It has been over three months since the last blog entry for J&D2 Racing so we will get you caught up on all of the racing action from the last entry through the end of the season at Stafford Motor Speedway.
8/17/09 at Stafford Motor Speedway
This was the annual Family Fun Night event for the Wild Thing Kart Series. We were able to get free passes for some of the local families. If you came, we hope you and your family had a good time. It was a hot day, but the racing was good. D started 4th of 6 in his heat race, but finished 6th. He started 2nd of 6 in the second feature race and finished there. It was a nice recovery from the heat race. Because of all of the games and action on the midway after the Tiger B heat races, racing was stopped so all could join in on the fun.
So, J & S didn’t have heat races, instead the features for both were lined up by the overall point standings with the top 5 positions inverted. J started 4th of 8 and finished 5th. Not a great night for the #95 Tiger A driver.
S started 14th of 15 in his feature, got spun down the back stretch and backed the kart up against the wall. This flat-spotted the left rear rim, but the tire was still holding air so he was able to stay in the race. A few laps later, S got into another kart in turns 3&4. This bent the right front spindle. After the track workers stepped on it to bend it back into shape a little, the race continued. The kart ran like junk, but it was good enough for a 10th place finish. Not a great night for J&D2 Racing, but it was fun.
8/24/09 at Stafford Motor Speedway
D started 2nd of 7 in the first heat and finished in 6th, so he started 3rd of 7 in the second feature race. D finished 5th. J started 4th of 10 and finished 7th in his heat, so after starting 7th in the feature, he was only able to pickup one spot to finish 6th. S started 3rd of eight in the first heat. The kart was tight coming out of the turns and S got to watch karts pass him one-by -one in the eight lap heat and end up finishing 7th. This put him in the 13th starting spot of 15 karts in the 15 lap feature. S ended up finishing where he started. This was probably the worst night across the board for J&D2 Racing this season, but things get better.
8/29/09 at 106 Racepark, Pembroke, NH
This was suppose to be the 4th race in the Saturday Night Live series, however, rain caused this race to be cancelled and rescheduled on 10/25. Grandma & Grandpa from North Dakota were with us for the next 4 races.
8/30/09 at Sugar Hill Speedway, Weare, NH
We hadn’t raced at Sugar Hill yet this year and since one of the Triple Crown events was to be held here, we wanted to get some time at this track. J started and finished 4th of four for his heat race. J contended for the lead, but fell back in the last two laps for some unknown reason. Starting 4th, it only took about 4 laps to before J pulled his kart to the infield as he kept loosing ground to the pack and was barely moving. We found after the race that J’s rear gear was worn out and the teeth had been stripped off by the chain. This was the first time this has happened so we learned something new.
D started 3rd of three in the 10 lap heat race and finished 2nd. So starting 2nd in the 25 lap feature, D stayed there for the first few laps. D was on the tail of the leader and was able to take the lead in turn 2 after the leader went wide. D held the lead for the remainder of the race to take down his first ever feature win. Congratulations D on a job well done!!
8/31/09 at Stafford Motor Speedway
For the last Monday night at SMS, D started 2nd of eight for his 6 lap heat race and ended up finishing 3rd. He started 5th in the first feature and finished a strong 4th place. J started and finished third in both the heat and feature race. S started 2nd of 7 in the heat race and finished 6th. S then started 11th and finished 12th of 14 karts. It was good for J to have podium finish and bring some hardware home.
9/4/09 at Woodstock Fair, Pomfret, CT
This was the opening day at the Fair, so practice was in the afternoon and features in the evening. J’s kart was loose coming out of the turns, especially turn 2, while D was running good for his skill level. We made many adjustments to J’s kart, but nothing worked. J stuffed his kart into the turn 2 tires on the final practice before the feature race. We had to change the right front spindle and realign the front end after the crash, but we had plenty of time so we didn’t have to rush. D drew the pole position and J second starting spot. There was only one other kart in the race. J took the lead after the green flag dropped. We’ll let you watch the rest on video.
9/5/09 at Woodstock Fair, Pomfret, CT
There were enough karts to have a Tiger “A” class and a “B” class. D started and finished 4th out of 5 karts in his 15 lap heat. Starting 4th of five in the 20 lap feature, D moved to 2nd on the first lap when two karts got together in turn two on the opening lap. D held 2nd for about the first half of the race and dropped to third. A caution flag came out and he restarted in third. He did well on the restart, but dropped to forth with two to go. A pretty good run overall. J started 1st and finished 3rd of three in his 15 lap heat. He led the first 4 laps, but the kart was still loose and hopping, especially coming out of turn 2. He couldn’t do much other than hang on. Starting third of 3 in the feature, the loose condition continued and he didn’t have much for the other karts. He finished about a half of a lap behind the other two karts. The Woodstock Fair is fun and one we look forward to. J was too loose for this track and we have made a note of it and will adjust accordingly next year.
9/13/09 at Stafford Motor Speedway
This was the final race at Stafford for the year and the first race of the Triple Crown Series. It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon. D started 4th of eight for his 8 lap heat race. D fell to the back going into turn one because he went wide. He stayed their through the remainder of the race but picked up one spot coming out of turn 4 on the final lap to finish 7th.
S started 2nd of 8 karts in his 8 lap heat race. S took the lead after the green flag fell and held it through the half way point. The kart got tight in turn 2 and pushed out letting another kart by. S would finish comfortably in the 2nd spot.
J didn’t have a heat race as they did time trial qualifying for the feature race. J qualified 4th out of 10 karts based on time. A good strong run considering there has never been time trial qualifying for the karts at Stafford before. The Tiger Sprint class for the Triple Crown Series would run as one group made up of the “A” class and the top 6 karts from the “B” class. There were two more qualifying races for the “B” class to see who would transfer into the “A” class feature. D started 3rd of 8 in this 10 lap qualifier. D dropped back to the 7th position on the first lap, but fought back and was able to pick two karts off coming out of turn 4 on lap 5 and was able to move up to the fourth spot two laps later. D would finish in fourth which was the last transfer spot into the last qualifying race. The top four finishers from the first race stayed on the track and lined up and the tailend of the pack, so D started 12th of 12. He was able to move up and finish 8th, just two positions shy of making the “A” class feature. This finished his season at Stafford. Good Job D, you’ve improved a lot this season!! Can’t wait to see you race next year!!
So the Tiger “A” class feature was set for 30 laps instead of the normal 12 or 15 laps. J started 4th, but fell to 6th early on, but moved back up to 5th about 5 laps into the race. The caution flag fell around lap 12, so J restarted there, but fell to 6th when the kart in front of him scraped the wall and almost lost control. J moved up to 4th within the next couple of laps and the top 4 broke away from the pack. As the lead 4 karts started to lap the field, J moved into third and threaded the needle in the middle of turns 3 & 4 to take 2nd spot with two laps to go. J caught the leader as the checkered flag fell. He needed another lap or two to pass, but it was too late. A great run nonetheless to finish the year at Stafford.
S was up next in a 30 lap feature. He started 3rd of 16 and led a few laps in the beginning of the race. He ended up finishing 5th with his best race and finish of the year, but we will let you watch how it all unfolded. Enjoy!!
There was still plenty of racing action in the remainder of Sep & Oct. We'll put an update together to close out the season, so stay tuned.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Trip to the Cape
We took a trip to the Cape last week. We stayed at a great hotel in
Chatham (thanks L & S!). We loved our time in Chatham and look
forward to future visits.
Chatham Lightouse. One of several along the Cape.
After visiting the lighthouse, we walked down to the beach where,
if you walked out about a mile, you could get a really great view
of the seals. What a sight!
I hear there are great white sharks looming around there right now.
We missed them by a week. I'm sure they are there for the seals.
No beach trip would be complete without searching for shells and shell
skipping. :-)
Chatham Lighthouse from the beach.
The second day, we went to Fishing Pier. We watched a few boats
come in with their loads of what they told us were dog fish. They
looked like little sharks. The seals were swimming around the pier
waiting for one of the fisherman to let one slip into the water.
They were in luck that morning, as one slipped from the boat as it
was being loaded into the container on the dock.
Chatham (thanks L & S!). We loved our time in Chatham and look
forward to future visits.
Chatham Lightouse. One of several along the Cape.
After visiting the lighthouse, we walked down to the beach where,
if you walked out about a mile, you could get a really great view
of the seals. What a sight!
I hear there are great white sharks looming around there right now.
We missed them by a week. I'm sure they are there for the seals.
No beach trip would be complete without searching for shells and shell
skipping. :-)
Chatham Lighthouse from the beach.
The second day, we went to Fishing Pier. We watched a few boats
come in with their loads of what they told us were dog fish. They
looked like little sharks. The seals were swimming around the pier
waiting for one of the fisherman to let one slip into the water.
They were in luck that morning, as one slipped from the boat as it
was being loaded into the container on the dock.
Monday, August 10, 2009
J&D2 Racing Update - 8/3
J&D2 Racing Fans,
Monday 8/3 was an OK night for the J&D2 racing team at SMS. Weather was warm with temps in the 80’s and cooling down to the 60’s after sunset. This was the first race back after the Monster Truck show the previous weekend. The kart track gets covered with dirt for the Monster Trucks, and even though the track is cleaned up well, there is still some residual dirt which makes the track slick. The lighter karts that both J&D drive were loose coming out of the turns, but the heavier kart that S drives wasn’t affected as much.
A quick rundown of the three racers starts with J. He started 8th of 10 karts in his heat race. Moved up a spot or two and then got bit by the slick track conditions when he bobbled coming out of turn two. He dropped back to 8th and finished there. Starting 8th in the feature, he moved up to 4th and even had 3rd for a bit, but ended up finishing 4th. Not bad considering he started near the back. Josh is tied for 2nd in the point standings.
D started 5th of 8 karts in his heat, he moved up to 3rd and finished there. This gave him the 5th starting spot of 8 karts in the first feature. He fell back to 7th and maintained that spot throughout the race. He is 5th in the overall points standings.
S started 6th of 8 in the second heat and finished there. This allowed S to start 12th of 16 in the feature. He pretty much stayed there and picked up a position by passing a kart with 3 to go. When the checkered flag fell, S was in 10th. Not bad for the second time out, but still a way to go to be competitive.
Here is a picture of the 2009 J&D2 Racing Team.
No racing this week. The next race is 8/17 at SMS which is the Family Fun Night. This is the start of a four week stretch where we have racing at least once a week, if not more, so stay tuned.
Monday 8/3 was an OK night for the J&D2 racing team at SMS. Weather was warm with temps in the 80’s and cooling down to the 60’s after sunset. This was the first race back after the Monster Truck show the previous weekend. The kart track gets covered with dirt for the Monster Trucks, and even though the track is cleaned up well, there is still some residual dirt which makes the track slick. The lighter karts that both J&D drive were loose coming out of the turns, but the heavier kart that S drives wasn’t affected as much.
A quick rundown of the three racers starts with J. He started 8th of 10 karts in his heat race. Moved up a spot or two and then got bit by the slick track conditions when he bobbled coming out of turn two. He dropped back to 8th and finished there. Starting 8th in the feature, he moved up to 4th and even had 3rd for a bit, but ended up finishing 4th. Not bad considering he started near the back. Josh is tied for 2nd in the point standings.
D started 5th of 8 karts in his heat, he moved up to 3rd and finished there. This gave him the 5th starting spot of 8 karts in the first feature. He fell back to 7th and maintained that spot throughout the race. He is 5th in the overall points standings.
S started 6th of 8 in the second heat and finished there. This allowed S to start 12th of 16 in the feature. He pretty much stayed there and picked up a position by passing a kart with 3 to go. When the checkered flag fell, S was in 10th. Not bad for the second time out, but still a way to go to be competitive.
Here is a picture of the 2009 J&D2 Racing Team.
No racing this week. The next race is 8/17 at SMS which is the Family Fun Night. This is the start of a four week stretch where we have racing at least once a week, if not more, so stay tuned.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Happy Birthday, J!
Happy Birthday and God's Blessings to you, J!
We love you and we're proud of the young man you've
become!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
J&D2 Racing Update - 7/13, 7/20, 7/25 & 7/26
J&D2 Racing Fans,
It’s been a while since the last update and the month is almost over so here is an update on all the happenings for J&D Racing for July. We’ve raced 4 different times this month - 7/13 & 7/20 at Stafford, 7/25 at 106 Racepark and 7/26 at Pomfret Speedway.
7/13 at Stafford Motor Speedway
J&D racing had good night. A warm day and favorable track conditions worked in our favor. J started 8th of 10 karts in the heat race and finished 4th. Outside of the 2nd row was a good place to start in the Feature, but he fell behind the first two karts. As they began to battle back-and-forth, J was able to catch up and get into the mix as the laps wound down. In middle of turns 3 & 4 on the final lap, J made a good move to grab 2nd. A nice finish that kept him first in the overall point standing for the Tiger A division.
D also had a good night in the Tiger B class. He started 6th of 8 karts and he finished 4th. This put him in the first Feature race, starting in 6th place. He move up to what we thought was 4th, when the checked flag fell, but he was called back to the tech area and awarded 3rd place. The kart that was thought to have finished third was actually one lap down after spinning out earlier in the race. A nice surprise for D! This put D in the 6th spot in the overall point standings for the Tiger B class.
This night also brought a change to the team as a third kart was added. Now J&D Racing becomes J&D2 Racing - J, D & Daddy. We bought a kart for J to run next year in the Jr. Outlaw class, but no reason for the kart to collect dust with half of the season remaining. So S volunteered to jump in and run it in the Sr. Outlaw class. It was quite the experience - got scared once or twice as the turn 2 wall came up pretty quick and found out it‘s much harder than it looks from the stands, but had a great time nonetheless. S started 7th of 8 in the second heat race. Got spun in turn 3 on lap 2 of 8 and, therefore, finished last. S started 11th of 16 in the 15 lap feature. The feature ended with S in 13th place. A good learning experience and many changes needed on the kart (and the driver too).
7/20 at Stafford Motor Speedway
July 20th wasn’t as good of a night for the team at SMS. The warmest day of the racing season so far with temps close to 90F during the day. D had a decent night in the Tiger B class. Started and finished 6th of 7 in the heat race. This earned him the 4th starting spot in the 2nd Feature race. He moved to 3rd early in the race and held the spot through to the end. A podium finish, so D brings home some hardware. Good Job D!
J started 9th of 10 karts and finished 4th in the heat race again. The Feature race turned out to be an ugly race for the whole class. The caution flag was waved 5 or 6 times in the 12 lap race. As the laps wound down to two to go, J was battling hard for 2nd. As he took the white flag, the other kart squeezed him down to the inside of the front stretch, the kart behind him got impatient and decided to get to the inside of J. As J backed out of the gas so as not to wreck the kart in 2nd place going into turn 1, the other kart forced him way out of the groove in turn 1 & 2, so J fell to 6th coming out of turn 2. As the kart that forced him out of the groove & J got going again, this same kart lost control in turn 4, spun out and collected J. J ended up finishing 7th with a busted up right front spindle & tierod. After the may-lay, J fell to the 2nd spot in the overall points standings.
S didn’t race the Sr. Outlaw as “life” got in the way of getting the kart set up on time for this event.
7/25 at Rt. 106 Racepark, Concord, NH
This was race #3 in the Saturday Night Live Series that J has been participating in. D has been asking to race in this series and since he has been doing well at SMS, we decided to let him race too. J qualified 3rd and D qualified last of the nine karts. J was in 2nd for most of the 30 lap race and on the tail of the lead kart. With about 10 laps to go, J and the lead kart came up on D to put him a lap down. The first place kart got around D easily. J had a little harder time passing his brother. They raced for a lap or two and by that time, the lead kart had gotten ¼ of a lap ahead and J couldn’t catch up. D finished 8th and J finished 2nd.
7/26 at Pomfret Speedway, Pomfret, CT
Pomfret Speedway hosted an invitational race and invited those who race at Stafford on a regular basis. A neat little 1/8 mile oval track with a slight amount of banking in the turns. Seven karts from Stafford showed up, so a decent field for the Tiger Sprint class. D drew the 2nd starting spot, while J drew 6th. Starting the heat race took a couple of tries, but once they got going, it was a good race. J made a nice move in the final turn to grab the win by ½ a kart length as they came across the stripe. D finished 5th. The start of the feature was a repeat of the heat as it took 3 times to get the race under way. J took the lead and held it for about half of the race (25 laps). The caution flag came out with 4 to go. J tried to get past on the restart, but couldn’t get there, so he finished 2nd. D finished finished 5th. A decent run for both guys for the first time at this track as each one brought home a trophy.
Upcoming Races
The next race is scheduled for Stafford on Monday 8/3, which will be Car Club Night. There will be show cars from 3 different clubs on display - something for all of you car-buffs. Mark your calendar the race at Stafford on Monday, 8/17. This is Family Fun Night which is the event with many games for the kids on the fairway. Cost is $8 for adults and free for those 12 and under. Hope to see you then.
The J&D2 Racing Team
It’s been a while since the last update and the month is almost over so here is an update on all the happenings for J&D Racing for July. We’ve raced 4 different times this month - 7/13 & 7/20 at Stafford, 7/25 at 106 Racepark and 7/26 at Pomfret Speedway.
7/13 at Stafford Motor Speedway
J&D racing had good night. A warm day and favorable track conditions worked in our favor. J started 8th of 10 karts in the heat race and finished 4th. Outside of the 2nd row was a good place to start in the Feature, but he fell behind the first two karts. As they began to battle back-and-forth, J was able to catch up and get into the mix as the laps wound down. In middle of turns 3 & 4 on the final lap, J made a good move to grab 2nd. A nice finish that kept him first in the overall point standing for the Tiger A division.
D also had a good night in the Tiger B class. He started 6th of 8 karts and he finished 4th. This put him in the first Feature race, starting in 6th place. He move up to what we thought was 4th, when the checked flag fell, but he was called back to the tech area and awarded 3rd place. The kart that was thought to have finished third was actually one lap down after spinning out earlier in the race. A nice surprise for D! This put D in the 6th spot in the overall point standings for the Tiger B class.
This night also brought a change to the team as a third kart was added. Now J&D Racing becomes J&D2 Racing - J, D & Daddy. We bought a kart for J to run next year in the Jr. Outlaw class, but no reason for the kart to collect dust with half of the season remaining. So S volunteered to jump in and run it in the Sr. Outlaw class. It was quite the experience - got scared once or twice as the turn 2 wall came up pretty quick and found out it‘s much harder than it looks from the stands, but had a great time nonetheless. S started 7th of 8 in the second heat race. Got spun in turn 3 on lap 2 of 8 and, therefore, finished last. S started 11th of 16 in the 15 lap feature. The feature ended with S in 13th place. A good learning experience and many changes needed on the kart (and the driver too).
7/20 at Stafford Motor Speedway
July 20th wasn’t as good of a night for the team at SMS. The warmest day of the racing season so far with temps close to 90F during the day. D had a decent night in the Tiger B class. Started and finished 6th of 7 in the heat race. This earned him the 4th starting spot in the 2nd Feature race. He moved to 3rd early in the race and held the spot through to the end. A podium finish, so D brings home some hardware. Good Job D!
J started 9th of 10 karts and finished 4th in the heat race again. The Feature race turned out to be an ugly race for the whole class. The caution flag was waved 5 or 6 times in the 12 lap race. As the laps wound down to two to go, J was battling hard for 2nd. As he took the white flag, the other kart squeezed him down to the inside of the front stretch, the kart behind him got impatient and decided to get to the inside of J. As J backed out of the gas so as not to wreck the kart in 2nd place going into turn 1, the other kart forced him way out of the groove in turn 1 & 2, so J fell to 6th coming out of turn 2. As the kart that forced him out of the groove & J got going again, this same kart lost control in turn 4, spun out and collected J. J ended up finishing 7th with a busted up right front spindle & tierod. After the may-lay, J fell to the 2nd spot in the overall points standings.
S didn’t race the Sr. Outlaw as “life” got in the way of getting the kart set up on time for this event.
7/25 at Rt. 106 Racepark, Concord, NH
This was race #3 in the Saturday Night Live Series that J has been participating in. D has been asking to race in this series and since he has been doing well at SMS, we decided to let him race too. J qualified 3rd and D qualified last of the nine karts. J was in 2nd for most of the 30 lap race and on the tail of the lead kart. With about 10 laps to go, J and the lead kart came up on D to put him a lap down. The first place kart got around D easily. J had a little harder time passing his brother. They raced for a lap or two and by that time, the lead kart had gotten ¼ of a lap ahead and J couldn’t catch up. D finished 8th and J finished 2nd.
7/26 at Pomfret Speedway, Pomfret, CT
Pomfret Speedway hosted an invitational race and invited those who race at Stafford on a regular basis. A neat little 1/8 mile oval track with a slight amount of banking in the turns. Seven karts from Stafford showed up, so a decent field for the Tiger Sprint class. D drew the 2nd starting spot, while J drew 6th. Starting the heat race took a couple of tries, but once they got going, it was a good race. J made a nice move in the final turn to grab the win by ½ a kart length as they came across the stripe. D finished 5th. The start of the feature was a repeat of the heat as it took 3 times to get the race under way. J took the lead and held it for about half of the race (25 laps). The caution flag came out with 4 to go. J tried to get past on the restart, but couldn’t get there, so he finished 2nd. D finished finished 5th. A decent run for both guys for the first time at this track as each one brought home a trophy.
Upcoming Races
The next race is scheduled for Stafford on Monday 8/3, which will be Car Club Night. There will be show cars from 3 different clubs on display - something for all of you car-buffs. Mark your calendar the race at Stafford on Monday, 8/17. This is Family Fun Night which is the event with many games for the kids on the fairway. Cost is $8 for adults and free for those 12 and under. Hope to see you then.
The J&D2 Racing Team
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Nest, Part 2 :-)
Here's the latest pic of the family that's taken
residence in my fern. She laid 4 eggs and 3
have hatched. She flies off every hour or
so to get food for the babes. You know she's
back because you can hear her little ones
chirp with delight as they know it's feeding
time. :-)
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Nest
Here's a pic of the nest and it's contents (looks like
the family is expanding). :-) She did a great
job with the construction.
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