09/12/2023
Wow what an amazing and fun time down at El Paso County Raceway, Calhan, Colorado. BST Promotions. I was given the chance to run a dirt 1/4 mile oval track for my first time ever! Mike Varra rescued this old Monte Carlo a short while ago that had been sitting for 14 years untouched. We got a double barrel carb put on to be legal and we had to rebuild the shifting linkage because we had no 3rd or 4th gear. After that we put air in the tires and went to race with absolutely zero shakedown or testing!
We showed up to the track in time to help pack down the track with a few low speed laps. As soon as I got on track I felt like Lightning McQueen when he entered the the demolition derby. “What the hell did I get myself into” I said to myself as the car was all over the place just spinning tires trying to keep in line.
Up next we got ready for some hot laps! My first time at pace and no idea what I’m doing lol. I went out and got into 3rd gear and watched the rest of the group leave me in the dust. After the session a fellow competitor came up and asked us about our gearing and what gear I was in. He let me know just stay in 4th and never shift. Then he looked at our tires and laughed and asked what psi we were running. Mike and I looked at eachother and laughed as Mike told him 30ish all the way around. He looked at us like we were fools and told us to drive to his pits and he was going to help. After taking the psi down to what was recommended we were ready for the first heat race and qualifier for the Trophy dash!
I lined up in 6th place outside 3rd row in the heat race and as soon as the green flag flew I started pushing. With only 8 laps in the heat I knew I had to be top 3 to get into the trophy race so I started to make moves. When I got up to third I was behind the mustang and tried to take the inside lane into turn 1 but that door got shut in a hurry and popped a couple rivets on our front bumper letting it flap in the wind. I followed for the remainder of the lap setting him up for the same pass coming out of turn 2 this time and rocked past him and hunted the leader in his nova. I saw the white flag and tried to get it done but finished side by side just behind in 2nd place!!!
Starting the trophy dash was something completely new to me as they had all top 6 cars on the front straight in grid order as they introduced the drivers. As they got to me and announced it was my first time out ever the crowd seemed to love it and I had never been cheered on by so many people. I was grided in 3rd place inside 2nd row and as soon as the flag dropped we were off again. I quickly tried to make a move and my hood came up and it startled me so I maintained pace and place behind the mustang and fell in line for the first 2 laps then made my move and watched as the hood went and covered the entire windshield area besides a little 6”x9” hole on the drivers side, I stayed in it looking for a flag but none came and I hunted my way back to 2nd as I gapped the rest of the grid and hunted down the leader when the white flag came out on lap 7 I tried to get up with him but no dice and took 2nd again.
Finally we qualified 2nd for the main event 30 lap race under the lights. I started outside front row! As the flag dropped I fell into 4th on the first lap and by lap 3 had the inside lane in turn 1&2 and hooked and shot past 3rd and 2nd down the back stretch as my rear end gave out and ended our night.
All in all I had so much fun and can’t wait to do it again!! Adding racing disciplines to the resume to help make a more well rounded driver over all!!
Thank you to Varra Family Racing and BreakLoose Racing for the support and ride! Thank you Kristin Sullivan my smokin hot wife for enjoying it with me! Mike Varra for the opportunity and support for believing in me!!
We will do it again!
