ChasinRacinDL

  So that is it for 2020. And it comes down to the wire.  We were in the 12th Heat Saturday night, started front row outside, so things were looking good.  A win puts us in the Big Race later that night, or a second or third place gets us in to the "Last Chance" qualifier. Pretty good field of cars in our Heat - we finish 4th .  Missed moving on by one position, effectively ending our season.  Ouch.  We'll become spectators for the rest of the night. We came down to Ajo Sunday while Wade drove the rig back to Rapid City. They'll do some work on the cars up there, then look for a clear-weather opportunity to drive the rig down to AZ, where it will be parked until the January races in Yuma and the Phoenix/Tucson area. We're looking forward to those events! As for the Blog, well, it's been fun.  And a fairly good way to bring you news along the way.  But the Blog will go in to hibernation for now.  We don't expect to post anything through the Ho...

  And not-so-much on Thursday the 12th.   Lets recap events here in Las Vegas: Wednesday - started 6th in our Heat Race,  finished second .   Nice.  Thus no need to run the B-Main, going straight to one of the two Main Events that night, where we started 16th (ugh), finished 19th.    It should be noted that only the top TWO finishers of each night's Main gets "a ticket" to the Championship Race on Saturday.      Thursday - Started 8th in our Heat, finished 9th.  Went on to run one of the FOUR  B-Mains that night.  We made it about 100 yards in that one, when we were crashed out by another car.  Serious damage to the front of the car, somewhat less to other parts.  But bent the main frame rail on the right side.  So by now it's early morning, they decide we really need a frame shop machine to do it right.  A few hours later we load up everything into the hauler and they head the 15 miles or s...

  So we left Crandall TX Sunday morning following Wade in the Toter.  It was around 80 degrees and clear so a good drive, with a mostly tailwind much of the way through west Texas. Spent the night in the parking lot of the Gallup Walmart.  Different weather. Snow from there to Flagstaff, then clearing and OK the rest of the way on Monday. Now at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where we shuffled the cars around, getting out the IMCA setup, with a new look.  Wade and I spent Tuesday getting tires ready for the race, and going over various things on the car, although Wade had it pretty much race-ready in the trailer.   Most of you know that this track is a few miles off the end of the Nellis Air Force Base runway, where there is lots of flying activity which helps keep us entertained while we do our thing. Lots of low-flying loud and fast air traffic, which Lorna and I thoroughly enjoy. Many teams already at the track when we arrived Monday, so our "unreserved" spot ...

  Well, it's Friday morning at the track.  The place slowly comes to life, as crews are working on the track.  Most racers aren't early risers, as it turns out. We've got just a little work to do on the car today, while we search for the right setup.  Last night there were no hot laps for some reason.  We were in the second heat, where the track was still muddy slick.  Good starting position - outside front row (thanks to a good pill draw by . . . . wait for it . . . LORNA!) Finished 4th in that mudfest, which resembled figure skating somehow.  Put us  in the second B-Main where we started about 4th and went backwards from there.  Car just not handling the conditions at the time. This mud is several inches thick on the underside of the car deck when Casey comes in, and everywhere else, and it takes weighted hammers, pry bars and scrapers of various sorts to get it off.  We all work at this. As a sympathetic gesture, I think, they tagged ...

  We're back on the road - drove Tuesday to Stillwater to get the camp trailer, then down t o Crandall TX yesterday, arriving at RPM Speedway well after dark.  Right through the heart of Dallas towing the trailer on unfamiliar roads.  Ugh.  And the night made a little longer by a "reunion" gathering in the pits that ran into the morning hours.  Slow start today . . .    We were last here on Sept. 13.  This is our final USMTS event, with 3 nights of racing, before we head for Las Vegas. We parked last night outside the pit gate in a spectator lot, but this morning track officials had us move into the pits next to Joe Duvall (joeduvall91.com) and close to our rig.  Joe's pit man Danny, who partied with us last night, was up early today and by noon had pulled the motor out of the race car, got another out of the rig trailer, and installed it in the car.  Completely by himself, no assistance from anyone at any time.  Had it fired by 12:...