3-19-11 Ventura Speedway, (Ventura, CA):

It’s always great to go back home, to be with your extended family and friends. It’s great to reconnect with everybody and beat up the track you know like the back of your hand. My sprint car roots were seeded from the “Best Little Dirt Track in America.” Cory Kruseman transplanted my career deep in the nutritious clay, and Jim Naylor, making a million and one laps around Ventura in the water truck, has allowed me to sprout out of the joint with a mission at hand; to be BOLD.

I crashed at my crew chief’s pad Friday night. Eating a very delicious, home-cooked meal consisting of pork chops, green beans, mashed potatoes and a dessert of strawberry shortcake, it’s safe to say that I was spoiled and ended my day with a good night’s rest. Maybe even the perfect ingredients to having a successful race day? Anyways, mother-nature paid a visit to Port Hueneme around 2am and hung around for just a bit. She must have felt unwelcomed, as she didn’t stay long enough to spoil the race day! Perhaps she knew there would be 56 midget and sprint bandits staring her down in rage? Anyhow, race day was still a GO! I woke up early to drive truck a trailer to the track so I could get a decent spot. A bit cloudy outside with partially wet streets, yet my dear friend, Mr. Sunshine, was trying hard to break through! My sister and I got to the track at 8:30am, which allowed us to venture over to the beach and enjoy what sunshine was peeking through. Watching the surfers tear up the waves is always fun, as well as petting all the animals that pass by! May I say, morning joggers/walkers are very friendly in the area! The morning turned into noon and people started showing up. The party was rolling! Gates opened at noon, and then it was race time!! For me at least. I had to race into my parking spot and beat the clock. I had to adjust my belts in Kevin Kierce’s Sprint Car, and add finishing touches to the Graunstadt Midget.

Pit meeting approached earlier than normal, as Mother-Nature was challenging us bandits to an early night. Rain was supposed to be in at 10pm, and our goal was to beat MN. I was pulling double duty, so this meant I had to be on top of my business. Had to give feedback immediately, keep my info straight, as well as driving styles. It’s like bouncing back and forth from a Cadillac cruiser and a Ferrari. The sprint car is loose and slow reacting, where as the midget is tight and quick!

I climbed in the sprint car, had Eddie kick the ribs in on the seat, and pull my lap belts tight. He pushed me up to hot shoot. I was in the first Sprint session, and the track was wet and sloppy. I put the #3 Kierce school bus up around the top and just cruised! Mind you, Cruising in this car is pretty quick. Hot laps were great. I didn’t get much info out of the car as the track conditions weren’t the greatest. I jumped right into the midget, buckled up and headed back to the hot shoot to practice. The Midget was different. Now having the rock hard Right Rear tire on, it made the midget a little more calm. I notice the car didn’t want to jump on the hind end so quickly, which is good. It means I have more car control. I came back in and communicated with the crew to get an idea as to what kind of adjustments we should make for the heat races.

By this point, mom and dad had arrived, so now we had 3 heads brainstorming and watching the track surface. The midget was up first! I settled up, pulled my belts tight, said my prayer, made a few adjustments based on Eddie’s comments on the track, and there we were! Race Time! I lined up last row outside, in the midget heat. The track conditions were worsening; sandy around the bottom, and loose marbles up top. Turns 3 & 4 looked pretty good up on the cushion. We came around for the green; I hammered down and aimed straight to the cushion in turn 1. Everybody else went low. I picked up a few positions there. Hard down the back stretch, I had to ease in the flow of traffic as we merged back together. Once traffic went low, I hammered back up to the cushion. Coming out of turn 4, Smith flipped hard. I stayed in the gas as he caught some decent air, and I hoped he wouldn’t come down anytime soon as I drove out below him. We cleared the carnage. Complete restart. Now I’m sitting 4^th. We pick up the green, and again, we’re back to the cushion with a cross over to pass for the lead exiting turn 2. From there on, it was solid seat time, a chance to be smooth and learn about the track.  Fortunately we snatched the win. I drove into tech and jumped from one car into the next. Now going out in the sprint car, the big bad school bus, it was time to simmer down and relax. I buckled up, synched my belts down tight, said my prayer, and then it was go time again. A few quick words with Kevin, my dad, and Eddie, and then it was race time! I started outside front row, next to defending VRA champ Troy Rutherford! I love racing hard with this guy as he races you respectably, but not easily! He knows how to race on the fine line without going over the edge. Talk about pressure? He is one to enforce it! We lined up, cleaned the injectors out, I tightened my belts one last time entering into turn 3, and exiting turn 4, we picked up the green, and it was a drag race into turns 1 & 2. I hit the cushion first, giving me the advantage. I pulled ahead down the back stretch with him trailing right on my heels. If I were to hiccup, he’d be wearing me! Troy pressured me quite a few times; however I was able to hold off his threats to capture the sprint heat win. Again, I drove into tech then joined up with the crew. We had some time to kill as the semis were due to run. Now we got to sit back, relax a bit and strategize some plans.

The Sun fell, and the clouds rolled in thick. Moisture was in the air. The midget main event was rolling up to staging! We made our final adjustments and I threw a freshly stacked shield on my helmet. “Sattling up” to do work, I had a few last words with the crew, said my prayers, and pounded fists with the guys on my way out! I started 4^th row outside.  I had a long 30 laps to get the job done! I was relaxed, calm, and prepared! I fired the car, built up some engine temp idling around the track. I found my starting position and tightened my belts a few more times. The field was tight, bumper to bumper, all 22 of us! Adrenaline was pumping! Nerves were wired, muscles tensed! Green, Green, Green! Everybody ripped out of turn 4 and down into 1. I shot to the cushion to avoid bottling up with traffic. It paid off as I picked up a position or 2; however I was squeezed into the wall down the back stretch. Cory and I battled for a few laps. I maneuvered around the track. The car was great enough to go wherever! Top, bottom, through the slick, I was on a mission! 30 laps was going by quicker than I thought. The rain began to fall harder. It was to my advantage as most aren’t experienced with slick tracks! I rocketed through the middle catching some moisture strips. We got a caution! We line up tight. I’m sitting 3^rd, and I feel the Right Rear is softer than normal. I feel it out, and sure enough, we cut down a RR tire. I made a pit stop! Special thanks to Kevin Kierce, Dad, Eddie, Jonathan Paquet and others, we were able to make it back out! I tailed the field, and now a mad man! I stiffened up the Right Rear shock, tied down the Left Rear, and “Easied Up” the fronts! It was time to prowl on the cushion and teach some boys what a cushion is about! We picked up the green, and I was feeling the new tire out. After 2 laps of feeling and planning, it was time to go! Sitting 19^th or 20^th with 7 to go! It’s time to MOVE! Deep into the cushion, I was on a mission! I had the most fun battling with #71 Kody Swanson the last few laps, exchanging wicked, clean, tight slide jobs. We managed to pull off a 6^th place finish. Not the greatest, but I can promise you that those in the stands got a show!

Due to the rain moving in quicker than expected, the ford focus division was cancelled and the Sprint Cars were to follow immediately after the Midgets. Cory and I were the last to make it out on the track for the Main. A bit rushed, but we made it fortunately! I made sure to get my prayer in though! Kevin was throwing the last adjustments on the car as I was getting in, and he told me to just drive it! I started 8^th in the main. The field lined up tight, again tensed up in the car. Once again, adrenaline pumping and nerves wired! The field picked up the green, and we were all bunched up! Bigger cars, tight race track, made it a little bit harder to move around. Remember, a sprint car is a hell of a lot harder to whoa up or stop than a midget. So now we’re not driving in so deep into turn 1! Time to relax a little and readjust to this heavy school bus! Simultaneously, only 30 laps so bust a move and hustle this thing! Majority of the night, I was up on the cushion! At first I raced my way back to 10^th or so. I was pushed up into the wall, a few doors were shut, but eventually, once we spread out a bit, I was able to start making some passes and move forward! As the race wound down, I started creeping up towards the front of the pack! With a few laps to go, we got a caution, and the track was layered with the drizzling moisture. We hammered down on the green, and all you hear are engines revving up! All bark and no bite! We were stuck in our tracks slipping and sliding! The person to get to the cushion first is the best off! So we all head to the top, well most of us! Some stubborn tried to go low, but it bit them. Sitting 4^th, I cleared 2 lap cars and had my eyesight on Greg Taylor. On the final lap, I took advantage of the slick track to pull off a slide job on Taylor to land the Kierce School bus down in a podium finish! Rutherford won it, with Buckley on his heels! It was a fun race, very tiring for me, as I had a very fun adventurous night! I was fortunate to have a strong run in the Graunstadt machine as well as Kierce’s Cadillac School Bus! Special thanks to Justin Kierce for setting me up with a Sprint Car ride in Kevin’s car. Hopefully this will be the beginning to a fun All Coast Challenge! Thanks for all the help and support! Until next time, safe journeys!

3-11-11 Silver Dollar Speedway, (Chico, California):

The weather was nice, the sun was shining, and a few clouds hindering in the sky. I was sporting my shorts, Ellis Race shirt, and Spy shades. Due to the rain throughout the week, the pits were still a mess. Spongy in some areas, a mud pit in others, to spare everybody from the headache of trying to dig out their rigs, it was best to park out in the gravel parking area and haul/push the equipment in. No matter what the circumstances were, it was all a hassle, but, indeed we are racers, and we do whatever it takes to get the show on the road to enjoy our horrible addictions. The day progressed quickly. Just as we got our pit set up, generators in place, Heaters hooked up, it was time for business. Driver’s meeting quickly approached, USAC and BCRA did their thing, now it was time for me to do mine. Rushing back to suit up, Midgets were called to hot lap. Forget mud packing! The track hadn’t been touched since Monday. The top layer was pure crust, but don’t let it fool you, my 8 inch screwdriver sank down to the handle with ease. It was just a matter of time! But for all I knew, we were going golfing. The track was layered with fresh green grass!

Suited up, buckled in, prayer accounted, second personality took over. Again, Midgets hit the track first. I went out in the 2^nd group. The top layer hadn’t worn off yet, so we were all over the place; tiptoeing up and over the edges, dancing down the stretches, and aiming for ruts to find some traction. For once, I was cat-fishing around the tractor tires rather than putting a beat down on the cushion. The Graunstadt Machine was moving forward in hot laps. I found the moisture around the bottom within all the ruts. While others were soul searching in no man’s land, I was cruising around the bottom checking to make sure our gear ratio would be close.

Qualifying was the next event. I was all eyes trying to see how fast the track had come in since we were last on it. The sprint cars did quite a bit of work on the track; blowing off the top layer however when a track gets too much water/ moisture, it begins to pill up, or get rough. Suited up, sitting in the hot shoot, shield closed, car locked in gear, one hand on the wheel, the other on the fuel valve, and I was waiting for the other driver to take the white flag. Game time! Time to hustle! I enter the track in the back stretch, on the hammer, slide into turn 3, only to catch the largest, disguised rut. The car bicycled; I landed, eased back on the gas, only to feel that the rut ripped the left rear tire right off the bead. Not even completing the first lap, I found my way back through the pits to the hot shoot again. The crew put on a fresh left rear then we jumped back in line. Now we only get one lap to get a clean qualifying time. Panicked? Stressed? Not me. I was calm and relaxed, just waiting for my chance to hit the track! Dad and Eddie were probably biting their nails with worry. My chance to shine! I hit the track again, on the hammer! Have to make this one count! I hit the cushion all the way around, car is smooth, stable up top, and driving hard off the corners! We managed to score a 4^th place qualifying run. Not bad, I was happy given the circumstances.

Talking over setup ideas with the crew, we tried to loosen the car up, as the track was getting rougher and heavier. It was time. Midget heat races were up. Starting 3^rd row inside; 5^th. Beside my good ol’ buddy Bryan Clauson. Nothing like bringing back memories. I was first out on the track. Making sure the engine had temp and getting a feel for the track, I hot lapped a little in safe areas. The time came to line up, but the car began to die, as if it were losing electrical power, or shorting out. I pulled off. The crew checked all ignition wires, battery wires. It appeared to be good. We re-fired, this time not even making it onto the racing surface, I pulled off. The mad hunt began. We tried to find the problem. We thoroughly checked all wires and switches, we tested the battery. One thing left to check; is the car getting fuel? We checked to make sure the fuel pump was in all the way, to make sure it was being driven; however, we never checked the cam spud. We ripped the fuel pump and power-steering pump out to take a look. Sure enough, it was stripped out. Problem found! Can it be fixed?! One allen wrench after another, we were out of luck. Even if we could get it out at the track, nobody had a spare left hand threaded cam spud to replace it, so we were bum out of luck! The JHR Team made a commitment to run a full, hard USAC Western Midget season, and this is how it begins. A DNS “Did Not Start.” I was bummed, so was the crew, but hey, I rather have this hard luck hit now rather than later in the season! Next weekend is looking better as we aim for the Battle at the Beach, Ventura Raceway, Home away from Home. Until then, take care and thanks for following JHR.