WEEKEND REFLECTIONS: RACE RECAP

Saturday the 16th was a hot one! Temperature wise anyway. I'll summarize the last two weeks (14 days) this way, long race car nights. We hung a full nose and a half, fixed some other damage, and changed some wore out components. Yet, after all that something snuck up on us right before we were loading today--a bent track bar!

Yes, I had hit the wall last week in Meridian. The front wheel bent, but the rear wheel was good. I guess I should have thought through it more because the right rear wheel did not bend because the track bar did.

Right before loading this afternoon we checked the chassis for square. It was not, in fact, not by a lot. Problem was we didn't have another track bar that would suffice, so we start adjusting other ways. Well, the car was never quite right tonight.

Practice.
Car was loose in, tight in the center and loose off. We made it much better into the corner, but the tightness in the center remained.

Qualifying.
Not good, I qualified 9th, I think that is the 2nd worse this year as car was tight, bad. I ran a 17.7.

Heat Race.
We started 5th, finished 4th. We made a huge change before the heat race. I mean huge. I ran the largest right rear spring in my history as a driver. I wasn't tight anymore! Problem was it still wasn't quite square and there was nothing we could do.

Race.
I started 9th on the grid. I got as high as 4th, but finished 5th, again. I got turned around early in the race, I wasn't happy about that, but good thing the caution had already come out because they gave me my spot back. One thought I had while doing a full throttle 360 was this, "If the nose gets hit on this thing..." Getting turned is getting old...

Congrats.
Congrats to JZ, first; Naima, 2nd; Mugge, 3rd and everyone else. I wasn't disappointed in the least. We knew we had a wounded car the moment we unloaded, and we did the best with what we had. We'll fix it this week and get after it next week for the fair race! I love the fair...

Conclusions.

• Bent parts on a race car are like a shaved cat, aint right!
• I think I drank 3-4 gallons of h2o and Gatoradetoday!
• I know I looked like a goof running around with my fire proof nomex underwear beneath camo shorts, but it was cooler, and my suit shouldn't be under the car, ever.
• Naima Lang has the best food in the pits, period!
• Although, Pam made a hearty sandwich today. It was scrumptious.
• It's nights like these, where the car isn't right, that I appreciate the opportunity to do this. I used to be a kid in the stands, now I'm the lunatic in the #70. Hey kid, stay in the stands, go boating...nah, go racing!
• I am always surprised by who reads this blog. Thanks for tuning in.
  

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

It's Tuesday, time for Weekend Reflections.

1. Preparing a Place
As you may or may not know by now I'm gonna be a dad (we are adopting)!!! Since selling our home on August 31st Melinda and I have been working really hard to prepare a place to have a family. It's been a ton of work...

2. Enterprise Breakfast
Enterprise Breakfast was Saturday morning and about 45 of our business people attended. Wow, what a time. I am so very passionate about this group of people in our church. I shared on the topic, "The Profile of a True Business Leader." I will post the notes here later in the week.

3. Saturday Night Race
Wow! I started 2nd row outside (4th). By lap 2 I was in the lead. We had a red flag for a bad wreck on lap 32ish. Somehow I picked up some debri and got a leak in my RF tire. I lost the lead on lap 35ish and settled into 5th. At about lap 110 I was feeling a pretty bad vibration and the car was starting to push real bad. I dropped to sixth because of the push. I settled into sixth through about lap 135ish and then we had a caution. After the caution the tire went completely flat and I had to pit. I ended up 8th overall and finished the race. It was an amazing weekend and the last race at Evergreen this year.

4. A BIG THANK YOU.
To all the guys and gals on the race team. People have no idea the work, maintenance, cleaning and preparation it takes to race a car--not to mention 2 cars! Thank you to the cleaning crew, who on Sundays pushed the cars out to pressure wash them; the Monday-Thursday crew, who repaired and maintained all the mechanical elements; and the Friday and Saturday crew, who set up the car and made it better at the track.

Racing would not be possible without our sponsors MTS Construction, Noland and Dixie Bender; Rock of Ages Plumbing, Rock and Sue Borchardt; Hometown Lending, Aaron and Nikki Anderson; Speedway Autocraft, Fred and Jaylene Hall; and all those--Tim and Linda, Jim and Laurel, Ryan and Jenny and others--who have given me a gift certificate for tires, fuel and miscellaneous parts. Also thank you to the church who took a special offering for me on Father's Day to live my dream of racing.

Especially I want to thank my friend Roger. Without Roger Habich I would have never experienced what I experienced this year. His determination to get me in a car for the last 6 years prevailed. Saturday night as we were crossing the finish line together (almost side by side) I had my hand out the window saluting you. Thank you man for all your hard work.

5. Sunday Church
We launched a new series called IFIT this weekend. IFIT evolves around John 1:6-8, "There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."

There was a man who was sent from God...Each of us is that man/woman sent from God. Each of us "fits" God's great big purpose--the local church! I am so stoked for the IFIT Banquet coming up this Sunday night. It is going to be one of the best nights of the entire year!!!

Well, that's a quick recap of last weekend. Looking forward to what's on the plate this week.

93 LAPS TO GO

Last night I led my first race! That's right, I started on the pole and led the first 7 laps, and now I just have to figure out how to lead the next 93 and I will win. It was a blast being out in front with clear track ahead. I was screaming to the guys on the radio, "I'M LEADING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER..."

It doesn't matter what it is. It could be business, raising children, leading a church, or whatever, being out in front of the pack is exhilarating. Congrats to all the mom's, dad's, business and church leaders who work hard everyday to be the best.

CAR 76: RAIN OUT

We were ready for some good racing on Saturday night! Unfortunately some inclement weather blew through and ice fell from the sky in the form of hail followed by a torrential down pour. The track was soaked and racing slicks don't grip real well in the rain.

Here are some pics from Practice!

OPENING NIGHT AT EVERGREEN SPEEDWAY

The 31st was opening night for our race team. As previously announced I was to race the opener, but in light of some new sponsorship, Roger is competing for the NASCAR Washington State Championship and the Evergreen Speedway Championship.

We got started of good finishing 3rd to Busch Series Co-team member to Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Hamlin and local racer, Kelly Mann. Both Kevin and Kelly are not running the full season, so unofficially we are leading the points for the championship after week 1, 20 races left!

Check out http://www.rogerhabich.com/ to see his chronology of the race.

I want to say a great big thank you to MTS Construction, Rock of Ages Plumbing and The Rock Church who have been great supporters of the our race team. Also, big thank you to the eldership of TRC who got together and bought four tires for the race! We are off to a great start and it is going to be a lot of fun this year.

SWEET PICS

My racing family. Thanks Melinda for always letting me chase my dreams, in life, with God and on the track...

June 21, 2008, My first win!!!

My buddy Mike, Never forget you man...

The 2008 T...

Me and my life coach, Shandel Slaten...


My first trophy, 3rd place ASA Northwest Tour...

My first race ever, September 2006...

Submit your own caption...I was thinking, "Hold on Dan, this things is alive..."

Mark helped on Saturday at the track. He gave his life to Christ in March of 08 and has not looked back...this is why we race...

I love it when fans bring cookies to the track, they get to sit in the car...thanks Terry and Susan...
My Crew Chief, Steve Craig. Crew Chief and Driver Communication is essential...

Dan and Will, pre-race prep...

A quiet moment before the race...

Thanks for a great year Noland...

John in action...

Hanging out with Will and Scott...

Race Party...

In the pit...

Great Sponsors...

In the pits...

Night racing...

Flat out on the 5/8's back stretch...


Jeff Knight, Pastor of The Rock Church, entering turn 3 at Evergreen Speedway.

The 70 car under braking..

The 70 car through the center and starting to throttle up for corner exit...