Adopting a Pattern

It seems our racing program is adopting a pattern this year. One week on, one week off. We started with bug day, when we broke the rear end of the car. Then we went to the first race, and had our best finish of all time. Then, one week later, we break an engine. The hard work pays off, but it never seems to end.

A Paradox

Joe Lusk gets in his car — Joe Lusk getting in his car, preparing for practice.

In a previous blog post, I talked about hills and valleys. Racing is full of them. One week you are on top, the next you’re at the lowest low. Our season has felt a lot like that.

On Friday, May 19th, the night was shaping up to be a good one. I had just come off my best late model finish ever. In warmups, I was third fastest. Then, in the heat, I finished 3rd, but the car felt very fast. I was on the heels of the leader every restart except for the last one. We made a small gear change between practice and the heat, but chose to go back to the original gear for the feature.

Joe Lusk at Clinton County — Joe Lusk entering turn one at Clinton County Motor Speedway.

In the feature, something was off. I started 3rd. Immediately I dropped like a rock. It was very frustrating to me, as the car had no grip. The track was dry, and looked like a skating rink. It was smooth I couldn’t find traction anywhere. The race went green all the way, and as I was about to get lapped, the engine finally expired. The car ceased to run halfway down the front stretch. I first slammed the car into neutral, because that’s the easiest way to save the engine from more damage. Then I coasted the car up off the track, nice and easy. It’s ironic, how much damage occurred. I felt nothing, no warnings, no bangs. It was as if the motor decided it was ready to give up.

The Damage

Joe getting his engine out. — Joe Lusk working underneath his late model to remove the broken engine.

We found out over the week what was wrong. Judging by the holes in the oil pan, we were left with no choice but to remove the engine. As we removed it, we found the problem. The camshaft was hanging out, snapped in three pieces. We found, however, that the engine is still usable. We have two engines, but our backup is a pro stock motor. The pro stock motor, we decided, would best be sold. Without the extra money, we simply couldn’t race.

It’s pretty melancholy when we break something this big. It also means that we will be unable to race for a few weeks. The damage coincided with our family vacation to a NASCAR race, so we will be out of the game for two weeks.

When we come back, our goal is to be better than ever.