We arrived at Madera Speedway a little later than I had planned. So when we got parked we had to go right to work unloading the car and equipment, and getting ready for the first set of hot laps. We had two new tires cut during the week and hoped they would arrive early so I could brake them in during practice but they didn't get to the track until the second set of hop laps. We put the tires on and noticed we lost three tenths of a second. We went back out for the last set and they got a little better. We talked it over and decided to qualify on the new tires and hope they would come in during the heat race.

Cousins Keith and Fred get ready to run there heat race

At the pit meeting they informed us that the Jack Stone move could no longer be used on the re-starts. That will make a little tuff on the guys that get spun out during a race and have to wait in line behind lapped cars four or five seconds after the leader starts. I am sure glad I don't have to make or enforce the rules, my dad did that for years when he was the director of racing for Delta Speedway and swears he will never do it again.

I qualified for the pole in the main event and I didn't want to have any problems in the heat so I took it easy started third and finished fifth, no trouble but the tires didn't come in either. I would have given anything to have my old tires on for the main event but that’s just wishful thinking. The rule is you have to start the main event on the tires you qualify on.

I started the race with Donny Stone a Legends Master in the #29 car on the out side, he went in to turn one just like he said he would go deep and high. This gave me enough room to go in hard and low letting the car slide up a little, this allowed us to come out of turn two together, where I had the preferred line down the back stretch and in to turn three at which point I took the lead. I held it for a few laps until the #7 of Rick Zollman got under me. This left the door open for more cars to get under me until I was running fifth when we got a yellow for a spun car. On the restart I got on the gas a little quick going for a mini move and as I would find out later I was guilty of a jump start and would have been set back after the race. I went from fifth to third on that start and stayed there for a lap that's when things got bad I went into turn one to hot and the car broke loose. I had a choice to hit the gas to save myself and take a chance on spinning the #0 car of David Winchel's right in front of me or just spin my car and wait for a yellow. I chose to spin my car and start from the back. While I was sitting there waiting for the cars to go by when I saw two cars get together trying to avoid me and one of them spun and hit me. The impact was real hard and noticing that I could no longer see the left rear tire in my mirror I knew that my race was over. After spending twenty frustrating minutes with the tow truck drivers trying to get the car off the track without them doing any more damage to it.

After the race resumed, I watched from the infield, David Winchel using more patience than I have ever seen him practice. He was running a smooth fourth when his uncle Frankie in the #14 tagged the #40 car losing a bumper. And then the #40 and #7 cars got together and spun, but with great job of driving they both kept going, while David went right through middle of every thing and took the lead and never looked back. He won His first main event with a very substantial lead and no doubt about who the best driver was that night.

Fred #55

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