November 2, 2008

Hey all... its been a long time since the page has heard from me so I figured I should give an update coming off of the biggest win of my career... the 2008 All American 400 in Nashville, TN.

Its been a heck of a learning year for me. Accepting crew chief and consulting roles this year in late model divisions and races all over the country has allowed me a totally different perspective on how to tune racecars and has given me more tools than I have ever had to be more successful both in and out of the seat. All of the drivers and teams I have worked for have been great to work with and I am truly having a blast doing it.

Early this year, I decided to build my own car for some of the big end of the year races. I figured it would be good for business, allowing me to further my education of racecar setups and keep the consulting business going well with some good runs. From the standpoint of driving, it would keep my skills sharp and let everyone know that I was still capable of turning a steering wheel for a living. With the help of many great companies like Port City Racecars, Mcgunigill Engine Performance, ARP Bodies, Advanced Racing Suspension, AP Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers and Joe Gibbs Racing Oils and the space and equipment of Jim Winters, I was able to build my best piece to date.

We debuted it a month ago at the Winchester 400 with a new track record. Leading the most laps of the race, we were certainly a threat to win until a bit of body damage and a loose ball joint housing sent the car to the tight side taking us out of contention for the win and demoting us to a disappointing 6th place finish. With the car in one piece, we prepared it for The All American 400 weekend in Nashville, TN and nearly sat it on the pole there too. Breaking my existing track record, but just .03 seconds shy of Mitch Cobb's new track record putting us on the outside pole. The car was great, again leading the most laps of the race, but this time everything fell into place and we were able to capture the victory!

I am now setting my sites on two more end of the year races with hopes of competing in both the Southern Slam in Valdosta, GA and the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, FL. Though I am very much on a "one race at a time" budget, with the momentum from the Nashville win I hope to be able to contend for those two victories as well.

2008 has been a great year, and with the added momentum of the win at Nashville, I'm looking to close it out on very big note and look forward to bigger challenges in the 2009 racing season!

Thank you for your support,

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