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‘Tis the Season … For Heart Attacks
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By NAPA
Jack Wood began the ARCA Menards Series West (AMSW) campaign with a seventh-place finish on Friday evening at Phoenix Raceway to mark his second consecutive top-10 result at the one-mile tri oval. The driver of the No. 16
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet SS kick started his AMSW championship bid with his 12th-career top-10 finish as the race was called short due to rain and lightning after 115 of 150 scheduled laps.
Wood began his effort in the desert by posting the eighth-quickest time in practice and followed that up with an eighth-place qualifying effort. The Californian began the event by wrestling an extremely loose handling condition in the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet. Wood radioed the team that his balance was a “10 out of 10” loose on both ends of Phoenix’s flat mile but managed to stay on the lead lap during the first half of the event.
Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt took advantage of a caution on lap 70 to bring Wood to pit road for a crucial wedge adjustment while running 14th. On the ensuing restart at lap 75, Wood rocketed forward to claim the sixth position by the time the halfway caution flew on lap 76.
Wood took on four fresh General Tires, fuel, and additional chassis adjustments during the halfway break to tweak the improved balance on his Chevrolet. When the race restarted on lap 81, Wood was a mainstay in the top-10 until a caution for lightning slowed the field on lap 113. Wood was credited with a seventh-place finish as a rare thunderstorm enveloped the desert mile and forcing an official finish after 115 laps were completed.
“With as deep as the field was here, seventh is a solid start to our season,” Wood said. “Our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet was too loose in the first half of the race, and we really needed that caution before halfway to get an extra adjustment. Kevin and the guys made a good call, and it really improved the car. I would have liked to see us run out the full distance to see if we could have gotten into the top-five, but that’s a solid finish for our first race as a group. We have a good foundation here and we’ll work on getting ready for Irwindale in a couple weeks.”
Start / Finish: 8 / 7
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 37 pts.
Next Race: Saturday, March 30, Irwindale Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 10:00 p.m. ET on FloRacing
NAPA:
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes tallied a resilient sixth-place finish on Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) for his best finish through three races. The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST remains ninth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) standings after his second top-10 result of the young season. Eckes has now posted top-10 finishes in six of his eight races at LVMS.
Eckes started the day in strong fashion by posting the second-quickest laps in practice and qualifying. He got the early holeshot off the initial green flag and led the first seven circuits. However, Eckes began wrestling with an extremely tight condition throughout the opening stage. The balance issues relegated him to run in 14th position at the end of Stage 1 on lap 30.
Crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit lane during the stage yellow to change four tires and address the handling woes. A track bar and wedge adjustment proved to be the right direction for Eckes in Stage 2, but the tight condition persisted. Eckes restarted 16th on lap 36 but immediately leaped into the top 10 by lap 38. Despite his efforts, Eckes once again ran 14th at the end of Stage 2 on lap 60.
Denike and the NAPA Auto Care team made an even bigger swing to improve the balance with chassis adjustments during the second stage caution. Significant wedge and a front suspension changes proved to be the proper tonic to wake up Eckes’ Chevrolet. He restarted 21st on lap 67 and marched back into the top-10 in less than 20 laps. A smoothly executed green-flag pit stop cycle vaulted Eckes from ninth to sixth with roughly 30 laps remaining. The improved balance allowed him to string together consistent laps over the final run to take the checkered flag in sixth for his second top-10 result of the season.
“We definitely made improvements throughout the night to our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet,” Eckes said. “My guys kept making swings at it and we got the balance better, but we have some work to do to get the balance where we need it. It’s good to finish better than we ran all night, but we have some work to do.”
Start / Finish: 2 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 9th / 85 pts. (-22)
Next Race: Saturday, March 16, Bristol Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
The Battle of the Bay at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa marked the opening of the High Limit Racing season, and Brad Sweet and the
link hidden, please login to view No. 49 team of Kasey Kahne Racing arrived intent to make their mark on the points standings from the start.
With 56 cars in attendance for the first night at East Bay, the NAPA No. 49 hit the top of the charts in qualifying with a lap time of 12.550 seconds. Heat race action followed, and the Big Cat battled his way from fourth to third, punching his ticket to the dash by being the fastest car in his heat. In the dash, Sweet showed consistent speed by charging from third to second.
The action on night one of the Battle at the Bay truly heated up during the evening’s feature race. Despite starting strong in second place, the NAPA driver faced formidable competition and slid back in the field. The five-time World of Outlaws champion showed his determination though, and he fought his way to a fourth-place finish.
That was just the beginning for the NAPA team. Because Sweet secured a fourth-place finish in Monday’s preliminary event, he was automatically locked into the heat races on night two, bypassing qualifying. This placed him fourth to start in Heat Race 4, where he revealed the speed of the NAPA machine on the 1/3-mile oval. Sweet charged to the lead, winning his heat and placing himself first to start the dash.
Sweet took charge in the seven-lap dash and never looked back, earning the win. Finally, the 30-lap A-main took the green flag to mark the final race of the two-day event. Launching the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 like a rocket, Sweet quickly caught the tail of the field. Competitor Tyler Courtney managed to sneak by the Big Cat for the lead, and Sweet lost another spot after a tough battle. He brought the No. 49 machine to the checkered flag in third, earning a spot on the East Bay podium.
Next up for Sweet and the NAPA team is Deuces Wild at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, GA.
Start / Finish:
Monday, Feb. 12: 2 / 4
Tuesday, Feb. 13: 1 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 133 pts.
Next Race: Thursday, Feb. 22, Golden Isles Speedway, Waynesville, GA
How to Watch or Listen:
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By Counterman
After a successful partnership in 2023, Dayco announced that Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) has signed on to use its blower belts again during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Both Matt Hagan, four-time Funny Car champion, and Tony Stewart, NASCAR, INDYCAR and USAC Champion, will compete in their respective categories using Dayco blower belts on the track.
After finishing third in 2022, Hagan came back with a vengeance in 2023, placing first and earning the World Championship title. He has a total of 49 career event titles, with six of those victories from last season.
Stewart will be making his NHRA Top Fuel debut in 2024, after finishing second in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national championship standings in 2023 and finishing second in the North Central Region.
Both Hagan’s Funny Car and Stewart’s Top Fuel dragster are driven at speeds in excess of 330 mph down the track, and Dayco blower belts not only held up all season in intense conditions but enabled both cars to perform at optimal levels, according to Dayco.
“I’m looking forward to continuing our partnership with Dayco in 2024,” Stewart said. “Getting behind the wheel this season, I know their belts will help Matt Hagan and I perform at the highest level on-track.”
The Dayco 11-millimeter blower belt is engineered specifically for use by Top Fuel and Funny Cars with nitromethane engines. It features a hybrid carbon cord encapsulated in custom rubber compounds and patented low-friction PTFE tooth fabric, according to Dayco. It has a standard 11-millimeter pitch, is 84 millimeters wide and has 145 teeth.
“It feels great knowing our Dayco blower belts helped ensure the drivers’ were behind the wheel of machines set up to win during the 2023 season,” said Jay Buckley, director of marketing and training, Dayco North America. “We can’t wait to see what next season has in store for the TSR team and look forward to our belts helping them bring home more wins.”
Hagan and Stewart will kick-off the 2024 NHRA season March 8-10 at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.
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By Counterman
As the days grow shorter, the leaves begin to change, and there’s a nip in the air. Deer season has opened in many states, and that means an increase in antlered traffic for those of us on the roads as well as in the woods. The United States is home to around 32 million white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and another 3.5 million black-tailed or mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). While a huge number of sporting folks will enjoy spending the upcoming fall and winter months searching for deer, many others hope to avoid them at all costs.
Deer hunters spent roughly $23 billion pursuing their quarry in 2020, from license fees to purchasing gear, as well as travel and lodging. On the other hand, the insurance industry reports approximately $1 billion in deer-related losses annually, the result of roughly 1.5 million individual claims. Hunters spend considerably more per year chasing deer, but they probably enjoy themselves a lot more than the folks making a claim with their insurance company!
White-tail populations are spread throughout the United States, but as humans continue to develop former deer habitat into suburbs and as cities spread ever outward, people encounter deer on a more frequent basis. Bordering on being a nuisance, urban and suburban deer outnumber populations found elsewhere in my state. I’ve hunted in upstate New York for nearly 30 years, but the biggest buck I’ve personally encountered was seen in my suburban neighbor’s yard a couple of years ago, browsing at their bird feeder!
Deer are naturally most active and dawn and dusk, but as the seasons change from summer to fall, their activity becomes a little more intense. The heat is on to find a mate and to find dwindling food resources, which means they’re more likely to leave traditional areas of cover (like the woods) and be on the move, crossing roads and even highways. Increased deer traffic in low-light conditions, along with the greater overlap of our “habitats,” is a recipe for disaster on the road.
Defensive driving isn’t just about other drivers and vehicles. In areas with high deer populations, self-aware drivers naturally keep watch along the roadside, looking for animals lurking in the shadows, and for their tell-tale glowing eyes after dark. The old phrase “a deer in headlights” refers to their tendency to freeze up or panic when blinded by oncoming lights. Those eyes are tuned for low-light conditions, so when your bi-xenon HID or LED-upgrade headlamps suddenly shine directly in them, it’s even more disorienting for them than it is for the rest of us!
When it comes to running deer, another old adage I’ve often heard is that “you won’t hit the deer you see … you’ll hit the one behind her.” As herd animals, deer (especially females) often travel together. White-tailed deer are named for the prominent white fur on their rump, and when startled, that furry flag of a tail stands high as a warning to others. If a deer crosses in front of you, and her tail is up, there’s a good chance it’s for the benefit of another deer behind her. While your attention is diverted by the “near-miss,” you’re liable to hit (or be hit by) the next deer in line. This is one of many reasons that when confronted with the choice of hitting the deer in front of you or swerving, sometimes it’s safer to take the hit.
In most deer-strike claims, damages are limited to the front bumper, radiator/grille, lights and hood. Depending on the angle of the hit, deer also might strike or “tumble” down the side of the vehicle. Vehicles are designed to safely withstand front-end impacts greater than even the most “monster” buck, so firm braking in a straight line should be your first choice. Attempting to avoid the collision could put you off the side of the road, or head-on into oncoming vehicles. Winter conditions can make recovering from a hasty maneuver even trickier, so leave the stunt-driving to the movie stars!
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