2018 Weekend Updates

It's mom again.  First, I promise Lil Red and Cookie will take this back over for the 2019 season.  It's been a long haul this year; mom getting hurt, dad's 4 cylinder getting destroyed, race cars (and sometimes drivers) that just weren't quite where we wanted them to be.

Lil Red ended the season strong in his Light 160 and finished third in points; unfortunately, the Senior Animal just was never figured out - and he finished a respectable 4th - but off the podium.  He had a wonderful offer during the middle of the season - to run Senior Honda for Pat, Kim and Ethan Brown.  After a long talk with Cookie, he was in the car for the last regular season race and then for Turkey Derby.  He ran great both times and, at TD, he was going for the win on the last lap when he tangled with the lead car - they were both sent to the rear and he didn't have time to get back up front.  We were proud of him for going for it; even more proud that the Browns allowed us to take the car to run in Florida for the Little 500.

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Cookie's season was not the best.  But she continued to learn throughout the season and, as it neared the end, she was listening more, putting her foot a little harder on the gas and a little less on the brakes.  She ended up 7th in points for a very tough Senior Honda class.  We are proud of her efforts and look forward to the 2019 season.

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We ended the year making a very long trip to New Smyrna Quarter Midget Racing Association's Annual Little 500.  It would be a chance to see some friends we made at Grands in 2016 and, of course, another chance to race.

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Poor Cookie!!  She only made, at most, 10 laps before having a brake issue.  Under a caution, she slowed on the front stretch and came in for repairs to her brakes.  They sent her back out and, going to the green, she suddenly passed two cars on the inside and went into the grass - spinning out there.  The bolts had sheered off of part of her brake assembly.  She was out for the race and, unfortunately, after looking everywhere for a new part, we didn't get her back out.  When we asked Neil Potter for help - man, he went OUT OF HIS WAY to get her back on the track.  First he took the part to his shop.  He came back with it partially fixed and told her he WOULD get her back on track the next day.  The day came, and he had torn apart his own cars (not racing that week) to loan us a part.  Viola, she was back on track - well, not exactly....when they went to push her off, something happened to her gearing.  The crew chief and car chief spent a lot of time trying to fix it, but we missed the call for the C main and she never got back on track again that week.

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As for Lil Red, well, it wasn't what he was hoping for.  We seemed to be off on set-ups the first day.  So he was in the C main for Honda, B main for Light 160 and A main for Animal.  The 160 race would take forever to get going, and, when they were taking the green finally, he was shoved into the wall coming out of turn 2 - and that was the end of the day for that car.  Before that, he was in the car for the C main when Travis realized the engine needed moved to tighten up the chain.  He lifted the car on his own to do this, and gasoline spilled out onto Thomas.  He complained about it so both the car chief and crew chief told me not to expect much - well, they were wrong and he went out and ran his best race of the day - and moved on to the B main.  But, when he got out, he was in serious pain.  We took him to the motorhome and got him changed out of all his clothes and suit, found something 'comfortable' to wear and put his sister's driving suit on so we could get his dry.  He was unable to get the Honda into the A and finished 5th in the Animal A main with an ill-handling car.  By evening, his behind was blistered and bright red; we treated it and went to bed.  Woke up with more blisters but insisted on racing.  He made it straight to the A main in Animal - but that race didn't go well as he was continually blocked and hit by another car.  In the end, he'd had enough of it and refused to back out when pushed down going for a position on the last lap.  They both wrecked and didn't finish the race. But that's okay - he stood his ground and knows now to not back down.  He put the Honda directly into the B main from his heat but, after getting a call that many said was wrong, he came from 7th with just a few laps to go, to 5th - which made him the X car for the A main.  He ended up in the same position in the Light 160.  Unfortunately for him, that meant waiting around during the hot laps and lining up for the A mains to see if he would get in; he did not.  But, for how our weekend started, it was a decent ending.

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The year has come to a close - and 2019 is in full swing already.  I will open a new page for the 2019 season and get you up to speed on some happenings.  Thanks for sticking with us even as we've been fairly bad at keeping up.  Mom's doing much better and, even though she's got a lot of therapy left to go, now that Shawna has her license, mom has a 'little' more time to help Lil Red keep up with all of this!!