CAROLINAS NUGGETS : 9-13-07
by Jason Buckley
BANDOLERO AND YOUNG LIONS NATIONALS PHOTOS
Hendrick Sports Photography was at the Kentucky Nationals taking photos of the event, like this one.
LegendsNation.com provided unprecedented coverage of this year’s Bandolero and Young Lions Nationals at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. From the debut of our Trackside Now feature to full race stories from all Nationals events, LN provided the Legends and Bandolero community with exposure across the globe via the website.
Now, you can remember the events not just in print here, but in photos.
Hendrick Sports Photography was on hand covering the event, etching the event in time by taking photos throughout the weekend. To view and purchase photos, visit www.hendricksportsphoto.com and head into the galleries.
To relive the racing action, make sure to also visit the stories here at LN:
BILL PRICE FINDS SPEED IN FINAL 2007 CARAWAY RACE
Racing an underpowered Legends car on a fast track like Caraway Speedway (NC) can be frustrating, but Masters driver Bill Price took it in stride. Racing with an older power plant, Price just enjoys getting out on the track and having fun.
Bill Price's #87 Legends got a boost from under the hood.
A failure with his old engine changed everything.
“The engine I had been running was four years old,” said Price. “The only thing I have done to it is freshen it one time about two years ago. I blew it last race, so I put a new built 1250 in last week and it seemed like it helped out a lot.
With new power under the hood, Price went from just running around in circles to contending for position within the top five of the race.
“It is a lot more (power) than I have had,” said Price. “I do not know how much more, but it certainly feels a lot better down the stretch and has a bit more RPM. If I can get it handling in the turn I think we will be right there with them.
“We are going to continue working on the handling. Also I was running older tires tonight, so that was a big deal. A lot of the other guys in front of me had fresher tires. I will have new tires the next time we come, and I will also do some tweaking during the winter.”
PARKER HAMMONS CONTINUES TO IMPRESS; FITNESS ENTERS THE MIX
Parker Hammons (left) has stepped up his Legends program after joining Clay Hair (right). (LN Photo)
Some racers in the Legends realm of racing have been behind the wheel of a real race car for years. Parker Hammons is not one of those racers. Coming from the simulation world of racing, Parker has only raced in the real world for just over a year. Within that time frame, he has already visited victory lane six times and has been strong at many tracks.
This season, Hammons has really been on top of his game. Last weekend at Concord Motorsport Park (NC) he finished fourth and third in the two-day show, something he attributes to what team he races under and the change in lifestyle he has underwent.
“Finishing (a race) is a big part of it (success),” said Hammons. “Last year I was pretty out of shape. I tried to get back in shape a little bit and it really has helped consistency wise. I am really stepping up my program for next year.
“Of course, Clay Hair Motorsports has helped me out on the track. What can you say about them? I picked up six tenths just going to Clay. You can’t ask for anything else. This is like a NASCAR team in Legends.”
OCR ACTION SPORTS PARK REMAINING 2007 SCHEDULE UPDATED
LegendsNation.com spoke to Ollie Spain, who runs the OCR Action Sports Park (NC) Bandolero and Karting track Thursday. There have been a few changes to the remaining 2007 schedule.
The September 15th show will be the final INEX points event of the season, but the track will continue to race through December as part of their “Fall Brawl” schedule.
Also, Spain informed LN there will be an endurance Bandolero event before the end of the year. More details to follow.
Remaining 2007 OCR Action Sports Park Bandolero Races
- Saturday September 15th
- Saturday September 22nd
- Saturday October 13th
- Saturday October 22nd
- Saturday November 10th
- Saturday November 24th
- Saturday December 1st
- Saturday December 15th
BILLY GOMEZ: HAVE CARS, WILL TRAVEL
Billy Gomez races at tracks like Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, NC. (LN Photo)
East coast Legends racer Billy Gomez has been seen recently racing at tracks he hasn’t run at in a few years. Gomez usually races at Wake County Speedway (NC), Coastal Plains Raceway (NC) and Southern National Raceway Park (NC), but just this past weekend he pulled his familiar #66 Legends to Caraway Speedway (NC).
“I should be at the beach right now,” said Gomez. “We are trying to support the Legends. These 10 or 12 car fields, we are trying to support the Legends wherever they are racing to help get the car counts up.”
Gomez is almost a one-man show, trying to help the Legends grow in a section of the Carolinas only a few seem to support.
“We just need to get people in the cars,” explained Gomez. “I have several cars people can rent and I would help them set it up. I just got to get it growing up there at Wake County and the Coastal Plains area. I am also working on Dillon Motor Speedway (Dillon, South Carolina) to have them support Legends a little bit.”
