Tally

With all the races being so close together the next month, we decided to just head down for Talladega for the Southeast WERA race for just Sunday. Showing up to the track that everyone had been riding on since Thursday or Friday and only getting 10 laps of practice (seperate sessions, thats total) before the race, was a little bit nervousing for me. I even totally forgot it was Father's Day til mom reminded me around the start of the mini race. oops.. The all famous Steve Ault, personal friend, showed up just before practice to watch for the day.

In the Practices I got down to minute flats in the first session and then into mid 59s in the second session. I wasn't really going real, real fast but it was decent to be so early (I'm not a morning person!) and not have anytime on the track the whole weekend. After practice, we sat through lunch for an hour then another 2 hours atleast until my first race came up. It seemed every race that came up had a red flag or something happen.
When I finally got gridded up for 600 Superstock, I was starting in the middle of the front row, and got a good start and lead the first 2 laps. My second lap was kinda slow and Taylor Knapp passed me. When he got in front of me I started to push much harder and realed the little gap he put on me back in and made a pass for the lead entering the last turn esses deal but ran a little wide on the exit allowing him back up the inside. This is when I figured out that Payton Sassaman was also right there with us cause he came around me to and we all three split a lapper entering turn one. I got back by Payton and started to run different passes through my mind. Going into the 90's on the last lap, the only right turn on the track, I missed a down shift and let Payton back by me. I tried to fight back by in the next turn on the outside of the carousel. I couldn't get back on the throttle soon enough to make it stick and ended up .389 of a second off of Taylor who won, and only .119 off of Payton.

I was real excited with how I rode even though I knew I coulda made a couple different things work better for me and came out on top. but every time on the track is a learning experience. My fastest time was a 58.2! I was also real happy with that.

The next race was 750 Superstock. I gridded up second row and didn't get as good a start this time. I came out third in turn one behind Tim Hunt who held me up the first lap letting Opie Caylor get a little gap on me. Then Corey Burleson got by me and I got in front of Hunt. I still had Opie and Burleson in sight but I couldn't shave any time off. I worked real hard for it for a few laps and made the choice to settle down a little after having the back end step out right after the apex of one. I wasn't happy that I got beat but I still rode good. Actually my fastest laptime was a 58.1! A little faster.

Next race is Road Atlanta