Race Report (05/18/2008)

Charlotte 16 May 2008 - Craftsman Truck Series

Official Practice - 09.40 hours, early showers, humid and drying.

After testing the Truck with our Race Partners SS/GLR Racing at Rockingham Speedway, ( NC not UK) on Wednesday 7th May, the shakedown went well and Mickel was quickest of the nine teams testing on the day which made everyone upbeat.

The Wegner built engine was changed for the Race as is normal procedure and first run of delayed practice at 10.20 hrs dampened spirits as the Truck had definitely lost its crisp note and the Truck pace was visibly appearing slow.

The Wegner Engine Tuner was found and attended to the Truck finding the fuel mixture weak on the plug colour. A decision was made to change the carb jetting and this change also needed an adjustment of the engine ignition timing.

No more time - a quick few laps before closing and the unofficial best time for John was 32.56 secs looking at 32nd out of 40 Trucks trying to qualify.

Qualifying

Mickel with the challenge of the Truck not quite on the mark from SS/GLR was 23rd to step up to the plate and bury any doubts about the Truck.

From the off, John thrashed it through the gears to wind it up and his two laps put a smile on everyone's face including his own with a 31.55 second time, placing him at the time 13th on the board of the 23 so far run.

With some formidable names within the 17 still to run, we knew it would not be our closing position but it was really pleasing for everyone to see the 07 click up on the board in lights at P 13 !

John's gutsy efforts saw him finally placed at a respectable 26th and eight places in front of the SS/GLR 08 Truck.

The Race

Over 2 hours of the 1.5 mile, 23 degree banked Lowes Motor Speedway, a fresh and unsettled evening with a prospect of a light shower. The NASCAR Weather helicopter circling constantly overhead to report to control any threatening showers to prevent and save everyone competing the element of surprise which could cause catastrophic pile up's, the night is on the edge.

134 laps (201 miles) $560,000 total winnings purse , first fuel & tyre pit stop expected lap 50 - 55.

Line up:

  1. 51 - Kyle Busch
  2. 33 - Ron Hornaday
  3. 2 - Jack Sprague
  4. 5 - Mike Skinner

8.50 pm Race starts

Lap 4 Turn 1, Mickel squeezed by Truck's 9 & 10 on entry and three won't go and John backs off to save a wreck.
Lap 8 21 gets into 16 into turn 3, 71 is also tagged by the 16 Truck and everyone is off the gas and diving for cover, all teams pit for a look over, we all ok, back on track in 28th !
Lap 15 Hurried clear up of the three Truck shunt and Crew Chief calls John in for fuel splash and dash, his thinking is to put us in a different sequence to the coming pit stop strategy known at lap 50 - 55.
Lap 19 Another yellow, the 9 Truck spins and tears off the front left corner, 51 Bush running 1st at 30.56 with Mickel at 32.88.
Lap 22 Top 20 of the pack now pit and Mickel is elevated to 12th.
Lap 23 The rest of the pack pit and the earlier fuel strategy places Mickel in 4th, all of a sudden things are looking just rosy !! Crew Chief Bobby Dotter of GLR not used to seeing one of the team in such a position asks Steve Dudman on the Pit Wall to make the call whether to leave John in place and risk the pack chewing him up and being spat out as we are still a second off the pace.

Dudman explains to Dotter," he's a born racer, he can deal with them all, leave him where he is, it'll be fine", all the pit crew are smiling.

Lap 25 Mickel now running 3rd - Green Flag !!
Lap 29 All the Trucks running real hard, everything up to pace and temperature, the pack arrive and Mickel is pinned high running safe but now 13th in a blink of an eye.
Lap 34 our 07 Truck is visibly slower in straight line speed and the stable mate 08 is running at similar pace, different engines, must be a mix of power and aerodynamics.
Lap 40 Now 29th, we are slowing, Bush leading 31.03 - Mickel 32.57.
Lap 62 Crew Chief Bobby Dotter calls John and gives him 6 laps more on Green and Pit, 4 tyres and Fuel.
Lap 67 Pit Stop - all good and well done to "Dessie" (Desiree') the SS/GLR team first female member and tyre changer.
Lap 75 New Tyres and Mickel does a 32.21 with Kyle Bush running 1st at 31.72 but reports a tyre vibration by lap 80 which is not good !
Lap 98 Yellow Flag, debris on the track as someone has lost their splitter, Mickel seizes the opportunity to call for 4 tyres to rid the vibration and pits. Truck off the jack and away - well no - he stalls it ! Crew push it hurriedly back into the pit box, the Truck fires and Mickel tears it up off the concrete and is away.
Lap 102 Green Flag - Mickel in 25th place and everyone is bunched up, running hard and this is when it can kick off.
Lap 105 Not long Kyle Bush who had got displaced by a slow pit stop literally jacks up the 33 Ron Hornaday Truck on the front straight toward Turn 1 and launches him onto the infield. Complete bedlam as Trucks fly off everywhere, tyre smoke like a military field operation and nobody can see at 170 mph. Mickel unsighted decides to do some gardening and takes the 07 off onto the grass for his "Flymo" trick to avoid what might or might not be waiting in front him. Dotter calls John in for an inspection assuming that as he could not see the fluorescent orange band of the splitter from the pit wall, it was folded underneath he Truck.

Mickel arrives and the Team jump over the wall to find his "collector box" full, John has so much grass in the front of the truck, you could feed a horse with it ! No damage, away he goes.

Lap 112 Everyone is bunched up and the guys are all running real fast and bare in mind, all the Trucks were running within 3 mph of the Cup cars.
Lap 114 Trouble - I am sat on the Pit Box with three advantages, I have the NASCAR stats of positions and times, I can see and hear parts of the circuit but most of all, I have the live and fantastic live TV coverage on my screen also and I see the 18 truck lose it into Turn 3 going high up to the wall and on it's way down in front of the traffic. Mayhem pursues and Trucks are all over the place but I do notice a delay by John's spotter to warn him, unusual as he has been right on it all night - bang - Mickel ploughs the 07 into the back of the 9 Truck that is standing on his brakes.
Lap 115 Mickel is still running but the front bodywork has the bonnet bent in half forming a tent like shape and Mickel is saying he can't see over it and he is called in anyway as we want to have a look at it for ourselves.

As he pulls into the pit box, I can smell oil and water and the crew wave, it's all over, the radiator and oil cooler are split - our first retirement - our first DNF !

What as mess, there goes our no claim discount - sorry guys !

Trackside Dave reporting - here's 'till next time but I can report this weekend has opened a lot more doors and the investment by everyone is taking us one step closer to running a full time programme, keep in touch with the website for news.