I have to change gears in this. I forgot about that.
Last track we raced was McCool Junction which is a little bit bigger
track. Some call it a half-mile, some call it just a big three-eighths and
we're going to Columbus tonight or US30 Speedway that has they are a
third mile track so it's a little bit smaller. You go down in gear. Historically
speaking Columbus is usually pretty pretty slick dry slick which I prefer
but so the more slick it could get the further deeper we go in gear.
I did race the sport mods before and I just moved up wanted maybe a little better
challenge. Definitely got it it's a lot tougher to come by wins in this class than sport mods.
Racing the A mod versus the sport mods I mean everyone's just in
control of their car most the time you know it's easier to race with guys
easier to you know pass and get passed by guys. I used to race against my
brother pretty much three days a week which is how much we raced so we saw each other
everywhere we went as we went there with each other.
Pink Panther is kind of a tradition I guess with our family. The 16 one was
always pink that's uh my dad liked that car when they used to go when they were
kids and they'd go to the races so he made his cars pink I mean we got
definitely gotten away from the all the pink but we saw the Pink Panther so
that's kind of my dads nickname.
My dad's gonna race tonight. 41st year this year.
I don't have to race against my dad as much this year
because he races 2 classes he runs this car, the modified and then he runs his
late-model over there to that he runs that more than he runs the modified.
Columbus is probably one of the main tracks I've raced my entire life, career
been here since I was a kid watching my dad race.
Track historically is dry slick and smooth I already went look at the track
and it's looking to be dry slick and smooth.
My buddy usually does this stuff but he's not here so I guess I get to do it
myself. My buddy Trevor Fozzard usually takes
care of all the torquing the lugs and settin air pressure and fuel and a lot of
different stuff so I can kind of focus more on more on the setup of the car so
makes a lot easier on a guy. Probably should have changed these tires put some
other tires on for now these are the tires I had last week they're brand new
last week for one night so I'm gonna go ahead and put a different set on just so
I don't burn up a good set in the in the heat race.
Last week at McCool Junction, I got my first win starting 8th so they always say the first wins hardest to
get so hopefully the next one's come easy.
I actually feel more relaxed now that I've got a win under my belt because
before it was kind of like I'm just this field filling car that just you know is
out here. I mean don't get me wrong I've been getting
top fives and stuff but it's not never satisfied so you get the win. I don't know I
feel a little bit more comfortable and just I can trust the car more I can go
out and drive it like I you know I have and like it's just natural.
The tracks already slick so or getting there anyway so we might need to throw
something more at it now. I don't have as much side bite as I'd like to have.
Did you watch hot laps? What do you think? You weren't no different than anybody else out there. I felt like the
back end wanted to go up the track to me. I don't know, maybe that's just me.
Granted it could've been greasy whatever but or it's just slick I don't know or
both mixture of both. I don't know kind of slimy wasn't it? Yeah it was a little
bit but I still feel like my car is doing the same thing where like in the
middle like it almost doesn't want to turn. It just seemed like it makes it
tight across the center if you can stay in the gas it'll keep it turning but if
you have to get out of the gas I want to drive straight.
I do this a lot I get overthink it and then I just like either just tweak
something that probably didn't do anything or I just run it the way it is.
I haven't ran the set up a lot of times and consistently you know and so I
haven't known what it's going to do it every single track.
I've ran it basically one track quite a few times but I just need to get more
consistent with the setup. It'll be dry there won't be any moisture
left by the time I get out there so we're the last heats usually. It's nice
though cause the heat race will be kind of a similar texture as the feature will
be so once it gets slick it ain't gonna get any slicker so let's have to find something
to make it stick a little better and go one step there and if it isn't enough
we'll go another step for the feature and hopefully it'll be enough.
Yeah I think he might want a little too far more a heat race for hot laps but should
be pretty good for the feature.
It went ok. I still don't have the side bite I need so
i mean it was good getting in the corner just didn't have a lot off the corner so
we need to make some adjustment there. Definitely have to figure something out
for the for the feature but I think
we're going in the right direction. Always need a little more, a little something more so.
And what did you think? I don't know, it didn't have a lot of drive.
Getting in really good I felt like in that in middle its snap in the middle
and just be sideways off. Yeah.
Nothing big adjustments going into. Probably should have I don't know what
to do though you tell me what should I change? We're all buddies here
and we all you know we talk and share you know different tips here and there but I
mean for the most part I mean we're pretty kind of more like hey what's
going on tracks pretty good you know give each other crap here and there. Better not
get in my way but not break check me whatever.
Racing with your dad and your brother, what's that like?
It's challenging I say at times you always are cautious or when you get close to
them around them because you don't want to you know screw them up you know that
way. Honestly when I raced with my brother in sport mods I was better off when he
wasn't racing with me. I could concentrate on what I was doing and run
my own stuff and I not have a care in the world and just kind of race my race
where even like every time the yellow comes out you're like I hope that wasn't
my brother hope that wasn't my dad or whatever you know.
More drive off the corners the plan.
By the time we get the setup right you shouldn't even need a driver thing should drive itself.
Well what are you doing? Speed secrets over here?
Well my entire life that's all I've done is just come to the races with my dad. I
probably take it for granted to be honest with you I mean it's easy for me
to go run over and ask my dad a question or ask my brother question or you know
vice versa it's easy for them to do the same and we kind of help each other out
of much as we can. We bond a lot through this stuff not really at the
track as much. At the track it's kind of business but you know in the shop at home
you just talk about it.
I don't think about until once I get in the seat and strapped in and everything
and I'm sitting there before I pull out on the track then mind starts
rushing what's going to happen. We start third row outside what are you do in the
first corner you can know the guys around you you got to know what they're
gonna do a little bit just from racing them in the past. You try to
pre-plan it. Get into the first corner then usually doesn't go that way and
then you get out and then you get there and you're like well that was different.
Wasn't too bad the tracks real slick and they didn't get any cautions so we got
kind of spread out hard to pass cars but overall it wasn't too bad. I didn't think
car was that bad it just kind of hard to pass on such a slick track. I usually try
to work around the track a lot and I mean I didn't work around a ton
obviously there's not that much place to go run right through the middle or so
kind of I went a little bit lower went higher and it just didn't wasn't a lot
of difference anywhere I went it seemed like so I don't know got some work to do but
every night's of learning experience. You learn more that way about what you did
you know what it did to your car and stuff so we have room to improve just
got a massage our way to it. We'll got to Beatrice tomorrow and see if we can get better.