1/28/2016
Joshua Hodges
Winter Challenge Win and Weekend Recap
Our first race weekend of 2016 was a good one at the Winter Challenge in Peoria, AZ. We kicked it off Friday night at Canyon Speedway Park with a 2nd place run after starting 10th. Although we were fast at the end, Bryan Clauson was equally good or better so for Saturday night we knew that a better starting position may help our chances. With a front row pill draw, we were able to win the heat and start 5th that night but unfortunately we didn't get aggressive enough in setup to capitalize on that starting spot, resulting in a solid but unfulfilling 4th place finish. We then came back on Sunday and struggled getting through traffic in the heat race, finishing 7th despite posting the fastest lap times. That put us starting 11th in the feature but, luckily, we hit the setup and charged to 4th by lap 6. The remainder of the laps were a blast spent battling with RJ Johnson and Clauson in lap traffic after Charles Davis spun mid way through. Around lap 20, I was able to get by both on the bottom of turns 1 & 2 when lap traffic intervened once again. A red flag came out once again when Clauson got next to me for the lead but after that I was able to fend them off for the win. I can't thank my family and the Landis family enough for their help last weekend. I'm really looking forward to the last couple of nights because I know we have a fast race car and at least a shot at a couple more!
Submitted By: Jack Hodges
