2006 RACE HIGHLIGHTS PAGE:

Select the race date that you wish to see highlights for:
Saturday May 27th
Saturday June 4th
Saturday July 1st
Saturday July 8th
Saturday July 30th
Saturday September 9th
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Saturday May 27th

Heat race number 2, started outside front row. First two laps I am running almost door too door with Billy (B4)...the middle is not too bad. I worked the middle and slowly worked my way around the outside to take the lead with 2 laps to go. We went on to win our first race on the track for 2006. Only a heat race, but a win none the less.

Started 8th in the feature. I was just trying to find a good line to run and running in about 9th or 10th when about 2/3 of the way through 2 cars spin right in front of me and I had no where to go...I cranked it around and lit up the tires. Spun to avoid, stopped short, two cars behind me also spun to avoid and not hit me! The good thing is that I did not hit or get hit, bad thing is I had to go to the tail. Now back in about 16th. I could not pass anyone as we just ran like a train around the bottom of the track. I finished 14th.

Saturday June 10th
Started on the pole of the second heat race. I decided to run the same line I ran in the heat 2 weeks ago when I won. I pulled away to a decent lead. Then his Brian Fisher got along side of me with 2 laps to go and he was on the bottom. I moved down a car width and made him pinch it on the bottom on the last lap and we came off turn 4 pretty tight, but he beat me by a car length. Still pretty happy with that finish.

Feature...started 8th again! Special 30 lap feature for the 30 year aniversary of the track. Track is BLACK and very dry slick. I ran in the middle of the track early on, then dropped to the bottom to get in line with the train of cars. Running 9th, on a restart I go to the bottom and Jessen gets under me coming off and puts me back to 10th. I fall in line behind him low, but decide I need to try a new line. I went back to the middle groove and the tires must have come in or something and I am screaming fast in the middle. For about 5 laps we are 3 wide all the way around. We ran 3 wide all that time and never touched! It was awesome racing! I stay in the middle and work my way up to the 5th place car and take over 5th. I am gaining very quickly on 3rd and 4th...Jessen is running 3rd. I get along side 4th with 2 to go and on the white flag lap I drive it into turn 1 way deep and get along side Mike for 3rd. They pull me a little down the back stretch and going into 3 the 4th place car slides up toward my LF tire and I have to lift so I don't get taken out! Killed my momentum and pushed me up into the really black stuff on top. Crossed the finish line 5th. We are very happy with that finish after starting 8th and falling back before going back forward to battle in the top 5.

Saturday July 1st
Started outside front row in heat 1. We had to run the RR Hoosier tonight according the new rules for UMP Sportsman. My car was VERY loose in hot laps, tightened it for the heat. Still very loose. The combo of a new RR with a used LR and a very slick track made for a very loose car. I managed to hold on to a 3rd place finish in the heat.

Austin (my son) drew my pill for the feature...2!!! Best draw I have had in 2 years! Start of the race and I decided to run the middle again. It was working pretty well for a while, car seemed fast and I was running a strong 3rd for the first 4-5 laps. Then a car got me low, so I went low for a while. Then 3-4 went by on the high side, so I went back to the middle. This just kept up the whole race, one inside, one outside. My car got tighter and tighter and tighter every lap. The RR Hoosier faded quickly and the LR American Racer got better and better with heat. This was expected actually! But I had worked to tighten the car up and it definantly got tight. I fell all the way back to 12th! Not a good night as this new Hoosier on the RR with my American Racer tires on the other 3 corners really messed up my setup.

Saturday July 8th
I drew well again tonight...started outside front row of heat 2. I ran a soft Hoosier on the RR again and AR on the LR. But I had made some adjustments to the setup this week. The car was a hair tight in the center, but otherwise it was awesome fast. We went flag to flag and I won the heat race, heat race win number 2 for the year.

I drew a 3 for the feature...good starting spot. Went to the bottom groove on the start and stayed running 3rd until Josh and Rusty went by (the two track hotdogs :o) ), then I was 5th. About halfway through a very poor driver runs into the side of me and knocks me up the track. This allows him and Jessen to get by me. So now I am 7th. I tried to run the middle for a while but another sneaks under me and I am 8th. Jessen makes a clean pass on the kid who ran into me. However, on the last lap, the kid decides he wants 4th, so he drills Jessen in the LR in turn 3 and turns him around. He collects sevaral cars behind me, but I was running the middle again and they were low, so I missed it. That moved me to 7th. After the race they disqualified the kid for rough driving, that moved me to 6th.

Saturday July 30th
Once again I drew well at the gate, a 4. That put me on the pole of the first heat race. When I looked at the lineup...it was a very fast heat! Eight of the 10 cars in the heat are top ten in points cars. I hope I can just hang on to a top 5 for a transfer spot. Green comes out and I manage to jump out into the lead. After 3 laps I start seeing a car under me...caution comes out. Restart I get a good start and with 2 to go I see Chris Keller get his nose under me. I ran him hard and we drag race off 4 on the last lap. I beat him by 1/2 car length for the win.

Feature time and I drew a 4 for that as well. I was hoping to pull a top 5 feature run out of the hat. On the start the guy starting second turns down into the side of the guy that started 3rd beside me and they start banging going into 1. I decide to go to the high side and go around them. I go into 1 and hang the RR on the top...bad move! The water truck had put some water up on the top where it is normally dusty to try to keep the dust down. I got into the mud with my RR tire, filling the tire with MUD! I come off 2 slipping and sliding with no traction and fall back about 5 spots. Hit turn 3 and still no traction...slide up onto the top of the banking again, but even worse, the whole field goes by! I went from 4th to 20th in one lap! How embarassing! Too early in the race to be hanging the RR over the top I guess.

I was so mad and just off my game after that, I did not even try hard, just cruised around and finished 16th.

Saturday September 9th
I started 6th in the 3rd heat. I fell back to 9th on the start, everyone was driving wild and crazy! I just backed off a little as I am not running for points and was not going to tear up my equipment. After things got strung out, I worked my way back to 6th. Top 5 transfer to the feature. So I had to start 3rd in the Consi. Took it easy for 2 laps running between 2nd and 3rd. Then the tires warmed up and I moved under the leader on the bottom and took the lead, going on to win the consi.

Started 16th in the feature. The car was working really good on the bottom. I passed a few cars in a bunch early on. But then ran in the train for most of the rest of the race. Managed to pass one more car late in the race and ended up 12th. This class has really gotten so fast, you have to have a good starting spot!