What can I say! This track and crew blew my mind tonight. Great racing. You can tell they work so hard on this track and the money they make goes right back into the track. Thank you to Harold for another great racing facility. Can't wait to race there in a few weeks!!
An enjoyable night of racing for sure. The track was rougher than normal but with all they have been through with the renovation, it is certainly understandable. The midget feature was great with Lyndsey (sp) Liguori making a last turn pass on Tate Martz for a photo finish victory at the line. I think it was Nick Lucas in 3rd and Isaac Chapple in the 4th position. The four of them were at the head of the pack for the feature throughout.
The track was dry and dusty for the modified feature but they still put on a good show. Track prep here has always been good since Harold has taken it over. Tonight they could have used some water but the racing was still decent. The renovations are great and I am sure with more time to work the track it will be top notch once again.
Mike
Be nice to people on the way up. You might need them on the way down. Jimmy Durante
As a first-time participant I'd like to thank Harold for putting in the effort to get this show in. Not everything is completed yet of the massive renovation that was undertaken in the off-season but what's been done so far is very impressive.
My debut in the Montpelier Midget Series was anything but impressive to the outside observer but let me tell you it was an unforgettable experience from where I sat. Maybe "unforgettable" isn't a good choice of words, since shortly after the driver's meeting I realized I had packed all of my gear in my bag, except the firesuit, which is still pristinely hanging in the closet! Fortunately Greg Watson had brought his suit along and bailed me out of an embarrasing situation but my "rookie mistakes" weren't quite over; in the midst of the first-time jitters getting strapped in for hotlaps we forgot to bleed the tires down to race presssures so I did my session with 20 pounds in all four corners. Can you say "skating rink"?
Ironically things settled down for me when the actual racing started and while I certainly didn't set the world on fire I accomplished my goal of getting laps in and finishing. I can say first hand that the battle up front in the feature was hammer-and-tongs; not because I was involved but because I had a close-up view of it all three times the freight train rumbled by inside me. Like I said, get laps in and finish. We'll pick up the tempo a little next week.
The biggest impression on me last night, however, was something I already knew; racers are a great bunch of people. Pitting with the Liguoris and Watsons on one side of me and the Arnolds on the other, all my wife and I received all night was help, encouragement and support; when it was all over the first question to me out of everyone's mouths was "Did you have fun?"
The verdict: yes, yes I did. Thanks to everyone, and congratulations on the win, Lynsey.
Great post Jim! That made our day. We are glad you had a great time!
Congrats to Lynsey on picking up her second career Midget win last night. Lynsey became just the second repeat winner in series' history. What a finish!
The race that Tate Martz, Lynsey, Nick Lucas, Isaac Chapple and others put on was tremendous! We appreciate the effort their crews and car owners make to bring Midget racing to Montpelier.
As noted above, the facility wasn't 100% complete for the program, but we are working hard at it. We have it close, and track prep began today and will be a major focus. We thank everyone for their patience!
We are commited to Midget racing. Keep supporting us! We are going to give you everything we got!
Great shot Bill! That's what 20psi in the LR looks like folks, I'll bet you've never seen it before, except maybe when you're setting the bead in the shop...
Brian, you guys are doing a great thing there at Montpelier; in my opinion it's the best deal in the area for somebody like me who just wants to go race in a fun, low-key but still competitive series.
DSC_0302 by billm233, on Flickr[/IMG]