|
RWJ Motorsports Race Report
6-14-2008
The RWJ Motorsports team made their first visit to the famed ½ mile Calistoga Speedway to race with the potent 360 Civil War Series. The team was excited to run the big half mile with Ricky, as the #35 Sprint Car has been racing at Calistoga for years with the Rick Wright owned cars. The night started out as a struggle for the team, as some minor motor troubles combined with a questionable gear selection landed Ricky with 33rd quick time. Ricky and the guys were looking to get in the A feature from their ninth starting spot in the heat. Things never materialized for Ricky as the motor issues continued; Ricky found himself with an eighth place finish in the heat, and an uphill battle in front of him in the "B" feature.
The "B" feature was pretty loaded and with a 17th place starting spot, Ricky was going to need to make some moves and have a little luck to put the #35, Maxey Tile, Red Line Oil, 35 Industries Maxim Chassis into the "A" Feature. With others misfortune and some great evasive action Ricky found himself in the 12th position early in the race. On the ensuing restart the track narrowed as cars began to stack up with each other. Ricky took the extreme low line underneath the traffic jam and put the trouble behind him. With the motor now running strong, Ricky proceeded to wheel the car into a transfer position and maintained it until the checkers flew, finishing 4th in the crash plagued race.
The "A" feature looked to be exciting; filled with GSC champions, Civil War Champions, local champions, multiple feature winners, and an abundance of highly experienced drivers filling the spots. Ricky and the team were both fortunate and extremely happy to be filling one of those spots. When the green flag flew Ricky went to work trying to put the family owned sprinter in places he has never been; around the fence of Calistoga Speedway! With some aggressive moves Ricky was gaining confidence every second in the car. A mistake going into turn one saw Ricky back the car into the fence with some repairable damage. Once the car was repaired and Ricky returned to the track, he once again tried to make something happen. After having passed a few cars, contact was made from another racer from the back of Ricky's car. This contact would end the night for the RWJ Motorsports team, officially being credited with an 18th place finish. After the race Ricky commented "this place was a lotta fun, and I look forward to coming back soon. I was able to gain some great experience racing with some of the best drivers in California. Ricky would like to thank his team, led by his mother and father, Jeff Delte and the folks that help keep this car running strong; Wright One Industries, Maxey Tile, Swimming Pool Perfections, Kaeding Performance, Butler Built Seats, Red Line Oil and all of the fans for supporting the team. The RWJ motorsports team will take a weekend off and return to Ocean Speedway Friday night June 27, 2008 for the Sixth round of racing with the Wright One 360 Sprint Car series.
|
