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 on 02/09/2012 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 32.771.

Qualifying was slightly disappointing as I could only manage a time of 32.783 which gave me a 4th place starting position.

This race was a disaster for me. Some of the 1.5 mile speedwaysare so fast that a fuel stop is required to complete the race. By now I should hae been used to this but for some reason today I just didn't hear the low fuel warning. I didn't realise my mistake until 2 laps from the end.

After pitting I rejoined at the back of the pack. I started to make my way back as best I could but could only get as far as 19th. This was only because I had previously lapped quite a few cars.

To compound my misery no one else stopped for fuel!

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.559.

I dropped to 3rd in the points 35 behind. The championship is still within my grasp.

 

 

Round 13 - New Hampshire

The Nascar Craftsman truck series rolled into New Hampshire on August 27th.

This one mile flat oval would prove quite a challenge or so I thought. Practise went well as I set the fastest time of 32.150.

In the qualifying session I qualified in pole position with a time of 32.377.

I took the lead early on in the race to get the 5 bonus points for leading a lap. I was faitly comfortable in the lead until I got the "half way on fuel" warning four laps from half distance. I decided to pit 10 laps later when I had secured the bonus points for leading the most laps. After pitting I made my way back to 3rd with 2 laps to go only top receive the dreaded black flag. I ended up in 20th. No one else stopped for fuel.

My fastest lap of the race was a 32.279. I managed to lead 37 of the 82 laps.
 

I was down to 2nd in the standings.

 

 

 

 

Round 12 Bristol Motor Speedway

The question as the trucks rolled into Bristol was whether the recent upturn in my form continue at Nascar's toughest short track.

With a lot of cars on track at one time setting a fast time in practise proved difficult but midway through the session I managed to set the fastest time (17.367).

In qualifying I went a tad faster (17.171) and managed to get pole position.

In the race I led all of the 80 laps. This time I managed to keep my cool until the chequered flag. Another win! 

Leading 80 laps gained me 10 bonus points. My fastest racing lap was 16.640 which was faster than both my practise and qualifying times.

I was now leading the championship by 39 points.

Round 11 - Indianapolis Raceway Park

Round 11 of the series took place at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. The trucks do not race at the more famous motor speedway.

After somewhat disappointing finish at Milwaukee I wasn't expecting good things from this race, however  the race weekend started brightly enough when I set the fastest time in practise (22.769).

The 2 lap qualifying period went well to as I improved my best time by 3/10s of a second to grab pole position (22.453).

The race went to plan as I ran in the top 2 for the entire 80 laps. I did get one warning for rough contact.

I led for 75 laps which gave me 10 bonus points. My fastest race lap was 21.926 which was quicker than I qualified.

I was up to 2nd in the standings.

Round 10 - Milwaukee Mile

The famous Milwaukee Mile played host to round 10 of the series.

I was fastest after the 10 lap practise session with a time of 30.333.
.

Could I go one better in qualifying and grab the pole? The answer was yes, a time of 30.285 was good enough!

In the race disaster struck as early as lap 2 when I spun out. I fought back to the front but too aggressiely for the stewards as I was black flagged on lap 46. Undettered I fought back to finish on the podium in 3rd place. I led 27 of the 80 laps.

My fastest lap of the race was a 30.129 which was quicker than my qualifying time!

I was now up to 2nd in the standings

Round 9 - Michigam International Speedway

Michigan Super Speedway was home to round 9 of the series.

This high banked oval which boasts speeds of 153mph in the corners is one of Nascar's fastest tracks.

The race weekend started off with the mandatory 10 lap practise session. I was just inside the top 5, placing 3rd with a time of 41.442.

Qualifying next and the question was could I get further up the grid? The answer was no as I could only manage 6th.

The race turned out to be something special for me - no black flags. I ran in the top 3 all race, mostly either 1st or second but had the misfortune to drop to third two laps from the finish. I was happy enough with an uneventful race and a podium finish.

My best time of the race was 41.448 not quite my fastest of the race weekend.

I was up to 5th in the standings.

Round 8 - Texas Motor Speedway

Round 8 took place at one of the fastest tracks on the championship circuit, Texas Motorspeedway.

The race weekend started well as I was fastest straight out of the box in practise with a time of 33.836 after the mandatory 10 laps.

I was a tad faster in qualifying and managed to claim pole position with a time of 33.858.

The 67 lap race was a success for me. In most previous races at Texas I'd been leading the race but had run out of fuel very close to the end with my opposition making it to the end. With the 5% increase in race length I was sure everyone would have to pit.

With this in mind I led for the first 34 laps until there was a caution period. I decided to take advantage of the yellow and pitted for fresh tyres and fuel. I restarted dead last but quickly began to make my way through the pack. My strategy played out during the last 10 laps or so when all of the other cars pitted for fuel. I was able to pass them and finish first.

My best lap of the race was a 33.663 which was my fastest of the race weekend.

I was 6th in the standings, 91 points behind the leader.