Picture Description:
Mike David began his road to the championship with a runner-up finish at Thunderhill Raceway a year ago. He heads back to Texas this year coming off a win at Phoenix. (Photo Credit: Terry Thomson)
From: NASCAR Camping World Series News and Notes,
April 15, 2008 Edition
Thunder Hill Raceway’s 3/8-mile track features some of the tightest side-by-side racing on the NASCAR Camping World Series West circuit. However, it’s a track that perfectly suits 2007 champion Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Ford).
David began his title campaign with a runner-up finish at the short track in Kyle, Texas, a year ago. He hopes for similar results this season when the NASCAR Camping World Series West travels to the Lone Star State for the Allstate Texas Thunder 150 on Saturday, April 19.
The event, the third on the 2008 schedule, will be televised to a national audience live in high definition on HDNet. In addition, an enhanced replay will air on SPEED.
“Texas is probably one of our favorite tracks,” said David, who sits atop the championship standings after two races. “It seems to suit my driving style and the team as a whole. It seems like we do well every time we go there. So, we look forward to going.”
David, one of seven drivers to make all three visits by the NASCAR Camping World Series West to Thunder Hill Raceway in the past three years, registered a top-five finish there each time. He was leading on the last lap in 2006, when contact from another car sent him spinning and left him to finish fifth.
David credits handling with being the key to a good finish at this and other short tracks on the circuit. “When it’s that tight of racing and you have that many good cars, if you can make the car handle for every lap on a long run on tires, that’s the key,” said the 41-year-old Modesto, Calif., competitor who is in his eighth year driving for car owner Randy Lynch.
A year ago, David followed up his runner-up showing at Kyle with three more podium finishes. He attributes his success last season to those consistent finishes, which put him into the lead in the points and ultimately to the championship.
“I think history shows that it’s not always the guy that wins the most races that wins the championship,” he said. “It’s the guy that finishes in the top five the majority of the time. So, consistency was definitely the key to our success last year.”
Although he knows he faces a tough battle, David hopes to win a second consecutive championship this year. “That’s our goal, to repeat,” he said. “It’s never easy. It wasn’t easy the first time. I’m excited about giving it a try, but it won’t be easy.”
In addition, David points to a continued increase in the level of competition this season. “This year we have a couple more hurdles,” he said. “There’s two or three drivers coming back in the series or starting in the series with good teams that are really well funded that will hard to beat.”
Moving their team into a new shop has also added to their challenge, David said. “We moved the team during the winter,” he said. “So, we’re still trying to get caught up on cars and getting organized. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but we’ve got a good bunch of guys led by crew chief Mario Isola and they’ll be up for the challenge.”
The Race: Allstate Texas Thunder 150
The Place: Thunderhill Raceway, Kyle, Texas
The Date: Saturday, April 19
The Time: 8:30 p.m. CT
TV Schedule: HDNet (Live); SPEED (enhanced replay) May 7, 12:00 p.m. ET
Track Layout: .375-mile paved
Race Purse: $120,282
2007 Winner: Scott Lynch
2007 Pole: Mike Duncan
Schedule: Saturday: Practice 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1:30-2 p.m.
Time Trials 5 p.m.
Track Contact:Aryn White(512) 554-1599
No comments:
Post a Comment