Saturday, May 3rd: Susquehanna Speedway, PA
Because of my delay in sending out this update, it may seem like racing competition rained out this weekend. However, the ARDC Midgets (including the Stevens Racing team) did indeed race at Susquehanna Speedway on May 3. The track surface was very different from the first race there. It stayed tacky all night long instead of drying out. It made for very exciting racing, but unfortunately it caught us off guard at the beginning of the night.
I was getting way too much traction in the beginning and did not qualify for the feature thru the heat race. We of course weren't pleased with the finish, but with such tough competition, it doesn't take much to be a little off pace. The changes that we made to the car (with Dad and Uncle Gary's expertise) paid off in the consolation race because after starting 4th, I was leading by lap 2. The car was very strong and when the checkered flag flew, I had a straightaway lead.
Having had to run the consolation race, the best possible starting spot for the feature was 19th (out of 26) and because I won the consolation race, that's where I started. At the initial start, the car had a slight "push" to it and I lost some positions. As the race went on, I steadily advanced to 13th. It was a strong, solid run and the team was pleased with the improvements through the night. We are confident that if we had a stronger heat race finish, we would have finished much better in the feature. From a driver's stand point, I had a blast in the feature because the track surface made for fast racing and allowed for passing all over the place. Word has it that it was a very exciting race from 2nd thru 15th place.
The ARDC midgets have 2 weeks off and will return with 3 nights-almost in a row-on May 21, 23, and 24. For those wanting to catch the Grandview race, be sure to mark down Wednesday, May 21st on your calendar. I hope to see you there! On the 23rd and 24th, we'll be at Penn Can and Five Mile Point, respectively. For pictures, a complete schedule, results, and other news, be sure to visit http://www.stephaniestevens.com/ or http://www.ardcmidgets.com/.
Thank you for your interest and support of Stevens Racing. Thank you also for all the t-shirt orders I've been receiving. The support of sponsors, fans, crew members, family, etc., continues to be an absolute blessing.