Miller Motorsports Park is a daunting track by any measure with a 4.5 mile, 23 turn layout it's super fast and super fun. Just like almost every other track we ran at this season it would be my first time on the track so I checked out a couple videos of the event last season to prime myself and talked to Ted Anthony Jr. about key points on track. This would prove to be very beneficial in the long run. I took to the track nearly instantly and began laying down quick laps right off the bat during the Thursday test day. Throughout the first two sessions I was consistently setting top 10 times out of 26 cars and in the last session of the day I ended up P5. This was a HUGE day for me as it would be the first time in the season that I would have such good practice times.
Friday brought an easy day for us as we only had one practice session. Again, I ended up with a top 10 time, P8 to be exact. Dad and I decided to ride our motorcycles around Utah for a little that evening and we had a great time exploring our new surroundings on our bikes.
Saturday would be a great day for us. We had a small practice session before qualifying in the morning and I went out to warm up and get a feel for how the track would feel for qualifying. The track felt great and so did the car so I pulled off after only one lap. The great crew at TC Motorsports had the setup nailed perfectly on the car so we slapped a set of new BF Goodrich tires on the car and waited for qualifying. Realizing that qualifying is such an important part of a spec series like the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge has been something I've been determined to improve on throughout the season and I knew I had a lot riding on this session. Preparing for the qualifying session with TC Motorsports team owner Carlo Sparacio, the crew and the rest of the drivers proved to be a huge leg-up for us. Going through the data and video from previous sessions I felt totally prepared to lay down the biggest flyer of the weekend. Upon completion of the quickest lap I would turn all weekend I radioed in to see where I stood. P5! I was sitting in P5 for most of the session until one other driver set a lap just a few hundredths faster. I had just qualified P6. P6! POSITION 6! Such a great feeling to be in the front of the pack.
The race... Wow, what a race! Starting outside row 3 was the closest to the front of the pack I had been all season and being able to see the points leaders just ahead of me was so awesome! I had a really great green flag call from my spotter, J.R., and was able to get a great run down the front straight and enter turn 1 in P4. Behind me I noticed some cars going wild, but that was the least of my concerns at this point. Holding on to P4 was going to be tough with the competition being so close but I knew I had to keep it.
Behind me a few positions back a couple of cars got tangled up and after a few caution laps with the pace car we were back in action. Mike McGovern and Andrew Hendricks were P5 and P6 respectively behind me and I knew my main goal was to keep them there and retain my P4 spot. I held them off nearly the whole race until the last few laps when Mike McGovern was really giving me a run for my money. Mike would stick the nose of his Mustang in on me every chance he got but I was able to shut the door on him nearly every attempt. On the last turn of the last lap McGovern ducked inside and we drag raced to the start/finish line with the #33 inching him out by about 8 to 12”! I had just finished P4! What an amazing race!
I want to give a HUGE thanks to TC Motorsports for providing me with such a great car and great team all weekend. Trever, John A, John Z, Clint K, Carlo, Ted, Rick... I couldn't have done it without you guys. J.R., thanks for the spotting, it was fun having you on the radio.
Without my Dad providing support I wouldn't have been able to compete this season, so a huge thanks to him and JC Concrete. Thanks to David O'Dell for working with us throughout this season and helping me grow as a driver.
The biggest thanks of all goes out to the Mustang Challenge and Grand-Am officials. Candice Bailey, Lynda Randall... This series wouldn't have been the same without you two. “Jamie Slone here with Inside Track!” brought so much fun to the series with your interviews... Thanks so much. Wes Duenkel, thanks for all the amazing pictures of the season. Of course I can't forget our series partners, Austin Hatcher Foundation, BF Goodrich, Compass360, Ford Racing, GoPro Cameras, Grand-Am and HD Theater.
