Won Saturday, barely, even though Chris turned a faster fast race lap.
So a win on Sunday bags me a champeenship. Chris outqualifies me, which is actually kind of expected, but I'm still within striking distance on the grid. I've also done a little NASCAR style deal making with Corey (starting at the back, but I knew he wouldn't be there long) to help each other out on the banks.

Lap three... all is well and Corey is already behind me. Brinson and Starnes (and Franza maybe? he was there somewhere) are just in front of me. Corey hooks up right behind me in NASCAR 2 and we both REALLY start to pick up steam. By the time we get to turn 3 we are rolling like a freight train and catching Starnes et.al FAST. We both turn into 3 without even feathering throttle and Corey follows me in my "start high and drive down" line. It's pretty hairy at this point and I'm loving every minute. We ROLL off the banking and I catch my tach... **** I'M ABOUT TO REDLINE IN 5TH GEAR. I didn't get a glimpse of the speedo as we were closing fast on the cars in front of me, but Corey thinks his needle was buried (that's 140mph, which would be about right for my redline with my final drive and 5th gear ratio).

At this point I point Corey to my left as I'm afraid of hitting the rev limiter with him 2 inches off my bumper. He takes the point and moves inside.

Here's where I tossed the race into the wind...
Absolutely FLYING, I look up and see that the outside lane into one is open. This is the fast line and I make the quick decision to go for it. Corey went to the inside (I think).
Stupid Stupid Stupid... Still carrying all the speed from the "Tank Push," I went into my normal braking spot. No Way. Locked 'em up, got off 'em, and locked 'em up again. Zsolt said both the rears REALLY came up in the air and locked, the fronts were scrabbling for grip as they were basically all I had.
I decided I couldn't safely make the turn-in and drove straight through the cones. There I got to sit and watch the entire field go by, along with my chances. By the time the corner worker waived me back in, Brinson and crew were already in turns 4-5.

Got impatient and greedy. That outside line into 1 is fast and can pay off big, but it is low percentage and I should have never tried it that early in the race. Not recognizing that I needed to back up my braking point was also rather dumb.

So that's why I was on the trailer as the race finished. It sucked. Hopefully I learned a fat lesson from it.

Brinson and I take the H3 championship to VIR.

PS - I didn't "lose it" at the finish on Saturday. I had to stay in the gas to hold Brinson off crossing the line. I went in deep and shallow (read "defensive") so I didn't even try to make turn 1 because the race was over and I didn't need to.
How some folks perceived that as a spin or loss of control is exactly why we tend to ignore non-racer spectator thoughts and opinions on driver behavior.

 

Great write up, Scott

 

If this is directed at me, I'm again relaying what I heard come over the radio.

As for turn 1, I'll say it was a doozie, I watched countless spins and a couple of collisions on that one. Hah, even one SCCS car (#17 I think) spun three times in a row during their feature race.


[Modified by drumsy, 7:09 PM 9/9/2002]

 

It wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

 

"so I didn't even try to make turn 1 because "

If any one though that people spinng after the finish and not making turn 1 as a lock of control.. well then they did not watch the other races cuase in small bore ,big bore and legends, there was at leat 1 spin and half of the filed not taking turn one after the checker...

 

A visual aid ...

 

fyi.. front rotors were glowing.

 

Glowing rotors rock!
<----likes brakes that work better the hotter they get

 

Wow. Unless I am reading that tach wrong, that's 7700 rpm's in 5th?
Haulin' ***, that.

 

Looks like about 130. This is coming off of NASCAR #4 with Corey pushing me. We were still gaining speed. Prolly 135ish when I crossed the S/F line.

Easily the fastest that car has ever gone and needed help from Corey to be there. Officially "All She's Got."

 

and the cool part was that they kept glowing for 10-15 seconds after the car came to rest!

dan

 

I noticed a lot of rotors glowing............

Nothing like Corey's car at Summit!