In
the Central PA Legends Series, you are required to start last, at the back of
the field, for your first three races.
That suited me fine since despite having a lot of “racing” experience on
asphalt, this was my first exposure to racing on dirt.
So, my first time
driving “Sunshine” was at Trail-Way Speedway on July 26, 2013. First time in a
Legends Car and first time on a dirt oval.
I admit to having a bit of apprehension, as a quote from
Hall of Fame driver Red Farmer about drivers switching from asphalt to dirt
bounced around in my head..”An asphalt driver is in for a world of hurt if he has no experience
on dirt," he said. Farmer (still
racing late models on dirt short tracks at age 80) thinks it may take a year or
two to fully learn how to drive on dirt. I certainly was not looking forward to
a “world of hurt”.
So “patience” and “caution” were the order of
the day. My research on the proper
setup, gained by a lot of listening and reading—learning from others' experience
as well as my engineering background, seemed to pay off as the car was quite
neutral and well behaved. I had been warned about the cars being “twitchy” but
my first impression was a bit different.
The car had enough power to spin the wheels and get loose coming off the
corner, but not more than other cars I’ve driven. The short wheel base makes the car very responsive--perhaps my experience in formula cars influences my opinion, but I think Legends Cars handle very well.
The only frustration was from not having
mirrors and knowing that I was slower than the leaders. I could not see or hear
traffic overtaking me until they were right beside me. Even though I tried to stay out of everyone’s
way by staying high, a couple guys got a bit impatient with me and butted my
right rear in the middle of the corner—making the car under-steer toward the
wall until they backed off. Also got a
couple “butts” to my rear bumper that I needed to repair after the race.
So at Trail-Way, I started 24th
and finished 18th, running about 2 seconds a lap off the leaders’
pace. (Got lapped twice.) I had prayed
before the race for good judgment and God’s protection—he had answered my
prayers—I was happy and thankful.
My assessment of dirt compared to asphalt is
that driving on dirt is VERY different.
Best description is: to me it’s like driving in fresh, deep snow—enough
traction to go fast, but slippery enough to require a bit of finesse and more car
control skill than on dry pavement. (I learned to drive fast in the Laurel Highland mountains of south western PA, in the snow when I was 16.) The most interesting difference between asphalt and dirt is that asphalt does not change much, but one night on a dirt track is like driving on three different tracks--the car handles much differently in the warm up versus the heat race and the again a big difference in the feature. And, changing racing lines really changes the way the car handles.
Since Sunshine had survived without damage,
other than minor bends to my bumper mounting tabs, I was ready to go again with my second race at
Path Valley, a sweet little ¼ mile high banked oval with beautiful mountain
scenery. Here on August 3I started last again, 18th, and finished 15th. I had moved up at Trail-Way solely by
attrition with others falling out of the race or spinning. At Path Valley—a milestone—I
actually passed someone! Still I was about a one second per lap off the pace of
the leaders but a bit of improvement. This time, I stayed low to keep out of
the way and only got lapped once. I had
prayed before the race for good judgment and God’s protection—he had answered
my prayers—I was happy and thankful again.
Being slow at this point was pretty much
because of my being conservative on corner entry. I’ve never been throttle shy,
so full throttle off the corner, even if very loose requiring a lot of opposite
lock is not an issue. Sliding out to the wall is not an issue either. Losing control by being too hot on corner
entry was a concern. My definition of a
race car driver is someone who maintains control of his car while going fast—testing
the limit without going over it. Plus my
racing goal is to be a Chaplain and an Ambassador of Christ, so setting a good
example by using good judgment was important—being “Salt and Light” as we as
Christians are supposed to be in the world. (Matthew
5:16 NIV) “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
My confidence increasing, the goal for the
next race was to work on increasing corner entry speed. On to my third race, at Lincoln Speedway on
August 24. Not knocking any of the other
tracks, but to me, Lincoln seems like the dirt track equivalent of Charlotte
Motor Speedway—a very nice and "classy" track with a lot of spectators. (This race attracted
a big field of more than 30 Legends Cars.) Plus, most of my family decided it
was time to come out and watch the 62 year old Grandpa race. So four of my Grandchildren (Age 4 thru 14) were in the stands, along with their parents,
two of Carol’s sons and one Daughter-in-Law. A little bit more pressure than usual. (Since I’m not yet running out front, nobody
is paying much attention to my driving, but I did want to set a good example
for the Grandsons and Granddaughter with at least a “respectable” performance.)
In the warm up, I charged the first corner,
held wide open throttle longer than usual and trail-braked into the corner.
Surprise! The previously “neutral” car
was now VERY loose with the back end coming around a lot as I entered the
corner. Actually, it was not that much
of a surprise…many times a car will be tight in the corner..until you start
driving it hard. The good thing---the
car responded predictably to my opposite lock correction and moved from tight
to loose with throttle modulation. I
changed the right front brake bias a bit for the Heat Race.
Starting last as usual, the car handled
great. Jousted with another car for
several laps and was able to pass him using the classic late apex
strategy. Did not qualify for the
Feature, but was assigned (earned) a 6th place starting position in
the Consolation Race, giving me a long shot chance of making the Feature, but I
opted to follow the rules.. and again started last—11th.
With more confidence, I charged the first
corner when the green flag dropped and passed one car. Unlike at Trail-Way and Path Valley, I was able to keep up with the pack and even
passed one more car in the short race, finishing 9th. Probably should not have made that right front brake bias adjustment as the car was way too tight on entry and mid corner. I also probably could have gone faster if I had reduced my tire pressure and ran a higher line. The best news, only about 0.6 seconds per lap
off the pace needed to win. Still not a scratch on the car and no mechanical
problems. God had again answered my prayers for good judgment and protection
and I was grateful. (The power of
faithful prayer is truly awesome!)
Despite running three races, I was humbled to
realize that because the races are so short, I still have a total of less than
an hour of “seat time” in the car and on dirt. Experience teaches that it takes
several hours of “seat time” to become really competitive—probably a full year
of racing short dirt oval tracks. Like every "athletic" sport, lot's of focused practice is required to develop "instinct" which is the basis of going fast while retaining control in a race car. So far, our rate of improvement is steady, cutting our "behind the leader" gap by about 50% each outing.
But, God teaches that patience and
perseverance are important parts of living according to his design for us. With constant and continuous improvement, along
with humility and a gentle nature, people will begin to notice the Cross displayed
on “Sunshine” and the good news message of hope for all that it symbolizes. John 3:16 That’s
the goal.
