August 2002 News
August 1st, 2002
HOT HOT, another steamy night at Thompson. We got the car running pretty good in practice. We went out in our qualifying heat and started in the 7th spot. After a few laps of weaving through the pack John managed to get up into the 2nd spot where he would finish. Through handicapping that put us in the 13th starting spot for the feature. We were to be the last race of the night but the storms were moving in fast! We managed to get out on the track and run a couple pace laps before the skies opened up. The track made the decision to call off the race. Next week we will be running 2 features, one to make up for the rain out and the other one which would be our regular weekly feature. We will be the first race of the night so get there early!!
August 8th, 2002
Double features due to our feature from the previous week being rained out. We took both cars out in separate practice sessions so we were sure we'd be prepared in case of trouble in the first race. Both cars ran well in practice & we were ready. Started 13th in the first race and we were on the move and soon up to 6th when a wreck in front of John forced him to the infield to avoid it. A great job avoiding the wreck but the officials sent him to the rear on the restart because he was considered involved in the wreck by stopping in the infield. The race restarted and John worked away at getting to the front again but only managed to reach 12th before the race ended. Now a break before the next feature, the team made some adjustments to the car based on feedback from John. We started 8th in this race but all too soon John realized his feedback & decisions to adjust were overkill and the car was loose as heck. John just hung on & ran out the race as best he could to a 7th place finish.
August 15th, 2002
Another nasty hot day at the races. The team worked hard and suffered through the heat to get the Smith Boilers #01 going really well in the practice sessions throughout the afternoon. There were no qualifying heat races because of the 150 lap Featherlite Modified race. John started 8th in the feature by virtue of the handicapping system. The Late-Model race was the last race of the night following the Modified race, this would set up a guessing game for John & Jimmy as far as how they would adjust the car for the feature. A 150 lap Modified race leaves a ton of rubber on the track surface and depending on track temperature and weather conditions the adjustments that you would normally make could back fire on you & leave you with a seriously ill handling race car! Jimmy intently watched the Modified race and paid close attention to how they looked to be handling towards the end of the race. Adjustments were then decided on & made for the feature. John started 8th and quickly moved to 6th after a first lap wreck in front of him. The car was handling pretty well given the track conditions but not quite perfect enough for John to race aggressively. A couple more cautions flew for wrecks & John luckily avoided a major wreck in front of him by inches. Once the race went green for the final time John moved up into 4th and chased down the 3rd place car but the hammerhead was a real road blocker and was chopping & blocking John from making the pass. John did get under him a few times but the car was too loose down low to complete the pass. John hung on & finished 4th.
Click Here For Photos From 8-15-02
August 22nd, 2002
Finally some normal weather temperature wise anyways... We started out the day with a visit to Central/Goulet Supply in Worcester, MA for a Smith Boilers "Counter Day" This is where we bring out the car and meet Smith Boiler customers and help showcase the Smith product line. We left from Central/Goulet and headed out to the races. The forecast called for rain so the management was eager to get the show in before the rain came. The night started a 1/2 hour early to help this cause. We got out in 2 practice sessions and were happy with how we ran. We were the 3rd race of the night. Early on in the first race it started to sprinkle but not enough to halt the show. We got out onto the track and started 4th in our race. Within 3 laps John was taking the lead and running away from the pack. Then came a caution. John got beat on the restart and lost the lead but hung onto the new leaders bumper but the car was too tight to make a bid for the lead again. Caution again but no change, John actually fell to 3rd now but battled on and took 2nd spot back. John wound up holding off any challenges and finished the race 2nd. Although not a win it was still a moral booster for the team!.
Click Here for Photos from 8/22
August 29th, 2002
RAINED OUT
No Photos
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