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Carl's Comments:
2005 was a year of changes for myself and McKinney
Racing. After quite a few successful years in the e-mod
division, we decided to tackle the Late Model division
with our primary focus being Lernerville Speedway in Sarver,
PA. In order for us to make the jump, we had to sell off
all of our emod equipment. I had become friends with Mike
and his dad Bill through racing at Tri-City and Sportsman’s
Speedway in late 2004. We both ran Thrown Dirt Cars and
found ourselves swapping information and ideas quite frequently.
In the middle of the 2005 season, I got an email
from Mike asking if I would like to drive one of his cars
at Tri-City. With our Late Model deal pretty much being
Friday night only and knowing how much fun the emod class
is, it was a no- brainer!! It took only a few attempts
at Tri-City before the Brokenstraw Bandit Racing Thrown
Dirt number 17 was up front and racing for the win! A
few mechanical gremlins in the driveline department held
us back a few times but I was very pleased with our progress
in such a short time.
The special races at the end of the season were coming
up and as everyone knows, the competition is stiff and
it’s hard to make those shows even when you are on
top of your game!! At Tri-City’s All-Star 50 lapper,
we started on the outside pole and ran in the top 5 until
the transmission started jumping out of gear. We were
able to hold on to a 10th place finish. At Raceway 7’s
Samuel Church Memorial we brought out a different car
to test and qualified a respectable 21st fastest out of
73 cars. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the car
dialed in quick enough and failed to make the show but
we learned a lot! The weekend of the Pittsburgher, Mike
brought the Tri-City car down to have some fun. Unfortunately
we once again got hit with transmission woes but we finally
figured out the problem!! Then it was off to Mercer for
the Little Guy Nationals with the second car and boy was
it a handful!! Lots of power but we just couldn’t
get a handle on the setup.
I made a trip up to the shop the week before Fall
Fest was to originally run and Mike and I worked on some
setup changes. I can tell you it is a real pleasure to
be driving for a person who is so dedicated to doing whatever
possible to make us go faster. The equipment is top-notch
and well maintained by his competent crew. His dad is
always there making sure the engine is tuned just right
and ready to go!!
Unfortunately, Challenger had to cancel their final
race and we were not able to test out the new changes
but I am confident we were on the right track.
I’m really looking forward to driving for Mike
and the Brokenstraw Bandit Racing team in the 2006 season!
With the information we collected the end of this season
and the future plans already in motion, there is no doubt
in my mind we’ll have a fun and enjoyable venture.
Now if I could only talk him into a BLUE car!! ;-) Keep
an eye on the website and look for more updates throughout
2006. Have a great off season and look for the number
#17 emod at a track near you!!
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