Last weekend we put some dirt tires on our asphalt modified and took it to the biggest dirt open show of the year in Chowchilla. The total count was 192 cars in four divisions. I like open shows because the only rules there are have to do with safety. So its pretty much run what you brung.

Saturday night we started our heat race in 11^th position and had moved up rapidly into 5^th. Place. Half way through the race when we experienced a little pilot error when Fred scrapped the car down the front stretch wall sliding over the end of the track getting airborne and almost landing outside the back gate, flattening the front tire. Fred got the car turned and headed for the pits where our lightning fast pit crew was waiting for him. We changed the right front tire and sent the car back on the track. With an out standing effort by Fred coming from the back in a very short race he managed to finish 6^th which gave us a fifth row outside starting position in the C main event for Sundays big show.

We worked on the car all-day and watched a lot of racing before we rolled out for our main event. At the start of the race it was almost dark, the track was in good shape and we were hooked up and flying. Half way through the race we had just moved into 4^th and were headed to the front. About this time the car running 5^th was hit from behind, hitting us in the left rear causing us to spin and then he exploded into flames. A red flag was thrown stopping the race to put the fire out. After catching his breath Fred radioed Paul, his crew chief, that we had a flat left rear tire and the crew prepared for the pit stop. Fred managed to get the car into the pits were the crew preformed flawlessly getting him back on the track with out losing a lap. We restarted the race dead last the car was still running great and we were flying again. After several laps of great racing with Fred running wide open and driving a perfect pattern we slid into 6^th place at about that time cars 2^nd through 5^th got together in a big crash and blocked the track. Fred hit the brakes and spun the car to avoid the wreck but it was too late. He hit backwards with such force that it tore the battery out of the race car and left it dragging on the track. The tow truck managed to push what was left of the car back to the pits where the crew gave it the old college try. But with the fuel cell crushed the battery junk and the frame bent up around Fred's ears Paul determined the car was hurt to bad to put it back on the track safely.

As a whole we had an excellent weekend aside from the wreck. We had managed to take an asphalt car to the dirt and make it highly competitive. No one got hurt, with exception of Samantha who fell during one of the pit stops just a scrape though she still got her job done. And we met a lot of real nice people from a very different type of racing (dirt). We also got to eat crap all weekend long (Potato Chips, Hot Dogs and Double Stuff OREO'S) can you think of anything better sugar & salt.

Dave

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