|
Two Ouch's, But Team Still Confident Saturday's race was one to be forgotten. That pretty much sums up how the night went. After some successful practice sessions and another #1 qualifying position, things looked up for Michael Hale and the team. Unfortunately it was Kamikaze night at the races and the night ended with a banged up racecar and lots of frustration. Oh, but there is still plenty of confidence in this team, and after a week off from the asphalt, Hale Racing will return to RMR as competitive as ever. As stated earlier, the night started off pretty well. It was the second event in a row that Michael qualified up front and many people, even some track officials weren't skeptical to admit Michael had the car to beat. A 2nd place finish in the Heat Race didn't hurt anything, and the team was pumped for a good Main Event. Things started well as Michael moved forward, slowly but surely picking off one driver after another. Michael had moved his way from 21st to 8th by Lap 28, and that's when things went sour. Defending points champion Lynn Hardy got into Michael exiting turn 2 and around went Michael, thus bringing out a caution and moving both drivers to the rear of the field. So with just over 20 laps to go, Michael began his journey forward once again. After the ordeal with Hardy, the car was still okay, and Michael showed it by moving back up to 7th with just 3 laps to go. Unfortunately... as I also stated above, tonight seemed to be Kamikaze night at the races, and Michael was once again driven into. This time a lot harder. Current points leader Gary Madsen drove hard into turn 3 and we are still not sure what happened, but his car drove right into the left rear quarter panel of Michael causing him to lose control and spin out once again. This came as a huge surprise as Gary has never driven into Michael like that, so it was no surprise that frustration was high in the pit area afterwards. Things eventually calmed down and I'm sure an incident like this isn't going to destroy the longtime friendship between these two drivers. I'm sure both teams would agree that we hope it never happens again. Although the night ended on a rough note, there are still some positives after all is said and done. Michael still controls the second place points position at RMR (complete standings), and is still very much in contention with 8 point races remaining. Oh and let's not forget that in the race for the Joe Gibbs ASA Shorttrack National Championship, Michael currently sits 2nd in the Western Region standings (complete standings) and 4th in the entire country. Qualifying well and moving through the field is what it will take to win championships both here at home, and in the nationwide series. We hope you'll continue to support us each and every Saturday as we work towards that goal of finishing 01. Saturday night was a tough night of racing, but our fans once again showed their support and we greatly appreciate it. Our sponsors were once again top notch and they continue to stand by us week in and week out, no matter what the result. Thanks goes out to all of you for cheering us on and helping make Hale Racing one of Utah's and now one of the country's most competitive short track race teams. We know you'll continue to stand by us as we race towards the championship each and every week. Thanks again sponsors, thanks again fans. We'll see you this Saturday in Price, UT for our 2nd dirt race of the 2008 campaign. Short article written by Brad Edwards
Have a question or comment
about this article?
-
Return To The List Of News
Articles
-
Return To The List Of Dates
- Return Home |