Round 16 - Martinsville

Round 16 of the series took place on the tight 'paper clip' 0.5 mile oval that is Martinsville.

I was quckest over the 10 lap practise session with a time of 21.300.

I couldn't match that time in qualifying but I still managed pole with a time of 21.302.

From then start I took the lead and was able to hold it comfortablely. The only problem I had was when I was lapping the slower cars which on an half mile oval comes very quickly. I did get a warning about rough driving but did avoid the dreaded black flag. A yellow flag near the end gave the comfort zone to finish the race unopposed. Another win.

 

I led 54 of the 60 laps which I think is my best ever performance.

 

My fastest lap was 21.001, the best of the weekend.

 

I was now 9th in the standings.

Round 15 - Talledega Superspeedway

The penultimate round of the championship took place on the high banking of the fastest superspeedway of them all, Talledega.

My record on the superspeedways is not good so I was pleased with my 4th fastest practise time of 53.792.

As usual for a super speedway I qualified a lowly 33rd with a slightly slower time of 53.932. 

I kept my cool at the start and although I didn't hit anyone I still found myself at the back. Once the race settled down I began to pick up positions. By end of the 28 lap race I had made my way up to 20th position which is my best finish on a superpeedway to date.

I was still in the top ten (just) (in 10th) a mere 327 points behind.

My fastest lap time was 53.517 my fastest of the weekend.

Round 14 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway

I was on good form and feeling confident of a good result at the very fast Las Vegas Motor Speedway when the trucks arrived for round 14 of the series.

The 10 laps practise session went very well as I was fastest after the 10 laps with a time of 32.789.

Qualifying was slightly disappointing as I could only manage a time of 32.860 which gave me a 4th place starting position.

As the green flag dropped I overtook 2 of the cars that lined up in front of me. I then proceeded to run in the top 2 until lap 41 of the scheduled 45 laps.

On lap 41 I decided to make my move for the lead. However I slightly misjudged the closing speed and clipped the car in front. It was only a slight tap but it was enough to spin me out.

I restarted with 2 laps to go in 29th place. In the remaining 2 laps I made up 7 places to finish 22nd.

I did lead 8 laps but this wasn't enough to gain me the 5 bonus points for leading the most laps.

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.722.

Round 13 - New Hampshire

The Nascar Craftsman truck series rolled into New Hampshire on December 1st.

This one mile flat oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practise went well as I set the fastest time of 32.356 on the last of the scheduled 10 laps.

In the qualifying session I qualified in pole position with a time of 32.133.

I took the lead early on in the race to get the 5 bonus points for leading a lap. Holding on to the lead proved hazardous as after halfway there were 3 yellow flag periods in quick succession. I decided to let a car through in the early laps to avoid the black flag. With 10 to go I closed on the leader and got the lead. All was going well into the final corner when I drifted slightly wide and was passed. A second place!

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.689. I managed to lead 34 of the 60 laps.

I was up to 9th in the standings.