TUCSON, Arizona -- The Featherlite Southwest Series race at Mesa Marin Raceway last weekend was one of ups and downs for JR Patton. "We were horrible in practice, we just couldn't get the thing to turn," noted Patton. The team decided to go back to a similar setup they had ran there before and it paid of with a fifth place starting spot.
The race was going smooth running in the top 10 all night. Late in the race, two lapped cars got together in front of JR and he had nowhere to go ending their night. "Everyone worked incredibly hard," mentioned crew chief Ted Cummins. "JR was very patient, we had a great pit stop, and it's just unfortunate that we got caught up in someone else's mess."
Scott Brandt's experience with the Featherlite Series continues to pay dividends. "JR's got the talent to be very successful. It takes good qualifying and patience to do well in this series."
It's been a lot of work so far getting the car back together for El Cajon. Brandt, Cummins, Tom Baker as well as Tim Thurein pulled an "all nighter" Friday night in order to get a new front clip put on the car. "We try to make the best out of any situation," says Cummins. "We flew Scott in to put the clip on and the way the flights worked out we had to work all night to get it done in time." A special thanks goes out to Van Horn Carpets for allowing us to use their shop to put the clip on.
Although they won't be on board at El Cajon this up coming weekend, the team would like to thank Twin Pine Casino in Middleton, California for their help at Bakersfield. The team is still looking for that primary sponsor to go along with associate sponsors Las Cruces Motorsports, Patrick's Motorsports, A&B Labels, Praxair, and Paint by Steve.
JR is really looking forward to El Cajon. "Last year we missed the show but it was our first attempt ever plus the rain washing off all the rubber right before I went out to qualify didn't help," says Patton. "The team gets along so well and we really enjoy each others company on and off the track." The rookie of the year is their ultimate goal and they are well on track, tied for first.
