Thursday, June 5th: Big Diamond Raceway, PA
33 midgets signed in for competition with ARDC in the last of three scheduled shows coinciding with the USAC wingless sprints. USAC stars Tracy Hines, Johnny Heidenreich, and Darren Hagen joined ARDC's own field of talented drivers . Starting pole, I brought the 26 car field to the green flag-through 4 or 5 restarts- before the feature event finally got under way. I jumped out front and had a commanding lead over the rest of the field. Up until lap 15 of the 20 lap feature, it was our night to win. Then there was a red flag that allowed my tires to cool off. I led for one lap after the restart, but on lap 16, 2nd place Randy Monroe was able to slide underneath me in turns 3 and 4 as I was spinning tires. Steve Buckwalter followed on about lap 18. There was another red flag on the last lap but Darren Hagen (winner of the Hard Charger Award) was unable to get by. I finished 3rd -the first podium finish for the Stevens Racing Team! Many people in attendance said that if the red flag hadn't come out on lap 15, that I would have won it. Who knows? But, finally I finished in the top 3 for my hard working crew, our sponsors, and FANS. For the ARDC press release, more information on the happenings during the race, and the official finish, check out http://www.ardcmidgets.com/.
Garage Notes: A rear engine seal leak was discovered after the feature. Dad removed the engine, called Bob Wirth, and with his help, he already replaced the seal and has the engine bolted back in the midget. Nice work!
Thank you to Winner's Circle BBQ for feeding the team. As always, it was absolutely delicious and nourished our bodies for the big night ahead. Thank you also to the fans that made the trip in the questionable weather (on Tuesday night too) and to our new fans: It was nice to meet you Bob, Michelle, and Kyle.
Our next race is at Susquehanna Speedway, PA on June 14th AND 15th-two days in a row at the same track which is a little unusual. I hope to see you there!