Sorry it’s been a while. Between starting to race late models for Bill McAnally Racing in California, and finishing up (and passing!) Junior year of high school, I’ve been pretty busy.

However I have managed to get five late model races in, at All-American Speedway, in Roseville, California. Here is the breakdown of what’s happened so far.

Races 1 and 2 (for me) were on the same night, May 23, and they were “Twin 44″ races. The first race I qualified 11th out of about 20 cars, and for my first qualifying attempt, it wasn’t too bad. It was definitely a tough race though, and after being involved in two incidents, I finished 13th. I took what I learned from race one (aggression, starts, restarts, etc.) and applied it to the second race, where I would start 13th because of my finish in the first race. It was going well, and I was up to about 9th, when on the restart, I was starting in front of the track rivals, who were one in front of the other. Going into turn one, I experienced the domino effect, and after the second rival hit the first rival into the turn, I was hit as well, damaging the front clip of the car. I had a DNF.

Race 3 (for me) was on June 13th. After putting the car back together from the previous races’ crash, by qualifying Saturday we had it. I qualified 7th, and was happy with my improvement. During the warm-up laps, the car felt so good! Everything was working great, it felt balanced, it was perfectly set up (thanks to my crew chief Chris Nelle, with the help of Mario, Mike, Andy and Cody), and everyone on the team was ready for me to do really well. After warming my tires, and lining up for the green, I hear “green green green” and I accelerate…only to find that I had a flat! One by one I watched as the other cars zoomed by me, I headed for the pits, put on a really old tire, and reentered the track three laps down. I climbed my way back up to 14th, and set the 4th fastest time of the race. But it was a disappointment, nevertheless.

Races 4 and 5 were this past weekend, both on July 10th. After getting into a rhythm after not being in the car for a month, Chris and I got the car all set for qualifying. It was a huge car count, with 22 cars, and I was the 4th car to qualify. After having the pole for a while, I ended up qualifying 10th. I had never started on the outside before, and it was difficult. At about lap 30 out of 44, I was running in 9th, catching the 8th place car, and a car that couldn’t pass me from pure speed decided to put me in the wall coming out of turn two in order to get by me. I kept going, but had a broken upper control arm, and clearly lost speed, but I got my first top-ten finish, in 10th. I did, however, set 3rd fastest time for the race. Starting 10th for the second race, I was ready to start on the outside again, and was doing well. After a racing incident at lap 17 that gave me and another driver flat tires, we pitted and changed the tire, but were able to remain at the back of the lead lap. After fighting my way up to 8th, and again quickly closing on 5th, 6th, and 7th, my throttle stuck, and I spun and missed the wall by a mere few inches. I tried to continue, but the throttle kept sticking, so I had to pit. I ended up 15th out of 22, even though it was a DNF, and I again set 3rd fastest time of the race.

So it was exciting, I’m getting a lot of seat time, and I’m learning so much. A big thanks to Bill McAnally, Chris Nelle, Mike, Mike, Cody, Kara, and Paris, for helping me out this weekend, and I look forward to getting back on track in two weeks!

Thanks,

Julia

Well, this has been the busiest off-season I’ve ever had. Despite having finals in school and SATs, I managed to get in a car about every two weeks, which is great.

To backtrack a little bit, last year was my introductory year to racing on ovals, with Bob East in the Ford Focus Midgets. The year was great for me, but after reviewing the season, I thought it was ready to make the move to full size cars, so this year I’m going to be racing late models.

I’ve been testing at All-American Speedway in Roseville, California, with Bill McAnally Racing and at Florence Motor Speedway in Florence, South Carolina with Tom and Danny Efland. The two tracks are very different, and the two cars are actually different as well, which has forced me to learn to adapt, making my learning curve even steeper.

I really love the late model. It’s a very different car for me, but you need so much precision and consistency to do well, and driving for several laps with someone right on your outside is quite the experience!

I’m getting a little antsy with just testing, and just want to race, but that will come soon enough. I will run two partial seasons at the two tracks, so that I can get all the rookie mistakes out of the way before going for a championship.

This is going to be a great year for me, and I’m going to learn so much. I can’t wait!

Julia

It is January, the 2008 season is over, and 2009 is here!

Here’s a summary of 2008: I had my oval track debut in the spring in the Ford Focus Midget with Bob East and BEAST Enterprises. Throughout the season I  took home a win, and many top 5s, finished the season in 4th missing 3 races. Not bad, but there is room for improvement. I also moved up to the senior class in WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, and also got 4th in the HPV Sr. Lite class, and I got a win in the TAG class, along with multiple pole positions. I got into a late model for the first time and I loved it.

Now, Daytona Kart Week is one of the biggest karting events of the year, including 3 WKA series. Although it took place in 2008, it counts towards the 2009 season. My family and I took two days to drive down, all 5 of us packed in our car, but it was well worth the squeeze.

My weekend (or, the races fell on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) could not have gone better. We took the 4 practice sessions on Sunday to learn the track, find the setup that worked, and see the competition. By the end of the practice day I was one  of the fastest. I was pretty confident going to sleep Sunday night.

Day of the races came, and we didn’t have a perfect start. We went out with too high tire pressures, so the kart was all over the place. However, Glenn Butler, my mechanic and coach, and I acknowledged this, and fixed it for qualifying. We get three green laps to qualify, and by lap two my kart hadn’t quite come in, and I had set a time I wanted to reach beforehand, and was far from it. But on the last lap everything finally came together, and I pulled it into the pits. I was able to hear the loud speaker name the 4th place qualifier on back, so I new I was in the top three, and someone screamed my name and gave me the one finger, the one finger you want to see. I put it on pole!

I started first in the prefinal, and by the end of the first lap I had already pulled away a considerable amount. I spent the 8 lap race taking of time, continuously pulling away, while also conserving tires. I finished the prefinal 2.3 seconds ahead of the guy in 2nd. The kart had come in perfectly, and I drove perfectly. I was very very happy, needless to say.

Sitting on the grid for the final, again starting first, I was nervous. I wasn’t nervous about making a mistake or having to compete head-to-head with others, I was honestly nervous about the kart not working as well. I was thinking “It was sooooo perfect in the prefinal, it can only get worse.” To top it all off, the sun was starting to set, and the track temperature was changing. On the start, the guy in third place aggressively pushed me into the first corner, an attempt to get me out of the way. With cold tire and a cold track, I got sideways, but I held on to the lead. It took two laps for the kart to get to where I wanted it, and this time, I didn’t pull away as quickly. I could tell someone was behind me, and at the half way mark, or 8 laps, I quickly looked back to see how big a lead I had…It wasn’t as big as I would’ve liked. So I put in my perfect laps, and when the checkered flags waved, I crossed the line .985 seconds ahead of 2nd place.

It was a perfect day. Pole, win, win. A million thanks to Glenn Butler for making my kart magical. We are the dynamic duo. Thanks to Mike Doty Racing, Birel, and Gary Woltjer. Thanks to my family for the huge congrats, and thanks to WKA for putting on a great show.

Julia

First, we have the race at Anderson Speedway. I had to qualify for the first time, and it didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked. Each driver gets two laps, and it went by very quickly. The result was that I started 8th. Then, in the middle of the race there was contact and I hit the wall. That ended my day. But Bob, Jeff, Mike, and Steven did a great job of getting the car set up, and I owe them a big thanks. Thanks guys.

Next, we have the crazy hectic exciting National go-kart weekend at Concept Hauler’s Speedway, in Norway, Illinois. Friday practice went very well, and we were always fast. On Saturday I raced two classes, HPV Lite and TAG (touch and go). On Sunday I also raced two classes, TAG again, and for the first time this year, Yamaha Lite.

On Saturday I qualified 1st in the HPV, and 3rd in the TAG. I finished the prefinal for HPV in 2nd, which put me on the outside for the final. I got shuffled back a little bit on the start, and an attempt at a pass that didn’t quite work sent me back a little bit further. In the end, I was fourth, with a solid run.

In TAG on Saturday, I qualified 3rd. For the prefinal, I was still 3rd after the first corner. The top three of us were about a kart length apart for the whole race, pulling far ahead of the rest of the pack. It was ‘smooth sailing’ you could say. However, after the race, a part of the pipe on my motor which was slightly punctured was questioned to be legal. However, it was not clear if it either was or wasn’t but WKA decided to disqualify me, and now they are in the process of changing the rulebooks. I didn’t end up racing the final because there were thirty karts and my crew didn’t want me to risk ruining the kart.

Sunday was a great great day. I hadn’t run a Yamaha Lite motor until that morning. So after a five minute practice, I was able to put in on Pole for the race! In the start of the prefinal, I ended up in 2nd, but on one of the last corners of the first lap, one of my competitors who went on to win the feature flat out knocked into the back of me and spun me off-track. It was a seemingly deliberate move according the the crowd, but whatever the reason, I was half a lap down, and had to catch up. By the end of the race I had made it up to 11th. Then for the whole feature race, it was a charge from the back to the front, and after 18 laps, I ended up 3rd, having the drive of the race. I was very satisfied.

In TAG, I qualified 2nd, only off by .03 seconds. In the prefinal I was slightly flustered because I had just heard that I was DQed from TAG. Some slight contact put me in 5th for the start of the final. On the start of the final, the first place and fourth place guys had contact, so i was in third. I caught up with the first and second place drivers, when on lap 2, P2 lost his brakes and took out the guy leading. Next thing I knew, I was leading. I thought, “whoa what just happened?” then “whooooa I don’t want to be in this position. Go go go!”. (I didn’t want to be first because on this track, there are a lot of long straights, and usually the drivers behind first place can get a draft off the of the leader and pass for the win.) BUT, I hustled as fast as I could. For the whole race I was so incredibly in the zone that I pulled out to a 2.5 second lead, which is huge on a track like that. I had actually thought that there was somebody right behind me the whole race, but there wasn’t. Then, with two laps to go, i looked back and realized I was so far ahead of the second place guy, that I backed it up just a notch, so that I didn’t do anything stupid. And with that, I brought home my first win of the season! I also believe that I am the first female to win in the TAG division in WKA. I WON! It was great.

So overall, I got two poles, a second and a third for qualifying, and a win, a third, a fourth, and a DNS as results. It was a great weekend. So so so many thanks to Glenn Butler, my mechanic, Mike Doty and everyone on Mike Doty Racing, My Family, and all my competitors.

It’s on to Mt. Lawn again this Wednesday, and hopefully we can bring home the win again!

Julia

One week I crash at Mt. Lawn, the next time I win.

First off I need to give a big thanks to Bob, Jeff, Steve, Mike, and everyone at BEAST Racing for setting up a fabulous car. (They always do, but this time they deserve an extra big thanks.) It ran well all day, making my job a wee bit easier.

There were no demons going into this race, even though I had crashed last time I was there. All racers know to put something like that behind them, which I certainly did.

Practice went well, and it was our last chance to really get the car set up for the heat and feature races. It was very hot and very humid in New Castle, Indiana, so the track was very greasy, requiring everyone to work hard to keep their speeds quick; and it resulted in everyone having pretty similar times.

For the heat race I started outside pole beside my teammate Alison. After a complete restart due to a spin on the first lap, we had 8 laps of green, and it was a solid run with Alison holding the lead and me coming in 2nd. I was happy with my speeds and my driving in the heat.

With the way that USAC inverts the drivers, I ended up on pole for the feature event. At the green flag, I pulled out in front, leading into the first corner. It was smooth sailing (except for a bit of contact between Alison and myself when she attempted a pass on me), until lap 19, when someone spun. I had gained a bit of a lead, and the full course yellow brought the field together, making my job harder. When the green was thrown at the restart, I kept it in front. Alison attempted another pass going into the third corner, and it was a good battle, but I managed to keep it in front. With a couple laps to go, I’ll admit, I got incredibly nervous. I was so close, but yet so far from the win, but I could taste it!

And with that, I brought it home to the checkered flag! It was my first win! However, I was a bit concerned because a car at the back of the field had crashed right as I was crossing the line, and I wasn’t sure if they would count the lap. The last thing I wanted was a one-lap dash for the win.

But I made it, and it was great. The crowd was cheering, the fans going wild (well that is an extreme exaggeration, but to me, it was just as good as that). And again, many thanks to everyone on BEAST Racing, thanks to all the people at USAC, thanks to Mt. Lawn Speedway, thanks to my mom for traveling with me, and especially, thanks to all my competitors

Next week we are back to Anderson! We can only hope for the same kind of luck!

Julia

P.S. Unfortunately I did not have a camera with me, but other people took pictures and they will be up as soon as I get them.

It was definitely good to get back in the car after the two-week break, and after the crash at Mt. Lawn. Many Thanks to Bob, Jeff, Steven, Mike, all the guys on BEAST racing who got it back together for yesterday’s race. I couldn’t have asked for more from them. Great job!

I was not as satisfied with my race as other people were. It was a solid 6th place finish, decent after coming back from a crash like the one at Mt. lawn. My speed was good, right up there with the leaders. I had the misfortune of passing the cars in front of me, only to have the yellow flag come out, and I would then to give the position back. That was frustrating, but hey, thats racing.

It was a solid run, and I learned so much about passing on a high-banked track. I had to miss the double-header that was held on June 11th due to school finals that couldn’t be rearranged; that set me back a little in terms of racecraft. But I am here to learn, and I definitely learned so much!

Again, so many thanks to everyone for getting my car back together so quickly and for setting up a great car for the race! I can’t wait to go back to Mt. Lawn next week!

Julia

Welcome to my blog page! For starters, I’ll give you a run-down on the 2008 season thus far.

I’m primarily racing Ford Focus Midgets in the Indiana Series under USAC, with Bob East on BEAST Racing. These cars are amazing! They are fast, and the car control needed to keep them on the track is remarkable. This year we have had two rain outs, and I have competed in four races. My first race was at Mt. Lawn Speedway, and I won my heat race and came in 4th in the final. For my first race on an oval in these cars I was pretty happy with it. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. My second race was at Illiana Speedway, and after being pushed into the grass on the start, I came back for a fifth place finish. I was less satisfied with that race. My third race was at Plymouth Speedway, which has been one of my favorite tracks so far. It is pure oval with decent banking, and it’s fast. The pavement is really smooth, and the track is wide enough for good, hard racing. We got stuck in traffic on the way to that race, so I got to the track 10 minutes before my session. I made a quick change into my suit, and I saw the track for the first time when i got onto it. I ended up third in that race, running a little low on fuel in the final laps of the race. My fourth race was this week at Mt. Lawn Speedway, and that was not so good. In the final race, I had to start ninth due to heat race problems, and by the third lap I had made my way to fifth. However, on the third lap, my axle broke, sending my inside rear wheel flying. That sent me into a spin, and I hit the cement wall head-on. It was my first head-on hit in a race car, and my first accident in the Focus cars. The front of the car crunched up, my my Hans saved my neck, although my legs got bruised. That ended my night, and I had to watch my race, which is arguably the most painful part of racing. But we’re going to Anderson Speedway in two weeks, and we will see how that goes.

In addition, I am finally done with my sophomore year at Stuyvesant High School. We had finals until the 24th of June, and now, I’m free! Free to focus on racing.

Keep checking back weekly, and thanks for your interest guys!

-Julia