From Blake Lirette
Any new combination takes some time to gel and learn what each other likes and wants. This past Friday Darren Long matched his best ASCS National finish in just the third night of this year and while Saturday did not go as planned, Darren, Joe, and Tim feel they are making huge strides forward.
Friday-Lone Star Speedway
With a solid pill draw and lining up on the outside of the front row JGRacing was ready to show off their stuff. Running on the top side of the track Darren maintained P2 the entire 8 laps earning a 14th starting place for the feature.
After replacing the bead-lock on the right rear tire that Darren placed against the outside wall in the heat and starting mid-pack the team was looking for a solid finish. Early in the race Darren encountered some minor issues and fell back to 18th settling in to his race pace. As the laps clicked off he was gaining ground even though the track took rubber in the opening circuits making it difficult to pass. With the checkered flag nearing its appearance Darren was in the 11th position but lost a few spots on the last restart because of the rear Hoosiers near loss of existence due to track conditions. 13th in the final running order is where the black and blue 3g ended up.
Saturday-I-30 Speedway
The luck of the draw did not continue for both nights and on Saturday a pill garnering the team an 8th place start in their heat was drawn. With the car just a little off against the strong competition the 3g was unable to make up any ground mailing Darren a 7th place start in the B-Main.
For the 12 lap B Joe and Tim went about changing some bars and the gear on the car giving Darren the confidence he could get the job done. Quickly making up ground the Gaerte Engines entry passed Johnny Herrera for 2nd place but on the very next lap a slight bobble caused Darren to push high in the corner and Johnny’s wealth of experience earned him the position back. Darren was unable to get back by finishing up 3rd, one spot out of transfer.
This weeks question is; what color is Tim Norman’s hair? I will add that there are three acceptable answers for this question. Should you give one of the three a Gaerte Engines T-Shirt will be your prize. Joyce Diller was our last winner. Congratulations Joyce!
Another new feature we will have; ask a question to the pro’s, otherwise not me. Send me a question for Joe, Tim, or Darren and if your question is picked it will be featured in the next press release. Please e-mail zeakemedia@gmail.com with Question of the Week in the subject line and I will forward the one chosen it to the correct individual.
JGRacing would like to thank the following partners for their support.
Allstar Performance, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Crower, Dyer Rods, Gaerte Engines, GLR Investments, Hoosier Tire, J&E Pistons, Long Farms, Red Line Oil, Slade Shock Technology, Total Seal, and XYZ Machining.