October 19, 2003 - Olde Town

Started out as a cool day, in the mid to high 40's, but warmed up to around low 60's by race time. I tried a few different combos of tires. Started out with the Micros on the T-Maxx but felt they slid around too much, so went to the Pro-Line Road Rage 40 in front with their rims and Trinity Park tires on Maximizer rims in back. They felt pretty good. Ran the Dominator some with 4 Road Rage tires on it and it was turning around everyplace. Asphalt was cool in the beginning and got up to around a peak of 85-90. I took the Trinityr Park tires and put them on the back of the Dominator and had much better bite, so left them on there.

Started in Practice and backed the T-Maxx into the wall hard and bent skid plate and bumper up pretty bad, but bent it back down. I decided I wanted to run the Dominator, as the speed felt pretty good and after doing some tuning on the carb it didn't run that bad.

The course was tight and lots of turns and felt I was over powering it in most places, so found when I ran slower that it helped out a lot. Learn more each week.

Had 10 trucks total and think we started 8. Don't know how they figured it, as I should have started in the middle but had me as 9th so I said what the heck I will start there and didn't take long to go through traffic, but kept having flips when I got around drivers I didn't know (but found out later it was due to a split on the inside of the rim and the spring keeper came off one shock so that was the main problem.

In the end Tony Musak was first with 23, Robert Spence with 22 and I thought I was going to finish 3rd, but flipped in a corner on the last lap and the dumb turn marshall just looked at the truck and I had to yell to drop it so I could get on and got beat out of 3rd by 4 seconds by the guy with the Savage truck. Tony did the TQ and Lee finished behind me.

After looking at the Dominator it wasn't hurt too bad, a split in the rim of which I think I can weld back with the plastic welder and the right front CVA was bent a hair, and think I can straighten it like I did the left one last week. Rear A-Arms and the bulk heads still have a LOT of slop in them so might try to CA Glue them and drill them out this week, and the drive shaft cups are warn already so will weld them up and grind them down some.

I do think the truck was the fastest of any today as I pulled all in the backstretch, just need to be more patient. This was my worst finish of the Fall season with a 4th, two 2nds and two 1st.