Round 9 - Michigan 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 5th with a time of 41.633.

Qualifying next and the question was could I get further up the grid? The answer was yes as I managed 3rd  with a time of 41.544.

The race turned out to be something special for me - no black flags. On the first lap I passed one car to go 2nd and that is where I stayed until 2 laps from the end where there was a yellow flag period. On the restart I was passed by 4 cars to finish a credible 6th.

My best time of the race was 41.594 which was 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 34.122 after the mandatory 10 laps.

I was a tad faster in qualifying and managed to claim pole position with a time of 33.930.

The 61 lap race was a success for me. Previous recent 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 eeryone would hae to pit.

With this in mind I led fo the first 29 laps until I caused a caution period. I decided to take adantage of the yellow and pitted for fresh tyres and fuel. A handful of others followed. I restarted dead last but quickly made my way through the pack only to receieve a black flag. After serving the penalty I rejoined the race a lap down. My strategy played out during the last 10 laps or so when most of the other cars pitted for fuel. I was able to pass them and finish a satisfactory 5th.

My best lap of the race was a 33.862 which was my fastest of the race weekend.

I was 6th in the standings - still 12 places better off than the previous season..

Round 7 - Dover, Delaware

The Monster Mile that is Dover played host to round 7 of the series.

As with recent rounds in practise I was fastest with a best time of 27.233.

Qualifying went well as I posted the fastest time and secured another pole position (27.129).

The raced turned out to be yet another disaster. I was in the lead for the first 30 odd laps then  I spun having misjudged the shadows going into turn 1 which caused a yellow flag period. That earned me a black flag. I got another black flag whilst attempting to drive back through the field. I did finally finish in 21st place.
I did pick up the 5 bonus points for leading a lap however.

My best lap of the race was 27.013.

I led 30 of the 73 laps.

I was now 7th in the chanpionship standings.

Round 6 - Lowes Motor Speedway, Charlotte NC

The sixth round of series saw the trucks roll in to Lowes motorspeedway (formerly Charlotte) in North Carolina.

Another solid practise session where again I was fastest with a time of  32.572 after the 10 laps.

Qualifying almost followed the pattern of practise as I was fastest with a time of 32.616.

I led for most of this race and as the race went on I began to confidently think of victory.

In the first half of the race there were two yellow flag periods.

Four laps after halfway I was notified that I was halfway on fuel. I calculated that it would be marginal on fuel to go the distance.

As luck would have it there was a third yellow flag period in the latter stages which enabled me to get to the end and chalk up another win. I did get the 'extremely low on fuel' message on the penultimate lap so was very close to empty when I crossed the line.

I was up to 6th in the standings, 130 points behind.

I led 35 of the 47 laps and set a fastest time of 32.477.

Round 5 - Kansas

Round 5 took place at the very fast Kansas Motor Speedway.

As usual it seems I had a very good practise session, topping the timing sheets with a time of 33.852.
Qualifying did not go so well as I could only manage a 33.742 which saw me on the 3rd row in 6th place.

It didn't take long fo me to move up the order in the race. I managed to hold the lead for the majority of the race until disaster struck 3 laps from the end.

I was in the lead when I ran low on fuel and had to pit,

I was clasified in 35th place which dopped me to 8th in the standings 170 points behind.

My fastest lap of the race was a 33.672.

Round 4 - Martinsville

Round 4 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 21.303.

I bettered that time in qualifying as I managed pole with a time of 21.245.

In the race, I led all 88 laps.

I managed to lap 12 cars, many of them twice before finally taking the chequered flag in 1st place

I did set a best lap time of 20.794 which was my fastest of the weekend.

I was now 4th in the standings.

Round 3 - Atlanta Motor Speedway

Round 3 of the series took place at the very fast Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia.

I started off the race weekend with a very satisfying practise session, where after my 10 laps I was 4th fastest with a time of 31.639.

Qualifying went even better for me as I qualified on pole with a time of 31.603.

In the race I found myself in the lead after the first of the 42 laps.

Fuel consumption was the important factor in this race. On lap 23 of 46 I was informed by my pit crew that I was halfway on fuel. Now 23 is half of 46 so I should have been safe to get to the end. However it was not to be as on lap 44 I received the 'fuel extremely low' message and had to pit. I managed in the 2 remaining laps to pass a few cars and finish 28th. The question is why did no one else have to stop for Sunoco fuel?

I ended up in 11th place in the overall standings 126 points behind the current leader.

I led 18 of the 46 laps which got me the 10 bonus points.