Tag Archive for: #longhorn

Sunday night’s Frank Sagi Tribute race at Hagerstown Speedway in northern Maryland attracted a strong field of 43 super late models.  A shower hit the speedway less than two hours before racing was to begin, putting a little extra moisture into the surface.

Feathers turned in the 4th fastest lap in Group 2 qualifying, landing him outside row two to start his heat race.

On the start of the 8-lap race, Feathers took the 3rd spot, but he slid high off turn two slipped back to 4th at the line.  On the fast, locked down surface that was difficult to pass on, he went on to finish 4th in the Larry Royston’s Septic Services, Martins Pumping Service, McFarland Custom Painting & Wall Coverings, North River Farm, Leggett Engine Research, Feathers & Sons Roofing, Hot Rod Septic Treatment, Team Zero Race Cars, Shane McDowell Racing, Coffelt Graphics, Larry Royston Properties, Larry Royston Equipment, Fox Racing Shox, Bo Feathers Racing, Clem’s Garage, No.20.

After making some adjustments during the break, Feathers lined up 14th for the 30-lap main event and settled into a rhythm in the early going.  On lap eight he moved into the 12th spot and started to chip his way toward the top ten.

On lap twelve Feathers cracked the top ten and continued to methodically close on the front-runners.  With seven laps remaining, he wrestled the 7th spot away from Jeff Rine and set his sights on Jason Covert in 6th.  The laps ran out with Feathers in 7th.

“Man, the car was phenomenal tonight.  We needed to time a little better earlier tonight and we would have been right in the thick of it.“, Feathers said.  “It was a good late rally though.  The extra moisture probably worked against us.“

“This car is comfortable, and it responds to what we are doing.  We’ve only got a few races under our belt with it, but we are learning quickly.”

“I’m excited for the rest of our season; we just need to be smart about using the resources we have.  It would really help us compete in some of the bigger shows that are coming up if we could add another partner to the team.  Hopefully we will catch somebody’s eye.“, Feathers added.

Feathers was slightly in disguise in the field of 25 cars that took to Winchester Speedway Saturday night for the Spence Memorial.  That’s because the Winchester native’s super late model was sporting a tribute scheme to honor his great uncle, including the No.91 Spence made famous.

The night started off a bit average for Feathers.  He timed 10th quick overall, then started and finished 3rd in his heat race.  It wasn’t flashy but he was locked into a top ten starting spot and with the main event scheduled for 51 laps, there would be plenty of time to go to the front.

Feathers took the green from outside row five.  After a dozen laps, he was still mired in 10th, treading water so to speak.  

During the middle section of the feature, Feathers made his way into 8th and held that spot for fifteen laps before beginning to gain ground again.  On lap 34, he cracked the top five, then briefly took 4th with fifteen laps remaining before dropping to 5th again.

As the race drew to a close, Feathers got one more shot at Kenny Moreland and wrestled the 4th spot away with three laps to go.  He held on there for the checkered flag.

“It was a good night but my car probably wasn’t as good as where we finished.  We got better as the night went but I think our tire choice, managing my stuff for a longer race and just giving the car what it wanted helped me move forward late in the race.“, Feathers said.  

“We have made some progress but we still aren’t where we need to be.  Good or bad, I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform.  Like most teams, we need to run well to pay our bills.”

Feathers and team were back at it the following night at Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland, trying to shake off the frustrations.

Once again, Feathers came out of the gate competitive, turning in the 7th best lap in Group A qualifying in the Hot Rod Septic Treatment, Larry Royston’s Septic Services, Martins Pumping Service, McFarland Custom Painting & Wall Coverings, North River Farm, Clem’s Garage, Leggett Engine Research, Feathers & Sons Roofing, Coffelt Graphics, Larry Royston Properties, Larry Royston Equipment, Bilstein Shocks, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Bo Feathers Racing, Barry Wright Race Cars, No.20.

The heat race was also a similar story that showed even more promise.  Feathers started 3rd and raced into 2nd in the early going, then set his sights on leader Rick Eckert.

Feathers closed on Eckert multiple times, showing his nose to the veteran.  He couldn’t quite get the run he needed to claim the top spot but the runner-up finish less than a second back was a good sign.

In the 35-lap main event, Feathers started 12th.  He did not get off to a great start, falling to 16th on lap five.  From there he found a rhythm and chipped away and recovering the lost ground.

By lap fourteen Feathers was back up to 12th and a few laps later raced his way into 11th.  The race had run green from the start and when the first caution flag appeared with six laps remaining, Feathers had cracked the top ten.

The ensuing restart is where the night took a turn.  Feathers lost two spot on lap 29, then continued to slide slowly, ending the night 18th at the checkers.

“I don’t know what to say.  We were at least decent until that last restart and then the car was just terrible suddenly.”, Feathers said.  “We have to make some changes.“

The top two finishers from each heat race participated in a redraw to set the first four rows of the main event starting lineup.  Feathers drew the number three pill, putting himself inside row two for the 40-lap finale.

Feathers raced inside the top five for the opening half of the race and was running a solid 5th on lap 25 when the engine went sour and he dropped off the pace.  The good night ended and disappointment moved in abruptly.

“It’s no secret Bedford is not one of my best tracks, so we feel pretty good about timing well and racing really well before the issues.”, Feathers said.  

“There were definitely positives out of Friday night.  The car is getting better.  Now we just have to deal with the engine issue and make sure we can keep going the right direction.  Just stinks we had to miss the rest of the weekend to get regrouped.“

In the feature event, working from his 13th starting spot, Feathers finally got to accomplish some things.  While the car was still not comfortable and didn’t have the balance he was looking for, he went the distance.

It wasn’t pretty, but Feathers brought home a 6th place finish.  In the process he learned some useful things about his car.

“We weren’t great at all but the good news is tonight the car was good enough I could race it.  I got to the checkered flag and I got a good feel for what the car needs to make it more consistent and to make me more comfortable.“,  Feathers said.  “Last week at Port Royal (Speedway) we were so far off I couldn’t do that.  Some nights it’s not worth getting torn up trying to get something out of a car that it can’t give you.“

The team’s plan to compete at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday, April 15th was washed out by rain.

“We’ve only got four races in with this new car and we haven’t seen two similar surfaces yet, so we are still trying to learn what it needs.“, Feathers explained.  “We’ve really only run well one of those nights, so it’s not much fun so far this year.“

Feathers went on to share some insight into himself and the team.

“My car owner, Larry (Royston), doesn’t put any pressure on me.  He’s quiet and lets us work through things.  I put enough pressure on myself for both of us.  I’m working on getting the car right and I’m working on getting myself right too.”, Feathers shared.

“When things are going well and a night starts off bad, I have to keep myself from getting in my own head.  If I get frustrated and expect bad things, then I’m not focusing on the things I should be to help us improve.  I’m constantly working on my decisions and habits behind the wheel too.  Racing and working on this racecar are the only things that will fix our issues so we can perform at the level we know we are capable of.“