Countdown to Summit Point. . .

             I have to start this week by congratulating my sister- Dana.  She has taken a big step in broadening her career by moving to Annapolis MD.  She is a hair and make-up stylist, who- by the way has studied and worked in New York City.  So if anybody lives in the MD area- it’ll be worth it to find her at Solace Salon- and if you can’t- I’ll get you in touch.  I know I’m bragging on her a little bit, but we’re pretty close and I’m pretty proud of her.

            Now from one person starting a new job to someone else doing all they can to lose their job.  Kurt Busch has once again stuck his foot in his mouth, and found himself on the receiving end of NASCAR’s disciplinary committee.  I find myself sitting here, writing this blog, and I can’t believe this guy still has a job.  Kurt has already watched his wife leave- if he’s not careful- James Finch is going to have to take his job too.  I’m doing all I can to get to the top of my sport, and here Kurt is threatening to beat up Bob Pockrass for asking a question about something that happened out on the race track.  I don’t get it, I know Kurt is a former champion- but when is enough, enough?  I would like to officially offer my services to James Finch- I’m available on short notice- and I won’t bring a junior high attitude either.

             As for me, I can’t wait for these next 2 days to go by.  The car is sitting in the shop- waiting to be loaded.  The guys have finished most everything up, and we just tying up some loose ends.  The track is located about 3 hours from our shop- so it wont be a terrible trip to make.  Like I said last week, stay tuned on twitter for updates, and we will have some video when we get back.

            We have also announced our partnership with OC2 Interactive.  They are an international company that is dedicated to providing businesses with on-time and in-budget innovative web solutions.  Check out this link for the full story http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/6/prweb9596173.htm  They will be the sole provider of Onderko Motorsports Web presence.

            The time has come to compete in our first race of the season.  I want to say thank you to all the people that have gotten our team to this point.  We have a few things to take care of before we leave on Friday afternoon, but most everything else is ready to go.  So- we’ll make this week a little bit shorter, we will have plenty to write about next week.

            Check out the press release via the link above, and then check out OC2 Interactive’s site at www.oc2interactive.com as well.  Check out the Summit Point course, and check me out on twitter @justinonderko.  See you all next week, with some good news.  Till next week. . .

Camouflaged Positive's

            This was another excitement filled week in racing.  The Cup series was at Texas this weekend, with current point’s leader Greg Biffle taking the checkered flag.  The Truck series was back at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday; congratulations to Andy Hillenburg and his wife for returning this speedway to competition in NASCAR.  The INDYCAR Series traveled to Long Beach’s temporary road course.  Will Power took the victory while racing on strategy but I have to say I was very disappointed in Newgarden’s lack of judgment on the first turn of the opening lap, and also in the altercation between two of the series younger and more privileged drivers, Andretti and Rahal.  The incident resulted in Marco displaying, that no matter what we do, we cannot eliminate all the dangers from this sport; and Rahal receiving a 6 race probation.  All in all though, Viewership was up 45% on NBC Sports Network.

            Last week I was telling you about how the season was turning out.  Although I was sitting second in points, we had not won yet, and racing was starting to take a very real and heavy toll on my relationship with my fiancé.  I was struggling to once again find the money in the latter part of the season to finish the year, and this year we had a wedding to pay for as well.  The track took away our only weekend off, and I started a new job working for Bobby Gerhart for significantly less money than I was making before.

            I know it seems as though there isn’t much that is positive about these last couple of weeks.  In looking back at my early years of racing, there weren’t many overly joyous moments.  The problem was that I didn’t have any real racing experience to pull from to make my situation any better.  Most of the guys I was racing against had been in the sport longer than I had been alive.  I guess that is something to be proud of, in and of itself.  We were hanging tough with the fastest guys in our class.

            I was introduced to Bobby Gerhart the beginning of the summer 2004, and over the summer hung around enough to be offered a job by August.  I took the job and was instantly immersed in one of the best ARCA programs at that time.  Bobby was working very closely with Hendrick Motorsports at that time.  He was part of Hendrick’s Driver Development Program, back when ARCA and NASCAR were using the same body templates.  I had no idea what I was in for.

            One of the guys that Gerhart had working for him at that time was Karl.  Karl is a very smart guy that knows his share of the racing world.  As knowledgeable as Karl was, he was not very student friendly.  It was very rough working under Karl, but it was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had.  You learned how to listen very carefully and not screw anything up, because he would send his wrath down on you, in front of the whole shop to see.

            I was learning so much of what I thought I knew all over again, and I was learning how to do it the right way.  The 2 years I spent with BGR was undoubtedly one of the most beneficial things I have done for my racing career.  It might not have been the best financial decision at the time, though.  My fiancé was putting the finishing touches on our wedding, and the bills were starting to come due.  We were having some real trouble juggling all the finances at the time.  We were going to be married the weekend after the season was over, and that was only a month away.

            Although the championship was still mathematically attainable, by all accounts we were out of it.  Less and less cars were showing up at the track, so that meant it was harder and harder to gain ground on the point’s leader.  I was pretty far ahead of 3^rd place in points, so I wasn’t really worried about falling in the championship.  Some hard decisions had to be made, and I couldn’t be totally selfish anymore, I was going to have a wife to worry about soon. 

            Next week we look at the end of the season, and the tough choices that have to be made sometimes.  I will have some updates on our season up on our website soon, and stay tuned on twitter @justinonderko for the very near future at track updates as well.  Check out my peerbackers.com page too.  Type “Onderko Motorsports” in the search bar for opportunities to become involved in our race team.  Check out our sponsors on this page as well.  Till next week. . . 

Unanticipated Costs. . .

             This weekend was one of the first few “off” weekends in our sport.  I got to spend a very nice day with the family celebrating Easter.  As usual I ate too much, and hated to drive back home, but the down time was a bit of a recharge.

            Our season took another step forward this past week.  The licensing board over at NASA (National Auto Sport Association) granted me my provisional competition license.  It was definitely weird to be told I’m a rookie once again.  I’ve been racing for 15+ years, but its true I guess- I will have to run the dreaded “rookie stripe” on the back of the car.  There are worse things though.

            Last week I was telling you about how the season was progressing.  Although I was sitting second in points, it was due more to the fact that we were consistent instead of battling for the wins.  I just needed a little bit of guidance to get back on track.  My crew was getting tired of all the work and not really seeing the spoils of success.

            I was in the shop the other day, and I was digging through some of my old notes.  I wanted to see where I was at back then with the car.  June 19 2004-  It was a perfect day for racing.  Sunny and warm- it was 73 degrees when we went out for practice.  From what I can tell- I wasn’t happy with the car.  I remarked the car would not turn on corner entry and then I was really loose coming off the corner.  This condition only got worse as practice went on.  There were a couple of all capital letter words that might not be appropriate for this setting.

            I would love to be able to go back and tell myself what I should be doing to the car.  I guess thats all part of it though.  We ended up leading a part of the feature that night and finished 2^nd to the guy who was leading the points.  It was a good run, but I still lost points in the championship.  That is one of the most frustrating things in racing, when you just get out and out beat by your competition.  I was not a happy person on the way home that night.

            I started reading all I could about set-ups for asphalt racing.  I was determined to figure all this out.  By all accounts I was having a decent season, but I had set a goal of a championship before the season started.  I was trying to sort through all that I was learning, and trying to pick out the things that I thought might work for me.  The only problem was that I had to go to the track to try different things out.

            It was getting to be the middle of July, and it was getting hot now.  Still second in points, but still no wins either.  We were coming up on a weekend off, and I think we were all ready for the break.  After Practice was over, we had our driver’s meeting and the nights activities were discussed.  At the end, we were told that we would no longer have the next week off, and that due to a rainout earlier in the season, the track management was going to use next week as a make up race.  I went back to the trailer and told my crew about not having a week off.  My crew took it pretty well, but my fiancé just about lost her mind.

            She told me she needed next week to meet people about the wedding.  She had scheduled her meetings around the racing season, and that she needed a weekend to take care of details.  As you can imagine, it was not a pretty sight as we discussed (a term I use loosely) what to do about our new problem.  I was mad at the track for canceling our week off, she was mad at the track for the same thing, I was mad at her for taking it out on me, and she was tired of being dragged to the track to spend a Saturday night watching me get aggravated and spend more money we didn’t have.  Without checking- I think we led some laps and finished 3^rd that night, but it didn’t matter.  We were going to the track next week and nobody really wanted to; we had invested too much time and money to throw it away now.

                Racing is tough on so many levels, and it can take so much out of you sometimes.  I still enjoyed getting in the car, and being out on the track.  It was just coming at such a cost, a cost I hadn’t really anticipated on when I got involved in the sport.  I started spending a lot of time at the shop, which really didn’t help the home life all that much.  It was 2 months till the wedding by that time, and I still didn’t really know where I was going to get the money to pay for that and finish out the season.

            It was about that time that I was introduced to Bobby Gerhart.  As far as I am concerned, Bobby is one of the best restrictor plate racers I have ever met, and he did it on his own.  I took the job; though it was cut in pay- I thought it might help my racing effort.  As you can imagine, it did not go over all that well at home- not that I blame her looking back at it.

            Next week we continue with the season, the new job, and the wedding.  If you get a chance, take a look at www.peerbackers.com.  Type “Onderko Motorsports” in the search bar and check us out.  Forward it around to those you know who might want to be a part of it.  Check me out on twitter @justinonderko and all of our sponsors on this page.  Our season starts in May, so the countdown has begun for us, stay tuned for updates.  Thanks for dropping by this week- till next week, stay safe.

Knowing Enough. . .

           What a week it has been.  On Sunday I was on “Pretending to be on TV with Glen Tickle”- had a blast with those guys.  It was set-up just like a late night talk show, and Glen is a really funny guy.  Thanks to him and his staff for having me on.  We will have the show up on our youtube account very soon for everyone to check out.

            The racing world was busy this weekend as well.  On Saturday, the Rolex Grand-Am series was at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.  The race was exciting enough, but they had a 3 lap sprint to the finish after a late yellow in which The Spirit of Daytona Team gave Corvette its first ever Daytona Prototype win as well as their own first win.  On Sunday the INDYCAR series was also at BMP and we saw a much better race than last week.  The passing was fantastic, with many overtaking attempts which actually led to some contact.  Will Power made up for some bad luck in qualifying to win a very solid race.  Team Penske is 2 for 2 this year.  I also thought the race was broadcast much better as well.  The teams of NASCAR were down in Virginia this week at Martinsville.  Jeff Gordon was the class of the field ever since they unloaded on Friday.  He led over 300 laps, but failed to win after a green-white-checker disaster.  As a driver, I have always disliked this rule; I shouldn’t have to run 503 laps of a 500 lap race to win it.

             Last week, we learned how fresh paint and fancy looking racecars do not necessarily go fast.  We hung a new body over the winter, and did all the right stuff to the engine and transmission, but devoted little time to the geometry of the car.  Over the next week, we tried to cram 2 months of deliberate measuring and adjusting into 5 days.  As you can guess, that is just not possible.  I think we made the car worse than it was when we went to the track for the first practice.

            You may have heard a saying that racers use- “Races are won and lost in the shop”.  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this before; I have even said it to people myself.  There is another saying that I learned from Bobby Gerhart- “Sometimes you don’t even know, that you don’t know”.  This was absolutely the case once again.

            The first couple of weeks, we were chasing our tails at the track.  I was able to get a couple of good finishes, but I was not happy with the car.  We were certainly not capable of competing for the championship.  I kept making changes on what I though the car needed.  The only problem was that I never had a good baseline to start with.  I was too busy making the car look good, that I never spent the time I needed to, to get the information I needed from the car.  I kept making changes on feelings, and whims instead of good data.

            Once again, I was throwing money and time at this sport and was getting nothing but discouraged.  My fiancé was planning our wedding and spending money as well.  It boiled over on more than one occasion.  I was getting frustrated with the racing and trying to deal with her needing extra time from me.  It was getting further and further into the season, and I seemed to be getting further and further away from where I needed to be.

            My crew was starting to get unsettled as well.  I can’t say I blamed them, who would want to keep spending their weekends banging the heads against a wall.  I just kept throwing changes at the car, and at this point I was just hoping they would work.  I have a feeling that Chad Knaus (5 time NASCAR Champion crew chief) would be very disappointed in me.

             I needed something to get me back on track.  I needed someone who had some experience, someone who had been around the sport for a while, to guide me in what to do.  I also needed someone to help me out in planning a wedding- or at least help her plan a wedding.  I think at this point in my life I was to young to understand what was happening to me and how to effectively deal with it.  I was having less and less success with my racing, and it was taking a heavy toll on my relationship with fiancé.

            Thanks for stopping by this week and checking in with us.  I appreciate all of the support and all of the positive comments as well.  My email is justinonderko@verizon.net, drop me a line if you have any comments, either on the blog, or about racing in general.  I love all kinds of racing and would love to hear what you guys have to say about it.  Follow me @justinonderko on twitter, we will be hitting the track soon, so we will have lots of updates coming.   Justinonderko.com is also a place to catch up on us as well, don’t forget to check out our youtube account (accessible through our website) we will have some race footage up when we get back on track.  Don’t forget to check out my sponsors on this page as well, their help in very important to us.  Let them know we are worth partnering with this season.

Always Learning. . .

All the major racing series’ seasons are now underway.  The INDYCAR series finally ran their first race down in Florida, and although it was somewhat less than astounding, it was the first race of the year with a completely new car and engine package.  The turbochargers are back, but we dropped down to a V-6 instead of a V-8.  For me, it will take a little while to get used to the new look, but I am glad the series made the changes.

            We made our announcements last week; we will compete under the NASA Sanction this year in the Pro Touring class.  We are making further strides towards open wheel racing by competing in this series.  Seat time on road courses is needed right now, and this is an excellent way to make it happen.  Also, this marks the first time since 2009 that Onderko Motorsports will field a car, something else to be excited about in 2012.

            The last time we talked about the stock car days, I was getting ready for my second full season of competition.  I had found a new way to stretch dollars, by making some of the tools that we needed- like a sheet metal break.  It allowed me to hang a new body on the car and not spend a lot of money.  I was able to scrape enough money together to get the motor gone over.  I was engaged now, so I really had to justify all money that was being spent.

           

I would like to take a moment in this week’s blog, to thank all of the girlfriends/wives/sisters/mothers that are out there.  Another season is upon us and most of you know all to well how the season is going to unfold.  The lack of time and money, will invariably lead to shorter fuses and hotter tempers.  Still, most of you stand behind us, and support the decisions we make to race.  It makes life a lot harder than it would have to be, and it takes a big toll on many relationships.  I want to thank my family and my wife for all of their/her support, though it takes away from the very reason they love me in the first place.  To all you racers out there, don’t take advantage of that support, let your families know that you appreciate their understanding.

           

That being said, our racecar was just about race ready.  A new coat of paint, some fresh decals and little wax- and it looked good.  I remember standing in the shop and looking at the car, feeling such a sense of pride, I wasn’t a rookie anymore, and this year we were going to compete for the championship.  It is important to note- having the motor gone through was the only real thing that we did to find speed in the off-season.  Hanging a new body and making the car look pretty does not make it go any faster.  I did not do any work with our moment and roll centers during the winter- which were way out to lunch.  We didn’t have the car scaled properly, and nobody knew anything about our front end geometry and dynamics.  All we had- was the same car as last year, with a fresh coat of paint.

            8 years ago this weekend, would have been our first open test day.  Surprisingly, we were turning the same times as last year.  I say that with a little bit of sarcasm, because I was expecting to somehow have picked up a couple tenths.  That was the day that I learned a good looking racecar isn’t always a fast racecar.  Good thing that day was just a test day, because we were able to go back to the shop and try to figure things out.  I guess not being a rookie anymore didn’t mean that I knew everything I had to know about this game.

            I want to say thank you to all who stop by and read this blog.  I want to let everyone know, if you live near Allentown, Pa- you can catch us at the “Steel Stacks” over in Bethlehem on Sunday evening.  “Pretending to be on TV with Glenn Tickle” will have us on as a guest.  Looking forward to a nice evening with Glenn and his bunch.  Check him out- he has a bunch of his material on YouTube- he’s got some funny stuff.  Check in on Twitter “@justinonderko” we’ll have all the info you will need to attend.  We are also close to nailing down all of our race dates for this season, so stay tuned for that as well.  As always, please check out my sponsors here on this page, they are really stepping up for us this year so please do the same for them.  Till next week.

Making it Happen. . .

            A new year of racing always brings about an optimistic feeling.  All the parts and pieces are new or rebuilt, racecars are updated with advanced clips and suspension components, and last year is just that- last year.  It doesn’t matter if you were the champion or finished outside the top 10 in points.  The start of new year is always exciting.

            Onderko Motorsports is going to be unveiling some new plans for the 2012 season very shortly, and it feels good to be excited again.  Since our Championship in 2010 we have made a big change in how we operate our program, and this year is going to be no different.  I will keep you posted just as soon as the ink dries.

            Speaking of new seasons starting, last week we talked about how the first full season ended.  We clinched ‘Rookie of the Year” and placed 4^th in the Championship points battle.  It wasn’t terrible for a bunch of kids that really didn’t have much to work with.  As happy as I was for the 2003 season to be over, I was equally excited for 2004 to begin.

            I was able to stay busy at work throughout the winter, which helped the financial situation quite a bit.  I also proposed to my girlfriend in early December.  So the pressure was on, plan the wedding and win the championship in 2004.  Preparation started for both soon after we celebrated the New Year.

            I got the guys back in the shop early January, just to shake out the cobwebs and get a schedule again.  I lost a couple of people over the winter, so figuring out who was going to take on the extra responsibility was an added challenge.  We were able to pull the motor and the driveline pretty quick, and we cut the entire body off the car.  In hindsight, I should have priced a new body first.  After figuring out what the motor was going to take, and knowing the transmission was going to need rebuilt, I didn’t have enough to get a body.

            Since necessity is the mother of all invention, I had to figure something out- quick.  I had less that 2 full months before the car needed to be ready to shake down in March.  I did my homework, and was able to get a few sheets of aluminum donated to the team.  My parents helped me out and got me a front and rear bumper cover, so I was able to secure the major pieces- I just need a way to put them all together.

            The tool I lacked the most was a sheetmetal break.  I know I couldn’t afford to buy one, and a break isn’t the kind of tool that you can find used either- at least not easily and never cheap.  So I took a picture of a brand new one, and I went home and put a materials list together, my only option was to build one.  It took me a couple days, but I got it done.  It wasn’t going to bend quarter inch plate steel, but it would do the job for me.

            Grassroots racing is like that, if you don’t have it, or can’t buy it, you have to build it.  That project taught me that, and made a lot of other seemingly impossible tasks possible.  With my crew helping out on our new break, we got the body done, and we hung it by ourselves.  It didn’t look like a store bought job, but it didn’t look bad either.  I was proud of my guys, and it was giving me confidence about the upcoming year.  I could feel the championship in our grasp.

            Next week, we will look at a new season, no longer being rookies.  What should we expect of ourselves, and what are other people expecting from us?  I would like to know if any of you out there are getting ready for this season.  Do you have a car of your own, are you helping a family member or a friend with a racecar?  I enjoy knowing who is out there, doing the same things that we do every year.  Let me know, and tell me what you race.  Check out our sponsors, I know I sound like a broken record, but everyone knows how important they are, and my sponsors are no different.  Check me out on twitter @justinonderko, and we are in the process of rescheduling our San Diego Motorsports interview on 1170 AM, as soon as we nail down the date- I will pass it along.  Thanks for stopping by.

The End to a Long Year. . .

            We are getting closer and closer to the start of the racing season.  Down south, some tracks are opening and the racing has begun.  Up here in the northeast- it’s still a bit too cold.  I am really looking forward to getting back on the track again soon as well.  With the transition to road racing last year, we didn’t get a lot of on track time.  I look forward to traveling around and competing at some of this area’s road courses.

            Last week I told you about my first trip to victory lane.  I have to admit, after I was done writing last week, I went through the old racing pictures and found the pictures from that night.  It seems like so long ago, but I know it’s a memory that I won’t ever forget.  It’s a memory that you pull on when the season is beating you up and you need some motivation.

            We survived the rest of the season, and finished 4^th in the championship as a rookie.  I think everybody was glad the season was over.  No one was more relieved than me.  I was out of money 2 months before the season ended, and I needed a break mentally as well.  The girlfriend and I were on really thin ice, she had her fill of racing too.

            I brought the racecar home after the last race and pushed it into the shop and forgot about it.  I knew there was a bunch of work it needed, I needed to pull the motor out and send it to be rebuilt, the transmission needed looked over, and we needed a new body.  I couldn’t do any of it, though, I didn’t have the money.  So I felt it best to just leave it alone for a while.  The last event I had to worry about for this year of racing was the awards banquet.  It was a time to put on some nice clothes, have a good dinner and get together with the people we raced against- away from the track.

            First things first, unless you are the track champion or are getting a special award, award banquets are one of the most drawn out, boring, uneventful functions you will ever attend.  I can say that, because I have been on both ends of that.  I was presented the trophy for 4^th place in points and as I was carrying it back to my table I thought to myself, “This thing should be a whole lot bigger for the time and effort it took to get”.

            We passed it around the table to all of the crew members and to my parents who also attended.  As we were talking about the highs and lows of the season amongst ourselves, I heard my name being called.  Dino Oberto, the track announcer, had called my name for “Rookie of the Year”.  He was telling the story of interviewing me that night back in September.  He caught me by surprise as he talked about it, I made more of an impression that I had thought.  Most everyone in that room that night was at the speedway for my win, but Dino told the story anyway.  He had some nice words about me, and made me realize that there were at least a couple people that knew my name at the track.

            The evening ended late that night, and we were all tired from dancing and having a good time.  It was nice to blow off some steam.  On the ride home, with everyone sleeping, I remembered the season.  8 months prior I was on my way to the track for the first race of the season.  Here I was, driving home with a real expensive imitation gold plastic and wood composite 4^th place trophy.  I don’t think there is enough space here to adequately explain how I felt right then.

            It was all wrapped up in that trophy, the wrecks, the win, the rainouts, and all the time spent at the shop.  That’s what I saw when I looked at it sitting on the dash of the truck.  When I look back at that trophy today, I see all the things I learned that year.  I remember only the good, and the bad that I do remember- doesn’t seem as bad as it did back then. 

            It was soon Christmas of 2004 and that meant the New Year was soon upon us as well.  It seems racing doesn’t have a real off season, and for me it meant getting back in the shop and back to work for the upcoming season.

            Stay tuned for some upcoming news from us for this year.  We will be getting back on the track and can’t wait to announce this season’s plans.  Thanks for stopping by and reading the blog, I thank you for all the kind words, keep them coming @justinonderko and don’t forget to check out our sponsors.  I appreciate everyone who takes time to come here.

Victory Lane - The greatest place on Earth . . .

           Today is the first day of March, and the weather has sure felt like spring lately.  I do apologize to everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis, we just got back from Atlanta, GA.  We made the trip down to look a racecar that our team might acquire and compete with this year.  Stay tuned for updates on that.  We also didn’t get to do our interview on San Diego Motorsports 1170 AM last week.  Yonah, the host had to cancel on us extremely last minute, but stay tuned for a new date and time.

            That brings you up to date on us, but how about this year’s Daytona 500?  This 500 has to go down as one of the more surreal races I have watched.  The first time is the history of the race that it was postponed, and then big time wrecks 2 laps into the race, stuff blowing up and catching fire, tweeting from the backstretch, it was a wild one.  Congratulations to Matt Kenseth, who raced a smart race and brought the trophy home for the second time.

            Last week we talked about how this sport of racing can send you through the range of emotions.  I earned my first pole, never made it to the green flag, spun through the field, and then ended up winning the race.  The whole team shared in this win. I was glad, and partially relieved to have given them a win - it really makes you feel better about the time and money you spend on the cars.

            I had just taken the checkered flag and I was going nuts, my crew was running out onto the track to head to victory lane.  We were just a bunch of kids, the oldest person on the team was only 21, and we had just won our first race.  I can only speak for myself, but I remember the events of the night, but I don’t remember victory lane that well.

            All my guys were there already when I pulled in, and they were all pounding on the car and yelling.  I remember unbelting and trying to climb out of the car, but everybody was mobbing me at the window.  To that point in my life, it was the best feeling I had ever felt.  It is hard to put into words the rush that comes over you at that moment.  I finally got out of the car, and shook everybody’s hands, gave the girls hugs and tried to let it soak in.

            One of the best track announcers I have had the pleasure to listen to, and to be interviewed by is Dino Oberto.  He is currently working for Mahoning Valley Speedway in Pennsylvania, but that particular night he wanted to talk to me - and I really wanted to talk to him.  The only problem was, I ended up with cotton mouth and couldn’t form my words right.  Couple that with all of the excitement and it was a terrible interview.  Like I said I don’t remember it too well, but my girlfriend got it all on tape - we have joked amongst our team about it a lot.  “How not to act in Victory Lane 101” should be the name of that interview.  I was yelling at the top of my lungs, I forgot to thank everybody, it was a mess.  You can tell on the tape, though, that Dino was getting a kick out of me and just let me go.

            Like I have said before, racing is 80% hard times, 10% tragedy, and 10% wonderful.  This was one of the 10% wonderful moments.  I finally calmed down enough to talk like a normal human being, and Dino made sure that I told my crew thank you.  The track photographer got us all together and took a couple pictures and then it was over.  The track had to run the next race and our time was up.  It was kind of bittersweet, and it is over way too quick, but that’s just life.

            I climbed back in the car and drove it to the scales to be weighed, and for post - race inspection.  We got weighed in and then the head tech inspector came over and congratulated me on a good race.  He also informed me he would be looking at the top end of the motor tonight, so we should go get some tools and take the carburetor, intake, headers, and heads off for him.  My heart sank and I felt like I was going to puke right there.  I was scared out of my mind, I had never really thought about tech before.  I didn’t think I had anything illegal on the car or in the motor, but to be honest- I didn’t really know.  I think it was at that moment the look on my face was too much for him.  He burst out laughing and told me to get out of his inspection area.  A college hazing of sorts I guess, I didn’t think it was very funny, but he thought it was hilarious.  I will admit, looking back on it- he got me good.

            Loading up at the end of the night to go home, is usually a big hassle and really not that much fun.  That night, we didn’t care how long we took to get packed up, we were flying high.  I had a couple of guys come over and talk about the race and say we did a good job.  It was all very nice to be the winner that night, but for me, one gentleman in particular made my night.  Joe Hoffman, who was the points leader at that time - and arguably the best car in our division, came over to my pit area to find me.  He shook my hand and told me he was happy for me and my team and that I ran a great race.  That moment I remember well, and will forever.  I haven’t seen Joe for a couple years now, and haven’t raced with him since our championship year in 2010, but him coming over to me to acknowledge me was a big moment for me.

            The trip home seemed to take 5 minutes and we stayed up all night long at the shop, cooking on the grill, playing loud music and dancing around our winning racecar and $400 check.  That’s right, $400 was all we were racing for, and it didn’t even cover the cost of a new set of tires.  It didn’t matter though, we didn’t do it for the money, we race because we love it.

            Next week, we will look at the end of my first season and start looking ahead to my second full season in the sport.  Our current racing season is starting again soon.  We have some announcements happening soon and will share them on this blog as well as my twitter @justinonderko, my website, and press releases throughout the web.  Thanks for stopping by, and as always check out my sponsors here on this page, and hit me up on twitter if you have a questions, comments or suggestions - I would love to hear from you.   

Why We Race. . .

            It’s the third week of February, and the racing season is growing ever closer.  Daytona Speedway was full of activity this past weekend, with Bobby Gerhart winning a record 8^th Daytona ARCA 200.  Bobby has been a big influence in my life and racing career.  I worked for Bobby during the ’04 and ’05 seasons, and learned a tremendous amount.  I know how much the superspeedways mean to him and want to congratulate him on another awesome performance.

            Last week we visited the highs and lows of the sport once again, and for me at least I was starting to lose motivation going to the track.  I had earned my first career pole, and was on point to lead the field to the green flag, but inexperience played a crucial role in keeping me from doing just that.  I spun off of turn 4 coming to take the green flag.  Somehow I spun through the entire pack and wasn’t touched.

            I don’t believe I have ever had a more embarrassing moment in my life than what had just happened to me that night.  I had stalled the car during the spin, and to add insult to injury the engine was flooded, so it wouldn’t start.  A push truck finally came around and got me going again.  My crew would stand just outside the fence off of turn 2.  They were all lined up at the fence as I came around and I couldn’t have felt smaller.  I knew they were upset and I knew I had let them down.  All of their hard work, the countless hours in the shop, all those Saturday nights spent at the track.  I didn’t even want to look at them- I was too ashamed.  I rejoined the field at the back of the pack and waited to go green again.  The view at the back of the pack was certainly not as nice as up at the front.

            The green flag was waived and again I brought the car up to speed.  I made up a few spots over the first couple of laps and was sitting 15^th at the end of lap 6.  We had a caution and bunched the field back up; the track crew cleared the accident and sent us back to racing.  I passed a couple more cars and then 2 cars tangled in front of me.  I missed the wreck, but the yellow flag flew again.  I was 10^th now, and we were 1 lap shy of halfway.  My crew was starting to come back to life and was standing up at the fence again.  The green flag was once again displayed and racing resumed.  I had a great restart and was able to pick up another spot right away, followed by another 2 laps later.  With 12 laps to go, 1st and 2nd place was battling hard and made contact.  It sent those two cars hard into the fence, along with the rest of the field trying to get through the carnage.

            There was nothing but smoke in front of me, and everybody was going low to miss the wreck.  I saw each car in front of me make contact with the car ahead of them.  The bottom of the track was becoming a mess of twisted sheetmetal and wrecked racecars.  I figured I could go low and add to the accident, or I could try the high side and play the odds.  As I was trying to find a path to drive, a car came rocketing past me from the bottom of the track and bounced off the outside wall.  I missed him (or maybe he missed me) and a space just big enough for a racecar opened in front of me.  I steered towards it and punched the gas.  The next thing I know I see nothing but clear track in front of me.  I MADE IT THROUGH THE WRECK!  All of the sudden I was sitting in 2^nd place.  From the highs to the lows, back to the highs again.

            I came around turn 2 and my crew was jumping up and down and giving me the “thumbs up” sign.  If only I could bring this thing home in the top three, they might forgive me for what happened earlier.  It took a while, but the track was cleaned up and we were ready to go racing again.  My crew was motioning to me to take my time and be smart.  The green flag was waving and we were racing once again.  Coming off of turn 2, the leader got loose and wiggled up the track a little bit, that was all I needed- I got a great drive off the corner and pulled to the inside.  When we got to turn 3, I had the inside groove and the position.  As we came across the line, I was now the leader, and leading my first lap in my career.  I cannot describe to you the range of emotion that I was feeling at that very moment.  My crew was going out of their minds as well. 

             I got the “10 laps to go” sign from the flagger, and I started praying to the racing gods to keep this race green for the rest of the night.  Time seems to go backwards when you are leading races, even today- it’s easier to chase someone for a whole race and win it with 5 to go than lead it flag to flag.  That night an eternity seemed to pass until I go the “5 to go” signal.  My crew was telling me through the use of hand signals that I had a decent lead over 2^nd place.  The head flagger showed me that there were only 2 laps to go and my crew was telling me I had a big lead now.  I was going out of my mind.  I could sense that this could actually happen, and I just needed to keep hitting my marks.  The white flag was waving as I came off turn 4, and I just had to keep it together for one more lap.

            Now as I came off of turn 2 and looked at my crew expecting to see them telling me my lead was safe and that the race was in hand.  Instead they are all jumping around motioning for me to “GO GO GO” as if someone was right behind me.  I freaked out and dropped to the bottom to guard against getting passed.  I came off turn 4 and saw the most beautiful sight a racecar driver can expect to see.  2 checkered flags and nobody in front of me; I put my arm out the window and started screaming my head off.

            I couldn’t believe it- we just won a race and I was headed to

Victory Lane

.  I stopped at turn 2, and waited for my crew to come out as they headed to the winners circle; I revved the motor and did a little burnout as I drove away.

            Winning a race sure does cure a lot of things in racing.  That was a good night, and next week we will touch on how you can lose all ability to control yourself in victory lane.  I want to ask everybody to check me out on San Diego Motorsports Radio this Sunday (Feb 26 2012) night at 9pm PST on KCBQ.com or for those of you who live in San Diego- 1170 AM.  We will sit down with Yonah the host and talk racing.  As always please visit my sponsors, they make doing interviews like the one on Sunday night possible.  Thanks for stopping by.

Turning Point. . .

            Here in the United States we are 3 weeks away from daylight savings time, and only 4 short weeks away from the start of the Spring season.  Gone will be the days of snow and ice, although here in the northeast we have had a pretty mild winter.  Soon, the garage doors of the shops’ of racers will be open and the warmer air will be blowing in onto the new racecars.  The 2012 racing season is just about here, and if you are like me, its about time.

            Last week we had hard contact with the turn 4 wall, and pretty much used up the right front of the racecar.  We did catch a break, though, with the rest of the racing that night being rained out, so we had an opportunity to take the car home and repair it for the next week.  It was actually worse that it looked at the track, and with the aid of my credit card and freakishly high overnight shipping charges we had the parts to fix it by Wednesday of that week.  What I didn’t realize was the mounting points had been bent when I hit the wall, so it wasn’t until raceday that we had everything fixed.

            I hadn’t gotten much sleep that week, and some Ritz crackers and peanut butter was all that the budget allowed for eating that week.  I was exhausted that next Saturday, and would have much rather stayed home that week.  I’m not sure if it was stupidity or dedication that sent me to the track, and I have no idea what kept me awake on the drive to the track that day- I was just glad I made it.  I don’t really remember much of that next weekend, except it was the hottest day of the year, I had to run 2 features that night, and everyone was miserable.  That was one of the roughest nights we had been through, we were all short on patience with each other and my girlfriend knew I was spending money I didn’t have and my buddy’s girl was losing her understanding and patience with racing in general.  Ahhh. . . The good old days.

            Without looking back at the stats from that year, I don’t know how we ran- it must not have been a standout performance; but we made it through.  I think its nights like that which create bonds that last lifetimes.  My buddy (Adam is his name- just in case you were wondering) and I are still close to this day, and his girlfriend (now Wife) understands what racing means, and knows how big a part it plays in my life.

            I once read a quote, “Racing is 80% hard times, 10% tragedy, and another 10% wonderful”.  I don’t know who said it, or if that is the correct quotation, but I know enough about the sport first hand to tell you- its true.  September 20^th  2003 was one of those nights.

            After July, I had been mostly going through the motions, I had no money left, no real desire to even go racing, and my crew was feeling pretty much the same way.  Thankfully we were able to stay out of trouble over the next 5 weeks, and kept the car pretty much in one piece.  Although it was still hot, September brought a break in the weather and it was more bearable to be at the track.  We loaded up that Saturday much the same way as the previous 15+ other racedays.  This day didn’t seem any different, and I had no real reason to believe otherwise.  At this point I was just trying to save my “Rookie of the Year” status and stay in the top five in points, and not destroy the car. 

            Practice, the Driver’s Meeting, our heat races- it all went pretty much according to plan.  There was no drama, no wrecks; it was as if everyone was just trying to limp to the end of the season.  During intermission the starting grids of the features are posted, and I remember that day the girls went up to get the line-up.  5 minutes later they came running back screaming their heads off.  Now- picture this- in a pit area full of greasy, sweaty, smelly guys, these 2 teenage girls come running screaming at the top of their lungs.  “We got the pole. . . We got the Pole. . . We got the Pole”  It didn’t register at first, but eventually we were all yelling and carrying on.  That was a 10% wonderful moment.

            19 cars were starting that night, and I was going to lead them to the green flag.  18 cars would all be chasing me to turn 1.  Wait. . . 18 cars would all be chasing. . . Me!?!  I look back at that moment of my life and I have to laugh out loud.  In reality I was 19 years old competing in this substandard division, in what was a less than stellar speedway in nowhere Pennsylvania.  In my head, I was sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500- and I was on top of the world. 

            I got ready for the feature and my stomach was in knots, I felt like I was going to throw up, I must have checked my lug nuts 5-6 times, cleaned my windshield 3-4 times before I belted in.  FINALLY the call came for us to line up, and for the first time in my career, I was on point.  My crew was pumped up, and I mean, pumped up.  They were riding this high just like me, and they all wished me good luck and out onto the track I went.

            I remember being so nervous on our pace laps, that I didn’t do any of the pre-race warm-up things that a driver has to do, like warm up the tires and clean out the carburetor.  I didn’t do any of it, and while I was ready for the green flag to been shown to me, the car was not ready to go racing.  I was given the 1-to-go sign by the flagger and coming off turn 4 the green flag was out.

            When I saw the green flag, my foot hit the floor and the car started coming up to speed, and then it happened.  The rear tires broke loose and the rpm’s went through the roof, and around I went.  I didn’t even get to the freaking start/finish line to take the green flag and I was spinning through the entire pack of cars.  I can’t really say what was coming out of my mouth at that moment- but I’m sure you can imagine.  To everyone’s credit- no one hit me, not even a little bit- everybody got by clean.  I sat there in disbelief at what I had just done- that was not a 10% wonderful moment.

            Next week I will let you know what happened during the race and how, for me at least, it was the turning point in my career.  A BIG thank you to everyone, I hit 1000 reads last week, and that’s because you guys come here and read about me and my career.  It means a tremendous amount to me, and I appreciate all of the positive feedback- keep it coming- justinonderko@verizon.net is a great place to reach me.  Check out my sponsors on this page- they really do make it possible for me to be here living my dreams.  Check me out on twitter- @justinonderko and check out my site http://www.justinonderko.com/ for updates- hopefully we have some news about the 2012 season soon! 

Starting Fresh. . .

            The 2012 racing season has officially gotten underway in North America.  The Rolex 24 hour at Daytona was just completed this past weekend, congratulations to Mike Shank Racing for their overall victory.  Lots of hard work and dedication brought that group the spoils of victory- and an awfully nice Rolex watch.

            Last week we left off during the offseason, and I was hard at it with the remaining guys I had left.  Things were beginning to turn around and we were starting to see some light at the end of the long tunnel.  We were able to reduce the number of people we had in the shop- yet increase the amount of productive work that was being done.

            As the start of the season got closer and closer, the car was returning to form after being rebuilt.  The motor was pulled at the end of last year to be sent out and gone through by our engine builder.  After long weeks hoping nothing was wrong with the motor, we got it back- with a clean bill of health, and it was being put back in the car, along with a new transmission and rear end gear.  We were hanging a new body on the car and trying to button everything up to get the car painted before the beginning of March.

            For those who have raced on America’s short tracks, the end of February is a bit of a wake up call.  The Daytona 500 is the start of the NASCAR season, and traditionally the jumping off point for most late model drivers as well.  You take stock of your team and car around this time, and find out how much still needs done before the start of your season.

            We were right on schedule, and the car was done being painted the first week of March.  One of our sponsors at the time was a company that created vinyl signs and lettered vehicles.  So we had all of our vinyl cut for us and started putting that on later that week.  I was really proud of my guys and all that they had accomplished.

            The first test and tune day at the speedway we were running at was the first weekend in April, and the weather was going to cooperate to give us a nice warm day at the track.  I remember being at the shop that Tuesday night before our test day.   I remember feeling such a sense of pride in that racecar and in my team, such a sense of accomplishment.  It gleamed bright red and white, the colors of our team, and sat there in the shop just looking fast- begging to be released on the track.  The smell of the paint was still heavy in the air that night as I wondered how many other people were doing the same thing all across the nation.

            I remember loading up for that Saturday and just knowing in my heart that we were starting the season off on the right foot.  Knowing all of the hard work that was done this past winter was going to pay off, and we would be one of the quick cars this afternoon.  The trip to the track was quiet and uneventful, no one really wanting to talk about the day.  When we got to the track, we unloaded and got into line for Tech inspection.  I looked around, and I soon realized that we weren’t the only team that was hard at work this past offseason.

            In our class I had counted 18 cars that were in line for inspection, which meant that there were probably another 5 or 6 that would show up on the first raceday.  Looking around at all of the machines that looked just as good if not better than mine- I thought to myself, “I wonder where we are going to stack up with these guys”.  My seemingly endless confidence not more that 6 hours ago, had faded, and in its place was a knot that had my stomach tied tight.  Many things became clear that day- Lesson #1- A shiny racecar is not necessarily a fast racecar.

            Next week, we start our quest for “Rookie of the Year” and realize that in order to be fast- you have to be knowledgeable.  Speed does not just appear, and great drivers are made- not born.  Feel free to leave comments, or email me directly at justinonderko@verizon.net for any questions.  Let me know what you guys think, I appreciate the emails I’ve gotten so far, it means a lot that you guys take the time to write in.  As I’m sure you are used to by now, and its something all of us racecar drivers do- I want to plug my sponsors.  As always they continue to help us and make what we are doing possible- please check them out- we have a couple of them up on this page as clickable links.  You can also follow me on twitter- @justinonderko.

The Off Season

           We are well into the off season now for the short track racer.  Its actually just the “Not Racing” season, because you really can’t take any time off anymore.  Its cold and the only place where anyone is racing is down in Daytona.  The Rolex 24 hour race is this weekend, followed by ARCA/NASCAR with their respective races.  It seems like the Saturday night short track racers have a long way to go until they fire their motors again.  This is the time, however, that is most important.  This is the most time you will have all season long- time to prepare your machines; cause once the season starts it doesn’t stop till October.         

            Last time, we left off we were in the off season of 2004, and the car was being rebuilt and was being gone through for the upcoming season.  I was going to run the whole season and make a bid for “Rookie of the Year”.  I had the guys in the shop working pretty well, and was trying to teach them all I knew, and help them become more knowledgeable about what they were doing.  I felt like I had things under control, and for the most part I did.

            What I didn’t count on, was that people make mistakes.  Mistakes cost money, and money is quickly spent.  So even when you’re not racing, racing will still cost you money.  It made me aware, very quickly, whose head was in the game and who was at the shop for a good time.  As the season approached, the car was almost finished; I turned my attention to removing some of the guys who were there for the wrong reasons.  That sounds so bad- I basically fired volunteer help, but it had to be done- anyone who races will tell you- we don’t do it for a good time, and I was serious about it.  After it was all said and done, I was able to retain 1 guy out of the original 7 I had- there were others that left on their own.

            While I felt like I was right back where I was 6 months ago, things were actually looking up.  The productivity was back up and there were less mistakes being made.  It was tough to lose that many people, but I think it was the best thing at the time.  I was able to put more time in on the car myself, instead of acting more like a supervisor.  The season was rapidly approaching, and the car was just about complete.  I needed to paint it, and put on the new vinyl, but all in all I was happy with the progress.

            The best part about this time, was that now I felt like I was taking steps to achieve my goals.  I had always loved racing, and always dreamed about driving.  All of the extra money and time spent getting the car ready- the late night calls to the girlfriend telling her I wouldn’t be able to come over, the busted knuckles, and all of the frustration- just seemed to go away when I looked at the car in the shop.  It is a part of racing you just have to experience to fully understand it, but I remember how great that felt, and how I was getting ready to compete in my first full season.  I never gave it a second thought that it might not go exactly like I wanted it too.

            While it may seem like things slowed down during the off season, they will pick up again next week.  While we are racers at heart, we spend 90% of our time in the shop getting ready.  You may have heard its where races are won and lost.  The work in the shop isn’t always the most fun, or most rewarding, but it is necessary.  Next week the season gets underway, and we look at what it takes to keep the car on the track for the whole season.  I know I ask each week, but please check out my sponsors on this page.  I appreciate your interest in the blog, and you can check me out on twitter @justinonderko. 

Pressing Onward. . .

            Last week I told everybody how the hangover of the first race felt.  Realizing that getting the racecar on the track is the easy thing, keeping it racing is another problem all together.  So now we have to fix the car and get it back together so we can go racing, just buy the new parts and slap it all together- yeah right.

            Remember what you could do at age 19?  Remember how you knew it all, and you didn’t need advice from anybody?  Remember that bubble that you lived in- all the cool things of becoming an adult, yet all the carelessness of being a kid?  There is a reason you remember the lessons in life that you learn the hard way.

            That brand new credit card I had gotten a few weeks ago was nearing half its capacity, and more parts needed to be ordered.  My girlfriend was becoming more and more upset with all of the time I was spending in the shop.  My boss was getting tired of me dragging at work, and I was tired of not sleeping.  I was 3 weeks out since the first race and I was having trouble getting the car back together.  The car was in worse shape than I had thought originally, and I was buying tools to fix it- expensive tools.

            Each day I would head to work around 6am, get home at 5:30-600pm go have dinner and head out to the shop.  I am certainly not complaining, mind you, I look back on those times with a fond recollection, but at the time I felt completely overwhelmed.  Not only was it taking a toll physically on me, but the rapidly rising costs were starting to hit home as well.  I started looking for ways to cut down on some of the money I was outlaying.  I learned that a pack of Ritz crackers and a jar of peanut butter could get you through a day, and sleep was not necessary as long as you drank lots of coffee and took a few No-Doze pills to keep you awake during the day.  This is not only a bad way to take care of yourself, but it’s also really stupid- it always catches up with you- and I do not advise it.

             As the seasons started to change, I realized I could make the last race of the year if I really buckled down and got the car finished.  For those of you who have been around racing, girlfriends/wives really love it when you are spending lots of time with a car, and then you tell them that you need to spend even more time at the shop.  So unless they are willing to come to the shop and sit there, while watching you put the effort into your racecar that used to be reserved for them, they will never see you.  Yeah- they love that.  In the end, though, you work harder on the car- hoping they will understand, and try to pay a little bit on the credit card- that’s starting to get a little out of control now.

            Looking back on those first few months of my racing career, I sit and think about all the things I learned.  I foolishly self-taught myself most of what I needed to know- not because someone wasn’t willing to teach me, I was just unwilling to take what was being offered.  This is also something I don’t recommend, it always costs extra to learn something, always.  Some of the greatest life lessons, I learned during that time.  There is one underlying theme to my thought processes today- especially if I am undertaking something new-There is always someone who can do it better than you, learn from that person, and ask lots of questions.  It saves lots of headaches.

            We finally did get back on the track that year- finished 8^th our first race back, and brought the cars home in one piece.  That was a big plus- since I didn’t have anymore money to fix it again.  Its funny, it’s not so much the races I remember about that time- it’s the times in the shop that stick the most.  All of this, though, would serve me well later on in my career.

            Next week we will touch on getting ready for the next season and continue to talk about how racing becomes a lifestyle of living this sport, and how money, time, and relationships continue to endure as I climb the ladder of the sport.  I know I sound like a broken record- but please check out my sponsors on this page, they help me live my dream, and a special thanks to those of you who have visited them.  Don’t be afraid to let me know what you think about this blog, I am a little new at this aspect of it, but I like the interaction with my fans, and like to know who they are.