Mad Cow Team Results
2005 Results
|
#34 – Will & Dave Campbell |
#35 – Anthony & Bill Crisp |
|
Virginia International Raceway |
Southside Speedway |
|
Sparks Fly at VIR July usually begins with fireworks on the 4th, but this year the month ended with sparks flying as well when the Legends cars went to Virginia International Raceway for a two-day event, the second day of which was a regional qualifier. Saturday began with rain- and that pretty much set the tone for the entire weekend. We practiced or qualified in wet or damp conditions each day, and while Saturday’s race was dry, just as the Sunday race started, the rain started again. But that’s getting ahead of the story…. In practice Saturday, the Mad Cow car went agricultural and spun into the grass. I thought we’d been tapped by the Thunder Roadster very close behind, but after thinking and talking about it, it looks like the right front suspension collapsed on its own. In any case, we suffered the ignominy of being towed back into the pits, covered with the finest red clay and green grass in Virginia. An hour later, our crew chief Dave Campbell and Roger Austin had the car apart, and fixed. A new shock, lower ball joint and tie rod had us on the track again. We never got all the dirt off though, and ran the rest of the weekend looking a little like a refugee from the Dukes of Hazzard movie set. Qualifying came and I was a little worried about how our repairs and pit-area setup but we managed a decent effort to qualify 4th overall, just behind David Latimer, another Masters driver. In the race, it stayed dry and we got an early lead in the Masters class. But David Latimer in the #427 car came back to battle ferociously in the middle. We passed each other several times and were ahead by no more than a couple of feet at the finish. A really close—and clean—race. So we felt good about Sunday, assuming it would stay dry. Sunday dawned bright and sunny. That’s what we hoped anyway. Actually it was damp and cloudy, with intermittent rain, a portent of things to come. We decided not to practice in the wet conditions as we figured the race would be dry or damp, and we didn’t want to risk the car. Qualifying was in the damp, and we only qualified 6th this time, right behind (again) David Latimer. Maybe we should have practiced… Sunday’s race lined up with a little overcast but a perfectly dry track. But as soon as we left the false grid, it began to rain. Hard. Now, a bunched-up group of Legends cars streaming down the straight for the start of a race in the rain is fun, until the first turn. We all knew it would be a melee, and sure enough, Rob Hall went straight off in 1. The rest of us, surprisingly, stayed more or less in position, until people began to fall off the track. First Mike Bryant in a tough turn that had me bedeviled most of the weekend, then Mike Diaz who had qualified very well, went off coming out of the small esses. By the second or third lap I was in third place overall, with the first place car of Roger Austin Jr about 200 feet ahead. The Mad Cow car seemed to like the wet conditions as we were able to maintain the gap between first and third for a while, until the rain tapered off. It took a while to realize it, but the track was drying in some places and not in others. We were still very good in the wet spots, but a little tentative where it was damp, which tended to be the high-speed parts, so that allowed the rest of the field to catch up slowly. I had also been having a nice little fight with a rapidly-improving Jordan Paschal, and that slowed us both down some. Near the end of the race, Danny Glenn and David Latimer came up behind to harry the #34. They were turning faster times at that point, but it was hard to pass in the turns. Finally, with a lap or two to go, I went up the sharp right-hand turn after the bridge and slipped a little wide. Danny Glenn tapped me and the Mad Cow racer went around, and onto the wet grass. David Latimer and Danny Glenn (and some others) streamed by as I sat helplessly in the grass, waiting for an opening in traffic. I got the car back on the track and set out to catch them, but there really wasn’t enough time. We ended up 3rd in Masters, behind David and Danny. Congrats to David who fought a good race, and won it.
The sparks? Well, during the race on Saturday, we went curb-surfing and managed to scrape off a little weight from the car. The picture shows those sparks under the car. But the real sparks happened after the Sunday race. We were all clearly told to go to tech after both qualifying and the race. After the race, Rob Hall went directly to his pits instead of the tech shed as required. The rule book is quite clear that this is an automatic disqualification. There was some discussion (by some officials, incredibly) as to whether or not it mattered, but Mike Diaz went to the tech inspectors with the rule book. By that time, they’d already taken the valve cover off Rob Hall’s engine and were beavering about, puzzled by the cams. Apparently, the car was impounded and more details are coming. This is significant as the engine in this car had been protested earlier in the year and found not to be illegal. One thing that is clear is that Rob Hall’s car seems to be noticeably stronger in the engine department than any of the other Legend cars it sees. Whatever happens, we hope 600 clarifies the situation. We are racing next at Road Atlanta on August 13-14- see you there! -Will |
Perseverance This week has been a real testament to how much I love and enjoy racing. After a miserable and somewhat embarrassing display last weekend, I was determined more than ever to get my broken hot rod and kicked butt back on the track for a little redemption. One of the many great things about racing is that each weekend brings about a new opportunity. If the previous weekend was great, you have an opportunity to continue that trend. If it was bad, you also have an opportunity to put it all behind you and begin anew. The later definitely defines my experience. This weekend opportunity granted my first ever top five finish at what I consider to be my toughest track. (I also earned a second place finish in Semi Pro.) Luck and circumstance played into the final finishing order . . . but heck, I will take it. I have had my share of bad luck and circumstance, so I do not mind being on the other end of things for a change. For the third weekend in a row, I drew a front row starting spot for my heat race and began the race in the number two spot. Unlike previous times where carelessness cost me a shot at the lead, this time I was on the ball. I did everything just right and was hauling the mail coming down the front stretch. After jumping out to a small lead on the first lap, I was able to lead a few laps before finally being freight trained by CE Faulk and Duncan Molesworth. Once I saw CE getting underneath me, I knew I would go from first to, at least, fourth or fifth. I was able to get down in time to save third spot and drove the reminder of the race in that position with Wesley Faulk behind me. Wesley tried a couple of dive bombs going into the corners, but was never able to get beside me to make a pass. After the race he casually told me that he gives everyone at least one race before he “moves” them out of the way. That’s funny because I do not give ANY races to ANYONE for purposely wrecking my car. But I am sure that is not what Wesley meant because he drove me clean for the entire race. My third place finish in the heat race meant I would start sixth in the main feature. After a good, clean start, there were suddenly a couple of cautions for accidents and mishaps on the track. I held my spot throughout most of the race following Brad Arthur, with Mike Solaimani giving me constant pressure from the rear. On the final restart at lap 19, Brad missed a shift allowing me and Mike to drive by him on the outside. At this point, I was right on Max Smith’s bumper and knew I was getting closer to the sharp end of the stick than I had ever been before. I clenched a death grip on my steering wheel and finished the race in fifth to capture my best finish ever. Congratulations to CE Faulk for winning the race, with Patrick Molesworth, Kevin Yeatts, Max Smith, and yours truly rounding out the top five. Let me see . . . it looks like Yeatts Racing took three of the top five spots. Not bad Kev! See ya at the track! Anthony Crisp, Driver #35 |
|
July 22, 2005 Shenandoah Speedway |
|
|
Did not race. |
Hot and Hotter To save myself the embarrassment of full race report, I will keep it brief. I drove the worst race of the season and then my car broke. I cannot wait to try again next weekend at Southside Speedway. See ya at the track! Anthony Crisp, Driver #35 |
|
Summit Point Raceway |
July 15, 2005 Southside Speedway |
|
“Hot and Sweaty is Good!” If sweating purges the toxins in the body, I’m the healthiest guy in town. Last weekend the #34 Mad Cow Motorsports car went to Summit Point Motorsports Park in temps that were over 90 degrees, with humidity to match. And while we have an air-conditioned trailer, it really didn’t seem that much cooler inside than outside, especially on Saturday. (Note to self: invent a self-contained, wearable air conditioning unit. Upside potential unlimited.) Most every driver was affected by the heat, and the peculiar—but welcome—practice of NASA of offering a cold, wet cloth to splash on your face after a race was pretty popular. But how did the #34 car do? Well, I ran on crummy carbs again (from an unnamed engine builder who should know better). On Saturday I qualified 4th, which was pretty good (remember, this is only our 4th road race weekend), and promptly threw the effort away when I spun on cold tires on the first lap (is there a theme here?). The whole field streamed by and I started to work my way back. The #34 eventually finished 4th, just where it started, helped somewhat by retirements. Not a good day, but I finished 2nd in the Masters division. David Latimer finished first in Masters and Danny Glenn retired (I think) with suspension problems to finish 3rd in Masters. Fastest times were in the 1:32 range all day. Sunday was a better day. Just as hot, maybe more so, and with humidity that choked. But hey, we were there to race! And sweating is healthy! More track time made the circuit seem more familiar, and a couple of the other drivers helped by noting where they thought I was fast or slow. In practice I ran in the 1:31 range which was faster than I’d been at SP before. We were second fastest in practice but not everyone had gone out so the relative times didn’t mean much. Qualifying was different, as a group of us hooked up to try to help each other out by bump-drafting down the straight. Evidently it helped, as I qualified on the front row, missing pole by just 2 hundredths of a second (to Mike Bryant). The #34 eked out a lap in the low 1:30s, which was our fastest lap so far. That was pretty exciting, but one fast lap doesn’t make a race, and I knew we had to try to stay up front at the start. For Sunday’s race, Mike Mahieu was lined up behind me in 4th and had agreed to bump-draft me down the straight to keep up with the Mike Bryant/Roger Austin pair on the other lane. So at the start, I felt the bump and we streamed down the straight. Unfortunately, the Legends race was run with some sports racers (think scaled-down CanAm cars, if you need a visual) up front who got the green flag at the same time. And of course one of them “had motor problems” suddenly about halfway down the straight. Now, we were doing over 100 MPH at that point and closing hard on a suddenly very slow car. There was nowhere to go (the right lane was filled with other cars), so I hit the brakes. This startled Mike M, who couldn’t see what was happening ahead of me and he ended up with a couple of wheels off on the grass. I juked right and miraculously ended up third coming out of turn 1, behind Mike Bryant and Roger Austin. I followed the pair closely for a lap until a charging Mike Mahieu caught up to me and I waved him by. I did that because I thought I had a better chance of catching up with the lead pair by following Mike. In the process, my in-car lap timer showed that I’d hit a 1.29 lap time, which was the fastest lap I done so far at this track. Unfortunately, we never got close enough to really threaten, and the pair slowly drove away. We did, however, get a lead on the rest of the field. After a couple of laps, though, Mike M waved me by at the beginning of the straight and retired with a loose driveshaft coupling. So I inherited third, which I kept throughout the rest of the race. Third behind Pro drivers Roger Austin Jr. and Mike Bryant meant that I had also won the Masters division, so I was pretty happy, if exhausted. Danny Glenn had gotten close once or twice but had faded in the end, and the other Masters driver, David Latimer, had a good tussle with Nick Carlson to finish third in class. After the race I was so overheated I could barely pull myself out of the car. I’m sure I had sweated out whatever toxins were left in my body, including whatever was bad in that Summit Point cheeseburger I’d had for lunch. So I was a happy (to win the Masters division) and healthy (“No toxins left in this boy!”) driver. In two weeks we go to Virginia International Raceway, another track I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, all of the other Masters drivers apparently have, so I’ll be at a disadvantage. But the #34 certainly has the momentum from the last 2 weekends at SPR and that has to help. Maybe the heat is good, after all. I should be in great shape for VIR if it stays this hot until then! See you at VIR – and watch for the fastest cow on the track! -Will Campbell |
Hot and Hotter As Ferris Bueller once said, “this is Africa hot”! That is how both the weather and racing action were Friday and Saturday night at Southside and South Boston Speedways in southern Virginia. This weekend belonged to Patrick Molesworth as he edged his brother Duncan for one-two finishes on both Friday and Saturday night. I cannot tell which one Patrick is holding tighter - his trophy or Miss South Boston. My original plans for the weekend were to race at Shenandoah on both Friday and Saturday for their opening Legends weekend. It is a new track and I wanted to make sure they got a decent car count. After speaking with a friend, he indicated there were going to be no less than 20 Legends cars showing up and that was enough to convince me that their car count would be plenty strong. I had also heard (and rightly so!) that two other tracks that have been supporting Legends racers for the past couple of years might not have strong car counts and needed some help. Although it involved driving my hauler a greater distance, I decided to support the tracks that have supported and been good to me. So I called my buddy Daryl Harris (driver #99) and invited him to join me at Southside Speedway on Friday night and then South Boston Speedway on Saturday night. Daryl is always up for a road trip and gladly accepted. So we loaded up both cars in the Mad Cow hauler and headed south for the weekend. If you read this website, you already know that I struggle to find speed and a good line around Southside Speedway. It is a very technical track and requires a lot from a driver in order to be fast. The more I drive it, the better I get. I am still not on par with the leaders. But I am gaining ground and gradually catching some other cars that usually drive away from me. After “pulling pills” (a racing term for drawing a random starting spot) for our heat races, I learned that I would be starting on the outside front row and my buddy Daryl Harris would be starting on the inside front row, otherwise known as the pole position. Now most people would be thrilled starting on the pole. But, this is Daryl’s first season (and only his seventh race ever) and he was a bit apprehensive about starting the race on the hot seat. The really funny part is that I was the one that pulled Daryl’s starting spot for him when he was signing into the pit area. After we found out that we occupied the fornt row, we began thinking . . . hey, one of us can lead the first lap. So we planned to race one another into turn one. Whomever took the lead going into turn one would probably also lead the first lap. Since neither of us have led a race before, this was a big deal. We also agreed that the guy in second would do all he could to hold off the rest of the pack to make sure one of us led a lap. So how did it work? The good news is that one of us led a lap. The bad news is that we did not cross the line in first and second. As it turns out Daryl got a really bad jump on the start and was passed by two cars before we got to the first turn. This left me leading the race with Cameron Patrick and Duncan Molesworth following closely in second and third. I was surprised to look in my mirror and see Cameron right on my bumper, but I was determined to lead at least one lap in my racing career. So, I “got up on the wheel” and drive my butt off. As it turns out, I was able to lead the first three laps and was running very strong up front. I gradually got a couple of “hey I am faster” taps from Cameron and could also see he was getting pressure from Duncan. So, I counted my blessings and waved both drivers by so they could race for a decent starting spot. Since this was only a heat race and I know they are both racing for track points, I decided to do the sportsman like thing and let them settle it among themselves. However, I led my first laps as a race car driver and held off two of the strongest and hardest charging drivers in our series. If my weekend ended right there I would have been happy. As it turns out, I started the feature race seventh, finished sixth, and discovered I am gradually making progress at Southside. My car felt good, I had a lot of fun, and was able to load everything in my hauler in one piece at the end of the night. The same can not be said for my buddy Daryl. He ran strong all day and was having a good solid run in the feature race and then his motor blew up with about ten laps to go. I can see him getting faster (and more confident) with each lap. I used to be able to zoom passed him pretty much whenever I wanted. Now when I catch up to him, it takes me a few laps to get by. Even though I believe he probably races me a bit harder than everyone else, I also know he is getting markedly faster and it is satisfying to see him doing so well. Kevin Yeatts was gracious enough to put Daryl and I up at his place on Friday night. Although Kevin did not get up early and cook breakfast for everyone, he did give us directions to “The Chicken Pit” so we could have some good ol’ southern fried chicken wings for breakfast. We also got a bucket of fried chicken for lunch. All this fried food would come back to haunt us later in the day because we had to weight our cars “with us in it” after qualifying. I am not going to say how far overweight the #35 car is other than I did not need that chicken. Kevin was also gracious enough to allow Daryl to race one of his two hot rods on Saturday night at South Boston. After the first practice session in Kev’s car, Daryl got back to the pits and the first words out of his mouth were, “I want a Yeatts Racing setup on my car”! Daryl was happy and doing well with his previous setup. However, he said there was a night and day difference between what he had been using and what Kevin can do. After putting up wth the heat and humidity (with no air conditioning) all day on Friday, I was ready to race and begin heading back home Saturday. As it runs out, we were the very last series to run on Saturday night. That meant sitting out in the heat all day before our race. Since we did not race until after 10:00pm, I think it was actually a blessing in disguise because it gave all of us a chance to rehydrate and also gave the air temps a chance to drop before we strapped back into our cars. The thing I like most about South Boston Speedway is how friendly the officials and track staff are to everyone – drivers, crews, and fans. It honestly feels like going back home again. Although it is a long drive, it is worth it knowing you are welcomed when you get there. So how did we do? Daryl was thrilled to be driving Kevin’s back up car. He picked up right where he left off the previous night and was running very strong and consistent all day long. My car ran well, but I had the wrong gear and simply did not have any power coming out of the corners. This, in turn, slowed my straight away speeds. I qualified and finished the race in seventh. At the start of the race, I could not get car out of third gear. By playing with the throttle and clutch, I eventually got it out of third and into fifth. The bad news is that I had to start the race in fifth instead of something lower. Starting in that high of a gear meant that I got jumped at the start by everone else, but was able to regain my spot before the end of the first lap. I then passed James Phipps early in the race and was catching Marty Maddox. Luckily, we had no caution flags and I did not have to worry about getting my car out of fifth. It did keep jumping out of gear and I drove most of the race with my left hand on the steering wheel and right hand holding my gear in place. That was an interesting experience and I do not recommend it to anyone. I actually scared the “you know what” out of myself a couple of times because when my car oversteered, I could not correct quick enough by using just one hand on the wheel. I had held off Mellinda Bear for most of the race, but she managed to get under me coming off of four on lap 22 and I simply could not keep up with her down the front stretch. She was fun to race with and raced me clean all night. I look forward to racing with her again. That is where I finished the race. Once again we loaded our cars in one piece and had a few racing stories to tell. Patrick and Duncan Molesworth finished one-two on both nights and Daryl and I had respectable runs. This week Daryl is installing a new motor and I am fixing my clutch and plan to be racing at Shenandoah on Friday. We hope to see you there! See ya at the track! Anthony Crisp, Driver #35 |
|
July 8, 2005 Southside Speedway |
|
|
Did not race. |
Southside Speedway Update Congratulations to Duncan Molesworth for winning (yes, again!) last night’s Legends feature race at Southside Speedway (SSS). Ryan Ellis took the second spot after Kevin Yeatts and Cameron Patrick got together just before the finish line. I finished a lap down near the end of the field after spinning my car in the first turn of the race. I will skip the prerace report as it is pretty typical. The real action began in my first heat race. I started my heat race fourth behind three very fast drivers. Luckily I was able to hold my position throughout the race, but not without a hard fought battle from Mike Solaimani. Both of our cars were pretty evenly matched and it was really of matter of who started ahead of who that determined the finishing order. Luckily, I started ahead of Mike and was able to hold off a hard charge. I was getting a better run than Mike coming out of the corners and could pull away. Mike made his moves by braking way late and dive bombing me as we went into the corners. I have rarely seen that type of pass successful as it ususally ends up with one or cars in the wall. Luckily, Mike raced me pretty clean, with the exception of a banged up rear bumper. My car was pretty good all day and getting better as the sun went down. I was fortunate enough to have Mike Gwaltney on hand to give me a lot of advice. I gotta tell you, Mike is a savvy racer and knows what it takes to get around that track. The more I listen to Mike, the faster I get. But, please do not tell Mike I said that or we will never get his helmet to fit. I made some last minute changes to my hot rod anticipating my best race ever at SSS. I was in the middle of some veteran racers and felt confident that the start would be clean and we could all get sorted out within the first two laps. I scrubbed my tires, warmed my brakes, and got ready to rumble. Patrick Molesworth started the race ahead of me and I stayed glued to his bumper so as not to give anyone an inch on the start. The green flag dropped and I was mashing the accelerator so hard I was standing on my “tippy toes” like kids do in the deep end of the swimming pool. Dag I got a good start! I had a good line going into turn one and then the cars in front of me slowed a little quicker than I expected. I had to tap the brakes in the center of the corner to avoid ramming Patrick. I knew tapping the brakes would unload the rear tires, but I did not have to hit them that hard and figured I could save the rear end. As it runs out, I couldn’t and ended up spinning on the first lap. Luckily, the rest of the field was able to safely navigate their way around my spun hot rod and no other cars were involved. I put my car in gear and looked at the lights expecting to see yellow - a caution. To my amazement, all I saw was green. Green? I just spun going into turn one and scattered the field. Surely they are going to throw a caution flag. My car was sitting in turn two and oriented in such a way that I could see the flag man. He had the yellow flag in his hand but was not waiving it. I sat there for a second or two hoping that he might think my car is stalled and throw the caution flag. No such luck. The next thing I knew I saw the leaders crossing the finish line and I thought I had better get going before I get lapped. I got hard on the accelerator (no “tippy toes” this time, more like a hydraulic press) and got my car up to speed as quickly as possible. After beginning the race three quarters of a lap down, I was able to stay on the lead lap until about lap 20. Then the leaders were knocking on my back door, so I decided to run the “rookie” line by staying low and off speed. Afterall, these guys are all racing for track points and the lead. My goal was to do the sportsman like thing and stay out of their way. I was able to catch and pass a couple cars, but ended up finishing the race near the rear of the pack. It is a shame really, because I had a fast car and head full of confidence. Besides, I was looking forward to 25 laps of beating and banging with Mike S. Next time Mike! After the race, I was doing the typical race driver thing by searching my mind for someone or something on which to blame my spin. Truth be told, I simply lost it – plain and simple. That is hard to swallow, but I chalk it up to one of those racing deals where you learn from it and move on to become a better racer. At the end of the night I can look back and take great satisfaction that I am blessed to be able to do something I love, have more racing friends than anyone can ask for, loaded my hot rod into the hauler in one piece, did not get hurt, and had a lot of fun. Yes, life is good! I also want to give a big thanks to Dave and Kathy Ellison. I race with their son, Andrew Ellison, and they served as my impromptu pit crew. Thank you both so much for helping out! See ya at the track! Anthony Crisp, Driver #35
|
|
Southside Speedway |
|
|
Did not race. |
Making Progress (Written by Anthony Crisp)
Although Southside Speedway (SSS) is not a track where I typically run well, I do enjoy racing there - alot. The track management works hard to keep the racing clean and atmosphere pleasant for drivers and fans alike. The track also has great officiating and welcomes and enjoys Legends racing. In my opinion, Southside provides the best short track racing action within a two hour drive of Northern Virginia. If you are a race fan and live in the Washington, DC area, it is definitely worth the drive. My car has been running and handling well all season. My stock, sealed motor is now a year and a half old and beginning to feel its age. What my car lacks in horsepower, it usually makes up for in handling. Friday was no exception. When I first took to the track, I quickly realized that this is the first time this season that I have raced in the heat and humidty. I raced in the heat earlier this year at South Boston, but this is the first time I have had to deal with the humidty that plagues us all summer. Not only does it take a toll on the driver, but it also changes the track. Specifically, the track was a bit slick during the late afternoon practice sessions and stayed so during the heat race. What that meant to me was that my car was loose exiting the corners and I was unable to hang with some of the faster drivers experienced enough to make some adjustments to accommodate the track. Once again, my inexperience showed as I struggled to find a fast way around this track. For my heat race, I drew a starting spot near the back of the pack. Since I am not running for points at SSS, I did not really mind because starting at the rear also meant I would have a better chance of avoiding any mishaps at the beginning of the race. Luckily there were no big mishaps and we had a fairly clean start. I paced behind a slower car for a lap or two sizing him up for a pass. I have never raced with this car before and noticed during practice that he had a tendency to chop other drivers. I do not thnk he meant to do it. I just hink he does not know they are there. I was getting a good run on him coming out of the turns and he was running a low line protecting the inside line. I had been held up long enough and decided to make my pass on the outside coming out of turn four. Going down the front stretch, I got a good run pulling right up to his door with a ton of momentum, when he suddenly started up the track forcing my car up to the wall. I had two choices. First, I could hold my position which meant we would get together and one or both of us would not be racing later that night. Since it was my car being sandwiched between a concrete wall and another car, I decided to take the second choice and that was to slam on my brakes. I had to get on the brakes so hard that I locked them up and could see tire smoke. However, I recovered and made a couple of other runs to the inside that met with the same blocking technique. I remained focused on the big picture and simply held my spot for the big show later that night. I also made a mental note that this guy will get no break from me in the near future. Mike Gwaltney stopped by after the heat race and asked how my hot rod felt. I told Mike that I was loose coming out of the corners and the problem only got worse the longer I raced. He then offered some advice with an explanation of why he thought it might help. Mike has a lot of laps on that track and is competitive wherever he races. Given his experience and logical explanation, I decided to try it. I needed to do something and knew Mike would never give me bad advice. One thing you can always count on from Mike is that he tells it like he sees it. You may not always like what he says, but he tells you what he believes to be the truth. In a field of eighteen cars, I began the race waaay back in the pack. As luck would have it, I was also starting right behind the same car that kept chopping me off in the heat race. Given his driving style, my plan was to pass him going into the first corner. As the green flag dropped I got a good run out of turn four and dove to the bottom of the track. I easily got by and then grabbed a couple more spots before exiting out of two. My car had really good grip that it did not have earlier in the day. Then the yellow lights came on for a spinning car and I knew that we would have to restart the race in our original positions. Dag! I now have to give back the three spots I just earned. I followed my same strategy and passed to the outside on the restart. Just like Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day, the yellow lights came out and we restarted the race again. After the third restart, we finally sorted things out enough to have a long green flag run. Yes, I still was able to make the pass on the third restart and moved up four or five spots within the first couple of laps. My car was handling better than it ever had on this track. I owe a big “thank you” to Mike Gwaltney for his last minute advice because my car was pretty good all night. He warned me it might feel a little tight, but thought it would get better as the race went on. It was actually a little tight all night, but still a big improvement and allowed me to finish the race in 9th place. I was catching the two cars in front of me and believe with about five more laps, I could have taken those spots as well. All in all, it was a fun and successful night. I brought my hot rod home in one piece, learned something about how to make it go faster on that track, was able to race with my buds, and injected a big dose of fun back into racing. I also experienced the funniest (and potentially dangerous) thing I have ever seen while racing. I was following behind Mike Solaimani (#31) on a caution lap when I saw him toss a bumper out of the right side window of his car. Yes, I said a bumper! I thought that either Mike was trying to reduce weight on his car, or someone lost a bumper during the race and Mike found it. I asked Mike about it after the race and he said it came flying through the front window of his car and landed on his lap. The good news is that Mike was not hurt and now has a good racing story to tell. If you lost a bumper Friday night at SSS, please see Mike at the lost and found counter. This incident also reinforces my belief that it is better to run a plexiglass window as opposed to the netting used by some drivers. I know netting is much cooler in the summer, but it does not offer the driver adequate protection (IMHO). I am racing next at SSS again on Friday, July 8th and then Friday, July 15th and Saturday, July 16th at Shenandoah Speedway. Will’s next road race is Hyperfest at Summit Point Raceway the weekend of July 15th. See ya at the track! Anthony Crisp, Driver #35 |
|
Flying at Summit Point Last weekend I took the #34 Mad Cow racer to the new Shenandoah circuit at Summit Point Motorsports Park to run in the NASA road race series there. As usual, the Legends contingent had quite a weekend.
The track was new to each of the Legends drivers there, and like all Bill Scott-designed tracks, was more technical than it first appeared. For those of you who haven’t seen the new track, it is actually longer (at 2.2 miles) than the original and now historic 2.0 mile track. Because it is tighter and has shorter straights, lap times are longer. The track has quite a few interesting features, including a blind straight under the bridge that has a hill where the front tires of most cars actually become airborne. I’ve driven a Legends car, but this is the first time I’ve been flying in one! (check the picture- you can see air under the tires!). One novel part of the track is a steeply banked turn that Bill Scott is reported to have copied from the famous Nurburgring track in Germany where he won his FV World Championship many decades ago. It looked just like some of the steeper oval tracks to me and the #34 car took to it like a duck to water. The car got a little upset when being ejected from the turn as the angle of the pavement changed sharply, though. As we learned more about the technical aspects of the track, lap times began to drop, and we ended up qualifying 3rd- very respectable when you consider that this is still only our 3rd road race weekend in a Legends car.
The racing weekend began with the race on Saturday, where the #34 started 3rd on the grid-- and promptly hit the spinning car of Mike Mahieu as he exited the first turn. Mike’s car was able to continue, but the impact made short shrift of our race, and the left front suspension of the #34 racer. We weren’t even able to complete the first lap. Roger Austin kindly fixed the car Saturday night and swapped back a set of carbs that had been sloppy rich all day. Sunday began better with a very quick practice time that made the Mad Cow car just second overall in the group we were running (American Iron, Camaro-Mustang Challenge, the Factory Five Cobra challenge, etc). The time was a new lap record for Legends, and 1 ˝ seconds faster than the rest of the field of Legends It was surprising to see the diminutive Legends cars mixing it up with the much more powerful V8 cars, and several of the V8-powered drivers remarked to me how surprised they were to see us really flying around the track. During practice Mike Bryant continued his bad luck and blew yet another engine in his Legends car (his fourth this year). He switched to Ed Cove’s backup car and still managed to qualify on the pole. I couldn’t duplicate the fast time in practice (which would have been a pole time if I had been able to do it when it mattered), and ended up qualifying 4th, lining up just behind Mike Mahieu on the outside.
The race on Sunday began with Mike Mahieu and I bump-drafting down the straight to the first turn, a sharp left-hander that leads into a hairpin. We were actually able to make up ground on Mike Bryant, who didn’t have the benefit of a tailwind, and came out of the first turn in first (Mike M) and second (me). That lasted for about 60 feet until I tried a banzai late braking attempt into the hairpin on warm (but not hot) tires and brakes and looped around, to see the entire field pass me. I was slowly catching up the rest of the field when the checkered flag was shown. Mike Mahieu ended up winning the race as Mike Bryant picked up a miss in his borrowed car and dropped out. I ended up 4th, just where I started. Overall, a pretty good race meeting as we learned that we have the speed, but just need to work on consistency and racecraft. This weekend was so hot that my performance suffered- I’m sure my earlier laps were faster when I was fresher, and I could barely pull myself out of the car at the end of the race. Temps were in the 90s, with high humidity. I have to work on conditioning, and patience. Next race is also at Summit Point, and the racing will be part of Hyperfest. I don’t have much experience in a Legends car at the 2.0 mile track, but I do expect to keep flying! Come and see what happens next race on July 16-17! Will Campbell, Driver #34
|
Did not race. |
|
Did not race. |
Now THIS is Short Trackin’ What do you get when you combine one of the best race tracks on the east coast, hot weather, Saturday night, bumping and banging, tempers flaring and a group of competitive drivers not willing to give an inch? You get some of the best short track racing in America and that is exactly what we had at South Boston Speedway (SoBo) this past Saturday night. Although it was my worst finish of the season, it was also the most fun I have had this season. Why? Because it was short track racing like I used to watch as a kid. The only difference is that this time I was in a car and not the grandstands. I have finished a few races with either my front or rear bumper banged up. But, this is the first time I finished with both of my bumpers pushed up past my frame rails. They are pushed so far up that I still cannot figure out how they stayed on the car. But I am getting ahead of myself. Without a doubt, SoBo is my favorite place to race. The management is organized and well prepared each and every weekend. The officials are qualified, well trained, eager to help and about the friendliest people you will ever meet. Each and every person makes you feel like they are glad you chose their track to race that weekend. The track surface is glass smooth and provides good grip, the facilities are well kept, and I cannot think of too many places you can get a bologna burger with fried onions and peppers. Yes, we drive home with the windows DOWN. This weekend we had an added bonus of sharing the track with the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southeast Series (NASS). These were some of the fastest (and loudest) cars I have ever seen (and heard). I am not sure what speeds they were turning, but they qualified more than two seconds a lap faster than our cars. I have never seen cars stick to a race track and pull as hard coming out of the corners as these. I strolled around the pit area wearing my drivers suit and carrying my helment just in case one of the NASCAR teams needed a last minute driver. Oddly enough, I could not find any takers. Oh well, perhaps they did not realize I had my INEX license with me! My day started by meeting some new faces and seeing some old friends that I have not had a chance to race with this year. I know I say this all the time, but I cannot tell you how many good folks I meet and new friends I make at the track. The two just go hand in hand. The one new face that really stands out from this weekend is Mel Royal. Mel was about as nice and fun a guy as you could ever want to meet. If we were in school, he would be the guy that everyone calls the class clown. I look forward to racing with him again. I also got a chance to race with Addison Rogers again. I do not know what happened to Addison during the off season, but he really surprised me with the amount of speed he picked up during the off season. Great job! I also got a chance to race against my bud C.E. Faulk. I guess I can technically say I raced with him because we were on the same track at the same time. In reality, I was never close enough to C.E. to actually race him. He was the man to beat as he took both the pole and the win. So how was the racing? It was great! In spite of a horrible qualifying run, my car was fast and I knew it would race well. I allowed a big dose of overconfidence to spoil what should have been my best qualifying session ever. I knew from practice my car was good and decided to go for it on my one lap of qualifying. I drove hard into the corners, turned down and then mashed the accelerator (instead of easing onto it) causing my rear end to slip coming out of both corners. It was fun to drive, but slow to qualify. There is a valuable lesson to be learned in there somewhere and I sure hope I find it before next time. I started the race 11 out of 17 cars. The good news is that I was right behind Max Smith and figured I could follow him up through the pack of cars. As the race began, I was able to stick with Max throught the first corner, but found myself getting chopped off going down going into turn three. My choice was to hold my line and become involved in the night’s first altercation, or give up the spot and have a whole race car for the rest of the night. So I backed off. I then spent the next 8 laps trying to get around Anthony Fleming. I had a much faster car and could get along side Anthony F. on the straights. But, he held his line and pinched me down into the corner. Do not allow that description to sound like dirty driving, because it is not. Anthony F. was being held up (and chopped off) himself by the car in front of him. On lap 8, I finally got enough momentum to pass Anthony F. on the inside going into turn one. Right about that time the caution lights came on and I was forced to give back the spot I just worked so hard for. The next 12 laps were spent trying to get back around Anthony F. To make matters worse, I had some bozo behind me banging me into every corner. Instead of making a clean pass, I could feel him taking the easy way by trying to push my car up into the corner. I guess he figured he would either wreck me or push me out of the way. I could feel his same frustration because I was having to get hard on the brakes going into every corner – and this is a track where I never use brakes. I was hoping he could see that I was being held up as well and I refused to simply put a bumper to people because I am not a good enough driver to pass them. After hitting me so hard that my rear bumper is now inside my trunk, he finally got me loose going into turn three and got under me. Since I was in a sharing kind of mood, I decided to return the gesture. The only difference is that I did not use a bump in order to pass him. I did not have to. I passed cleanly and never saw (or felt) him again. With two laps to go, my bud Patrick Molesworth put a bumper to me in the center of the corner to take the Semi-Pro position from me. One the final corner I had a good run on Anthony F. and was set to pass coming out of turn four only to be chopped off once again. It was a frustrating night and also the most fun. It was like fist fighting at 100 mph. You should try it some time. On the way home I decided that if I am to continue short track racing, I am going to have to begin using my bumpers. I do not want to do it and do not feel like it is good, clean racing. But at the same time I am tired of losing spots because I am the only one racing clean. Be careful guys, you are about to create a monster. Anthony Crisp, Driver #35 |
|
Old Dominion Speedway |
|
|
Big and
Little The Monster Trucks and Legends cars invaded Old Dominion Speedway for the second time, this year marred by rain. So far this season, 3 of the first 4 races at ODS have been rained out. This year, the event was supposed to be a 30-lap Legends race on Saturday, along with a 50-lap race on Sunday, which was also a regional qualifier (meaning that the respective winners of each division are guaranteed a start in the A-main at the nationals). That meant that we had a bigger car count, and that we saw many of the top Legends racers in the East show up. It was also a stop on the Legends Touring Series, so we had even more cars, some from as far away as Texas. Car count for both days was between 30 and 35 cars. While the Monster Trucks were the lead attraction, the Legends cars put on a great show. Or would have on Saturday, if we hadn’t been pushed back so the Monster Trucks could finish their schedule. Then it rained, and we sat for hours until the track officials called a rainout. So we all went home and planned for an early start for Sunday. We were supposed to be started by 3PM and out early. But once again, the schedule was changed and we didn’t take to the track until about 5:30, perilously close to the Sunday curfew of 6:30PM. How did the Mad Cow team do? Well, half of the team was not racing this week at ODS again, so the #34 car had to uphold the glory of the Mad Cow by itself. This weekend produced the fastest Legends racing ever at ODS with the front row cars both running 17.0 times, shattering the lap record of 17.129. Several cars in practice (and in the race) were turning 16-second laps, which would have placed them well into the Late Model grid most weekends. That is an indication of how much development has taken place in Legends. In qualifying on Saturday, the Mad Cow #34 turned a 17.7 time to start in the feature, netting about 22nd or so. On Sunday, when all the big guns were running, it took at 17.6 to get into the feature. Nothing if not consistent, we turned another 17.7 on Sunday, which was only good enough to start 4th in the B main. The pole position in the B-main was taken by JD Trenary, an overall race winner last year, and overall 5th-place finisher in the May 7th race. That’s how competitive it was all weekend. We started the B-main 4th, and finished 3rd, after passing Jason Chilton in the #14, when he went wide in 4. We hit the back straight wall in the middle of the race and bent two wheels, and knocked the toe out, which affected the car the rest of the day. We still could have pressed the two lead cars but with a 15-lap B and a sure start in the 50-lap feature, we wanted to conserve everything we had. Now Legends cars only have 5-gallon fuel tanks, and at ODS we get just over 50 laps on a tank. So we had to refuel after the B before we started to feature. Unfortunately, we were given incorrect instructions by the track officials, and we ended up lining up, then coming back in to refuel. That cost us every finishing position we had gained in qualifying and the position we had earned in the B-main, as the race started before we were able to get back to the field as they got the green flag. So we started not only dead last, but about a half a straightaway back from the rest of the field. At least we were on the same lap. We were able to pass cars until we came upon Larry Friddle who is running the Touring Series again this year. We had out-qualified and out raced him so far, but just couldn’t make a pass without getting too aggressive. We’d look low, he’d drop low to block, then we’d go high and he’d drift high, so we stayed there the entire race. We finished that way, around 23rd or so, and 4th in Masters, with the second and third Masters positions right ahead of us, tantalizingly close, but not close enough to do anything about. A discouraging weekend, as we raced without our teammate in the #35 car, didn’t run up front, and just didn’t seem to have the speed that others found. On the other hand, we came back with the car in the same number of pieces as when we started, ran a clean race, and ran smoothly. The “little race cars” put on a great show this weekend. We didn’t jump any motorhomes as the “big” Monster trucks did, but we did show just how truly fast the “little” cars really are. Will |
Did not race. |
|
Old Dominion Speedway |
|
|
Back on Track
(and a little Boo-boo) This week was the third scheduled Legends race at Old Dominion Speedway, but the first to actually be held as the first two were rainouts. 31 cars showed up, including some newcomers and some outsiders, who were here to get a warmup for the upcoming Legends Touring Series race next Sunday. With 31 cars, surely a B main should have been run, but probably to save time, all were slotted to start the feature, and all but 1 car showed up at the grid. Now, 30 cars on a 3/8 mile track is usually a recipe for a wreckfest, and the odds were higher than normal because of the usual crop of new drivers at the beginning of the season, the desire to “catch up” on points since the season start had been delayed, and the out-of-towners who had showed up, accustomed to running up front at their tracks. The first practice was uneventful for the Mad Cow racer (only the #34 car ran this week as Anthony, the #35 driver, was off in Darlington, SC for the weekend), most of it spent trying to break in a new set of tires for ODS. The second session was cut short when we were called in for a dragging front bumper. It was just loose until we came off the track and into the pits, where it got well and truly wedged under the car, tearing a boot on the steering rack. We taped the boot and checked the toe and waited to qualify. We ended up qualifying near the end of the session which may have been good as the temps were cooling off and the track was a little stickier. We qualified with a 17.65, which was our best for this track, and would have garnered the pole position just three years ago at ODS. Alas, this is 2005, not 2002, and it was only good for 18th. Pole time this day was a 17.25, by Kyle Henderschott, showing just how competitive the field is at ODS—you could have thrown a 4/10-second blanket over the first nine rows of the field! Qualifying surprises were many, including Addison Rogers cutting an incredible 17.3, about a second faster than his qualifying times last year. In his second year in the Masters division, Kevin Yeatts showed he hadn’t lost much since he started his fourth decade, qualifying a strong third. And Anthony Fleming got up front with a 17.4, also his best ODS qualifying effort (I think). The out-of-towners learned just how different and competitive ODS really is, and, largely qualified away from the sharp end of the grid. When the race started, the #34 car was slotted right behind Mike Bryant in another new car for him (Roger Austin’s former #8 car). We planned to follow him closely at the start, and stay there for as long as possible. Eventually that Mike and that group pulled away and a race-long fight broke out with the #34 leading the charge with the #4 of Jeff Hedrick and his father-in-law Earl Case in the #04 car harrying our car. We never put a foot wrong though, and tried to leave racing room (though Jeff later told me he had to go way down in 1 to avoid hitting us once). Eventually, we were passed by a determined Cameron Patrick who had been sent to the rear, and after about 20 laps or so, we moved up to challenge Anthony Fleming and Addison Rogers. We were right behind them, and started attacking when the race was slowed for a caution from a car that started leaking oil on the track. Now, last year we had been asleep at the switch a couple of times and had lost hard-won positions at restarts, and this year we were determined to not let that happen again. So, now on hyper-alert for the restart, we rolled on the throttle when we thought the restart had happened. Except that it hadn’t yet, exactly, so we ended up jumping the start and what was worse (here comes the little boo-boo) we ended up passing two cars on the inside before the flagstand (the aforementioned Anthony and Addison). We hadn’t planned to jump the start, but that was the way it transpired. We could have hit the brakes and lost momentum, but in the heat of battle, it wasn’t clear until after we entered turn 1 that we really had jumped the start, anyway. By that time it was too late to do anything, as a couple of other cars had followed us through, making it more complicated. After the race we apologized to the affected drivers. There were 7 more laps, and the #34 car still felt strong on new tires, so we tried to catch up the second group (including Mike Bryant, Nick Carlson and some others), but couldn’t really reel them in. So we finished in 12th overall, and first in Masters (as Kevin Yeatts had retired earlier in the race with a broken axle). The expected wrecks never really transpired, the rookies stayed largely out of trouble, and reason prevailed throughout the land (well, maybe not the last part). Overall, our best qualifying time (though the #34 has started as high as 8th overall in the past), which was good. And, except for the jumped restart, raced a pretty good race, successfully defending from the rear while attacking (not quite as successfully) the front. Perhaps more importantly, we drove a smooth race, rarely marked by loose exits, so there is real improvement there. Next week we return for a two-day weekend shared only with the Monster trucks (guess the promoted went with the “big-n-little” idea). We will have a 30-lap race on Saturday, and a 50-lap race on Sunday. MOOve over! Will |
Did not race. |
|
Southside Speedway |
|
|
Did not race. |
Real Short Trackin’ So how did we do? In all honesty, we did “just OK” as far as racing goes. If I look at the bigger picture and examine my original goals for the evening, we did great. Therefore, let’s start with the analysis that says we did great. One of my original goals for the night was to break-in a new set of BFGoodrich Legends series tires. As everyone knows, breaking in tires in Legends racing is a bit more important than you might think. Unlike some racing series where tires are best when they are brand new. In the Legends series, our tires are best after they have had a few heat cycles run through them. In addition to running heat cycles, it is also important to make sure you pick a track with a decent surface. If the surface is too rough and abraisive, it chunks up the tires resulting in poor performance and a short lifespan. Southside happens to be a great place for tires because the track surface is smooth. The challenging part for me as a racer was to NOT spin or side my tires during the break-in process. That meant driving (and racing) at a pace that is less than 110%. That is not real easy to do when cars are threatening to pass you and the pack ahead of you is pulling away. Was I able to resist the temptation? What do you think?! Actually, I did a great job during the day’s two practice sessions. I was easy on the throttle, smooth on the brakes, and drove like I had some sense coming out of the corners. Then the first heat race began and all that went right out the window. For the most part, I followed the normal process and believe my tires are good to go! My second goal was to test my newly mended motor. After breaking a cam last weekend at South Boston Speedway, I wanted to make sure the motor was back to normal. The only real way to do that is to get on the track and run hot laps. So how did it do? One a word, great! I had Roger Austin (Austin Legends) evaluate and fix my hot rod during the week. I dropped it off on Monday night and had it back the very next day. Roger fixed the broken pieces and adjusted my valves. When I picked it up, Roger stated that my exhaust valves were waaaay out of adjustment and that my car should feel a bit peppier with the valve adjustment. He was right. I had much more throttle response coming out of the corner. So much so that I had to get used to the new found pep and had the car sideways more than I would like. Sideways is fun, but it is not fast. You know, Roger really goes out of his way to take care of his customers. I am fortunate enough to have Roger right down the road from my house. I realize not many drivers have a Legends dealer within a stone’s throw. Well, I do and am very appreciative of that. Because Roger is so close, I get to see first hand the care and attention Roger puts into every Legends car – not just mine. I cannot begin to tell you how much Roger has done for the MCM team over the past two seasons. I can honestly say that if it were not for Roger loaning (and sometimes giving) us parts and fixing crash damaged cars (at the track), the MCM team would have missed three races last year. Thanks Roger for your support! So now for the real race report. Southside did not qualify Legends cars. Instead, we ran heat races to determine our starting spots. Each driver pulled a pill (really it is a poker chip with a number written on it) and that pill determined which of the two heat races you would run as well as your starting order within that heat race. I pulled the third starting spot in the evening’s first heat race. As luck would have it, the lead car in my race forgot to put some brake parts back on his car and was not able to run. That moved me up to the pole position to begin the night’s first race. How cool is that! That was my first time starting a race on the pole and I had a blast. To make it even more fun, I had Cameron Patrick (#20) from Little Race Cars starting on the outside. Not only is Cameron one of the top Legends drivers in the country, he also has a bizillion laps at Southside. Not only was I going to have fun starting a race, I was also sure to learn a few things from someone that has started more races and led more laps than I have in my entire racing career. I had a smile going from ear to ear. Since I had never started a race, I was not 100% sure what to do. All I knew was that I had an opportunity to get on the gas pedal before anyone else and hopefully beat the pack of cars into the first turn. As we rounded turn two and lined up down the backstretch to begin the race, I was listening to Cameron’s motor to determine what gear he was running. I could hear from the RPMs we were turning that he was in second. So just before turn three, I put my car in third and slowly pushed up the pace. I was not really accelerating as much as just rolling forward. My strategy was to catch Cameron in the wrong gear by making him turn such a high RPM that he would have to switch gears. It worked. When I heard him push the clutch to switch gears, I nailed it coming out of four and got a good jump. That is the good part. Now for the not-so-good part. There was kitty litter at the bottom of the track and I did not see it until it was too late. Suddenly my hot rod was getting sideways and I was loosing speed. So, did I lift? Heck no!! Lifting meant one of two things – 1) I would get passed or 2) I would get nailed in the rear by a pack of Legends cars. Neither of those two options is all that appealing. I stayed in the gas, corrected the car and drove as hard as I could into turn one. Of course, by that time Cameron had the right gear and was passing on the outside. He eventually beat me back to the line and gave me one of the funnest laps I have ever turned in a Legends car. Thanks Cameron for racing me clean and helping me through my first pole position. I ran the rest of the race as hard as I could without spinning my tires. Patrick Molesworth (#47) was pressing and pushing me hard from behind and I had to keep reminding myself that I was there to break-in tires. But when you are racing, that does not seem to be all that important. I ran in second place behind Cameron up until the last lap. I was doing my best to protect the inside line from Patrick Molesworth. We were both fighting hard for the position and I found myself spinning in turn two. The result was that I did not finish second and would begin the night’s feature race at the back of the pack. Did Patrick turn me? I am not even going to talk about that other than to say that if you go short track racing, you are going to get bumped. That is just the way short track racing is. If you do not want to get bumped, don’t get on the track. One thing I do know for sure is that IF Patrick did bump me, it was NOT intentional. Not only is Patrick one of my racing buds, he is also a good driver and does not need to bump people to pass them. To proove Patrick’s character, when we got back to the pit area, he was standing beside my car asking if I thought he got into me. Before I could even answer, he apologized and offered to make amends. Patrick, at only 14 years of age, you are already a better MAN than most! For me the race was fairly uneventful. I started in the back and finished in 8th place, which is just slightly better than I started. It was not a great race for me, but it was a great night. I was able to break in my tires, found some new horsepower in my motor, started a race on the pole and loaded my car in the same condition it arrived. When you go short track racing in America, that is considered a good night. Oh, I almost forgot . . . how did my car feel? I will answer that by saying that my Yeatts Racing setup is now “for sale”. First $1 million takes it. Yes, life is still good. See you at the track! Anthony Crisp, Driver #35 |
|
South Boston Speedway |
|
|
|
Woulda’, Coulda’, Shoulda’ Our trip to SoBo last weekend saw mixed results. During the first practice session, Will spun early on coming out of turn four, hit the infield concrete wall and was done for the day. I had two good practice sessions and a decent qualifying effort. My car was a bit loose coming out of the corners, so we tightened it up just a bit. I did not want to make too big an adjustment, because I thought the track would tighten up as the evening progressed. By the time we went racing, about 10:30pm, my car was awesome. There were some real hot shoes there. Our field consisted of some of the best short track drivers in the country - Craig Goess Jr., C.E. Faulk, Charlie and Tiffany Daniels, Keven Wood, Cameron Patrick, Kevin Yeats, Ryan Ellis, Duncan and Patrick Molesworth, Rick and Ricky Losh (father and son), Ryan Hall, and several other guys/gals I have never heard of. We actually had three women there racing Legends. All in all there were 23 cars there and 20 of them were FAST. I held my own and qualified 11th. I started the race right behind Kevin Yeatts (that is a first for me). At the start, I was not ready and in too low a gear. The extra shift cost me a split second and that was just enough that I had to fall in right behind Rick Losh and Tiffany Daniels. Running behind Tiffany is beginning to become a bad habit for me at South Boston. I need to find a way to get around her. She is a good driver and races very clean, every lap. I ran in the top ten and led the semi-pro group most of the race. My hot rod was actually faster than the two cars in front of me. But I was happy to remain where I was and take my second straight semi-pro win of the year. I was afraid that if I tried to make a pass and got shuffled outside, I would get freight-trained by the cars behind me. I could feel Patrick Molesworth charging up hard behind me. But whenever he got close, I simply turned up the wick and could pull away whenever I wanted. I figured, all was good and things were going according to plan. Then on lap 16, my cam broke. My first thought was that I had blown my motor, so I got down off the racing groove and tried “wishing” my car back to health. I think we all know how well that strategy does not work. In any case, my night was over. I knew for sure I was going to leave there with another Semi-Pro win. But that didn't happen. I feel pretty good though because I was haulin' butt and had good control of my car. I am getting faster, racing with a very competitive group of drivers and having more fun than I ever thought possible. Yes, even with a broken motor - life is good! See ya at the track. Anthony Crisp, Driver #35
|
|
South Boston Speedway |
|
|
A New Spin on Things The Mad Cow herd stopped at South Boston Speedway this past Saturday to try out our newly-rebuilt racers and get reacquainted with the rigors of short-track racing. And rigorous it was, with about a third of the field falling out before the checkered flag was waved. But that’s getting a little ahead of the story… Practice began on a dirty track, still seeping moisture from its pores like a damp sponge, and so it was with some trepidation that 22 Legends cars got on the track. The air was cool, in the high 40s so we expected oil temps to not be a problem. Early laps were good, with the #34 car a little loose coming in, but hooking up well on exit. Trying to find the braking limit into turn 3, the #34 spun and ended up facing the wrong direction, where another car ran over one of the rear fenders. Two other cars crashed, avoiding the carnage, one seriously, but a little tape on the fender and we were ready for the next practice which went uneventfully. In qualifying, the #34 seemed OK, but was loose on exit out of both 2 and 4, and we ended up with a qualifying time much slower than we thought we had run in practice. That isn’t exactly news for the #34, though, so we were prepared to have to move up during the race. Interesting, our sister car, the #35, qualified just 2 thousandths slower than us and so the crowd was treated to two Mad Cow cars starting together on the same row for the first time. The race started with a bang, literally, as this time the 34 car wasn’t going to be asleep at the start. So when we saw the #81 car jump, we jumped—right into the rear bumper of the car driven by Brad Arthur, who hadn’t started with such alacrity. We lost a few positions at the start from the recovery, and the race was on. Slowly moving up, we had regained most of the lost positions when a car spun in a crowd just ahead of us on the front stretch. We spun avoiding the carnage, but had to go to the back of the pack, where we wasted about 10 laps getting back to where we had started, and began moving through the pack again, until, after passing a determined Kyle Hall, he spun us coming into turn 4 at lap 23. Again, we had to go to the back, and passed a car or two in the remaining two laps, but had to settle for a back-of-the pack finish. We clearly had our share of spins this week, but next race is coming soon, and with it the beginning of the 2005 season at ODS. And hopefully, we’ll have a new spin on the next race report! Look for the Fastest Cows on the Track! We’ll be ready to bellow! See you there! Will Campbell, Driver #34
|
Happy Birthday to Me! This is a little long, but bear with me. Can you think of a better way to spend your birthday than racing? (Remember, this is a family show.) I can’t. So when the opportunity arose to drive south and race on my 39th birthday, I traded in my cake and ice cream for racing fuel and rubber. Will’s race report already does a good job of describing track conditions at the beginning of the day. In addition to a slippery track early on, I was also breaking in brand new Ole’ Dawg cut tires recently purchased from Austin Legends. The combination made for an interesting first practice. By the end of the second practice session, the track was much better and my tires were beginning to have minimal amounts of grip. Of course, that is an improvement from NO grip in the first session. I was also testing out my new Yeatts Racing setup for the first time in real race conditions. Although I am still a fairly new driver, I have been racing Legends long enough to know that some folks are determined to “win practice” and that my job was to break in my tires, get used to my setup, find the track groove and avoid any unnecessary on-track situations that might tear up my hot rod. That meant waiving a few folks by, but it also meant I would have a solid car for racing. I also learned a few things by following the lady and gentlemen I waived by. Yes, I said “lady” and will have more on that in a minute. My qualifying effort was so-so. Before going onto the track, I was talking with Mike Gwaltney about my strategy. I figured it this way. There are some very talented folks here this weekend and if I am going to get a good qualifying effort, I am going to have to go for broke. If I drive conservative and post an average qualifying time, I am going to start in the rear of the field. If I drive the car hard and spin or slip the rear tires, I am going to start in the rear of the field. However, if I drive the car hard and do not spin the rear tires, I stand a good chance to earn a much better starting spot. Mike smiled, then laughed, and then told me to go for it. I could almost hear him thinking out loud, “the voice of inexperience is a dangerous and expensive thing”. So with Mike’s whole-hearted endorsement, I pulled onto the track and drove hard and deep into the corner. To my surprise the car stuck. The problem came when I tried to over drive the car out of the corner. That is when the wheel spin came along and scrubbed time off my single qualifying lap. So I ended up 15th out of 22 cars. Not good, but not bad. When race time came along, the air was cool and the sun was just about gone. The race promoters feared rain would end the evening early and kindly pushed the Legends cars back in the order. In the long run, I believe that worked out well because it did not rain and the air temps were very comfortable and cool. Since we raced later in the day, it also gave me time to watch the Late Models and learn from the talented drivers that race this track each and every weekend. I paid attention to a couple of things that paid off for me when it came time for me to take the track. The Legends cars finally took the track and our first race of the season was about to begin. Again, this is much better than cake and ice cream! As we lined up, I noticed that someone in front of me must have gotten pushed to the back of the field because Will and I qualified 14 and 15, but started the race 13 and 14. This meant my advantage of starting the race on the inside was now taken away and I would have to pass on the outside going into the first corner. Not a very likely task. I could just see the train of cars passing me to the inside. But that is OK because I can use this as a learning experience and try to repass a few cars as quickly as possible. The flag dropped, the cars were buzzing, and I fould myself holding my own on the outside as we drove into the first turn. My Yeatts Racing setup was sticking like glue and I got on the gas well before the middle of the corner and passed at least two guys that had the inside lane. Dag! I suddenly realized that my car was “hooked up”. Thanks Kev! As the race went on, I continued to pick off a few cars here and there. I was racing with my good buddy Scott Wilkerson until his car became wicked loose. I was trying to pick the right place to pass because I was concerned he would lose it and collect me in the process. After several laps of getting the door slammed on me, I gave Scott a friendly tap on the bumper to let him know I need to go because I am getting a lot of pressure on my rear bumper from Cameron Patrick. I finally made the pass and then picked off a couple more folks. In the mean time, Cameron gave me a light touch to let me know I was hold him up. So I gave him the inside lane going into turned one and prayed no one was following him. When he passed I quickly ducked down and held my spot. For the next several laps I was following Ricky Losh Jr. His dad, Rick Losh Sr. was on my bumper. I knew I was having a good race, but it suddenly dawned on me that there were just a hand full of laps left and I was still on the same straight as the lead pack of cars, and I was smack dab in the middle of two very good drivers - Ricky and Rick Losh. That is when I knew I was having my best race ever. My focus now was to be consistent and take home my best finish. Rick Losh is an excellent driver and races you for every inch on the track. I tried to relax and focus all my attention on hitting my marks and driving my own race. I want to thank Rick Losh Sr. for racing me clean. Our cars were so equally matched this night that he could have easily tapped me going into the corner and caused my car to slide up. Instead, Rick raced me clean and never once so much as touched my car anywhere on the track. Rick, I really appreciate and will remember that! A caution fell with two laps remaining and I was concerned that my motor was just not going to have the pull to hold my position on a restart. However, I was able to hold the spot and took home my best finish (and race) ever. I finished seventh overall and second in the semi-pro division. Here is the part where the “lady” reference comes into play. As it turms out, the driver that finished first in the semi-pro division was Tiffany Daniels. Yes, I got beat by a girl on my birthday! However, I consider that an honor as Tiffany is one of the best semi-pro drivers in the c |
