April 3 & 4, 2009
I-44 Speedway
Friday – We’re off and running again! We are starting our sixth year of racing…it doesn’t seem possible. Our first night of racing started with a draw…something we’ve not had a lot of luck with. Delaney lined up on the outside of the fourth row (eighth starting position) for her heat with eight cars in the field. There were some big dogs in her heat…two of them sat on the front row of both A-Features. The track was fast and passing was limited, but she managed to work her way up to finish 5th, however, this wasn’t enough to lock us into the A-Feature. Delaney lined up on the outside of the front row for the B-Feature with fourteen cars in the field. She took the early lead going into the first turn during the 15-lap race. She held the lead for several laps before relinquishing the lead and ended up finishing 2nd. She started on the outside of the ninth row (eighteenth starting position) for the 30-lap A-Feature. She showed great patience and tempered aggressiveness as she worked her way through traffic while avoiding several wrecks. She had worked her way up to ninth when the final caution came out…after some line up buffoonery, she was placed behind two cars she had passed at least five laps earlier…before it was corrected, we got the one to go and back to racing. I tried to get it corrected, but to no avail…so over the final few laps she worked to get around them again, but wasn’t able to and ended up 11th….this was eventually corrected and she was awarded her position prior to the final caution and finished 9th.
Saturday – Delaney drew better tonight…she started on the outside of the front row for her heat. She got a great start and took the lead as they came off turn two and didn’t look back until the final lap when Donnie Ray Crawford got by her, relegating her to 2nd place. This was good enough to lock her in to the A-Feature. She started the 30-lap A-Feature the outside of the third row. The track was dry and slick which allowed for minimal passing. She worked her way up to 4th when the caution came out with ten laps to go….when we went back to racing, it was obvious the car wasn’t the same…it was a long caution, and the tires must have cooled off because she was fighting to hold onto her position. She ended up finishing 6th…all in all a good run.
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April 10 & 11, 2009
Port City Raceway
Friday – Once again Delaney had some bad luck drawing…she started on the inside of row three with nine cars in the field. The track was tough to pass on after the first lap, but she was able to gain two positions and finish fifth, but this wasn’t enough to get us into the A-Feature. Delaney started the B-Feature on the outside of row two with twelve cars in the field. The track was again tough to pass on but she was able to move forward one position and held off several challenges from a couple of different cars over the course of twenty laps to finish in the third position. She transferred to the 30-lap A-Feature and would start on the inside of the tenth row (back row). I told her to be patient and up on the wheel because it was long race there would be plenty of wrecks. Because we had very little time between the B-Feature and the A-Feature, I didn’t get a lot of adjustments done to the car and the track changed quite a bit…it had slicked off. She did a great job staying patient and avoiding wrecks by working the bottom. She managed to work her way all the way up to 11th where she finished. A great job!!! It was her first A-Feature a Port in A-Class!!!
Saturday – Given our issues with drawing, Delaney let her good friend Kelci draw for her, well she drew very well. Delaney would start on the pole for the first heat with nine cars in the field. On the initial start, she came off turn four, the track was still slick and she slide up the track pinching the outside car against the wall. She was able avoid wrecking but the other guy wasn’t so lucky. On the restart, she came of turn four better and was able to hold it on the bottom. She would lead for several laps and eventually gave up the lead to take the checkers in the 2nd position. This would lock her into the outside of row four for the 30-lap A-Feature. The track was slick for the A-Feature with two grooves. I told Delaney she would have to stay on the bottom, because the car wasn’t geared to run the top. Both lanes were about even and the majority of cars were on the bottom. Delaney and another car had a spirited battle for several laps with him running the top and her on the bottom. She was also battling the car in front of her who also running the bottom. The guy on the top got by her just as the caution came out and Delaney felt that they hadn’t completed a full lap, so she went to take her position back…they fought over the position until the flagman put Delaney behind him. She wasn’t happy about that, nor was she happy about him bumping her under the previous caution, so when the green flag dropped as they came off turn four she got to his bumper and turned him…didn’t wreck him or pass him, but let him know she was there and wasn’t happy. They raced the rest of the race without incident and she came home in the 7th position. I was proud of her effort and the fact that she stood up for herself without wrecking someone….”just rattlin’ his cage a little”. J
