My schedule has been a whirlwind of activities since I last wrote. I ran four races, went to Bristol with Cliff, attended the Rockingham ARCA race, and worked both the Cup and Nationwide tests at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS) – and those were just the major events! It suffices to say that I am one of those people who is not happy unless I am completely busy.
I’ll go over the races first. I raced twice at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, NC (SNRP) and twice (we ran twin 75’s) at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, VA (SoBo), while Cliff raced once at SNRP and once in the UARA race at Bristol Motor Speedway in TN. I finished 8th in both SNRP races, and Cliff and I raced against each other in the second race – he finished 2nd (yes, that means he beat me – this time!). More details about the SNRP races can be found in the “” section of my website (and Cliff’s). Then I ran the twin 75’s (two 75-lap races) at SoBo against probably the strongest field of Late Model drivers that we’ll see at a weekly show until Martinsville in September.
Our CDR team went to SoBo on Friday to practice before the Saturday twin races, and the whole team was really focused on having a great test. Greg Marlowe, our chassis builder, was also there to work with us. He is very knowledgeable so it was a huge help to have him at the track. The test went very well. Then Saturday we missed the first practice due to a spring change – the threads on the shock adjuster were stripped (we run coil-over springs and shocks) and we had to change the shock in order to complete the spring change and put the proper cross weight into the car and get it to the correct frame heights. Missing the first practice started our day off on the wrong foot, which continued all night. Everyone worked hard and stayed focused, but the track was very greasy and slick in the hot sun compared to the Friday night test. We ended up way behind on our adjustments by the time practice was over, and we just never could seem to catch up.
We used the first race mostly as a practice session, pitting three times to make adjustments to the car. I felt good about the adjustments we made during and after the first race. The crew really hustled to get the car ready for the second race. Unfortunately, on lap 7 of the second race, I was tagged on my LR bumper cover and spun out by another competitor. Another car hit me, but mostly just caused sheet metal damage to my car’s body. I finished the race but we never could quite get our momentum back after the wreck, even though everyone stayed focused. The results were definitely not what we had hoped they would be. We just missed the setup on the car and had some bad luck, but that’s racing and it certainly was not for lack of effort on the part of my team and everyone associated with our program. I will be back racing soon and after we climb this learning curve and are able to get the setup worked out, I believe we will see the results we are all expecting.
The next race event was Cliff’s UARA race at Bristol, which was my first time seeing the legendary track. It truly is awesome! Cliff had a fantastic weekend. He was top 15 in practice out of 46 cars and then qualified 12th. He gave the team great feedback all day and had a great race, finishing third and going 2 for 2 achieving the Rookie of the Race award in his UARA races. I was high above the track with all of the other spotters (my dad was on the trailer spotting also) spotting for Cliff, so I had a great view of all the action. It was an exciting race with a great finish for our team!
Besides being at the racetrack on weekends, there have been plenty of other things going on. Here are some quick blurbs about those events:
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Dario was injured in the Nationwide Talladega race. He broke his ankle and still has not recovered enough to get back in the car. I hope he heals quickly – as a racer you hate to see that happen, plus Dario is a really nice guy who is easy to work with, so it sent the 40 team scrambling to find a replacement. David Stremme did a great job filling in as ‘Dega before an accident ended his day early. Ken Schrader drove at Richmond and just missed qualifying for the race.
•The 40 Cup team tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with Sterling Marlin. We were all very satisfied with how the test went. Sterling also raced the car at Darlington, and will be in it this weekend at Lowe’s.
•Cliff’s girlfriend, Devyn, started her marketing internship at Ganassi. It’s fun getting to see her at work!
•I also tested with the 40 Nationwide team at Lowe’s. Bryan Clauson is the driver for that car while Dario is injured, and Brad Parrott is the crew chief. The team is really fun to work with and I really enjoyed the test.
•A new product sponsor, Saftey Kleen, came on board with us at CDR, so I would like to thank them for their support!
•I attended the Pit Crew Challenge, which the 42 Cup team participated in. Unfortunately, they got knocked out in the first round, but the even was really interesting to watch. It’s nice that the crews get to be the stars for a night.
•I’ve been racing gokarts and working out as a part of my fitness regimen. I’ve also been playing softball with the Ganassi team, and we play other race teams, which is fun.
•I just want to tell everyone that my mom is a trooper – we had to celebrate both Mother’s Day and her birthday at the racetrack this month. (So much for going to a nice restaurant for dinner!)
•Last but not least, I would like to thank my team and sponsors – Jim, Cleve, Cory, Zach, Dan, Drew, Chris, Mike M., Nikki H., my parents, Greg Marlowe, Clean Sweep, Graphic Solutions of VA, Coca-Cola, Hostess, Safety Kleen, Duragloss, R.A. Styron Heating & AC, and all of my supporters!
Sorry this was so long, I had a lot to catch everyone up on! I won’t wait so long before writing the next one!
Here’s a great quote to end with:
“If you care enough for the result, you will almost always attain it.”
- William James
xoxo,
Tiff
