|
Horrific flip can’t stop Geving; 17-year-old sprint car champ is 14th out of 75 entrants in Fall Nationals
By Bill Sullivan, Chicko Motorsports Media Relations
CHICO, CA (10-4-08) – Throughout the 2008 racing season, Penngrove’s Alissa Geving has displayed her true talents behind the wheel of a winged sprint car. For Geving, the qualities reach far beyond the cockpit of her Matt Cordiero Enterprises, Pit Stop USA, Auto Repairs Unlimited #3x sprint car. The 17-year-old ace student is by far one of the sports’ true icons when it comes to having a positive attitude and the ability to keep her chin up even when the toughest of times set in. Geving is a driver who never gives up and always believes that anything is possible despite the circumstances.
This last weekend Geving once again displayed her resilient nature at the 2008 Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Competing in an event that was originally scheduled to span a three day period, the 2008 Petaluma Speedway track champion was one o 75 cars packed into a pill draw show on Saturday night. When a pill draw format is utilized in auto racing, drivers do not qualify to determine their starting positions, it is simply the luck of the draw as to where they start in the program.
Geving knew she had her work ahead of her when she drew a number 73 pill to determine her starting position in one of the seven heat races that took place Saturday night. The high number placed her in the 10th starting position of the sixth heat race where she charged her way up to fifth place. The good news within the news of adversity; passing points were awarded in Saturday’s program and Geving’s success secured her a starting spot in the 40-lap feature event.
“I always prefer to qualify, especially at tracks I do well on like Chico,” said Geving. “But under the circumstances there wasn’t much choice for the promoters with the number of cars so the old pill draw format came out. If I drew a number like that on a regular night I would have been pretty upset but I knew I could make it into the A-feature with the passing points tonight. I was excited to make the A-feature from the heat race for sure.”
A couple of hours after her evening’s high point, Geving was faced with adversity once again when disaster struck during warm up laps for the A-feature. Racing on a track that was treacherous, with deep ruts throughout the racing line and beyond, Geving came out of the fourth turn for the final lap of warm ups and launched her #3x Gary Geving powered Maxim high into the air to draw a red flag.
With the top wing completely torn off the car, a bent axle, crushed tail tank and multiple damaged bars and shocks it appeared Geving’s party for a Fall Nationals A-main finished was crashed. Even the track announcer commented the damage appeared far too severe to be repaired in time for the green flag. The one thing that was not broken in the incident was Geving’s positive attitude. After climbing from the car and surveying the damage, she walked back to her pit area and still managed to cast a smile even though she thought her night was over.
“The car felt great out there, I was feeling so confident,” said Geving. “It was the roughest track I think I have ever raced on and I was doing my best to stay out of the ruts. I saw another car cross up in front of me and when I tried avoid it I caught one of them and went over. It was a hard flip and I’m still sore for it but I did think my night was over.”
While the B-feature was taking place, Geving’s championship crew went into overdrive and managed to repair the car in time for the 40-lap A-feature. Geving had planned to at least take the green flag and pull off the track in an effort to get last place winnings. Once again, Geving showed her true colors and her “never give up” attitude. Despite being sore and shaken from the accident and aboard a car that was far from 100 percent of its performance level, she remained in the event for the majority of laps in one of the longest feature events to take place this season with many red flag delays.
“It seemed like we were racing two laps at a time out there,” said Geving. “The car felt alright, it was tough to steer and I had to really work hard to pull the throttle back but I decided to ride it out and see how far I could get by staying out of trouble.”
Geving drove her way as high as the 12th position in Saturday’s event. Late in the race she began fighting an ill handling car on an extremely rough race track that was proving to be a challenge to even the most talented veterans of the sport. On the 27th lap Geving fell to 14th finishing position when she retired to the pit area for night.
“I knew there were only one or two cars left behind me because so many had crashed or broken,” said Geving. “It was becoming difficult to pull the throttle back and the last thing I wanted to do was have another costly crash late in the race. I was happy to be able to even start the feature event after what happened in warm ups. I have to thank everyone for their help in getting me back out there, my whole crew, my parents and all of the other teams that jumped in to help out.”
Saturday night Geving’s second team car was in competition with Petaluma veteran Randy Lathrop behind the wheel. A 12-time open wheel feature winner, Lathrop collaborated with the Geving family to return to the drivers’ seat. With Lathrop’s motor in Geving’s back up Maxim chassis the driver known as “Buttercup” managed to survive the brutal track surface with a successful comeback.
Starting deep in the field in heat racing, Lathrop finished ninth in the opening preliminary events. He claimed 4th in the D-feature to transfer to the rear of the C-feature where he ended his evening finishing in 13th. Throughout the night Lathrop was one of 75 drivers fighting a rough track surface that was rutted and torn from the heavy rains the night before.
“That was one of the toughest tracks I have ever raced on and when I was out there I didn’t think Chicko would be the one going upside down I thought it was going to be me,it was really a challenge to keep all four wheels on the ground here tonight,” said Lathrop. “I want to thank the Geving’s for the opportunity to drive their car tonight. I greatly appreciate everything they did for me and it felt good to be back.”
At this time the remainder of the 2008 racing season is undetermined for Alissa Geving and her Chicko Motorsports team. Upcoming events include the World of Outlaws at Ocean Speedway followed by the high dollar Trophy Cup. Plans for either of these events will be announced in the coming weeks. Geving maintains a full schedule as a senior at Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa and participates in numerous extra curricular activities.
Alissa Geving and her Chicko Motorsports team are sponsored by Pit Stop USA, Matt Cordeiro Enterprises, Tillett Tool and Auto Repairs Unlimited. Additional sponsors include Flowmaster, A1A Performance Muffler, Parker Stores, Kalembas Tire Center, Rossi Auto Body, Afex Graphics, ALC Machine ,21st Century Health Club, Butler Specialties, JW Web Design, Vanlare Steering Repair, Jeremy’s Chair Repair, Hose Doctor, Fast Lube Plus ALC Machine and Butler Built Safety Seats. Public Relations Services for Chicko Motorsports are furnished by Sullivan Images in collaboration with Steve’s Racing Photos
To learn more about Alissa Geving, her sponsors or how to become involved with the team as a sponsor visit her official website at www.chick-o-motorsports.com.
|
