JUNE 17, 2010 –-- Last week we headed out of town for the Golden State Challenge-King of California Speed Week where we were scheduled to race four times in five days.

We opened at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway on Friday with Evan being the fast qualifier and missing the track record by a couple of hundredths.

That was the high point of the evening because in the heat race Evan had a flat left rear and wrecked the car once back on the track, thus missing the Dash. The repairs to the car were extensive and required a major thrash (thanks for the help Stephen Allard) in order to make the B Main. Evan was running up top and a huge chunk of mud penetrated the lower right side body panel and knocked his leg into the torque tube and off the throttle pedal. He was able to finish sixth thus getting the last transfer in to the A Main….the 22nd spot.

Evan made it to tenth place by the 30th lap in a still fairly wounded car.

We traveled north to Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford Oregon. 

SOS is a pretty nice track but recent rains really left the pits in a very rutty condition. Walking or even pushing the race car up to the grid with the quad was challenging. The track was good however and that’s where you race. Evan qualified fourth, won his heat race from the back and passed one car in the Dash finishing seventh.

We really messed up the car for the Main Event however as Evan started seventh and went backwards….finishing well in the back of the pack. This was not helped with some pretty pathetic scoring which cost Evan even another position or two.

Onward to Cottage Grove….

Cottage Grove is a smallish, banked quarter mile that we enjoy. It is very close to town, the motels Taco Bell and the carwash! 

We really qualified poorly at 17th quick, likely our worst of the year. This put us in a hole but Evan managed to win his heat race and we avoided the B Main. Evan started the Main 16th and had a flat on the second lap. We got him back on the track and about twelve laps later the rear brake caliper snapped-off the quickchange housing leaving Evan with the challenge of running the last 10 laps with out brakes. Needless to say the finishing position was poor. 

In the beginning of this report I noted we were to have raced four times in five days. Well, the next stop was to have been Willamette Raceway in Lebanon Oregon the next day, Tuesday. With the car prepped and loaded we headed north on I-5 for the one hour trip to the speedway, much of the time it was raining.

Once arrived we were not there for too long when the promoter called-off the event.

Our plans were to have driven home the next morning but after the rain-out we decided to hightail it all the way home. It has been a long time since I’ve pulled in the driveway at sunrise but we made it safely and avoided another night in a motel.

We are off this weekend since we are not going to participate in this years Dirt Cup at Skagit so I plan on doing a little relaxing and some long overdue race garage clean-up. Evan had four new top wings arrive today from Pennsylvania so I expect I will hear Ev in the background with the rivet gun going much of the time.

Next stop is Hanford’s King’s Speedway on the 26th where we will have our new Gonz designed T shirts for sale. At $15 I think they are a must-have for your collection.

Hope you are well and we hope to see you in a week at Hanford.

Suggs Family Racing