Due to limited funding, Barkshire and the 46 team had to accept running only a limited number of this year’s Camping World West Series races, the series in which last year they achieved third in overall points, and Jeff won recognition as Sunoco’s Rookie of the Year.
"To have only a few races to run, to be optimistic but as always, uncertain, that your car will be a top contender, to hit the track and get the answer that your car is indeed really good, and then to be unable to even start the race due to tire failure is"— Jeff Barkshire
After such a successful season, ambitions were high to go out with all they’d learned and perform even better in 09. However, with the passion to race but not the dollars, a limited schedule was planned. “It was really hard for me and the rest of the team to sit out the first two races,” Jeff said, “So we were really happy it was finally time to go racing.” Phoenix was to be that first race. As part of the Cup Race weekend, it’s one of the bigger deal races of the series, and at one mile, is the longest track. “I love driving the Phoenix track,” Jeff said, “And we’ve performed well there, our last two finishes were top fives.” So it was with excitement and optimism they headed to Phoenix, confident that if the car was good, they’d be competing up front for the win.
And the car was good. Jeff hit the track for first practice and the excitement grew, as he reported their Centennial Battery Dodge to be “really close.” The excitement was short lived though, as on the third lap, in the middle of turns three and four, the right front tire blew and the 46 car was in the wall. All was not over though, as after a forty five minute scramble to repair the damage, with only three minutes of practice time left, Jeff returned to the track and turned the third fastest lap of the thirty five car field.
With the car so good, only a couple of changes were made before they were back out for second practice. Then, unbelievably, again the right front tire blew, this time coming out of turn two, resulting in a much harder hit into the wall, major damage, and an end to the day for the 46 team.
“It was pretty devastating,” Jeff said. “To have only a few races to run, to be optimistic but as always, uncertain, that your car will be a top contender, to hit the track and get the answer that your car is indeed really good, and then to be unable to even start the race due to tire failure is pretty tough to swallow. It’s pretty sickening to be packing up and leaving before the race even begins.” They weren’t the only team plagued by right front tire failures.
Their plan has been to race next in Iowa on May 17th. “We know we’ve got major damage,” Jeff said, “But haven’t yet gotten in there to assess exactly what it’s going to take to have it race ready in time for Iowa. If we can do it, we’ll be there. I can’t give enough thanks to my team. They’re a group of guys who’ve stuck with me through the really tough times as well as shared in the high times, and will now again have to bounce back from disappointment, regroup, and work toward that next chance to try for a win, at Iowa Speedway.”
