By Blake Lirette
Some days you just don’t want to get up and go. And then there are some days you went and that was what the body needed. After a night of “Armor Alling” the inside of car Darren questioned whether or not he could race this past weekend. They say milk does a body good. At JGRacing a Hoosier feasting on high RPM’s and a healthy dose of dirt did Darren’s body just fine.
For the second heat race Friday night at Tri-City Speedway the blue and black 3g started on the outside pole and Darren knew a win was needed to start anywhere near the front in the feature. After taking the lead right at the start the fresh Gaerte/Engler combo was simply too tough to beat and a heat race victory was in the teams hands.
For the feature the initial starting spot for the JGRacing entry was 7th, but with two failed attempts and one big pile up the 3g found a spot outside front row very comforting. Powering out to a huge advantage over third and within a few laps catching Brian Brown, Darren began to hear cars behind him around the middle of the race. Third on back happened to find the rubber that neither the 3g nor the 21 looked for. With two or three cars battling Darren for the runner up position contact was made giving him a cut tire and a 21st place finish at the conclusion.
Saturday evening at I-30 Speedway Darren once again found himself in the second heat starting on the front row. This time however a little more work was needed for the lead and then the win. After testing the wall, maybe some would call it smacking or even hitting it hard, Darren moved the JGRacing entry to the bottom, got his groove on, and sailed off to another heat race victory. The two heat race wins also matched the number of mud covers broken for the weekend.
With another start in the 7th spot for the feature and the track slicked off this Ohio driver knew positions would be hard to come by. After following the 10 for several laps a small bobble gave the 3g sixth and an open track to fifth. By the time Darren caught Tony Bruce he tried to pass but could not complete the transaction. Earning yet another career best ASCS National finish the JGRacing entry finished up in 6th.
This weeks Red Line Oil question is; how many career sprint car wins does Darren have? This week’s winner will receive a Hoosier Tire Hat. Please send answers to zeakemedia@gmail.com
Darren Long has t-shirts available in all sizes. Stop at the trailer and ask for one, prices are $15.
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.