Being a small-budget team, you don’t always have the luxuries that the bigger teams do. Some of those luxuries include large crews, new tires for practice, and top-tier equipment in the car. Going into Seekonk Speedway, we felt good about our tires, knowing they only had the laps from Monadnock on them.
However, we knew our crew and resources might be stretched a little thin, with crew members on vacation, buying houses (congrats, Ian!), and others showing up whenever work allowed (even later than “Nick time!”). Still, we were ready for the challenge of the Monaco Tri-Track Series.
For practice, we had Timmy spotting alongside Dad, while Robert and Mom worked in the pits. We rolled off okay, but the car was just too tight. We ended up making four practice runs, with each one focused on trying something different to help the car turn better. Most of the changes helped, while a few didn’t. Regardless, every adjustment taught us something.
That’s half the battle in racing: making the change, evaluating the result, and knowing when to use that adjustment again in the future.
For the scuff session, we continued working on the setup in an effort to improve the car. We ended up scuffing 22nd and ran our fastest lap of the day, but I lost drive off the corner. The car was better getting into the turn, though, and it became clear that our biggest area of need was improving drive off.
That put us starting 7th in the heat race. The goal was to keep learning, keep working on the car, and get quality laps. We were able to pick up one spot early and then stay right with the pack, bringing it home in 6th. The car was better than it had been during the scuff session, but it still needed more. Seekonk is a tough track where you’re constantly turning, even on the straightaways.
Finishing 6th in Heat 3 put us 18th on the starting grid for the feature. My goal was to settle in, be patient through the first part of the race, and see what we could do later on. Unfortunately, on Lap 5, I left a little too much room on the inside and got spun out. Thankfully, there was no damage, and we were able to regroup and continue.
The race stayed green until Lap 63, and starting that far back, we unfortunately found ourselves a lap down by the time the caution came out. The car was still tight getting into the corner and then very loose coming off. We elected to pit and make adjustments. The changes helped, and we were battling for the Lucky Dog when we became the victim of another driver trying to move up through the field, resulting in another spin. Once again, we escaped without damage.
We came back to pit road and continued making adjustments. The car was better on exit, but still tight on entry. Fortunately, another caution came out shortly afterward, allowing us to get our lap back. We pitted once more, made a few final changes, and were ready to ride it out to the finish. The race went green to the checkered flag from there, and we came home 20th. Being so tight early in the race, I simply didn’t have enough right-front tire left at the end. However, that final run was the most comfortable the car felt all day.
Sometimes, especially at bigger races like this, you have to find victories in places other than the finishing order. For us, the win was completing every lap and seeing the car respond positively to every adjustment we made. The finish wasn’t what we wanted, but we gained valuable experience and filled up the notebook with information. I’m excited to take those lessons to Oxford, where we’ve had some strong runs in the past, and see what we can do.
None of this would be possible without the people who help make it happen. A huge thank you to Dad, Mom, Timmy, Nick, and Robert for all of their hard work throughout the day. I’d also like to thank longtime friend Dana Thomas for jumping in to help with tire changes. Dana has been retired for three years, but he came out to lend a hand and absolutely nailed the stop.
Additionally, we couldn’t do this without the support of NHOU Protective Coatings, P1 Web Development, Reed Property Services, and West Street Auto Body. Their continued support allows us to compete and keep chasing our goals.
Next up is Oxford on August 28 with the Modified Racing Series. It’s Oxford 250 weekend, one of the biggest racing weekends of the year. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our team and skills, and maybe even your business, in front of one of the largest racing crowds of the season.
Closing thought: Sometimes the results sheet doesn’t tell the whole story. At Seekonk, the finish wasn’t what we were after, but the notes, lessons learned, and progress we made throughout the day could pay dividends down the road. On to Oxford.
