|
After a less than satisfying race at Altamont Motorsports Park, Laura Hayes and her team looked forward to a new weekend on the 1/3 mile at Madera Speedway on July 7th. Laura won her first USAC race at Madera last year in the Ford Focus Midget and had high hopes for the weekend.
Tony Hunt came out to the track for Friday practice and offered some helpful advice for Laura, both about the proper line and chassis adjustment. On race day, the Peoplefinders.com Beast/Chevy was handling very well and Laura qualified 4th. After the eight-car invert for the main event, Laura found herself starting in the 5th position. She had a great start and made a pass for 3rd on the first lap but the car lost grip and pushed terribly in turns three and four. The push continued and Laura fell back to 12th place. After regrouping and getting back into her rhythm, she began to make her way back up through the field. Although the car wasn't working as well as it had been earlier in the day, Laura worked with what she had, finding the best line for the car and the conditions. Hayes would finish 6th after the race was shortened when a car flipped out of the park.
Even though Laura didn't meet the goals she had set coming into the weekend, she again gained valuable seat time.
|
