Dry Slick

Have you ever wondered what "Dry slick" means to a dirt track race car driver? Tonight was a night where high winds created a dry slick race track at Lee County Speedway. Dry Slick is a term that is used to describe a track that has dried out, giving little bite to the tires, which creates an environment where the cars are loose.  It's like driving on ice.

This was a great way to start my I.M.C.A. Northern Sports Mod career. I had never been in the car until hot laps. It was exciting and at the same time a bit nerve-wracking. I like to race on the bottom of the track and that is where I spent all my time this evening.

My first heat race I drew the front row. It was filled with heavy hitters like Joe Bliven, Bob Anders, and the eventual feature winner Tony Dunker. As I came out of turn two and down the back stretch, my hood started to lift off the car. The problem continued to worsen as the race continued, limiting my vision to a twelve inch wide view. This certainly created a problem but I continued on till the end. I started to get a feel for the car and ended the heat race 6th of 7. I was not last so.... I will take it.

The feature found me starting 16th of 20. It had been awhile since racing in a full field. We set a goal to finish between 12th and 15th for our first night out. I started the race strong moving all the way up to tenth place. I gained a good feel for the car and was driving it hard into the corners. Crew chief Randy Uppinghouse had this to say, "He drove in harder tonight then we have ever seen!" The encouraging words were not enough to hold the tenth position.

At lap 8 the caution flew. This is where I identified the track going away in a hurry. As the green flag dropped, I developed a push. This moves the front end up the track, creating a steering problem through the middle of the corner. I began to lose position one at a time until I settled in at 15th to finish the race.

This was a big night for us. Lots of changes in our team (with the loss of Ron Siepel), driving a new car, different division, and on a dry slick track. We will take it and move on. Next Friday night, we will be up at Donnellson where we will give it another go.

Racing shirts will be available later this week so be on  the look out!