August 20th, 2009
The Thrill
of Victory and the Agony of, well, you know –
08/20/09
With our SST Modifieds
resting comfortably, it was time for the Epic Ventures
team to lend a hand to our associate members and
friends. Our "Pit Boss" James Steingraber
has been giving a regular helping hand to our Chassis
Advisor Kris Hillegeer and the #18 Street Stock. Our
Chief Mechanic Doug Cheetham has been providing motor
advice and a helping hand under the hood. Naturally,
each of us has added some help wherever possible as
Kris continues being competitive in his rookie season.
Also receiving a lot
of team attention was Jody London and his #89 SST
Modified. After a thorough chassis analysis and some
engineering changes, we were all anticipating a best
ever showing from "Gater Boy". Tom's garage
roommate in Syracuse, Doug Reaume, was ready for
action in his #14 ROC Modified and the 100 lap special
that had all the fans excited.
The heat races were a
bit of a struggle as no one would receive any bonus
points. Kris had trouble finding a handle on his mount
and slipped back to a 4th place finish. Jody had
trouble finding a comfortable rhythm with the new set
up and finished 5th and Doug Reaume was crashed in to
hard resulting in lots of front end damage including
the steering box. Now the big race was on, could
Doug's regular crew get things fixed in time as they
were parked in the infield and we were in the regular
pits.
The Street Stock
feature would be up first and Kris was able to hang on
to his outside front row starting spot and after 2
tough laps, take the lead. Kris would never be
challenged as he would maintain a comfortable lead
over Steve Malin on a caution free night. Kris was
thankful to the many people and sponsors that have
helped along the way. We joined Kris and his family
and friends from the grandstands for a great big
"Family Sized" victory lane photo.
The ROC race was next
and Tom spent time in Doug Reaume's pits as they were
completing an amazing job of rebuilding a pretty
busted up race car. Doug would run a conservative race
after starting in the back. The #14 ran with Pete
Brittain and Tony Hirshman as they bided their time
and as the first 50 laps clicked off, they were all
gaining on the main field. A caution bunched up the
field a almost everyone came down for a new tire to
complete the final 45 laps. The following restart saw
cars darting and diving to quickly grab an advantage
and on the next lap, cars up front would bang
together, others would spin and the next batch of fast
cars had no where to go but in each other. Doug spun
to avoid the mess and someone behind him clipped the
front end and that would end Doug's day. Although the
damage looked repairable, it was decided to not risk
the failure of any fatigued parts. Doug was naturally
disappointed in his finish but was proud of what his 3
man crew accomplished not just repairing the heat race
damage but giving him a good driving car as well.
The evening concluded
with a standard 35 lap main for the Weekly (SST)
Modifieds. Jody would start mid pack, driving hard
from his outside position. A fellow competitor spun
and suddenly Jody was spun around as well (a possible
victim of a fellow competitor not noticing the dangers
ahead). Jody would pit to check damages and quickly
returned to the battle. Jody worked his way back
through the field hovering around the 10th and 11th
place positions. Jody was holding his own yet pushing
the car to its limits. Suddenly, with about 10 laps to
go the rear end slid out and Jody would end up in the
turn two fence and enough damage to the radiator to
force him pit-side. Much like Doug's scenario, Jody
had lots to give him thanks for and the realization of
what might have been.
For the official write
up, click here Spencer Speedway Report 081509.
We also want to recognize Ryan Hillegeer for another
fine run in the Super Six class.
We are finishing up
preparations for the second SST 100 lap event and
focusing on the goal of a top competitive finish. You
should click here to read about a special announcement
that affects this week's race. EVMG Press release 08-18-09
Enjoy, and we will see
you at Spencer this Friday.
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