2010 Race Sum

2010 Race Log

26 Mar

We began our 2010 race season at Port City Raceway in Tulsa OK and well, our season got off to a rough start. Delaney started her first heat of season on the back row of the 3rd heat. The track was tacky and fast and Delaney was unable to make any forward progress and took the checkers in 9th place.   Delaney hadn't had much practice at the start of the season and hadn't been in the car for three weeks--hence she wasn't real aggressive. We talked as we prepared for the B-Feature about how to leave it all on the track. She lined up for the B-Feature on the back--coming to the green, she was clearly up on the wheel--as she took the green coming off turn four, she had passed three cars by the time she had passed the flag stand. As she entered into turn one, several cars in front of her got together and spun, initially it looked like she had cleared the wreck, but at the last second, someone spit out of the wreck and she got tagged on the left rear. The collision knocked / stripped out the left rear torsion stop effectively ending our night.

27 Mar

Our second night at Port City Raceway ended early as rain began to fall and the races were canceled.

2 Apr

Our second weekend of racing took us to I-44 Speedway. Delaney was ready to get back into the car after our previous weekend's luck. Delaney start her heat race on the outside of the 3rd row. The car was fast and Delaney was up on the wheel. She worked her way up through the field to finish in the third spot. That run locked us into the A-Feature where she started on the outside of the 4th row in the 8th position. It was Dad's turn to show early season rust--the car was simply toooo tight. We tried a new setup and it was a little too much. Delaney worked hard to keep pace, trying a variety of lines in an attempt to make the car work with no luck. She was able to hold on to a disappointing 11th.

3 Apr

Delaney started her heat on the outside of the 4th row.  The track had already started to dry out already--she got a good start, but the only way around the track was on the bottom, so passing was tough, but she managed to get around two cars to take the checkers in the sixth position.  This forced us to the B-Feature where she started on the inside of the second row--they would take the top four to the A-Feature. On the start, she fell back to the sixth position, but found her line and started picking up spots slowly as passing was again tough to do. She would eventually work her way back to finish third and qualify for the A-Feature.  The track was very similar as the previous night for the A-Feature. We took the same setup and made some small adjustments to it.  She would have her work cut out for her as she would start on the inside of the tenth row for the A-Feature.  When the green flag dropped, she was struggling to find a line that would work for her...she tried low, she tried the middle, and she tried the high line, before finally finding the bottom was going to work for her.  While other cars were struggling to stay on the bottom where there was still some moisture, Delaney was glued to the bottom and she would slowly start to work her way forward. She moved up to 12th and got hung up behind Morgan who was running the same line as Delaney. She tried several ways to get around her to no avail--finally Morgan slid up coming off turn two and Delaney was ready and she pounced on the opportunity. She was able to get one more spot, but would eventually give it back and finish in the 11th position.

9 Apr

Back to Port City for the make up race from two weeks ago.   Delaney drew well for a change and she started on the outside of the front row for her heat. Once again, Dad didn't have a great setup for hear.  She was real good through 1 & 2, but the car would snap loose off turn four....we have struggled with that corner almost every time up there. She would give up two positions, but fought back and forth with the 34 car. She would eventually hold on to finish in the fourth position which would lock us into the A-Feature. She would start the A-Feature on the outside of the eighth row.  We talked about the track and decided that she should stay locked down on the bottom as there was still some moisture there.  On the start, she dealt with a lot of traffic while searching for her line. For the first seven to eight laps, she didn't make any progress as she let things settle out a little--then she found her line and started moving forward. She would get hung up behind the 23 car, who she would pass three times, only to have the caution come out. Finally, she was able to clear the 23, and began slowly picking them off one by one.  She was fast and the car was working beautifully as she could put it anywhere she wanted to on the bottom and she was definitely up on the wheel. She worked her way all the way up to 8th when the checkered flag dropped. A few more laps and she would have easily had a top 5.

10 Apr

Well we were looking to build on our momentum from the night before. This was the second points night at Port (we missed the first night the previous weekend).   Delaney started her heat on the outside of the third row in the first heat of the night. The car was pretty good-- she had moved up to the fourth position after passing the 34 car. Not sure what the deal is with him, but every time we have raced up there, and he has gotten around her, it appears he is trying to take her out. After passing him, he came back on her coming off turn four--he hooked her rear bumper and turned her completely sideways--she recovered it, but it snapped back and the right rear kissed the wall, turning her right into the wall--some how she stayed with it and managed to save it and only lost one position. Unfortunately, that one position would leave her in fifth and forced to the B-Feature. She would start the B-Feature on the pole. Coming to the green, the car on the outside spun his tires on the dry slick track, leaving Delaney to shoot out in front....the flagman thought she jumped the start and threw the yellow. She would be moved back one spot for jumping. Our next attempt with a new polesitter would have the same results, Now Delaney was moved back to the pole and we got a good start. Delaney slipped up coming off turn two and the 91 would slip underneath her....she would come back at him going into three, but unfortunately, she clipped the third tire in the corner spinning her around. Nearly everyone would avoid her except the last car that plowed right into her head on--the collision would end our night with a bent front axel and two bent shocks. Thats racin, so they say.....

24 Apr

We were at I-44 Speedway this weekend. We weren’t too sure we’d get to race due the weather, but after a real light shower prior to the driver’s meeting, the skies cleared and we were ready to racing.   We decided to run both the Multi Class and A-Class. Delaney went out on the outside of row four for the Multi heat with a total of nine cars in her heat. On the first start, the ninth car in the heat decided he needed a little advantage, so he started his race in the middle of turn three and tried to get to the outside and ended up getting into the right rear of Delaney…didn’t look like a big deal. They threw the caution and lined them up for a restart. This time they got a good start and Delaney dove down into turn one and suddenly she pulled up and coasted into the infield. After towing her off, we discovered a broken rear panhard (sway bar) bar and that subsequently knocked the chain off. Well after some quick repairs, we were ready for the A-Class heat race. Delaney went out on the pole with eight cars in the heat.   The outside car got a good start and was able to sail it off into turn one. She wasn’t able to run him down. The track was tacky and fast—catching and passing someone was pretty difficult. She would take the checkers in the second position.    Next was the Multi A-Feature, where Delaney would line up on the inside of row seven with fifteen cars in the field. The track had dried off and was dry slick, but there was moisture at the top and the bottom. We were set up to run the bottom. There were a lot of comers and goers—Delaney was a comer. She was working the bottom and was smooth and steady as one by one she was moving up through field. It was a pretty clean race with only one caution and unfortunately for us it came at bad time. She had just taken the fourth position and probably would have had third when the caution came out. On the restart, she said the car just wasn’t the same. She would hold onto fifth for the last few laps and would get nipped at the start/finish line to finish the sixth position. We performed our pit stop, changed right rears, tightened the car up and add fuel and we were ready for our final race of the night which would have Delaney setting the pace from the pole position.   She got a great start and found her groove really quickly—the car was on a rail right on the bottom. She lead for the first ten laps opening up a full straight away lead when the first caution came out. After too many caution laps we were ready to back racing. Delaney got a good start—but the car didn’t seem the same…she battled with the second place car for four or five laps before he was able to clear her. From there, you could see she was struggling to find a place where the car would work for her. It she hit the bottom just right it was fast, but if she missed the corner entry by two feet she would lose ground. She would try the high line, although I thought it looked faster, she said it didn’t seem like it was, so she went back to the bottom. She had fallen all the way back to seventh and figured to finish in that position when the caution came out on the white flag lap—now we were in for a green-white-checkered finish. She would hold off the eighth place car for both laps, but would end up getting nipped at the flag stand again to finish in the eighth position. All in all, a good night—we learned a little more and loaded up in one piece.

1 May

This Saturday night we planned to venture up the little bullring called Port City Raceway. It looked like we had a good chance to get rained out at both I-44 and Port, but my driver was already up in Tulsa, so off to Port we went. Just a little after I pulled into the pits, the first shower came through. It cleared off and looked like we had a pretty good window to get the races in. We got the track rolled in and hot laps complete. We would be the second heat out with Delaney starting on the outside of the front row. After three restarts, we finally went green. Delaney hit a slick spot on the top side coming off turn four and fell in behind the pole sitter. Everyone was fast as the track was very tacky.  She would give up the second spot after getting run up to the wall--she made a run back at him, but decided not to take him out The car was a little tight in the middle of the corner and this would force her up the track coming off the corner--it would cost her another position before taking the checkered flag in the fourth position. We got a couple more heats in before a light shower began. Then the lights went out and that was the end of the night.

7 May 10

On Friday night, we went to I-44 to race on a very windy night. Delaney would go out for her heat scheduled to be on the inside of the second row. However, the pole sitter elected to start at the back since he was a new driver thus moving Delaney to the pole, with eight cars in the field. The track was already going dry slick with some moisture still on the bottom. Delaney got a great start and dove off into turn with the lead. She came off turn two with the lead as she went into turn three, someone had blown oil all over the track and she hit it and around she went right in front of the pack. Fortunately, everyone missed her. I was afraid she would be put on the back because she brought the caution out, but after some discussion with track officials, I was told she would get her spot back because they were going to throw the caution before she spun because of the oil. So, with a full restart, she again jumped out front and she withstood a challenge from the 23 car who was right there for several laps—he got under coming off turn four, but she was able to pull him down the front straight and slammed the door on him going into turn one. She would take the win! For the A-Feature, she would line up on the inside of row three with 19 cars in the field. The track was junk—one line on the bottom and dry as a bone. Passing was not only tough but dangerous with all the loose dirt—it made it almost like ice if you got out of the groove. Delaney got a good start and settled into third when the leaders came up on lapped traffic—the leader got around okay, but the second place car caught him in the corner and tried to go around on the outside—and around he went. Delaney was now in second place where she would stay for the balance of the race—the leader was better on the restarts and would get about 3-4 car length lead, and that’s where it would stay. We were glad to leave with a second place finish given the track conditions.

8 May 10

On Saturday night, we chose to go to Port City. The track was smooth and fast. Delaney would start on the outside of the front row for her heat. She got a good start and the car looked good. She dove to the bottom going into turn one right behind the pole sitter. She would stay there unable to close on the leader. It did get exciting as the 12 car was making a good run at it and had closed up to 3-4 car lengths behind Delaney as they took the white flag, they stayed the same through the final circuit, but as Delaney entered turn four a lapped car, was completely sideways on the exit of turn four—as she lifted to keep from hitting him, she dove low, the 12 car had the momentum and tried to get under both of them—Delaney gathered it back up and got back in the gas as they raced to the checkered flag she was able to hold on to 2nd place. Delaney went out for the A-Feature on the inside of row three. The track was a two groove track—bottom and top, but the bottom was a little faster. We set the car up to run the bottom—I was a little rushed getting the car set up, but I thought we had a pretty good setup for the race. Delaney got a good start and settled in the third spot, but caution flew after just one lap….it would be a theme for the night, one green flag lap-10 caution laps… Delaney made a good charge for the second spot, as the second place car was working the high line—once he realized she was there, he went back to the bottom and they remained that was for several more laps until the leader blew his motor. Delaney was now second but the car was temperamental—it was really good if she stuck it on the bottom, it would rotate really well and would really come off the corner, but if she missed it by a foot, she would wash up the track on the exit—this would cost her as the race continued. Coming off turn two, she washed up the track and got sandwiched by both 92’s, giving up second and third. She would continue the fight in the fourth position with five to go. Again in turn two, with the 12 car charging on the bottom—she washed up the track, opening up the bottom—they raced down the backstretch, but it regulated her to the fifth position where she took the checkered flag. All in all a great weekend—1st / 2nd in heat races and 2nd / 5th in A-Features and a car in one piece!!