7/9 Columbus Results - Not Much

Well Friday was just a crappy day. I had the car all set to go last Friday (7/2) and didn't have much time for it this week. I got home at 5:15 pm and Father-in-law wasn't around. He usually runs to the bank and he had to work later that normal this Friday. So, at 5:30 I give him a call on his cell phone and ask if I can use his truck to tow the car to the track. He tells me that he'll be home in about 30-45 minutes. That doesn't do me much good as time trials start at 6:30. So I go to Columbus to get my Dad's truck. That's 15 minutes to the track, 15 back and I'm up to 30 minutes myself.

I hop in the Acura, hit the ignition, nothing. I left the ignition on and the battery was drained down to nothing. I put the jumper pack on the car and got it out of the garage and onto the tote. I grabbed the battery out of the $40 Acura and threw it into the race car.

I got to the race track as the street stocks were qualifying which meant that I had missed my divisions time trials. Now I would only get one lap of qualifying. We unloaded the car and put in the battery from the $40 Acura. I turned the key and it turned over but would not start. Damn! There's a loose ground wire that I keep meaning to fix, I get the folks standing around my pit stall to give me a push back and my dad started pushing me with the wrecker. I forgot to wave him off before I popped the clutch ... WHAM! 15 MPH impact from a wrecker. My naked head hit the aluminum seat. It didn't hurt right away but I definitely felt the effects later.


I turned a 16.9. Slow, at least compared to the rest of the season.

That put me in the middle of the second Bandit heat. Good competition but, I didn't think there was anyone I couldn't beat. We took two parade laps and then the flagman motions me off the track. I went and parked in the spot indicated for people who have been black flagged. Then they wave me up to the flagstand. The official asks me if the chain is the only thing holding my seat in place. "Yes, that's the way I've done it for years" I said. He tells me that the flagman has a problem with that. They proceed to have a conference on the front straight. I got pissed off and drove back to the pits.

I took the car down to the tech shed and asked them to look at the car. They said that I needed an upper seat brace. Fine, I voluntarily 'parked' my car for the night. If it's important enough, and obvious enough that the flagman can pick it out from the flagstand, maybe I shouldn't race it.

Sunday morning Dad and I built an upper seat mount that might weigh as much as six pounds. It should prevent a reoccurence of Fridays scene.

Jim
Qualified: 9th
Heat: 11th (officially)
Feature: DNS

Tina
Qualified: 7th
Heat: 5th
Feature: 2nd