4/28/2013
Joshua Hodges
HMS Update - World of Outlaws @ Salina Highbanks
This past weekend was dominated by cloud covered skies and rainy conditions resulting in us only hitting the racetrack for one event on Saturday. Originally, we were going to race with the World of Outlaws at the Salina Highbanks on Friday and then change motors to race at 81 Speedway with NCRA in Wichita, KS on Saturday. The NCRA race was cancelled because of weather, and the World of Outlaw raced was postponed a day to Saturday night. It didn’t look good in Salina, OK at about 4:00 pm but the track prep crew and the WoO did their best to get the track in racing condition and did a good job of it. For qualifying, I was 16th on the lockdown, fast racetrack and the car wasn’t terrible but we definitely had room for adjustment. In the heat race we made some minor changes but they proved to be no help in traffic on the lighting fast 3/8 mile highbank oval. I started and finished the heat 6th and there was very little passing throughout the night. With not much to lose we took a big swing at the setup for the A feature. The first ten laps it took me a while to gather myself and get the car working like it needed to, but the last 20 laps I think we were as fast as anyone, with the exception the top three finishers. I was able to run down the 5th place car once I fell in line and the car was working well. The track provided for the fastest racing conditions I’ve ever been in and it was an altogether new experience for me, which was a big learning curve. From the beginning to the end of the night I think we gained on things and learned a lot which is always what you are looking for. In the end we ended up 17th but it was certainly worth the trip.
Submitted By: Jack Hodges