What can I say, Charlotte Motor Speedway is every race car
drivers dream destination, and I was no exception. From the time you first pull in and unload
into the Sprint Cup Garage, hit the track for your first practice, even including
the moment your race car has been delivered to your trailer by the track safety
crew, it is an awe-inspiring experience.
You immediately feel the years of racing on the track, the legendary
racers that drove it, the victories, the defeats, and the hundreds of thousands
of fans that watched and cheered the greats on.
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While unloading the cars you stop, look around, and
realize…you are about to become part of history. Never before has there been such a large
purse for Legend racers, ONE MILLION DOLLARS, and you can instantly feel the
energy, the excitement, and the anticipation of everyone there. The weather was
HOT and HUMID, the track temperature was
145 degrees and monsoon rains came every
afternoon, but no one really minded, we were all there for one thing, TO RACE!!
The garages were full of drivers and crews, everyone working
together to try to get their car just a little bit
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faster, handle a little bit
better, and hopefully the end result would be a qualifying time that would keep
them advancing toward the feature. Ages
ranged from 12 years old to 72 years young, men and women, boys and girls, all
wanting that same thing. There were
National Champions, local Shoot-Out drivers, weekend racers, retired NASCAR
drivers, and even some first time drivers.
People came from all over the US, Canada, even as far away as Europe to
be in this race and among all were the three cars from Colorado; Scott
Griffith, Eric Hipkins, and myself.
You immediately prep your car for tech inspection, gain a
place in line, unknowing that it will be 3hrs+ before you BEGIN tech. After
this amount of time, the heat taking its toll on all drivers, crew, and
inspectors, someone brilliantly decides to change procedure to randomly spot
checking as we proceed through. My car was waved through without even a glance.
INEX had brought inspectors from around the country, and I must admit it was a
pleasant surprise to see the familiar faces of our Colorado INEX inspectors at
a place so far from home.
The track had many transitions. Uphill, downhill, banked,
flat, asphalt, concrete, etc. Set-up for this would be difficult at best! And
then add rain…sometimes.
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1st practice made me realize the level of
competition is fierce, aggressive, and very talented. I must admit, my first
practice was humbling to say the least. I knew I had to step it up quite a bit
to be competitive. Making some set-up adjustments with the help of Larry and
Scott Griffith, and subsequent practices allowed me to get “in the game” and
make a decent effort at the field I was up against. I felt we had a car that
could make the A Main barring any unforeseen circumstances. My first heat I
finished 7th only to find out they were going to transfer 4 to the A
Main. The first heat was fought hard by all, and several violent crashes created
a lot of opportunity
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for drivers to reposition themselves using the “Choose”
method which allows you to pick the inside or outside line before the Green. I
was able to avoid a huge mess directly ahead and capitalize on it.
At least I was going to have an opportunity to make another
attempt in the B Main, where 5 cars would transfer to the A. After making some
more chassis adjustments and getting a decent starting position, I again felt
we had a car that could make the A. The first corner gave me an indication the
changes made were an improvement. The car had not felt this good all week!
However, now running hard into Turn 3, I noticed the 3 inside front runners
ahead of me experiencing hard bumper contact. I began to back-off which made
the guy on my outside decide to come down making immediate contact with me. As
I tried to turn inside I was immediately rear-ended and shoved right through
him. With speeds we were carrying at that time, I then knew I was in for a
ride. I’ll never forget the extended silence when airborne for that amount of
time. Lots of time to think,….and hang on. There was no fear, only surprise at
the length of the ride. Over and over, and over, and up again ….and over. The
car came to rest and I had to look around to find out which direction the race
track was, and where the cars will be coming from, only to realize the Red flag
had been waved and no cars were moving. Even had the Red not been waved, I
discovered I was far from the track, out of harm’s way. Thinking of the full
fuel cell I immediately bailed out. Still spinning from the flipping, I fell to
the ground. I couldn’t get up if I wanted to. By then the ambulance and safety
crews had arrived to work their magic. After telling me what had happened, I
was asked what day it was, when I replied “Tuesday” they decided I was to go on
one more ride, this time to the infield care center! Realizing I had silenced the crowed, they
encouraged me to wave to let them know I was OK. Unable to lift my arms, I
asked one of the safety guys to help me and the crowd was obviously relieved. I
was impressed and thankful for their quick and professional care, I knew I was
in good hands.
I was released after a few tests, and was delivered back to
the trailer. As everyone gathered, a gentleman showed up with a laptop computer
with digital sequential pictures of the entire wreck. After the car was loaded
and we waited out a heavy rain, we went to the stands to watch the Million
Main. As we sat there, it was pointed out by my wife the crash had already made
YouTube! I was still shaking the stars out of my head.
So everyone asks, would you do it again? SURE! Even with
this experience, I wouldn’t have traded this week for anything else. It was an
exciting, humbling, and most importantly the learning experience of a lifetime.
They ask if you’d run the race the same way, I can only answer yes, it’s
Charlotte! Everyone runs hard. There is no choice. It IS a different level. You
have to run hard, be aggressive, and have some luck to be successful there.
Upon meeting Ken Ragan earlier in the day, I now realize what he meant when he
said to the three of us, “Ya’ll gonna learn somethin’ here!” and truer words
were never spoken. |
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