March 30, 2010 in News, fp by RD3

Opening Night 2010

After the hard work by Amanda, Cody, Darren, Debbie, Dennis, Jason, Nicole, Phil, Rich Jr., Steve, and I, we were ready to race. We finished the car Thursday night and loaded it up for testing on Friday. Jason, Amanda, Nicole, and Michael took the car to the track Friday afternoon where we went through it and did some last minute stuff. Phil checked the transmission, while Jason and I mounted a piece of lead. Amanda hopped inside “Trish” and cleaned the windows and dash. Steve Cheek checked the tires and Michael taped up the radiator shroud. We got everything ready to go and Darren Cheek, my new crew chief for 2010, sent me out on the track. With my Dad’s advice and his knowledge of super stock cars, I knew we would be in good shape. We worked on the car all night, trying different shock combinations along with different driving styles. Darren coached me all night, we made a lot of good changes and got the car very consistent for the long run. We had a few hiccups here and there, but overall everything went really well and I was confident we would have a good day Saturday.

Saturday rolled around and we were off to the track. Phil, Dennis, and my Dad worked in the morning; so Amanda, Debbie, Nicole, Michael, and I met them at the track, along with Cody, Darren, Jason, Steve Cheek, and my spotter Steve Mason. We unloaded the car and went right to tech to get that out of the way. After tech, I went and got two new spare tires, while Cody got the race tires branded. After the drivers meeting, I went on track for practice. The car was quick and we were .020 off of quick time, but were more consistent and quicker over the long run. The second run we got some more speed, but were still 2nd on the board behind two-time champion Bryan Harrell.

Up next was qualifying. My team and I all agreed that even if we didn’t set fast time, we would be good for the race. We qualified 2nd, but would start 6th due to the invert. The team and I talked strategies and plans and figured out everything we needed to do for the race. After spending all day at the track, we were cut down to 15 laps because of a 100 lap Super Late Model Race. Darren and Steve, my crew chief and tire specialist, decided they would throw something at the car and set us up for a 15 lap trophy dash style sprint.

From the drop of the green, I knew the car would be quick and I made my way from 6th to 2nd in just 2 laps thanks to great spotting and great teamwork overall. Throughout the race the car faded a little at a time, which we had guessed it would do and we finished the race in 2nd position, which was a good start to the season. However, in post-race tech inspection, the winner was unfortunately disqualified, giving the DeLong Racing #84 Super Stock team the victory and the points lead. It was a great night for myself, my team, and my family. I am so happy to be able to share these experiences with them. I cant wait for this weekend when we return to the track. We have a lot of work to do to make the car even better, but I’m so proud of the effort my team put in this weekend and I am truly blessed to be a part of this organization.

I would personally like to thank my crew: Dad (Rich Jr.), Amanda, Cody Fisher, Darren Cheek, Debbie, Dennis McDonald, Jason, Michael Parr, Phil Gold, Steve Cheek, and Steve Mason. Also, thank you very much to the companies that have given us support during these tough economic times: Turn 4 Studios Website Design, FreckledHound.Com, Cleaning Plus Janitorial, Americas Baby Cancer Foundation, Mid Valley Sports, Lugnutzz.com, 10000 RPM Clutches and Flywheels, BcSportsImages.Com, Low Budget TV, and Rons Rear Ends! We are still looking for Primary Sponsors and other sponsors so please contact us if you are interested!