2015 Chili Bowl Nationals.
The Chili Bowl. No words can do it enough justice. There is nothing like it. It truly brings out the best of the best in racing. After 3 years of racing in it, I still haven't figured it out. On Monday, the 12th, all three of the RW Motorsports cars participated in 2 practice sessions. This was the perfect opportunity to knock all of the rust off from what little off season we had. It seemed as if right when you took the green flag for practice, the checkered flag was being waved. This is one of the most important things to do at the Chili Bowl: learn, and learn quick! Wednesday was finally the day for me to jump back in the car. This was preliminary race night. Once again, the day got going by a hotlap practice session that only lasted a few laps. It was onto the heat race. I started inside of row 2 behind a veteran on pole. I immediately took over the 2nd position and was battling for the lead when an ignition wire began to lose contact. This haulted our motor from running full speed. We dropped like a rock to the back of the pack. A bad finish in the heat race put us deep in the C-Main. I charged from the back of the pack to 4th (transfer spot) coming to the checkered flag, yet there was a spin in turn 4 which locked in the top 3 and created a split finish (reverted back to last lap) for the rest of the field. This placed us 5th on the sheet. We didn't go any further that night. On Saturday, we were placed in the I-Main, starting 3rd. I took the lead a half of a lap after the start and held it for 5 laps. Another car running the cushion passed me as i ran the bottom for the first half of the race. At this time, as a driver, you realize it is time to switch lanes because another one is working better. A lap after I move to the cushion, the leader hit the wall out of turn four and again half way down the front straightaway. I decided to run the bottom that lap to give him a little more room. We have a straightaway lead on the field as this was happening. All of the sudden, the leader cuts across the track and takes us out. It was extremely frustrating. I was now in about 15th place with 2 laps to go. The top 4 cars transfer to the next race. And just like that, it was over. Even though it was a rough week, there was a lot to be thankful for and a lot to learn from. Now, it's time to put that behind us and move onto the next race. Bring on Atlantic City!
KO
