6/3/2013
Joshua Hodges
HMS Update - ASCS SW @ TIR
This weekend was a bit disappointing even with a podium finish at the end of the night. We started off by pulling the number 4 pill. That put me on the pole of the 3rd heat. By the time we rolled out on the track, it was dry slick from the bottom up to a cushion a few grooves away from the wall. I was able to get the jump on the start and get to the lead into turn 1. I immediately went to the cushion and I was able to lead all 8 laps and win by a comfortable margin. The car felt the best it ever had under these conditions and I was looking forward to the A Feature. I pulled number 4 once again in the redraw to start 2nd row outside. The cushion got moved up to just barely one lane from the fence and it was slick all the way up to it. On the start I was able to jump into 2nd entering turn 1 and I was able to pull alongside for the lead but didn’t complete the pass. I then rode in 2nd and we both ran the cushion before quickly coming upon lapped traffic. It was at this point that us in the top 2 separated from the rest of the pack. My car was working really well and there were some spots where I would gain ground and others where I’d lose it. We lapped up through 8th place at lap 21 of 25 and at that point there was some rubber that had been laid down on exit of both turn 2 and 4. In turn 3 of that lap the leader went to the bottom and got a bit hung up with some lapped cars and I made a gamble moving up out of the rubber to go around the outside but it paid off and I was able to take the lead coming off turn 4 at the start/finish line. However, before we could all complete the lap, a caution came out, putting me back into the 2nd position. It was a long yellow flag and at some point we believe the left rear tire was cut. When we went back green it lost a lot of air and the car became really loose. At that point I was just hanging on the last few laps for position and in the process I gave up the 2nd spot. In the end I finished 3rd, but I thought we had a real shot at getting the win. There was room for improvement in the car but it was handling pretty well before that caution. It was still another top 5 which extends our streak to 4 top 5’s in a row. We’re not sure where we will be heading next but we will evaluate some schedules and weather and make that decision soon!
Submitted By: Jack Hodges
