| 
| Better than Expected | | |
(07/05) I-80 Speedway welcomed a huge crowd to its facility on a sultry Thursday evening for ASCS Midwest Regional action and the DARE 2 Team was hoping to capitalize on the run we made last month there. Even though we didn't walk away the "Tri-Fecta" champion, we were able to come out of it much better than we expected.
Don Droud, Jr.'s night in the Lincoln Drywall #2 began in the seventh spot of the first heat race- and from the intial start it looked as though he was gonna take the car directly to the front. But two restarts and a tough group of cars allowed the Don Droud-owned car to only move up three positions at the race's end. Jr. came in visibly upset and the DARE 2 Team was confused as to why the motor wasn't running very well and the car was noticeably uncomfortable for its driver. With an extremely long time in between the heats and the Sprint "A," Ed and the boys collectively put a plan together and began to make the necessary changes to make the Black Duece more competitive.
Starting 5th row inside, Jr. made quick work of Robbie Wolfgang (1A) on the start and within two laps had worked his way up to sixth. Another classic battle between Jason Danley (82), Mike Boston (88) and Chad Humston (1M) ensued as the four cars swapped spots back and forth over the next several laps. It was evident that Jr. was beginning to "get in the groove" as he began to distance himself from the other three and make his way up to fourth place running, Doug Lovegrove (44). With five laps left, a caution occured putting Jr. directly behind the "Cow Car." But as the cars circled the track under the yellow, officials placed three lapped cars in between Jr. and the fourth placed car.
On the restart, Jr. got caught behind Brant O'Banion (47), which allowed the earlier triumvirate to challenge yet again for the fifth spot. Once the younger Droud got around the lapped cars, he set his sights on Lovegrove, finishing two car-lengths behind.
"I knew we'd have something for Doug and possible Jonathan (Cornell) (28) if we wouldn't have had a caution," Droud said. "Even after they threw the yellow, I still felt that way, but with only five laps left and the lapped cars in front of us, we just ran out of time. I'm disappointed with where we finished, but was happy with the way the car ran in the "A." The guys did a great job!"
After a less than stellar heat race, the DARE 2 Team may have fallen short of their original expectations for the night, but it was certainly better than what it looked like it was gonna be like.
|
