6/5/2023
Chase Oliver
Action Packed Week of Racing
CROSSVILLE, AL. – Chase and the crew set out Friday, May 26th, to embark on a five-day stint of racing across Alabama and Tennessee. Our week of racing concluded Saturday, June 3rd, at Talladega Short Track. Throughout this week, Chase joined the field at six different racetracks and competed for a total purse of $45,606.
The week's first stop came on May 26th at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, TN. The track hosted the Southern Nationals Spring National Series $7,553-to-win Super Late Model Race. Our night at I-75 got off to a strong start as Chase qualified 4th in Group B and locked into the A-Feature Race. This would mean the team had a break while the remaining cars battled it out in the B-Features to see who else would join the field of 24 cars in the A-Feature race. Chase lined up eighth to begin the race. The Black Diamond #5 proved quick as Chase maintained his top ten positions.
Unfortunately, our night abruptly stopped when Chase noticed a transmission failure. The car jumped out of gear, meaning Chase would have to hold it in gear as he navigated the racetrack. Chase and the crew decided not to finish the race. Our night at I-75 Raceway concluded with a DNF and a hunt for a new transmission. Oliver shopped around the pit area until he found a new transmission to buy. The crew returned home that night with much work to do.
The next day, May 27th, the team was set to return to our home track Fort Payne Motor Speedway. Chase and the crew went over to the track early in the day to replace the old transmission with the new one. Oliver's team was optimistic about the car's potential performance as the day turned into night. Chase was pleased with how the car handled during hot laps and qualifying. The new transmission seemed to be holding on great.
Chase rolled out first in qualifying for the Super Late Model Class. The Black Diamond once again proved quick as Chase secured a 2nd place starting position in the $3,000 to-win feature race. The team would then wait for several hours for the feature race. Once the race finally began, the team battled several restarts. Chase took the lead on a restart that was unfortunately called back. On the next restart, Chase was unable to get in front of the first-place car. The rest of the race went for green flag laps, and Chase finished the race in 2nd place.
The next morning, May 28th, Oliver returned to the racecar shop to do some body and welding work. This work needed to be done before the team could compete that night at Duck River Raceway Park for the Southern Nationals Spring Nationals $10,053 to-win series finale. Once the work was finished, Chase loaded up the car, and the team was on their way from Crossville, AL, to Lewisburg, TN.
The night started strong at Duck River Raceway Park, as Chase qualified third quickest in his group. This night, all 34 cars had to heat race to determine who the first set of locked-in cars would be. Oliver secured a starting spot in the A-Feature with his second-place finish in the third heat race. This landed a sixth-place starting spot in the $10,053 to-win A-Feature. Once the main event began, the 24-car field went for 53 caution-free laps, and Oliver would finish in 7th place.
On Monday, May 29th, the team reached our next stop on our trip in Seymour, TN, at 411 Motor Speedway for our first Iron Man Super Late Model Southern Series race of the season. The crew was still in high spirits as the Black Diamond #5 was unloaded at the fourth racetrack in four days. The crew worked tirelessly that morning, trading out all of the wheels and tires to abide by the new tire rule.
That evening racing action moved through quickly. Due to car count, Chase would start the race where he qualified. Therefore, he knew that his qualifying position was more important tonight than in our previous three races. Chase landed a 14th-place starting position. With few support classes, our A-Feature quickly came. Oliver made a few changes to the car's suspension during the wait. Throughout the main event, the Black Diamond #5 proved quick again as Chase navigated through the field through 50 laps and finished the race in 8th place. Oliver would also get the Hard Charger Award (awarded to the driver that gained the most positions during the race) for the night.
The driver and crew were not ready to jump off the train of momentum they were building and made the decision to make the team's first visit to Clarksville Speedway in Clarksville, TN, the next day, May 30th. Here Chase would compete with some of the top drivers in the country in the Heart of America Ultimate Super Late Model Series $10,000 to-win race.
The night started with Oliver's qualifying solid effort, which landed him fifth in his group. All cars participated in heat races this night as well. Chase battled a strong group of cars and locked in the main event with a solid third-place finish in the heat race. This would put him starting mid-pack in a stacked field of cars. During the race, Chase was once again faced with transmission issues. Oliver attempted to push through and drive while holding the car in gear. However, he was involved in a collision that ended our night in Clarksville. Our results were recorded as a 14th-place DNF.
The team returns to Crossville with work to do and a wealth of new knowledge. The Black Diamond #5 would sit idle in the shop for the remainder of the week and weekend. On paper, the team did not experience a "winning" week. However, the team scored big in experience and knowledge. The crew is excited to take their knowledge to various racetracks throughout the season. You can catch live results and race updates here on our website.
Submitted By: Brittany McCoy
