| Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:54AM | Behind The Wheel With Brett Smrz |
What a day! I started in the 2nd position for my semi final race. I had a bit of a bad start, and Connor got by me from 3rd position. I tucked in behind Connor, but in turn 2 I put a tire in the grass and did a full 360 on the exit. I put the gearbox into neutral and kept the car running. I kept the car in 9th position, but I started having some misfire on the straight away. I tried a pass for 8th place a couple laps later, but the driver turned into me and spun me around. I came into the pits from there, and my race was over.
After that performance, I had to start the last chance qualifier. I was a bit worried, because I would be starting the last chance from 17th position. They only take four drivers from the qualifier, so I had to make up 13 positions in 5 laps. I got a great start, and a good first lap, and was in 7th by the end of lap one. I kept working my way forward, eventually getting into the 4th place spot. I held that spot until the last corner, where I did an over under maneuver and finished up in 3rd spot.
With that result, it meant that I would be starting in the 27th position for the main event. I was very focused going into the race, and set my goals at a top 5 finish. I got a very good start off of the line, and picked up about 5 positions before the first couple of turns. I kept working my way through the traffic, and still saw a bunch of drivers that I could get by. I saw my pit board, and it was saying I was in 11th place. I kept my head down, and eventually made my way into 5th place. There was a full course caution, which caught me back up with the leaders. On the restart, I gained one more position, which put me in 4th place. I held my position for the remainder of the race, and ended up in 4th spot.
I was ecstatic…Coming through the field like I did was quite hard. It was one of the best drives of my career in my opinion, and it was the right race to do it at.
I can’t thank the Cliff Dempsey Racing team enough. They kept my head in the right spot the entire weekend, and kept my car running quick as well. Dave Hart is the best mechanic I could ask for. He is always smiling, and giving me great signals while I am driving.
Thanks go out to Jeremy Shaw, the Team USA Scholarship, and all of its sponsors and supporters. I wouldn’t have been able to have the opportunity to race this weekend without their support.
Brett Smrz
