Ashley Cappetta Reflects on Challenging Night, Eyes Redemption at Weldon Sterner Memorial

Ashley Cappetta’s night at Lincoln Speedway was anything but smooth, marked by early struggles and mechanical issues that derailed her hopes for a successful outing. A bad pill draw—going from a number 1 last week to drawing a 60 on Saturday—was the first sign that things were not going to go well. “I should have known right then and there it wasn’t going to be a good night,” Cappetta said.

Starting fourth in the makeup feature, Cappetta immediately sensed issues. “The car wasn’t good during warm-ups, so we made adjustments,” she explained. However, things took a turn in the first lap. As she went into turn 1, the car nearly got sideways. After adjusting the wing, the car broke loose in turns 3 and 4, causing her to spin. Thankfully, the rest of the field avoided contact.

After tagging the rear for the restart, Cappetta struggled to find her rhythm. “The car felt awful, so I pulled off and told Dad something wasn’t right,” she said. After a quick check, Cappetta was sent back out, but even with more adjustments—moving her wing all the way back—she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“I was questioning everything—was it me? The car? The setup? I knew it wasn’t the motor,” she shared. After the feature, they discovered that the w-link was tight with no play, and the torque ball was locked up. “We messed with the rear end and got everything free, but it was really disappointing.”

In her heat race, things didn’t improve. Starting eighth, Cappetta struggled to feel comfortable on a track with much different conditions from earlier in the night. “It was really frustrating after the car felt so good the first time out,” she noted.

In the B-main, Cappetta started 12th and worked her way up to 6th, but despite her progress, time was against her. “I think we could have finished at least 4th to qualify, but with all of the wrecks and the time limit, our night ended early,” she lamented.

Reflecting on the difficult week, Cappetta expressed her frustration. “When everything is going wrong, and you go to the track hoping for a good night, it’s defeating to have a night like we did.” Beyond racing, Cappetta has been managing other challenges, including a family member going through a tough time and the loss of a friend.

Looking ahead to the Weldon Sterner Memorial, Cappetta is optimistic. “I think we figured out what caused the lock-up, and we’re hoping that fixes our issue,” she said. Although she’s uncertain about whether she’ll make it to BAPS for practice, she’s putting her focus on being prepared for the big race.

“We’ll at least fire the car to make sure everything is free. The things that go wrong never go wrong in the shop—it’s always at the track,” she added. Despite the rough patch, Cappetta is determined to remain positive. “I’m trying to put things in perspective. Other drivers are struggling, too. It’s a part of racing—it’s not just talent, it’s a lot of luck.”

With the Sterner Memorial up next, Cappetta is ready to regroup and focus on turning things around.