San Antonio Speedway

[GoGirl]

It was Southwest Research Institute and 3M Night at San Antonio Speedway this past Saturday. . .AND most of the NASCAR Late Model drivers have been researching and researching on how to beat Robert Barker. They have collected data and conducted experiments with set-ups, hoping that in conclusion, the winning formula would show up under their microscope. During qualifying, Barker didn't have a Bunsen burner lit underneath his #17 racer; nevertheless, he scorched the track with a lap clocked at 19.93 seconds. Barker and nine of his closest colleagues were not in a high-tech laboratory when they lined up for their 40-lap feature event; instead they were on a high-banked oval. Pole-sitter Joe Aramendia exploded into the lead when the green flag was displayed with James Cole, Larry Bendele and Barker falling in line behind him. Just shy of halfway, Barker invented a path that took him from the fourth position to second. There was not any bad chemistry whatsoever between the drivers, allowing this race to be run caution-free. Aramendia's mixture of speed and racing expertise put him in victory lane. Chasing him to the checkers were Barker, Cole, Bendele and Scott Jerkins.

 

The NASCAR Sportsman feature event started off with a BANG. Charles Earnhardt and Eric Knudtson tangled between Turns 1 & 2 on the very first lap. This collision knocked both drivers out of contention. It was a double-file restart with Jamie Evans and Tater Mason sharing front row starting positions followed by Robert Mayberry, Garfield Shanklin and Greg Rohmer. Mason floor-boarded the accelerator and emerged with the lead coming off Turn 2. A racy Rohmer moved into the second position shortly thereafter. Justin Oates and Tom Casey strutted their stuff right into third and fourth respectively on Lap 9. From that point on, the racing action was fast and furious between Mason, Rohmer, Oates and Casey; each trying unsuccessfully to overtake whoever was in front of them. When the checkered flag arrived on Lap 25, Mason was able to fend off all of his foes to take his second victory of the season. Finishing in positions 2 - 5 were Rohmer, Casey, Evans and Mayberry. Unfortunately, Oates was disqualified when he refused technical inspection (heads).

 

Nine cars flew onto the track for the 15-lap NASCAR Road Runner feature event. Tony Bernal Jr. was super-fast and led the majority of the race. With a handful of laps remaining, the caution lights lit up when Richard Curtis spun coming off Turn 4. That was bad news for third place contender George Reyes, as he was shown the black flag due to smoke trailing from his racecar. This put Mark Mathias right on Bernal's back bumper. Three laps later, Mathias maneuvered around Bernal to assume the No. 1 spot. Bernal's night took a turn for the worse on the last lap. . .not only did he lose second place to Randy Frautschi, he ran out of racetrack and smacked the wall coming off Turn 4. The bragging rights for this race belonged to Mathias with Frautschi, Irish O'Leary, Curtis and Ken Jones next to cross the stripe.

 

Where could you find two damsels in distress? In this case, the 6-lap NASCAR Women on Wheels feature event. On the second circuit, the leader Mona Turner got very squirrelly coming off Turn 2, and Stacy Votion was unable to avoid contact. This impact left Votion minus some sheet metal on the driver's side, and the recipient of the black flag. Missy Jones led Chelsey Hartin (competing in her first feature event) and Turner around for the restart. It would not be a fairy tale ending for Hartin, as she slid out of control on the backstretch, and crashed violently into the tire barriers at the back pit entrance. A knight in shining armor did not come to her rescue, but the emergency crews did, and thankfully she was OK. Meanwhile, Votion's crew made repairs on her racecar, and she was able to return to action; at least momentarily. As soon as the green flag reappeared, Turner took the top spot away from Jones and Votion accompanied her. Another peril found Votion when she pushed it too hard coming off Turn 2 and crashed out. After the caution flag, Turner continued on her merry way. . .straight to victory circle with Jones finishing in the runner-up position.

 

Congratulations to all of the winners!

[REBELRACER]

great recap as always.............glad to hear everyone was alright............