After a long day of practice on Thursday, the Freedom Autosport #147 car I drive in the KONI Sports Car Challenge felt perfect for race day.
The Glen was rockin' with a packed weekend schedule that included the KONI ST/GS race, the Rolex GP and DP race and even a NASCAR Camping World Series race. The result of a busy weekend was that we were qualified and raced on the same day, with our last practice happening even earlier that morning at an ungodly 8:30 a.m.
We worked really hard during Thursday’s practice, focusing on qualifying and race set-ups. By Friday the team handed me a great car, and I qualified mid-pack (P20) and felt really strong for the race. The car was really solid under me, which gave me the confidence to relax and drive.
There were some challenges: the race started a little late, and although the Weather Channel had promised there would be no rain on race day, rain droplets were on my windshield as soon as we started. Before I entered turn 1 in my first race lap, the Delphi light (an in-car yellow light used as a local caution system in motorsport) started flashing: full course caution.
Those of you who follow racing know there is no passing during periods of caution, and as soon as I saw the light I did not make any attempts to pass. As a rookie, I tend to obey these cautionary lights to the letter, but I realized after three cars passed me that the loose interpretation of the yellow light is “no passing until you see a yellow flag.” Lesson learned!
Once the track went back to green I was able to work my way up the field, making up 7 positions, but the "fender moon" must have out the night before because there was a good deal of bumpin' going on between cars. Nearly 40 minutes into the race, there had already been 3 cautions, and my Team Crew Chief made the decision to call the 147 into to the Freedom pits.
My co-driver Mark White drove beautifully for the remainder of the race. With about 20 minutes left, he made made a quick stop for a splash of fuel. Team Freedom performed a Formula 1-like pit stop with great efficiency and precision, fueling the car and releasing it back to action in less than 10 seconds. (Thanks, Haus!). Thanks to the team and my co-driver, we were able to secure a 13th place(field of 53 cars, 27 of which were in class).
I’m looking forward to heading down to MidOhio the weekend of June 20th for the next KONI race. While I won’t be racing, I truly enjoy the role of support crew—it’s a good opportunity to show my appreciation to the Freedom guys. See you there!
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