After being rained out on 8/21, Team SAR returned to Wiscassett raceway on the 28th for a great weekend of racing. Using information from the last time we were there as well as a few things we learned from other tracks, the initial setup during practice was pretty close. After a quick gear change, the car really seemed to pull coming out of the corners and the #20 car was ready for action.
For the heat race, the #20 started on the outside front row, and based on speeds during practice, it looked like Mark had a good shot at winning his first heat race. But that all changed the moment they took the green flag and entered turn 1. The #32 car had a strong jump at the start, and slammed in between the #9 (polesitter) and #20, and pushed his way through to the second position. Mark did a grat job keeping the car under control and never lifted a bit. After the first lap, it was clear that the #20 was faster, but was having a hard time getting by the #32. After working the inside for 4-5 laps, he began to make his move on the outside. He was slowly working his way around the #32, and with 1 lap to go was half a car length ahead on the outside, when the #32 drifted up and rubbed the #20 entering into turn 1. Mark held on strong, battling back on the outside, and entering turn 3 had slipped half a car length back. But Mark drove it hard through turns 3 and 4, and exited turn 4 dead even with the #32. Between turn 4 and the checkers, the #20 car had just a bit more gear, and pulled inches ahead of the #32, and edged him out for a crowd-pleasing 2nd place finish.
By the time the feature rolled around, the sun had set and the track was coolling down considerably. The #20 again started on the outside, front row, but when the green flag fell, the car was way too loose. With the cold tires, cold track, and low air pressures, the car was an absolute handful. Mark spent the first 2 or 3 laps trying to stay out of the way and keep the car straight as cars slipped by one by one. After the 4th lap or so, it really seemed to come back together, and Mark was able to stay on top of and began working his way back to the front. But traffic was tight, the cars in the middle of the pack were running almost identical lap times, and no one was giving anything up. The #20 spent the majority of the race battling to get around the #9, but to no avail. After trying to force the issue a couple times, the both just slipped back, and Team SAR had to settle for a 12th place finish - and a lot fun getting there!