SIMI VALLEY, California — Tim Huddleston has named every car that he has owned for the last 21 years. There’s been Thumper and Hot Rod and Laser, but nothing has gotten a name until it developed a personality. This weekend Tim’s newest Racecar Factory late model did just that. Two weeks prior the car was demolished in an on-track incident which ended when Tim hit the back stretch wall and slid across the track entrance only to hit the turn three wall and do further damage.
The crew of the five-car High Point Racing team dreaded walking into the shop that Monday morning because no car had made it out of the twin race night unscathed. The worst however, was the Justice Brothers #50. With sore muscles and the feeling of defeat, Huddleston instructed the shop crew to leave his car for last and focus on the four development cars to be sure none of the young drivers missed a race. A week passed and the following Monday the crew finally went to work tearing the #50 car to a bare chassis. It was then shipped to Racecar Factory for structural repairs. On Thursday, reassembly began with the idea in mind that if they could just get it running, they could tag the field and get starting points toward the championship.
Friday night Huddleston worked with his development drivers. The #51 crew unloaded their car and immediately praised the shop workers. “We didn’t need much practice Friday night because the car was really good right off the trailer” driver Dallas Colodny explained. It was the same for the other three teams with drivers, Beau Debard, Cassie Gannis and Travis Motley.
Saturday brought about a new qualifying time and cars rolled out in reverse order of current point standings. Huddleston was second to last with only point leader Nick Joanides behind him. After Colodny became only the second car to run a lap in 18’s (18.95 secs.), Huddleston turned a time of 18.83, giving him the fast time award. With TSAI encouraging fan participation a small child form the stands rolled an invert die and it landed on one.
Huddleston started on the pole and drove away to lead all fifty laps and secure his first victory of the 2009 season. It hasn’t been made official, but my suggestion on the newest car name is “Phoenix” because the car was on the way to the scrap yard on Monday and by Saturday it was sitting in victory lane.
Dallas Colodny went on to finish the race with another top-five finish, his third this season in five starts.
Travis Motley continues to show improvement and strength will racing side by side with his teammate Beau Debard for most of the race. The two ran a clean and exciting battle while racing through traffic. Motley ultimately came out on top with a sixth place finish while Beau Debard finished only 0.2 seconds behind him in seventh.
Cassie Gannis continues to turn heads and now has fans saying she could be as competitive as 2008 female sensation Lindsey King. Cassie has improved her finishing positions each week and narrowly missed a second top ten finish when she finished twelfth this past weekend.
High Point Racing continues to test the new S2 division cars and will return to racing this weekend with Travis Thirkettle in the Super Late Model Division. Travis also endured a night ending wreck and hopes to get his car back in victory lane this weekend. For more information on High Point Racing visit the new website at www.highpointracing.com.
