6/23/2010
Kevin Donahue
First time race at Columbus Speedway
Racing at Columbus speedway (June 19 2010) began a little rough because it was my first time out on that track. I seemed average in practice and qualify, but when we made a last minute adjustment I was un-aware of how much better the car was going to handle. With only a small amount of time on the track, I was still figuring out my line and doing my best with what ever setup we tried. In the heat race I started first with no inversion and slipped back to third early in the race. Once I "found my groove" as the announcer put it, about mid-race, I was able to close any gap between me and second. The entire race became a three car break-away from the rest of the field with me right on their bumpers waiting for any chance I could get to make a pass, while the other two drivers battled it out. I was able to attempt sticking the nose of my car on the inside of their doors but was forced to back down as they chose to hold their lines, eventually I finished the heat in 3rd.
When the feature came around under the lights at the high speed semi-banked oval I started 9th but secured an early pass right at the start of the race. Shortly after I was also able to battle it out with Alec Webb as he managed to hold an impressive outside line for several laps with myself going for an inside pass. Just as my tires were starting to melt more than was desirable a caution flag came out because of some kind of incident behind me, luckily the other drivers and I were given plenty of caution laps as everything was sorted out. This worked to my advantaged as the motor and tires cooled down. When the green flag was thrown, everything was handling how I liked it and when Joey Greening went for a pass on another driver who got loose I was able to pass the driver who was heading up for the wall and catch Greening slightly off guard as I forced an inside pass on him also, luckily he drove very clean and allowed for the position without unnecessary contact. After this, I focused on closing the gap between me and the leaders but could not gain on them fast enough since I only had a few more laps to do it. When the race was over, my fifth place finish was secured after tech inspection and I also learned that I was the only one in my class to finish in the top five, which wasn’t bad for my first race at Columbus and the fact that we were running very soft shock springs which would have been more appropriate at a short track with no banking.(But im not just saying that because I didn’t win) Overall the Saturday turned out very successful because I had fun at the unfamiliar track as I enjoyed the highspeed and aggressive racing and also the nice facility and hospitality that went along with it.
-Kevin Donahue
Submitted By: Admin Account
