Jax Runs Up Front Again
Colorado National Speedway had a great show on hand for fans and racers alike this week at the Colorado Lottery Lucky for Life Night on Saturday, August 13, 2016. It was a beautiful late summer day, tolerable temperatures, no rain, and 26 cars in the Super Stock Division!
We met Kyle Patee at the track – thanks again for your help. We put our practice tires on and made the first session, 7th quick. We changed a shock, but that was about it as far as set up goes. The car was ready.
Qualifying did not go well, but good enough to make the fast dash. Jax said he drove it in to turn 1 way too deep on his first lap and just never got into rhythm again. That happens, we’ll look forward to the next race to see if he can better his time and marks. He started 12, and finished 10. What was great about this fast dash was the pill draw afterwards – Number 1!
Starting on the pole, Jax had his work cut out for him to stay there. It was the place to be, as lap 2 proved to be a melee of spinning and crashing cars. Makayla Grote was on the high side of a three-wide entry of turn one, with the 06 of Adam Hilton and the 3 of Mike Cox squeezed down on the bottom. Grote wound up getting turned around, and a few cars took some heavy damage, including the 98 of Natalie Phelps and the beautiful number 82 of James Larsen. Super Stock regular Glen Poston in the #5 Nova was collected, as well as the Pure Stocks of Tim Coate and Michael Merchant. The CNS track crew had a lot of clean up to do, and as always, did a fantastic job of getting the track cleared and ready to resume racing.
Jax Hughes was able to stay up front, running in the top 5 for the first half of the race. He washed up the track a little coming out of turn 4 and rubbed the 3.2 of Troy Witthar (yes, 3.2 appears at CNS again!), cutting down the right front. He got knocked around a little as he worked down to the infield at the start/finish line, taking a big hit in the rear and in the driver’s door. All was okay, and the track crew got him into the pits on the hook. We found the damage to be minimal, changed the tire, and got him right back out on the track, but now down a few laps. Other crashes and clean ups forced the CNS officials to shorten the race by a few laps, so there was little chance to make up any significant positions. Jax found himself finishing 19th, but it was still a great night at CNS for Veracity Racing. Thanks for the help and support from The Blue Gator, Colorado Axle and Gear, and Showtime Towing.
Congratulations to Curtis Heldenbrand, team, and family on collecting his second win of the season. Curtis was followed by Cody Vanderwal, Adam Hilton, Chris Cox, and Mike Cox in the top 5 positions. The points chase is going to come down to the wire with the top 3 of Heldenbrand, Vanderwal, and Mike Cox separated by just 1 point each, followed by Yackey who is within 8 points of the leader.
We'll see you again on Saturday, August 27 for the Colorado National Speedway Ride 911 Night. From the CNS website: "Hundreds of motorcycle riders will take part in a memorial ride that will end at the speedway just prior to the races. If you wish to take part in the ride, you can get more information at http://ride911.com/."
