I was pretty happy
with our performance through the race, and maintained a good rhythm.
What bad luck we DID have (remember lucky 13?) snuck up at the last
caution. We were in 8th, and the last truck on the lead lap. Jerry
(our crew chief) and I talked on the radio, and thought new left
side rubber might help the truck handle better. Well as it turned
out, the new tires made the truck almost TOO tight for our own good.
In hindsight, we probably should have stayed on the track and made
up a few positions.
"As
a team, we're feeling the momentum building..."
When the checkered
flag waived, we were in 8th position, and while it wasn't a win,
it WAS our second straight top-ten finish. We felt good about the
day, and I personally felt good because we broke our streak of mangling
trucks on this track. After the race, we did our normal post-race
debriefing, then went off to eat a little cake and ice cream. (it
was my birthday!).
Final Notes: As
a team, we're feeling the momentum building. We have a few days
off, before we head to Phoenix. I've had the honor of being invited
to drive at the "Thunder in the Dome", which is an invitation-only
midget race held inside the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. It'll be held
on March 11, and I'll be driving a car owned by Sam Pierce from
Indy. Come on out and say hi!
Next Race:
Phoenix
Phoenix International
is a "compromise" raceway like Homestead, you need to set the truck
up to be as neutral as possible. We'll be reviewing our notes from
Homestead when planning for Phoenix. This track is one of my favorites,
but it's a tough track to get around in. It's flat, and has a rather
weird dogleg. Again like Homestead, we'll be preparing physically
for the heat … lots of Gatorade, tons of pasta, and you bet we'll
get good use out of our air conditioning in the coach. I have a
good feeling about Phoenix…. I'll just leave it at that.
