VanDoorn’s Bid For Three Wins In A Row Spins Out In Columbus

VanDoorn’s Bid For Three Wins In A Row Spins Out In Columbus

Johnny VanDoorn will be the first to admit that the flat tracks on the Champion Racing Association schedule are not his strong suit. He has struggled to find a setup to his liking the last couple of years. Saturday at Columbus, the 2009 CRA Champion had a fast car underneath him only to have his great run ended after contact with the leader sent both cars to the tale of the field.

The shortened schedule for the Columbus event left little track time for the 27 teams on hand for the CRA race so practice was a premium. Johnny was one of the first cars out on the track and a caution flew after two laps for a spinning car. Johnny reported that the car was two loose all the way around the track and came to the pits to have the team tighten the #61 car up. When Johnny rejoined practice, his first comment on the radio was “ this feels so much better”. The first session of practice ended and Johnny was 6th on the time sheet.

The team only had twenty minutes of practice for the second session so again, time was at a premium. Johnny made another run after a couple of adjustments and then brought the car back to the pits to make a mock qualifying effort. The team bolted on a set of sticker tires and Johnny shot to the second spot on the time sheet.

The team then started making changed for qualifying. Johnny drew a late number for the qualifying session, which gave the team some extra time to make a few changes to the car. And those changes worked as Johnny set fast time for the day with a time of 13.859. Johnny wold draw a five for the inversion, giving him the 5th starting spot.

When the race started, cautions were plenty around the tight .333 mile track. Once the field was strung out, Johnny started making his way to the lead. With about forty laps to go in the 125 lap race, Johnny made his way to second behind race leader and hometown favorite Tyler Nuckles. Johnny’s car was much better than Nuckles’ car, especially in turns 3-4 where the leader’s car was tight that he would use the brakes to get his car to turn. Each time, Johnny would be just inches off his bumper. With 30 laps to, the field was working the outside of lapped traffic when Johnny got into the rear bumper of Nuckels, spinning him out on the front stretch. Both drivers were sent to the tail of the field. Johnny would go on to finish 7th, which was a disappointment considering how great the car was all day.

“I did not what that to happen” VanDoorn said of the contact with Nuckels. “I knew he was really tight, especially in 3 and 4. He was almost stopping to get his car to turn. My car was great through there. I would be able to get back to the throttle when he was getting on his brakes to turn. We were on the outside of the lapped cars and I got into him-and that was not planned at all. I was just riding there hoping to pressure him into making a mistake.” VanDoorn added. “The bright side is that we finally found a flat track setup that seems to work. That was the best flat track car I have ever had, especially after about 5 laps. I have been looking forward to the next three races at Winchester and Nashville all year. But after this weekend, I’m really looking forward to ORP as well.”

The next race for Johnny and the Kaos Motorsports team is Labor Day, September 6th at the Winchester Speedway.

The point standings are:

1) John Van Doorn 740

2) Scott Hantz 686

3) Tommy St. John 664

4) Terry Fisher Jr. 638

5) Brian Campbell 636