Alrighty...here's that full report everyone wanted.
Practice: had my first spin! Yay! Didn't hit anything (or anyone), knew right away why it happened and was able to prevent it from happening again then. I went into the turn to low and broke too hard and spun out. Good times (no, seriously, it was kinda fun!)
Qualifying: First lap sucked pretty bad, I could tell that I was a little apprehensive. Second lap was better, I think I gained something like two tenths. I ended up qualifying 10th of 12, and I believe I improved on my single performance from last year on that one.
Heat race: I started outside row one (why they had me there I have no idea, but there was no way I was going to say "hey, can you start me in the back tonight, I'm a girl and am nervous and uncomfortable with starting in front). My first problem started before we were even on the quarter mile. We were coming out of the pits onto the half mile backstretch and my car just shut off. Yeah, literally just shut off. I was sitting on the backstretch with a car that would turn over but wouldn't start. In frustration I shut everything off, including kill switch. The safety crew guys told me to try it again, and she started (what a tease). So I zoomed off to get my outside pole starting position back before the race started. Well, I think the guy on the inside front row was new too, because our start basically sucked (the entire field of six cars had passed us by turn one....on a quarter mile track). There was some rallying to do there. I took it one lap (and one car) at a time. The heat race was 8 laps and, in the process, I was able to pass a few cars before finishing. The most exciting lap was the last one. Coming out of turn 4 to take the white flag, the guy in front of me was maybe a car length or two ahead. I knew, and was determined to catch him. I drove that sucker like there was no tomorrow, threw her into turn one and got inside a little, but not enough to make the pass. On the backstretch we were side by side but I was still about at his door with my car. So, once again, I threw it into turn three. Coming out of turn four was a drag race (litterally) to the finish and I seriously think I got him by a couple of inches! So, going into the last lap I was fourth, at the checkered flag, I was third!
That had to have been one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I've had in my entire life!
Feature: The feature was interesting. Once again, I started on the outside pole, and once again, I wasn't about to be the nervous girl who wanted to start at the back (though that would have given me more people to pass I guess). I knew the start was going to be better this time. I was ready and coming to the apex of three and four I gunned it...and didn't go anywhere (darn car, why does she tease me so!?!?) By the time she got started, I had gone from second to last (or almost last) and that was before I even got to the start-finish line! But I wasn't about to give up. By lap two or three I had caught up to the back of the pack and started making my move, again, taking it one car at a time. I passed a car on the inside and a car on the outside. Then came lap 12. There was someone slow on the backstretch and I didn't see him until I was coming out of turn 2. Of course he wasn't low on the track being slow. No, he was in the outside lane, where everyone drives down the back stretch. I tried to avoid him, which I did, but in the process I lost control of my car and took a little dive through the grass. Mom was apparently quite scared at this point, since both of my left side tires were off the ground. Even the pace truck driver said it could have been a flip. Needless to say, it wasn't. I restarted the car and burned her out getting back on the track (I wasn't going to let all the gerks in the stands say "that's why you shouldn't let girls race, they can't drive in the first place"). So I was back on the track and was at the back of the field, once again (still on the lead lap though!). We restarted and the car actually went this time (thank goodness!) and I think I passed the guy in front of me by about turn two. Just kept riding around until I caught up to the next car and was able to pass him as well. The next lap though, I went into turn one a little hard, and saw the outside wall of turn two coming towards me pretty quickly. Foot off gas, onto break, turn, turn, turn. I avoided the wall and kept going. No spin, no wall, no hitting anyone or anything then, but that darn other car had passed me again. I had five laps to get past him and get going again. Well, I think it took me maybe two laps, but I did get there and passed him and drove away. The next three laps were uneventful. I wasn't going to be able to get the guy in front of me, he was too far away, but I also didn't want the guy behind me to come back and pass me again, so I continued to drive like none other all the way to the checkered flag. I didn't know how I finished until I got upstairs to the tower to run the transponder system for the late model race. I finished ninth of twelve - my first feature top ten!
Summary:
Qualifyed - 10th (16.905 fast time)
Heat 1 - 3rd
Feature - 9th
Spins - 2
Saves - probably a few, but 1 great one!
Me after my races:
and not
like last time.
Most amazing time I've had in my life....EVER!!!! Can't wait until next week!
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