Author Archive for: MrAddicted2Dirt

When Williams Grove Speedway rained out on July 12th, Lincoln Speedway became the first up for Hartlaub following Speedweek.  He picked up where he left off, qualifying 3rd quickest, finishing 4th in his heat race, and earning the pole for the A-main.

Hartlaub led early but fell to 3rd on lap nine.  By the halfway mark he was running 5th.  He maintained his grasp on the spot for a long stretch before slipping to 7th in the final laps.

On July 19th the Trone Outdoor No.39 team made their way to a special 410 sprint car event at Clinton County Speedway in Mill Hall, PA.  In his first competitive laps at the track, Hartlaub qualified 4th fastest in Group A and finished 3rd in his heat race.

Hartlaub started 11th in the main event and raced his way up to 8th in the opening laps before a bobble cost him all his forward progress.  

After finding his rhythm again, Hartlaub pushed his way back into the top ten again.  Unfortunately, another slip in the late going left him with an 11th-place finish.

Saturday night July 20th Hartlaub returned to his home track, Lincoln Speedway.  He started 6th in his heat and showed speed but an early decision to attack the low line on the opening lap left him pinned on the bottom until nearly the midpoint of the race.  

When Hartlaub finally got to the high line around the speedway, he was fast.  It was too late though and he settled for the 6th-place finish.  

Upon his return to the pits, the team discovered an issue.  An oil pump failure sidelined Hartlaub for the remainder of the night.

“We have been so good early every night.  I mean really good.  I couldn’t ask for more there but we have been struggling in the feature with a full load of fuel.”, Hartlaub said.

“We need to figure that out and make some changes but it’s not all the car.  I still have some learning to do behind the wheel too.  The more I race, the more experience I get so I hopefully don’t repeat mistakes.”

“I’m not happy with the results the past couple weeks but we just have to keep plugging away.  We need to work on our slick track setup.  We have some ideas and we are going to go test soon to hopefully zero in on the changes this car needs to be as fast at the end of the night as it is at the beginning.”

The June 21st & 22nd weekend brought the final tune-up races at Williams Grove and Lincoln before Speedweek.  At ‘The Grove’ Hartlaub recorded another top-ten finish, a 9th in the final rundown.

Saturday’s race at Lincoln may have been the most telling and most valuable of Hartlaub’s first eight races in the Trone 39.  He qualified 3rd quickest in the field and went on to win his heat race, but it was the A-main that provided the most valuable experience.

Hartlaub took command of the race from the pole position and remained out front for the first 24 laps of the 30-lap affair.  He kept names like Wagaman, Rahmer, and Bollinger behind him.

As the race entered its final ten laps, Hartlaub was holding nearly a straightaway lead, navigating lapped traffic smoothly.  With six laps remaining, he attempted to slide a lapped car that was racing in his preferred line but he couldn’t complete the pass.

Another attempt two corners later was the decision Hartlaub would later regret.  The slide job killed his momentum and allowed Matt Campbell to close the gap and get by for the lead.  The sequence not only stole his momentum, it also took him out of his rhythm and cost him two more spots in the final three laps to officially finish 4th.

“I know what I would do differently next time.”, Hartlaub said of the late-race decision that cost him the lead.  “Inexperience bit me.  Lesson learned.”

“I’m disappointed we didn’t get the win tonight but I can’t be unhappy about how we have been running only eight races in.  We’re all working really well together, we’re competitive, we’re getting better every week, and we’re having fun.”

With a solid first month in the seat of the Trone No.39, Hartlaub appears ready to embark on the PA Speedweek journey.  He heads into Speedweek having logged five top-ten finishes in his first eight starts aboard the Trone 39.  

“We have got a really good chemistry in the shop and at the track.  There has been great communication and collaboration.  Kevin and I are working well together, making decisions together, and everyone involved has settled into their roles.”, Hartlaub added.

“As far as in the seat, I was worried about time trialing coming into the season because that was something we didn’t do much in 358’s and I knew it was something I would need to get good at to be competitive in a 410.  Racing twice every weekend, many of them time trial shows has helped me tremendously.  Not only with qualifying but with racing in general.  Nothing beats seat time.”

“I take the history of this sport seriously, so being able to drive the Trone 39, which is an iconic car especially here in PA, means a lot to me and I’m going to work hard to keep this car at the front of the field for as long as I have the opportunity.”