Welcome to...
| SPAULDING MOTORSPORTS |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 |
Springfield, Oregon
| We race a 1999 Eagle Limited Sprint Car. We are always looking for sponsors to proudly represent, so if you're interested, please visit our Sponsors page for additional information. Visit Zack's page to learn more about our fast-paced racing family. We race primarily at the Cottage Grove Speedway. Be sure to visit the Scheduled Races page to see the up-coming schedule! |
| Limited Main Event Oct 8, 2011 Limited Heat Race Oct 8, 2011 Radius Rod Epic Fail Oct 8, 2011 Zack's Heat Race Aug 6, 2011 Zack's Main Event Aug 6, 2011 Incar Wingless video hotlaps incar main wingless October 10, 2011 Where do I start? As you can see from the pictures & the captions, Zack is the 2011 Limited Sprint champion, & while we are so proud of him & everything he has accomplished since he started racing when he was 6 years old, we can't help but reflect on how we have been blessed by God through so many wonderful people over the last 9 years. I could not begin to remember them all to list them here, so I won't try (I would feel awful for accidentally leaving someone out!). You all know who you are. Please know we will be forever grateful for whatever kind of support you have provided, whether it be the arm around my shoulder when Zack's car has ended up upside down, prayers, coming to the track to cheer us on, long distance supporters (some of whom we have never even met), local sponsors.....the list goes on. We love & appreciate you all more than you could possibly know! Speaking of local sponsors, the year started with the generous support of Martin Korstad at ECO-Machine Technologies, who thankfully offered his labor & services to get a limited sprint engine together so Zack could even race at all this year. Without you, Martin, we would have been just sitting in the stands having to take the season off. Thank you so much for everything! We also realized Zack had outgrown his race suit from the previous year, so our friend, Cary Drinkwater, at Nacho's Restaurant stepped up & took care of that expense for us. What a great blessing that was! To the several sponsors who provided funds for miscellaneous expenses. It all adds up...and quickly: Thank you to the UPS Store of Springfield, Goofy's Muffler, Brakes, & More, & Dragonfly Decals for your very helpful support! Thank you once again to Jim's Tire Factory in Cottage Grove. Those trailer tires have held up great! No more constantly having to repair a flat tire on the way to or from the track. What a nuisance & added expense that we definitely do not need! As the season was drawing to a close, we found ourselves in need of 4 new tires. Our friend, Cory Gant, at GANT Custom Homes came forward offering to take care of the tire bill for us. Thank goodness, because the funds were not there for that. Have I ever mentioned how expensive it is to race?;-) Gant family, you are lifesavers! There is a man who has kept close tabs on Zack's racing progress since he started racing sprints when he was 13. Near the beginning of this season, he went to Ron & told him he had decided it's time for his business to be on Zack's car. We, of course, thanked him very much & immediately contacted Debbie Ferguson at Dragonfly Decals to have her make a couple of decals with this man's business logo, so we could proudly display them on the car. She did a fabulous job, by the way.;-) This man's name is Sam Myers of Myers Logging. I'm almost at a loss for words to describe how not only Sam, but his entire family, have embraced this venture we're in together. They have gone above & beyond the typical sponsorship obligations. They have made very clear what a class act family they are. We have prayed & prayed for 9 years to just be able to start & finish each race season & have always told Zack that he will be able to continue racing if he is supposed to. In other words, if God provides the necessary sponsorship, he can keep racing. If not, then it just isn't meant to happen. Zack has always been ok with that, & we have always been able to keep him racing, but barely. That is, until this season when we were so blessed to cross paths with the Myers family. We know, without a doubt, that you were put into our lives for a reason, & I don't just mean financially. Of course, it's been unbelievable to be able to visit a few other tracks to try out & feel a little more confident that we would have everything we need to keep Zack racing. However, we could have never anticipated your giving, caring hearts. I can't describe how blessed we feel to even know each of you. You are a wonderful family, & we can't begin to express our appreciation for everything you have done for our family. What means the most to us is how you so obviously truly care whether our son is able to continue to fulfill his dream. 'Thank you' doesn't begin to scratch the surface. We look forward to a lifelong friendship & being able to represent Myers Logging as long as you will allow us to. Without each sponsor helping out in their own way, there would be no championship to be celebrated this year. We needed each of you. Therefore, this championship belongs to all of our sponsors as well. We hope & pray that we've made all of you proud to be associated with us, & would be honored to continue to represent you all next season! Now, on to the details of championship night at the track! The initial plan (at least as far as mom knew;-) was that even though the ISCS sprints were racing as well as the Limiteds, Zack was just going to race with the Limiteds & not risk something happening to the car when he's running for the championship in the Limited class. You'd think I would have learned by now that that's not going to happen. When there is a class that Zack can legally run, he's going to do it. I tried blaming it on Sam, because he's always so gung-ho for Zack to be on the track as much as possible, but he assured me that this decision was made before he even got to the track;-). So, Zack qualified in the Limited class & set fast time of the night! Then he raced in the trophy dash & got 4th, being careful not to take any risk of tearing the car up for a trophy dash (since there are no points going towards the championship). He started on the outside of the 2nd row for his heat race & won! I do have to give him credit for skipping the ISCS 360 heat race, avoiding that risk before the Limited sprint main.....good call. Then after heat races were over, he started on the outside of the 4th row for the Limited main event (8th position). When the green flag dropped, he took off, moving up fairly quickly. Before the race was over, he had made it up to 2nd place, almost getting the lead three different times, earning the 2011 Limited Sprint Championship. So, then he went into the pits, weighed the car, fueled up for the 360 main, & went out. Because he didn't have a chance to get a better starting position (from skipping the 360 heat race), he started way back in 16th position out of 18 cars. Two laps into the race, Zack is going into turn 3, & the car just went straight off the top into the k-barrier, & rolled. He banged his knee pretty good, but was fine. The car, however, was not so fortunate. It may be repairable. We're not sure yet. As it turns out, the left radius rod broke, so the steering was gone. We're, of course, thankful that he didn't get hurt badly. Thank you so much, once again, to all of the "cheerleaders" in attendance on Saturday: Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, Marv & Dalton, Tom & Patti, the Myers family, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, Geri Stone, the Castos, Kirk & Zach Carter, Emily & Randy Biehl & Randy's mom, Kayla, & the Poole family. However, now the work begins for next season! See you all in April....well, this is western Oregon, so probably more like June! Have a great few months until the 2012 season starts at the Cottage Grove Speedway. September 26, 2011 Whew......what a weekend full of ups & downs (but mostly ups). Let's see....Friday night of the Non-Wing Nationals, qualifying was done in 3 different sessions of hot laps, rather than individually. It was Zack's first night of racing with the 360 motor in, & he qualified with a 13.031 second lap. He was the 7th quickest out of the 23 cars who qualified in the first of 3 sessions....not bad. However, the car just wasn't handling well at all. It was very tight & pushing in the corners, so much so that in the middle of turns 3 & 4 during one of his laps of qualifying, he came about as close to rolling the car as he could have, but he saved it. He was able to get 2nd in his heat race, so that was good, but he didn't have anything for the winner of the heat. He definitely had the power, but couldn't get any grip. When he went out for the main, he started on the outside of the front row, but the handling was just awful. He had slid back to 5th place when he was going into turn 1, & the car bicycled, barrel-rolled, & endo flipped off of turn 2. Zack was fine physically....just mad at the situation. He even refused the offer of the ride back to the pits. He decided to use that long walk back to cool off....a wise choice. When the car was brought back to the pits, the guys surveyed the damage & realized there really was very little damage done. They also discovered that the left rear shock pin had come out, & that was what had sent him rolling/flipping. If it was a winged race, the repairs would have been much more expensive. In no time, the car rolled right into the trailer. While it wasn't a good points night, Zack wasn't really hurt (just a slightly sore neck), & the car wasn't severely damaged.....THANK YOU, GOD!! On Saturday, everyone qualified individually (with the exception of the 6 cars who were locked into the A-Main from the night before). There were 18 cars qualifying, & Zack qualified 4th with a 13.400 second lap. The track wasn't nearly as racy as Friday night. It was much dryer, so the cars weren't quite as fast. Zack started on the outside of the front row for his heat race. Very often, at this track, that is the best place to start, but Zack just couldn't get any grip. He was able to get 2nd, but couldn't catch Jesse Thistle to get the win. Congrats, Jesse!;-) With his finish in the heat, he was automatically in the A-main. He started on the inside of the 5th row in 9th place out of 20 cars for the A. That night, the A-main was 50 laps, with a refueling stop half way through. Zack was patient & made his way through traffic like a pro! When they stopped at half way, he had made it up to 6th place. The crew could do anything except change tires at that point. Ron, Sam, & Kevin all went running out to Zack's car & asked him what he wanted done to the car, & he said, "When are we gonna go site my rifle in?" Obviously, he was pretty happy with the car! He did say that he could use a little more forward bite, but knew he wasn't going to get it with the track being so dry & dusty. Before the end of the race, he was able to get 5th place. We were all VERY proud of him as well as the crew! Ron, Kevin, & Sam....you guys rock!! I realize this is a learning experience for you guys as much as for Zack, & you all do a great job. If I'm not mistaken, Zack was able to hold on to 2nd place in the Wingless points championship. It was a great finish for the 2011 Wingless season. Congratulations for the 3rd year in a row to Kyle Miller for winning the Non-Wing Nationals once again, & congrats for getting the 2011 Wingless Championship! Between the two nights of racing, there were many people in attendance rooting for Zack, & we can't thank you enough!! Friday night, Grandma Elaine, Marv Durham, the Myers family, & the Poole family were there. Saturday, we got to see Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, the Wright family, John McAfee, Marv Durham, Luke McFadden, Taylor Hill, the Myers family, the Poole family, & Darreld & Kathy. Also, a HUGE thank you to Luke McFadden for taking the risk to mount his camera on the top of Zack's car, so we could all see the races from Zack's perspective. We're working on getting a copy of the footage, so we'll hopefully be able to post something soon from that. We would also like to thank Craig Murphy from the Springfield Times for the awesome article he did on Zack in the Sept 23rd edition. Here is a teaser link. http://www.springfieldtimes.net/news/story.cfm?story_no=8063 To see the article & pics in their entirety, stop by the Springfield Times & pick up a copy from Sept 23rd. Only one more race left in the 2011 season. It is a Limited race scheduled for October 8th, provided the rain holds off. This is western Oregon, you know. Anything could happen. Zack & Mike Carrothers are only 12 points apart for the 2011 Limited Sprint Championship. Even though Zack is in the lead, he said he does NOT want to win the championship because of a rain-out. So, we are praying for no rain. It's always best to race for it! September 20, 2011 Well, Saturday started out pretty good. Zack qualified 3rd out of 10 cars, & was hooked up for the trophy dash. He won the dash, but after that, despite attempts by Ron & Kevin to make it better, Zack just couldn't get any traction. He got 4th in the heat & 4th in the main, which actually wasn't bad considering what happened to many other drivers between the two sprint classes that were there. One driver's motor blew & several others crashed....hard. Even though he lost 10 points to the 2nd place driver in the Limited class, he's still 12 points in the lead with only one Limited race left on Oct 8th. Definitely not out of the woods. Just like last year, the championship is going to come down to the last race of the season. Thank you so much to those in attendance at the track to cheer for Zack this week....Tom & Patti Wright, Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, Marv Durham, the Myers family, the Poole family, Zach & Angie Carter, Cory & Zane Gant from GANT Custom Homes, Uncle Mike & Emily, along with their friends who made the trip with them from Dirtville, Chad & his daughter, Gracie. Also, a HUUUGE thank you to Kirk Carter & Sam Myers from Myers Logging for taking time out of their very busy lives to swap engines for the upcoming Non-Wing Nationals while Ron was at work on Monday. We appreciate you all so much! This coming Friday & Saturday are the Non-Wing Nationals at the Cottage Grove Speedway. Hope to see everyone there! September 12, 2011 As you can see above, it was a pretty good night at the track. Zack qualified 4th out of 11 cars in the LImited class. He was able to hold off some very fast cars to win the Trophy Dash! He ended up in 3rd for his heat race as well as in the main. That added another 9 points to his championship points lead, so even though he didn't get the win in the main event this week, it was still a very good night. Thank you so much to Grandma Elaine, Tom & Patti Wright, Sam, Ali, & Brad Myers, the Poole family, the Brown family, Kirk & Angie Carter, & the Castos for coming to the track this week. Also, a big thank you to Dana Brown for bringing me a "track bag" to hold everything I drag to the track each week. I love it!:-) The end of the season is approaching....only 4 more races for us; 2 Limiteds & 2 Wingless. This Saturday, Sept 17th, will be the next Limited race. See you all there! September 5, 2011 If you missed the races this weekend, man....did you ever miss some fantastic racing! The original plan was to just race on Sunday at Cottage Grove with the Wingless sprints. However, what happens when Sam Myers, Ron, & Zack get together?? Road trip! Well, kinda....just to Coos Bay Speedway on Saturday to race there with the Wingless class. This was a 3/8 mile track that Zack had never raced before. It was a one-groove track all night, so there was minimal passing. A driver had to be on the bottom or he/she would go nowhere but backwards. Only 9 cars showed up for the wingless class. Zack qualified 3rd. I don't know if it was because there were only 9 cars, or if they always let the drivers run 2 heats. The first heat was lined up according to their qualifying time, so Zack started on the inside of the 2nd row & got 2nd. The 2nd heat race is a complete invert of the 1st heat's line up. That put Zack starting inside 4th row in 7th. He was doing great going for 4th place on the last lap when a car had spun in turn 4. The car right in front of Zack had to check up to avoid hitting the spun car, & Zack couldn't stop in time. He ran up on the 4th place car & spun for the 1st time in 2 years. He ended that race in 8th. They did a 6 car trophy dash. Ron drew Zack's number to determine the starting line up, & drew a 6. Zack said Ron can't draw for him anymore, because he drew the very last starting position;-). Like I said, there was very little passing. Zack almost got the 5th place car, but didn't quite make it. That meant, he had to start the main event in the 6th place position. He knew if he was ever going to be able to make up any ground at all, he would have to get to the bottom as soon as he possibly could, and, of course, do it safely. So, as soon as the green flag dropped, he made sure he got to the 1st turn before the 5th place car & ducked right in line to work on the 4th place car, while trying to defend his 5th place from the driver in 6th! It wasn't easy, but before the race was over, he was able to get 4th place. While the track conditions weren't ideal, overall, it was a great night. Then, on to Cottage Grove for racing Sunday. Zack decided he would like to race both sprint classes that were racing that night (Wingless & 360s). There were 27 Wingless cars in attendance! What a turnout! Out of those 27 cars, Zack qualified in 6th place....excellent. With that many cars, there were 4 different heat races. Zack started on the inside 2nd row in the 2nd heat. He was able to finish in 2nd place. 20 cars started the A-main. Zack started inside 3rd row in 5th place. He finished the main in 2nd place, aaaaallllmost beating Kyle Miller. Kyle was up on the top, & Zack was running the bottom & actually making up some ground on Kyle. When Kyle realized it, he had to block the bottom, or Zack would have caught him. It was an awesome Wingless night. Congrats to Kyle! For the 360s, there were 17 cars signed in. Zack, of course, still has his Limited motor, & was able to qualify 10th. He started on the pole for heat 1 & got 4th to Roger Crockett, Trey Starks, & Rob Held. For the main, there were 18 cars in the line up. Zack started on the pole & knew he probably wasn't going to win with those 360s right behind him for 30 laps, but he was going to make each & every one of them work for it. He most certainly did. It was awesome racing! He finished that race in 8th place as the highest finishing Limited. That was the last 360 race of the season. Unless I made a mistake figuring the points, Zack finished in 8th place for the 360 class. Pretty good for a kid with a motor that really shouldn't be able to compete with the 360s. Thank you, ECO-Machine Technologies for that! Whew....what a weekend! Once again, we get to thank the Myers family from Myers Logging for towing us over & back to Coos Bay, taking care of the pit passes, & for an awesome meal after the races. We are so blessed to have you on our team! Also, an added blessing this week is the addition of GANT Custom Homes to the team. The Gant family has always been so supportive of us, & we're so excited & honored that they have decided to join us for the remainder of this season as well as next year! We promise to do our best to make you proud to be affiliated with us. Please click on the link above (listed under GANT Custom Homes) to see for yourself what they have to offer. In Coos Bay, several people joined us in the stands as cheerleaders. We had Sam & Ali Myers, Bill & Carol Myers, Don & Merlyn Wright, & Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney. Last night in Cottage Grove, even more. There were many loyal friends who always seem to come support us, as well as one new face, Angela Solesbee (& friend? So sorry, but I didn't get her name!). Also there were Tom & Patti Wright, the Myers clan, Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, the Carter family, the Poole family, Marv Durham, & the Fergusons. An extra thanks goes to Brock Ferguson for joining the pit crew that night. They needed extra help going from Wingless to 360s! There are 5 races left over 4 weekends....3 Limited races & 2 races for the Non-Wing Nationals. Check the Scheduled Races page on our site to see when will be best for you & your family to attend! Be sure to let us know if you're coming, so we can watch for you:-). August 27, 2011 Zack started the night with a good qualifying time of 11.815. That put him in a 2nd place qualifying position, which meant he would start on the inside 2nd row for the trophy dash. Ron & Kevin had been wanting to try some new gears that they hadn't had a chance to try yet. They, along with Zack, thought it couldn't be a better time to try them out than in a trophy dash. To all of us in the stands, it didn't look like that was a good idea, because he ended up in 4th. As it turns out, he actually really liked the gearing, but just could NOT get the car to grip anywhere on the track. So, rather than change the gears for the heat race, they made other setup changes. Zack started his heat race in 4th & got 3rd, still unable to get any traction. They went back to the pits & made more changes for the main event. For some unknown reason, rather than doing the line-up from the qualifying times like we have done all season, the line-ups were done tonight from the heat race results. That meant that Zack was starting on the outside of the 3rd row in 6th place. He fought hard & got 3rd place after really battling a couple of lapped cars, so it was a good night. Car & driver are in one piece, & he was able to make up another 7 points (for the points championship) on the 2nd place driver. It definitely could have been a worse night. Many people were at the track cheering Zack on tonight. In the stands were Grandma Elaine, the Wright family, Sam & Bill Myers, the Casto family, Geri Stone, Dave & Judy Kingsley, the Carter family, the Poole family, Jarred Brown, & his step-sister, Bri. We are always so blessed to have you all in our corner. Thanks so much for coming! Next weekend is a Wingless & ISCS 360 race night on Sunday. See you all there! August 15, 2011 Well, thanks to our amazing friends at Myers Logging, we were able to take our first ever racing road trip for a 3-day/3-race weekend with the ISCS 360 sprints. Zack has a limited motor, so he made a realistic & attainable goal for the whole weekend....just to make the A-main all 3 nights. Friday night was in Yreka, CA. Zack had to race his way into the A-main from the B-main. He started in 19th out of 20 positions. He had made his way up to 15th when there was a pile-up that brought out a caution. Under the caution, he went off the track because the pin came out of the right front shock. It was also discovered that we had a brake issue that wasn't going to be fixed quickly enough to get him back out for the remainder of the race. So, that ended our night, but compared to many other drivers that night, that was very minor. At least we rolled into the trailer. Then we got the issues fixed & gave it a shot at Medford, OR on Saturday. Zack got 2nd in his heat race, which meant he didn't have to drive in the B-main to get into the A. He had a transfer spot from the heat. He started 17th out of 20, started charging his way through the pack pretty quickly, & was up to 12th place when his car bicycled up onto 2 wheels coming through turns 3 & 4. We were all sure he was going over, but he was able to get the car back down. Unfortunately, 3 cars were able to get back by him while he was getting back in the groove. He came home in 15th from Medford. He wasn't fond of either of those tracks. There were tons of rocks in both tracks. Coming home to race in Cottage Grove on Sunday made him so thankful for our home track! One of the first things we all noticed was that just from racing with the 360s for those two nights, Zack gained so much more confidence in his abilities on the track. He qualified better.....of course, he's also accustomed to racing in Cottage Grove, so he is naturally more comfortable there. He went out for his heat race & won, started 15th in the A-main (not enough cars for a B, so everyone automatically made the A), took off like rocket passing cars & made it up to finish 9th. The whole weekend was a wonderful experience for us. He acheived his goal at each race. The more opportunities Zack gets to race with the 360s & at other tracks, the more he will learn & more confidence he will gain. We can't begin to thank you enough, Myers family, for this amazing opportunity! You're too good to us. Please know we greatly appreciate everything you do. We are grateful every day! In addition to this trip being a learning experience, we had soooo much fun with Sam! We were constantly laughing.....mostly at Zack.;-) He's contantly saying something funny. Love that kid & am so very proud of him. In Yreka & Medford, it was just Sam with us. We would also like to thank the entire Myers family, Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, Grandpa Warren, the Poole family, Brock & Kayla, & Terrance Maguire for coming to the track on Sunday when you could have all been home getting ready for the work week & doing other things on your Sunday evening. We have some awesome friends & family! If you haven't already done so, please check out our Spaulding Motorsports fan page on Facebook, & be sure to click "Like". I believe you have to have a Facebook account in order for it to work. I think Sam is already ready for another road trip to Montana this coming weekend. However, as much fun as we would have, we just can't take the time off work to do it. So, we will have a weekend off from racing, & then back to the Cottage Grove track for Limited sprint racing on Aug 27th. August 9, 2011 Saturday was the best night of racing we have ever had since Zack started racing sprint cars. He raced in the LImited class & 360 class.....double duty for the night. He qualified 4th in the Limiteds & 5th in the 360s. Zack almost had the win in the LImited heat, but there was a caution when he was going for the lead. There wasn't enough time to catch the leader again, so he came in 2nd. Then he went out for his 360 heat & won with his Limited motor. Then it was time for the Limited main. He started inside 2nd row & won his 2nd main of the season! He was able to cross the finish line in 4th place in the 360 main. It was an amazing night! However, it wasn't totally without incident. In the 360 main, Zack was behind TJ Winningham coming out of turn 4. TJ's car didn't stick to the track & go as quickly as Zack expected, & Zack got into the back of him. Zack looked for him after the races to apologize so that TJ would know it wasn't on purpose, but he must have loaded up & left before Zack could find him. Sorry about that, TJ! He wouldn't have ever done that on purpose! We were so blessed by people coming out to support us this week! In attendance were Grandma Elaine, Jon Drinkwater, Kelly, Braedon, & Austin Casto, Geri Stone, Sam & Toni Myers from Myers Logging, the Poole family, Brock & Kayla, Tom Wright & his friend Dave, several members of the Knowlton family & their friend Lori, & Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney. Thank you all so much for coming out to cheer Zack on. It's humbling seeing so many people wanting him to succeed. We were originally just going to be running at Cottage Grove on Sunday, Aug 14th. However, thanks to the most AMAZING sponsor, Myers Logging, we will now be traveling down to Yreka, CA to race with the ISCS sprints on Friday, then back up to Medford to race Saturday, & finally back home to race in Cottage Grove on Sunday. Myers family, you are amazing people who continually bless us; not just with your very much appreciated sponsorship, but even more appreciated friendship. Thank you for everything! July 31, 2011 Well, we weren't sure exactly how the night was going to go. You can never know for sure, but the track was pretty rough from the beginning last night. It was a wingless night, so there were a lot of cars...29. Qualifying didn't go so well, but not terrible. There were 4 heat races, and Zack started on the pole for the 2nd one. He went to the high side right away & stayed there. Dale Smith was catching him, but couldn't quite get him before the race ended, so Zack won his heat. That put him into the A-main automatically, without having to try to race his way out of the B-main into the A. However, he started the A-main in the 15th position out of 20. He started moving up very quickly & was able to get up to 8th, so it was a good night. Rolled into the trailer on all 4 tires, & not a scratch on the driver either. That's always a bonus! In attendance to cheer us on for the night were the Myers family from Myers Logging, Marv Durham, Grandma Pam, Grandma Elaine, the Wright family, the Carter family, the Bell family, Jarred Brown, & Jon Drinkwater. Thank you all so much for your constant support! See you all next Saturday for some Limited Sprint racing! July 19, 2011 Oops.....I can't believe I haven't updated the site from racing over July 3rd & 4th! Let's see..July 3rd, we weren't even going to race, but Ron went down to the track just to watch the ISCS 360 show & found out that the highest finishing limited sprint would get an EXTRA $200, so he called Zack over at his friend's house & asked if he was interested in racing......silly question! So, we all ended up at the track for racing after all. There were 29 cars that night, with only 4 limiteds in the whole field. Zack started on the pole for his heat race. Going into turn 1 just after taking the green flag, the car behind him wheel-hopped his right rear tire. While Zack's had to go to the pits for a new right rear wheel, which meant he had to restart at the rear of the 7 car field, the car that wheel-hopped him got the worst of it. He flipped his car & was done for the night. Zack made it up to 5th, but they were only taking the top 4 to the A main. That meant Zack would have to run the B main to try to get into the A. He started 8th in the B & passed the 5th place car on the backstretch of the last lap to get what we thought was the last transfer position into the A. They actually ended up taking 6 cars to the A for some reason. Zack started as 1 of only 2 limiteds who made it into the A, with Raquel Ivie being the other. She did a fantastic job of getting into the A from her heat race, by the way! Zack was starting in 20th position out of 21 cars. Raquel started 17th. Several laps in, Raquel got tangled up with Chad Groves (not sure what happened) in turn 4 ending the night for both of them. Zack was very blessed that night with a 12th place finish, earning him the $200 bonus for being the highest finishing limited, as well as a surprise bonus of $100 for also being the Hard Charger (passed the most cars). It was a great night! On to racing on the 4th of July....it was a Limited race night. There were 11 cars, & Zack was able to earn the fast qualifying time of the night with a 12.166. He started outside 2nd row for the trophy dash, right behind Jayme Barnes, the 2 time Dirt Cup Champion. I think Zack had a great time racing with Jayme. It only makes him try harder & learn more when he's racing against a racer of Jayme's caliber. He ended up getting 2nd to Jayme in the trophy dash, although it was VERY close at the line. In the heat race, Zack started 4th & ended up 3rd (had a flat right rear tire). He started the main in 10th place, drove a great race, & ended the night in 4th, after the 4th place car passed Zack for 3rd near the end of the race. So far, Zack has the points lead in the Limited class as well as the Wingless class. There are some talented drivers in both classes, so anything can happen! We were supposed to have another Limited race on July 16th, but mother nature wins again......rained out. To all of the loyal friends & family who came to the track between the two nights, we can't begin to tell you how very appreciated you all are. It means so much to have your support, many of you on a weekly basis! Thank you to Grandma Elaine, the Wright family, Poole family, Ferguson family, Roth family, Myers family, Drinkwater family, Brooks family, Levi FitzGerald, Jenny Jacobs, & Kevin Solesbee who helps us out in the pits at EVERY RACE. You are all AWESOME!! See everyone on July 30th at the next Wingless night. June 27, 2011 First, I have to say that our prayers are with Kyle Miller for a speedy recovery after that nasty crash down the backstretch during the trophy dash. He was taken to the hospital & was back at the track to watch the main that night. I'm not sure if he ended up with a bad concussion or even more, but we'll be praying for him. As for our night, THAT was AMA-ZA-ZING!! Started on the pole in a field of 16 cars (12 360s & 4 Limiteds). Zack held off 2 of the fastest 360s there are for 7 laps before Crockett got him, & then stayed in 2nd for a few more laps before Dale Smith passed him for 2nd. He got 3rd in the main after holding those 360s off for the win in his heat race. GREAT night! And awesome showing for the Limiteds coming in 3rd, 4th, & 5th! In my opinion, that's just proof that limiteds have just as good of a shot at doing well running wingless as a 360 does. Ron will upload both races soon. Keep checking the site. There will be a link above the pic of Zack & Ali. Thanks once again to the Myers family (along with Sam's parents this time:-), the Carter family, the Wright family, DJ Poole, Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, & Jon Drinkwater for your support. As always, it means so much to us to have you there! We will be back to race with the Limiteds on July 4th. Come out to the track to cheer us on & watch an AWESOME fireworks show! June 24, 2011 Oops....forgot to update from last week. It was an ISCS 360 race night. There were 20 cars signed in, with 4 of them (including our car) being limited sprints. Zack won his heat race & started the main in 12th position (outside 6th row). He had made his way up to 9th place & was doing great when he tapped the front stretch wall with the right rear tire & broke the Jacob's ladder. That gave him his 2nd DNF. The good news is that he wasn't hurt, the car wasn't hurt too badly, & after getting some costly adjustments to the motor (& picking up the heads from the machine shop at 3:00 on Saturday), the motor ran GREAT! Hopefully, those issues are behind us for good. Thank you once again to Sam Myers, the Carter family, the Wright family, Marv, & Grandma Elaine for coming to the track & cheering us on! Tomorrow is a wingless race. We're ready! June 15, 2011 Last Saturday, Zack set the fast time in the Limited sprint class. Then he went out for the heat race & was able to get a 2nd place. The night was going great up until about half way through the main. He started in 6th place out of 10 cars, & made his way up to 3rd when the car drastically slowed & went off of the track into the pits. The motor stuck another exhaust valve, just like at the first race of the season. We're working on getting it taken care of, but we missed racing with the 410s when they came to town on Monday. In racing, just like everything else, it can't always go your way. Thank you so very much to Marv, Grandma Elaine, the Wrights, the Carter family, the Myers family, Josh Brooks & his mom, & the Poole family for coming out to the track once again. We appreciate you all so much! June 7, 2011 Saturday was the first race of the new series, ISCS (Interstate Sprint Car Series). There were many extremely fast 360s who made it to Cottage Grove for that race, as well as several of us who have limiteds. Zack came home with a 9th place finish in the main after starting 13th. He knew with those particular 360s, he was just going to be out-motored, so he didn't get in the way, kept his nose clean, & came home on all 4 tires instead of on his wing! We were happy with the night. It's always a good night when the driver & the car come home in one piece. In attendance to cheer Zack on were Grandma Elaine, Marv, Grandpa Warren, the Wrights & extended family, the Castos, Geri Stone, Jarod Brown, DJ Poole, the Myers family, & the Carter family. Also, as always, a big thanks to Kevin for his help in the pits! I think we're soon going to be relying on him even more, at least temporarily, while Ron has carpal tunnel surgery & recovers. We appreciate Kevin's help so much, even if he doesn't always hear it;-). Thank you ALL so very much for your support, once again! Next week will be a limited sprint race. Hope to see everyone there. I think the sun may even shine for it! May 22, 2011 Last night was a GREAT night of wingless racing! After qualifying, that is. Ron & Kevin wanted Zack to try a different set up......NOT good. After correcting the set up, Zack finished 2nd in his heat race. The main had a field of 20 cars. Zack started on the inside of the 4th row in 7th place. He started out looking for the ideal line to run & lost some ground, going back to 9th before the 1st caution. Soon after the restart, he found good traction on the top of the track, moving up to 6th place, & was about to pass for 5th when the 2nd caution came out. Within a few laps after the 2nd restart, the car in front of Zack dropped water from his radiator onto the track. Zack didn't see it & drove right through it, which made him slide right off the top of the track in turns 3 & 4. He kept it off of the wall, but had slid back to 12th place. He really had his work cut out for him at that point. Zack came back up through traffic & had made it back up to 6th place when the final caution came out. Then the 5th place car that he had been chasing went off the track into the pits, which meant Zack was then in 5th place. For this restart, there were several lapped cars in between Zack & the 4th place car, but he didn't realize they were all lapped. He was wondering why he was being lined up so far back & was NOT happy. The restart came, & he took off through lapped traffic & passed the 4th place car at the line on the last lap. We hadn't seen him drive through traffic like that since he raced the go kart! He had a GREAT night! Thanks to the Myers family of Myers Logging, Grandma Elaine, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, DJ Poole, the Carter family, & the Wright family for coming to the track to support us. A very special thanks goes to Myers Logging this week for donating a push quad, so Ron & Kevin don't hurt their already feeble backs pushing the car up to the staging lane. What a blessing! We don't know how to express our appreciation but to just say thank you & promise we will always do our best to represent Myers Logging! Next week, it's back to Limited sprint racing. See you all there! May 8, 2011 Well, we weren't sure how last night was going to turn out. Zack went out for hot laps, came in & told Ron & Kevin it didn't feel right. They weren't really sure what to do, since they hadn't heard what Zack had said the motor was doing. Zack went out to qualify, & it sounded horrible. This time, they heard it, too. They thought it was getting too much fuel, so they made some adjustments. Even with that issue, Zack was still able to qualify 3rd, so he was in the trophy dash. He was in the lead when Jesse Thistle's motor blew after just one lap had been completed. For some reason, the flagger told them to cross up for the restart instead of restarting nose to tail. That put Heath on the outside front row. Zack was running best on the top, so he ended up getting 2nd in the trophy dash. They fought the problem all night, but Zack was still able to go out & get a win in the heat race as well as the main event, leading all 25 laps of the main. It was a great night, overall. After Zack won the main, he came up to me in the bleachers & said, "Happy Mother's Day!" What a great Mother's Day gift, as well as an awesome way to start the Limited Sprint season! In attendance to support us this week were the Wright family, Grandma Pam, the Carter family (minus Lisa), Sam Myers from Myers Logging (our newest team sponsor), DJ Poole, & Jon Drinkwater. Thank you all so very much for once again showing up & cheering us on! It means so much to us. We are also very glad we were able to bring home a win for our sponsors! We have next weekend off, which is good since we will need some time to confirm what we think is the issue with the car. We'll have it remedied & be back out on the track for the next wingless sprint race on May 21st. See everyone then! May 3, 2011 WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST SPONSOR, MYERS LOGGING, INC! Please visit our Sponsors page to see their contact information, as well as all of our current sponsors. We could not possibly do this without their support! May 2, 2011 What an amazing night at the track! Zack was one of 18 wingless sprints that timed in on Saturday. He qualified 3rd with the new motor! We were thrilled with that. In fact, I said, "Ok...we can go home now. Don't even need to race. It's just good to know that we have a good, strong motor!" Zack is usually able to do great when he has quality equipment. Since there was no way he would skip racing, he went out for his heat race starting from the back of the pack in 6th position & won! Trophy dash was after that (a little different schedule than normal). He started on the pole, and when he stepped on the throttle, the back end of the car shot out. This new motor has a lot more power than he had last year. He ended up in 4th out of 6 cars in that race. Then the main event.....Zack started outside 2nd row in 4th place in a field of 18 cars. He was going along holding his position well. Then he went into turn 1 & the car just wouldn't go anymore. Since he didn't know what had happened, he decided to play it safe & take it in the pits to Ron & Kevin to see if they could figure it out. At the same time he was slowing on the track, Dale Smith, who had been running in 3rd, was flipping in turn 4. Zack came back out on the track running just fine before the race got re-started. Turns out the car had just popped out of gear from the VERY rough track. It's always like that for the first race. We told Zack he did the right thing by bringing it in. He knows he has to do everything in his power to take care of the car/motor since we don't have a replacement. He took that car out there & made it back up to 8th place before the end of the race. He did great! Thanks so much to Grandma Elaine, the Wright families, Grandpa Warren, the Pooles, Jeff Brown, Chelsea, Kelsey, & friends for coming out to support us. It means so much! An extra thanks to Greg Brown for the help adjusting the injection. Thanks to the combined efforts of Ron, Kevin, Greg, & Martin at ECO-Machine Technologies, the motor (A.K.A. "FISH") ran like a champ! The driver didn't do too bad either;-). See you all this weekend for the opening Limited Sprint night! April 23, 2011 Well, it was our first night of racing after a few rain-outs. We just got the new motor completed a few days ago. It sounded great....at first. Zack went out for hot laps. He said it felt great for the first lap, but NOT for the 2nd lap, so he immediately went into the pits. Ron & Kevin discovered the motor had dropped the #8 exhaust valve. We were done for the night. However, we really didn't lose out on much, as they only got the heat races done before it rained out again. Ron took the head off of the motor when we came home & the damage was minimal. It will be fixed this week, & we'll be ready to go again soon. Thanks to Martin Korstad from ECO-Machine Technologies, Sue Rogers, Grandma Elaine, the Wrights, DJ Poole, & Jon Drinkwater for coming to support us this week. As you're with your loved ones tomorrow, please remember what Easter is really all about. As posted on Facebook this week....Silly Bunny...Easter is for Jesus! October 22, 2010 As stated below, the final 360 race was supposed to have happened weeks ago, but kept getting postponed due to rain. Well, we finally had our last race of the 2010 season last Saturday. Zack raced with the 360s. He started 2nd in the heat race & got 2nd, just after Roger Crockett. Pretty good for a kid with a limited motor! He ended the 360 season in 7th place, which will earn him the "Rookie of the Year" title in the 360 class! Also, he finished the Limited Sprint season in 2nd place, just 6 points behind 1st place. The entire season, he spun one time, had no flips or roll-overs, & the only time he crashed was when his steering broke in the middle of turns 1 & 2. That was a very significant improvement from last year. We're very proud of him & unbelievably thankful that God kept him safe the whole season! The prayers are always for safety first; then fun & success! In attendance on that cold night were: Marv Durham, Tom & Patti Wright, Grandma Elaine, Chelsea, Braedon, & Kelly Casto, the Pooles, the Carters, the Drinkwaters, & Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney. Thank you all so much for coming & showing support once again! While so many people have been so faithful in showing up to watch & cheer Zack on this season, there is no way we could have done this without the help of several sponsors & our crew chief, Kevin Solesbee. We feel so blessed to have been able to complete the 2010 season, not just in one class, but in multiple classes. Merely saying 'thank you' doesn't seem like enough, but it's all we have! A HUGE THANK YOU to The UPS Store of Springfield, Nacho's Restaurant, Jim's Tire Factory of Cottage Grove, RW Towing, Advocare/Ozzie Osburn, Game Time Pizzeria & Ice Cream Parlor, Newell's Ink, Charlie James Racing Graphics, & Dragonfly Decals, along with those of you who have contributed to our fundraisers, donated funds (some of whom we have never even met), to Brian Crockett of BC Motorsports for the use of your limited motor to complete the season after our motor died, & to all who volunteered assistance in the pits, etc. You have all blessed us beyond measure, & we would love to continue spreading the word about your businesses & generosity through the upcoming season. We thank you for an amazing season, & will be in touch with you soon! September 12, 2010 Congratulations to the 2010 Limited Sprint champion, Heath Shelton! Zack had made up 2 of the 4 points he was behind Heath in qualifying, but the set-up wasn't quite right for the main, & he said every time he stepped on the brake, it would upset the whole car instead of helping him get into & through the corner right. Although, even with an ill-handling car, he was still able to go from a 9th place starting position to finish in 4th place for the race, and 2nd place in the points championship. Not too bad for a kid! We're very proud of him. Several people came to the track last night: Cary & Jon Drinkwater, the Roth family, Marv Durham, Grandma Elaine, Chelsea, Austin, & Braedon Casto, Geri Stone, Brett Cook, Don Wright, Tom Wright, the Carter family, & Kevin Solesbee. Thank you all so very much for your support! While the Limited Sprint season is over, next Saturday is the championship night for the 360 Sprints. Zack is running in 7th place in that class with a Limited motor & has been told by Brian Crockett, who owns the motor we are using, that he can run this coming weekend. So, with the pressure off as far as the championship goes, it should be a fun, relaxing (well, as relaxing as it can be) night for Zack. Then we'll be done for the season. Hope to see you all there! August 22, 2010 Whew! Last night went well. Zack qualified 4th out of 12 cars in his class. That put him in the trophy dash. He fought hard & was able to win the dash (see picture above of the little trophy recipient!), came in 2nd in his heat race, & 3rd in the main. He was also able to gain 5 points on the championship points leader. Now, he's only 4 points behind him, with one Limited race left for the season. It will all come down to the last race. And what makes it even more exciting is that the 3rd place driver is really moving up fast in the points. Anything could happen! It's not necessarily just Zack & Heath in the hunt for the championship.....Jesse could sneak in there & take it, too. Being Zack's mom, of course I have a preference, but I'll honestly say, good luck to all! God is good! Since our motor imploded, we have been blessed several times over. An enormous thank you goes to Brian Crockett of BC Motorsports for offering to allow us to use his Limited motor to finish the season. You will never know how much that means to us. We will do everything possible to take great care of your motor! Also, my dad (who is on vacation in Wisconsin) called & said a friend of his from back there who follows our website each week, came up to him at church & handed him an envelope with a financial donation in it to help get a new motor put together for next season! We don't even know these people, but are very humbled by their generosity! Thank you isn't enough, but we will say thank you, Frank & Sue Dart!! Then, as we were firing the car up with the BC Motorsports motor in it, Randy Walker from RW Towing drove up & handed Ron a financial donation & contributed to our t-shirt fundraiser on top of that! Thank you ALL so much! Curt & Melissa Newell from Newell's Ink brought our t-shirts TO THE TRACK last night. That's above & beyond the call of duty! They did a fabulous job on them! Above you'll see a picture of one of the shirts......very cool. Thank you, Newell's Ink! Once again, we had many faithful supporters who came to watch &/or help out in the pits. We are so blessed to have you all! In attendance this week were Tom & Patti Wright, Marv & Dalton, Chelsea Casto, Grandma Pam, Grandma Elaine, Mike Schotke, Kevin Solesbee, Jon & Cary Drinkwater from Nacho's Restaurant, Brock Ferguson, the Carters, & the Pooles. You all provide amazing support for us! August 19, 2010 To make a long story short, after long hours & frustration at times, the car is all back together & ready to hit the track this Saturday. Lord, please let the borrowed motor & other borrowed parts hold up!! As a side note, to pay for the parts that aren't borrowed, we're still taking t-shirt orders. Just click on the link above to place your order, & THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! You have no idea how much we appreciate it. August 9, 2010 Uggghhhh.......well, Ron discovered after last week's steering box fiasco, that the rear-end was finished as well. After scrambling around, we were able to get parts together to fix everything, although not in time for racing on Saturday, so we were blessed to be able to borrow the steering box & rear-end from Ozzie. So, the focus of my prayers this week, besides the ones for safety, fun, & success (ALWAYS in that order), was for nothing to happen to Ozzie's parts! Well, Ozzie's parts survived just fine. However, I forgot to pray for the motor not to blow:-(. Zack was racing in the limited class as well as the 360 class on Saturday. He did great in both classes (had 2nd in the limited main until a lapped car decided to race him as though it was for position.....grrrr) & was fighting to hold on to 4th in the 360 main until the motor blew.....not good. We've been offered the use of a motor to finish the limited class season (2 more races), & we can't adequately express our gratitude for that. We have this coming weekend off, & the next limited race is the following Saturday, Aug 21st. I'm not sure what's going to happen, as far as being able to get the car out for the remainder of the season beyond that (other than the final limited race on Sept 11th, as long as the borrowed motor holds up). I can't imagine completing the season at this point, but we don't know what God has planned. Every time we think we may be done, He opens a window for us. So, we're not going to worry about a thing. If Zack is supposed to continue racing, it will happen. So, now Ron, Zack, & Kevin have a lot of work ahead of them. It's time to disassemble the motor & determine the extent of the damage. Sponsor assistance & fund-raising is more important now than ever. T-shirts anyone? We were blessed this week to add a new sponsor to the team. Paul Keating from Jim's Tire Factory in Cottage Grove had sponsored us some wheels 2 seasons ago when Zack was racing the Camaro in the street stocks class. I contacted him last Monday & spoke with him about the trouble we have had blowing tires on our trailer. He decided to sponsor our team 4 new trailer tires! What a huge help & money saver that was! If you need tires or have other automotive needs, call Jim's Tire Factory & ask for Paul. He's very professional, & will take great care of you. Their number is (541) 942-3831. Please make sure to tell him that we sent you! Thanks goes to so many people this week for their support: Ozzie Osburn/Advocare Rep, without whom, we would not have been able to get the car out on the track this week, Shawn Becker, who gave us a great deal on a new rear-end for the car, Paul Keating from Jim's Tire Factory in Cottage Grove, Trish Rutherford & Sue Weaver, who made the trek from Washington to watch Zack race & hang out with us for the weekend (love you both!), Kelly Casto & kids, as well as their extended family, the Wrights & extended family, Grandma Elaine, Mike Schotke, Kelsey Dillingham & Bryan, Hannah Allen & family, DJ & Erica Poole & their friend, Chris, for letting us use his quad (what a back saver that was!!), & Kevin Solesbee for everything he does for us week in & week out. If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize. The stands were extra FULL this week! We appreciate you all so very much. It's humbling to have you all there when you could be spending your weekend in many other places. Kelly, you don't even LIKE sprint cars, but you & almost your entire family came; even your dad from Florida! Please pass along that it really was a pleasure meeting him & having him there. In the meantime, everyone please keep us in your prayers that we will somehow be able to finish the entire race season & get a good, strong motor together for next season. This is Zack's passion. It's what he wants to do with his life, & so, unless God has other plans for him, I know that with many prayers being lifted up, He will provide what is necessary to make that happen. See you all at the limited race on Aug 21st! Please remember that t-shirts are available to order now. They make a great, inexpensive gift idea. Click on the link above to place your order! July 31, 2010 Well, the good fortune at the track finally took a downturn.....kind of. At least Zack didn't get hurt, but the car sure did. Zack had a good qualifying effort getting 8th out of the 17 wingless cars that qualified. He started on the outside pole for his heat race. He took off from the very beginning getting a good lead. He was able to hold the field off until several laps into the race, Kyle Miller got by him on the outside of turn 2. On the next lap around, on the high side of turn 2, Zack's steering box broke. He went flying off of the track & hit the tractor tires hard. He hit them broadside, so at least it wasn't head on. However, it definitely was hard, because it bent & broke the brake rotor, pulled the torque tube loose from the rear-end, broke both rear arms, and who knows what else. We were done for the night. We really have been very fortunate this season. It was Zack's 15th race of the season, & this was our first major damage all year. Although, we had another tire blow out on the trailer on the way to the track again. We really need to find a tire sponsor for the trailer tires. If you know of anyone who would like to donate five 14" trailer tires to the team, please let us know. We can't be doing this every couple of weeks. Oh, well. Like I said, at least Zack didn't get hurt. It can't go our way every week, but we have sure had a good run of blessings! Ron, Kevin, & Zack have a lot of work ahead of them this week. On a positive note, you'll see in the photo above that we have FINALLY been able to paint our trailer! It's no longer an eye-sore at the track;-). Thank you so much to NAPA of Veneta for sponsoring all of the new lights for the trailer! We appreciate it more than you know. Every little bit helps. Also, as you can see from the announcement & link at the top of the commentary, we have finally been able to secure a great screen-printing company to print race shirts for us! The company is called Newell's Ink. Their site is currently under construction, but it has contact info, so you can get in touch with them for all of your screen-printing needs. Be sure to tell them we sent you! This will be our first fundraiser to try to earn the necessary money to refresh the motor for next season as well as convert the motor from a wet sump to a dry sump. Our motor is very tired. Being able to get these changes made will make all the difference. The shirts will be in within about 2 weeks. Click on the link above to place your t-shirt order letting us know how many & what sizes you'd like. We realize times are tough for everyone, and that there are far more important things for your funds to be spent on. We just ask for your support if you are able. Thanks so much to our friends & family who were able to make it to the track tonight: Marv Durham, Hayden & Tanner Gaffney, Kevin Solesbee, Cary & Jon Drinkwater, & Kirk & Zack Carter. God willing, we'll see you all at the track next Saturday, August 7th, for the Historical Night race, complete with fireworks after the show! uly 19, 2010 Saturday started out with the boys in the Bohemia Mining Days parade in Cottage Grove. They had a good time. Thanks very much to Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney for the use of their truck & trailer for the parade! That night at the track was a mix of frustration & a light bulb coming on. From qualifying, clear through part of the main, Zack was having so much trouble getting any grip anywhere. However, part way through the main, he went to the top of the track, put the wing slider exactly where he wanted it, & took off. He was able to salvage a 3rd place finish in the heat as well as the main. He actually was very happy with that, because he realized he figured out how to drive the top when there's not much there, as far as grip goes. It's all a learning process, & he is doing awesome. Our next race is July 31st. It's a wingless race, & he has decided on his own that he is going to talk to one of the wingless drivers who he really admires for his ability, & get some tips. Thanks once again goes out to the many people who came to support us both in the stands & out in the pits: Grandma Elaine, the Wrights, Kelly, Chelsea, & Austin Casto, Andi Haxby, Geri Stone, the Carters, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, & Kevin Solesbee. It would be pretty lonely without you all there! July 10, 2010 Tonight was a good night at the track. Zack qualified 4th out of 11 drivers and did great all night. Kept his nose clean again & brought home three 3rd place finishes. Once again, safety & no broken parts on the car. Thanks to all of you who came to the track tonight: Grandma Elaine, Tom & Patti Wright, Chelsea Casto, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, Kevin Solesbee, & DJ & Erica Poole. See you all next week for the next race. By the way, July 17th is the next Family Night at the track! A family of 4 gets in for $25, & that includes 2 hot dogs & 2 small sodas! July 4, 2010 HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA! Please remember the reasons we still live in a free country......God & the American soldier. Be incredibly thankful. Last night, Zack raced in the Limited Sprint class. Brandi Bounds & Brendan Boyce raced with them & both did very well......congrats to them both! It's been a while since either have raced, but you would never know it. Zack was the second car on the track for qualifying. It was still fairly wet, so it wasn't ideal for setting a good qualifying time. He ended up with an 11.863 second lap, putting him in 7th out of 12 cars. He got a 2nd place in his heat race & 3rd in the main. It was a good night overall. Thank God once again for the continued safety. Big thanks to the many supporters last night: Grandma Pam, Grandma Elaine, Kevin Solesbee, Jon & Cary Drinkwater, Kelly, Chelsea, Braedon, & Chris Casto, Kelsey Dillingham & Bryan, Geri Stone, Tom & Patti Wright, the Hoos family, & DJ & Erica Poole. See you all next week for more LImited racing! June 27, 2010 Last night was the 2nd Wingless Sprint race night of the season. There were 22 total cars. Zack qualified mid-pack in 11th place. He then went out for his heat race and earned his first ever Wingless victory. However, he wasn't so fortunate on the invert. They inverted 12 cars from the 3 heat races (the top 4 finishers from each one). That meant he had to start exactly in the middle in 11th place. He was prepared for chaos in front of him. There were several times he really had to be watching, or he would have gotten tangled up in other drivers' messes. He did great, though, and moved up from 11th to 6th. The track was very smooth, but so dry slick it just completely ate the reat tires down to nothing. By the end of the main, it was nearly impossible to get grip anywhere. Bye-bye, tires:-(. Click on the link above to watch the heat race. Thanks very much to Chelsea, Jon, Kevin, Grandma Elaine & her friend, Mike, the Carters, & the Pooles for coming to watch & help out. See you all next Saturday, July 3rd, for the Limited Sprints & ASCS racing, & make sure to stick around after the races for the amazing fireworks show! June 15, 2010 Well, we were supposed to have a 2 week break, but decided to give it a shot racing with the California Goldenstate 410 Sprints. We had no expectations for Zack racing with his limited motor with the 410s. We had initially thought we would load up, head to the track, & only unload & run if there weren't enough cars for a B Main, because it was a given that Zack would never be able to make it into the A Main. Just to start the A Main, a driver gets $400, but only something like $50 for a B Main. In other words, we would have been spending a lot more just to race & only get $50, so it wouldn't have been worth it financially. We got there, and there were 31 cars including our car, so Zack was just planning to watch the races & not participate. Then he decided to just give it a shot. He didn't want me to videotape, though, because he said, "Mom, it's just going to be embarrassing!" So, I didn't videotape, and while it was AWESOME being able to actually watch a race, I SHOULD HAVE VIDEOTAPED!! He qualified faster than at least one of the 410s and got 6th out of 7 in his heat race, which meant he would be in the B Main. There were 12 cars starting in the B. Zack started on the inside of the last row in 11th place. They were transferring the top 6 cars from the B to the A Main. He finished in 5th place! He did so good! There were 22 cars starting in the A. Zack started 21st & finished 19th. Although, on one of the restarts, the cars were lined up nose to tail just like they're supposed to be. The car in front of Zack checked up, & Zack had nowhere to go, so he ran up on the back of him. When his car came back down off of the #94, the car behind Zack did the same thing to Zack & then hit the front stretch wall & flipped. When the cars in front of you bunch up on the restart, there is nowhere to go. That was just a racing thing. While the driver made it abundantly clear that was not how he felt, it was obvious to everyone who saw exactly what happened, that Zack did nothing wrong. He was lined up nose to tail as he was supposed to be. I am not saying Zack hasn't made his share of mistakes on the track, but it's not very often, & he has always been taught to admit it & apologize when he does. So, it's too bad that the driver feels the way he does, but there's nothing that will change his mind, so we'll just move on to the next race, a wingless 360 race on June 26th. Thanks to everyone who came to watch, as well as those who always offer their help in the pits: Chelsea Casto, Marv Durham & his friend, Leo, Grandma Elaine, DJ & Erica Poole, the Carter family, the Wrights & extended family, Cary & Jon Drinkwater, & Kevin Solesbee. June 5, 2010 Awesome night, & an early one! We were done with the whole night by 8:30!! A bunch of us loaded up & hit Game Time Pizzeria to celebrate the good results of the night. Once again, Zack was racing with the 360s. With his Limited motor, he qualified 10th out of 17, finished in 4th place in his heat race, and came in 7th in the main. Normally, Zack stays on the bottom out of the way of the 360s, as they are normally so much faster than his motor. Not this time. He went to the top & did awesome! We always have many people praying for safety before the races. In fact, Ron always prays with Zack before each race. Prayers work, people;-). Speaking of prayers, we frequently pray for new sponsors to join the team. This week, we have to thank Nacho's Restaurant for sponsoring a new rear tire. It made ALL the difference, and we can't thank you enough, Cary!! Stick with us, and we will make you proud! Dragonfly Decals has also provided sponsorship, offering a free vinyl sticker. Every little bit helps, and we appreciate you all so much! If you look at the nose of the car, you'll see that Dragonfly Decals provided the RW Towing sticker. If you're looking for a local, professional graphics company, swing by our pit. We'll pass along the info you need. Also, there was another big show of support from Tom & Patti Wright, Chelsea & Braedon Casto, Cary & Jon Drinkwater of Nacho's Restaurant, DJ & Erica Poole, Grandma Elaine, as well as Kevin Solesbee helping in the pits. Once again, you've come to spend your Saturday night with us, and we don't know how to thank you enough. Now, we've got a 2 week break. Check our Scheduled Races page to see what's on the agenda for the next 2 weeks. We'll be back on June 26th to race with the 360 Wingless class. See you all then! May 29, 2010 Great night at the track! Zack set fast time in his class, went from 4th to 2nd in the trophy dash, 4th to 1st in the heat, 6th to 1st in the main, but then one of the wing posts broke & the handling was gone, so he ended up in 3rd. He did awesome! It was Ron's birthday, and Zack was really hoping to win, but we were very proud of him even without the win. He is really learning to drive through traffic. Thanks so much to Grandma Elaine, the Wright family, Mandy Putnam with kiddos & friends, and Brock Ferguson and Jon Drinkwater both helping out in the pits. We feel so blessed to have you all devote your Saturday nights to coming out to cheer us on! See you all next weekend for our race with the 360 class. May 21, 2010 Looks like mother nature wins this weekend.....races scheduled for May 21st & 22nd have been cancelled. Bummer! Guess we'll see you all next Saturday, May 29th. It just happens to be Ron's birthday that day, too. Don't sing.....just throw money;-)......lots & lots of money!! May 16, 2010 Wow! What a night at the track. Without getting into too many details, it seemed like a full-moon night, but it wasn't! Zack was racing with the 360s again. He started in 6th place in his heat, and ended in 4th. He should have gotten 3rd place, because the car in front of him on the restart hit the cone on the front stretch. However, Brian said he didn't see who hit it, so Zack was going to get credited for 4th. Oh, well.....sometimes it goes your way, & sometimes it doesn't. The problem with that, though, is that he just missed the invert by one position. So, instead of starting the main on the outside pole, he started in 12th place. He did great not getting in anyone's way who was faster than him. In fact, just the opposite. He passed cars & kept others behind him the whole race. When it was all done, he ended the 360 race with his LImited motor in 11th place out of 18 spots. He had 10th at one point, but when he tried to go around the outside of #4, there was no grip in the middle of the track & the #6M got back under him to pass him for 10th. He did a great job tonight. Once again, he's all in one piece & so is the car. Thank you, God! Thank you to the Castos, Grandma Elaine, DJ & Erica Poole, Jon & Cary Drinkwater, Kevin Solesbee, Steve Smith, Amanda Putnam, Andi Haxby, the Wrights, and Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney. Thanks to you all for coming, cheering Zack on, & to the couple of you helping out in the pits, you have no idea how helpful you are to us! See you all next week for the wingless race! May 10, 2010 It was the 2nd Limited Sprint race of the season. Zack qualified 4th fastest, so he was in the trophy dash. He ended the night getting 3rd in the dash, 3rd in his heat race, and 6th in the main. This was one of those times that you could say they missed the set-up. The car just seemed to push more & more all night long. Zack even spun in turn 2 of the main, went to the back for the re-start, was able to make his way back up as high as 5th, but ended the race in 6th place. Needless to say, he's had better nights, but the car wasn't damaged at all, & neither was the driver. So, it could definitely have been worse! We'll be ready to go for next week's 360 race. We had lots of people come to watch & cheer Zack on this week. We'd like to thank you all so much for spending your Saturday night with us: The Casto family, Grandma Pam, Grandma Elaine, Kelsey Dillingham & Bryan, Andrea Haxby, the Wright family, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, DJ & Erica Poole, and special guests, Wes Wright & Luke McFadden with the Santa Clara Church of Christ youth group. As always, we also want to thank Kevin Solesbee & Jon Drinkwater for helping out in the pits. We appreciate you all so much. May 2, 2010 Well, it was our first wingless night of 2010. Zack qualified 9th out of 18 cars entered. There were only 2 or 3 Limited Sprints running, including Zack. The rest of the cars were 360s. Zack started in 5th position of the first heat and ended in 4th place. He started in 7th position for the main in a field of 17 cars. He hung back a little on the start to avoid any chaos in front of him, so he went back a few positions. He started to pick it up, but hit a rut in the middle of turns 3 & 4, as well as hooking his left front tire on the burm. That knocked him sideways, & he spun out. That meant he had to re-start from the back of the pack. The green flag came out, and he took off, making it back up to 12th place when there was a red flag for a couple of cars flipping down the front & in the middle of turns 1& 2. Zack did well after the race resumed, and ended the night in 9th place. The best part: NO FLIPS OR BAD WRECKS FOR US, and we're glad that no one, at least from our night's class, was hurt. Randy Martin, who runs the #88 Late Model, however, wasn't so fortunate. He was in a pile-up coming out of turn 4, and it sounds like at the very least, ended up with a nasty concussion. We're praying for you, Randy, & hope to see you back out there ASAP! We would like to thank our main sponsor for the night, Game Time Pizzeria & Ice Cream Parlor! THE BEST PIZZA AROUND!! Check them out on Centennial Blvd in Springfield. Tell Craig the Spauldings sent you! We were so blessed to have in attendance many friends & family this week: Grandma Elaine, Marv Durham, Kelly, Chelsea, & Braedon Casto, the Wrights, Grandma Pam, my brother & niece, Mike & Emily Gaffney, Emily's cousin, Alyssa, Steve Smith, friends of Chelsea's, Kelsey & Brian, DJ & Erica Poole, Kevin Solesbee, & Jon Drinkwater. We are so thankful for all of you! Next week, some members of the Santa Clara Church of Christ Youth Group will be in attendance at the track. They're coming to cheer Zack on in the Limited class. See you all then! April 25, 2010 Yet another great night at the track! There were 26 sprint cars on Saturday night; 5 of which were Limiteds with the remaining 21 being 360s. Zack qualified 17th with his Limited motor, which was the fastest of the 5 Limiteds, as well as faster than 5 of the 360s! There were 3 heats with the top 5 finishers in each automatically transferring to the 'A' Main. Zack just missed the transfer getting 6th place, which meant he was going to have to try to race his way into the 'A' from the 'B' Main. However, he was still able to finish higher than any of the other Limiteds from any of the heats. There were 11 cars in the 'B' Main, with the top 5 finishers transferring to the 'A'. Zack finished 4th in front of 3 of the 360s & the other 4 Limiteds, so he raced his way in! There were 20 cars starting the 'A' Main. Zack, being the only Limited in the entire field, started in 19th position with the intention of hanging back on the first lap. He learned from years of kart racing that when you're starting in the rear of the field, something inevitably happens in the middle of the pack that you don't want to get caught up in! He was right this time, as well. In turns 1 & 2 of the very first lap, there was a red flag for a crash. If he had had his foot buried to the floor, he very well could have gotten mixed up in it as well. He's a very smart & patient driver. After it was all said & done, he finished 15th in a whole field of 360s, with not even a scratch on him or the car. Also, as a bonus, the highest point scoring Limited of the night received an EXTRA $100, with the 2nd & 3rd Limiteds getting a specific bonus amount as well. Congrats to all of the Limiteds who had the courage to get out there with those crazy, aggressive 360s;-)! Thank you so much to Grandma Elaine, Grandpa Warren, Marv, Jon & Cary Drinkwater, Kevin Solesbee, Chelsea Casto, & DJ & Erica Poole for supporting us at the track once again. We so appreciate you all! Next Saturday, May 1st, is the first wingless sprint car race of the 2010 season. If the winged races make me a basket case, the wingless races are that much more crazy! It just seems like "jumping out of a perfectly good airplane"! Why in the world would a person ever do that?? Yikes! Zack really enjoys it, so I guess that's what the plan is for the car next week. Come on out to the track & watch the chaos! April 23, 2010 It was a good night at the speedway. Zack got some seat time in running with the 360s. He was the fastest qualifying Limited Sprint and was even able to qualify faster than one of the 23 360s. For his heat, he started 6th out of 7 cars. That's also where he ended the race. Only the top 3 finishers automatically transferred into the 'A' main, so he had to try to race his way into the 'A' from the 'B' main. He started 6th in the 'B' main out of 8 positions, with only the top 4 finishers transferring. He was able to pass the #75 of Heath Shelton on turn 4 of the last lap to get 5th place. So, we were happy, even though we knew his night was over missing the 'A' main by only one position. Then we got a call that one of the cars who qualified for the 'A' scratched out, so Zack was in the race. He ran back to the pits to get in his car. He went out in 20th place, and finished in 18th, staying on the bottom & out of the way of the 360s. He was the only Limited in the 'A' main & did great taking care of himself & the car both! Zack also got a new sponsor tonight. RW Towing has decided to help support this "racing habit". Thank you so much to Randy Walker for your assistance with our 2010 season! We'd also like to thank Grandma Elaine, DJ & Erica Poole & their friend, Brandon, Kevin Solesbee, & Jon Drinkwater for attending, whether it was just to be a cheerleader for us, or helping out with the car. You're all very much appreciated. Back to the track tomorrow night for the 2nd night of the 360 Classic. Hopefully, Zack can avoid trouble again & do well. See you there! April 17, 2010 What a great night at the track! Well, it didn't start out so great. Something was up with the motor during qualifying, so Zack qualified 6th out of 9. The track was VERY dry slick the entire night. However, they fixed something, because Zack was able to win his heat race. Then he started in the worst possible starting position for the main (7th; inside fourth row). He is such a patient driver. He just kept up with the pack as they got started, making sure he would be able to avoid any problems that might happen up near the front on the start. Everyone did just fine getting off to a good start, so he started making his way up through the pack & finished in 3rd! I'm so proud of him! He's figuring out how to work his way up through traffic in the sprint car. He always did very well with that in the kart, so I knew he would eventually "get it" in the sprint. He did a great job. Thanks so much to our supporters who came out to the track tonight: Marv Durham, Tom & Patti Wright, Don & Merlin Wright, Jon Drinkwater, Kevin Solesbee, Grandma Elaine, the Casto family, Brittney Davis, the Ferguson family, the Hoos family, the Henderson family, and DJ & Erica Poole. April 10, 2010 Zack ran the season opener with the 360s since the Limiteds weren't on the schedule. Ron & Kevin had tried some bigger nozzles on the fuel injection. Zack went out for hot laps, & it just wouldn't run right. They put the smaller nozzles back on, but it took a couple laps or so to clean the lines out, so he qualified in 17th (out of 19 cars). He just decided to ride around the bottom & get comfortable again. Also was trying to stay out of the way of the faster cars. He started in the 17th position for the main & finished in 14th. There were only 3 Limited cars running with all of those 360s, & he finished the main in front of the other two, actually lapping them both. It was a great night---no spins, wrecks, wasn't the cause of any wrecks, completely kept his nose clean, & rolled the car into the trailer all in one piece. There was a 20 minute delay for a few sprinkles after the first main, but then we were able to get the rest of the racing in........just in time. Just after we got the car loaded into the trailer, it started to POUR RAIN! Next week, Zack will be running with the Limiteds, in his own class. Come out to the track & cheer him on! As a side note, Debbie Nunes, I am supposed to tell you to let Seth race wingless. As a mom who was ambushed with this very thing, I say, "Don't you dare give in! Stay strong, sister!" Thanks so much to our newest sponsor, The UPS Store in Springfield, OR, Kevin Solesbee for helping Ron & Zack in the pits, & for our "season opener groupies in the stands" the Casto clan, Grandma Elaine, the Wrights & extended family, DJ & Erica Poole, & Jon Drinkwater. Your support is so appreciated! Sept 27, 2009 WHEW!!! We all survived the 2009 summer season at Cottage Grove Speedway! If you had asked me at any point during the past 6 months, I would have had great doubts, but God is good, & blessed us with safety for both boys. There were victories & defeats, but they're both part of life & character building. Josh finished his season in 3rd place, while Zack ended his rookie sprint car season in 5th place. We're very proud of them both & feel so blessed to be their parents. Great job, boys! We can not begin to express our appreciation for our sponsors, fans, friends, & family who supported us this year, either monetarily or by your attendance at the track, assistance in the pits, or even just your encouraging words. I've said this to several people just recently......"I never, ever would have thought we could financially complete a full season of sprint car racing, never having missed one race!" Zack even ran a 360 race & a few wingless races on top of the non-stop Limited Sprint schedule. That would have never been possible without the financial support of our sponsors, friends, family, & fans who all contributed to our team wanting to make sure Zack had every possible chance to do what he loves to do more than anything. We are humbled by your generosity. Thanks to you all, Zack was able to reach his goal of earning the 'Rookie of the Year' title. Sponsors, we hope that we made you all proud to be associated with our team, & pray that we can count on your support for the upcoming season. We were honored to represent you: Majestic Heating & Air Conditioning, Charlie James Racing Graphics, Rocketboy Racing, & Froggy's Towing. Now, on to the details of Zack's final wingless race on Saturday & Josh receiving his 3rd place trophy for the 2009 karting season.....The night started with the karters getting to introduce themselves & thank sponsors, etc, & receive their trophies for racing the summer season. When the microphone came to Josh, he started by thanking "Majestic Heating & Air Company" (sorry, Mitch....he almost got it right!), "Dad, Mom, & Zack Spaulding." Sorry he didn't remember everyone. He wasn't even sure he could get the words all straight for Majestic. That's a lot for an 8-year-old to remember when you're put on the spot in front of hundreds of people! There's a picture above of Josh with his trophy. Zack started on the inside of the 3rd row for the dash that was to determine his starting position in the top 10 of the 'A' main. There was absolutely no grip on the bottom of the track, & he pretty much got freight-trained (stuck on the bottom with cars going by). He finished that race in 9th, meaning he would start the 'A' main in 9th place out of 22 cars. By the time the 'A' rolled around, the whole track was dried out. He was having a lot of trouble getting any forward bite at all, but would occasionally pass a car. It seemed like one step forward & two steps back, however. He kept his nose clean through the two 25-lap sessions of the main, though, and ended the night in 12th place out of 22 positions. That is excellent considering several things.....as far as we know, there were only 4 Limited Sprints in the whole field, including Zack. Actually, we're not even positive if the other 3 cars that normally race in the Limited class had their Limited motors in, or if any of them put a 360 motor in for the wingless event. All of the other cars in the field were 360s. He only finished behind 1 of the Limited cars (& that was directly behind), & held his own with many of the 360s as well, ending in 12th place. We're so proud of him for even having the courage to run with those cars. They're fast & crazy! See you all when we start the Salem winter season of kart racing in November! Sept 26, 2009 We're going to Zack's last race tonight. It's in the wingless class (much scarier, at least to me;-). He did awesome last night, though. There were 33 cars. They had 4 qualifying heat races since there were so many cars. The top 2 finishers from each heat automatically transferred into the 'A' Main Event (without having to race their way into it by going through the 'B' Main & being one of the top 3 finishers from those races). He almost won his heat, but barely got passed on turn 4 of the last lap. So he finished 2nd, transferring to the 'A'. Then he started 16th in a field of 22 cars, kept his nose clean (although several others ended up flipping in that race). He finished in 11th place, and survived to race again tonight! Then we found out he is in 10th place in points for the wingless cars (just from last night). That automatically locks him into the 'A' Main for tonight. I can almost relax......only one more to go;-)! Also, Josh will be receiving his trophy for the karting season tonight in front of the big car crowd. That will be fun for the kids. Thanks for this week's supporters!!: Grandma Elaine & her friend, Mike, the Wright family, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, and the Ferguson family. You guys are awesome! Sept 25, 2009 Well, there was no qualifying for the last race since it was going to be a very full night with many classes. Zack ended his heat race in 2nd place. The timing was way off in the engine for the main, plus we discovered later that one of the shocks was broken. Zack still managed to squeak out a 6th place finish, though. He finished the season in 5th place (just 5 points away from 4th). Not too bad for a rookie; especially one who was 13 years old for the majority of the season! He did earn "Rookie of the Year", which was his goal from the beginning for his first season. Josh ended his season in 3rd place. Overall, they both had a great summer season. (Most important to their mom is that they finished their seasons in one piece)! However, hopefully I'm not speaking too soon. Zack is racing in the wingless class tonight & tomorrow (contrary to his mother's wishes). Pray hard, please!! Thanks to all who came to support us last weekend: Grandma Pam, Grandma Elaine, Brina, the Wrights & family, the Roth family, Grandpa Warren, Cory Gant, and DJ & Pat who helped in the pits. We are so grateful! Sept 16, 2009 WHAT AN EXHAUSTING WEEKEND THAT WAS!! I started getting sick on Friday, was still sick on Saturday morning when Grandpa & Grandma arrived from Wisconsin. Oh, well........too much to be done. So, off we went to Creswell. It took all day, but we got it all unloaded. Then, off to the race track. We missed the set up for the main, but Zack was hopefully going to be able to squeak out a good finish. He was supposed to start on the outside pole for the main. They pushed him off to start his car, and it stopped on the track in turns 1 & 2. Zack knew what it was & fixed it himself right there in the car, but because he had stopped on the track (even though the race hadn't started yet), he had to start the race from the back. That's the rule, so he had no choice. He was able to finish the night in 7th place. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong for this coming weekend's race. Thanks goes to Grandma Elaine, the Hoffmans, & the Wrights & family. We appreciate you all so much! Then, on Sunday, we spent almost the entire day out at Thurston High School for Josh's football jamboree. Time for me to get off of here now & make sure Josh is getting ready for football practice;-). Whew! Sept 6, 2009 Josh's kart race for August 28th ended up getting cancelled due to rain, so he lucked out as far as points go. Plus, he didn't have to miss a race! So, as stated below, the plan was to head to the track yesterday, September 5th. However, I think Fall must be arriving early. That race was rained out as well. Zack was really disappointed, because now, he only has 2 races left to make up any points. I, on the other hand, was just fine with not having my weekly "anxious mom" stomach ache! Next weekend will be a full one. Zack has a race scheduled for Saturday, September 12th. Then Josh has a football jamboree on Sunday. Some time in there, Grandpa & Grandma (who are moving here from Wisconsin) will be arriving with everything they own & a U-Haul that needs to be unloaded & returned by Sunday, the 13th. Not sure how all of this is going to happen, but I'm sure it will all work out somehow. See you all next weekend! August 27, 2009 No races for us this weekend. There is a kart race scheduled for Friday, August 28th, but Josh has football practice. He knew when he decided he wanted to play football that if the schedules conflicted, he would have to honor his commitment to the team. So, we will be back at the track September 5th for Zack's next sprint car race. I can't believe summer is almost over! August 16, 2009 Well, it was a good night & not so good night at the track. Zack qualified 7th, which put him on the pole for the heat race. His car was pushing, because Ron had put a different size tire on the left rear to see how the car would handle. It wasn't good. He ended up getting 4th out of 6 in the heat. They made some small changes, knowing that the track would change considerably by the time the main rolled around. Then a 6-pill invert was drawn. That put Zack starting on the inside of the 4th row for the main; not the best place...in fact, probably one of the worst starting positions. However, like I told him, he was always great at driving through traffic in his kart. He has to learn to do the same in the sprint car. Early in the main, I saw Zack bicycle coming out of turn 2, and then he just went into the pits. One of the shocks on the car had come apart, so Ron put another one on. When they went back to racing, the points leader flipped in turn 4. Zack came back out onto the track; although, he was a lap down. A few laps later, another car flipped in the middle of turns 3 & 4. Zack never spun or wrecked at all the whole night. He ended the main in 8th place after the trouble with the shock. Then, I was sitting in the stands figuring the points when I heard the announcer say something about Zack Spaulding coming out to race with the wingless sprints. I thought & even said outloud, "Oh, Ben...I don't think so. You just screwed up." Ron, Kevin, Ozzie, & DJ were sitting there with smirks on their faces, because they know I don't want Zack to race wingless. One of them said, "No, he didn't. Zack's racin'!" Oh, boy, did they think that was funny! Trouble makers!! Talk about heart stopping, until I really watched him & saw that he would probably be just fine. Zack had to tag the back of the 21-car field since he hadn't qualified with the wingless class. He kept his nose clean & finished in 14th. Not too bad for a limited motor & his first time! Thanks so much to DJ for helping out in the pits, Erica for your support in the stands & offer to video the wingless race so I could actually watch, the Hoffmans, & the Wrights & family. We didn't get a win this week, but at least we didn't get any new damage either (Ron put the shock back together.). Now, we have some time off. The next kart race is August 28th. Zack doesn't race the sprint car again until Sept 5th. See everyone there! August 15, 2009 Josh raced in front of the big car crowd on Friday, the 14th. They first did driver introductions (even for all of the kart drivers). That was neat for the kids to be able to do. Josh had to start on the outside of the 4th row in 8th place (out of 11) because they inverted the finishing order from the previous week's race. Josh had finished that race in 3rd. He got punted to the top of the track on the start, moving him back even farther, but he made it back up to his original position & then just seemed to be happy staying right there! Oh, well......as long as he had fun & stayed safe;-)! Zack races tonight. We can always use more cheerleaders! AUGUST 14TH & 15TH IS "KIDS WEEKEND" AT THE COTTAGE GROVE SPEEDWAY. KIDS UNDER 12 GET IN FREE!! August 8, 2009 WAHOOO!! What an awesome night at the track. Qualifying didn't go so well, but it just got better from there. Zack qualified in 6th place. He got 3rd in his heat, but didn't really like the way the car was handling. So, Ron made a couple of adjustments to the car & set it up for Zack to run the bottom for the main. The top 6 qualifiers were inverted for the start of the main, so Zack got to start on the pole. He took off & led all 25 laps! Both times he was coming up to start lapping traffic, there was a caution, which bunched the field back up, but Zack didn't have to be in traffic either. So, he just had to make sure he got good re-starts, which he did. A couple of times, he was challenged by other drivers, but he was able to hold them off. Plus, it was his 14th birthday. What a great birthday present! Video is uploaded. Right now, it's 1:47 a.m., & I am far too tired to attempt doing anything like that;-). Thanks so much to everyone who came to support us this week: Mitch Wofford from Majestic Heating & Air Conditioning, Grandma Pam, Marv Durham, The Wrights & family, The Hoffmans, Stan, Valerie, Cory, & Charlie. Zack's cousin, Hayden, was able to see the big win as well. Also, a big thanks to Bill & Dani Miller & Marena for the use of the quad (even though Ron forgot to use it much of the time;-) & for the birthday goodies! We very much appreciate you all!! August 7, 2009 It was a good night at the track. Josh ended the night with a 2nd place finish and two 3rd place finishes. THE CHAIN STAYED IN TACT!! That was a big plus;-)! Although, Ron said the brand new chain started to kink up in places. So, he'll have some work to do, but nothing too bad. Hayden got to watch again tonight, as well as Grammy Pam and Josh's good friend, Charlie. Thanks for coming, everyone! See you all tomorrow night for the sprint race! August 2, 2009 Let's see....last night Zack qualified in 5th. There were only 9 cars in his class, so they only had one heat race. He started inside of the 3rd row, but seemed to have a hard time getting grip. He finished that race in 6th place. Zack talked to Ron about making subtle changes for the main, which he did. They did a pill draw for a starting position in the main. Josh drew for his brother.....a 7.....darn. He started inside of the 4th row for the main and was doing well when there was a caution for the #51 spinning in turn 2. Zack was idling around with the other cars when he heard something wrong in the driveline. He said he revved the engine one time after that & still heard it, so he just stopped & shut it off. He was done for the night, but like Josh said immediately after that happened, "Well, maybe God let this happen to keep Zack out of a bad wreck!" I told him that was a good way to look at it. Ron & Zack will take it apart today to figure out what happened. Whatever it was, we are thankful that it happened under caution. It could have been much worse if it had happened at speed. Zack did comment that he likes this "new to us" frame much better than the one that got wrecked last time. He said it handles a lot better. Thanks goes to Marv, Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, Tom & Patty Wright, & Jon Drinkwater for coming to support us. This coming Saturday, August 8th, is Zack's 14th birthday. It's also Historical Night at the track. If you stop by Knecht's, you can get 1/2 price tickets to the races for that night. There will also be fireworks after the races. See you all there! July 31, 2009 Once again, Josh was doing well in his first heat race of the night, and the chain broke. Ron pieced another one together getting him back out for his 2nd heat race. Thankfully, it stayed together for the remainder of the night. Josh got 3rd in his 2nd heat. Then came the main. He started in 7th place out of 10, was doing great when he and another kart were crashed off of the track in turn 1 by another kart. He had to re-start at the back with the other kart that was involved. He was going along great when there was a caution in front of him. We thought he was going to make it through the middle of the stopped cars, but one of them moved down the track as he was going through. That stopped Josh as well, which meant he had to re-start near the back of the pack again, but was able to make it up to 5th place before the end of the race. Thanks to Grandma Elaine for coming to watch. We were also able to bring our nephew, Hayden, with us to watch his cousin. He had a lot of fun, and Josh sure liked having him there;-). This Saturday, August 1st, is Family Night at the track. That means a family of 4 can get in for $20. Everyone come cheer us on! July 19, 2009 Oh, boy.......not a good night last night. If you watch the video above, you'll see Zack coming out of turn 4 on the high side and the other driver parallel to him on the bottom of the track. The driver on the bottom washed up the track so high that Zack had nowhere to go & hit the front stretch wall. Then it was all over. He's fine, and we'll see what happens about getting back out there for the next race on August 1st. However, it won't be in the same frame. It's junk. Thanks to everyone who donated to the roll-over fund for Zack, to all of the people who are trying to do what they can to get him back out there in a couple of weeks, to Grandma Elaine for coming to watch, to Lori Leach for the supportive shoulder with me at the fence and walk back to the stands, to Kitty who came to get me to take me out to the pits, and to the great safety crew workers who so quickly arrived on the scene and made sure Zack was ok. Prayer list: safety, then sponsors......safety, then sponsors (now more than ever)! July 17, 2009 Tonight's heats went really well for Josh. He won his 1st heat and got 2nd in his 2nd one. That put him as starting on the outside pole for the main in a field of 13 karts. Bennett got the hole shot, and Josh was holding onto 2nd very well when his chain broke! Darn! He was doing so well, but that's what happens in racing. You just never know. Thanks to Marv, Grandma Pam, & Grandma Elaine for coming to the track tonight. We'll see everyone tomorrow for the sprint race! July 5, 2009 Time for an update....On Friday, there were 13 cars in the Limited Sprint class; great turnout. Zack was advised to run the middle of the track for qualifying. That turned out to be the exact wrong place. He qualified in 9th. There was just over 1 second difference from fast time to slowest time! Zack ended up getting 5th in his heat out of 7 and 5th in the main out of 13. On Saturday, Zack qualified a little better in 6th place. He won his heat race after a very violent crash by Raquel Ivie. She was taken to the hospital after walking away from the wreck. We don't have any further details as of yet. She is in our prayers for a quick recovery. Zack started on the inside of the 2nd row for the main in a field of 10 cars. He stayed in 3rd for the most of the 20 lap race, but got a little too high in turn four & spun with 6 laps to go. Then he was mad! On the restart, he took off & managed to make his way back up to 5th by the time he reached the checkered flag. Man....what an exciting finish!! I'll have Ron upload the video, so keep checking back. Thanks so much to Grandma Elaine, Marv, Grandma Pam, & the Shanaman family for coming to the track to support us once again! And an extra big thanks goes to Kevin Solesbee for helping Ron & Zack in the pits on Saturday. We actually have the upcoming weekend off........aaahhhhhhhh.....relaxation of my nerves;-)! We'll be back at the track on July 17th for Josh's kart race & July 18th for the next sprint car race. See you then! June 28, 2009 Let's see......Friday night Josh raced his kart & did really well. There were 13 karts in his class alone! In his first heat, he got 5th. In the second heat, his motor wasn't running right, but he still managed to get a 2nd place finish. In the main, he kept his nose clean and finished in 4th place. It was a good night. Saturday night, Zack qualified 3rd out of 11 drivers. That put him in his 2nd trophy dash in the sprint car. He started on the outside of the front row & won the race. Of course, one of the kids from the stands wanted Zack's trophy, but I, as his mom, had already claimed it! I told him he could have any more he can get to before any of the other kids in the stands, but I was going to keep the first one;-). Of the two heat races for his class, he had the toughest of the two line-ups and was going good until he got a little too high in turns 1 & 2 and spun off the track. However, he had enough sense to keep his foot in the throttle so as not to hit the tires in turn 2. He re-started at the back of the pack and ended in 4th place out of 6. When the main event rolled around, the track was so dry-slick, there was absolutely nowhere on the whole track that he, as well as most of the other drivers, could get any traction at all. He tried high, low, middle.....didn't matter. It was awful. I think the only one who was able to get any traction at all was the leader & eventual winner, Heath Shelton. Zack finished in 8th place, exactly where he started. He is now 5 points behind the leader, Steven Horner, and the car rolled into the trailer this week with really no damage at all! Congratulations to Steven for earning the use of the 360 motor to run with the ASCS Nationals on July 24th & 25th. Thanks to Grandma Elaine & Grandma Pam for their attendance;-). The next sprint car races are scheduled for July 3rd & 4th, with a fireworks display on July 4th. The next go-kart race is on July 17th. See you all there! June 21, 2009 Happy Father's Day to all of you dads! It was a night of mixed emotions last night at the track. Zack won his heat race. The set-up was just right. Then the main event came around. Zack started outside the 4th row in 8th position. He quickly made progress up to 5th & battled back & forth with Colin Baker to keep the 5th place position. Colin had the advantage & had made it up to 4th, while Zack was in 6th place & drove hard into 3 & 4 going around Carrothers on the outside. He got a little too close to the right rear with his left front, wheel-hopped, jumped the outside burm, hit the k-barrier wall, & flipped. He was fine; his mother wasn't & the car wasn't!! Thanks so much to Kitty for the much-needed bear hug & for letting me go out to the pits to check on my kid! Also, we can't say thank you enough to Marena for immediately taking Zack's helmet into the stands to collect donations for a rollover fund to assist with the many repairs that will be necessary to get him out there next week. Every little bit helps. Many people donated, and you have no idea how much that is appreciated. We, of course, don't know all of you, but specifically want to thank the Walker gang from Froggy's Towing & John & Jeannie Hoffman for your donations. As far as people who came to support us this week, a very heart-felt thanks goes to Grandma Elaine, the Hoffmans, Marv Durham, Jeff & Dalton Mermis, the Roth family, the Thomas family, the Gant family, & the Blair family. You all will never know how appreciated your presence is at the track. In addition, thank you so much to Keith, Ernie, & Ozzie for your help in getting the car put together enough to be able to roll it into the trailer. If I am forgetting someone, please forgive me. I assure you it's not intentional. There were just so many people willing to help in one way or another, it's hard to remember everyone. We are so blessed to have friends & family like you all in our corner!! Ron is trying to get the video uploaded sometime this evening. Check back. This also put Zack in 2nd place for points. He is only 3 points away from Steven for the lead. We'll see what happens, but the most important thing is that Zack didn't get hurt. Points mean nothing when compared to the safety of our son. Thank God all of the safety equipment held up the way it was designed to! Josh has a kart race this coming Friday, and God willing, Zack will be back at the track on Saturday. See you all then, and please remember to bring sponsors with you;-)! They are needed now more than ever! Oh, almost forgot......to add insult to injury, on the way home a tire on the trailer lost it's tread. We were stopped in the Ray's parking lot in Creswell after midnight changing a tire. What a night! June 7, 2009 After the stinkin' weather cancelled Josh's kart races on Friday, it shaped up to be ok for the sprint car races on Saturday. Zack qualified in 7th, giving him a starting position on the pole for his heat race. He did a great job & finished 2nd. He then started on the inside of the 4th row in 7th position (out of 12) for the main. He kept his nose clean the whole race and finished in 4th (almost got 3rd). It was a good points night. He was able to gain 3 more points to extend his points lead. However, he is only in the lead by 16 points.......too close for comfort if you ask me! Anything could happen. Hopefully, he will be able to hold on to it, but we're so proud of him no matter what may happen throughout the rest of the season. Brock Ferguson was helping Ron again in the pits, and we can't thank him enough!! Also in attendance were our usual loyal family & friends, Marv Durham, Grammy Pam, Grandma Elaine, and Jon Drinkwater. In addition, it was nice to see Kris & Phil from Oakway Fitness Center, a past sponsor of our team. Now you guys know who to cheer for when you come back! We've got the next weekend off, but will be back at the track June 20th. Come on out, and bring some sponsors with you! May 31, 2009 Wow! What a very exhausting weekend......after chain problems in the heat, Josh got a 3rd place finish in his main event Friday night. He did awesome, avoiding spins, flips (one of which happened right in front of him), and all other chaos! Overall, a great night. Then Saturday night rolled around, and Zack qualified 6th again, with a 12.227 second lap. He started outside the front row for his heat race, but didn't get the hole shot, so he was running in 2nd when another car got into Zack spinning them both around, almost flipping Zack's car & breaking the front end in his own car. That car was done for the remainder of the race, but Zack was able to get back out to go on to finish 3rd. The first 6 qualifiers were inverted for the main, with the remaining 6 cars lined up behind them in their qualifying order. That put Zack on the pole, since he was the 6th fastest timing in. You can get all of the details from the video link above, but long story short.......Zack won for the 2nd week in a row! It was a phenomenal race to the finish, especially the last 5 laps that he got to race with Collin Baker. They are always a lot of fun to watch together whether it's in karts or sprint cars. They both race hard & clean. Once again, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney were able to be present for this one, as well as Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam & her friend, Julie, our friends, Keith & Melinda Roth, as well as Melinda's parents, Bill & Janet Thomas, Marv, Brock, and Zack's friends, Jon & Anthony. We can't thank Brock & Keith enough for helping Ron in the pits! Last week, when Ron saw Zack win the main, he went running down off of the grandstands to make sure Zack remembered to go directly to the scales, and he pulled a muscle in his back. Last night, he was really hurting, and to make things worse, he slipped on some loose dirt out in the pits. I've never seen him in so much pain. Long story made somewhat shorter, our much loved friend and neighbor, Marv, spent the night in the ER with Ron & I. We finally got to bed at 5:09 a.m. Ron is feeling considerably better today, but will take a few days to recover. Thanks soooo much to Marv & Jude for their love & support of our family. I can't tell you how much it means to us. Whether you agree or not, we have officially adopted you into our crazy family! Ok....can't forget this......did I mention we need sponsors?! May 24, 2009 WHAT A NIGHT!!! Zack qualified 6th out of 11 with a 12.333 second lap; not his best. However, only 3 out of the 11 drivers qualified in the 11 second range. It was definitely a slower track than usual during qualifications. Zack went out and won his heat race! He finally decided it might not be so scary to put the car on the top & just go, so that's what he did the whole race. Then, he went out starting on the pole for the main. He immediately went to the high side and checked out! We didn't think he was going to pull it off, because he was going around lapped traffic half-way through lap 9 and spun on the backstretch. He did a complete 360, and kept it going to go on for the win!! We've been told he's the youngest driver to ever win a sprint car race at Cottage Grove, and possibly the youngest to win there in any class! Click on the link above to watch. Sorry for the poor quality.....just an added expense the team doesn't need (a new camcorder). The sweetest part of the night was that Zack got his first & second wins in the sprint car while Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney were visiting from Wisconsin. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw a tear or two being wiped away from Grandpa's face after Zack won the heat race;-).....he's such a softy! Thanks so much to everyone who came to watch: the Fergusons, the Hoffmans, Grandma Elaine, Grandpa & Grandma Gaffney, Jerry & Tyler Thompson, the Hendersons, and Jon Drinkwater. An extra HUGE THANK YOU goes to Jeff Thompson, who crew chiefed on the car this weekend. Zack soaked in all the information Jeff gave him & put it to good use! We can't thank you enough, Jeff, for all of your help & advice!! So, here's the next question......SPONSORS, WHERE ARE YOU?? Wouldn't you like to be sponsoring the youngest winning driver at Cottage Grove Speedway? May 16, 2009 Well, our night was shortened somewhat tonight. Zack qualified 7th out of 12 with an 11.823 second lap. He was on the pole for his heat, but the car just would not grip no matter where he tried. It was very dry slick already. He tried different lines, but was getting no grip anywhere. So, he finished that race in 4th out of 6 spots. Ron made some pretty drastic changes to the set up before the main, and was just hoping he did the right thing. He should have been lined up on the inside of the 4th row in 7th place, but for some reason, they had the line up wrong, and he was starting in 9th place out of 12. Whatever Ron did worked awesome. He was up to 6th place in just a couple of laps. There was a caution, and on the 2nd lap of the restart, he was on his way to getting Ozzie in 5th place when another car got under him. He said he moved up the track to give the guy racing room, but he just kept coming & ran right over the nose of Zack's car, taking him out. Not good. It's going to be a spendy fix. Zack is quickly learning the drivers he is going to really have to be extra cautious around, because you just never know what some of them are going to do. He is still in 2nd place, but the points race has really tightened up. Please pray for a good result next week, AND FOR SPONSORS!! Thanks so much to Keith & Melinda Roth, Marv Durham, and Grandma Elaine for coming to the track tonight. Ron's going to have a busy, very expensive week. Hopefully, we'll see you all next week! May 15, 2009 Tonight, Josh finally got to race the first race of the season. He had a good night, despite track conditions. Wow.....talk about rough. Hopefully, that will get better as the season gets going. He got 2nd in both of his heat races and 4th out of 10 in the main. There were a lot of karts in every class. That was encouraging to see. Thanks to Marv and Grandma Elaine for coming! See you all at the track tomorrow! May 11, 2009 Saturday night was a great night at the track. Zack qualified 2nd fastest, just behind Steven Horner. That put him in his first trophy dash in the sprint car. Ron has been having a hard time getting the handling just right. First the car was pushing in the trophy dash, then it was loose. Anyway, Zack ended up in 4th for the trophy dash, and got 4th in his heat race. Then we borrowed a shock from Steven to try out before we buy one. Did I mention God is good?? He got 2nd!! Needless to say, time to buy a shock! And sponsors, COME ON.....HE GOT 2ND!! Thanks to Grandma Elaine & Grammy Pam, as well as faithful Marv for coming to the track to show your support. As always, it is very much appreciated;-). Also, thanks to Steven Horner for allowing us to try that shock. It worked great! Ron got Josh's kart all fixed up & ready to go for this Friday's season opener. We'll see if he can keep it on all 4 wheels this time, since that's a much faster way around the track;-). May 2, 2009 Rained out, just as we thought would happen. Oh, well.......saved a little cash, I guess;-). See you all next time! May 1, 2009 It was a very quick night at the track tonight.....for two reasons. #1: Josh took the green for hot laps, and came right down on another kart going into turn one. He wheel hopped and got banged around before the kart was back on all 4 wheels (although he didn't flip), which broke the cage in 2 spots ending our night. Reason #2: It started pouring rain before they could even really get the pee wee heat race underway. The way it rained, and with the forecast for tomorrow, I'm quite certain we will be rained out for tomorrow night as well. Josh felt bad and made sure to apologize to the driver he drove into. Thankfully, her parents were understanding, and I assured them that's not at all normal! Looks like Ron has some work to do! Thanks to Marv & Grandma Elaine for coming to watch, even though it was over almost before it got started. Hopefully, we'll get to race next weekend. April 29, 2009 Last Friday, Zack had his 3rd race in the sprint car. He is steadily improving his lap times. He qualified with a 12.18 second lap; slightly faster than last week. He did great in the heat, coming in 4th. He was doing awesome in the main. On a restart, he went to the outside of a car to pass, and bicycled the car up onto the right side wheels. He saved it from going over, and didn't hit any other cars or the tires around the edge of turn 2. In fact, he kept going. However, when the car slammed back down onto all 4 tires, it hit pretty hard and jarred his lower back & shoulder. So, he finished the race, but just kept it on the bottom trying to stay out of the other drivers' way. He felt much better the next day, so nothing permanent. Saturday night was the Grove Classic race for the 360 sprints & the wingless sprint tour. We decided to let him run with the 360 sprints just for the seat time, not expecting any great finish out of the night......basically, just for the practice. We had no idea he would time in less than a second slower than the fast time of the night in the 360 class (with a Limited motor)! He qualified with his best time yet of 11.495 seconds. Fast time of the night was 10.518 seconds. Zack would have started on the pole of the 3rd heat. However, because of some of the other drivers who were in his race, Ron made the decision to have him start in the back to save the car. He was only out there for practice anyway. With 22 cars starting the main, he started in 18th place, didn't hit anyone or anything, didn't spin, bicycle, or flip. He didn't get in anyone's way at all. He ended the night with a 6th place in his heat race and a 19th place in the main. Not the finish in the main he was hoping for, but he complained about not being able to get any traction the whole night. This is a learning process for Ron as well, trying to figure out how best to set the car up depending on the track conditions. Zack hasn't finished last in any of the races he has been in so far this season. He's doing very well. I know once the car is set up just right, he will be contending for a win. After 3 nights of points racing, he is still in 2nd place behind Steven Horner. Not too bad for a kid, and how many 13-year-olds can say they've raced with Roger Crockett & Shane Stewart;-)? Thanks goes to Grandma Elaine, Marv Durham, Rick & Ricky Perry, DJ Poole, and Jon Drinkwater for coming to the track for help & support on one or both nights. Josh is supposed to have his first race of the kart season this Friday, May 1st. The next sprint car race is scheduled for Saturday, May 2nd. April 21, 2009 Well, Josh's first kart race of the season was cancelled, due to poor track conditions, so we move on to Zack's race night. Last Saturday was another nerve-filled night (even more so than I had anticipated), because Zack was flying faster than the week before. I think I may see a pattern here. He doesn't seem satisfied going slow. Imagine that! He did great, turning a 12.19 for his qualifying lap (a full 1.3 seconds faster than the first week). He got a 4th in his heat race and a 5th place in the main event. He complained most of the night about how loose it was, and it didn't seem to matter what Ron did to the car to change the set up. It just didn't get better. In fact, he was so loose late in the main (I think he made it to lap 21 out of 25.) that he spun in the middle of turns 3 & 4 twice. However, he never got lapped and didn't hit anyone or anything. He did awesome up until that point holding 2nd place for a few laps, and then staying in 3rd place for many more laps holding off Jake Wadell & Kyle Miller. Not too bad! The cause of the loose car was a torsion bar having stripped out the torsion stop. This made the ride height all wrong, making for a very loose car. We've remedied that and are ready for the next thing.....I think! Although, we do have to get a new right rear tire. After that race, it's very smooth & shiny. Smooth & shiny tires do NOT grip the track, so that had something to do with it as well, plus Zack & Ron are both just learning. Oh, well......it's always something! After 2 races, he's in 2nd place, so we can't complain about that! He'll be racing this Friday, April 24th, as well as Saturday, April 25th. On Saturday, he'll either be racing with the 360 class or the wingless sprints. If I have my way, HIS CAR WILL HAVE A WING ON IT ANY TIME HE IS IN IT!! Thanks to the Hoffmans, the Sheets family, Grandma Elaine, and as always, the Drinkwater family for making it out to the track! April 12, 2009 Zack finally got to make some laps in the sprint car last night. He did AMAZINGLY well! I've never been so nervous, and when he went out for hot laps (his very first laps EVER in a sprint car), he went much faster than Ron or I ever thought he would go! I think we both thought he may be a little cautious since he's just learning. Heck no!! Like Kevin Solesbee said last night, "What's he gonna learn doing that??" He went considerably faster just in hot laps than we ever thought he would. I don't think he's scared of anything! He did great the whole night. We are very proud of him! I think some of the nay-sayers had to eat some crow, while still others never will, no matter how he proves himself. Oh, well.......whatever they have to say to make themselves feel better! He didn't spin, hit anyone or anything, flip, or drive over his head in any way. It was perfect. He timed in 5th (which we expected, since it was his first time), got a 4th place finish in the heat, and a 3rd place finish in the main, bringing home $260. We had many supporters show up to watch. Thank you to Grandma Elaine, Grandma Pam, Steve, Danny, John & Jeanie Hoffman, the Ferguson family, Luke McFadden, Cary & Jon Drinkwater, DJ & Erica Poole, the Temple family, and the Hendersons. Also, a HUGE thanks to Brock & Jake who helped in the pits! You'll never know how appreciated you all are...mostly because we can't afford to show you!! Marv Durham, you'll never know what you missed out on! We missed you! One other special person we are very thankful for is Grandma Elaine's friend, Mike, who donated to the race fund. You, also, will never know how much we appreciate it!! We are still searching for sponsors. The funds won't last long! Also, thank you to the many people who took the time to shake Zack's hand & tell him that he did a good job. Friday, April 17th, is the first scheduled kart race for Josh, with another sprint car race the next night, April 18th. I feel so much better about him being in a sprint car now, that I actually don't want it to rain out;-)! April 5, 2009 As usually happens when trying to start the race season in western Oregon in April, the first scheduled race has been rained out. Maybe Zack can actually get some practice in before we have a race. That sure would make his mom feel better!! He says, "Mom, hot laps will have to be my practice." He thinks he's a funny boy.....I'm not laughing;-)! March 29,2009 Well, we got rained out for practice, but the car is done. Thanks to Charlie James Race Graphics for the cool numbers & graphics. Here is a link to an article that was done by Craig Murphy with The Springfield Times. Thanks, Craig! February 23, 2009 Well, the "Money Pit" as it is affectionately referred to (just by me, really) still doesn't have sponsorship. However, she has a motor on the way. It's a proven championship winner, so we just need adequate funding to be able to race a full season. I've gotten some more partnership packets together, so the remainder of tonight will be spent writing cover letters to send with the packets. The 2009 schedules are posted on our Scheduled Races page, so check it out. January 18, 2009 It was a great day at the track. Josh won both of his heats and got 2nd in the main! There will be a new video or two uploaded soon, so be sure to check back. Then we rushed home, because Josh had a basketball game at 2:15. He did awesome, scoring 6 points for his team. A huge thanks goes to Greg Baker for the use of his spare carburetor. Oh, yeah......forgot to mention that Josh's patched up carburetor broke sometime in the 1st heat race. Also, thanks to Jeff Thompson for the use of his starter on Saturday, and for the help dismantling our carburetor to put the borrowed one on, as well as Jon Desbiens for the use of his starter today, and for the many offers of help from Charlie James throughout the weekend. Our day could very well have been done without you all. Finally, please remember to contact Mitch Wofford at Majestic Heating & Air Conditioning any time you may need his services. We've referred others to him, and can confidently say you won't regret it. January 17, 2009 Well, the day started out good with a 2nd place finish in the first heat and a 3rd place finish in the 2nd heat. However, as the karts were going out on the track for the main (and there were 15 of them!!), Josh's kart wouldn't go. Long story short, Ron discovered that the bolts holding the motor mounts had broken. He didn't even get to start the main, and he had a GREAT starting position. He was starting inside 2nd row in a field of 15 karts! Bummer. Oh, well....maybe it will go better tomorrow. Ron has gotten it taken care of, so we're ready for yet another day at the track. It will be the last day for the 2008/2009 Salem winter season. January 16, 2009 Oops....a little late updating the site from last weekend. Josh did awesome on Saturday. He got a 2nd and a 3rd in his heat races. He was supposed to start on the outside of the 2nd row in a field of 11 karts for the main. His kart died before they took the green. Not sure what happened there, but that meant he had to start in the back of the pack. He did great and was able to work his way back up to finish 2nd from 11th! On Sunday, the kart just wouldn't run right no matter what Ron did. It was a rough day. Oh, well. Ron came home & took it all apart. He thinks he found the problem, but isn't positive. We'll see how it runs this weekend. It will be the last race weekend of the season. We are still actively searching for sponsorship, or the sprint car is going to sit right where it's at. If anyone knows of a business looking for a great advertising opportunity, please let us know! December, 7, 2008 Let me see....on Saturday, Josh raced in Salem and got two 3rd place finishes in his heat races. The kart would just not turn & pitch into the corners. That was partially Josh not throwing it in as well. Once he started doing that and we got the right tires on the kart, it was handling much better. He got a 2nd place finish in the main. Today Ron noticed the carburetor was completely cracked in half and was barely being held on, but didn't have time to change to our other carb before the 1st heat, so he sent him out to get the best possible finish he could get. The poor kid didn't even finish and therefore, got 5th place. However, Ron then had enough time to change carbs. Once that was done, he then started in 5th place for his 2nd heat and got 2nd place.......much better! Although, there was a little contact made in turn 4 with the #75 Jaydn Woody. From where I was standing, it looked like he had given Jaydn enough room, but just in case he hadn't, he went & apologized to him after the race. Josh started in 9th place (out of 11 possible) in the main due to the poor finish in the 1st heat. Everything was clicking with the carb & his driving. He was able to pass 4 cars and get a top 5 finish, making some excellent passes. Thank you, Kevin Solesbee, for coming up & showing support on Saturday. Josh loves it when people come to watch him. I think you got the message, though: NEXT TIME, BRING CHARLIE!! November 30, 2008 I am wiped out! I'm sure if I closed my eyes, I would sleep for a couple days! It was a long, exhausting weekend. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving on Thursday. Then shopping, of course, with all of the crazies the day after Thanksgiving, and racing Saturday & Sunday. Let's see.......Saturday, Josh got a 2nd, 1st, and a 4th place. He got t-boned (partially his fault) in the main, which bent his nerf bar right into the left rear tire, cutting it down. Not a bad finish for having a flat tire! We brought the kart home, and Ron had it fixed up & ready to go in no time. So, today we raced again dealing with another flat tire, and then the muffler blew the baffles out. Thanks so much to the Woody race team for letting us borrow a spare muffler. You saved the day! Josh ended the day with a 4th, a 3rd, and a 4th in the main after a very fun battle with Makenzie Thompson. Good job to both! We'll see you all next weekend in Salem! November 24, 2008 What a looong weekend! Josh is now playing basketball as well as racing. It just so happened that he had a race & a game on Saturday as well as Sunday. The racing was in Salem, and the games were in Eugene. Fortunately, we were able to get to everything and not even be late, but it was tiring! This is a sign that I'm obviously getting old! There were 12 karts in Josh's class on Saturday. He didn't mess around, and went out and swept all 3 races that day! Sunday's races were a little different. He got 2nd in each of his heat races that day, and was in the lead for the main with only a couple laps to go, when he was taken out by the 2nd place kart (which also took that driver out) giving the win to the 3rd place driver who was able to keep his nose clean to go on for the win. Congrats #13! Sometimes racing isn't much fun, but the boys always want to get back out there, so as long as we are able to get them on the track, we will. I have to say it was very strange (and sad) to only have one driver racing this weekend. Zack was a little bored for part of the weekend, but he is so looking forward to racing the sprint car, he doesn't really mind not having his kart anymore. It's just his mom that minds:-(. One thing that happened this weekend that so many people are questioning is that the Open Intermediate class is no more, which really is too bad. The class was too big (18 on Saturday and maybe only one or two less on Sunday) and created a lot of chaos on the track. We didn't witness the Sunday main for that class, but were told that the karts may have finished a total of 5 complete laps, because there were so many yellows. It's not just an opinion......it's a fact that you can't put drivers with little 500cc experience on the track with veterans and expect a good result. It also is not fair to the newer drivers, because unless something happens to one of the veterans' karts, in all likelihood, they're not going to win or even come close to it. I know that anything can happen, but I also know that it's a lot more fun for a driver to win a race by besting the competition and not just by avoiding wrecks/spins. OK........off my soapbox now. I don't even have a horse in the race......just stating what I'm hearing from a lot of Intermediate class drivers and families. We'll see everyone at next weekend's races in Salem! November 2, 2008 Well, as you can see from the picture above, we are the proud owners of a sprint car. It is a 2004 Eagle chassis. Here's one of the immediate problems we face--we need a motor. Two different motors have been offered to us at $7,000 each. They are both very fast motors. Either of them would be awesome to acquire. I'm not going to worry about it. If it is supposed to happen, it will. However, I am going to be very pro-active in the sponsorship search. The funds to purchase a motor are just the beginning of what will actually be needed. Then comes the insane amount of money required to be able to race each week. A sprint car goes through about 30 gallons of fuel each night; plus tires, parts. Hopefully, we will stay on all 4 tires. That will prevent needing to purchase wings. However, it is inevitable that if you drive a sprint car, you will flip/roll at some point. Zack is a very gifted driver, and I know he will catch on to sprint car racing very quickly. The problem is finding sponsors who believe in his God-given abilities as much as we do. They don't know him, and haven't been watching his progress for the last 6+ years. As his mom, I just can't believe he may be able to reach his ultimate goal at age 13--being a sprint car driver. September 25, 2008 Oops.......just realized I hadn't updated the site since the last street stock race. Zack did well on the last race night in the Camaro. He was doing a great job of staying out of the chaos that inevitably happens in this class, but another driver didn't think he needed to be in his way, so he took him out. While Zack really liked getting the experience in a full-size race car, and he did have a LOT of fun, he's glad to be moving on. He was able to finish the season in 8th place. Not too bad for a just-turned-13-year-old; especially since he missed 7 races! Who knows what he could have done if he hadn't missed any races! To say "thanks" is a huge understatement for the appreciation we have for our sponsors from this last season. I hope I don't forget anyone.......please forgive me if I do! Thank you SO MUCH to Majestic Heating & Air Conditioning, FBO Ignition, R/R Bounds Trucking, Dragonfly Decals, Inc, Jim's Tire Factory, Froggy's Towing, Mark Henderson, Mike Petty, Dave Evans, John Hoffman, and ALL of the many family & friends who came to the track to show support for the boys this year. There are way too many of you to list (Basically, I KNOW I would forget someone in that list!). Just know we appreciate the support more than we can say. The winter 2008/2009 Salem Indoor kart season starts in November. For exact dates, click on the Scheduled Races page. Come check it out! It's an awesome track. September 14, 2008 Let's see........Friday night was the last kart race of the season in Cottage Grove, and it was another wild night of flips, rolls, and crashes. Thankfully, both of our drivers kept all 4 wheels on the ground, but they were among the few who did. Josh closed out the season in 3rd place in the 5hp Intermediate class. Zack won the championship for the 500cc Open Intermediate class. He drove his last kart race and won it. Well, most likely his last kart race. If we still have the kart for the winter season, he will drive in the 500cc Open class in Salem. Both boys did great this summer. Saturday night at the track was awesome. Zack went out and set his fastest time yet at 16.03, which also meant that he qualified 3rd out of 10, putting him in his first ever trophy dash in the Camaro. Then he WON IT!! It was great. What would have been even greater is if his mom had known how to count. I thought the white flag had been thrown a lap before it actually had. I was pretty excited, and he still had another lap to go before the white flag. It was like it was my first time at the track! You can watch it above. The picture of Zack with the trophy girl didn't come through to the site very clearly, but you get the idea! It was also pretty exciting to see him be interviewed by Ben in front of the crowd. He did great. I felt bad, though. All of the kids at the fence watching the trophy dash winners get their trophy were calling out, "Hey, Zack! Can I have your trophy?" I told them they couldn't have it because his mom gets the first one, and that he'll give them away after this one! He then went out starting on the pole for the heat race, which doesn't work well for his car. It works much better on the high side. He tried, but ended up getting 3rd in the heat. He was holding 3rd position for quite a while in the main, but got passed by another car after he put up a good, clean fight. There's one more race for the A.A.S.S. class this season. It's on Saturday, September 20th. He's won a heat and a trophy dash. Maybe he can win a main before the car is gone. The Camaro has been sold to move on to bigger things. Zack's just finishing out the season with it. It seems like we just got it. Thanks to everyone who came to support Zack on Saturday: Brock & Debbie Ferguson with their son, Jake, and his friend, Oliver, Grandma Pam, Grandma Elaine with our niece, Brina, Uncle Darr, DJ and Erica Poole, and John and Jeanie Hoffman. Several of these same people were also at the track on Friday night for the kart races as well (even Aunt Shani). It's always nice to see people we know come out to watch. You'll never know how much we appreciate it. September 10, 2008 Well, with the exception of one of the notorious drivers getting black flagged for very rough driving at the beginning of a heat race, there really wasn't too much excitement or conflict Saturday night. Zack lead his heat race for several laps, but then was overtaken by another car to finish in 2nd place. I do have to say it was a nice change seeing one of the drivers in Zack's class race him cleanly for the win. It has been our experience that there are only 2 or 3 good, clean drivers in the whole class. (Good luck finding ANYONE who honestly disagrees with that!). It doesn't matter that he didn't win. He doesn't mind (as much) coming in 2nd to someone who doesn't feel they have to trade paint to pass him. Congratulations, Tyrell. Zack put up a good fight, too. Zack started in the 7th place position in the main and made his way up to 4th place, but was squeezed out of a "Zack sandwich" going into turn 3 to get 5th at the line when one of the cars that had been trying to pass him came right down on him for some reason just before the checkered flag. Nice way to gain a position, huh? We've got the last kart race of the season this Friday night, and a Camaro race this Saturday. See you all there! September 6, 2008 Wow! Talk about risking damage to your body & your kart......the new bigger kart track in the middle of the big car track was fun, according to Zack and some other drivers, but dangerous. Most of the drivers went off of the track somewhere last night, and most who did rolled/flipped. Zack gets big style points for his departure! He said when he realized he was going off the track he just turned the kart to the right to square it up, so as not to flip or roll when he left the track. It couldn't have been done any better. He looked like Beau or Luke Duke! There was air under that kart as he went sailing off, but he not only kept it on all 4 tires; he kept it running. It was a crazy night. That track needs some kind of barriers around the edges. Hopefully, last night was proof enough of that. Josh got 3rd in his first heat after starting in the back, and had the second heat won until he was going into turn 3 of the last lap, and his chain came off. He got a 2nd place finish. In his main, the chain came off twice ending his night in last place. Zack won his first heat, got 3rd in his second heat, and was coming up to the rear of the field in the main when there was a caution. He was rolling around waiting for the re-start when his throttle cable stuck. He had to stop, which put him to the back of the field when he came back on. Their race was cut short due to the number of cautions. He was able to make it back up to 2nd place before the checkered flag flew. September 2, 2008 It was a decent night at the track Saturday. I think Zack would have beaten his fastest time, but hit a slick spot in turns 3 & 4. He had to back off of the throttle for a second, which gave him a qualifying time of 16.62 (5th fastest in the field; just missed the trophy dash). He started 5th in his heat race and was doing well when he spun coming out of turn 4. He kept it off of the inside wall, but had to go to the back for the re-start. He was able to make it back up to 5th by the end. We found out he didn't have any brakes, which was the reason for the spin. Ron got that fixed right away. He started on the inside 2nd row for the main. He was doing great when another car that doesn't usually drive rough got on the inside of him and spun him. Because he doesn't normally drive like that, we can only assume it was accidental, and we DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE the immediate apology after the race. So many others don't do that, whether it was purposeful or not. Zack had to re-start in the back and was able to make it back up to 4th. He is really doing a good job in that car. Too bad it's already sold at the end of the season. Seems like he just started in it. Oh, well. On to bigger things. Now, we just need to get his 500cc kart sold. If anyone hears of someone looking for one, send them our way! We had quite a few friends & family at the track Saturday. I'll have Ron upload some pictures tonight. Thanks so much to Matt & Robin, Aunt Shani, Keith, Melinda, & Jacob, Grandma Elaine & her friend, Mike, and our good friend, Marv. Your attendance and support overall is so very much appreciated. August 17, 2008 OK......what happens when the videographer for the team forgets the camcorder at home? Any guesses? Yep.......ZACK WON HIS HEAT RACE after qualifying 4th with his best time yet of 16.33 seconds!! And to top off the night, because he pulled a blue pill after winning the heat, that meant that he had to start in 11th place.....dead last for the main. However, he did awesome in the main as well. He was able to avoid all of the spins and accidents of other drivers and pass a few cars to come in 3rd for the main. He physically came in 4th, but the winner came across the scales too light and was disqualified. It was a GREAT night at the track! We will definitely be getting a DVD of the AASS class races for that night from the track videographer. I don't know if we can put it on the site or not, but if so, we will. Keep checking back to see if you'll be able to check it out. His car also made the home page of the www.cottagegrovespeedway.com site. Thanks to everyone who came to support our team for the night! We have next week off, but will be back at the track Saturday, August 30th. See you all then! August 16, 2008 Last night, both boys raced their karts in Cottage Grove, but we were racing on the infield track that we haven't used for a long time. The vintage cars joined us (except they were on the big track, of course). They were a lot of fun to watch. The night started out great. Josh won both of his heats, even starting in the back of his second one. Zack got a 2nd place in his first heat and won his second one, which put him on the outside of the front row for the main. Josh had the pole position for starting his main. Both mains last night quickly turned into "paint to pass" crash fests. I've never seen so many red flags in kart racing. It was ridiculous. Josh was leading most of his main when he was taken out by another kart going into turn 1. Long story short, he was able to make it back up to finish 7th out of 12 karts. Good job, Josh. You did great. Zack went out for his main, and was knocked completely off of the track in turn 1 which sent him to the back, but oddly enough, not the kart that caused it. Again, long story short, he had long enough to work his way back up to 3rd place by the time the checkered flew. Although, you have to check out the near miss he had with Ty Sparks and another kart. Talk about quick reflexes. That was amazing! I'll have Ron upload the clip as soon as he can. Tonight we're back at the track racing the Camaro. See everyone there! By the way, a huge thank you goes to Ty Sparks and crew for the use of your extra pipe for the main. Zack's had broken, so we had to do something quick! August 14, 2008 Last Saturday, August 9th, Zack was racing the Camaro and was doing very well in the heat race (after qualifying 6th out of 11). He was in 4th place and holding his own, when he spun in turn 4. He kept it off of the inside wall and was smart enough to get out of the way before anyone behind him hit him. However, when trying to re-start the car, he flooded it and didn't know how to get it going again. His dad hadn't taught him that yet! So, he was pushed into the pits. Ron showed him what to do to prevent that happening in the future.......now he knows. Then he started 3rd in the main and was doing pretty well. He got a little rub from one of the other racers, and rubbed back a little bit, which slowed down his momentum, allowing a couple of other drivers to pass him. He just has to remember not to act like other drivers do on the track. This class has gotten a little better over the past few weeks about not making it a "paint to pass" class, but there are still certain drivers who can't seem to pass anyone unless they rough them up. I guess you'll find that in any class. He was doing well when he could keep his car on the high line of the track, but he wasn't always able to get up there. He ended the race in 5th, but another car who finished in front of him was DQ'd for illegal parts, so Zack went home with a 4th place finish. He has consistently been finishing in the top 5. Not too bad for a kid who just turned 13 on August 8th! The best part of this week has been acquiring an awesome new sponsor. Majestic Heating & Air Conditioning has offered to sponsor our team, and it could not have come at a better time. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MITCH & MARGARET WOFFORD!! We promise you will not regret your decision. We will always do our best to make you proud! August 4, 2008 Saturday night, Zack raced the Camaro. Grandpa Warren & Grandma Maureen were here visiting from Wisconsin and were able to see him race for the very first time. Zack had his best qualifying time of 16.36, which was 7th out of 13 drivers. Not too bad. He got his best finishing position in his heat race with a 2nd place. He then started 8th in the main and ended the night with a 6th place finish. Since Ron got the motor together with the parts sponsored by R/R Bounds Trucking, he's up there with the faster, more competitive cars now. It will still be a real challenge to beat the fast, more experienced drivers, but we know he can do it. In fact, he was able to beat one of the fastest drivers on Saturday. He was happy with that. The car still seems to be bogging somewhat coming out of the corners, which Ron said will probably take about $200 to fix. Clearly, that will have to wait. He'll just have to rely on his driving ability alone to get good finishes; at least until we are able to get more sponsorship. He can do it. He's a good driver. Thanks to R/R Bounds Trucking, he is feeling more confident out there. He can run with the faster cars now. We can't thank them enough. Also, thanks goes to Grammy Pam and Grandma Elaine. Friday, August 8th, is Zack's 13th birthday. Grammy gave him entry fees for he & Ron for this Saturday's race. Happy birthday, Zack! We had Grandma Elaine at the track as well, who bought Zack a shirt that had his car and his name on it. Early birthday presents are fun! Grandpa Warren also bought one and had Zack sign it when we got home. We really wish Grandpa Warren & Grandma Maureen could be at the track a lot more. It was a fun weekend. We all had a blast. Time with family is just too short. July 29, 2008 Friday was fun, but challenging. It was a wingless event, which means lots of loose karts. Loose = spinning. Zack had a rough night. In hot laps, a kart had spun taking out the kart directly in front of Zack. He had nowhere to go and ended up tangled up with her; which bent his spindle pretty badly. Ron tried to straighten it as best he could. We just had to make do, but it wouldn't handle right at all the entire night. Josh, however, LOVES racing wingless. Once he spun a couple times in the first heat, he seemed to really get the feel for the kart without the wing. He took off for the 2nd heat and the main and never looked back. He was flying and came home with a big 1st place trophy. Great job, Josh. We didn't race the Camaro on Saturday, because Zack's class was added for Saturday only two days prior. Zack already had plans to stay with a friend, as we weren't supposed to be on the schedule. Oh, well. Grandpa Warren & Grandma Maureen should be here today or tomorrow & will be here for the race this weekend. See you all then! July 20, 2008 Last night was a great night at the track. Zack is getting more & more comfortable in the car. There were 9 cars in his class. He started 8th in the heat race, finishing 4th, and started 6th in the main, finishing 3rd. In the heat race, he did get the right front pushed in somewhat when the 53 car spun right in front of him. He tried to avoid it, but there really was nowhere for him to go. It didn't stop him, though. He kept going, and it was a fairly minor fix; just one of those racing things. Our friend from Majestic Heating & Air Conditioning, Mitch Wofford, came with his son, Jack. It was great to have them there. I think Jack had the best time of all of us! Zack signed a picture & gave it to him. We were told Jack was still carrying it around this morning before church! Thanks so much for the support, Wofford family (or at least part of the Wofford family!). We have next Saturday off, but are planning to race karts Friday night at the Grove. This is a wingless, non-points event. It should be fun. July 13, 2008 Zack did PHENOMENAL in his main tonight and had his fastest qualifying lap yet! He started on the outside front row, led the first 3 laps, and then finally, 2 cars were able to get by him. But no one touched anyone else. It was good, clean racing the way it should be. Many people came up and shook his hand and congratulated him, etc after the races were over. It was a night to be proud of. One family came up and asked, "What will it take to get you guys to come race Coos Bay?" I jokingly said, "You pay for it!" Mel then said, "If that's all it takes..." and handed us cash for the trip down. He even offered to make sure we have spec tires for that track! The blessings just keep coming! The family I'm referring to owns Froggy's Towing here in Springfield. Mel, Theresa, and family, we can't thank you enough and hope to make it down to Coos Bay sooner rather than later. We thought maybe this coming weekend, but after discussing it on the way home tonight, Ron remembered that we really should have an anti-sway hitch installed for taking the trailer that far. There's another expense we're not prepared for unless we can get it sponsored somehow. Oh, well. If it's supposed to happen, it will happen. A couple drivers were saying how Zack was cutting people off in the corners. Zack commented that he had to take the corners in a manner that he could get a run to come out of the corner, or he would have no chance since all of the other cars have much more horsepower than he does right now. He wasn't meaning to cut anyone off, I assure you. The car rolled into the trailer with no new dents! However, we did have a problem on the way home tonight. It was already much later than we usually get home, as there was a very large car count in the late model class. It was around 12:45 a.m. just past the 30th Avenue exit off of I-5 when a tire on the trailer blew out (a hole big enough to put your fist into). Our only option was to drop the trailer, go home to get the spare (oops!), and Ron and Zack went back for it while I got Josh to bed. It is now 1:48 a.m. They just got back, so I think it's time for all of us to hit the hay, and we'll see you next week. July 7, 2008 Wow......where do I start? Let's see....after the heat race, Ron discovered the jets in the carburetor were labeled the same size, but weren't actually the same size. So, after he remedied that, the car ran much better for the main. He was doing well, staying out of trouble on the track. The #12 car was running behind him and decided since he couldn't get around him like a normal race car driver, he would just spin him out of the way. We didn't realize this class was a "paint to pass" class...our mistake, I guess. I'm a little bitter about this......is it obvious? It should be. I've been around racing long enough to know that racing incidents happen. However, they should be accidental. Check out the video above. I do have to apologize to the #12 for something, however. On the video, I mis-spoke twice saying that after he spun Zack, he then spun the #75 car and that he also did the same thing to another car in the trophy dash. After I watched the video, it appears the #75 car just got up into the loose stuff to avoid Zack spinning, and then spun himself. Ron & Zack corrected me about the trophy dash, and said that the #12 car was actually the victim in that race. Also, the #6 was apparently upset with Zack after the main, but we have no idea why. The only thing I can figure out is that when he spun in the main, Zack was behind him. Maybe he thought Zack did it, but Zack was actually car lengths behind him. He did it all by himself. This is not a demolition derby, people. When you children get done screwing around, maybe a race could break out? That would be nice, since that's what we all pay for each week, and more importantly, that's what our sponsors pay for. Feel free to comment on this, one way or another, no matter how you feel about it, via email at my email address: nicky@spauldingmotorsports.com. After all of that, Zack was able to finish 6th out of 10, and came very close to beating the #12, but he was able to beat Zack on the outside.....now THAT was racing as it should be. We don't mind losing at all, when it's a real race like that. See you all at the track, hopefully for a race this time, July 12th! June 24, 2008 It was a very full weekend of racing with the karts on Friday and the Camaro racing on Saturday. First, to update everyone on the kart races.....Josh got two 2nd place finishes in his heat races. Then, in the main, he started outside 2nd row (I think) in a field of 11 karts. He thought the flagger was throwing the green, when really he was just getting ready to hold it up so the kids would know there was one lap to go until the green. So, he took off. He would have gotten his place back since the green hadn't flown yet, but his motor died, so he stopped on the track. That sent him to the back of the field to start..........bummer! He didn't let that stop him, though. I've never seen him drive like that! He was passing on the outside, inside; just wherever the kart in front of him wasn't......that's where he went, and made it stick. In just 3 or 4 laps, he was up to 2nd. Then, his motor died again! He started in the back AGAIN, but was able to make it back up to 4th before the race was over. He did amazing! Ron will have the motor issue fixed before the next race. The track was EXTREMELY dry slick/dusty, so Ron dropped the air pressure in the right rear tire on Zack's kart. However, then Zack waited parked in the sun for a while before he went out for his first heat race, and the air pressure went back up & then some. He was very loose. The kart didn't want to stick where he tried to put it, but he was able to salvage 2nd place....not bad at all. Zack won his 2nd heat race as well as the main for his class. It was a great night overall. Also, our sponsor from Rocketboy Racing, Rod Moses, was there with his kart racing in the Open class. It was nice to see him at the track. He had a long drive. Saturday night, we were back at the track to race the Camaro. At the beginning of the month, we had ordered another carburetor from an ebay auction, but to this date, we still don't have it, so Ron had worked on the one we have and got it to work a little better than last time, but still not what we need. Zack went out for hot laps and was doing great. He seemed very comfortable and much faster than last time. However, the carburetor was giving him a lot of trouble when it came time to qualify. He qualified with an 18.80 second lap, which put him starting last.....oh, well. It would have been nice to qualify closer to the front, obviously, but it's the mark of a good, skilled driver to be able to pass (and pass cleanly). So, he went out for his heat race starting 10th. There were soon a couple of cautions, that Zack was pretty much able to avoid. After those cautions, he re-started 5th. He found the right line around the track, and was really doing well. He was able to pass the car in front of him for 4th place and had his sights set on the next car when he was in the middle of turns 3 & 4, and the right front wheel bearing started to drag (plus the track was very dry & dusty), sending his car right around. He was using his head to be able to keep it off of the inside wall, but the car he had just passed had nowhere to go, and hit his right side HARD. The right rear took the majority of the hit. We were done for the night. He was doing so well! Oh, well.....as they say, that's racin'! Ron will post a video or two (maybe tonight), so check back to watch. I have to share the blessings our family has experienced this week. God is so good. Tuesday night, we were finally able to make it down to the track with the Camaro for a practice. Zack went out for the first practice, and the car was back-firing and just making noise in general. A man who lives nearby heard it and drove over to help out. Long story short, he owns an International Performance Parts export company. He didn't know us from Adam, and ended up offering his services for the carburetor (if it ever gets here) as well as several other engine parts for the Camaro. Then on Saturday, our friends, Rick and Rachael Bounds, who own R/R Bounds Trucking, offered sponsorship. Since the Camaro was out of commission, Ron was calling around looking for all the parts necessary to get it up & running again (whole new rear-end, including axle; also a strut for the right front, etc). He called to tell me that he found all of the parts, but that it was going to be $250. Well, that wasn't going to happen. Ron's supervisor, John Hoffman, laid the money down in front of him and told him to order the parts. Mike and Linda Petty are always helping out any way they can as well. We can't thank you all enough. Thanks to all of these wonderful people, maybe we will be able to get Zack back out there this weekend and for a few more before the season is over. June 3, 2008 Well, Zack finally got to try out the Camaro last Saturday. He did awesome! I was a basket case before he went out, but once I saw him out there and how comfortable he seemed, all I could think was, 'He needs more power!!' He was in a field of ten cars and qualified 9th, so he didn't get last and didn't get last place in either of his races that night. In fact, he got 4th in the heat out of 6 positions after getting into a completely unprovoked altercation with another car. He was doing great, but Ron said he was overheating when he came in, so he borrowed some different jets from one of the other drivers. As it turns out, they were the wrong jets and made the car run terrible in the main, and then he ran out of gas! Ron thought there was plenty of fuel. Zack also complained that the car would shift just before he got to the corners, so he didn't have the RPMs to get out of the corner and make up any ground on the next car in front of him. That's an easy enough fix. It was a learning night for Ron and Zack both. After closer inspection, Ron discovered only half of the carburetor was working. Needless to say, we'll be a little better prepared for the next race on June 21st. There's also a kart race on June 20th, so come out to the track for one or both. We guarantee you'll be entertained no matter which one you choose! Check out the video above of Zack's very first heat race in the Camaro. May 23 & 24 We got rained out all weekend. Both the karts and cars got rained out. Maybe next weekend for the Camaro! May 21, 2008 THE CAMARO IS READY TO RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First race is this Saturday night. May 13, 2008 Finally.......racing's back! As always happens, the first couple of scheduled races were rained out. However, last Friday, May 9th, the weather cooperated. It was a great start to the season. Josh took off and made his way through traffic with no problems, coming in 2nd place in each of his 3 races. Zack took off like he was shot out of a cannon, winning all 3 of the races for his class. The Oakway Fitness Center karts stayed at or near the front all night. Thanks so much to Brock Ferguson for letting Ron take a shot at making a few laps in a 500cc kart after the races were over. It was entertaining, but even more entertaining was watching him try to get out of it when he was done! You can check out the video and pictures from the experience on Ron's own page coming soon. The Camaro is coming right along. Ron said tonight he is shooting to have it on the track for the May 24th race. Sooo, come on out to Cottage Grove Speedway for the next kart race on May 23rd and then again for Zack's debut in the All American Street Stocks class on May 24th, 2008. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to getting this car up & running, as well as to Mark Henderson for providing the car to begin with! Supporters include Mike Petty, John Hoffman, Dave Evans (#11 Race Car Driver), Brock & Debbie Ferguson, Grandpa Julius, Pat MacGinitie, and Keith Roth. You've all contributed in different, but very much needed and appreciated ways. We can't say thank you enough. Now, come on out and be cheerleaders for who you're supporting! See you all at the track. |
|
© Spauldingmotorsports.com
 |
| |
 |
| Zack & Zane Gant from GANT Custom Homes...thanks so much for your support, Gant family!! |
| Welcome, GANT Custom Homes, as the newest member of the team! |
| 2011 Cottage Grove Speedway Limited Sprint Champion |
| Ben Deatherage interviewing Zack at the end of championship night 2011 |
| The Myers family from Myers Logging with Zack on championship night. What a huge blessing it has been getting to know you all this season. There's no way we could have completed this season without you....and that is no exageration! |
