Anyone who knows Tom , knows that when traveling, he sets the time the rig is pulling out and by golly, that's when it leaves, with or without you. This trip the only person that could of been left behind was me, as unfortunately that dreaded word, WORK, came into play and our road triip companion Jim wasn't able to make the trip. Being a Thursday/Friday race made it difficult for 90% of Team Moose to attend, leaving them to get updates via text or Race Monitor.
Starting his day at 5 AM at a job site, the plan was leave Huntington Beach at 8 PM, after the work hour rush, get to probably Barstow, sleep and rise and shine early and pull into Vegas. Welp, Mr Moose was somehow wide awake and the rig pulled into the DIrt Track in Vegas at 2:15 AM. An unusual alarm clock was the sound and vibration of the Nellis Air Force Fighter planes training maneuvers rattled the motorhome at 6:30... what in the world was that? Shaking off the cobb webs, and realizing where we were atleast we realized we weren't in the middle of war zone. so, up and ready to get this day started. Chris & Jake arrived about 2 and Poof, it was now, the entire crew for Moose Racing...
36 Non Wing 360 sprinters were among the 3 classes of race cars on hand for the battle in Vegas. Title series " The World Of Outlaws" and the IMCA Modifeds. It was gonna be a long night.
Running the USAC 360 series, is a new untaking for Team Moose and getting accustomed to the procedures and layout of the program was gonna take some getting used to. No individual qualifying - it was done in groups of about 6 cars -- sure hoping you didn't get behind someone that for some reason wasn't able to get up to speed. The field was divided into 5 groups - Jake was in session 2 ... when the stopwatch clicked off Jake was 13th overall. Heat race 1 rolls off and Jake is sitting on the pole, with RYan Bernal lurching right behind him. The 360 format, transfers the top 4 directly to the Main. But, only the top 2 are eligible to be in the draw for the invert. Confused? I was .. so .... there's not a set # of cars that are inverted - the winner of the last heat, draws from a selection i.e.: 0-9 and that says what the invert is -- which would be the winner of that heat. Then winner of the 3rd,2nd and 1st would make up the first 2 rows, row 3 & 4, is the 2nd place heat finishers etc. A tad bit confusing -- so, that placed Jake outside row 2.
The start for Jake was ugly and trust me, the remaining 24 weren't any prettier. Sitting in the pit grandstands and getting a "back view" of the cars going out of turn 2, I was perplexed at what in the world was wrong with the 92 car? Where the changes the wrong way? How could they have been this far off? It was scarey scarey scarey, I swore every time going out of 2 that the Moosemobile was gonna roll over! On the roughest, pot holed track this gal has ever seen, apparently in those opening laps, hitting a major crater, tore the right front shock off .... then late in the race, the left rear tire was just about flat. So, all of this added to the track surface, it is a miracle that Jake was able to hang on and still come home with a top 10 in 8th. Congrats to winner - Ryan Bernal...
Car given a spit bath, engine servied and some other parts attended to, it was now 3:30 AM and time for night night land.
With the maintenance on the car being completed in the wee hours of the night ( or should I say morning ) everyone opted to pull the bed covers tight and sleep in, the trailer door was finally being opened about 3. With Nascar being across the road at The Speedway any goings on at the dirt track were on hold until the safety crew could make their way over. News of this delayed cars getting on the track quite awhile. Again, group qualifying - this time in the 3rd pack, Jake found himself 7th in the 33 car field of 360's. Lining up in Heat 3 inside row 3. The track surface had been worked some earlier in the day and appeared to be in better shape then night 1. Fingers crossed.... Started 3rd and finshed the 8 laps in 3rd. A direct transfer to the Main, but missing the cars that would be inverted in the first few rows. It was gonna be row 5 outside in P10 for Jake and the Moosemobile.
During Heat #4, Ryan Bernal the night before's winner blew his engine... if his crew swapped engines from their back up car into this car, Ryan would start outside row 2. BUT, if they just pulled put a backup car - he'd have to start dead last!!! With the running of World of Outlaws, Modifieds, B Mains etc, his crew would have plenty of time to swap the engine, but to everyone's surprise, they elected to use the back up car and start last. Ryan was gonna have a lonnnngggg way to go if he was to be a repeat winner. Surprising that with the surface reworked there was a high and low line - and Jake had the 92 trying different spots various times. Without the hinderance of broken shocks, flat tires etc, Jake came home 6th.
Everyone involved in non wing racing knows that Ryan is a very talented man, and that this crew gives him and awesome handling car. Just about everyone was cheering for him as he worked his way though the field, but I don't think many expected him to pass Brady Bacon who had led 99 % of the race - at the very end for the Win!!!
FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Ryan Bernal, 2. Brady Bacon, 3. Brody Roa, 4. Jace Vander Weerd, 5. Stevie Sussex, 6. Jake Swanson, 7. Trey Marcham, 8. Tristan Guardino, 9. Brady Short, 10. Shon Deskins, 11. Troy Rutherford, 12. R.J. Johnson, 13. Richard Vander Weerd, 14. Dave Darland, 15. Jeff Sibley, 16. Dylan Westbrook, 17. Tye Mihocko, 18. Ryan Timmons, 19. Charles Davis Jr., 20, Joe Stornetta Jr., 21. Landon Cling, 22. Jeff Lowery. NT
Servicing on the car completed and loaded Tom & I hit the road towards home. Again, the plan, get down Baker grade, pull over the bed on wheels, get a few hours of sleep and finish the trip home early in the morning. Well, this crazy man Mr Moose just kept going and going - i would cat nap here and when my eyes popped open the sun was shining and we were getting off the 22 freeway. This man I married is crazy... but he is the best "camper driver" around.
Jake arrived at the shop about 1:30, the rig door came down, car and mule unloaded and discussion about what needed to be done befoe the next 360 race at Thuderbowl Raceway this coming weekend. One major problem, the trailer door came down, but wouldn't go up --- an hour or so of trying this and that, still no go. Pressing other buttons, all of a sudden,, if you pressed open it would start to close and flip flop --- electrical stuff never ceases to amaze me, but somehow, the door closed, the rig out away and tom will chat with the trailer guy tomorrow....
Hope to see you at Tulare!!!!