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07/31/2012 |
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CHRISTOPHER WINS VMRS 75-LAP FEATURE
AT THOMPSON SPEEDWAY
Ted Christopher 97
Thompson Wins
And Counting
by
Denise DuPont
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 The
Valenti Modified Racing Series (VMRS) returned to Thompson International
Speedway for a rain delayed 75 lap feature event. With clouds hovering over
the track and a rain filled forecast, the decision was made to forgo heat
races and start the feature event with current Owner Points standing. The
decision was good for the series point leaders but for others it meant
starting from the rear of a thirty-three car field with everyone driving to
win.
Point leader Rowan Pennink started on the pole and maintained a strong lead
for 68 laps. Then suddenly a black flag flew as water was leaking from the
#25 car. Pennink was forced to pit to address the issue giving up the point.
This gave the lead to Ted Christopher who was right there in the wings
waiting for the opportunity to be number one. “When I was behind him (Rowan
Pennink) I could never get the throttle up off. I was in the groove that I
wanted to be but I could not get up high. I was staying with him and then
all of a sudden I could not because I was so loose. I said to myself “Why
and I so loose?” Then I saw him spraying the water so I knew that was why I
was so loose. When he (Pennink) started to get the black flag I just started
to run the bottom because I was so close to him that I was getting all the
water. It was a good race though between the two of us. It was like the two
of us last time here. “
With only 7 laps to go, Christopher held off the hard charging efforts of
Tim Jordan and rookie Tommy Barrett to take his second win with the series
and also his ninety-seventh win at Thompson. Did Christopher think there was
any threat from guys on rear bumper? “From where I started I already passed
those guys”, said Christopher.
Tim Jordan sat out the last two races so he returned to the Thompson race
ready for a win. It has been a tough year for the family owned race team
with a tight budget and mishaps at the track. Jordan and his father worked
hard on the time off to get back racing and to get a win they so desperately
are striving for. But in the end, the #47 race team found themselves one
spot shy of a win. “I hate second. I just do not like it,” said Jordan about
his race finish. “But it is a good place to start for having good runs for
the rest for the year.
Jordan came to the race track to win and second place was good but not
satisfying enough for him. Jordan was actually frustrated with his finish.
“It is just racing. I hate coming in second to anyone, whether it is Ted
Christopher or Jimmy Johnson. We come to the race track to win and it is
frustrating. Teddy is just another driver to me. When you are in a race car
you
 want
to beat the guy in front of you. I respect him (Christopher) on and off the
race track but when you are racing against people you do not think anything
about them if you think anything about anyone while you are racing you do
not belong racing.”
Young Tommy Barrett returned to the VMRS ranks after sitting out a two weeks
suspension for rough riding on the track. The time off allowed Barrett to
think about the official’s call and plan his future. Barrett definitely had
a winning car as he drove up through the pack to third. Contact during the
race left the #9 car three spots shy of the win he drove to get. “I came
back racing trying to do the best I could. But
 unfortunately
I had to come in and change the right front tire and the front end got a
little beat up. If that did not happen I think that I could have won it.”
Starting on the outside pole, defending champion Jon McKennedy had the
opportunity to grab another win. But the team needed more practice or a heat
race to dial in the car and that just did not happen. The car was good for a
fourth place finish but not there for the win the team really wanted. The
team may have been disappointed with their finish but it was good enough to
bring them to the top of the charts in the point lead for the series.
“Obviously, I would have liked to have run better but from where we started
was a really big positive. All through practice we struggled. We tried a
bunch of stuff and we could not get it (car) anywhere. We were going to use
the heat race as another practice but the heats got scratched and we ended
up lining up by points. Which was good for us we had a front row spot, but
at the same time we were not too sure what to expect because we change so
much on the car. Overall the team did really good. We lost a lot at the end.
We will try it again next time.”
 Doug
Coby has been on a good streak in whatever series he has competed in. He is
a another driver that relies on practice and heat races to dial in the car
but without their heat race the #20 team did the best they could to get the
car race ready. Coby drove the car hard and raced to the front finishing
fifth. A top five was another good finish for Coby who now is thirteenth in
point after competing in four races with the VMRS. “We got banged up early
and got bent up late when we were racing for position which hurt us on the
last couple restarts. But the car was pretty good. We finished with a top
five when more than half of the field did not finish the race. I am happy
with it. We started in the back and came back through twice so it is one of
those deals that I am happy to get out of here just in one piece.”
Next event for the VMRS is back at Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday, August
11.
Race Notes From Thompson
Why did second place finisher, Tim Jordan take
two weeks off from VMRS?
Tim Jordan
“I took those two weeks off because of all the bad luck that we had. It is
just my father and I racing here, so we do what we can with what we have. We
were out of parts so my dad worked some overtime and I worked in the shop
and we got everything good to go. We took two weeks off because we have to,
not because we wanted to. “
Did the suspension change the way that you race
at all?
Tommy Barrett
“Unfortunately, yes. Not to a way that I want to. I was a little bit more
patient today. I was also a little more careful making sure that I was not
getting into cars and trying not to be aggressive or anything. So I was a
lot more cautious than I normally would be.”
What are you plans for the rest of the 2012 race
season?
Tommy Barrett
“We just plan on finishing the rest of the season taking it race by race.”
Your thoughts after today’s VMRS race:
Doug Coby
“Anytime that you survive an MRS race here (Thompson Speedway), it is a good
race. That is something that these guys have to work on. I do not know if
they start too many cars or if it is just such a huge gap between the faster
and slower cars. I do not know the reason for it.”
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Source: Denise DuPont / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: July
31, 2012 |
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