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We'll take that 15th-place finish
EDITOR'S NOTE: New ThatsRacin.com blogger Dennis Terry of Dale Earnhardt Inc. reports in on his return from California Speedway.Terry, a former teammate of Over the Wall's Trent Cherry, will be a regular contributor in this space.
By Dennis Terry
It’s back to the real world today after a long weekend and a 15th place finish in California.
Truex was gunning for a top 10 finish and got shuffled back to 15th on the last lap.
I’m happy with that finish and I would much rather settle for 15th with a driver who is aggressively trying to get into the top 10 than walk away with 11th or 12th with a driver who is content with cruising to the finish.
Pit crews like California because of the wide and long pit boxes, some of the biggest on the circuit where there’s plenty of room between you and the teams around you.
One complaint that I have as a front tire changer is that the flat tracks like California, Indy and Michigan require the drivers to use much more braking to help control the car getting into and out of the turns. This causes a pretty significant build up of brake dust on the wheels, especially in the front. When you fire up the air gun it blows a brake dust cloud back into your face, making hitting five lug nuts that much more of a challenge.
We even resort to applying a heavy coat of PAM cooking spray on the wheels before each pit stop to help keep the dust down.
Now it's off to the Keys for a little R-N-R before the schedule picks back up in two weeks at Vegas. I usually have a poor showing at the blackjack tables, so I'll be betting on good pits stops and our first top-1o finish at the track.
February 27, 2006 in Race week | Permalink
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Comments
Looks like Truex is doing what he needs to do as a rookie. I think the ROY is going to be a good battle. The race wasn't too exciting on TV until 50 to go. Maybe it was a little better from pit road.
Have fun in the keys. I recommend Islamorada if you are going to do any fishing. Stop by the Islamorad Fish Company, best seafood in the keys.
Posted by: Michael | Feb 27, 2006 11:14:00 AM
Great run for DEI all around with two top-15 finishes. It's a good sign that the company is starting to turn the corner on tracks of that nature. The cars handled very well you guys just need to get the motor shop to get on it.
Posted by: Mike | Feb 27, 2006 12:16:10 PM
Thank you Dennis for your new blog. I am so proud to be a Dale Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. fan. You guys did great yesterday, and I can now look forward to Vegas without dread. You guys ROCK!
I did have my new Martin T-shirt on yesterday for the race. Maybe that gave you guys a bit of luck too. Good Luck in Vegas, and enjoy the weekend off.
Posted by: mary4jrs8 | Feb 27, 2006 12:38:36 PM
Hey Dennis didn't watch the Leftcoast race, but I did hear the engine dept has to step it up some, If you see Paulie tell 'em an old Raceway Park driver sez Hey Y'll and we need some Menards down here...save big money,You save big money when you shop Menards! L8R
Posted by: Fan # 5 | Feb 27, 2006 2:55:12 PM
great run by Martin and the whole BPS crew yesterday on another solid run. Thanks for the new blog entry Dennis have fun in Keys.
Posted by: patrickdron | Feb 27, 2006 3:13:07 PM
do you wear safety glases during the stop? maybe rainx on the glases will keep dust from sticking to them?
Posted by: Tom | Feb 27, 2006 3:28:38 PM
Tom,
No, I do not wear safety glasses over the wall. The glasses that I’ve tried in the past tend to fog up so I stick to Oakleys. Great cool factor too! But the dust sticking to the glasses isn’t the problem, it’s the dust sticking to the wheels and then the air from the gun blowing it into the air making it next to impossible to see the lug nuts.
DT
Posted by: DT | Feb 27, 2006 3:46:59 PM
So i saw that 11 ( i think ) ran over his tire carrier...are you ever nervous or scared?
Posted by: Jen S | Feb 27, 2006 5:21:50 PM
Great run Dennis! Congrats to yall... Wish Ryan had of done better, but it's on to Vegas now......
What was up with all the empty seats? It looked pretty empty in spots, that can't be good?
Posted by: Darlene | Feb 27, 2006 6:40:10 PM
Thanks for the contribution to Over The Wall DT. Does your team blow air into the wheels on the lefts while your changing the rights? I seem to remember seeing on a pitstop at one of the short tracks teams using air to blow off the brake dust like this. I will bet it does not taste so good either.
Posted by: Octane20 | Feb 27, 2006 9:18:28 PM
God, I miss The Rock.
Posted by: Mike | Feb 28, 2006 10:36:38 AM
Dennis,
CA, is one of the most BORING races ever. As for the team......Not bad, Not bad at all. IMO, your team will get better and better as the season goes on.
Enjoy the Keys! Best of luck at Vegas.
Posted by: Ann | Mar 1, 2006 8:32:24 AM
Dennis,
Glad to hear you are with DEI now....Budweiser is better than Miller Light anyway. I met you a couple of years ago at the Winston, as our mutual buddy Spencer has been crashing in my camper for the last few years at that race. Good luck to ya and we will be cheering for you and the rest of the #1 team!
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Today was a complete loss. I've just been hanging out doing nothing. I've more or less been doing nothing. I can't be bothered with anything recently. I guess it doesn't bother me.
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I feel like a fog, not that it matters. I've pretty much been doing nothing , but eh. Today was a loss. I haven't gotten much done for a while.
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