Hello Everyone!  I had such a good time last weekend at Mercer that I decided to head back down to Pennsylvania for the big BRP Series doubleheader this past weekend.  On Friday night it was off to Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, which is a big 5/8 mile banked oval.  I was quite surprised at how large the track was when we arrived.  Luckily, I was able to hit the gearing and setup pretty close right from the start.  As the night went on I made a few shock adjustments, but for the most part the car was good right off of the trailer.  It was fortunate that this was the case as I did not draw a very good number to start the heat races.  As it wound up, I had to start 7th in a heat where 5 cars qualify and 3 cars go to the redraw.  The start was a big jumble as the polesitter never really got going.  I think we were 4 wide as we went into turn 1 but I kept my foot into it and came out of the corner running in the 4th position.  Within the next lap I was able to catch the 3rd place car and make the move past him as I dove into turn 3.  Over the next few laps I was able to reel in the 2 leaders but the laps ran out before I was able to make a pass.  However, I was pretty pleased to march up into a redraw spot for the feature event.  As it turned out, I was the last car to make it in the redraw since I was in the 4th heat, so for the second week in a row I got whatever was left in the bucket at the end of the redraw.  This time it worked in my favor however, as the 3rd starting position was left for me.  I had a solid car in the feature event that was riddled by cautions.  It felt like we were out there for an eternity.  On a couple of the restarts I got shuffled back a spot or two but I would quickly be able to make them back up in the next lap.  However, I never really had anything for the 2 leaders as the track remained tacky all night and for the last half of the race I had my foot right to the floor on the gas pedal.  I gave it all the car had and it was good enough to come home with a nice 3rd place finish at the end of the 30 lap feature.  It was nice to get a good start to the weekend and we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest before we headed off to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio in the morning. 

Originally we weren't going to wash the car for the second day, but due to the high speed of the Pittsburgh track we pushed a good amount of oil out of the engine breathers and we were forced to find a car wash.  We ended up spending almost $20 in quarters to get everything clean but the facility was quite a bit dirtier than when we arrived.  After the wash we headed to the track and spent the rest of the day prepping for the night's race.  The BRP Series decided to experiment with time trials for this race and I was able to go out early and set fast time for the session!  This was quite a confidence booster as I haven't had very good time trial runs at home on the Super DIRT Series this year.  This put me on the front row of the first heat race where I don't think I drove the car hard enough into turn 1 and the second place car passed me for the lead.  I was able to hang with him, but couldn't make the move back past him for the heat win.  This was ok though as I was solidly locked into the feature redraw.  This is where my night took a turn for the worse as I reached in the bucked and pulled the 11th starting position for the feature.  I certainly had my work cut out for me but I was confident we could move forward once the race got going.  To my surprise, the track took rubber and the middle groove came in for the feature.  I didn't figure it out until three or four cars had passed me, but once I moved up to that groove I started working my way forward.  Near the end of the race I had moved into the 6th position but at this point it seemed like everyone was just skating around.  As it turned out, all of our right rear tires were almost completely bald as the track had gotten super abrasive.  So, I was unable to make any further charge to the front and had a settle for a 6th place finish. 

We all had a great time in Pennsylvania and Ohio this past weekend following the BRP Modified Tour.  All of the officials and even the other competitors were very cordial and made us feel right at home on their series.  We had two very good runs and it was very nice to be back in the hunt for feature wins over the past two weekends.  As I'm sure most of you know, the status of DIRT Northeast and especially Canandiagua Speedway seems to be up in the air for the 2011 season.  It was nice to get some experience on some of the BRP Series tracks as I'm definitely not counting that out as a full time option next season if some of the tracks in our area fail to reopen next April.  I guess we will have to wait and see how it all shakes out.  I'm going to take this weekend off from Rolling Wheels as I'm concerned about what the track conditions might be based on how the track was a couple weeks ago.  So, the next time I will be in the car looks like it is going to be the Fulton 200 in a couple weeks.  I hope to see you all then!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  I decided to do something a little different this past weekend and I headed down to Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday for the BRP Modified Series Race.  I was actually suprised how small the racetrack was when we arrived, even though it is billed as a 3/8 mile.  Weedsport is supposedly a 3/8 mile and Mercer was nowhere close to the size of Weedsport.  42 cars entered the event, so the first battle was to get familiarized with the track quick enough to earn a spot within the 26 car starting field.  Luckily, the "homework" I had done on the track paid off and the car was pretty quick right off the trailer.  I was fortunate enough to draw a decent number, which put me in the 3rd starting position of the 4th heat race.  The car ran great and I was able to make a run at the 2nd position, but had to settle for the 3rd spot at checkered flag.  Then, the weekend took a little bit of a crazy turn as the skies opened up almost immediately after my heat race completed, and track officials were forced to halt the racing until Sunday afternoon.  So, we packed up our trailer and went off to find a hotel room for the night.  The rain certainly made it interesting as we had no intention of spending the night so we were stuck with the clothes that we had on.  Before we left the track however, they completed the feature redraw.  Since I was the last car to qualify for the redraw I got whatever spot was left, which turned out to be 8th.  As Sunday rolled around the weather looked a lot better and it turned out to be a great day for racing.  It actually worked out in my favor as I was able to use Sunday's hot lap session as a test session since I was already locked into the feature event.  I went with a little different shock package than I did the night before and the car really seemed to respond well to it.  Needless to say, I left it on for the feature event.  The actual feature race was a little bit frustrating as there were approximately 8 cautions and 2 red flags in the first 15 laps of the scheduled 30 lap distance.  I had a great car, but it seemed like every time we went green I would pass two or three cars and then the caution would come out and they would revert back a lap and put me back behind again.  It took me the entire first half of the race to work my way to the front but I got to the 3rd position and set sail for the lead duo.  I actually caught them when they got in lapped traffic and then we had a caution with 3 laps to go.  On the restart I was right with the 2nd place car and coming to the white flag I threw the car hard into turn 3 in attempt to make the pass.  Unfortunately, I didn't clear the 2nd place car, but instead lost all of my momentum and allowed the 4th place car to pass me.  I tried my best to rally back on the last lap to regain 3rd, but I got beat out by a few inches at the line.  Overall, it was a good race and I was happy with how the car drove and even happier to come home with a 4th place finish on a track that I had never seen before.  I feel that if the cautions had fallen a little bit differently then I could have gotten to the front a little bit quicker, and I think I would have had a real shot at the feature win.  All of the BRP tour officials made us feel very welcome and displayed their appreciation towards us traveling to run with their series.  The entire atmosphere was a little bit refreshing as it seemed like everyone in all of the classes actually wanted to be at the racetrack, which hasn't been the case at our local tracks in NY for some time.  I actually enjoyed myself so much that I'm planning on heading back to Pennsylvania and Ohio this weekend for the BRP Series doubleheader at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Friday night and then Sharon Speedway on Saturday night.  I will be sure to keep you posted on how it goes!

Take care for now!
Chad     

Hello Everyone!  We finally got a weekend where the rain didn't wipe out at least one of the races, so it ended up being quite a busy weekend for myself and the team.  First up on Saturday was a regular show at Canandaigua, and I was a little concerned with the track conditions as we ran hot laps and the heat races.  It seemed as if they got it pretty wet and it was starting to come up and get rough like it had done in the early part of the season.  However, they graded it off after the heat races and the track was probably the best it has been all season for the feature.  There were easily three racing lanes and a lot of bite in the surface all the way through the 35 lap main event.  Based on my 3rd place heat race finish, the handicapping procedure started me in the 6th position for the feature.  I actually had a really good car early on in the race and I was able to make a move up into the 2nd position within the first ten laps.  Unfortunately, several cautions allowed some of the heavy hitters to erase the gap that I had built up and shuffled me back to the 5th position.  As the race went on it became more and more evident that I had missed the gear selection, and the engine was just too boggy off of the corners.  I actually feel that my car might have been handling better than some of the cars ahead of me, but I was just giving up too much with the lower rpm down the straightaways.  All in all, it was a good night though, as I was able to post another top-5 finish at Canandaigua. 

On Sunday it was off to Weedsport, where I hadn't run since June 27th due to missing some races due to the engine failure and rainouts for the last three Sundays.  Unfortunately, since I have missed so many races there, I was forced to start in the back based on the handicapping.  However, I took a new set of shocks to the track and the car seemed to work good right from the start.  Then, the night got disastrous as I was battling for qualifying spot in the heat race.  There were three of us right together and the first car in line spun out in turn one.  The second car spun sideways to minimize contact and before I even had a chance to take my foot off of the throttle I was airborne after launching over the second car in line.  Luckily, the car landed without rolling over, but the entire right front shock tower had been ripped from the car.  All of us scrambled in the pit area to repair the damage and put the car back together for the feature event.  We made it in plenty of time but I was relegated to starting 20th in the 22 car field.  Somewhat surprisingly, the car was pretty good during the feature event and I was able to make up good ground and finish in the 12th position.  Normally when I start that far back in a feature at Weedsport I finish back there, so it was refreshing to be able to move through some of the slower cars despite the slick feature conditions.  I would say that the new shock package was a success and I'm glad I was able to try them out before the Super DIRT Series comes to town this coming Sunday. 

So, after the heat race crash on Sunday we have quite a bit of work to do on the chassis to get the car back in good racing form for this weekend, but we should be able to make it without any issues.  Labor Day weekend is one of the biggest racing weekends in DIRT as the home track regular season ends with extra distance and double points races.  We are quite a ways back in the points at Weedsport, but I only missed one race at Canandaigua and I still have a mathematical shot at 5th in the standings, albeit a long shot.  You can be sure that I'm going to give it all I've got to see if I can put myself back in the top 5 for the season standings.  The schedule is going to be 50 laps at Canandaigua on Saturday, the 100 lap Super DIRT Series event at Weedsport on Sunday, and then a 60 lap race on Labor Day at Rolling Wheels.  It is certainly going to be another busy weekend, as we close out the DIRT regular season.  I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  Another week is in the books and the 2010 season is quickly reaching the final few weeks of the regular season.  Despite potential rain in the area, Canandaigua did get the races in on Saturday night.  I don't know for sure but I'm guessing that it must have rained there earlier in the day because there were puddles in the pit area and the track was almost completely under water when we went out for hot laps.  It actually remained this way right through the heat races, which left us with only 1 good lane to work with.  There was water on the bottom of the track and a treacherous cushion on the outside.  The mud was piled up so high that most of my right rear quarter panel was ripped off in the heat race just by leaning into the outside berm.  To say the least, the track conditions were not ideal...but then again, when have they been ideal at Canandaigua this season?  You certainly never know what you are going to get when you show up there each week.  Despite the track conditions, the car ran pretty good in the heat race and I was able to move up to 3rd from my 6th starting position.  The one race that I missed due to the blown engine was still haunting my handicapping as I had to start 14th in the feature event.  The car was actually pretty good early on and I quickly moved up to the 9th position.  Then, on a restart, a few guys in front of me had to check up coming to the green flag and I made contact with the car in front of me.  From then on the car simply would not turn and for the remaining 25 laps I was just trying to make it to the finish.  What I didn't know was that the contact on the restart had bent the right front shock tower and wrapped the shock around the front axle, basically eliminating any right front suspension.  Unfortunately, this hindered me for the remainder of the race and I was only able to post a 13th place finish at the end of the 35 lap event.

For the third week in a row rain washed out Weedsport on Sunday, so we spent the day repairing the damage from Canandaigua on the previous night.  This upcoming weekend we will again try to get in both Canandaigua and Weedsport.  It definitely feels like it has been forever since I've been able to run a race at Weedsport.  As of right now the weather looks better for this weekend and hopefully we will get both nights of racing in.  There are only two more weeks of racing this season at each facility so I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  Rain washed out Sunday's race at Weedsport for the second week in a row, so we only had the chance to run one race at Canandaigua this past weekend.  As good as the car was a week ago, it simply just wasn't as good this week.  As best as I can tell I took back the same setup as I did the week before, but this week I fought a tight racecar all night.  The track was quite a bit slicker this week.  It actually reminded me of Weedsport when it gets black slick.  It certainly seems like they are scared to get too much water in the track in fear of having it get rough, so they have just been leaving it dry as a bone.  After a few weeks of this, the track is starting to get hard and slick.  I did feel for the fans however, as they had to endure waves of dirt being thrown at them from the cars.  The track conditions didn't really make for great racing either.  For the most part it was a one lane racetrack around the bottom and sometimes we were even in the infield trying to get traction.  In the heat race I was able to move up from 7th to 3rd before slipping up on the last lap to fall back a position to 4th when they dropped the checkered flag.  This was a pretty encouraging run and I was looking forward to the feature event.  However, I just never got a handle on the feature track conditions.  There were only a couple cars that did any real moving up through the field, and unfortunately I was not one of them.  While the car was pretty tight in the center of the corners and therefore loose coming off the corners, I felt as if I had a faster car than several of the guys ahead of me.  However, passing was at a premium on Saturday night and I was only able to move up four spots from my 11th starting position in the 35 lap feature.  While 7th was a little farther back in the finishing order than I had hoped, it wasn't so bad as it was also the first time all season that I have left the track with no visible damage from the track conditions.  It is just unfortunate that they have to make a one lane racetrack in order to get the track conditions tolerable.  Anyways, this upcoming weekend I am planning on racing Canandaigua and Weedsport.  I have some new shocks to try at Weedsport so hopefully those will give us a boost that we need at that track just before the series comes to town in a few weeks.  I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad 

Hello Everyone!  It has been a while since I've gotten a chance to get back behind the wheel of a racecar, but I was able to do so this past weekend.  On Friday, we got our big block engine back from Campbell's Engines and we dropped it in the car just in time to make the races on Saturday night at Canandaigua.  We went there with a lot of unknowns, but in the end everything worked out pretty well.  The engine was completely new and didn't have any dyno time on it, and I also had a new set of shocks on the car.  Despite the water temperature gauge failing to work, making me a little nervous about not knowing how hot the new engine was running, all the new parts worked well.  The car was pretty fast all night.  Since I missed a race a few weeks back due to the blown engine, I had to start near the back of the heat race, but I was quickly able to advance up to the 2nd position from my 6th place starting spot.  I was a little on the loose side all night long, but the car was really maneuverable and I was able to make a charge up to the 5th position in the first few laps after starting 12th.  Unfortunately, on lap 12 I got hit in turn 2 and I spun around making contact with the outside wall.  I was able to continue, but it was back to the 18th position for the restart.  The remaining 23 laps were a hard fought struggle with heavy traffic, but I was able to work my way up to the 5th position at the checkered flag.  I feel like we had a top-3 car if I didn't have to restart at the back of the field after getting spun, but it was nice to know that I had a car strong enough to move back up through the field and get a strong top-5 finish.

On Sunday we fixed the damage to the car from the night before and loaded up and went to Weedsport.  There was really a weird vibe in the air when we got there.  Word quickly spread around the pits that several of the officials and flaggers had been released from their positions and they didn't even open the food booth in the pits.  There were only 13 modifieds in the pit area and as hot lap time came and went with no call to get the cars on the track, it almost felt like they weren't intending to run the race program.  When the slightest of sprinkles started to fall, they cancelled the event almost immediately.  We proceeded to go to Arby's and we sat there for about an hour watching the sun shine and wondering why we were not racing.  I'm not sure what is going on with DIRT but all of the rumors about financial problems seemed to be justified by their actions at Weedsport.  I guess only time will tell what comes of the situation. 

This weekend it will be another two race weekend for myself and the team at Canandaigua and Weedsport.  I hope to see you all at the track! 

Take care for now!
Chad  

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all had a great July 4th holiday and you got to enjoy some of the warm weather that we have gotten here in New York over the last week.  On Saturday night I headed off to Canandaigua Speedway for their special 50-lap race in honor of the holiday weekend and it started off pretty well.  I used my 4th starting spot in the heat race to vault into the early lead.  A caution bunched the field back up and I got into a good battle with Vic Coffey for the top spot.  In the end, he beat me out by a few car lengths for the heat race win, but the car was running good and I was pretty excited at our chances in the feature.  The handicapping system put me in 9th for the main event of the night and I was able to dodge a major scare on the first corner when the car directly ahead of me spun out.  I narrowly missed him, but unfortunately there were several car that did not, which slowed the action right off the bat.  The accident moved me up into the 7th spot for the restart and I quickly was able to make my charge up into the third position.  We had another caution on lap 14 and on the restart the engine didn't come up to speed as I had hoped.  I lost a couple positions but just thought that I had the engine loaded up on the restart as it seemed to come back to life.  However, as I came around on the following lap my heart sank as I heard the engine break.  I shut it off and coasted into the infield, ending my race.  Officially, I was credited with a 15th place finish.

As we took the engine apart the next day it became apparent that a lifter on the #3 cylinder broke, starting off a chain reaction of parts breaking inside the engine.  Unfortunately, one of the parts broke through the water jacket of the engine block, rendering it worthless.  This was the catastrophic engine failure that I feared, as we have no backup engine for the car.  This means that I am going to have to take some time off from Modified racing until I'm able to gather up the resources to put another engine together.  At this point I don't have a timetable as to when I will be back in the car.  I do plan to be back at some point, and I will keep everyone informed with our progress.  In the meantime, I have a few planned micro sprint races in the near future, including next Wednesday night at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.  I will also still be in attendance at Brewerton, Canandaigua, and Weedsport this weekend so I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad 

Hello Everyone!  We got both races in this weekend, despite threatening weather conditions on Saturday.  I was actually pretty surprised that Canandaigua did not cancel on Saturday, as they were the only track in the area not to do so.  I think we were all pleasantly surprised with the track conditions on Saturday.  Honestly, I think they just let the afternoon rain take care of the track preperation and it actually stayed smooth.  There were still a ton of rocks in the surface but complaining about that now is just a lost cause because they are not going to do anything about it.  I had a pretty good run in the heat race, where I started 5th and ended up 3rd.  I was supposed to start 5th in the feature, but one of the guys ahead of me had trouble, which bumped me up into the 3rd position.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a great start, as I got bottled up behind some of the slower traffic that started ahead of me.  Before I knew it, I was back to 6th position.  I decided to try the top of the track in turns 1 and 2 and it was really working.  I was able to gain a lot of ground on the cars ahead of me and soon I was up to the 3rd spot in the running order.  Then, with around 5 laps to go, Matt Sheppard broke while leading, vaulting me up another spot and into 2nd.  I survived the restart in 2nd place and thought I was going to have my best ever finish at Canandaigua, when the caution flag flew again.  This time, when we restarted on the backstretch, I went into turn 3 and instantly knew that I had a right rear tire going down.  I couldn't stop the car from hopping over the cushion and I was back to 4th in an instant.  I was able to get back to the bottom of the track and block for the remaining few laps to hold on to a 4th place finish, but it was probably one of the most disappointing 4th place finishes I've ever had because I was certain that we had 2nd place locked up.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  However, it was a good points night for us, as I was able to move back up from 5th to 3rd in the standings.  The car ran a lot better at Canandaigua now that we got our engine fixed, so hopefully we can keep up the momentum there in the coming weeks.

On Sunday it was off to Weedsport for a normal Sunday night event.  I had to start back a ways in both the heat race and the feature due to my 4th place run a week ago.  On top of that, we fought an electrical issue all night, where the car would randomly lose power to the switches.  Luckily, it didn't happen during race conditions, but there were certainly some tense times before each race to find out if the car was going to start or not.  Thankfully, it did, and I was able to hold off Danny Johnson for the last qualifying spot in my heat race, which allowed me to start 8th in the feature instead of 17th.  The car was decent in the feature, but just not fast enough to make any moves toward the front of the pack.  Weedsport stayed uncharacteristically tacky on Sunday night and I probably should have went with a taller gear to make sure I could pull better out of the corners.  Unfortunately, I didn't make that change, so we were only an average car for the event.  When the checkered flag flew, I came home in the 12th position.  

This coming weekend is only a 1 race weekend for myself and the team, but it is a big one.  Canandaigua is having a 50-lap, $3000-to-win race in celebration of the July 4th holiday.  Hopefully I can back up our good performance this past Saturday and turn it into a nice payday this week!  I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad  

Hello Everyone!  We ended up getting our engine back on Friday night, just in time to get it in the car for Saturday at Canandaigua.  However, Saturday's action was cancelled due to rain (or at least the threat of rain).  With how the weather played out, I'm pretty sure that they could have gotten the racing in, but on the other hand, I don't think anybody was very disappointed that track management decided to pull the plug on the evening.  With conditions as bad as they have been at Canandaigua, it probably saved us racers money by not having to race on Saturday night. 

So, we switched around the car setup and headed off to Weedsport on Sunday night.  They decided to do a topless night for the Modifieds and Sportsman, which certainly made it interesting.  I don't think the cars look very good without the roof and side windows, but I guess DIRT is trying to do anything they can to draw interest to their racing product.  The cars handled about the same once the track began to slick off, so it was just more of a nuisance for everyone to make extra braces and sun visors to make the whole thing work.  Some guys even boycotted the event because they thought it was too dangerous, but ultimately it turned out to be ok.  I struggled early on in the night, although I did hold on for a 3rd place finish in the heat race.  I have been fighting a very loose car with no side bite or forward bite all year at Weedsport.  Luckily, they decided to run some modified hot laps before the feature events and I took this opportunity to try some different shocks and tire pressures.  While it was not a complete fix, the car did feel a little bit better after making these changes.  I was supposed to start in the 4th position in the feature but another break went my way when the 2nd place starter had engine trouble and was forced to the rear of the field.  This put me on the outside of the front row and I was really hoping that I could take advantage of this good starting position.  When the green flag dropped, I backed off early going into turn 1 and did a crossover move on the polesitter coming out of turn 2.  By turn 3 I had the lead and was doing my best to get some distance between myself and the rest of the pack.  Several laps clicked off and Dave Farney was telling me with the flags that I was extending my lead.  Unfortunately, all good things come to an end as the caution flag flew on lap 10 just as I was about to get into heavy lapped traffic at the back of the field.  Everything went well on the restart, but as I was going down the backstretch for the first time under green, Danny Johnson flew by me on the outside.  There was no way that I could match his pace, and he started to pull away.  The several cautions that followed over the next several laps kept me within reach of the lead, but also allowed Alan Johnson and Matt Sheppard to work their way up to the front.  As we neared the end of the race, it was evident that I couldn't keep up with the first 3 cars, but I had everyone else in check.  As the checkered flag flew, I crossed the line in the 4th position, earning my first Weedsport top-5 of the season.  While we still have to get better to match pace with the tour regulars, I felt that we made pretty good gains on the car's handling that has been plaguing me at Weedsport.  Hopefully we have turned a corner and gotten the car woes and DNF's out of our system. 

This weekend it should be back to the normal schedule of Canandaigua on Saturday night and Weesport on Sunday night.  This is the last normal weekend schedule before we go on a 5 week stretch of different weekend scheduling, and even some micro sprint races sprinkled in the mix.  So, I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  This past weekend ended up being a tough one as I found trouble on both nights of racing.  Both nights started off good, but due to some crazy circumstances I did not get the finishes that I was hoping for.  It all started out at Canandaigua on Saturday night.  Surprisingly, the flying rocks didn't seem as bad this week, but maybe that was because we spent more time in the air than on the actual track due to the extremely rough conditions.  I'm not sure what it is going to take to get them to fix the track at Canandaigua, but I do know that each week we go back it seems to get worse and worse.  Unfortunately, its not a really good situation there right now.  I guess all we can do is hope that something gets done to fix the place before the season is over.  Despite the conditions, I actually did have a decent run in the heat race, finishing 3rd.  This set me up to start 7th in the feature event through the handicapping procedure.  The entire event battled threatening skies all night, and of course they finally started dropping rain just as the Modifieds rolled out for the feature.  I thought for sure we were going to have to postpone the feature until this weekend, but they stuck with it and got us back out there about a half an hour later.  The track was still pretty greasy when they dropped the green flag on the feature, and of course I was in the row that didn't get going.  Before I could manage to get out of the slow line I had already been shuffled back outside the top ten.  I was holding my own and moving up a position here and there when the curse of the blown out tire once again reared its ugly head.  Again out of turn 4, but this week it was the right rear tire that punctured.  Thankfully, it didn't send me into the wall and my crew along with the help of others in the pit area around us got me back out just in time for the restart.  The new right rear tire did not provide the right amount of stagger that I needed for the tacky track conditions after the rain, and I fought a very tight racecar for the remainder of the event.  In the end, I ended up 10th since for yet another week there was only about half of the field running at the end of the feature.  The race was certainly a struggle, but I survived it to the end, which seems to be half of the battle now at Canandaigua.

On Sunday it was off to Weedsport after a weekend off at the track, and I was hoping for a good run.  Shockingly, Weedsport was extremely tacky all night long.  I don't know if they got rain early in the day or if they did something different but the track was super fast.  It caught a few of us by surprise as we all had to change gears after hot laps to compensate for the unusual Weedsport track conditions.  The heat race went ok, as I finished in the 3rd spot and it was off to the feature where I was scheduled to start 6th.  I was pretty excited about starting near the front because typically there is not a lot of passing when Weedsport is tacky.  As the green flag flew I drove into the 5th position and then disaster struck.  On the second lap, Tim Currier spun in turn 3.  I was right behind him, and I proceded to slam into the left side of his spinning car.  The hit popped me up in the air and I got hit again as I was driving up over the top of Currier's car.  I actually think the 2nd hit saved me from rolling the car over, as it started the car spinning in the air, instead of allowing it to start flipping.  When the dust settled, half of the field was collected in the accident that completely blocked the track.  And just like that, my night was done.  The front axle was bent so bad that we had to change it to get the car in the trailer, and most all of the body panels were smashed pretty good.  Officially, I was scored with a 23rd place finish.   

Unfortunately, we also started to see some smoke coming out of our right side exhaust when the car was idling before hot laps at Weedsport.  It seemed to clear up under green flag conditions but I could tell that the power just wasn't what it used to be.  As of Wednesday as I write this, our engine is out of the car and being rebuilt at Campbell's Engines.  I don't really have an update on the engine but I'm hoping that it will be done in time for us to race this weekend.  The week certainly just got busier as we are going to have to not only fix the car from the crash but also reinstall the engine when we get it back.  So, this weekend is up in the air for right now, but if I do get the engine back, I will be at Canandaigua and Weedsport this weekend!  I hope to see you all at the track! 

Take care for now!
Chad  

Hello Everyone!  Well, it was kind of a rough night at Canandaigua on Saturday.  I think the track conditions were worse than they have been all season, which just made for a long evening.  When I rolled out onto the track for Modified hot laps, the only thing that had been on the track were the twenty or so Sportsman cars that ran their practice session.  However, when I got to turn one for the first time, the size of the ruts and swails in the track were almost unbelieveable.  Then, when I rolled around to turns 3 and 4, it was dry as a bone, yet the same massive hole in turn 3 had developed as it has all season long.  In my opinion, whoever is in charge of track maintenance should be ashamed, as there have been no visible attempts to correct the track condition at Canandaigua. 

When it was time for my heat race, you either had to run the extreme low line or the extreme high line to dodge the roughness of the track.  I chose to run low and it paid off as I was able to move from my 4th starting position up into 2nd place within the first few laps.  The leader had checked out on me by over a straightaway by the time that I got to 2nd, so I settled in and was content to walk away from the qualifier with a 2nd place finish.  Then, as we were going down the backstretch on the final lap, the leader's engine exploded in a huge plume of smoke and I was able to drive by for the win.  It has been over a year since I have won a heat race at Canandaigua, so even though I had it given to me by another competitor's misfortune, I was pleased to come away with the heat race win.

So, it was off to the feature, where I was scheduled to start in the 9th position.  Then, a first lap spin by the third place car bumped me up to the 7th starting spot for the restart.  I was making my way forward until lap 5 when I drove into turn 3 and the brake pedal went right to the floor.  Thankfully, I was able to save the car from going off the track, but I lost a ton of positions before I could get it gathered up.  Over the next few laps I had to teach myself how I was going to drive the car without any brakes, and once I got used to it, it wasn't that bad.  A few laps later I got a caution which allowed me to dial in as much rear brake as I could, as I could see that rock had ripped off the brake line from my left front brake caliper.  Despite the brake issues, I was working my way back up through the pack until lap 33 when all of a sudden out of turn 4 the left rear tire exploded.  Before I could do anything the car kicked sideways and I slammed into the frontstretch wall.  When it was all said and done, the right front wheel was ripped right off of the car, and I was done for the evening, 2 laps short.  Luckily, not many cars finish the races at Canandaigua anymore due to the conditions, so I still ended up with an 11th place finish.  It could have been a lot worse, that is for sure. 

We have already started to rebuild the car for this weekend.  I got pretty fortunate in the fact that there was no major frame damage from the wall impact.  I received the replacement parts yesterday, and we will be good to go for the weekend ahead.  This weekend we are back to the normal Saturday and Sunday schedule at Canandaigua and Weedsport.  Hopefully, we can get back on track at Canandaigua as it has been a rough couple weeks with blowing tires.  Then on Sunday I should get a good feature start due to the handicapping system.  With any luck I will be able to use that to post a really good finish.  I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  It was quite a busy weekend as I ended up attending 4 races in 4 days over the holiday weekend.  I only raced on Saturday and Sunday, but that was still pretty hectic as both nights were extra distance races.  The first race at Canandaigua was a 50 lap Memorial Day special, and it had to be quite an interesting race for the fans in attendance.  There were only a few cars that did not have flat tires in this race, so there was quite a lot of shuffling around as most everyone made their pit stops.  I was one of the "lucky" ones that had two flat tires during this event, but my crew, along with the help of Daryl Hilkert's crew got me back out there on the lead lap both times.  The first flat tire occured on lap 8 as I was entering turn 1.  I turned the car to the left and I heard the right front blow out.  This was unfortunate because I was making good progress towards the front, and was already in the 5th position.  After the tire change I had to restart 17th and was able to work my way forward up until a lap 25 restart.  For some reason the car just wouldn't handle after this restart, and I soon found out why, as the right rear tire exploded 2 laps later.  So it was back to the pit area and back to 13th on the restart.  With the track slicking off and so few laps left I was only able to make it back up to the 7th position by the end of the event.  It was pretty disappointing to have such a good handling car but have it thwarted by tire troubles.  I wasn't the only one though, as I mentioned most of the field had to pit for a flat tire at least once.  With two flats in the feature and one going flat at the end of the heat race, it became a pretty expensive night at Canandaigua.  Supposedly, a few weeks ago the rocks were picked out of the track, but as of last Saturday it appears that a whole new batch have resurfaced.  We even took a couple out of the car that were the size of a baseball.  The problem is though that when we take the car apart the next day, it is filled with these small rocks that have extremely sharp edges.  It are these rocks that are reeking havoc on the tires, while the big ones just destroy the body of the racecar.  The track conditions at Canandaigua have been very disappointing to say the least, but I don't see an end in sight as it is making for great drama for the fans and multiple features winners at the track.  Thankfully, we have been able to survive each race there so far this year and been able to score some consistent finishes.

On Sunday it was off to Weedsport for our first Super DIRT Series event of the year.  Our Weedsport struggles definitely continued on Sunday night.  The car was great in hot laps but after that the troubles set in.  My time trial effort was marred by an electrical issue that left me unable to continue.  Luckily, I was able to cross the line and make my two qualifying laps, albeit not a time that I was looking for.  We were able to fix the electrical problem just in time for the heat race, but the car handling started going away on me just like it has all year at Weedsport when it starts to get slick.  After a brief stint in a qualified spot, I dropped back to 7th at the end of the heat race, forcing me into the consolation race to earn my starting spot in the feature.  The consi actually went pretty good, as I was able to finish 4th and get the 24th starting spot for the feature event.  I thought DIRT actually had a nice driver introduction for the fans with spotlights on drivers and a fireworks presentation for the fans.  It's good to see that they were at least trying to make more of a show atmosphere for the fans, like it was back in the early 1990's.  Right on the first lap of the feature I got caught up in a little jingle when another car spun out in front of us.  I only had minor body damage but it sent me to the back of the pack.  The car just wasn't handling like I wanted it to and the leaders lapped me on lap 25.  Seeing that you get paid the same amount of money until you get into the top 15, I decided to call it a night on the lap 31 caution period.  I figured since I didn't have a car capable of moving forward on that night, it was better off if I just save my equipment for the upcoming races instead of driving around for another 70 laps.  Ultimately, this left me with a 28th place finish for the night. 

This coming weekend we are back at Canandaigua on Saturday night for a regular show, but Weedsport is off on Sunday because Rolling Wheels is having a race.  I haven't quite decided whether or not to run Rolling Wheels this week, but it is looking like I will most likely take Sunday off.  I guess I will see how Saturday night goes first.  We got through the big holiday weekend of racing, so now it is back to business as usual until the July 4th weekend when more big races come to town.  I hope to see you all at the track this weekend! 

Take care for now!  
Chad   

Hello Everyone!  It was a pretty busy weekend of racing for myself and the team.  We had double features on Saturday night, the first one being the make-up feature from a week ago when Canandaigua had to stop racing due to their 11PM curfew.  I was hoping that they weren't going to run this feature right after hot laps, but they did.  I did not feel like the track was in very good condition to do this, as the bottom lane was still pretty wet and it made passing pretty difficult.  The tacky conditions also allowed some of the guys that don't normally stay up front to remain there for the entire race.  I wasn't very confident about being able to get to the front from my 12th starting spot, but it actually worked out ok.  I was lucky enough not to get caught up in any wrecks and I was actually able to crack the top-5 for a couple laps.  Unfortunately, I was absolutely hammered out of the way a few laps later which dropped me back to 6th.  Overall, I felt like that was a respectable finish for a race that had potential to be a disaster.  After a 2nd place finish in the heat race, I started 10th in the second feature of the night but I wouldn't be staying there long.  Coming out of turn 4 on the first lap a car drove right over my right front tire instantly exploding it.  Thankfully there was a caution for another spun racecar and I was able to duck into the pits and get it changed without losing a lap.  Now I had to restart in 16th and I made decent progress up into about the 10th position.  Then I just got stuck and couldn't go any further.  I even got run over for a 3rd time that evening on the next restart but luckily escaped with only body damage.  Then there were a bunch of late race restarts that started to go my way, in which I was able to pick off at least one car each time.  Again, I actually cracked the top-5, before getting shuffled back to 6th on the last lap.  For as crazy as the night was, I will take two 6th place finishes.  However, just like the previous weeks, the track conditions and rocks were horrific and we left Canandaigua with a car that had severe damage.  There were rock holes blown right through the rear spoiler and even the windshield was broke, which is protected by a heavy screen.  It is truly a shame to see what used to be the best track on the circuit be in such disarray.  However, we have been fortunate enough to have been able to survive all of the features at Canandaigua and this consistency has landed us 2nd in the points, only 3 points out of the lead.  I hope we can keep it up and battle some of the other top competitors for a championship this season. 

We had to work all day on Sunday to repair the vast amount of damage to the car, but we made it to Weedsport, albeit a little later than we normally do.  I'm not sure what has been going on at Weedsport this year, but we definitely have not been as good there as we were last season.  It seems like the setups that worked well and even won us a race there last season just aren't cutting it now.  I dropped from 3rd to 8th in the heat race, which unfortunately was not good enough for a handicapping spot in the feature.  This left me with the 23rd starting position and all I could muster up was a 22nd place finish.  I have been scratching my head as to why we have been so off at Weedsport this season, but you can be sure that we will keep working at it and see if we can't figure something out.  Hopefully, we will be able to figure it out quickly, as the Super DIRT Series is in town this Sunday night which could make for a long evening if we are not able to turn it around.  It is funny how things go in cycles, because last season I was really good at Weedsport and not so good at Canandaigua, and now this year it has flipped.  I guess that is why we keep coming back to see what happens next!  And congratulations are in order to Mike Mahaney on his first career Modified win on Sunday at Weedsport.  Mike and his family park next to us in the pit area and I know how hard he has worked to get his first win.  I also know how good it felt when I got mine last season.  For as hard as everyone works in this sport, every driver and crew member deserves to experience victory lane at least once.  However, I have a feeling this is just the first of many for Mike and his team.   

This weekend is another huge racing weekend for us, as we have a 50 lap race at Canandaigua on Saturday and then the 100 lap Super DIRT Series race on Sunday at Weedsport.  It should definitely be some great racing for the holiday weekend!  I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  Well, it was supposed to be a two race weekend for myself and the team, but due to some circumstances out of our control we only got the one race in on Sunday at Weedsport.  There were all kinds of problems at Canandaigua on Saturday night between track preparation, excessive cautions, and just too much racing scheduled for a 4 hour block of time.  When 11PM came around they were forced to postpone the remainder of the show, which included the Sportsman and Modified features.  It was kind of like a 3 hour rain delay for us, only without the rain.  Nonetheless, I only got to run a heat race on Saturday night.  The track was super fast which made passing pretty difficult, but I was able to move up from 7th to 4th in the 8 lap qualifying race.  I am scheduled to start from the 12th position when our feature is finally run this coming Saturday evening.  The car was strong in the heat race this past week, so I'm anticipating having a good car again for the make-up feature which should have tacky heat race track conditions. 

Sunday it was off to Weedsport for the second race of the season.  I got bottled up a little bit in the heat race, but I was still able to hold on to a 4th place finish, which easily got me into the feature handicapping.  I felt like I had a better car than what showed in the heat race due to the fact that I got blocked in by slower traffic and ultimately lost some positions.  I was determined not to let this happen again in the feature, and thankfully it didn't.  I was able to launch from my 5th starting spot up to the 2nd position by lap 7.  A few laps later the car started getting looser and looser as the track started getting slicker.  With the feature going green for the entire distance, I'm almost positive that I abused my tires too quickly and got them too hot because I was simply hanging on at the end of the race.  Unfortunately, this meant that I was dropping positions and I was never able to make a great charge to the front of the field.  By the time the checkered flag flew I had fallen to the 9th position, with most of the Super DIRT Series touring drivers sliding past in the closing laps.  While the end result wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it was still a pretty good run, and definitely much better than the 19th place finish that I had in the first race at Weedsport.  I still have to setup work to do if we are going to get back to competing for wins at Weedsport, but I don't think that we were far off on Sunday.  The car was fast early on, but I just to need to work on getting the car to remain balanced for the entire 35 lap race.  Overall, it was a pretty positive night, and I look forward to giving it another try again this weekend. 

With double features at Canandaigua on Saturday night and a regular show at Weedsport on Sunday, it is shaping up to be a pretty exciting weekend of racing ahead.  I hope to see you all at the track! 

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  Unfortunately, I did not get to do any racing this past weekend due to the cold and rainy weather.  I think Canandaigua did a great job of calling the race early because it was obvious that racing wasn't going to be happening on Saturday night.  With Weedsport off on Sunday for Mother's Day we ended up with a weekend off.  The timing was probably good because we are about to go back to the two races a weekend schedule for several weeks.  We have had enough time off now to be very prepared for the coming weeks.  Hopefully we can keep on rolling with the momentum that we have built up at Canandaigua over the past few weeks and post two strong finishes this weekend!  I'm especially excited about getting back to Weedsport.  Due to the poor finish that I had on opening night, I should have a nice starting spot for Sunday's feature as long as everything goes to plan in the heat race.  If Weedsport slicks off like it did in the first race, I might just find myself right in the thick of it for a feature win.  Only time will tell, and that is why we keep going back to the track each weekend.  I hope to see you all there!

Take care for now!
Chad

Hello Everyone!  Week 2 is in the books for Canandaigua Speedway and what an exciting night of racing it ended up being for the fans.  Both the Street Stock race and the Modified race were decided with last corner passes.  However, from a driver's standpoint it was pretty stressful.  There was much debate over what the track conditions were going to be like when we all arrived at Canandaigua this past Saturday.  After last week when there were waves of dust blowing into the grandstands and football-sized rocks littering the speedway, the track management definitely had their work cut out for themselves.  This week that track started out a little better as it seemed as if all of the surface rocks were gone.  To compensate for the dust problem of a week ago it looks as if they over watered the track which made for some pretty tricky conditions all night long.  The bottom lane of the track had standing water on it all night which pretty much made that lane unusable.  This hurt me in the heat race since I had to start near the rear due to my 5th place finish in the first week of competition.  I struggled to get into a qualifying position, but just as I thought I was going to get the last spot for feature handicapping, I suffered a cut right rear tire which made it very difficult to make it up through the field any further.  Luckily, I was able to salvage a 6th place finish which earned me the 11th starting position for the feature event.  If I had qualified through the heat, I would have started around 8th so the unfortunate circumstances of the heat race did not hinder me too badly.

The feature event ended up being one of the craziest modified races I've ever been in.  The track was still relatively tacky, so everyone seemed to be fast.  In addition, several rocks had appeared which had initially been buried below the surface.  I had only moved up to the 9th position on lap 10 when a huge wreck ensued in turn 2.  I'm not exactly sure how it all started but there were several cars that had major damage as a result.  Fortunately, I was able to sneak my way through without any damage.  By this time in the night, the track began to get extremly rough with huge holes in all of the corners.  If you weren't careful, these craters would throw the car in any direction.  This is what happened to me several laps later in lapped traffic.  I was forced down into one of these holes and ended up slamming into the side of a lapped car.  Luckily, I was able to continue, but not without a bent front axle.  By this time attrition had dwindled the field down quite a bit and there were only 5 of us left on the lead lap at the time the caution flag flew with 3 laps to go.  I was the last car on the lead lap in 5th and I knew that it was going to be a crazy battle for the remaining few laps.  Just after the restart I was able to make a pass up to 4th and then surprisingly the leader blew a tire on the last lap handing me a third place finish.  The race started out looking like it could lead to a dismal finish, but ended up being one of my best Canandaigua finishes to date.  I was lucky to be able to avoid the big wreck and escaped mechanical and tire issues that plagued many of the cars.  Even still, the car drove good all night.  I just felt like I was behind a little bit on track position for the entire race and never could quite catch up, which I think the track conditions had a factor in. 

Overall, it has been a very good start to the Canandaigua season for myself and the team.  We have fought some pretty horrific track conditions, but we have come away with two strong top-5 finishes which is encouraging.  Hopefully, this weekend will bring another good finish as I head back to Canandaigua on Saturday night.  We have another Sunday off from Weedsport this week due to the Mother's Day holiday, so it will again just be a one race weekend.  I hope to see you all at the track!

Take care for now!
Chad  

Hello Everyone!  Well, week 1 is in the books for Canandaigua Speedway, and it sure was an adventurous one.  Luckily, I was able to stay in front of the majority of the craziness that was going on in the middle of the pack.  I had Marilou draw my heat race number for me since my recent luck at drawing has been less than stellar.  She did ok, drawing good enough for me to start 3rd in the 3rd heat race.  Right on the start of the race I was able to duck low and beat the pole-sitter into turn 1.  However, by this time Danny Johnson had already set sail from his starting position outside the front row.  I was able to survive a mid-race restart from the outside and held on for a 2nd place finish, earning me the 6th starting spot for the feature event.  The feature went really well from the drop of the green flag.  I was able to jump from 6th right up to 4th and this is where I stayed for the majority of the event.  I could stay with Steve Paine in 3rd, but I just couldn't mount a charge to get past him.  In addition, the track was quickly deteriorating in turns 1 and 2 as the race went on.  In order to pass you pretty much had to wait for the guy ahead of you to make a mistake or bounce up off the bottom when they hit a big hole in the track.  I was hoping the race would go green the whole way and I would come home with a nice 4th place finish but that was not to be.  On a restart with 4 laps to go I hit a hole in turn 2 that turned my car sideways and killed all of my momentum.  Next thing I know I was being split down the backstretch with cars on both sides of me.  Going into turn 3, we all ran out of racetrack and got together, I went sliding up high in the turn and fell all the way back to 7th.  I could hardly believe that my 4th place finish had disappeared with 3 laps to go.  Luckily, with the help of a spin on the following restart and some misfortune by my competitors in the last 2 laps, I was able to rally back to the 5th position when the checkered flag flew.  While I feel like I had the 4th place car for the night, I was not disappointed to come out of the Canandaigua opener with a top-5.  Especially after struggling the week before at Weedsport, it was nice to turn the early season around and post a finish that I feel we are capable of getting on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, Weedsport rained out this past Sunday so we had the day off.  Ultimately, it wasn't a bad thing as we were going to have to hustle to repair the damage from Canandaigua's track conditions.  Hopefully, the track conditions will be a little better for both the fans and the drivers this coming weekend.  I sure hope that they find a way to remove the rocks from the track surface, as it is not only a safety hazard but also did a lot of damage to the racecars in attendance.  I have chosen to take Sunday off at Rolling Wheels to save my equipment.  As much as I would love to run, it is just too early in the season to put that much wear and tear on the engine that really needs to last me the entire season.  So, as of right now the weather looks good for the weekend so I will see everyone at Canandaigua on Saturday night! Take care for now!

Chad

Hello Everyone!  We kicked off the 2010 season at Weedsport this past Sunday and it turned out to be a difficult one for myself and the team.  With Weedsport starting at 5PM and running in the late afternoon the track was very dry and slick.  This put an emphasis on the pre-race draw for heat position, which did not go well for me at all.  So, I had to start 9th in the heat race, but everything seemed to be going fine, as I quickly drove up into the 6th and final qualifying position.  Then as I came down into turn one and got on the brakes, the car pitched completely sideways to the left.  I looked over and saw that the left front tire had gone flat.  Seeing that I was in a qualified spot, I attempted to keep going but I ended up bouncing the car off the inside wall exiting turn two.  At this point I decided to cut my losses in the heat and head to the consi.  Halfway through the consolation race I had moved into the last qualifying spot but again the car did not seem to be handling very well.  Luckily, I was able to hold on to get the last spot into the feature, as after the race we learned that I had again cut down a tire.  This time it was the right rear tire that had a slice in it, and thankfully it held together long enough to finish the race.  Due to some attrition to some of the qualified cars in the heat races, I was able to move up from my 24th starting spot to the 22nd starting spot at the drop of the green flag.  By this time in the day, there was absolutely no traction left in the track and it was extremely difficult to move forward.  The car actually drove pretty well and I was able to pass a few cars on the high side of the track.  Unfortunately, a few laps later I got bottled up behind a slower car and lost all of the progress that I had made in the previous 10 laps.  So, at the checkered flag I hadn't been able to move up too far, but I did pass a couple cars and I finished in the 19th position.  While this was not the kind of start to the season that I was looking for, the bright side is that this finish sets me up to start right up near the front when we go back to Weedsport this Sunday.  With the start time for this week's race being the same, I expect similar track conditions and hopefully I will be able to turn my good starting position into a good finish!  This weekend I will be at the Canandaigua Speedway season opener on Saturday night and again at Weedsport on Sunday.  Despite not getting the finish I was looking for last weekend, the car has been running well and I think we have a good shot at a couple strong finishes this weekend! I hope to see you all at the track!  Take care for now!

Chad

Doug's Dirt Diary was at Cayuga County on Sunday during practice and caught up with us for an interview.

You can listen to it here!

Hello Everyone!  Welcome to a new racing season and to the new ChadHoman.com.  This upgrade has been a long time in the making and there were times when it seemed like it would never happen.  I hope you all enjoy the new look as we have put in a lot of time to make the site look more professional, while being more informative to our loyal readers.  Take a look around and let us know what you think! 

The website isn't the only thing that has a new look for 2010.  Those of you that have already seen my Modified for this season know that I have completely changed up my color scheme.  The blue and orange are gone and hopefully we will get off to a good start with the new white, black, and yellow scheme!  Last year I saw a lot of cars popping up on the circuit with the same blue and orange look to it, so over the winter the team collectively decided that it was time for a change.  Pilat Graphic Design did a great job and I think everyone is going to be pleased with how the car looks... and yes, new apparel and merchandise is on the way for those wishing to keep current with the new look!

The team and I couldn't be more ready for the season to begin.  We ended last year with solid runs at Canandaigua and Weedsport, while capping the season off with a 2nd place finish at Rolling Wheels during Super DIRT Week.  We are bringing back the same car, with all new upgraded components, and Campbell's Racing Engines has built us a great engine for 2010.  The team's confidence is up and I personally feel that we are more prepared this year than we ever have been since we began Modified racing in 2006.  Bytronics and DigTrack.com have returned as the main sponsor of our team for another season.  Hopefully, we can show them and all of our fans even greater success in 2010! 

The upcoming week is going to be a busy one, as I intend to practice on Sunday at Weedsport.  Then we leave on Monday for the DigSafely New York annual meeting at Turning Stone Casino.  Our car will be on display in the ballroom near the rear entrance of the casino.  After a couple days off we will be back for the season opener at Weedsport on April 18th.  It is certainly looking like an exciting season for myself and the team so I hope to see you all at the track! 

Take care for now!
Chad