50's Short Track Classic 2015 - 11-12 Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport

And we're back!  A bit of a break between posts here while I was out of town.  But here's how the last race went at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport.

Race 1:

AI sucked at qualifying.  In fact they sucked at a lot of things.  Cautions enabled but no mandatory pits.  I had the pole with all other humans immediately behind.

It was a clean launch and within 5 laps I was catching the field.

Darrel was stalking Zack.

Scot was stalking Sandy.

Things were starting to get a little interesting when traffic became a factor and the humans had some work to do.  Darrel started getting a bit sloppy and smacked off the wall right in front of Sandy.

First caution came by lap 10 when Zack made it 4 wide and got too close to traffic.

On the rebound, he smacked the crap out of Sandy who had nowhere to go.

And the 91 was launched into the 3 and they did a little rodeo action before things straightened out.  Zack recovered almost immediately and the other two humans slipped by.

Despite the abuse, Sandy still made it back in one piece and joined the line in 5th when we came to green.

Shortly after, Scot was taking out the 61 in front of friends.  Yellow.

Restart and I was major slow with Zack and Darrel right there.

This caused Darrel to checkup going through the corner and Scot ended up taking an interesting path that forced a spin.

Another restart and humans still top 5.

After one lap from this run and Scot was slamming it off the 4th turn wall.  This shot him out in front of Lee Petty who just stopped in the middle of the track and caused another caution.

Green again and Zack ran a slightly higher line.  When he saw Darrel trying to squeeze in, he pulled up to give him room and the two mountain men sailed through.

Scot was bearing the yellow flag banner again as he slowly guided the 7 up into the wall.  I don't believe it was intentional, but he didn't do much to not stop it.

The next caution came close to half way and this was purely Richard Petty and Moses Brings Plenty running too tight off the corner wall.  MBP sailed up into the wall.

Still humans at the front.  So far so good.

Spoke too soon.  That turn 4 wall caught Zack out and he railed it good.

The force sent him back into Sandy and Scot barely missed the mayhem.

Both humans took a rough ride and severe damage.

Sandy even got slammed into the outbound tire catch off turn 1.

He didn't pit despite smoking and, just as we readied for green, the 003 blew an engine and stopped in front of everyone.  Sandy got caught in that too adding insult to broken car.

He finally pit for a fix and went down a few laps.

Then there were three.

Scot's affinity for that outside wall and Lee Petty would cause more cautions.

What a douche!  He just tucks over and parks.

More cars started to panic seeing the aging champion sitting there.

Zack bit a chunk but mostly kept it going.  Sandy also bounced off the wall while taking evasive maneuvers.

Only two laps of racing left and I got a launch on the green.  Darrel and Scot were still pushing hard and hoping for a mistake or NASCAR god intervention.

It wasn't too far away as Zack plowed the 55 out of his way at the line, causing a big ol' wreck.

We all played Panic! when coming to the checkers to avoid the mess.  The three humans at the front would hold their positions and sweep the podium.

Race 2:

Another 70 on the board but this time no yellows for time's sake.

Very similar start as Race 1.

We stayed together fairly well with Sandy showing some strong racing talent as he pushed to the front.

Less than 5 laps and we were in the fray.  Darrel, Sandy and Zack started a running gunfight with each other while trying to avoid utter destruction from the pack.

Darrel sailed wide and Sandy slipped through.

Zack came door to door but everyone kept it clean.

While those two were battling, Sandy had to send it out wide to avoid a massive checkup.

Everyone accordianed and even Mad Max started to show his nose in the picture.

Darrel started slipping back, seemingly to avoid what was shaping up to be a nasty accident.

Sure enough one happened, although it was Al Unser just getting loose and slipping up the track.

Sandy tucked in close and missed it.

Zack had to muscle some cars out of the way but got by.

Darrel shot a nearly non-existent gap and didn't hit a thing.

Then he found Moses.

Damn, a Moses!

Without yellows, Scot begin his pursuit of happiness by pulling the old dive bomb/slide job through the field.

Despite the accidents, Sandy was within a stretch of me and Zack not far behind.

I know what you're thinking and, no, Scot didn't take this guy out.

But the 75 would cause some havoc through these turns that Darrel and I barely avoided.

And back to business as usual.

Taking a personal vendetta against the 55, Scot sent him straight to the wall in front of Darrel.

Darrel missed him but I had to pound Randy Sweet to keep from DNFing.

Sandy also had to throw anchors to avoid the mess.  This is all in the first 25 laps by the way.

Zack got busy with Russ Wheeler, sending him wide while fighting for track.

Russ came back and glanced off the side of Darrel's passenger panel.

While recovering, Richard Petty put the screws to him and sent him spinning in front of Scot.

Scot had nowhere to go and sent Darrel rolling up on his side.

I also came upon the wreck and missed it while Sweets did not.

He and several others ended up flying to the wall and smashing up the tires.

It still wasn't over as that wreck begot this one further up the track.

 By the time I came back around, Darrel was finally straightening out but moving up the track.

Scot just missed him but the trajectory put him on course with Ibenson.

Both of us kept it pinned to the wall and managed to eek through.

After that, Darrel was toast.

And his carcass nearly got Zack piled into as he rounded into the pile.

But only minor damage and he got going again.

Further along around 35-40 laps in, Scot had the tables and his car turned on him.

Sandy had another close call with that one.

Zack also became the victim of attrition as the 36 NFL car swung into traffic and buggered a three-wide run.

He was tossed like a rag doll and came to rest with less car than he started with.

About 20 to go and Scot's car just starts spewing smoke.  He needs a new engine maker.  Or a less destructible car.

He tried to get it fixed but immediately came out when his crew pretended not to know him.

He then started slipping through the pack.  Sandy gave him a bit of a hip check as he was in second and not messing around.

It didn't stop him from continuing to bounce off of anyone else he could find, though.

But as these things usually do, it ended with an expected outcome.

About 13 to go and Sandy had caught me after traffic, damage and a tight condition slowed me down.

I probably could have slowly pulled back away but this little fiasco had me scrape the wall to stay alive.

And Sandy was there to capitalize.

By the next few turns, he finally had a run and made his pass.

Less than nine laps to go and Sandy was starting to pull slightly away.  Suddenly, he was caught up on the Ibanese brother going into turn one.  He normally would have run the outside line but pulled in thinking the traffic pattern would have slowed him down.

The mistake was costly.

Instead of checkers and trophies he saw dirt and sky.  Maybe some blood and oil too.

With a healthy lead, I came back around and tried to give him a push to the end.

Our pace was about 20mph and the field was starting to make progress on us.

And with that, I abandoned my effort to get the 91 to the end.  Just still too many laps left.

And too many opportunities for failure.  The 66 and I came to blows with one lap to go.

Fortunately, I had a little position on him and only popped into the air.  Any more ahead or behind and I may have suffered the same fate as Sandy only with no one to push me to the end.

Wilkesboro next week!

Race 1

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	19	T Nadz	14.215
2	23	Z Webster	14.317
3	34	D Hamilton	14.346
4	91	T Bear	14.582
5	003	R Holbrook	14.874
6	01	M Max	14.907
7	95	T Mater	14.940
8	10	E Keene	14.960
9	75	D Mulberry	15.017
10	22	M Brings Plenty	15.067
11	61	D Hudson	15.298
12	24	M Lester	24.453
13	45	L Carbone	24.885
14	13	J Meeks	26.346
15	92	C Sumner	26.550
16	66	D Monroe	27.431
17	77	R Sweet	27.782
18	42	L Petty	27.851
19	51	R Burns	28.559
20	78	T McEwen	28.769
21	7	J Hampton	29.370
22	46	C Trickle	29.661
23	32	D Roberts	29.888
24	67	B Klock	29.958
25	82	K Rodriguez	30.722
26	4	A Unser	31.134
27	35	J Foss	31.274
28	43	R Petty	31.302
29	18	R Wheeler	32.832
30	1	T Daniels	--
31	54	T Smith	--
32	11	M I Bannon	--
33	74	J DeWitt	--
34	88	T Bickle	--
35	40	B Ebsen	--
36	93	R O'Reilly	--
37	72	A Grant	--
38	55	J Langford	--
39	001	H Smith	--
40	3	M Benefield	--
41	12	M A Bannon	--
42	002	T Mender	--
43	08	S Holzheimer	--

Weather: Clear, 66 °F, West 14 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	1	19	T Nadz	44.779	70	70*	185	Running
2	3	34	D Hamilton	-0.45	70	0	170	Running
3	6	01	M Max	-1.82	70	0	165	Running
4	9	75	D Mulberry	-8.37	70	0	160	Running
5	7	95	T Mater	-8.70	70	0	155	Running
6	29	18	R Wheeler	-1L	69	0	150	Running
7	17	77	R Sweet	-1L	69	0	146	Running
8	15	92	C Sumner	-1L	69	0	142	Running
9	8	10	E Keene	-1L	69	0	138	Running
10	33	74	J DeWitt	-1L	69	0	134	Running
11	22	46	C Trickle	-1L	69	0	130	Running
12	21	7	J Hampton	-1L	69	0	127	Running
13	19	51	R Burns	-1L	69	0	124	Running
14	27	35	J Foss	-1L	69	0	121	Running
15	16	66	D Monroe	-1L	69	0	118	Running
16	30	1	T Daniels	-1L	69	0	115	Running
17	2	23	Z Webster	-1L	69	0	112	Running
18	38	55	J Langford	-2L	68	0	109	Running
19	20	78	T McEwen	-2L	68	0	106	Running
20	39	001	H Smith	-2L	68	0	103	Running
21	13	45	L Carbone	-2L	68	0	100	Running
22	14	13	J Meeks	-2L	68	0	97	Running
23	36	93	R O'Reilly	-2L	68	0	94	Running
24	23	32	D Roberts	-2L	68	0	91	Running
25	35	40	B Ebsen	-2L	68	0	88	Running
26	10	22	M Brings Plenty	-2L	68	0	85	Running
27	43	08	S Holzheimer	-2L	68	0	82	Running
28	42	002	T Mender	-2L	68	0	79	Running
29	26	4	A Unser	-2L	68	0	76	Running
30	41	12	M A Bannon	-2L	68	0	73	Running
31	25	82	K Rodriguez	-3L	67	0	70	Running
32	11	61	D Hudson	-3L	67	0	67	Running
33	31	54	T Smith	-3L	67	0	64	Running
34	32	11	M I Bannon	-3L	67	0	61	Running
35	24	67	B Klock	-3L	67	0	58	Running
36	37	72	A Grant	-3L	67	0	55	Running
37	40	3	M Benefield	-3L	67	0	52	Running
38	18	42	L Petty	-4L	66	0	49	Running
39	4	91	T Bear	-4L	66	0	46	Running
40	12	24	M Lester	-5L	65	0	43	Running
41	28	43	R Petty	-6L	64	0	40	Running
42	5	003	R Holbrook	-19L	51	0	37	Accident
43	34	88	T Bickle	-40L	30	0	34	Running

Caution Flags: 11 (40 laps)

Lead Changes: 0 (1 driver)

Weather: Clear, 66 °F, Northeast 8 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 1x

AI Strength: 100%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
49	23	Passing under yellow	Held for 1 seconds

Race 2

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	19	T Nadz	14.212
2	34	D Hamilton	14.412
3	91	T Bear	14.503
4	23	Z Webster	14.567
5	01	M Max	14.719
6	18	R Wheeler	14.928
7	001	H Smith	14.939
8	77	R Sweet	14.982
9	11	M I Bannon	14.984
10	1	T Daniels	15.011
11	35	J Foss	15.019
12	9	S Greenbow	15.022
13	13	J Meeks	15.047
14	55	J Langford	15.074
15	27	L McQueen	15.075
16	22	M Brings Plenty	15.097
17	12	M A Bannon	15.117
18	10	E Keene	15.259
19	36	P Rozelle	21.165
20	74	J DeWitt	22.786
21	67	B Klock	24.857
22	51	R Burns	25.900
23	46	C Trickle	26.612
24	78	T McEwen	26.622
25	72	A Grant	28.400
26	66	D Monroe	29.530
27	75	D Mulberry	29.824
28	43	R Petty	30.269
29	99	R Melindez	30.922
30	5	T Hankins	31.044
31	95	T Mater	31.889
32	7	J Hampton	32.673
33	42	L Petty	--
34	4	A Unser	--
35	93	R O'Reilly	--
36	40	B Ebsen	--
37	08	S Holzheimer	--
38	61	D Hudson	--
39	24	M Lester	--
40	98	M Joyner	--
41	41	R Farmer	--
42	59	B Paulsen	--
43	88	T Bickle	--

Weather: Clear, 66 °F, West 3 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	1	19	T Nadz	89.476	70	67*	185	Running
2	28	43	R Petty	-1L	69	0	170	Running
3	23	46	C Trickle	-1L	69	0	165	Running
4	33	42	L Petty	-1L	69	0	160	Running
5	20	74	J DeWitt	-2L	68	0	155	Running
6	7	001	H Smith	-2L	68	0	150	Running
7	11	35	J Foss	-2L	68	0	146	Running
8	32	7	J Hampton	-2L	68	0	142	Running
9	29	99	R Melindez	-2L	68	0	138	Running
10	25	72	A Grant	-2L	68	0	134	Running
11	41	41	R Farmer	-2L	68	0	130	Running
12	38	61	D Hudson	-3L	67	0	127	Running
13	24	78	T McEwen	-3L	67	0	124	Running
14	18	10	E Keene	-3L	67	0	121	Running
15	10	1	T Daniels	-3L	67	0	118	Running
16	15	27	L McQueen	-3L	67	0	115	Running
17	9	11	M I Bannon	-3L	67	0	112	Running
18	13	13	J Meeks	-3L	67	0	109	Running
19	12	9	S Greenbow	-3L	67	0	106	Running
20	22	51	R Burns	-3L	67	0	103	Running
21	34	4	A Unser	-3L	67	0	100	Running
22	17	12	M A Bannon	-4L	66	0	97	Running
23	26	66	D Monroe	-4L	66	0	94	Running
24	35	93	R O'Reilly	-4L	66	0	91	Running
25	37	08	S Holzheimer	-4L	66	0	88	Running
26	36	40	B Ebsen	-5L	65	0	85	Running
27	3	91	T Bear	-9L	61	3	87	Running
28	21	67	B Klock	-25L	45	0	79	Accident
29	27	75	D Mulberry	-27L	43	0	76	Accident
30	30	5	T Hankins	-29L	41	0	73	Accident
31	31	95	T Mater	-32L	38	0	70	Accident
32	5	01	M Max	-33L	37	0	67	Accident
33	4	23	Z Webster	-43L	27	0	64	Accident
34	19	36	P Rozelle	-47L	23	0	61	Retired
35	2	34	D Hamilton	-48L	22	0	58	Accident
36	8	77	R Sweet	-49L	21	0	55	No Fuel
37	42	59	B Paulsen	-49L	21	0	52	Accident
38	6	18	R Wheeler	-49L	21	0	49	Accident
39	43	88	T Bickle	-50L	20	0	46	Accident
40	14	55	J Langford	-50L	20	0	43	Accident
41	40	98	M Joyner	-51L	19	0	40	Accident
42	39	24	M Lester	-55L	15	0	37	Accident
43	16	22	M Brings Plenty	-59L	11	0	34	Accident

Caution Flags: 0 (0 laps)

Lead Changes: 2 (2 drivers)

Weather: Clear, 66 °F, Northwest 8 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 1x

AI Strength: 100%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
32	01	Smoking Engine	Pit for repairs
37	01	Smoking Engine	Pit for repairs