Joseph started the night off a little slow qualifying 8th out of 15 cars with a 10.9 time. He put on a good show for the fans in the heat determined to make up for his slow start. He started 4th in a strong heat and finished 2nd. Joseph started 4th in the feature dropped back to 5th or 6th and came back to finish 4th. Congrats to Matt Taylor for the win and it was clear no one was going to touch him. A few more laps and I think we could have got 3rd but Ryan Little in 2nd would have been very tough to catch let alone pass. We are very happy with our finish and look forward to next weekend when we race 2 times at Macon.
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Friday night brought back memories of how racing used to be with Jacksonville Speedway running both the Late Models and the Sprint cars. The sprint cars had a strong 29 cars and the late models had around 15 with both classes putting on a great show for a packed house. Joseph told me that when he went over to the grand stands the admission sign read SOLD OUT you have to by a pit pass and go to the pit stands. The pit stands where full all night also making it hard to find a place to video the races. Another interesting thing about the evening was that JHR pit crew all had prior commitments therefore it was just Joseph and I doing all the duties. After Friday night I was fired as video person because my hand shook so much filming that it makes you dizzy to watch it. Joseph started on the pole in the first heat but needed to be on the outside on the cushion. Dively got the jump and he and Joseph put on a great show for the fans every lap of the heat with Joseph finishing 2nd. Joseph started 5th in the feature but with the changes I made on the car he went backward for the rest of the night finishing 10th. All in all we had a fun night and learned a lot with Joseph running his first race ever at Jacksonville Speedway. We hope that the promoters will strongly consider running the late models on a regular basis. It would be great to see both classes offered for the fans and another local track to race at. Kevin Hughs Joseph’s car will be at the restaurant over lunch hour. Saturday night we traveled to Fairbury to run only for the second time at this track and first time this year. Last year we ran the Prairie Dirt Classic at FALS only to finish the night leaving the track on a tow truck. Last year we missed the show by 1 spot in the heat against some very tough competition and was side by side for the lead in the B main only to break and leave on a tow truck. Last night we were trying a different shock package and did not know how Joseph would like the feel of the car on a unknown track. The track turned slick by qualifying and damaged several good cars during their runs at fast time. Joseph entered the track as the 15th car out of the gate and earned 9th fast time out of 29 strong cars riding the cushion all the way around the track. Joseph loved the new feel of the shocks and adapted very well. Joseph started pole of the first heat and lead for 9 laps until Scott Bull would take the lead from him on lap 9 of 10. Joseph finished 2nd to Bull, currently 2nd in points at this track, and was happy to be in the main event in a tough field of cars. Joseph started the feature event 11th inside second row with a difficult task ahead. The track had turned extremely slick and it was a 1 lane race grove on the bottom. The car lined up outside Joseph dove down in front of him on the first turn and slowed causing Joseph to hit and flatten the left rear tire of that car. The car went to the infield and no yellow came out putting Joseph to a serious disadvantage giving up a number of spots. When Joseph got back up to speed he found himself in 17 0r 19 position and began to move forward. He said after the race the car felt very fast through the turns working his was up to 12th position on lap 14 of the 30 lap event. Joseph was stuck behind a car he just could not find a good clean way around but was much faster and was being held up. He finally had a good run on the outside of turn 3 and 4 and looked to go ahead when 3 cars spun in front of Joseph leaving him nowhere to go and collected him in the wreck. Joseph would once again leave FALS track on a tow hook on his second time here and second time on a tow truck here also. Even though we ended the night not as we hoped we still enjoyed ourselves very much at the Fairbury track. FALS is a great facility with a very friendly staff and fans as well. We look forward to returning here again to race in the near future. Although Saturday night was a tough night of racing we still had some very positive things. First and foremost we had 14 people gather at our pits for prayer before the feature. We started having prayer before the races last summer and our attendance continues to grow. We have always stated that we needed to have a purpose glorifying God in whatever we do and that includes racing. We hope that our witness and prayer attendance at the races continues to grow, we give God all the glory. The racing started with Joseph drawing the #1 qualifying position and that has not worked well for us in the past. Joseph has always qualified better if he has a grove to follow but the last 2 times out have shown something different. Last time at Macon, 2 weeks ago, Joseph was 2nd out to qualify and ended up 3rd fast overall. This night was only the 2nd time in his racing career that he has been first to qualify the last time was 2 years ago. The first lap looked pretty good even on a very slimy track and the second looked even better until the brakes failed. Joseph had to back out of the gas before the flag stand and still turned 3rd overall fast time at 11.024, just think if he could of stayed in the gas. The rest of the night of racing went down hill breaking the same brake line in the heat and having to run the race without brakes. The feature was worse, fighting the car, track, and himself finishing in 10th. We will regroup this week and get the car fixed to be ready for the next race. We are unsure where or if we will race this weekend but we will let everyone know about our plans. Last night was a very encouraging night with the people that came to the dinner. The auction started out slow but picked up speed like a roller coaster with prices and the generosity of the people. The speakers did an outstanding job and it was hard to keep the tears back at times. Joseph was also 1 of the speakers and did a great job of speaking from the heart. Donations are still being received for the girls dorm project so if you would like to join Joseph in his support for MyHope click on the logo to the lower right or contact us. Joseph will race Macon Speedway tonight hoping to advance a spot in the points. Joseph currently sits in 4th just 4 points out of a tie for second between Greg Kimmons and Ryan Little. Joseph had a great run last time out finishing 2nd to Kyle Logue in both the heat and feature. Joseph had a great battle with Little and Kimmons for much of the race. Come out and watch an exciting night of racing tonight at Macon Speedway. Also if you are a teacher and bring your ID all teachers get in FREE. Joseph will be at Quaker Steak & Lube this Thursday May 3rd with his car. Come out and see him and the many motorcycles that will be on display. We will not be racing the weekend of April 28 in preparation for the events of the upcoming week. Thursday night May 3rd Joseph will be on display with his car at Quaker Steak and Lube. Friday night Joseph will enjoy an evening of celebration with Palal at the 5 year anniversary party. Joseph will be speaking at this event, then on Saturday we will be back at Macon Speedway. The MyHope 5 year Celebration will be held Friday May 4th at the KC Hall on West Illes in Springfield IL. Joseph is honored to be one of the speakers for this event. There will also be a silent auction that starts at 5pm followed by a catered dinner at 6:30 pm. Plenty of tickets are still availible and you can contact us to reserve your ticket. Please come and support a mission that is dear to our hearts. Kevin Hughs 217-306-5567 |
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