Early Trouble in Tucson for Dollansky

dollansky2013From Reid VanEck

For the first time since 2007, Craig Dollansky and the STP World of Outlaws returned to Tucson International Raceway in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday. With the event marking the first short-track race of the season, ‘The Crowd Pleaser’ took on the 3/8-mile facility where he has recorded 2 top-tens including 1 top-five in just three appearances.

As the racing program got underway, the Eyecon Trail Cameras #7 was the first car to qualify of the 30 cars signed into the pit area. As the track record holder, ‘The Crowd Pleaser’ shattered his previous mark by more than three-tenths of a second at 12.307 seconds, unfortunately 18 other drivers also eclipsed the old record with Dollansky holding down the 5th fastest time after qualifying. Heat race action then saw the Aggressive Hydraulics backed sprinter start third and battle a still very fast narrow track finishing 4th in the 8-lap event.

Lining up inside row six for the 30-lap main event, an opening lap caution forced Dollansky to the work area with a flat right front tire. After the crew of DJ Lindsey, Sean Michael, and Pete Stephens made repairs, the MobileStar Maxim restarted at the tail of the 24-car field. A complete restart to the A-Main would last a bit longer this time until a yellow on lap 5. Following a red four circuits later when the Eaton’s Aeroquip Performance Products #7 ran seventeenth, Dollansky moved up two more positions on lap 14 just prior to the midway point. The remainder of the feature would stay green until the checkers as Dollansky advanced a couple spots in the waning laps finishing 13th.

Up next for the Eyecon Trail Cameras #7 team is a two-day stop at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California beginning this coming Friday, March 15th.