LMS Winter Heat 1/19/07 and 1/20/07: Legends Racing Action
By Jason Buckley
YOUNG LIONS: HEAVLOW FOLDS UNDER PRESSURE AS PRESNELL PREVENTS ROAD COURSE SWEEP
Heading into this weekend’s Winter Heat double at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Jimmy Heavlow served notice he was looking to sweep the road course events for the Young Lions division in the series. With the first two under his belt, Heavlow looked like a lock for the four-race sweep, but pressure from behind caused him to drive off track in the final road course event, blowing his chance to be undefeated.
Dylan Presnell took the final road course victory in Winter Heat competition this season. (LN Photo)
Saturday the sweep looked good for Heavlow. His #3 Legends Car was stout, even in the wet.
“It was a pretty gnarly race,” said Heavlow. “This time for the for the heat races I guess they decided to run our whole class. Our first heat race it was pretty wet so we decided to put rain tires on and I think that gave me a big advantage and helped me come up through the field. I won that one. In the second one we came up to second. The track was kind of wet and just didn’t have enough time.
“In the feature it was really wet. We left our rain tires on and the car was just all over the place. You just had to be so smooth with your right foot and luckily I did that and I started to pull away. I kept my momentum up and took it home.”
Sunday Heavlow wasn’t able to get a huge lead on the field as Dylan Presnell and Ryan Truex closed in late in the race. With just a few laps remaining, Heavlow blew the chicane, driving straight through, forcing a position penalty by the officials.
“I was hoping for the win,” said Heavlow. “It’s the hardest thing to do is to lead. I guess I came in there too hot and locked my front breaks up. I missed the chicane; just pushed straight. I thought you only had to give back room but they (the officials) made us get back two spots. My car was just really loose. I did the best I could for today.”
Presnell’s pressure on Heavlow paid off, giving him his first road course career victory in the Young Lions division.
“I was second right behind him (Heavlow) and he ended up running through the chicane so I got around him,” said Presnell. “I was just so happy to see the checkered flag. It’s awesome. We haven’t been running good here at the road course. This is my first road course win. This is just awesome.”
SEMI-PRO: PENNINGER WINS WITH NEW TEAM SATURDAY WHILE ROSS WINS THEN RETIRES SUNDAY
Jordan Penninger kept his first-place award in the plastic to keep it dry on a wet day. (LN Photo)
From NASCAR to the local short tracks, drivers swap teams periodically to find the right fit to get themselves to victory lane. The wrong combination can result in frustration while the right one can create a dynasty.
Late last season, Steven Ross jumped out of his own equipment and into the familiar #48 Ladyga Motorsports Legends car to help his Semi-Pro career and it paid off, putting him in victory lane more than once. Saturday though, Ross crossed the line third and had to watch as Jordan Penninger entered victory lane in his new ride, the #29 Clay Hair Motorsports ride.
“We switched cars this week and I like it a lot better,” said Penninger. “We’ve picked up a lot better with this car and setup and handled it a lot better. I think I’m going to be with him (Clay Hair) a while.”
Penninger’s trip to victory lane wasn’t easy. A wet track forced the team to make changes to the car before the feature.
“It was real crazy, real hard to drive,” explained Penninger. “I’m glad we had rain tires and a good setup on it.”
Ross wasn’t thrilled with Penninger’s win after the race, thinking there was more to the win than just the tires, setup and team switch.
“It looks to me like there’s something funny going on with the #29 car because he jumped from one car to the next, looks totally different out there and usually he’s way off the pace and in the way during practice,” said Ross. “Right now he’s fast, so I don’t know what’s up with that. We’ll keep an eye on him for sure. He’s a little fishy right now for dang sure.”
Sunday Ross was a little happier, claiming the victory while Penninger finished fifth. Ross, figuring he had wrapped up the Semi-Pro Winter Heat title with one race still to go, announced his retirement from the division as he will race in the Pro division next week.
Steven Ross won his last race as a Semi-Pro racer, moving up to Pro for the next race. (LN Photo)
“We’re pretty sure we have the points wrapped up in Semi-Pro and it was a great season,” said Ross. “Tim (Ladyga) gave me a good car and we went straight out with four wins during the race season. The last race (of the Winter Heat series) we’re going to run Pro and see if we can run with those guys. Hopefully we are going to win the fifth-mile race in Pro. That would just seal the deal for us in the Winter Series.”
MASTERS: HARWELL AND DENHAM UNSUCCESSFUL AT DETHRONING HAIR
Every week someone tries to kick Legends Car racer Clay Hair off his throne as the king of the Masters division. Most weeks everyone fails, forcing to ride behind the #29 car back to the checkered flag.
This weekend in the double at Lowe’s, Eddie Harwell and David Denham both tried to do what seems to be the impossible, but nothing could stop Hair from claiming both wins, sweeping all four road course wins during the Winter Heat Series.
On Saturday, Hair had a wrecked race car from the heat race and a wet feature to contend with, but neither slowed him down on the way to the win.
“My butt is soaked and it’s cold,” said Hair with a smile after the race. “I got wrecked by some knuckle head in the heat race but the boys fixed the car and got it back out there. I just had to do what I was supposed to do; I think the rain helped us a little bit. Some stuff got bent on the front end and knocked around but in the rain it really didn’t matter; it’s about throttle control. I took my shoe lace and loosened it up about two laces so that fixed my traction control and we just drove off.”
Even though he finished second, Harwell was all smiles in tech, even throwing a friendly jab at Hair.
A wet Clay Hair stayed in his car after the race and celebrated the win. (LN Photo)
“We were the first legal car,” said Harwell with a laugh and loud enough for Hair to hear. “Actually we just got beat.”
Hair, joining in the good-natured ribbing, threw a tissue out the window of his car towards Harwell as the two chuckled.
Sunday Harwell might have needed that tissue as once again he couldn’t quite beat Hair, and ended up third after Denham made a run for the win. Denham came up short, but was closing in on the #29 when the checkered flag flew.
“I did feel like I was closing on him a little bit,” said Denham. “Once again a lapped car kind of got me played right there at the end.
“I appreciate Eddie Harwell. He definitely gave me a break and let me by him. I think he felt like I was pushing him, but he didn’t have to do that. I’ve always enjoyed racing Eddie a lot. Once again it was as much fun as a man expected to have. If it wasn’t for Nick Pistone’s setup we wouldn’t be that fast. There’s no doubt about it.”
PRO: HAMMONS AND PAHUD BEAT THE ROAD COURSE MASTER, SPLITTING VICTORIES
Rob Hall is a name everyone knows in the Legends realm of racing as one of if not the best road course racers on the circuit. When the Winter Heat Series moved from the 1/5th-mile oval to the road course, everyone knew Hall was going to be the driver to beat in the Pro division.
The tissue that Clay Hair threw at Eddie Harwell still rested on the ground in the tech area on Sunday.
With one of the two previous road course victories, Hall was once again the favorite entering the double-event weekend, but in both races he had to settle for second as Parker Hammons and Christian PaHud split the road course wins during the weekend.
On Saturday, Hall watched out the front of his Legends as Hammons drove off with the victory on a wet track.
“I definitely like to win but just didn’t have the car,” said Hall. “I couldn’t get it to turn. I should have done a couple of things different. I’m usually pretty good in the rain but this sets me back a little bit. I have to work a little harder now.”
Hammons, who snagged his first Pro division victory beating Hall, was thrilled he was able to race against him.
Parker Hammons scored his first Pro division win Saturday in the rain. (LN Photo)
“To tell you the truth it’s just an honor to be racing with Rob out here with as good as he is on road courses and me just moving up to Pro,” said Hammons. “Racing with him is like racing with Jeff Gordon because he is at that level on a road course and that’s a great car. This is a great car, Clay Hair Motorsports, can’t say anything else.”
Just like Hammons, PaHud was equally thrilled to race with and beat Hall on the track, knowing his reputation as being one of the best road course racers.
“It was a good race,” said PaHud. “I started right on him (Hall); got second on the start. I just rolled around and waiting for that last couple of laps hoping to get by him and we got by him.
“This was fun just coming out here being able to actually run with him. The DSR car was really good today and I can’t thank Team Full Throttle enough for the support and helping us get out here and I just hope we can do it again soon.”
RESULTS
Full official results are not available at this time and will be added at a later date once received from 600 Racing.
Rob Hall (left) came over to give congratulations to Christian PaHud (#63) after the race. (LN Photo)
