Waiting for the opening day of a new racing season is filled with anticipation much like Christmas eve for a child. After the checkered flag falls on the last race, it seems that the off-season will feel like an eternity. The cold weather makes it seem even farther away from the first green of the next season.  However, there is so much going on in the shop in preparation it makes the off-season seem not long enough. I got to start my 2013 season at Lincoln Speedway (Hanover, PA). It was a day time race which is only found during the beginning of our season due to the cold temperatures in PA during March. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the fifties. After waiting and preparing all winter for this day, I was excited to get on the track. There is always close racing at Lincoln with tough competition. No gifts were given this first race of the season. The team earned a second place in our qualifying heat, and a solid 7th place feature finish. I have to thank my team for all of their hard work during the off-season to allow for the good showing on opening day.

The season opener at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa didn’t have the same kind of outcome as Lincoln Speedway’s. Williams Grove, which is known as “the Grove” to locals, races on Friday evening opposed to a weekend day. The temperatures were scheduled to be in the low forties with wind for the night of the season opener. The Grove decided to cancel the race. With unpredictable weather in PA during March the decision when to race and when not to race is always tough.  There are amazing fans here in PA who will sit out in any weather just to watch a race. However, just as much as the drivers and teams want to race, it is not always the best choice. Racing in cold temperatures puts extra strain on the motors which could lead to hurting the motor, or even destroying the motor.  The Grove is a half mile track, which is one of the larger tracks here in central PA for the sprint cars. The large size of the track puts extra strain on the motors, which with the addition to the cold temperatures would be extremely hard on the engines. In my opinion, the Grove made the right decision by canceling. But of course, huge thanks must go out to the fans that will come out to see a race no matter what the weather is like!

The job of the crew is never over, so even though one race was canceled the crew and I are hard at work getting ready for the next race. Stayed tuned for more results and news from the 97 team and I!