As you can see we've welcomed aboard K&N Air Filters starting at Dillon, but a special thank you goes out to JB Banta Logistics, who made our first trip to South Carolina possible. Thanks again guys!
Our weekend got off to a good/bad start on Friday when the car broke a rear end during a media demonstration on the track. Bad that the rear end broke, but good that Wendy kept it off the wall and also good that the rear end broke on Friday and not Saturday.
After fixing the car Friday night, Saturday we loaded up and headed into town to help out track promoter Ron Barfield (you may remember him from running for Bill Elliott a few years ago and also running in the Craftsman Truck Series for Gloy Racing) get the word out for Saturday's race. It was a lot of fun and we made a whole lot of new fans, including these future racers:
Saturday night started off well enough and we thought we had a thing or two for everybody come feature time. In the Lucas Oil Power Dash, Wendy finished fourth and in the ButlerBuilt Heat Wendy came home second. Things were definitely looking up and Wendy was taking a shine to figuring out the quick way around the track.
Before the feature, there was an autograph session for the USCS drivers and to say that Wendy had a crowd for autographs would be quite the understatement. Look at that sea of Wendy fans!
Having gained a whole lot of new fans that were now cheering Wendy on, we were ready for the feature, lining up eighth. The green flag dropped and Wendy dropped the hammer like she was shot out of a canon. About to pass her third car in one lap, Wendy went to the outside and unfortunately the driver on the bottom couldn't hold his line, pushed up into Wendy and into the wall she went. After the standard ride in the ambulance, Wendy received a huge cheer from the crowd when they found out she was alright.
"That was a tough pill to swallow tonight," said Wendy. "We had a rough start to the weekend, but having never been to Dillon before, we were on the right track. When the green flag dropped for the feature, the car felt fantastic and I was going to the front. I'm at a loss to explain what happened with the driver I was passing on the outside, but I've got quite a few broken pieces to show for it. In racing, you'll have nights like this and Dillon was rough on us Florida drivers as the Reutimanns had mechanical problems in the feature and didn't finish either."
Undaunted, Wendy Mathis Racing marches on. "I can't say enough about the great hospitality shown to us by Ron Barfield and also all of the great fans I met in South Carolina," continued Mathis. "I can't wait to go back and give my new fans the finish they deserve. Dillon Motor Speedway hasn't seen the last of me!"
Next up on the USCS Asphalt Thunder Schedule is Peach State Speedway on July 26.
