After what was a trying weekend for some of the Stage 8 drivers in Tucson and Phoenix the gang rebounded for decent runs at Houston and Pike County. They now head off to the World of Outlaws first ever visit to the High Banks of Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN this Saturday night.
Justin Henderson – Dan Dan the Sonic Man/Jolt Energy Gum/Fatheadz.com/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/America’s Best Value Inn’s #D1 Rocket Chassis
Justin’s first ever visit to the ¼ mile at Houston Raceway Park saw the young driver from Sioux Falls, SD time in 16th quick and finish 2nd in his heat qualifying him for yet another dash. He would draw 4th and that would be where he would finish and line up for the feature event. Justin would ride to his 5th top ten finish of the year with a 7th place finish. At Pike County it was a bit rougher of an evening. Drawing a late pill he would qualify 29th his worst effort since leaving Florida. In the 2nd heat Henderson would get caught up in an accident not of his making and have a finish of 7th. On a track that was slicking off and beginning to take rubber he would finish the “B” main in 10th and have to use a provisional. Starting in the 25th spot for the feature he would climb to as high as 15th before the right rear would start to go and he would fade to finish 20th.
“We were good one night and off the next.” Said Henderson. “We had a decent car at Houston just a few mistakes by me in lapped traffic cost us a top 5 finish. Pike County we were just off. In the feature we were not too bad bit the tires just went away. I am looking forward to this weekend at Volunteer. A short very high banked track should be a lot of fun. The good thing is very few of the guys have run here so all of us are pretty much starting at the same point.”
Randy Hannagan – Penthouse Magazine/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/K&N Filters Terry Hannagan Racing #1X Maxim
The Hurricane, Randy Hannagan headed to Houston with optimism as on the old configuration he had a top 10 finish but this was the new HRP track and with a wet slick track to qualify on Hannagan would go out early and time in 24th quick but he would race hard to finish 5th in his heat and transfer to the feature. In the feature the car was just a bit on the tight side but Hannagan would guide it up from the 23rd starting position to a 19th place finish. At Pike County the Hurricane would qualify a bit better in 20th position. In his heat he would finish in 8th and have to run the “B” main to qualify for the feature. Hannagan would finish a strong 2nd in the B and move into the feature. In the feature Hannagan would start 20th and would gain 6 positions to finish in the 14th position.
“Not exactly how we wanted the weekend but this year when you make the feature you have accomplished something.” Said Hannagan. “At both Houston and Pike County the luck of the draw determined how you would qualify and both nights we had no luck in the draw. We made both features and gained a few spots and made progress. Volunteer should be fun and the fans should really enjoy it. A ¼ mile with that much banking will make for some very fast times as well as some dicey racing. On the short tracks though you can pretty much run anywhere and be competitive.”
Chad Kemenah – Hampshire Engines/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/Attica Raceway Park/K&N Filters/Banshee Graphics #3x Maxim
If it wasn’t challenging enough that Chad Kemenah was assembling a brand new race team he was going to be racing at 2 tracks he had never seen before. During the break Chad and his team spent the time building new cars and getting parts. They arrived late at Houston but he made it! Kemenah was another driver bitten at Houston by going out early and he would time in 23rd quick, but in his feature he climbed to 4th from the 6th starting position to advance to the feature. In the feature he would finish 21st which considering what it took to get to Houston is respectable. At Pike County with one race under their belts improvements would show. Kemenah would time in 15th and finish 6th in his heat transferring to the feature. Starting 16th Kemenah would advance to 12th for his best finish of the season.
“Whew what a past couple of weeks.” Said Kemenah. “Putting a new car together, gathering parts and keeping focused, I am just glad we made it. All in all we did ok and made a lot of progress in a very short time. We had our best finish of the season both nights we raced into the feature so we accomplished a lot in a short time. By the time we get to Volunteer we will have things in better order. We are capable of top 10’s each night and the wins will come.”
Dion Hindi – RealTruck.com Auto Accessories/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/Hazardous Sports/ButlerBuilt Professional seating systems #11D J&J Chassis
Hindi has made the last 3 features in a row and was looking to keep that streak alive as he headed to Houston and Pike County. At Houston Hindi would qualify a respectable 18th and finish 5th in his heat transferring to the “A” main. He would start 18th and in a car that was just too tight to stay on the bottom, which was the fast groove Hindi slid back to the 22nd position which is where he would finish. At Pike County qualifying was not so kind to Hindi as he would time in 28th position and be relegated to the back of his heat where he would finish 10th and have to run the “B” where he would finish 9th and have to use a provisional to start the feature. He would make the most of his 26th starting position though and climb 9 spots to finish 17th.
“We are going forward and that is very positive.” Said Hindi. “With all these guys out here this year you have to really be focused night in and night out. We just made the wrong moves at Houston on the car and that set us back a bit for Pike County but by the feature at Pike County we had it fixed. The guys are working real hard and Volunteer Speedway is my kinda track. Short and fast. I just like those kind of tracks and it would be great to come out of there with a top 10.”
Jason Martin – NOS Energy Drink/Fatheadz.com/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/AutoLoader Multi Bit Screwdriver/Speedway Motors #36 Maxim
Jason Martin and the team were looking to get things back on track at Houston and Pike County last weekend and they did just that. At Houston, Martin would qualify 21st which is the best he has in a while but a disappointing 8th place finish in the heat would put the Liberal, KS native in the “B”. Martin and crew would make the necessary changes to the car and he would finish 4th transferring to the feature event. In the feature an equipment problem would regulate Martin to a 24th place finish. Improvements kept coming at Pike County as Martin would qualify a season’s best 17th and finish 5th in his heat transferring to the “A” main. Martin would finish a respectable 16th place at Pike County and gain some confidence to head to Volunteer.
“Yeah it feels good to get back into these features.” Said Martin. “We have been trying a lot of new things and we have finally found what we were looking for. I may not have qualified in the top 10 but anything is better that what we had been doing. This is a momentum builder and now we have some things to be very positive about. I am looking forward to Volunteer, my kinda place short and wide open all night long. I am just going to hang it out there and see how long she holds together. With the guys out here now the edge is the fastest place to be.”
Stage 8 Locking Fasteners, Inc. is a privately held small business based in San Rafael, CA that provides engineered upgrades for the Automotive, Manufacturing and Industrial Markets Worldwide. For more than twenty years our proprietary Active Mechanical Fastener technology known as GrooveLok™ has excited the engineering community with its simplicity and performance.
Jeremy Campbell – R&L Financial Services/America’s Best Value Inn’s/G-Force Racing Gear/Gaerte Engines #10C Maxim
Campbell who has had his share of bad luck this season was making his inaugural visit to Houston and Pike County and was ready to return to action after the 2 week break. He would be bitten by an early draw at Houston where he would qualify 25th and finish 7th in his heat. His luck would not improve much as he would finish 8th in the “B” and have to wait until Pike County to make the feature. At Pike County Campbell would show what he and the team are capable of with a 6th place qualifying effort and a 3rd place finish in his heat. Because of his fast time Campbell qualified for his first dash appearance of the season and would finish 9th where he would start in the feature. For most of the race he would run in the 10th place position until a rubber down race track would bite him with a flat right rear and he would be regulated to a 24th place finish.
“We know where the problems were.” Said Campbell. “Houston we just were way off, we learned from it and showed what we are capable of at Pike County. I really wanted a top 10 and I think we just ran the tire off the thing. Hey this season you gotta run hard each time on the track. It will definitely give us some momentum for Volunteer. Short and fast and last year we nearly had a victory on a very short fast track at Wisconsin so maybe this time we can bring it home in 1st.”
Daryn Pittman – Titan Garages and Car Ports/Hop & Sac Convenience Stores/B&B Oval Parts #21 Maxim
Pittman came very close at Houston to picking up his 2nd win of the season. He would qualify 15th and finish 2nd in his heat which would qualify him for the dash which he would draw the 2nd starting position and finish 2nd. Starting the feature in the 2nd spot he would chase and hound eventual winner Donny Schatz but runner up would be where the Owasso, Oklahoma native would finish. At Pike County, Pittman would qualify 4th and finish 4th in his heat race. With his 4th place time he would qualify for the dash where he would finish in the 5th slot and that is where he would start the feature. Pittman would finish in the 6th place position in the feature at Pike County for his 6th top ten of the season.
“Donny was just a bit better than we were at Houston.” Said Pittman. “Pike County the track was just rubber down and we held our own. We have a win this year and if we can keep running the way we are then there are more to come. Volunteer is going to be a very very fast race track. If it gets rough there will be a lot of passing, it will not be fun passing but there will be passing. The fans are going to see some very stupid fast times set this weekend at Volunteer Speedway this Saturday night. We’ll just go out there and race hard and see if we can pick up that 2nd win of the year.”
Justin Henderson – Dan Dan the Sonic Man/Jolt Energy Gum/Fatheadz.com/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/America’s Best Value Inn’s #D1 Rocket Chassis
Justin’s first ever visit to the ¼ mile at Houston Raceway Park saw the young driver from Sioux Falls, SD time in 16th quick and finish 2nd in his heat qualifying him for yet another dash. He would draw 4th and that would be where he would finish and line up for the feature event. Justin would ride to his 5th top ten finish of the year with a 7th place finish. At Pike County it was a bit rougher of an evening. Drawing a late pill he would qualify 29th his worst effort since leaving Florida. In the 2nd heat Henderson would get caught up in an accident not of his making and have a finish of 7th. On a track that was slicking off and beginning to take rubber he would finish the “B” main in 10th and have to use a provisional. Starting in the 25th spot for the feature he would climb to as high as 15th before the right rear would start to go and he would fade to finish 20th.
“We were good one night and off the next.” Said Henderson. “We had a decent car at Houston just a few mistakes by me in lapped traffic cost us a top 5 finish. Pike County we were just off. In the feature we were not too bad bit the tires just went away. I am looking forward to this weekend at Volunteer. A short very high banked track should be a lot of fun. The good thing is very few of the guys have run here so all of us are pretty much starting at the same point.”
Randy Hannagan – Penthouse Magazine/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/K&N Filters Terry Hannagan Racing #1X Maxim
The Hurricane, Randy Hannagan headed to Houston with optimism as on the old configuration he had a top 10 finish but this was the new HRP track and with a wet slick track to qualify on Hannagan would go out early and time in 24th quick but he would race hard to finish 5th in his heat and transfer to the feature. In the feature the car was just a bit on the tight side but Hannagan would guide it up from the 23rd starting position to a 19th place finish. At Pike County the Hurricane would qualify a bit better in 20th position. In his heat he would finish in 8th and have to run the “B” main to qualify for the feature. Hannagan would finish a strong 2nd in the B and move into the feature. In the feature Hannagan would start 20th and would gain 6 positions to finish in the 14th position.
“Not exactly how we wanted the weekend but this year when you make the feature you have accomplished something.” Said Hannagan. “At both Houston and Pike County the luck of the draw determined how you would qualify and both nights we had no luck in the draw. We made both features and gained a few spots and made progress. Volunteer should be fun and the fans should really enjoy it. A ¼ mile with that much banking will make for some very fast times as well as some dicey racing. On the short tracks though you can pretty much run anywhere and be competitive.”
Chad Kemenah – Hampshire Engines/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/Attica Raceway Park/K&N Filters/Banshee Graphics #3x Maxim
If it wasn’t challenging enough that Chad Kemenah was assembling a brand new race team he was going to be racing at 2 tracks he had never seen before. During the break Chad and his team spent the time building new cars and getting parts. They arrived late at Houston but he made it! Kemenah was another driver bitten at Houston by going out early and he would time in 23rd quick, but in his feature he climbed to 4th from the 6th starting position to advance to the feature. In the feature he would finish 21st which considering what it took to get to Houston is respectable. At Pike County with one race under their belts improvements would show. Kemenah would time in 15th and finish 6th in his heat transferring to the feature. Starting 16th Kemenah would advance to 12th for his best finish of the season.
“Whew what a past couple of weeks.” Said Kemenah. “Putting a new car together, gathering parts and keeping focused, I am just glad we made it. All in all we did ok and made a lot of progress in a very short time. We had our best finish of the season both nights we raced into the feature so we accomplished a lot in a short time. By the time we get to Volunteer we will have things in better order. We are capable of top 10’s each night and the wins will come.”
Dion Hindi – RealTruck.com Auto Accessories/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/Hazardous Sports/ButlerBuilt Professional seating systems #11D J&J Chassis
Hindi has made the last 3 features in a row and was looking to keep that streak alive as he headed to Houston and Pike County. At Houston Hindi would qualify a respectable 18th and finish 5th in his heat transferring to the “A” main. He would start 18th and in a car that was just too tight to stay on the bottom, which was the fast groove Hindi slid back to the 22nd position which is where he would finish. At Pike County qualifying was not so kind to Hindi as he would time in 28th position and be relegated to the back of his heat where he would finish 10th and have to run the “B” where he would finish 9th and have to use a provisional to start the feature. He would make the most of his 26th starting position though and climb 9 spots to finish 17th.
“We are going forward and that is very positive.” Said Hindi. “With all these guys out here this year you have to really be focused night in and night out. We just made the wrong moves at Houston on the car and that set us back a bit for Pike County but by the feature at Pike County we had it fixed. The guys are working real hard and Volunteer Speedway is my kinda track. Short and fast. I just like those kind of tracks and it would be great to come out of there with a top 10.”
Jason Martin – NOS Energy Drink/Fatheadz.com/Stage 8 Locking Fasteners/AutoLoader Multi Bit Screwdriver/Speedway Motors #36 Maxim
Jason Martin and the team were looking to get things back on track at Houston and Pike County last weekend and they did just that. At Houston, Martin would qualify 21st which is the best he has in a while but a disappointing 8th place finish in the heat would put the Liberal, KS native in the “B”. Martin and crew would make the necessary changes to the car and he would finish 4th transferring to the feature event. In the feature an equipment problem would regulate Martin to a 24th place finish. Improvements kept coming at Pike County as Martin would qualify a season’s best 17th and finish 5th in his heat transferring to the “A” main. Martin would finish a respectable 16th place at Pike County and gain some confidence to head to Volunteer.
“Yeah it feels good to get back into these features.” Said Martin. “We have been trying a lot of new things and we have finally found what we were looking for. I may not have qualified in the top 10 but anything is better that what we had been doing. This is a momentum builder and now we have some things to be very positive about. I am looking forward to Volunteer, my kinda place short and wide open all night long. I am just going to hang it out there and see how long she holds together. With the guys out here now the edge is the fastest place to be.”
Stage 8 Locking Fasteners, Inc. is a privately held small business based in San Rafael, CA that provides engineered upgrades for the Automotive, Manufacturing and Industrial Markets Worldwide. For more than twenty years our proprietary Active Mechanical Fastener technology known as GrooveLok™ has excited the engineering community with its simplicity and performance.
Jeremy Campbell – R&L Financial Services/America’s Best Value Inn’s/G-Force Racing Gear/Gaerte Engines #10C Maxim
Campbell who has had his share of bad luck this season was making his inaugural visit to Houston and Pike County and was ready to return to action after the 2 week break. He would be bitten by an early draw at Houston where he would qualify 25th and finish 7th in his heat. His luck would not improve much as he would finish 8th in the “B” and have to wait until Pike County to make the feature. At Pike County Campbell would show what he and the team are capable of with a 6th place qualifying effort and a 3rd place finish in his heat. Because of his fast time Campbell qualified for his first dash appearance of the season and would finish 9th where he would start in the feature. For most of the race he would run in the 10th place position until a rubber down race track would bite him with a flat right rear and he would be regulated to a 24th place finish.
“We know where the problems were.” Said Campbell. “Houston we just were way off, we learned from it and showed what we are capable of at Pike County. I really wanted a top 10 and I think we just ran the tire off the thing. Hey this season you gotta run hard each time on the track. It will definitely give us some momentum for Volunteer. Short and fast and last year we nearly had a victory on a very short fast track at Wisconsin so maybe this time we can bring it home in 1st.”
Daryn Pittman – Titan Garages and Car Ports/Hop & Sac Convenience Stores/B&B Oval Parts #21 Maxim
Pittman came very close at Houston to picking up his 2nd win of the season. He would qualify 15th and finish 2nd in his heat which would qualify him for the dash which he would draw the 2nd starting position and finish 2nd. Starting the feature in the 2nd spot he would chase and hound eventual winner Donny Schatz but runner up would be where the Owasso, Oklahoma native would finish. At Pike County, Pittman would qualify 4th and finish 4th in his heat race. With his 4th place time he would qualify for the dash where he would finish in the 5th slot and that is where he would start the feature. Pittman would finish in the 6th place position in the feature at Pike County for his 6th top ten of the season.
“Donny was just a bit better than we were at Houston.” Said Pittman. “Pike County the track was just rubber down and we held our own. We have a win this year and if we can keep running the way we are then there are more to come. Volunteer is going to be a very very fast race track. If it gets rough there will be a lot of passing, it will not be fun passing but there will be passing. The fans are going to see some very stupid fast times set this weekend at Volunteer Speedway this Saturday night. We’ll just go out there and race hard and see if we can pick up that 2nd win of the year.”
