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Here is a quick update on
race number nine for the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Southwest Series.
The team headed to Colorado with high, but realistic goals for the
race. This was Rip's first visit to Pikes Peak International
Raceway. The team's goals were to qualify in the top twenty and
finish in the top ten.
As the team headed towards Colorado, they stopped by the new store
in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a barbecue and a meet and greet
with the store’s associates, contractors, and fans. Rip and the
team had a great time talking with the many fans, employees, and
contractors that were in attendance. The team would like to extend
their gratitude to Operations Manager, George Harley and his staff
for an awesome turnout.
The team then headed to Pueblo, Colorado for a barbecue on Thursday
at the Stock Building Supply store in Pueblo West, Co. The turnout
was awesome, with an estimated crowd of over 300 people. Rip and
the team signed autographs and answered as many questions as they
could. The team would to thank Operations Manager, James Harding
and his staff for the great time.
With the team fully fed and relaxed, it was time to get to
business. Rip and the team arrived at Pikes Peak on Friday
morning. The team had two practice sessions, and was pleasantly
surprised by how quickly Rip adapted to the track. He was 14th in
the first practice session with a time of 28.824. He backed that
up by placing 15th in the second session with a time of 28.717.
The team felt confident that they would be able to qualify in the
top twenty. Rip surprised everyone with his 8th place run in his
qualifying effort with a time of 27.741, almost a second faster
than what he had practiced. The team was really excited as they
felt they had the car that could compete for a top ten. At the
drop of the green flag, Rip was content to ride in 8th place and
educate himself with the track for his inaugural race at Pikes
Peak.
With five laps in the race, the teams excitement turned to
disappointment, as a carburetor problem plagued the team all day
resulting in a 29th place finish 8 laps down. "We were really
disappointed as a team,” said Rip. "The Car was really fast before
the carburetor problems. I was driving around the track full
throttle and going nowhere fast. We are not sure what the problem
is, but we will find the problem and fix it."
With the next race at Colorado National Speedway in Erie Colorado
this coming Saturday, half the team stayed in Colorado as guest of
fellow competitor MK Kanke, and team owner Dan and Kathy Nikolai.
The entire team would like to thank Dan and Kathy for their kind
hospitality and great friendship, not to mention that great
fishing spot.
The team’s next appearance will be at the Stock Building Supply
store #603, in Denver, Co this coming Friday July 29, 2005 at
10:00AM. The address for the store is 1355 West 52nd Avenue
Denver, Co. 80221.
The team will then head to Colorado National Speedway in Erie,
Colorado. Racing begins at 5:00PM. For more information about Rip
Michels and his sponsors, please visit
http://www.ripmichels.com/
Source By: LRM Sports Marketing, Inc. |
