The Wisconsin Challenge Series made a stop at Columbus 151 Speedway this weekend. The touring series features Super Late Models and is joined by support divisions dictated by the host track.

I had spent most of the day Saturday getting the Acura bent back into racing shape. I borrowed a porta-power (pictured below). Basically, a porta-power is a hydraulic jack with a number of different attachments and extensions. It was the first time I had used one and it worked pretty slick.



With the Bandit back in shape I went out and turned a 16.5 second lap. About average for the year so far. Tina wasn't as lucky as John forgot to change the right rear back to the right front. He had swapped them to get the car on the trailer. She turned a 17.184 the first lap. I was watching her time in and thought, the next lap will be better, 17.185. That put me at 6th in time and Tina in 9th.

I placed third in the heat race. Troy Yohn (#X) leaned on my left rear quarter and I gave him too much room surrendering the second position.

In the feature I started inside row five. On lap two Linda Carignan (#5) and Ryan Oetzel (#78) got together. I was able to duck through the in-field and came away clean. Dan "Big Tiny" Gosda (#21) took that opportunity to jump in front of me during the caution laps. Given the Columbus officials penchant for not putting us back in the correct running order I made sure to get around him and take my spot back.

When the race resumed I was running fourth. Tina, Nick Nolden (#67), and I freight-trained around Travis Schneeburg (#x75)on the outside. Tina and Nick got away from me. As we came up on lapped traffic Dan Birkett (#36) tried to pin me behind Carignan and Oetzel. He went into turn three pretty hot and slid up. I quickly grabbed the second groove but, left too much room between myself and the unpredictable lapped traffic and Birkett slid through the middle of us. Bryan Johnson (#44) made it three wide in his Ford Probe to take away fourth.

At the line it was Tina picking up her first feature and I took fifth.

This coming Friday will be a long day as I'll be racing at Columbus and then we'll be racing down to O'hare Airport in Chicago to make our flight to Jamaica. Should be fun.