Lanier National Speedway was an interesting weekend. Battlinga really tight racecar I knew it was going to be a tough race. I was off about two to three tenths in practice. Withonly one practice round to work with we changed a lot of things on the car for the heat race. I started outside pole leading the first two laps. I fell back to third with the car a little better but not good enough. So having nothing to lose we changed the cross, rebound, and the stagger on the car for the feature race. With the inversion and some luck I started on the pole position. I jumped the start a little bit to get a head start but that didn’t last long. The second place car drove in a little to hard and got into me and spun me out on lap two. I had a flat tire so I came in and got a new left rear tire. Restarting last I worked my way back up to 5th place. With only two laps to go my distributor wires melted together causing the engine to shut off. Putting me out of the race. I’m looking forward to having a better race next weekend at LanierNational Speedway with the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour Series.
This weekend we were on a paved surface at Peach State Speedway. I was feeling really good about Saturday night’s race. I had an awesome racecar thanks to Jim Barfield, Ricky Turner, and my dad. Knowing I had a great racecar it was up to me to put it up front for qaulifying. I had a really good second lap going until I got really loose coming off of turn 4 causing me to lose a couple of tenths. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I qualified 7th and with an inversion I started on the pole. Being lucky before the race started I thought we might have a chance to win the race. I led about 20 laps and was just running 80 percent saving my car for the end. Little did I know the left front shock went bad during the race causing the car to be really tight in the center of the corner. We still had a great run for the number 9 Bill Elliott Driver Development team finishing 8th. The next race is at Lanier National Speedway this weekend. Come see us!
It was a fun interesting week at Volunteer Speedway. Starting off the two day show I walked the track with Ray Cook. I took all the pointers Ray Cook gave me and put them together for the three laps of practice. With the little experience I have on dirt putting a good qualifying lap down was a little nerve racking. I came through qualifying 12th. Only being my second race on dirt starting 12th with a 25 car field was decent. As the race got started I just kind of maintained my position and dodged wrecks. We didn’t tighten the car up enough so I was relying on cautions to move up. With that being said I came home with an 8th place finish for the Bill Elliott Driver Development team.
With the first day over with I started Thursday afternoon by signing autographs in downtown Bristol. That was a neat experience but it was time to get back to the track. We wouldn’t have been able to make it back to the track, but Bill had a chopper ready to take us back. When we got there it was time to get suited up for practice. With the track in a dry-slick condition I was expecting it to be really loose but I had a lot of grip. With having a good car in practice I was expecting to have a good qualifying lap. I qualified eighth! The 25 lap event started off really good for the 9 car. On the third lap the guy that I was passing for sixth spun out coming out of four and clipped me in my right side causing me to spin out. I restarted last with 22 laps to go. I made my way back up to 15 place. It was a frustrating finish knowing I had a top five car. I want to thank Bill Elliott for helping me further my career and all my crew: Jim Barfield, Ray Cook, and my dad.
After being out of the dirt car for a week now I was anxcious to sling some more dirt. Since I have been around asphalt racing all my life it was quite different being at a dirt race on Friday night. It was unusual to me starting everything so late because in most asphalt racing everything takes place earlier in the evening. To start out the night i went out for practice. With only three laps of practice I had to get used to the tacky track conditions quick. Watching the trackdry out, my crew and I tightened the car up for qualifying. My first attempted qualifying for the top track series race at North Georgia Speedway went well. Qualifying 10th place started out being a good run for the Bill Elliott Driver Development team race car. Until sudden disappointment strikes coming out of turn two ends my first race on dirt. I was really loose the whole race. I was just trying to make a solid finish out of what I had to work with. Being collected in a crash coming off of turn two just so happened to be not my day. I want to thank my crew: Jim Barfield, Terry Roberts, John King, Trey Poole, my dad, and Bill Elliott for making my first dirt race a memory I wont forget.
The day after my dirt experience at North Georgia Speedway, I jumped into my legends car better known as “MONA”, for the last round of Thursday Thunder. We ran double features because of the previous week rainout. I started 2nd for the first feature. The car was decent, but not good enough for the top spot. So after finishing 2nd the first feature, I adjusted the car for the heat race. Starting from the pole I won the heat race putting me on the pole for the 2nd feature. With some advise from Bill Elliott I made an air pressure adjustment, which made the car a little tighter. That advise lead me to victory lane, leading every lap in the last round of Thursday Thunder.
Having an anticipation to just try to make the race, we loaded up and headed to Anderson Motor Speedway for my 2nd late model race. But only my first race driving for Bill Elliott Driver Development Program. We unloaded with a great racecar, maintaining a good pace around the track. I was on top of the charts one round. With being really pleased with the car I couldnt wait for race day. Raceday practice we were a little slower. The track was alot tighter. So with making some changes on the car I felt that we would make a good qualifying effort. Little did I know going out to qualify ninth I would have had a chance to qualify on the pole. However, as more drivers made their qualifying attempts I was backed up to fourth position. Qualifying fourth pumped me up for the one hundred lap race. On the start of the race I found myselft riding comfortably in third place with some distance between myself and the first two cars. As the first two cars were battling hard going into turn three with a little contact I closed in on the second place car.But I got a little to close, therefore spinning out the second place car. From there on I just rode behind the leader. My car was awsome! I told my spotter to tell me when there were 10 laps to go. In those ten laps I dropped the hammer and was charging for the leader. I worked him hard for the last seven laps and I knew I had a shot at the win. However, a caution spoiled my chance at the win but I brought the Bill Elliott Diver Development team car to a very solid second place finish. I want to thank everyone who helped me this weekend: Ricky Turner, Jim Barfield, Terry Roberts, Darren Turner, and a special thanks to Bill Elliott and my Dad.
For the first time in my racing career, I finally get to drive a dirt late model car at North Georgia Speedway. I spent about thirty minutes with Ray Cook, a dirt racing legend walking the track. As we were walking the track Ray was coaching me, telling me things that i need to look for on each dirt track i go to. Also all of my accelerating, decelerating, and braking points on the race track. Driving on dirt in some ways relates to asphalt. You drive a dirt car alot like aphalt, entering the corner real easy, but hard on the gas fom center off. But you steer the car with your feet, its a little weird at first but you get used to quick. Considering never being in a dirt car before i thought i did decent. Im looking forward to slinging some more dirt soon.
