The last time Tom Roberts (Kulwicki Driver Development Program) was in town, we ended up with a very similar photo. To see it, go here. While that race had a solid surprise in the form of a flashlight, this one involved a motor swap.
Thank you Tom Roberts and the KDDP
We really appreciate you coming all the way out to Southern Idaho to root on your favorite PNW Team. The KDDP program has been a blessing to us and we are grateful for your support and guidance.
Fridays Loss of Power
Friday did not start out well. During practice the car just didn't have enough power. We pulled the valve covers, changed the seals and rocker arm. We changed the carburetor, spark plugs and ignition box. But nothing helped. So it was either find a motor or go get the super.
The Riehl Solution
Full disclosure: Pun completely intended. If it wasn't for Brandon Riehl, who knows how it would have turned out because that 15 hr drive to the HPR shop and back was not sounding too good.
As it was we began swapping the motor at around 5 o'clock and had just got the motor mounts secured at 11pm. Not too bad considering it was dark and we skipped the evenings steak dinner. This team can really get it done.
Saturday Morning
Suffice it to say, we hit it again Saturday morning and when it fired up successfully things started to look up. Now it was time for some practice and fine tuning. Next Up on the menu was a broken axle.
After replacing the axle, we got it down to the 13.2s and just in time for qualifying. So it was time to put on some slicks and roll on out.
Qualifying
We qualified fourth with a 13.149. Again, not too shabby considering the last 24 hours.
The Roll Out and Invert Draw
With that we were ready to roll out. At Meridian Speedway we roll our cars out to the front stretch. The crowd was packed and so it was a very energized environment.
A tradition of the Northwest Super League model series is to redraw for the top eight. We drew a 4. With that complete it was time to get in and buckle up.
(Thank you Tom Roberts for coming out to watch us race! We really appreciate your support!)
Finally the race was on. Quickly we were in 3rd trailing behind the 94 and 96 car. The 94 took a spin at lap 36 and we had our first caution. At that we were in 2nd.
On the restart we were able to get the jump and completed the pass on lap 34. Things were going pretty well. For 30 laps we held the lead. Then there was an incident between 53 and 8 which caused a caution. The 22 car had the inside position on the restart and eventually was able to pull ahead.
Then with 133 to go there was an incident about 1/4 lap ahead of us. There was nothing we could do to avoid it. We locked up the brakes and slid into one of the stopped cars just barely tapping it. We were able to pull right out and keep going but due to the contact and technically coming to a stop, we were sent to the back.
Suffice it to say this was extremely frustrating. But we took our lumps and focused on the next 138 laps. And then there was the Big One 6 laps later! It took out about 5 cars that had been ahead of us. So with that we were back to 5th on the restart with 26 until the break. There was another caution with 17 to go but when we lined back up we were still in the 5th position. #rollercoaster
We went side by side for about 3 laps with number 26 and took the 4th spot just before break.
Break Time
The car was good so all we needed to do was change the two right side tires.
2nd Half
The 96 and 17 tustled a bit which gave us a clear path to 2nd. Aubree Cristiani and her Team are top notch and we did everything we could to stay close behind. Everyone has a rough moment from time to time. So at lap 68 when the 96 entered turn 1 a little high and spun out as a result we were able to capitalize and take P1.
Thankfully the remaining 67 laps were less eventful. There was one more caution but we didn't give any room.
We have the best fans! We appreciate your support.
Next Up - Labor Day Spectacular
The next race on the schedule is the Labor Day Spectacular on September 2nd-3rd at Hermiston Raceway.
Event Info
Get Tickets:
As always HPR couldnt be successful without great people on the team and awesome sponsors behind us.
HPR Team
Thomas Plybon
Kevin Richards
Bryan Graham
Josh Aguirre
Ryen Tarr
Frank Varner
Cindi Schoenberg
Chuck Dasenbrock
Scott Mader
Haeden's Sponsors
Cascade Rain Gutters
Evergreen State Towing
Muffler Mart
Kulwicki Driver Development Program
Angel's Bail Bonds
RaceCals
Horsepower Project by Michele Martin Photography
Hamke Race Cars
Marketing Partnerships
Haeden and Team will be looking for marketing partners for the 2023 season. If you would like to join with us in the excitement of being part of a dynamic winning team, write us at info@haedenplybonracing.com. Until then, thank you for your support and for being an HPR fan!
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