2 Bros Racing

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2 Bros Racing: Coming to a track near you!

Oct 15th, Akron, IN: We brought both karts again hoping to find a class to run in at Akron, and there just weren't many folks to race with. The overall turn-out was miserable for as nice of fall weather as we are having. We got to race the purple champ today, and that was it. I could have moved him up to blue plate in champs and flatkarts, but most tracks have a rule that once you move up a class, you can't move back down. I'm not sure how strictly that is enforced at Akron, but it is one of their rules, so we decided to stay in purple. We only had one other little guy to race with, so we used the track time as somewhat of a test session. The track was unusually rough due to 3-4 inches of rain the previous couple days. The soft surface took its toll on karts throughout the day, and I continued to stress to AJ, that "To finish first, first you must finish." We talked about keeping the kart straight through the ruts, and not sliding through them, causing a hop. We worked on staying in the racing groove, and being careful passing in the marbles. The track ended up very narrow in the corners, and made passing tough at best there. We were much faster than the other kart in his class, so it was actually real good for AJ to get more practice lapping cars, even if it was just 1 at a time. AJ learned to be patient, to drive "smart", rather than "all-out." He got a lot of valuable track time. Although it was just the two boys racing together, the track rewarded the boys with some huge trophies. Even if the boys weren't close together on the track, both shared the spoils afterwards, and became friends over hot chocolate and cookies, compliments of the other boy's parents. That's what racing is all about. We were done racing, loaded up, stopped for a bite to eat, and drove the two hours south and still got home just before dark. I do like the early starts! Honestly, if it weren't for the hot dry conditions in mid summer, I'd much prefer early starts like this all year long. It sure makes it much nicer to get up early for church Sunday morning with a good night's rest instead of getting back at 2 or 3 in the morning and catching just a few winks before Sunday service. AJ finished up the year (outdoor season) much improved from where he/we began. He won three weekends in a row to close out the local outdoor season. We're not sure if we'll try to hit another race down south yet, or just wait to run some indoor shows now.

Oct 9th: Bryant Speedway, Bryant, IN: The very next day after AJ's big win at Bi-State, we were some 200 miles east and running a new little bullring track in Bryant, IN, near the Ohio border. I had talked to the promoter online and actually received a phone call from him inviting us to come race there. That's the first time in probably 15 years or so that I've had a kart track promoter actually pick up the phone and call me to ask to come race. Sure, plenty call to ask for sponsorship, or banquet give-aways, but it's been a long time since a promoter or track owner has called just to invite us to run his track. This particular promoter is also big into getting kids and families back into kart racing, and his program, along with the awards for all the younger participants, shows. How could we not go? We took both the karts again, not knowing what to expect. When we got there, there were two other blue plate champs, and no purple plate champs. At the time, there were no kids with flat karts, other than a few that just wanted to practice. We were running a little behind, so we threw AJ's champ out on the track with the purple plate and 1/6 mile gearing. His lap times against the blue plate champs weren't all that different. So, we quickly changed the restrictor plate to a bigger blue plate for AJ's champ class, and went to a smaller driver on the clutch. Meanwhile, another boy came to run flatkarts, and was willing to plate down to the purple plate to run with us. So, we threw that kart out on the track with hard old Burris 55's on it just to get some track time. The kart handled horribly on the hard tires, but this was a great teaching tool as AJ and I could talk better about kart handling and what push, or understeer, means. Over the year, AJ has learned a lot better how to communicate to his crew chief what the car is doing. This is invaluable to getting the kart faster, so we really worked on that today with the flat kart. Back to the champ kart, with the bigger restrictor plate in the engine, and now a better gear ratio, AJ would run his first heat race and finish a respectable second out of 3. We didn't know it at the time, but when we decided to run the flat kart alos, that would put us running both classes back to back. No time for the driver to rest, or to make many changes to the kart between the two classes. In the flat kart, we weren't able to change the clutch driver to get the gear ratio we wanted, so we put the biggest rear gear on that would clear the full floor pan, and let him run. AJ struggled still with the hard tires in his heat, but drove hard...maybe too hard, which we would work on throughout the day. Champ kart heat race number two, and AJ was getting consistently faster. He again finished second. Flat kart heat race number 2 and AJ was on a set of race tires this time. The kart handled much better, and AJ and the other young man swapped the lead several times in some exciting side by side action for the last couple laps. AJ would pull out the win in heat number 2, proving to him the importance of having the right tires under him as well. Feature time and the champ kart class would see AJ start outside the front row for the 20 lap main event. AJ got a great start and challenged for the lead in turn 1, but let the pole man go, and fell in behind him. Once again, AJ's driving decisions are maturing each time he is on the track. AJ would run a consistent 2nd place.. The young man who won was rolling real nice on the track and certainly were on top of their game. Hopefully, we'll get to come back and be more of a threat to compete with him another day. Not much time to catch his breath before the flat kart feature saw AJ start outside the front row. AJ just never looked comfortable. He got a bad start, and just never got into a rhythm. I'm not sure if he was just tired from the 20 lap champ race, or he just wasn't on top of his game for whatever reason, but he showed some bad habits of turning in too early again, and the lap times sure showed it. He drove harder and harder, just going slower each time he overdrove the car. He's learning the old saying, "You have to go slow to go fast," is sure true on small slick tracks like this. He's learning that you can't just stick your foot in it and hang on and be fast...sometimes you have to pedal the car and keep the tires under it. What a great learning experience though! All the boys that raced hung out together and swapped racing stories and made friends. At the end of the day, they each got nice trophies, and the champ class actually paid out real well, with the winner getting over $100. AJ got $30 for second, and I think 3rd paid $20 (which equaled the entry fee.) What a great way to promote kids coming to the track! Paying 100% payout PLUS having a sponsor to kick in $100. Kids' entry fees were low or free, and all kids under 10 (both of ours) got free pit passes. What's not to like? Even the two boys running flat karts together got nice trophies. It is refreshing to find a promoter that really cares about kids and getting families back to the track. If it weren't so far from our place, we'd race there more often. Hopefully the local racers to the area will support the track and it will grow quickly and prosper. Not taking away from the efforts of other tracks, but this is a giant step forward in reviving kids' karting numbers in the midwest.

Oct 8: Bi-State Speedway PumpkinFest, Perrysville, IN: AJ's first trip to our local track, Bi-State Speedway, so we brought along both karts. There was supposed to be a lot of interest in the champs (which they don't normally run at Bi-State), but we thought just in case, we'd bring it along. As it ended up, the only champs that were there were from K3 and then only blue plate class for kids to run for money. So, we decided just to run the flat kart. There weren't enough kids to run jr1, so the track decided to combine the kids classes. It was actually pretty cool. There were flatheads, clones, all sorts of combinations of karts, bodies, engines, and drivers. Because this was a special event, there would be qualifying. AJ qualified 3rd quick out of 10 karts, and would start 3rd in his heat. Bi-State uses a standing start for their rookies, and this was something that AJ has never done, so as they threw the green flag, he dropped several positions. By turn 1 he was back in 5th or 6th, but he quickly made those spots back up and by the end of lap 1, he was back to third. He drove a very patient race and passed for second a few laps later. He stalked the leader, but was just never able to make a clean move, so wisely, he held on for second. The feature would see AJ start outside the front row. Again, the standing start would be his demise. With the flag lady standing just about in front of him when the flag dropped, he also dropped. He fell back to about 6th again by turn 1, and again charged his way back to third by the end of lap 1. He would race his way into second when they caught the lapped cars, and then he reeled in the leader. A caution about halfway through the 15 lap feature, bunched the field back up and again. Oh no, another standing start. This time, AJ held his position and chased the leader over the next 5 laps or so when they caught lapped traffic again. The leader made a slight mistake in traffic, and AJ pounced at the opportunity, taking the lead with 2 to go. he would power on to the win. AJ was so excited and was pumping his fists in the air a-la F1 champ Sebastian Vettel, and even got to take a victory lap with the checkered flag (at nearly full throttle no less.) When it came time to give the flagman his checkered flag back, AJ wasn't sure what to do...he'd never done all this before. It was all very thrilling for him and the entire 2Bros team. Minutes later, AJ would get his picture taken in victory lane, and his CRE powerplant sailed through tech.

Oct 1: Akron, IN: Although K3 was racing tonight, we felt as a family, that we needed a break from all the drama there, and decided at the last minute to go to Akron Speedway, in Akron, IN. We knew there wouldn't be a lot of karts in either class for AJ to run with, but it was also an opportunity for Seth to get his first laps on the track with some other karts. So...with an early practice session, Seth, our 6 year old, suited up and strapped into AJ's champ kart. Seth got three hot lap sessions with other karts on the track, and did a fine job. He slowly worked up to a respectable speed, and stayed out of the fast guys' way. The track also hotlapped other classes of champ karts, including adults, so the closing rate of some of the other karts was a bit alarming, but Seth drove a nice straight line and even raced a bit with another younger driver. Before the night officially got started, another dad came up to us and asked if Seth wanted to drive their jr champ tonight. Although that sounded really cool, and we were all flattered that he got offered a "ride," we also realized that he needs some more laps before getting into an actual race. What a great gesture from a parent whom we did not even know though! So, AJ would take over the driving duties from here out for the night. AJ looked a bit off the pace, learning yet another type of track; dry slick bullring. He spun a few times, but slowly caught onto the idea of "going slow to go fast." With his champ, he was pretty quick, but again, overdrove the corners since he was not used to having to lift when the track has little to no grip. As the night went on, the track got more grip, and AJ's driving improved. In his second flat kart heat race, AJ got a great start, (something we've been working on,) and led the first few laps, even pulling away a bit, before he drove into turns 1 and 2 too hard and spun. He would race behind another kid for the remainder of the heat, but you could still see him overdriving the car. In the champ heat, AJ once again got a great start, taking the lead and driving much more conservatively. He would give up the lead with just a few laps to go, and then you could see the frustration return and he'd start overdriving the car again. Features were somewhat anticlimactic. In the flat kart, AJ would win his first ever feature, but really only because his only competition had problems. If it were somethng we could have fixed quickly, we would have much rather he won the feature fair and square. I think he could have done just that. We made the car consideably faster for him, and snugged up the car a bunch to suit his driving on the slick track. Either way, we'll take the win -- AJ was sure excited. He quickly took the kart from the scale area to the tech area with a big grin on his face. Not that they were even considering tech, but he knew the routine. Next, AJ would drive a great race in the champ kart. An occasional bobble kept him from taking the lead a couple times. At the finish, he was right on the winner's back bumper. Another lap or two and it was about to get real interesting. He was obviously faster, but he's got to be more calculating. He's still learning how to pass karts, and when they're more evenly matched, how to "set-up" the guy you're about to pass. It was a great night overall, and AJ was all smiles to win a class, and finish second in another. He was so excited to race again, and for that, I am so glad that we decided to forgo K3 and take in a laid back night at Akron.

Sept 24, 2011: Kankakee, IL: Happy Birthday AJ! It's AJ's birthday today! Back to familiar ground and K3. Hopes were high as the night started with AJ full of confidence after last weekend's experience. We quickly remembered how things tend to turn out for AJ here for whatever reason. In his first heat race in the flat kart, AJ was racing for about 6th (midpack at best) with another kid, and they were rubbing pretty hard going down the back stretch. Aj on the insde, the other kart on the outside. Both of them were pretty much down on the inside apron of the track. The other dad (or someone from that team anyhow,) motioned for his son to swerve at AJ to knock him out of the way. I couldn't believe it. I went to him and kindly told him to not coach his boy to race that way. I promptly received a flurry of obscenities directed at me. I walked away shaking my head. Neither kid passed another kart after that. Things didn't go much better in the champ class when AJ got drilled in the the left side nerf bar by the #8, yet again! This is the same young man that we consistently have issues with every time we race at K3. The result knocked AJ clear off the track and neither the caution (nor the black flag) was shown. Result = last place. Second round of heats were sure to be better, right? In the flat kart, AJ would start outside the front row. He got a decent start and ran second for the first lap, then got drilled in the left rear in turn 4, spinning him. He was sent to the tail, and honestly, I think at this point he felt helpless and really didn't go anywhere after that, finishing towards the back. The champ kart race saw him start up front, and for several laps, he looked like the kart to beat, then along comes our little buddy in the 8 kart, and whammo, knocks AJ up the track, and he finishes towards the back. At this point I could tell he was not having fun, and was really dejected. Some birthday, right? So, AJ starts the feature in the flat kart in 9th out of 10 I think. He drives a good race and cleanly passes a few karts to get up to a money paying position (which he seems real concerned about for some reason.) He's running a strong 5th when he gets the bad end of a three wide racing deal in turn 4. He spins, the other two that used him as a bank board continue on. The yellow never flies, AJ takes off again, and finishes at the back again. By this point he's ready to just go home. I don't blame him. We were all told very blatantly in the drivers' meeting that there would be no rough driving or the back flag would come out. I have yet to see this mysteriously invisible "black" flag at K3 this year. We were also told that if a kart is spun out intentionally, that the driver doing the rough driving would go to the tail, and the recipient of the bump would get his spot back. I haven't seen that done much this year either (not once for us, and not once when the #8 takes someone out. It seems everyone has been a victim of the #8 at some point or another - and it's every race, every week.) Surely someone notices this, if not the flagman. For all the arguing, cussing and fussing going on after every jr 1 champ race this year, surely someone would take notice and address the problem you would think. We try hard to let it slide off our backs, but man, it really weighs down on ya after a while. Anyhow, AJ starts the champ feature on the back row, 7th out of 8. He's clearly hesitant on the start and isn't driving aggressive at all, which concerns me, because I dont' want him to lose interest or not have fun racing -- afterall, that's why we do this -- There's no Tony Stewart sitting in the empty grandstands at kart tracks just waiting to discover some young undiscovered raw talent that will become the next sprint cup champion. We're realistic, we're competitive, we race to win, but we race for fun. AJ caught up to a couple cars that were racing close together and made a great move down the back stretch, passing one kart on the inside, and the other on the outside, gaining two positions in one pass. That was a bold move, and I got my legs back under me after seeing that move. AJ had his elbows up and was going forward, just like I know he can. AJ got up as far as 4th, and quickly reeled in the #8 kart. He was to his bumper going into turn 3 with 2 laps to go, and I feared that he was just mad enough that he would retaliate and turn the kid that's caused us so much grief all year, (especially tonight.) He was the bigger man though, and really showed experience beyond his age and seat time, and didn't get into the other kid, but raced behind him to a solid 4th place finish. This was the best way we could finish the night and salvage what would have otherwise been a pretty dismal birthday, into a respectable finish and very respectable driving. He continues to make us all very proud, shining his light in what is a very dark surrounding.

Sept 17th, Clay City, KY, The Insane One, night 2. While our team effort to win the $50G's was struggling to find the necessary speed, AJ felt confident and raced well Saturday night. He would get roughed up a bit again, but came back to finish a strong third in his feature. On the final 2 laps, he clearly had the fastest kart on the track, and realed in the front two karts from nearly a half straight back, to being right on their bumpers. He just ran out of time to try to pass on the last lap. Keep in mind that this was only the third full night of running a flat kart, so we were extremely proud of him. What a great confidence boost, and exactly what AJ needed at this point of the season. He certainly likes the big fast racetracks now, as he asked if we could travel to Kentucky to race next weekend as well.

Sept 16th, Clay City, KY: "The Insane One" -- a race dubbed that name for a never before offered $50,000 TO WIN kart race. I was scheduled to help out a customer and long time friend Eddie Hasty and his driver/nephew Jeremy Grubbs for the big race, but when we noticed that there would be a full program of classes (including jr1 flat karts) on Friday and Saturday nights, we drug along AJ's flat kart just to have some fun with. As it turned out, there were not a whole lot of kids participating, so we really did have some fun. On Friday night, AJ would get to qualify for his first time in a kart. 2 laps on the clock and on the track by himself was a cool experience in itself. AJ would qualify 3rd. The track is a high banked big 1/5 mile track. You can certainly carry some speed around it and never lift out of the throttle. Being AJ's first time on a big track like this was a valuable learning experience. Friday night, he would just qualify and run the feature. In the feature, he put up a great battle for second most of the race. At one point he got spun in the middle of the backstretch. Fortunately, he kept the kart rolling straight as he continued rolling backwards down the backstretch. That had me holding my breath. The flagman saw that the bump was intentional, and although AJ was the cause of the yellow, they put the kid that spun him on the tail behind AJ as well. After the restart, this same other kart got into the inside of AJ getting into turn 3 and AJ lifted to let him go, when he did, that sent the other kart up the racetrack, and allowed AJ to turn under him coming off of turn 4. A classic "turn-under" move that I was impressed with. Certainly nothing I ever taught him. As the two raced side by side down the front stretch, it appeared that whoever was on the inside would have the advantage going into turn one. The kart on the outside kept racing him hard, and they remained side by side locked together as they ran the entire last lap absolutely side by side, rubbing sidepanel to sidepanel. The crowd on hand cheered wildly as it was some of the best racing of the night. AJ would take second at the line by a couple thouhsandths of a second. Judging by the gouges in the body/graphics saver rub rail on AJ's kart, it was by a half a wheel width (or 3".) AJ got his first trophy ever for finishing second that night, and we're even more proud of him that he didn't get discouraged when he got spun, but got his elbows up and raced hard to finish the race well.

Sep 3, 2011: K3: While we knew from the weather forecast that the race was going to be against the skies, we ventured to Illinois again. Being the big "state" race was at our closest track to the shop on Labor Day weekend, all the other tracks in the area were closed for the weekend except K3, so why not. AJ hotlapped the flat kart 3 times and really was looking good. We even took some gear away from him and picked up some speed on the track. In his first heat race, AJ would start outside the front row and was looking good through lap 1, when the boy behind him got into the back bumper coming off turn 4 and took them both into the fence. The crash ended up bending up the rear of the kart pretty good, junking a rear bumper, and moving the axle out of square. The impact moved the axle hard enough that it bent the brake rotor and through the chain. I was non too happy, but it is kids racing. The young man that hit AJ came up and apologized afterwards (as did his dad.) That was nice -- and a totally different attitude than the boy and his father in the champ class. That was next. AJ started his first champ heat race from the pole and shot out into the lead. He led the first lap and the entire field passed the flagstand when two cars got together (the one same kid and another kart) at the end of the front straight away. The flagman showed a complete restart (which I knew wasn't right - even by the goofy K3 rule mentioned earlier.) On the restart, this same kid gets into the back of AJ BEFORE the green came out and turned AJ around BEFORE the start. I was totally beside myself. We our out here racing as ambassadors of Christ and I'm doing my very best to show self-control, but this is really starting to come to a head. I asked the track steward why the complete restart first off, and that was then reversed and scored as 1 lap complete (although they actually lined up the field in their original starting order, now in single file.) When I was leaving the grid, I stopped to talk with the dad of the kid who's been causing us some real on-track grief and I just told him he needs to talk to his son. I think I showed the Ephesians 4:32 love as best as I could at the time. It surely contrasted from the yelling, screaming, etc that ensued at the scales between that dad and another dad who had also had enough of it. I would like to think that the Lord's approach in love and forgiveness made a better impact, but unfortunately it could have been overshadowed by the other dad losing his cool at the end of the race. The first question I have is, Where were the track officials, flagman, etc? Don't they see this going on? I guess not. That's why tempers flare more than anything. If the problem got resolved on the track (as they promise in the driver's meeting) then we all have no excuse once the race ends. The same kid got into AJ again, and I think AJ just got frustrated and started giving up fighting for positions on the track. Unfortunately, once again, he who beats and bangs the hardest gets rewarded with the win, as was the case with the champ heat race tonight. So, with yet a 3rd or 4th rain delay and already pushing midnight, the program was cut short to 1 heat and a feature for each class. We worked through the rain to fix the flat kart and had AJ on the grid ready to go when the rains came yet again. This time it was for good. We will run double features next weekend. Unfortunately, without a second heat race to work on a better feature starting position, AJ will be forced to start from the tail in both make-up features. We'll call this weekend "character building." :-)

Aug 27, 2011: K3 Speedway, Kankakee, IL again, but this time with two karts to run. AJ did real well for his first time with the flat kart. He ran mid pack through both of his heat races, not tearing anything up, than ran about 7th or 8th in the feature out of 10 karts I think. Again, I was real pleased with his confidence at getting in a new kart and a new class for the very first time. In his now familiar champ kart, AJ did real well again. He got roughed up by another driver that seems to get into everyone every night. I told him we don't race that way, but not to give him any room either. It's one thing to race clean, it's another to just let a guy drive through you. It's a shame too, because he had a shot at starting on the front row of the feature if he had held his spot in the heat, but the other driver's aggressive behavior was ultimately rewarded by knocking AJ off the track. Hard lesson to learn as the kid doing all the beating and banging gets to start on the pole of the feature. At the drop of the green in the feature, AJ started 4th and quickly moved into third by turn 1. He was running right on the leaders when the same kid that has been causing on-track squirmishes once again took another kart (and himself) out of the lead. This gave AJ the lead as he crossed under the fladstand to lead the first lap. Interestingly, K3 not only has a total restart if 1 lap has not been completed, but they give all the cars their starting positions back. I have never seen that done at any track in the country, karts or big cars, but hey -- it's a local kart race and they make the rules. They gave the 2 guys that spun their starting positions back ahead of AJ. On the restart, AJ once again darted into third place and held that position even through a couple of cautions and ensuing restarts. He ran a very solid 3rd place in the feature until the last corner of the last lap where he gave away a position by going too wide in the corner. By finishing 4th in the feature, he was able to pick up his first prize money of his career. While I was trying to instill in him that he gave away a podium finish, he was just as excited to get $10 for 4th. Another good weekend of nothing tore up though.

Aug 23, 2011: Akron, IN We took a brief 1/2 day off Tuesday to go to the new and improved Akron Speedway, in Akron, IN. This was a valuable time to shake down the new flat kart and get AJ some much needed laps on the track by himself to get more comfortable with the race cars and a new track. It even gave Seth a chance to get behind the wheel of the #18 champ kart. For a moment I was thinking we missed who the driver in the family was, as he took off full throttle and hauled the little champ kart around the track without lifting. Well, until he spun off the track. After that, he did a real good job of controlling the throttle and speed and was turning very close lap times to his older brother.

July 27-29, 2011: Calvary Chapel, Lafayette, IN. We had AJ's champ kart and his all new flat kart on display at our racing themed Vacation Bible School at our church this week. The theme of this year's VBS was "Race 2 Win," based on 1 Cor. 9:24. It was a great week of kids' study and applying the Bible to racing, while looking at examples of racing used by Paul in Scripture. We decided to forgo the weekend racing at K3 as our Pastor wanted everyone to see our racing display in the sanctuary Sunday morning.AJ's eager to get back behind the wheel as soon as he can.

July, 2011: Kankakee, IL AJ did a great job this week! He led his first two laps ever in heat race #1, ultimately finishing 4th, just barely losing 3rd on the last corner of the last lap. The next heat race was relatively uneventful (which is good!) He started at teh back, passed one car, then got passed back. I think one other car dropped out, so he improved one position by the end. In the feature, AJ struggled with how fast to enter the corners. He was on the gas hard now, but still has a tendency to ride the brake pedal in the corners. He's learning quickly though, and no bent race car parts this week means a good weekend for the 2Bros team. It's much nicer to just pull routine maintenance on the race car than have to repair something.

June 25th, 2011: Back to K3 Speedway, Kankakee, IL to try to get some more valuable seat time and get up to speed. With rain all around the area, hotlaps were cut short. AJ looked much better in hot laps. He didn't spin out and was pushing the gas pedal much harder than in our previous visit. After a bit of a rain delay, AJ would experience more rookie mistakes while lining up for his heat race. Seems the toe-lock (steering lock) was still installed and wouldn't let him turn the steering wheel once on the track. With this was removed by a track corner worker, AJ took the tail of the 5 car heat race. AJ was still tentative and laid way back on the start. On the drop of the green flag, he was on the gas and reeling in the karts in front of him entering turn 1. All four karts in front of him spun, and the melee was on. AJ drove high to miss the crash, but just barely caught one of the other spinning karts with his left front tire, which resulted in breaking yet another caster block on the champ kart (this week the left side.) AJ was heartbroken, and the field restarted without him. We loaded the kart in the trailer and were done for the night. After many hours at the track, we just barely took a competition green. On the up-side: week one, AJ was slow and tore the kart up. This week, he was definitely fast when he crashed. That was encouraging to all of us.

June 19th, 2011: Little E rains out. Probably a good thing, as we had plenty of other things on the schedule for Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all Dads!

June 11th, 2011: Race 1 is finally in the books! It took a long time to get there, but we finally can say we got to the track. AJ made his debut in the Jr1 Champ class at K3 Speedway, Kankakee, IL. What can I say....He hit everything but the flagman! Heat race 1 saw AJ start in 5th out of 6 cars and finish there. Heat #2, AJ was supposed to start on the pole; instead the track officials (and we) decided he should start at the back again. After several restarts and bouncing off of most every other competitor at one point or another, AJ managed to finish 4th, (due to some attrition as well,) despite a broken caster L bracket and a severely bent right front spindle. As we lined up for the feature, the late night was taking a toll on the boys, as we were having a tough time just keeping AJ awake on the grid. When it was time to go out on the track, the engine revved, but the kart did not move. After a quick check of the clutch and chain, it was determined that AJ's crew had left him down, by not checking the clutch retaining bolt, which had fallen out, and the key fell out. With no time to make repairs, AJ sat out the feature, but is determined to do much better his next outing. So is his team!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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