What a weekend. We spent a lot of time last week getting the car back together and I was pretty happy with it overall. But when we got to the track things were still a mess. Not that it mattered much Friday night. It rained off and on and Kelly only got to make a couple of slow lap runs. The motor broke up the whole time and the steering was all over the place. We did find a bad center link before they called the show so at least something went right.
Since Kelly and I were supposed to put a roof on Dad’s garage, he passed on coming back for Saturday. (That didn’t stop me from working on the roof until it was time to leave for the track. And most of the day Sunday). I’d left the car at the track and had too much wrapped up in the show to blow it off so I hopped in for the rain date. I shanghaied Eric Connors to help me out and we headed back to the track.
At the track we got the new center link on and I went out and over-drove a loose car and slapped the left side into the wall, bending a tie rod and ruining the new centerlink… In the process I also threw the power steering belt. With some help and parts from Jason we got it back together for the last hot lap session. It held together and by the time the heat rolled around it even pointed straight.
Starting on the pole didn’t help much as Steffenhagen blew by me into one and another three got by me by turn 3. I settled in then and managed to stay within a straightaway for the rest of the heat, finishing just far enough back to miss the redraw. Considering the car was bent, the motor was still breaking up, and I had no power steering, I didn’t feel too bad about it. It was the most competitive the car’s been all season.
I managed to get the power steering fixed and attempted (unsuccessfully) to figure out the motor problem before the feature and lined up 14th. I did a little better on the start only losing a spot or two and held my position until a caution on lap 7 that took out most of the front runners and left me 9th. Unfortunately, 2 laps after taking the green, the car took a right into the back fence. I’m still not sure if it was my mistake or the ball joint breaking that caused it but looking at the part I’m inclined to give myself the benefit of the doubt.
The tow truck dropped me in the infield and I was getting ready to settle in to watch the rest of the race when I remembered I had some ball joints in the parts bin. As it turned out, one of them was even the right one. So Eric and I got to work and planned on getting the car ready to load up. After some thrashing and a mad search for a proper nut, we got the car back on it’s wheels. And as it happened the race was still going. So I hopped in and ran the last 4 laps, picking up a couple of positions in the process to finish 16th.
Considering the way the weekend went, things could have been much worse. The car is still mostly straight, the motor is still running, I got a feel for the potential of the car, and I’ve got a decent set of tires for the next NYSS race. And I only lost a couple hundred bucks, which is more than many of my competitors can say.
The car is back in the shop and I’m looking around for a welder so I can get started on some changes I’ve been noodling. Hopefully Spencer will start looking at their rules early enough that I can get the required changes in before the Motorsports Expo next year. It would be even nicer if they could come up with something before the racer’s auction so I know what to buy. I’m thinking about heading out to the Spencer banquet next month and seeing if 10th pays anything and talking to the guys making the rules.