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Terrell, N.C. — When you start off the NASCAR season running four races in the first three months, you have a lot of time to think about your last finish.
When you have a strong start to the season—like we did last year—it’s a great thing, but when you have some bad luck to start the season, it can sometimes seem like an eternity between races.
Martinsville weekend—all the way through Monday when you include the race—we had a solid finish to carry us into a month-long break. Winning the pole on Saturday morning before the rains came was just the thing we needed to boost our confidence and add a spring to our step. I think we set a Camping World Truck Series record for sitting on the pole for the longest time, nearly a three-day stretch.
Knowing that we had a good truck for the race made me rest a little easier on Saturday night, but I was anxious and ready to go racing by Sunday night.
We led nearly a third of the Monday race and brought home a top-five finish, our first of what will hopefully be many more to come this season. The 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year earned a fifth-place finish. The International Truck and Engine Ford F-150 was Built Ford Tough; and it usually is at Martinsville. That’s the fifth consecutive top-five finish that we’ve scored at Martinsville, and it allowed us to make the biggest move in the point standings. The No. 14 International Truck & Engine Ford is sitting 10th in the points, and we feel like we’re heading in the right direction as the series starts racing on a weekly basis; that’s the stretch where champions are made.
It wasn’t just a good weekend for me for, but for Circle Bar Racing as an organization. The No. 10 International MaxxForce Diesel Ford driven by my teammate James Buescher made a strong push at the end of the race and came home in 11th to capture top rookie honors. James has improved his finish in each of the four races so far this year, and hopefully that trend continues as we head out to Kansas at the end of the month. Watching him these first few races, James is one of the real talents making a name for himself in this sport and someone to watch over the next few years.
Outside of racing, the last time I wrote here I was talking about obtaining my private pilot’s license. I’m still logging hours towards that goal, and I just found out last week that I may go for a ride of a lifetime. The Blue Angels, based in Pensacola, Fla., called last month and we’re working towards an incentive flight with them in a few weeks. I’ll keep you posted on that and I’ll be sure to have some photos to share with everyone.
Rick
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