3/23/2013
Sprint Source
Sasquatch Nationals
Cedar Lake Indoor Nationals aka "Sasquatch Indoor Nationals presented by Jack Link's Beef Jerky"
New Richmond, Wis., March 8-9, 2013 - It was 20 degree weather, wind blowing hard, ice and snow everywhere. This Texas girl was not ready for a Wisconsin blizzard. (Don't think my Texas teammate Payton Pierce was either.) But let’s go back to the beginning.
I was so excited to get back I the seat of the McCreery #57K midget. We were just coming off a win I the micro so I knew we were on the right track! Richard Pierce finally came over to pick me up to leave, not going to lie I hated having to go without my Dad, but I had to! So we were off, headed North into unknown territory. Not knowing what to expect I packed about 5 jackets. Once we got to Kansas for our first stop I realized I should’ve brought a heavier coat!
With 4 foot of snow surrounding us we finally made it to the track. The butterflies started to overcome my body. It was only practice day but I was in a new car and just wanted to run good. It came time to get my suit on and hop in the car. I got all buckled up and was excited to see what this car could do! They pushed me off, car fired and sounded great. Green flag! Green flag! I step on the gas. The first turn went great, get in to the straight away and the car falls on its face, lap after lap.
I pull into the pits and tell the guys what’s going on. They start running around changing batteries, wires checking injection and the whole nine yards. Tokay with all that being checked and good, it should run now, right? Well I get buckled in again, motor fired of perfectly. I get on the gas then boom….the motor falls on its face again. When I get back to the pits the crew is dumbfounded – what could it be?! To sum up the first day; it was full of motor problems.
We showed up for day number two, hopeful for a better day. I went out for hot laps, the problem still not fixed. The crew changed some more things thinking for sure that it’s fixed now! But in the heat race it only got worse. I knew if we could get it fixed that the car would be great. After a asking a bunch of people and ripping our out hair, we found the problem. It was the fuel system. Unfortunately I had to go out for the “B” Main. Not knowing how the car would be at full power we still went out with high hopes. Right at the green I knew the problem was fixed, but my comfort and driving style for the car was not 100%. So we ended up not making the show. Everyone kept saying keep my head up, but if they were in my shoes they’d have been down too.
Finally the last day arrived. I went in with a new found confidence since the car was running great! But of course I get stuck in the most stacked heat race with all the big boys…..It was time to get up on the wheel. As the four-wheeler pushed me around the track, I was trying to plan out my start. I lined up behind Tracy Hines. We had a great start. The car felt awesome out of turn 2, but as I try to make a pass I get slammed in the side, making me pull a huge wheel stand and a car gets by me. I pull in line on a one lane track, lap after lap I get more and angrier with the guy that hit me. Everyone in the pits knows we would have been in a good spot if he wouldn’t have done that…..but that’s racing. Now we are stuck in the “B” Main again. I tell myself, “I am going to make the “A” Main. I am going to make the “A” Main.”…. I get a great start, driving hard and fast. I found myself stuck behind someone who races midgets every weekend who is very good! (This was only my 3rd time in a midget!!) We battle for a few laps; I knew it was time to make a move. As I was trying to make a pass, I hear ….”YELLOW YELLOW”….. And I’m like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Such bad timing. With only a couple of laps to go I missed the “A” Main by ONE SPOT….
With all the downs of this weekend, I still wasn’t too sad because I knew I got valuable seat time and I got better as a driver.
Submitted By: Kaley Engstrom
