Like Old Times. . .

This is a big week in motorsports, the INDYCAR series has the week off, but NASCAR and Grand-Am will be at Indianapolis this weekend.  Scott Dixon will be joining Jamie McMurray and Juan Montoya, in Ganasi’s DP car.  Chip is putting together a ride for these drivers to race in the Grand Prix of Indy.  AJ Almendinger had his “B” sample tested, and it came back positive, so his suspension has gone from temporary to indefinite.

As for me this week has been busy trying to get our car back together for Summit Point in August.  Since this car is brand new to us, it has taken a little bit of time to decipher the parts, and where to get new parts from.  It was a lot easier with the late models, I knew those cars inside and out- and one phone call would pretty much take care of any problem.  We will get it all figured out in plenty of time.

It has kind of been like old times for me these last couple of days.  I remember in the early part of my career, when I was learning the cars.  That uneasy feeling you would get when you are looking at critical parts for the first time.  Then trying to figure how they work, and what it was supposed to look like- BEFORE- you blew it up.  Then trying to find someone who sells that part you need.  Finally- trying to talk to someone who sells those parts and get raked over the coals on the price of those parts.  Yep, pretty much like old times.

            There is one good thing about all of this.  After we fix our clutch issue, we will understand our racecar that much more.  Its one of those things that is hard to explain.  You kind of form a relationship with a racecar.  It’s like when you meet a girl and ask her out on a date.  You go on the date, and if the date goes well- you go on a couple more.  You start spending a lot of time with her, because you are having fun, you feel good when you’re together.  After a while though, its not all fun and games- and maybe you have a fight- that’s what my racecar and I did at Pocono- we had a fight.

            I’m trying to make up with my racecar right now- but instead of buying jewelry- we’re buying parts.  Nice, new, and shiny parts- and if I buy the right parts- we won’t fight anymore.  For good measure- I’ll give it an extra coat of wax after I put it all back together.

            I’m kind of poking fun at the situation, but Pocono really wasn’t that bad all things considered.  I’ve been very fortunate over the last couple of years, and I haven’t had many bad days at the track due to mechanical failures.  Spoiled I guess, but you can’t beat the crap out of a piece of machinery and expect it to stay together forever.

            I’ve got some plans for Summit Point; it will be our last race before we head to Mid-Ohio for Nationals.  In case you have some time next weekend, The INDYCAR series will be there, so you can tune in and see what the track looks like.  We missed the track record at Summit Point in June, by .062 seconds.  I think we can squeeze a little more speed out of the car, and I have a little more time in the seat- and that always helps. 

            I look forward to getting the car back in shape, and changing a few things.  It’s kind of a light week to talk about, but we will be in the shop getting our work done.  We really want to be able to put our best foot forward at Nationals.  Hopefully all goes well this week and I have good news very soon.  Till Next Week. . .

Countdown To Pocono. . .

            NASCAR was at Daytona, Indycar was in Toronto, and the racing was great at both places.  While the racing was great, the sanctioning bodies were also handing out penalties, fines, and suspensions this weekend too.  Eventual NASCAR race winner Tony Stewart was found to have an open cooling hose during qualifying, and had to start in the back of the pack Saturday night, though he did win the race, NASCAR still took 6 driver’s points away from him.  AJ Almendinger was temporarily suspended from competition, for violating the substance abuse policy.  Until his “B” sample is tested he will be sitting out of the car.  For his sake, I hope this test comes back negative.  Ryan Hunter-Reay won his 3^rd straight race on Sunday.  The points took a major toss this weekend as well.  Mike Conway had a podium as well, but during post race inspection, was found to have to big of a fuel cell.  10 points and $15,000 later, the team still ran very well and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

            As for me, our cars have been loaded up and are ready for their trip to the Pocono Raceway.  This will kind of be like a homecoming of sorts for me; the first road course I competed on was Pocono’s North Course.  NASA will be using the North Course plus NASCAR turns 1 and 2 plus the frontstrech as our course this weekend, 2.5 miles around.

            This weekend is a little bit different for us, while we will be racing during the day; we will be attending “Our Lady Queen of Peace” (Brodheadsville, PA) Church Festival Saturday evening.  I hope we avoid any contact on the track and keep the racecar in one piece during the day, because it will be on display Saturday night.  We let the kids sit in the car and sign some autographs, take some pictures and get some time to hang with our fans.  We also are going to use the time to talk about RAD and why it’s important to live a drug free and healthy lifestyle.

            We should have some good video and pictures from this weekend.  Since the race is so close to home, we will get to have a lot of people at the speedway supporting us.  Friends, family, old crew members, are going to be there to see us race.  My Mother, who is kind of our team photographer, is able to come this weekend as well.  I always enjoy when she comes, because there are always great shots that she is able to get.  She is going to get a test, she is used to oval short track racing, but this is a whole new dynamic.  Look for her photos on the site after the races.

            Speaking of the http://www.justinonderko.com/ site, one of our sponsors- OC2 Interactive- is currently working on designing our new site.  I actually had a conference call this afternoon and I can’t wait to see the site go live.  Special thanks to Michelle for taking time out of her day to discuss the progress of the site.  OC2 is the real deal- if you need web based design- they will create what you need.  Check them out www.oc2interactive.com- look at some of the work they’ve done, it speaks for itself.

            Next week we will review the race weekend and how it went.  We are prepared for a good weekend, hopefully the weather stays nice, but we are bringing our rain tires just in case.  I kind of hope it does rain- I really enjoy racing in the rain- you have to be very technical and precise with your inputs- you’re on the razors edge the whole race.  Till next week. . .