Coming off the win at Tri-County two weeks ago, I had big expectations for Saturday night. We left with a P5 and a car that fought us all night. Not the result we wanted, but we learned a lot.
Qualifying Went Our Way
We qualified third, right behind Landon Huffman and Ryan Millington. Starting up front at Tri-County is a good place to be, and I felt ready to go when we rolled off for the feature.
Then the green flag dropped and the night got complicated fast.
The Car Wasn’t Right From the Drop
Right away I could tell something was off. We had the wrong gear in the car, and on top of that, the handling was very, very tight.
I was fighting it from the first few laps. When the car is that tight and the gear is wrong, you stop racing the other guys and start managing the car. That’s where we were for most of the night.
A Tire Problem We Couldn’t See Coming
The other thing we didn’t know until later was that our right rear tire was slowly deteriorating throughout the race. It developed a flat stripe along the bottom that just kept getting worse.
Between the gear, the handling, and a tire that was quietly falling apart underneath us, the back half of that race was survival mode. I was out there trying to hang on and bring the car home in one piece.
P5 When It Could Have Been Worse
Somehow, we held onto fifth. Landon Huffman won the Late Model feature, and I’ll give him credit. He had a great car.
Two weeks ago we were celebrating a win at this same track. This weekend we were celebrating a top-five we probably had no business running. That’s racing. You take both nights seriously and you learn from both of them.
What We Learned and What’s Next
Here’s the thing. I’d rather leave a race weekend knowing exactly what went wrong than leave one scratching my head. We found the problems. The crew already knows what we’re changing, and we’re going to come back to Tri-County with a better car.
Next up is a big one. We’re heading to Caraway Speedway on Saturday, April 25 for the CPS Plumbing & Septic 265, a 150-lap CARS Tour event. Coverage on Flo Racing starts at 4:30 PM EST.
I’m ready to shake this one off and go get after it at Caraway.
Thank You
To my crew on the No. 19: Tommy Sytsma, Zach Gobble, Joe Robinson, and spotter Jacob Witt. Thank you for working your tails off all night trying to get the car right.
To our technical partners: Torp Chassis, Clark’s Automotive Engines, Cale Gale Shocks, and Simpson/Stilo Safety Gear. The equipment showed up ready. We’ll get the results to match.
To our sponsors Balance of Nature and P1 Web Development, and a huge welcome to our newest major partner, TeamWWF Wings and Wheels Foundation. The support from all of you is what makes this possible.
And to my parents and grandparents, thank you. Always.
See you at Caraway.
