Wednesday, July 3, 2002
|
Wednesday, July 3, 2002 |
|
Clanton and team get a break after tough race
Hello race fans! This past Sunday the American Speed Association (ASA) visited La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin. I know the facility is at the fairgrounds, but I wasn't expecting that on the track I would encounter such a wild ride. We were the first to go out for qualifying, which I never like. It's tough to be the first one on the track to set the speed since you don't have anyone else's time to chase. Anyway, we qualified 12th and I knew that we would be fine for the race. We were running in the top-five when I was going into turn one and the throttle stuck on the Camp Fire USA Georgia Council Chevrolet Monte Carlo. I jerked the car in an attempt to slow it down and insure that I would hit in the rear rather than the front. The back end hit the wall and when I finally got the car back to the pits we knew we had a lot of work to do before we could get it back out on the track. The suspension was damaged and the fuel cell needed to be moved back. The team was prepared so it only took 60 laps for them to fix the suspension, put on a new rear spoiler and send me out with fresh tires and a full fuel tank. Most teams probably would've called it quits given the damage, but the crew did an awesome job. We have a lot of new people on the team this year, and luckily, they haven't had much to repair under racing conditions. By the time we got back out on the track, we were missing a lot of sheet metal, but the car was running as fast as the leaders. We, of course, really couldn't race with them since we were so many laps down, but it was nice to know that despite the injury to the car, that it was running at top speed. When we finally crossed the finish line, we were listed in the 21st position. With a week off between races, I will be able to spend the holiday at home with my family. We've got a lot planned for the weekend including celebrating my wife Brandi's birthday and going to see my brother Rusty race in the late model event at Senoia Speedway. Mostly I will spend the time with my family. My daughter is only six months old and she grows so much in just one week. Our next event is in Jennerstown, Penn. The track is a flat half-mile that is very similar to Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We won at that track earlier this year so I think that we have a good basic set-up to start the weekend with. We chose not to test at Jennerstown and instead concentrated our test sessions at places that I hadn't visited. I think we have a good shot at another victory. Despite this past weekend, the No. 83 Steve Dale Motorsports team is still on a roll. Our pit stops continue to be the fastest in the circuit and the guys keep giving me cars that put me up front. Be sure to watch the race from Jennerstown - it will be broadcast live on July 14 at 2 p.m. EDT on The National Network (TNN). Until next time, Joey
|
