We got a nice early start on Sunday heading to the track with time to spare. Scattered T-Storms were in the forecast for Big Daddy’s Speed bowl, but only at a 30% chance. We ran into that 30% about 15min away from arriving at the track. Thankfully, within 5min of the track, the weather completely cleared up.

After Mother Nature watered the track for us, it didn’t take much for the water truck to finish it off the job and get us out for practice. I have to say, it’s nice to get a few hot laps in at the beginning of the day to see where the car’s going to settle in. Very often we don’t get to practice, or if we do, we only get 2-3 laps worth.

Drew and I started out the heat, I was on the outside pole, drew started inside second row. The green dropped and we took off. Worried about a bad clicking sound, I let off early into turn 1 and Terry Riel in the # 11 car immediately got under me to take the lead. Turned out, the chain had stretched a little from when I first put it on and the clicking sound was my chain rapping against my nerf bar.

The first few laps where a little rough until I could find where the car wanted to run. Starting off a bit too tight, a quick adjustment to the top wing position solved the problem. The next issue arrived as I ran out of gear by the end of the back stretch and ran the engine off the rev limiter for about a full second or more before the turns. It’s been the same gear I’ve been running all year, but with a few changes I made to the car this past week, it was accelerating much faster than before, and running out of gear. This posed a new challenge as I couldn’t quite keep up with the top running cars. In the end, I finished one spot in front of Drew.

I didn’t have the sprocket needed to change my gear ratio at the track, so I would be forced to run the feature the same way. Starting 7^th (4^th row inside) and Drew 6^th (3^rd row outside) we started the feature. The first few laps were shear pandemonium. With the fast cars at the rear, they made their presence known immediately. Everyone shuffled for track position. At the first caution for a spun car, I found myself back 2 places in 9^th on the restart. A few laps later, I found myself turned around after hitting a huge hole between turn 1 and 2. After that, I pushed my wing all the way back to avoid the loose situation again.

Now at the back of the pack, I had to work back to my original position. From 12^th back to 8^th, I found myself 2 spots back from Drew with the 73 of Jacob Williams between us. Still running out of gear before the end of the track, I couldn’t quite get enough of a run on Williams to get by. He was running the track pretty low and I tried a few times to go high, but came up short. I just didn’t have the power to run that high. I had to keep digging for the inside. Finally, in turn 1, Williams got a little too high on the track and I was able to get up beside him. We ran wheel to wheel for about a lap until Drew’s engine locked up in front of us and we were forced to avoid him. Williams went around on the high side, as I locked up my breakes and turned the car around to avoid Drew.

Sitting sideways on the track, I panicked to start the car and get out of the way as I saw other cars heading into the corner. I fired the car, dropped the clutch, and I shot into the infield to safety. As I made my way to the right to head back to the track I caught one of the mud puddles in the infield. I hammered the gas to try to power through it…. Yea, not a good idea…. The stagger in the car allowed the puddle to turn me left and suck me in like quick sand. Now covered in mud, you couldn’t tell that my car used to be blue. 8o) I ripped tear offs from my helmet to find a clear view. After pulling my last tear off, I was left with mud streaks down the inside of my shield. Man that’s annoying. Luckily, I could still see. It was more annoying than anything.  

Drew went to the pits with a blown engine. Terry Riel (#11), behind me when I spun to avoid the wreck, was placed back in front of me for the restart. I let it go. With around 5 laps left, I finished 7^th behind the #11. Not bad out of 13 cars and the challenges handed to us. Drew finished out 11^th.

After this race, I gained 5 points on Drew in the Rookie Championship. Now only 5 points out, Drew’s feeling the heat with a cooked engine. Not the way I want to gain ground. Luckily, Drew has a spare engine that he started the season with and he will be able to get that back in the car before the next race. The next race will be in 3 weeks. It will be nice to get two weekends off. With 3 races to go, it’s coming down to the wire. Good Luck Drew! You better give me a good run! 8o)

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Eldridge Racing

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to send out a blog update, and I apologize for that. I’ll try to recap that last 3 races in this single blog. It all started with a hot, dry day at Big Daddy’s Speedbowl in Rumny, NH June 27.

Race #6 Big Daddy’s Speedbowl

Drew and I started in the second heat. I started outside front row (2^nd) and Drew started inside 3^rd row (5^th). Right off the start, I took the lead from the 28 of Tim Beard. Later I lost the lead to the 75L of Johnny Chestnut and the 11 of Terry Reil to finish up the Heat in 3^rd. Drew, not far behind, finished 4^th.

When the Feature started, the heat of the sun played its toll on the track. Traction was a hard thing to find. Starting 7^th (4^rd row inside), Drew 5^th (3^rd row outside), my car would run well, as long as I leaned on the cushion at the top of the track when heading into the corner. At times, corner exit was more of an issue coming out of turn 4, as all 4 wheels on the car would want to slide up the track. Come to find out, Drew was having the same issue.

It was a green to checkered race, meaning we had no cautions. At least until the last lap. The 89 jumped from 4^th to 1^st before turn one and soon after the field completely spread out, head to tail on the track. It would have been a hard race to follow from the bleachers. The 89 of Luke Greenwood taking the charge. Luke was so far gone, that second and third place cars, 3v of Brian Gray and 2 of Josh Boissoneau didn’t stand a chance at even seeing Luke again for the rest of the race. By the end of the race, Luke managed to lap the field all the way to just in front of the 6^th place, the 73 of rookie Jacob Williams, and the 11 of Terry Reil. I was running running 8^th behind the 73 and 11. On Lukes last lap, to complete 20 laps, the 73 and 11 dropped off the pace on the backstretch. With only seconds to make a decision to go around or under the two cars, I committed to the line I had been running all race against the cushion as my car handled the best there. At the time, there was plenty of room where I committed. It wasn’t till last second, that the 73 of Jacob Williams turned right towards the pit opening. At that point, I had nowhere to go. I locked the breaks, cut hard left and hopped he would be gone by the time I got there. Unfortunately he was not. With both cars pitched on an angle, my right front hooked the right rear of his bumper sending Jacob forward and to the right. Being that these cars are left side heavy, his left wheels dug in as his car lifted and rolled over.  My car spun around 180 degrees and stopped almost instantly. With the rest of the field coming off the checkered flag, the red flag was out.

http://www.facebook.com/v/131035843597001I was told after the race that I had missed the checkered flag. For this, club president Terry Reil, Vice President Dean Hanson, and Tech Inspector Troy Boissoneau made the decision at the track to suspend me for two weeks. I have since reviewed the video provided by a fellow club member Micheal Scott, and tracked the 89 as he completed his laps. I now have no doubt that the 89 was on his last lap of 20 laps when the accident happened directly behind him. Micheal Scott, who the video is focused on, only one lap down, only completed 18 laps. I’m still upset that the accident happened at all. But I refuse to point fingers at anyone for fault because I feel it was just that, an accident. The accumulation of all decisions, commitments, and circumstances added up to a poor outcome. I can only be thankful that we both walked away without injury.

Race #7 Canaan Dirt Speedway

The following week was an off week. The next race would be at Canaan, two weeks from the accident. My two week suspension was allowed to count that off week, so I would only miss the Canaan race.

At Cannan, I attended and helped my brother, Drew, with his car. Drew started in the first heat, 2^nd row inside (3^rd) and struggled from the start. Engine not running right, on his last lap running 7th, with the leader’s right behind him, his engine shut down completely. We think it may have been a fuel issue and made some modifications for the feature.

For the feature, Drew started 3^rd once again. On only the 2^nd or 3^rd lap, while holding 3^rd, the 2^nd place car of Brian Gray #3v lost his footing coming out of turn 4 right in front of Drew. Drew managed to pitch his car hard enough to move down the track and over the inner turn tire barrier missing the 3v by only inches. I can’t say the same for the following group of cars directly behind them. It was shear pandemonium as the 13m of rookie Douglas McPhail, 28 of rookie Tim Beard, and the 11 of Terry Reil all piled in. Douglas McPhail took the brunt of it as the first car in and toppled over like a badly tossed horse shoe. Terry Reil, the only one without major damage restarted the race. The other 3 all walked off the track.

Drew went on to finish 6^th out of the 12 cars that started the race. Later in the pits, I visited Douglas at his trailer to see how he was doing. Icing his foot, I didn’t want to just sit down and start talking incase he was still upset about the accident. After only a few seconds of looking at his car, Doug asked me what had just happened. He said “I’m just coming out of it and I’m looking at my wrecked car, what happened?” I explained what had just happened thinking he was expressing that it happened so fast he couldn’t remember. That’s when he told me that he didn’t remember any of it. I figured it would be best to have the ambulance crew take a look at him now.

Doug’s seat had actually bent forward almost 6 inches during the wreck. The last time he put his belts in, he accidentally missed putting the belts over the cross member that supports them. When I saw that, I feared the worst for Doug. In this situation, as the seat moves forward, the belts reduce in height, in turn compressing your spinal column. Doug was brought to the hospital to be checked out that night, and it wasn’t until the following day that we got word that his back was ok. Doug suffered from a concussion and a broken foot. Considering the alternatives, I would consider Doug very lucky.

Race #8 Bear Ridge Speedway

With that, we come to Race 8. Mending my damaged car, and machining some new components, I was ready to come back strong as we arrived at Bear Ridge Speedway. It was a hot day, with not much for shade. Defiantly a day for the easy-up tents. Last time we were here, the track started out with a tacky surface during our heat and I went on to place first in the heat. By the feature, the track loosened up too much for my setup and I suffered an extremely loose car. This week, anticipating the heat drying the track, I set my car up more for a dry loose track than I did before. It just may have paid off.

Drew started the heat 4^th (2^nd row outside). Still feeling the repercussions from my penalty, I started at the back of the pack 7^th, (4^th row inside). One of the rules we have for starting positions is that if you miss the week prior, you must start in the rear. I was then technically penalized for being penalized the week before. Interesting how that worked out. With not much action to talk about, I was able to move to a heat finish of 4^th just in front of Drew in 5^th.

The feature was much more exciting. Drew started on the pole position (1^st row, inside). I started, again with the rearward penalty for my penalty, in 6^th. If it wasn’t for that, I should have been starting next to Drew. That aside, the race was on! Right off the bat, the 75L of Johnny Chestnut made his move as he split the 7 of my brother Drew Eldridge and the 11 of Terry Reil, to make an early push for the lead. I don’t know if it was that lap, or the next that Chestnut got a bit too sideways in between turn 1 and 2 in front of Drew for the pass. Drew doing his best to push his car down the track, clipped Chestnut’s left front, with his right rear. Chestnut’s left front wheel and nose wing where torn off as a result sending him to the pit early.

On the restart, Terry Reil #11 and David Morgan #37 pushed for the lead. Morgan in his first time out with a brand new car. Drew and I were left to battle it out for 4^th. Shortly after passing the #2 of Troy Boissoneau, 3^rd. Drew was able to get a good jump on the restart, leaving me with track distance to make up. Inch by inch, I made up the distance while I used Drew’s draft to my advantage. I tried multiple times to pull under Drew coming out of the corners but just didn’t have the power to do it. Lap after lap, I tried high, I tried low, and it wasn’t until 4 laps to go that I was able to get a run on Drew. I got my nose under him in turn 3 and finally let him know I was there. It was the following lap that I got under him the rest of the way and made the pass with 2 laps to go. Holding Drew off for the last two laps, I finished 3^rd, while he finished right behind me in 4^th.

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It wasn’t until later that I found out Drew’s right rear had been cut when he went over the 75L. It had caused a slow leak that lasted the rest of the race. During the last two laps, it had drained a good amount causing him to lose traction and give me the opportunity to get under him.

Drew and I continue to lead the Rookie Points and reside in 3^rd and 4^thin the over championship. Only 10 points out from Drew in the Rookie Points, I’ll be making a strong run at overcoming the gap over the next few weeks. With only 4 races left, it won’t be easy.

This weekend was a hot one for sure, and that played a big role in track conditions. Drew and I started in Heat 2. I started on the outside pole. (front row) Drew started 5^th, inside 3^rd row. When the green dropped, my foot hit the floor and never came up. My car stuck to the tacky track like it was glue. After we reached the half way mark I wasn’t sure where everyone went. Did I miss something? Are they on my tail? With 3 laps to go I gave a glance back to see if I could catch sight of anyone behind me as I came out of turn 2. I caught a glimpse of Chestnut in the 75L entering turn 1 as I rocketed out of turn 2. From there it was on to the checkered flag for my first Heat win of the season. Drew went on to finish 4^th while fighting a non-handling car.  

Drew was having a hard time with his setup. After taking a look at his car, we made a few changes that helped him drastically in the Feature. While not realizing the role that the heat would take in drying the track, I left my car set up for the tacky surface we raced on during the heat. Not a good idea.

They ran coupes in between the 500’s and 600’s this week to give a few of the guys that run both, a chance to change cars between races. As we waited for the coupe race to finish, it seemed to go on for a very long time. Caution after caution extended the race longer and longer. The track only seemed to get more and more dusty and it was hard to see the cars on the track. That worried me as I thought about how it was at Big Daddy’s two weeks earlier.

Starting 10^th and Drew starting 7^th, we took the green flag for the feature. To my surprise, my car became extremely loose on the dried out surface. I fought to maintain control as I had to lift off the throttle quite a bit. Managing to make my way to 7^th, I could see Drew running not far ahead in 5^th. Running strong, his car looked to be handling 10 times better than in the heat.  

I made a move to pass the 73 of Jacob Williams for 6^th. I tried the high side without luck, my car wanted to turn right around. I tried the low side with the same result. After a few attempts it seemed to be getting worse as was the dust. The wall actually ended up disappearing in dust. I could see the inside of the track, but couldn’t tell how far up the track I could climb when coming out of the 4^th turn.

I held my position in 7^th with Williams in front of me and the number 74 of Justin Eldridge behind me. Yes, I said Justin Eldridge. No relation that we know of to Drew and I. Ironically, Justin ran his first race with GSMSRC this past weekend.

On the last lap, leader Matt Robbie #75 was lapping Drew on the back stretch, when Drew just ran out of track. Keeping up with Robbie and holding on to his lap, Drew was sucked into the softer dirt at the top of the track which in turn sucked him into the wall. Drew’s wreck moved me to a 6^th place finish, while Drew finished up in 9^th after other cars dropped out earlier.

Drew totaled the right rear rim, tire and radius rods and also bent his frame, wing and a few other components. Drew, though a little sore the next day, is ok. But it’s going to take a lot of work for him to get his car back in shape for next week’s race at Big Daddy’s Speedbowl.

The point’s race is starting to get very exciting for us. After this weekend, Drew has moved to second in the championship point’s race, while I have moved to tie him for the second position. With Terry Reil #11, only one point behind, our eyes have fallen on the current point’s leader Johnny Chestnut #75L. With 36 points to make up, it’s going to be a hard run for the championship.

In the rookie points race, while not including the one drop week the club has for points, Drew still leads the race by only 6 points from 2^nd place holder Douglas McPhail in the #13M. I managed to gain 9 points on Drew from last week placing me in 3^rd with 8 points to catch up.

Next week is Race #6 at Big Daddy’s Speedbowl in Rumney, NH. The half way point to the total of 12 points races this year. Things are getting more and more exciting as we find our setups and work out the bugs. Will we close the gap for the championship? Only time will tell.