6/13/2022
Eric Blumer
Daisy a Bridesmaid Twice, Gravity Park and Maquoketa Report
It was another bridesmaid weekend for Daisy (that's the car's name on the odd chance a reader didn't know) at Gravity Park Speedway in Chilton, WI on Friday and Marquoketa (Iowa) Speedway on Saturday.
CHILTON
At Chilton, Eric and Dad made the haul, with Justin driving up after work, arriving in time for the heat race. This was a Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series event, where Eric came in tied for the points lead with Parker Jones.
In the heat, Eric spun early, bringing out the yellow, and was immediately (and to his surprise) relegated to the pits as the track rules indicated.
Missing the invert really ended up only costing Eric one spot, but it was an important one. He and Jones started side by side, with Parker on the inside and the preferred line, from the 5th row, in the 12 car field. History told us that whoever could hold the bottom, would have a good chance of winning. Hunter Cardinal paced the field for the first half of the race, using that line, from his pole position start.
Early on, both Eric and Jones narrowly missed a major pile up in turn-three. This put them in about the third row on that restart. From there, several more cautions fell at the right time for Eric as he was able to start on the inside, usually with Jones on the outside.
A mid-race mishap took out Cardinal and Ryan Sullivan as they fought for the lead, setting up a showdown between Parker and Eric. In the end, Parker had the stronger car and won by about three lengths over the 6E. After all of the heats, with his knowledge of what the track would probably do, Justin made some adjustments that help immensely.
MAQUOKETA SPEEDWAY
Saturday morning came quickly after towing home from Chilton. Eric got the car ready, even though he knew racing at Beaver Dam was going to be a long shot, due to the weather. We were grateful that Beaver Dam Raceway called the show before noon, so we could set our sights on a possible run to Marquoketa, about two and a half hours away.
It was our first trip to this track. The folks were super-welcoming to both us as newbies and the obvious regulars. Sixteen Legends were signed in. Eric's heat was nondescript and he made the invert. Thanks to Bill, Kevin and Kacey from the Korsmo team, Eric made some changes that really helped for the Main. Here Eric started 8th and was able to get to the bottom in short order. During the race he just stuck it as close as he could to the tractor tiers without hitting them and waited patiently for the next car to float up so he could slide under them.
Some cautions bunched the field which help Daisy's cause. Then, when she was running third, the second place car tagged a tire, bringing out the yellow, putting the 6E in a position to win. The Makquoketa Master, Dave Eberle, who started 5th (and has long encouraged us to make this trip) had the point for much of the race. With two laps to go, Eric got under Eberle at least three times, with his front bumper to the Freeport, IL driver's left rear. Each time Eberle slammed the door. Meanwhile Jones, who made the haul from Blue Mounds, WI, was pressuring Daisy on her right.
In the end, Eberle went on to the win by less than a car length over Eric. Michael Weber was 3rd and Jones 4th.
We were set to stay the night and head to Vinton, IA to race on Sunday, but Eric made the call to head home, due to work on Monday.
It should be noted that both runs are scored as wins for Eric in INEX National Pro Points, as the cars ahead of him are in different classes.
SPECIAL THANKS!
We would like to send a special thanks to Stan Otis of Club LaMark for letting us use his trailer. It's just big enough to fit the 6E in, as opposed to Eric's 24-foot trailer.
We literally got 50% better gas mileage with this smaller trailer. We obviously can't haul as much stuff, but the Legends Direct crew was more than willing to let us use their equipment as needed. This allowed us to purposely leave some things at home, and more importantly gave us peace of mind in the likelihood that we forgot something.
UP NEXT
Look for a mid-week report on this week's big World of Outlaws Friday/Saturday show at Beaver Dam Raceway, for which we are grateful to be on the card!
AS ALWAYS:
These are the businesses and folks who are helping to keep Eric on the track through their generous support! BRS Radiator, Machine & Fabrication; Northern Air Systems, Inc.; Dog Guard of Wisconsin; North Central Utility of Wisconsin LLC; East Central Coin Inc.; Club LaMark; Ground Up Lifts; Owen Leatherberry; Sieg Law Office; OWL Graphics and Lettering; Grandpa Blumer, Legends.Direct, Mary Lybeck in memory of Denny.
Here are the people who go hands on the 6E to get it in top shape every week: Justin Hoium, Greg Leatherbeary, Big Dumb Guy, Joe Wipperfurth, Brian Benisch, Faith Piepenburg, Logan Stevens and Stephanie Blumer.
We salute Owen Leatherberry (U.S. Navy) and Andrew Upperman (U.S. Marine Corps.)!
Thank you all for your part in Eric Blumer Racing!
Photo credit from Maquoketa: Full Throttle Photography
Submitted By: William Blumer
