain how things would go. I started in 7th place and fell back to 8th right away. As the race wore on the car improved a bit and I caught the pack but couldn't do better than a 7th place finish.
The Team went to work on the car once again, trying to find a solution to our handling gremlins. I started the Feature in 11th place and in the early going the car seemed tight but better. I was able to pass a couple of cars on the outside, climbing to 8th place. On lap 17 a red flag came out for an incident in turn 4. During the red flag break something 'snapped' in the rear of the car - what the heck was that? I restarted 8th, on the inside, and right away I could tell that something was wrong. While the race leaders got into a good battle up front I fought hard to keep my position. In the end I was able to hang on and reach 5th place. I guess we feel OK with a 5th but we had to work awful hard for it. I hope things get a bit easier for the Team next time out.
Congrats to Dan Bugg who won his first race tonight and had a strong run in the Feature.
5: RACE NIGHT 03, May 18, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [Shadow Report] [London Free Press race coverage]
We entered our first practice session hopeful that the success we had late in last week's Feature would carry into this evening. We never got a chance to find out, as disaster struck on lap 2 as we got up to speed. I approached turn 1 behind Ray Morneau (#98) who was preparing to pass the #4 car on the outside. On entry, a lot of smoke came off the rear wheels of the #4, and it looked like he brushed the inside wall. He lost control, spun, and shot up the track, catching Morneau's left rear. When I saw him slide up the track I went low to try and clear them. Unfortunately, because of the contact with #98, the #4 then shot back down the track. Bang! No where to go. I knew there was substantial damage to the front end so I shut the engine off right away and coasted into the pits.
At first the damage seemed to be confined to the front right corner, but soon it was clear that the frame, rad, shroud, throttle linkage, motor mounts, clutch, and transmission were all involved too. Rats, this wasn't looking good. We got Bert's Towing to help pull out the sheet metal. Then Don and the Team got to work on the rest of the problems. Miraculously they got the car to the point that we could fire it up and perhaps get in a couple of laps in the Feature (it was "Features Only Night" so we wouldn't get a heat race to see how good or bad things were).
Confident that the car was at least safe we headed to pit lane with no practice, no heat, and no idea how long the rad, clutch, and tranny would last. I started 10th, on the outside where I stayed for 4 or 5 laps, finally getting down to the inside, in 7th place. The car was pretty loose but I was able to engage #1 in a 2-3 lap battle and I eventually got to 4th place. On lap 17 a red flag came out for an incident in turn 4. Not good. The throwout bearing was howling and I didn't know if I could get back into gear. The cockpit was filled with acrid smoke. It seemed to take forever to get racing again. When the restart finally came I was able to slip into gear and I lined up right behind D.J. DeJesus (#9) who was 3rd. I didn't have anything for him over the last few laps since the car's handling was going away, and I finished 4th (and likely held up #77).
This finish felt like a win considering how the night started. Thanks Team for thrashing so hard to get the car ready for the race - amazing work.
4: RACE NIGHT 02, May 11, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [Shadow Report]
It was Uncle Don's birthday today and we were rarin' to go. When we got to the track we learned that our Division has a new name and a new sponsor - we are now the "Peterbilt of Ontario Super Stocks". The new name reflects the performance improvements in our Division over the past couple of years.
The car was better in practice but still not great, so more tweaking was done for our heat race. A random draw put me in 5th place on the grid, on the inside lane. The leaders got away quickly, I was still loose but able to maintain my inside position and move up into third place. The car got better and I closed on the leaders as the race wore on, getting close to overtaking #77 for second place on the last lap.
That finish and another "inversion" put us in back in 5th place for the Feature. Uncle Don had made a gutsy setup call to try and tighten the car up, but it was still loose at the start of the race. Still, I was able to hang on and move up the inside into 3rd place. On lap 2 a big wreck occurred right behind me, bringing out the red flag. On the restart the leaders (#77 and #89) got into a good duel, building up a huge lead by mid race. About that time my car started to come to me, getting better and better in the corners and I started to gain on the leaders. With a couple of laps left they were just 2-3 car lengths ahead, giving me a nice view of their bumper to bumper battle. Darrell Lake (77) prevailed for his first Super Stock feature win. Congratulations Darrell!
3: RACE NIGHT 01, May 4, 2007. [FULL RESULTS] [PHOTOS] [Shadow Report]
Well, after sorting out the problems that surfaced during Practice Day we headed to the Speedway hoping for a good start to the season. In practice the car was OK but a fuel problem prevented us from running the final session, making us guess a bit on the setup for our first race.
Racing started off with a BANG as the Upper Thames Military Re-enactment Society fired a cannon to signal drivers to "start your engines". I started fourth in my Heat, on the outside. I was able to get down to the inside on the first lap. Mid race I got into Turn 1 a bit too hot and tapped #87 (sorry Jeremy), I backed off to let him gather it up. The car started to get tight and I settled for third place.
That finish and an "inversion" of the first six cars put us on the outside pole for the Feature. I wasn't able to get around polesitter #71 off the start, so I got hung up on the outside for 3 or 4 laps. The car was surprisingly loose, but I was finally able to get down to the inside groove, in sixth place. I got into a pretty good duel with #87, he got by me on the outside and I was able to get back past him a lap later. Late in the race something broke in the rear of #89, bringing out a caution. I restarted 4th, but when the green flag waved something felt very wrong, the car was wicked loose (maybe a front sway bar problem). I got way out of shape between turns 1 and 2, letting a couple of cars by and I finished 6th. It was disappointing that I couldn't take advantage of a fortunate starting position, but this was a much better start to the season than last year. And we know we can make the car better.
2: PRACTICE DAY 2, April 21, 2007. [PHOTOS] [Shadow Report]
The weather was perfect today and we were eager to get more track time to help sort out our chassis setup. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly according to plan. We experienced more carb problems early, then during our third session my front right lower ball joint snapped going into turn one. I was able to keep the car off the wall, and got slowed down on the back straight. That resulted in a tow back to the pits where the Team worked like crazy to get a borrowed (thanks Vic and BT Racing) lower control arm and ball joint in the car. We got back out onto the track and promptly cut a left rear tire. The next session the carb acted up again, bringing me into the pits early. It was just that kind of day. I guess it's "lucky" that these problems surfaced during practice and not during our first week of racing.
1: PRACTICE DAY 1, April 14, 2007. [PHOTOS]
Well, after a ton of preparation work Uncle Don, Steve, and the Team had Scarlett back together in time for Delaware's first practice session. While the body and decal work wasn't 100% finished, we wanted to see how well Scarlett was bolted together, and what needed further attention. We also wanted to see how our new carb and header combination would work (while our budget is tight it was clear last season that we were falling behind the competitive curve, so When Steve Williams offered us the headers we decided to make the move).
After a basic Tech Inspection (mainly safety items) we hit the track, taking it easy to begin. Everything seemed OK, except a bogging carb coming off turns 2 and 4. As the day progressed we also developed a problem with the front brakes, so we have a bit of work to do before next week's 2nd practice session. We also have work to do when you look at the competition, there were some pretty awesome cars out today (see 28, 71, 77, and 98). Still, it was fun to get back on the track, the car ran pretty good, and we went home in one piece, so it was a good day.
PREVIOUS SEASON RESULTS
- 2006 - 6th Place, 1 Feature Win, 1 Heat Win, 7 Top 3 finishes, 9 Top 5 finishes (24 races).
- 2005 - 11th Place, 4 Heat Wins, 8 Top 3 finishes, 11 Top 5 finishes (22 races).
- 2004 - 9th Place, 1 Feature Win, 2 Heat Wins, 9 Top 3 finishes, 13 Top 5 finishes (31 races).
- 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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