6/27/09 Thunderbowl Raceway Non Wing 360

Well, they were still trying to figure out some issues on the car today before they got to the race track and things weren't completely smoothed out. TJ qualified around 14th and then went over the scales too light so was DQed. That put him to start last in his heat race he started doing real good moving towards the front and he started having trouble with the car again. I heard it up in the stands and knew something was going on. That put him to start 15th in the Main Event. What a main event that was, we could barely see the track because it was so dry, I don't know how they could drive in it. He missed a lot of wrecks that happened in that race with luck on his side. But luck went away again on lap 15 when his car came to a stop. They pushed him into the pit area for the crew to look at his car but they threw the green flag and he was done for the night. It was a very HOT and frustrating weekend but we are still in one piece and there are more races to come. :)

Sponsored towards the weekend, Road Rage Performance

6/26/09 Kings Speedway Non Wing 360

Well, it was one of those nights!!! TJ was the first one out for qualifying and he just didn't do that great. He ran a 17.635 the first lap and then on his second lap they sent the other car out to soon so TJ let up and he ran a 17.065. They asked the officials to run another lap at the end since he got messed up and then he ran a 17.7. NOT GOOD!!! because now they took his good lap of 17.0 away!!! He was better off with the second lap. Oh well, he started on the pole in his Heat ran and went backwards and ended up 4th. He started 10th in the Main Event and had worked his way up to 7th and then he started going backwards again and then he pulled off the track on lap 23 to say that the motor just wasn't running right. They aren't sure what is wrong with the motor but I sure am tired of having a Black Cloud over us all the time.



The boys figuring out what the are going to for the main.















Me and TJ in between races

June 20th Plaza Park and Kings Speedway

Well, as you know we were split up again and everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off!!!! It is very stressful to be at different race tracks but it only happens every once in awhile. :) Anyways, as for the results of the night, Raio won her Semi by half a lap to put her in the transfer to the Main Event. As we were waiting to find out where TJ started in his main, Raio text to tell me that she is having motor issues and she was done for the night, not a good start to our evening.

As for TJ, he was back in his #14 Sprint car sponsored by UHL Rubber, Steve La Gras, he has supported the kids racing through thick and thin. TJ started on the pole in his heat race and he ended up 5th. Which didn't make him happy at all. After he put that behind him, he started 11th in the Main Event and ended up 7th out of 14 cars. That wasn't too bad for starting in the back twice in one event. He screwed up three times at the beginning of the race and had to work his way back up and of course with the pit crew he got harassed the rest of the night. We have a bunch of great guys that are with us every weekend to help out Raio and TJ. That's what having good friends is all about, they are always there no matter what. :)

TJ's #14 UHL Sprint Car

Robby, Matt & TJ cruising in the golf cart

TJ & Grandpa waiting for the Main

Budweiser Outlaw Nationals at Plaza Park Raceway 6/19/09

Well, it is NOT very exciting posting my blogs when I don't have pictures to put on here. Maybe I will get my computer fixed soon. :( Back to Tonight, it was the first night of the Outlaw Nationals. Raio qualified 21st which put her to start 6th in her heat race. She had to make it to the top four for the transfer to the Main Event. She ended up 6th which will put her to run the Semi tomorrow night. She will start on the Pole in her Semi. If she stays in the top 3 she will be going to the Main Event. We will keep our fingers crossed!!!!

TJ didn't run tonight because the Outlaw Nationals is a 2 day show and the Main Events aren't until tomorrow which would be a waste of money to just do qualifying and the heats so he just came to help out in the pits and tomorrow night he will be running the Non Wing Sprint Car at Kings Speedway in Hanford. We will be split up again which I really hate but I guess we have to do what works for everyone. So we will keep our fingers crossed that they both do good and pray that they are safe!!! :)

Lemoore Raceway 6/13/09

I don't know why I'm even posting on this right now it is 2:52am and we just got home for Lemoore Raceway. What a joke!!!!! Raio was running her Main Event at 1:15am!!! There was a Red Flag in every race!! That tells you that the Track is bad when that happens.

Raio ran Multi and Qualified 10th and she started 6th in the Heat race and ended up 4th. She started 10th in the Main and I think she ended up around 10th because I couldn't see anything with how much dirt was blowing in my eyes. TJ ran Non Wing and qualified 3rd started 4th in the Heat and ended up 2nd. That put him to start 4th in the Main and on the first lap in corner 3 someone bumped TJ from the back and he spun out and ended up on the edge on the infield and they kept the race going and never thru a yellow flag. That was a safety yellow because the other cars were climbing up on the burm. Well I guess someone else at the track felt that way too, because he grabbed the flag from the Official and threw it on the track!!!! They put TJ to the back of the pack so he was going fast to the back of the pack and that's when it all began. One of the idiot track officials started Screaming at TJ because he said he was going too fast under the yellow flag and told him he was done for the night. So of course TJ being pissed off, he did a bunch of donuts in the infield. Well Big TJ and Grandpa Dan were right there to question what was going on and why they didn't throw a caution and they were pointing at Big TJ that HE was the one that threw the caution flag. THAT WAS NOT TRUE!!! Which only ended up with everyone mad and arguing with each other. What a joke!!! So, the end result was they kicked out Big TJ and Grandpa Dan (which I don't really know why) you should always be able to voice your opinion anyways they called the Police Department to make sure they left. That was a waste of time for the Police Department. I could care less if we ever raced at that track again, every time we are in Lemoore there is always Drama. If not with US, it's with another Team.

Getting the cars ready for the night

Plaza Park Raceway 6/12/09

While we were waiting to watch the kids race, we got news that Wes Gutierrez (their old team mate) flipped the Midget that he was driving in Bloomington, IN. They took him to the hospital and they ran a CAT scan and said he would be okay and they needed to watch him for 48 hrs to make sure everything is okay. With that kind of news, it just drives you crazy to know that these kids are in dangerous situations all the time. We were very happy to hear that Wes is okay.

Back to our race night at Plaza Park Raceway. There was a good car count with 33 cars in the Super 600 class. Raio qualified 10th and TJ qualified 16th. They ran in separate heats, Thank God. I don't like when they run the same Heat race, it's hard enough to watch them both in the Main. TJ started on the pole for his heat race and stayed there for 8 laps to the finish and was 1st place at the checker flag. Raio started 2nd in her heat race and finished 3rd so both of them transferred to the Main Event. Raio started 8th in the Main and TJ started 14th. They were both doing good and moving up and Raio stayed up towards the front and TJ started going towards the back. Raio finished 6th at the Checker flag and TJ ended up around 19th, not a great finish but car is still in one piece so they can race in Lemoore tomorrow night.

June 7th - We are no longer racing with McCowan Motorsports

We are no longer racing with McCowan Motorsports.
I will keep you posted on our future endeavors and hopefully I can keep posting my pictures to my posts. It just might be that time for a new computer so I can keep my blog updated. Maybe the boys will let me get a computer instead of a race car part!! LOL
I doubt it, moms always come last!! But that's okay, as long as the kids are Happy and having Fun that's the most important thing.



Celebrating

Santa Maria Speedway 6/06/09

TJ ran the 360 Non Wing at Santa Maria Speedway on Saturday. He qualified 11th out of 25 cars. Which put him to start 2nd in his heat race after 8 laps of racing he took 1st place at the Checker flag. He started 11th in the Main and ended up 8th. We came home in one piece that night. After watching him hang from the fence in Tulare the weekend before, I was very happy with the results. When hearing about drivers old and young getting into wrecks and dying it is very stressful to watch your kids going that fast and praying that they are going to be okay. Sometimes I think I should have pushed them towards golf!!! Just kidding. :)