When a Saturday at the races hands you a not a bowl of lemons, but the whole tree - you add lots of sugar, stir it real hard and hope you get some sweet tasting lemonade. And that's exactly how last night played out. 52 cars in the pits at Ventura and you draw a really late qualifying pill, you gotta wonder what the outcome will be .... 20th ... but when you look at some of the other top runners that were back in the back with us - that wasn't to bad.
But when the green flagged dropped for the Heat Race, which Jake was to start outside front row and he puts the pedal to the metal and it doesn't go, everyone's heart just sunk. NOW WHAT??!! Rear end, motor - still aren't really sure. But this Moose Crew never says never and starts the stirring of the sugar in the lemons, by pulling out the backup car, swapping this and that and ready for either running the B main, or taking provisional for the A Main. Let's see, start at the back of the B and hope to make it threw, or start at the back of A, forfeit the starting $$, but still gain points. Jake and point leader, Damion Gardner both started in the last row. 24 cars on that tiny track is a hold your breath moment. Alittle over 1/2 way Ryan Bernal takes a tumble and in the process Jake gets a flat tire...just great, he had already worked his way to 14th, so, now, change the tire .... and head to the back again. With just a handful of laps to go - running 10th, how in the world did he do that? After 40 hard fought laps.... Jake earned the Hard Charger award finishing 8th.
Adding the sugar and the hard work stirring it into the lemons in this case - didn't just make lemonade, the team made Hard Mike's Lemonade!!!
Another addition to the Moose Team for this event - was Trent Williams, son of Ron from Victory Chassis. Trent's engine didn't get completed in time and the Victory Team had their hearts set on running this special event. With all that Ron and the whole gang at Victory Chassis has done for Moose Racing over the past few years, the crew opted to strap Trent in the JC Performance 360 car. Trent started running sprint cars in the young gun series that was formed at Perris Auto Speedway just a few years and came out of his first season, as The Champion. From pushing out for hot laps and wheeling the 92M for the first time, the 18 year old was impressive. Heat race 2 started him at the back and he worked his way up to just 1 spot out of a direct transfer to the A. Now this is the craziest rule most of us had ever heard of. Apparently, the USAC National rules are - when there a this many cars - if you don't make a direct transfer to the A from your Heat and you qualified out of the top 32, then you race the "C" Main, whereas normally you would run the B. Confusion was all around - so he missed the transfer by 1 ...and he's the C?? Don't figure. Asides from Trent finding himself in the C, so was Damion Gardner,point leader of the series. ( But Damion, like the Moosemobile, opted to use a Provisional) Trent started 6th in the C and crossed the checkered flags at The Winner. A quick thrash on the car - and he was pushed off for the B ... starting in the 2nd to last row. But wow, he was doing great. A tangle about mid way through the B ended his night early.
Although the evening had it's share of highs and lows, as always the Moose Team was smiling from ear to ear.
None of us can extend enough thanks to Mike from All Coast Construction for promoting and sponsoring this event. The little track by the sea, along with the incredible sound system that was brought in to keep the crowd pumped with it's flash back to the Beatles was totally awesome. Where else can you hear the rumble of the engines, the crashing of the waves, the cry of the seagulls - and watch the best form of open wheel racing all in the same place?!!!
None of this could ever happened without the massive amount of work from the Moose Crew - and all of the companies and people who support Moose Racing!!!