The question had been asked more than once since last week's time matched the time from May 18th - "is that as fast as you can go?" Well the track was pretty darn fast last night, and Chris had Sam on the rail again...and once again our pair showed that they can, and will, just keep on goin' faster.....in the never ending quest for a brand new track record! Sam charged out of the gate 7th on the grid, and blew 'em away with the fastest time of any truck so far this season! This blazing lap brought home the quick time trophy for the 4th time this season - pretty impressive we think! Once again our duo found themselves in the back of the dash, and once again Sam found herself with damage from a questionable reaction from another truck. Even still Chris managed a sixth place finish, and a roll of the dice even Lady Luck wouldn't believe saw our heros starting on the outside of row three for the main event. Well as usual Sam (or was is Chris??) wasn't happy with a blocked view of the front, and after an early crash saw the #14 truck (and points leader) in the back wall pretty hard, Chris had Sam easily through the traffic and once again our awesome twosome was chasing the #07 truck for the lead. Fortunately this time there were no blown motors in their path, but Sam got a little too tight towards the end of the 30 laps and Chris just couldn't reel the leader in for the pass. Oh well, though, all is not lost by any means! Second place was just pretty darn ok, and the finish saw a shake up in the points that has the top three separated by only 4 points - and our heros are now tied for second place!!! We are pretty excited about this development, and believe me our pair (and the rest of us, too!!!) can't wait for our next event on June 22nd to roll around!!! So all you fans keep on cheering - and don't forget to come and see us after the races to get your Children's Hospital square! We're playing subliminal tapes in the garage for Sam to listen to (go faster and faster and faster and faster) while she rests up for the next event. And if you want to find out if it works, well we will just have to.... C-YA at the TRACK!! |
The wait is finally over! After so many frustrations we long ago lost count - after more "almosts" than any of us care to remember - OUR HEROS DONE THEMSELVES PROUD!!!! In spite of a broken motor part that scared us good - and resulted in only one practice session - Sam showed us all she is still chompin' at the bit and wants to FLY this year! Chris and Sam were the last to qualify, and posted a spectacular run of 16.445 - the fastest they have ever done. This awesome time saw our duo start on the inside of the last row for the trophy dash. After a few laps they were running in 5th,and a late-run spin by the leader saw a fourth place finish for our team. A lucky roll of the dice put Chris & Sam on the inside of row two for the main - same spot as last week! Boy was that ever "deja vu" - and boy did we hope for a different result! Well our awesome twosome didn't keep us all in suspense for too long, and just like last week Chris was powering Sam in for the pass on lap two. But unlike last week Sam kept her ground, and as the two trucks ahead of our pair on the start rubbed their way towards the wall in turn one on lap two - Chris took Sam low for the pass for the lead AND NEVER LOOKED BACK!! The next 27 laps were all about the 61 truck pulling the field - up to a full straightaway lead! Although there was one caution on lap 5, Chris was easily able to pull ahead on the restart and kept a comfortable margin for the remaining laps. There were a couple of tense moments when lap traffic came into play, but the rest of the race was incident free and at long last our heros found themselves where we having been aiming for - the Winner's Circle!! So here is our first picture of Chris & Sam with their shiny new trophy - but we know Photo Joe Starr was a clickin' away and we will have more great Winner's Circle shots for you in a couple of weeks. We are off next week, but you can bet that we are all anxious for April 20th to roll around so we can aim for a repeat performance! Meanwhile visit www.bigwestracing.com for a new picture courtesy of Photo Joe of Sam's new paint (all those little squares are paint and were done by hand, too!), and in two weeks we'll... C'YA AT THE TRACK!!! |
Current Update: September 17,
2002
Event Date: April 6 Qualifying: 2nd @ 16.445 Dash: 4th Main: W I N N E R S !! |
The wait is finally over! After so many frustrations we long ago lost count - after more "almosts" than any of us care to remember - OUR HEROS DONE THEMSELVES PROUD!!!! In spite of a broken motor part that scared us good - and resulted in only one practice session - Sam showed us all she is still chompin' at the bit and wants to FLY this year! Chris and Sam were the last to qualify, and posted a spectacular run of 16.445 - the fastest they have ever done. This awesome time saw our duo start on the inside of the last row for the trophy dash. After a few laps they were running in 5th,and a late-run spin by the leader saw a fourth place finish for our team. A lucky roll of the dice put Chris & Sam on the inside of row two for the main - same spot as last week! Boy was that ever "deja vu" - and boy did we hope for a different result! Well our awesome twosome didn't keep us all in suspense for too long, and just like last week Chris was powering Sam in for the pass on lap two. But unlike last week Sam kept her ground, and as the two trucks ahead of our pair on the start rubbed their way towards the wall in turn one on lap two - Chris took Sam low for the pass for the lead AND NEVER LOOKED BACK!! The next 27 laps were all about the 61 truck pulling the field - up to a full straightaway lead! Although there was one caution on lap 5, Chris was easily able to pull ahead on the restart and kept a comfortable margin for the remaining laps. There were a couple of tense moments when lap traffic came into play, but the rest of the race was incident free and at long last our heros found themselves where we having been aiming for - the Winner's Circle!! So here is our first picture of Chris & Sam with their shiny new trophy - but we know Photo Joe Starr was a clickin' away and we will have more great Winner's Circle shots for you in a couple of weeks. We are off next week, but you can bet that we are all anxious for April 20th to roll around so we can aim for a repeat performance! Meanwhile visit www.bigwestracing.com for a new picture courtesy of Photo Joe of Sam's new paint (all those little squares are paint and were done by hand, too!), and in two weeks we'll... C'YA AT THE TRACK!!! |
Event Date: March 30 Qualifying: 4th @16.590 Dash: 3rd Main: 15th |
Oops - well let's just say this wasn't how we had hoped to start this season out, but..... After a winter of taking apart and putting together each piece, nut and bolt, we headed for the 2002 season opener with high hopes and a freshly redone Sam that we all hoped was faster than fast. The practice seesions confirmed our suspicions - Sam was ready to rumble! Chris & Sam were the second from last truck to take the qualifying green, and turned in an impressive run that landed a fourth-quick spot and the inside row three spot in the dash. Although Chris made a hard charge for the second finishing spot we ended up third and started the main inside of row two. Sam was fast and ready to race, but as the field came off of turn two on the second lap Chris' foot was a little too heavy - and around they went. A second spin in turn 4 found our pair a lap down, and even though Chris was able to charge back up through the field they were never able to regain the lost lap and finished a frustrating 15th. So we know we have a fast combo - and we are ready to try it again next week. So keep your fingers crossed for better luck, and on April 6th we'll.... C'YA AT THE TRACK!!! |
Event Date: May 4th Qualifying: 1st @ 16.362 Dash: 8th Main: 2nd! |
Allrighty!! Finally the fastest lap is rewarded - well sort of! The boys made some changes in the shop over the last month (after 15 minutes of snow on April 20th resulted in a cancelled event), and three good practice runs showed that Sam was ready to fly again. Chris and Sam qualified in the middle of the group, and posted their very fastest lap ever (do we see a pattern here??). But we have been down this road before, and with nearly half the field still waiting to qualify, we were afraid that once again we'd see a second-place time. But this tme no one could touch our duo - and the 16.362 stood for the glory! The dash saw our heros on the outside of the last row, and as Chris made his move to take Sam towards the front on the first lap, she got a little loose. Unfortunately another truck was a little too loose, and the resulting bounce off Sam bent her nose all out of shape. Not knowing the extent of the damage, Chris brought her in. Now normally the quick time trophy is presented after the dash, but Sam was in a little disarray and in no mood for photos (sorry Joe!). Chris didn't bring this trophy home until after the end of the racing evening! Oh well, maybe this trophy is a little special since it has a story with it! The roll of the dice put our pair on the outside of row four in the main, and early shuffling saw Chris and Sam back in 10th spot. The event had many cautions, and it just seemed as though every time Chris made headway the caution would fly and he'd be right back where he started. Finally a series of bumping, banging and sideways trucks didn't result in a caution, and the fifth place spot Chris found himself in stuck. With nine laps to go our heros were running in fourth and gunning for third, then second, and once Chris got into the second spot they were charging for the leader! Unfortunately for us, though, our awesome twosome ran out of race before they could make a pass for the win! Well we'll just go ahead and take that second place finish, and we are pretty darn happy to be in a three way tie for third in the point standings! We're off again next week (can't you just hear Sam and Chris sigh???), but the event on May 18th is a 50 lapper! So let's hope for some good weather for that weekend, and that's when we will C-YA at the TRACK!! |
Event Date: May 18th Qualifying: 1st @ 16.307 Dash: 5th Main: 4th |
WoW! When you're on you're on - and our awesome twosome once again prove that we wanna go for ludicrous speed!! Although some of the changes made in the shop didn't provide the results we had hoped for, some just seemed to be right on target! Chris and Sam were the 14th truck to roll out for their qualifying run, and the first lap, well let's just say it wasn't Trophy Dash material! But Chris smashed the gas and Sam turned up the heat, and the "JUMP BACK" told us that our pair had hit the right spot!! The 16.307 is now officially our duo's fastest time, and you know we are aiming for the track record. So keep your sights set and fingers crossed... Again this week our pair started on the outside of the last row for the dash. When the eight circuits had been completed we found ourselves in 5th. This position, combined with a roll of the dice that landed on a three, placed our heros on the inside of the third row for the special 50 lap feature event. Chris and Sam wasted no time with their charge to the front, and by the tenth lap had moved into the second position. Chris pushed Sam hard, and had reeled in the leader before 20 laps were in the books. But by the 30th lap, the right front tire began to go south. The leader was able to pull away, and two more trucks got by our pair before the checkered flag flew. Once Chris got Sam back into the pits we were able to look at the tire a little closer, and let me tell you there wasn't a whole lot of tire left! We felt very fortunate that Chris was able to finish the race in a good position without having the tire go flat (although it sure tried hard!!). But we'll take this finish, too! Fourth in a 50 lap race that paid double points is certainly not a bad thing, and we are happy to report that Sam finished with only minor cosmetic "ouchies". This finish now has us in a solid 4th place in the points, and the distance from the new points leader Chris Leaf is certainly not insurmountable! So next weekend will see us running on Saturday for a regular 30 lap event. Keep doin' the sun dance, fans, and we'll be back at again aiming for the records when we next..... C-YA at the TRACK!! |
CHRIS & SAM TAKE QUICK TIME FOR THE SECOND TIME!! |
No jump back tonite, but that's ok cuz this marked the 10th straight trophy dash for our heros - so we ain't complainin' about a #2 spot! Our pair was the ninth truck out of the qualifying gate, and blew almost 2/100's off of the best time posted so far with a 16.425. Our quick time stood through 6 more trucks - but was bumped to 2nd quick by only 8/1000's of a second! So once again we started the trophy dash in the back row, just on the inside this time! Our heros sliced and diced to a 5th place finish, and the dice roll saw Chris and Sam inside of row 2 for the feature event. Well, the last race we started third on the grid had results that were pretty spectacular, so we pretty much were holding our collective breath. Things looked good for the first ten laps, although the leader had pulled away while Chris looked and looked for a pass on the second place truck. But then, coming out of turn four, our duo was the victim of a :"bump and pass" move that went awry, and our pair found themselves at the back of the field (along with the perpetrator I might add). Ok, now the held breath is for "can our heros get back to the front with only 20 laps to go?" Well if this had been a 50 lap race like last week, we'd been to the front, or close anyway! But 20 laps just wasn't enough,and although Chris pushed Sam hard (maybe a little too hard - a pass Chris was making turned into a "spin and pass" with some help from behind) and made up most of the deficit, when the checkers flew our awesome twosome crossed the line in the ninth spot (which ain't too darn bad y'know!!). So this one is in the books and at least is still a top ten finish. The good news is that, once the points scramble settled, our heros closed the gap on the points battle and are even closer to the top - still in fourth place!! So next weekend we will be joined by the ReMax boys for a special event. The crew is already hard at it puttin' Sam's nose and bumper back together, and you can bet we will be there, so... C-YA at the TRACK!! |
Event Date: May 18th Qualifying: 2nd @ 16.425 Dash: 5th Main: 9th |
No jump back tonite either, but not because we was slow...no siree!! Our awesome twosome was the third truck to roll out for their run, and Chris pushed Sam to over a half-second faster than the two trucks that had gone before them! The 16.307 stood through the entire field, and once again our duo found themselves on the outside of the last row for the dash. The time that Chris posted was fast enough for our gallant heros to have made the Remax show!! Now that's FAST!!! Chris played it cool for the 8 laps, and crossed the line in the 6th slot. The dice roll saw us starting outside of row six for the main event, and boy was it one wild and crazy race! The very first lap saw major disruption in the field - trucks smackin' into each other left and right, and three smackin' right into the wall in turn one and two. This scramble brought out the red flag before a single lap was on the books - no way to start a race for sure! Fortunately all drivers were mostly ok - thank goodness! Once the debris was cleared and the quik dry laid down it was time to try and start again. The second start was much better than the first and green flag racing was at last under way. Chris expertly manuevered Sam in and out of traffic, and by the seventh circuit he had secured the second spot. The next 12 laps saw our pair quickly reel in the leader, and with only 11 laps to go Sam was ready for Chris to make his move! Alas, it was not meant to be this race, either, and as our heros chased the leader out of turn two, another truck's motor let go in turn three. By the time reaction set in and we tried to warn Chris of the hazard, he and Sam were sliding sideways and heading straight for the wall!!! He nearly saved her, but almost doesn't count in racing you know. The hapless truck with the blown motor was right between Sam and the wall, and as Chris brought her around contact was made that resulted in pretty much the entire right side bodywork being peeled like a sardine can!! The leader was smashed hard into the wall with his right front - and as Chris pulled away we all realized with heavy hearts that Sam needed a right rear tire to replace the mangled one she was limping with. A black flag forced Chris to bring her in, and the crew had no problem getting a new foot on quickly. By this time, though, Sam's blood was a boilin', and her temp gauge was creeping higher. The decision was made to go ahead and take her back out and see if she'd cool down a bit...after all on the track is where she likes it best! Once the green was again waving she started to cool down so Chris started to charge back up to the front. But with only a fraction of the race remaining the win just wasn't to be, but Chris was able to move up into the fifth position before the checkers flew! Good Job!! Well you know that we are pretty grateful for the upcomin off weekend cuz Sam needs quite a bit of attention! But the boys are hard at work getting her back to the top-quality caliber to which she is accustomed to - and you know she will be ready to again aim for ludicrous speed when we are back on June 15th. So while you are waiting, make your plans to see us in the pits on the 15th and get your own sqaure, and we will ... C-YA at the TRACK!! |
Event Date: June 1st Qualifying: 1st @ 16.307 Dash: 6th Main: 5th |
Event Date: June 15th Qualifying: 1st @ 16.249 Dash: 6th Main: 2nd |
The question had been asked more than once since last week's time matched the time from May 18th - "is that as fast as you can go?" Well the track was pretty darn fast last night, and Chris had Sam on the rail again...and once again our pair showed that they can, and will, just keep on goin' faster.....in the never ending quest for a brand new track record! Sam charged out of the gate 7th on the grid, and blew 'em away with the fastest time of any truck so far this season! This blazing lap brought home the quick time trophy for the 4th time this season - pretty impressive we think! Once again our duo found themselves in the back of the dash, and once again Sam found herself with damage from a questionable reaction from another truck. Even still Chris managed a sixth place finish, and a roll of the dice even Lady Luck wouldn't believe saw our heros starting on the outside of row three for the main event. Well as usual Sam (or was is Chris??) wasn't happy with a blocked view of the front, and after an early crash saw the #14 truck (and points leader) in the back wall pretty hard, Chris had Sam easily through the traffic and once again our awesome twosome was chasing the #07 truck for the lead. Fortunately this time there were no blown motors in their path, but Sam got a little too tight towards the end of the 30 laps and Chris just couldn't reel the leader in for the pass. Oh well, though, all is not lost by any means! Second place was just pretty darn ok, and the finish saw a shake up in the points that has the top three separated by only 4 points - and our heros are now tied for second place!!! We are pretty excited about this development, and believe me our pair (and the rest of us, too!!!) can't wait for our next event on June 22nd to roll around!!! So all you fans keep on cheering - and don't forget to come and see us after the races to get your Children's Hospital square! We're playing subliminal tapes in the garage for Sam to listen to (go faster and faster and faster and faster) while she rests up for the next event. And if you want to find out if it works, well we will just have to.... C-YA at the TRACK!! |
Event Date: June 22nd Qualifying: Rained out Dash: 4th Main: 12th ! Ouch! |
So how are we supposed to beat our last week's time if Mother Nature won't co-operate? Pretty simple race fans - we don't! The dash lined up by points and our heros found themselves inside of row two for a short 6-truck, 6-lap shoot out. Well the slicin' and dicing was a little intense, and after scramblin' trucks straightened out our duo crossed the finish line fourth. The dice roll landed on nine, so our awesome twosome started the main on the outside of the third row. After early spinning and sliding, Chris and Sam found themselves in second place by the end of the first lap, and made the pass for the lead one lap later. Sam clearly felt like ludicrous speed was key for the evening, and quickly pulled away from the field. Alas, win #2 wasn't meant to be on this day - on lap 10 the track officials chased our heros into the pits for spilling fluid on the track. We finished a tear-jerkin' 12th, four laps down. (sob sob) So now we are in 5th in the points - 26 out from the lead. But there's plenty more racin' left this year - we ain't done yet! We are taking a weekend off - our next event is another autograph appearance for Sam and Chris with Pepsi and Kmart - this time Saturday, June 29th at the Big K on Kuner Road in Brighton. Come on up and see us from 11am to 5pm and spin the Pepsi prize wheel for your chance at a pair of CNS tickets! After that, it's already time for Mid-Season Championships! Our next event is a double points feature on Wednesday, July 3rd - and we hear rumors that the fireworks are sure to be crowd pleasers!! So come on out on the 3rd and cheer your favorite heros on, and don't forget to come back and see us after the races to get your Team Children's Square! On a much more somber note - our hearts and prayers are with fellow ProTruck driver Steve Johnson. (Steve was involved in an incredibly brutal crash in the heat race that required flight-for-life transport. ) We know he's hanging in there, and want all of our racing family - drivers, teams and fans - to join us in keeping Steve and his family in our thoughts and prayers in his time of need. Godspeed Steve! C-YA at the TRACK!! |
Event Date: July 3rd Qualifying: First! 16.247 Dash: 6th Main: 19th |
Well this might be the end of Sam's reign as queen of the quick times....thanks to the same truck who perhaps has single handedly caused more wrecks this season than the rest of the field combined including the one that cost Chris and Sam their moment of sun when they got their first quick time! Sam was still lookin' for ludicrous speed on this Independence Day eve, and although she and Chris were shy of the track record the familiar "Jump Back" was heard not once but TWICE when Chris pushed her to the limit for two times that were both faster than any other truck in the field (the second place qualifying time was over a full tenth slower!). Sam took her usual spot on the outside of the last row of the dash, and as usual the front of the dash saw banging and crunching. Once it settled down Sam and Chris found themselves the sixth truck to cross the line. The dice came up a five, and our heros started the main on the outside of row three. Lap one saw three and four wide in the turns (which in itself is not the way you want to see a main start!), but the second lap found our duo the meat in a three wide sandwich - with the #26 on the outside... We saw it coming, as did everyone else (including the driver right behind Chris and Sam). Sure enough, as soon as the driver of the #26 realized he was being passed again - he hit the gas. WELL IT WAS THE WRONG PEDAL!!! Instead of braking like he should have (I guess we expected a miracle) he drove right into Sam's right quarter, and sent Chris and Sam spinning out of control right into the wall ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE!! We had a few scary moments waiting for Chris to talk to us on the radio, the crash last week still very fresh in our minds - and you can't imagine the relief when we knew he was ok!.. But Sam, well the short of it is she's NOT ok, we are talking major chassis damage here, in addition to the wasted body, twisted frame, bent axles, .broken steering, and well you get the picture - she's pretty gone. But we have always been safety first, and although many of the bars in Sam's roll cage are bent and cracked, the metal on the seat is actually torn, and there is damage from the wall clear up into the frame rails - Chris came through with only a couple of bruises. But you know what really gets our goat is that they actually had the nerve to try and come into our pit after the races and start a fight - while screaming at us it was the #07 Chris Leaf's fault! (Who, we might add, was ahead of this whole mess further up in the field.) It's NEVER their fault - just ask them and they'll tell you! Lucky for them the security folks at the track were on top of things, or the medical crews would have had their hands full for sure! But we will be doing our best to try and find the parts we need (anybody got a spare chassis they can part with???) and giving Sam our lunch money to try and get her back to the way she was before she got the way she is - although after this nightmare double points event all of our hopes of bringing home the really big trophy are pretty much dashed. So cross your fingers and your toes for a miracle or two, and with any luck soon enough we will...... C-YA at the TRACK!! |
