The Team Freedom Racing/Winning Combinations Pro-Modified Buell® had a career best weekend at Raceway Park.
In Friday night's test session, Ben Hatcher of Winning Combination Motorsports, did an awesome job on the initial clutch set-up. Not only did we lay down a 1.181 60-foot, but we also ran a career best 8.343. At that point, we decided to call it a night and study our data in depth.
Qualifying also proved to be rewarding. In the opening round, we were able to back up Friday's test with a 8.346 for the initial #1 spot. Junior Pippin stole the spot from us in the second round with an 8.310. We were still extremely pleased with the performance and consistency.
Going into eliminations, we knew we needed to remain consistent and not make any mistakes. Just when I thought it couldn't get much better, we opened the first round with another career best 8.329. I knew that it was going to be a good day.
Going into the semis against Cliff was going to be a close battle. I had to cut a good light which proved to be difficult for many at Raceway Park. This was my opportunity to beat the #1 plate holder. The day just became a little sweeter! I cut a .054 light to Cliff's .084 and outran him with an 8.418 to his 8.462.
Going into the finals, we were aware of the numbers Junior was running. Junior Pippins has been the guy to beat all year and now it was our turn to try. My job was to drill the tree, drive straight and hit my shift points and that's exactly what I did. Junior certainly had the power to beat us, but I hammered him at the light.
Talk about putting the icing on the cake. This has been by far our career best weekend. It was really great too that my father, wife and her parents were able to attend and witness it firsthand. I'd like to thank Ben Hatcher for all of his hard work and dedication and also Geoff Arnold from Joker Machine for doubling the prize money. That was certainly a great reward at the end of the day.
I'd also like to send a BIG THANKS to the sponsors that made this a reality: Southside Harley-Davidson, Joker Machine, Freedom Harley-Davidson, Inc., Winning Combination Motorsports, Uniontown Tire, Peak Management, Reading Motorcycle Club, Bandit Machine Works, Baisley Hi-Performance, D&G Chassis, Red Line Oil, S&S Cycle, PMFR, Red Shift Cams, VP Racing Fuels and Eaglestar Photography.
