Allentown Indoor Race Recap
Allentown is always a fun place to race. Normally, it’s a hockey rink, but for two nights a year, it transforms into a racetrack. We park right in the parking garage—tight pit stalls and a fast-moving schedule.
Not a great start on night 1
Night one didn’t start off great. We treated the first practice as a shakedown, but unfortunately found an issue six laps in. That sidelined us for the rest of practices 1 and 2 while we fixed the car. Thanks to the notebook we’ve built over the last few years, I still felt confident heading into time trials.
We went out in Group 5 but spun on lap 2 of time trials in turns 3 and 4. We got another lap but lacked the momentum to lay down a great time. Unfortunately, we qualified 31st out of 42.
That put us starting P7 in the heat, with only the top 3 transferring. I slowly moved up but couldn’t put a full run together. After some cautions and shuffling, we ended up 5th. The car felt really good—just needed more laps for the driver.
Next was the Consi, starting P3 with the top 2 transferring. I had a good start, battled the outside car for the first lap, and settled into 2nd. We held that spot for eight laps, even surviving a restart. Unfortunately, with two to go, I made a mistake in turns 3 and 4, opened the door, and the car behind made contact, spinning me out. I restarted at the rear, but with no time left, we finished there. Frustrating end, but the driver made a mistake when we had a better car. Regroup, take notes, and learn—that’s all we can do before Night 2.
Night 2: Started strong
Night two started strong in practice, and I felt good heading into time trials. What felt like a solid lap just didn’t cut it—we ended up 31st again.
We shook off the average time trial run during a fun hour of Fan Fest. This year’s Fan Fest was extra special because I got to meet and hang out with my newest sponsor, P1 Web Development, and even filmed a video announcing our partnership. But the spotlight doesn’t last long—it was time to focus on racing.
We started 8th in the heat. My plan was to slowly pick off cars and see where we could finish. If it was top 3, awesome; if not, at least it would set us up for the Consi. Unfortunately, lap 1 saw a check-up in front of me, we broke the RF rim, and I had to pull off with a flat.
Now it was full focus on the Consi. We started deep in the field and slowly picked off cars, battling through several restarts. At one point, after passing a slower car, they got mad and spun us out in the next corner. We drove back up, and on the white flag, knowing the two cars ahead were going to battle, I tried to set myself up to pass both—but ended up P4, one spot short of the A-main. It wasn’t from a lack of trying, but our weekend was over.
Let’s face it, this race is tough
Indoor race season is one of my favorite times of the year—but also the toughest. There’s no room for error if you want to make the A-main, and it forces you to bring out your best. We’re resetting and putting full focus on Atlantic City.
In closing, I can’t thank Nick, Mark, Timmy, and David enough for giving up their weekends to race with me. I owe you an A-main, boys. I also couldn’t have done this without the support of my partners: Skilled Trade Partners, New Hampshire Oil Undercoating, P1 Web Development, Mertz Racing, and Ashaway Performance Engines.
Next Event: Atlantic City Indoor Race – January 30th and 31st with the 34.5 TQ Midget.
