2004-05-14

It was a gorgeous day for racing at Irwindale Speedway, mildly overcast and air temperature in the mid to high 80s. The Legends were first up for the night, with a decent turnout in the grandstands.

I have to say that these little cars may "look cute" to some, but just wait until they RACE! This had to be one of the most riveting spectacles I've seen in a very long time, with a collective engine roar that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

For me, auto racing is a very new experience. I've worked with Kent Gray for just about two years now, and jumped in with him when he made is re-entrance to racing just a few short months ago. The story continues to be one of risks, adventures and surprises, and tonight's Legends race was certainly no exception.

I should back things up a couple of days to "set the stage" a little bit. We'd had troubles with the car's setup at the practice Thursday night, with poor lap times and a car that was running way too lose. The frustration ended with an adjustment that tightened us up and got one of the best runs Kent has driven since hitting the track as a Legend Rookie just a few weeks back.

But a test run Friday night proved that the adjustment wasn't holding up for different temperature conditions, and we were pretty stressed out coming into Saturday. The practices seemed to get worse and worse, with qualifying looming only a few hours away.

Nothing had improved by qualifying time, leaving Kent with a disappointing 7th place on the starting grid. (This ended up somewhat in our favor when the track inversion drew at 8th position, leaving Kent in second position on the grid! At least something was going right!)

The Freedom Racing team got to work for some fast thinking, with wireless calls, and frantic figuring that led to last minute adjustments and a lot of hoping, praying and finger crossing.

The start of the race was as exciting as one could possibly be - Kent holding his starting position with mad rushing and pushing behind him - he was quickly maneuvered into forth, but pulled right back up to third and within about three laps had moved into a stable second place with an increasing lead. The pack behind was more and more aggressive, and Ryan Partridge, driving number 25 was pushing and pulling behind Kent like a frustrated teenager. (Bill Everett in the 2 car was later overheard exclaiming to Ryan - "you were driving like an idiot!") I think it was about lap 8, coming out of turn three, that Ryan clipped Kent's back bumper and spun our car into the middle of the track, causing a yellow flag and getting both Ryan and Kent pushed to the back of the field all the way to 31st place!. A sure top five finish for both drivers, gone with one mistake.

Meanwhile the front of the field was mayhem, some of the most intense, aggressive and frankly, fun to watch racing I've ever seen since getting involved in racing a few months back. I can't even tell you how some of the switches occurred, but man! - these little cars are FAST and FURIOUS!

Carnage took out number 17 and 71 with the two engaging in a near flip, scooting across the infield, where 71 somehow got free and managed to return to the track! He carried three more laps before a snapped tie rod sent him into the wall coming out of turn four. The 71 car is Evin Powell, age 14. I was amazed to see his expert handling of the situation. Well done Evin! This rookie shows promise that's getting everyone’s attention!

While all this was going on, our own Kent Gray was wasting no time working his way about 20 positions up the field into a stable 11th all the way from the back. So no matter where you were watching this race, it was raw excitement - the Legends were definitely a highlight for the evening, making even the Super Lates look like a sewing circle by comparison.

With only a few laps to go, Kent pulled inside to pass the number 7 car, who wasn't about to give quarter to Kent Gray. Kent wasn't about to be stopped, and hedged in with a combination of style and raw testosterone, forcing 7 high as he slid under him. But right at that instant a pile up occurred no more that 5 car lengths ahead of Kent, directly in his line! Kent pulled high, just barely missing the pile up, and cleared it just in time for the yellow, landing his position solidly into the top 10.

The green flag waved with only two laps to go, and Kent pulled into a miraculous 8th place finish, confirming Car number 1 as a real contender in the King Taco Legend Series at Irwindale.

After the Race Kent reported that the adjustments we had make gave him back the control of the car he needed to pull out a great performance on the track, which he definitely did, working his way past a very upsetting error that robbed him from a sure top 5 finish, and "paying his dues" all the way back to 8th position.

Kent now currently sits at number 6 in the over-all Legend standings at Irwindale, and holds top Rookie position for the season.

I'm going to get a good nights rest. We've got plenty to do to get ready for June 12th! We'll see you there!

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