By: Joe Burrage
The dust has settled at the Skagit Speedway located in Alger, Washington and Chad Kemenah was able to bring the car home in one piece. Skagit Speedway over the years has provided some of the best racing action on the tour which makes it very fun for the fans, for the drivers the 3/10 mile bullring is one of the most physically demanding tracks to race on and you have to have your elbows up at all times.
Chad Kemenah kicked off his Gold Rush Tour on Friday night and was able to stay clear of multiple accidents en route to a tenth place finish. The night didn’t start well for Kemenah as he timed in 16th quick overall putting him towards the back of the first heat race. The track was so fast and narrow passing cars would be very difficult and Kemenah was able to drive ten perfects laps and hold onto the final transfer spot into the A-Main.
Starting in the 16th position for the 30-Lap, feature Kemenah knew had to be patient and let the track come to him and stay clear of trouble because the track was starting to get rough. The green light quickly came on around the Skagit Speedway and once the feature event got going Kemenah was on the move. Kemenah had worked his way up to the eighth position and was getting ready to challenge for the seventh position and the last yellow flag of the night would come out. On the ensuing restart Kemenah was not able to avoid the rough spots on the track and two cars got by him quickly and a few laps later the race was over.
“We started off really slow tonight and that hurt us in the long haul,” said Kemenah. “Adam and I kept working on the car and we were able hang in there during the heat race and make our way forward during feature. The track was pretty rough tonight but everyone had to race on it and we were able finish in tenth place and bring the car home in one piece so I can’t complain too much. If we can time in better tomorrow night and start the feature in the first four rows it’s anyone’s race and hopefully we can grab a $20,000 victory.”
Fresh off a tenth place finish Kemenah and crew member Adam Brough were back to their normal routine of taking the car to the carwash and servicing the No.63 sprinter making sure everything is on point for the upcoming race. Kemenah and the rest of the World of Outlaws were all gunning for the huge $20,000 paycheck but the first task at hand was qualifying. Kemenah went out early for his two qualifying laps; his best lap was an 11.392 which were good enough for 16th quick.
Looking to grab a top six finish in the first heat race Kemenah had to get a good start and not make any mistakes in order to transfer to the A-Main. Just like Friday nights heat race the track was very narrow and fast and passing was at a premium. The heat race quickly got going and Kemenah was running in the seventh position after the first lap. The car was very tight and difficult for Kemenah to steer for the quick 10-Lap race. Kemenah would ultimately finish in the eighth position and would have to run the B-Main later in the evening.
Starting on the front row of the B-Main gave Kemenah a great chance to transfer to the A-Main if everything went according to plan. The race got going and Kemenah quickly jumped into the lead and led all 10-Laps to pick up the win. Kemenah and Brough went to work on the car after the Last Chance Showdown was completed as time was definitely a factor for the Ohio natives.
After making a few changes to the car Brough would push Kemenah to the staging area for the $20,000 40-Lap feature event. Feeling confident he could make his way to the front like the previous night Kemenah stayed very patient with the car and the race track. The No.63 car would maintain his 16th position for the first few laps then the car started to get really loose and Kemenah was unable to hold the bottom of the track like he wanted to.
From there Kemenah adjusted his line and was able to pull the wing back a little bit and the car responded great. Kemenah was able to move up three positions after a couple of laps and then a yellow flag would come out. On the restart Kemenah was able to avoid a pretty big wreck involving three of the top ten cars, the World of Outlaws officials decided to have an open red flag and Brough was able come onto the track and make a few adjustments to the car hoping Kemenah would be able to make his way to the top ten.
On the restart Kemenah was able to avoid the rough spots on the track in turns one and two and pass two cars going down the back stretch. Kemenah was not done there he was able to make the pass on Jason Solwold for the tenth position and two laps later the yellow flag would come out with five laps remaining in the feature.
On the restart Kemenah got trapped behind Kerry Madsen as his car did not take off like it should have and two cars would pass him going into turns three and four. Kemenah quickly got things under control and started to make his back into the top ten when he got into the roughest part of the track in turns three and four and the No.63 sprinter fell back another two positions. Kemenah would then drive two flawless laps to finish the feature in the 15th position after he crossed the finish line.
“That last restart was not a good one for us,” said Kemenah. “I got pinned and had to slow down and when you do that your going to get passed. We had a good car and we made some changes during that open red flag and it helped us a lot but that’s what happens sometimes. We have been running really well here the past few races and I want to keep this going because we have a lot of great people involved with this race team and I would love to win one for them before the 2011 season is over.”
The Sponsors: Golden Flavor Sesame Sticks, Hampshire Racing Engines, Maxim Chassis, MS Motorsports, Key State Ag Service, Kears Speed Shop, Champion Racing XP Performance Lubricants, Jeffery Winter Construction, Accu Force Shock Dyno, Banshee Graphics, SSE Helmet Designs, and Media Camping Center, Real Racing Wheels, Winters Rear Ends, Chiappelli Motorsports.
