Orange County Speedway 10/4/08

Wow – A day of several “firsts and lasts” at Orange County Speedway, one  of the biggest firsts being #27 Justin LaDuke getting the pole position and taking the win – his first win ever in his Mini Cup Car.  Think back to the beginning of the season when they were just starting out – had a hard time making it on the track for practice and things just weren’t going in their favor.  However, over time, with help from some of you, a little education and a lot of patience, look where they’ve ended up.  Only in the VMCRA!    Congratulations to the entire LaDuke gang – you’ve come a long way and all I can say is Look out Next Year!  The next biggie is Jason Atkins taking the series Championship – congratulations to Jason, Chuck and the entire Cusson racing gang.  Next, our Rookie battle – congratulations also to Tyler Roach on taking the Rookie of the Year honors.   So as you can tell, even though the field was small (10 cars) the action was huge.  We went into the race with possibilities of ties in both the Championship and Rookie points but the positions were decided without any ties and it was a pretty exciting race.

But what a long day it turned out to be!!   Although we were spread out all over the place, we still managed to get through the day without any major problems.   Both practice sessions went smooth followed by qualifying that as I stated earlier, landed Justin LaDuke in the pole position.  We were the last group to race, taking the track over 5 hours after the first green flag fell but as the saying goes – they saved the best for last.  At the drop of the green – Justin would find himself shuffled back several positions but it only took a few laps for him to regather his momentum and head back to the front, taking the lead  back on the 9^th lap and holding it until the end,   all the while running side by side with Andy Defillips who found himself in contention until the last couple of laps but still getting a solid 4^th place finish.    Following Justin was your 2008 champion Jason Atkins in 2^nd and Matt Wade in 3^rd who hooked up around the 18^th lap and finally catching Andy in those final couple of laps, leaving Andy in that 4^th place position.   The “bummer” award goes to Jason Moye who came into the season determined to get that 2^nd Championship 10 years after the 1st.  A little tough luck left him no choice but to settle for the 2^nd spot but it was no fault  of his own – he and Jay still had a Championship year.  Following Jason was your 2008 Rookie of the Year.  #24 of  Tyler Roach, who got off to a rough start at the beginning of the season but found himself improving each and every week.  He and Andy had a close Rookie battle all year long and just like the Championship – it’s a shame there can’t be more than one Rookie Champ because they both came a long way throughout the year and the spot was decided by 1 point only.  Amanda Forney – a little tough luck at the start of the race landed her back in the pack but running hard with a very “ill” handling car, finishing  in the 7^th spot followed by Darrel Williams, Travis Roach and Amanda Frye rounding out the field.    Darrel – now excited that he can finish the races on the lead lap and on all 4 wheels – sure to be a major contender in 09.   Travis brought out our caution of the night on the 16^th lap taking a spin leaving him at the back of the pack and last but not least – Amanda Frye, getting some more seat time and looking to possibly contend for the Rookie spot in 09.  All tech was handled pre-race with Seals, Safety, Fuel, and Carburetors checked and all OK.  Special Thanks to all the Sponsors this year – there is no way we could’ve done it without you.   So with that, Chapter 13 of the VMCRA History book is closed.  As always, there were lots of good times and even a few bad times but isn’t that what makes the book interesting?

As for the “lasts” – the most obvious being that it was the last race of the 2008 series and we were the “last” to take the track.   For Robyn and Myself, it was the last of many, many days, hours, road trips, headaches, and heartaches but lots of good times and great friendships over the course of the past 13 years.   Thanks to those of you that put the personal “gonna miss you” notes on the forms you turned in - - trust us, we’re gonna miss you all too but just as this country is in need of change – maybe too, is this association.  And on that note – we have yet to have anyone agree to accept the nomination for president or secretary treasurer, so if that does not take place prior to the banquet, the ballots will contain a list of everyone nominated, you will elect a board of seven and those seven will then make the decisions on how to proceed with the future of the VMCRA.   And whoever that turns out to be, we will do all we can to help you out as you move forward.

Please make sure to reserve your seats at the banquet – November 1^st,  Social Hour 6:00, Dinner 7:00, Awards following.

See you there!

Willie