By Scott Dalosio (Concord, NC) — His back is against the wall and fate is staring him in the eye, but if you know Concord, California Sprint Car racer Damion Gardner, odds are on his side and he is going step off that wall and fate is going to turn tail and run for its life. The “Demon” is on a mission to hit 200 MPH tomorrow at the Salt Flats in Bonneville. It will be his last try as Friday is the concluding day of the 65th anniversary of Speed Week.
Things did not go quite as the team planned on Thursday, but the Go Rhino! “Green Demon” team refuses to throw in the towel. As has been the case all week long, they were hard at work in the pits long after 90% of the other teams had left for the night and they only departed when officials told them they had to go!
Things started well for Gardner on Thursday morning when he made his earliest pass of the week. He attacked course #1 and blistered it for a 194 MPH exit speed and an average of 187. The black suited driver said he got up to speed a little too late and noted buffeting on his helmet in the cockpit. He also happily reported there was no glare.
The second round of the day saw him click off a pass with an exit speed of 189 MPH, but it was becoming evident that the salt surface was slowly deteriorating. And, as the case had been all week, the temperature was already on the rise. Gardner returned the car to the back of the line without getting out for his third run of the morning and that one supplied another exit speed of 189 MPH. This time Gardner took the Go Rhino” “Green Demon” back to its pit for some massaging.
The fourth pass started good for Gardner. He looked fast, but the track was slushy in the mile three section and at about 180 MPH, he spun out.
The oppressive heat and the constant work searching for more speed has been wearing on the team. As this day was ending, they were physically and mentally drained, but THEY ARE NOT ABOUT TO GIVE UP. Everyone adjusted their travel plans and there is one more day to go. It is another opportunity and this unwavering collection of fighters will not let it slide by without a battle. They know Friday is a new day and there will be fresh salt to conquer. They are going to do everything humanly possible and then some to get the job done.
It is going to be like being 5-points down in the Super Bowl with 3 seconds to go and the ball on your own 40-yard line. If it was a football game and he was one your team, you would want one player to have the ball. Damion Gardner! He is a winner and he is at his best when the heat is on. On Friday, the heat will be on in more ways than one, but smart money would be on the driver affectionately known as “The Demon” to become the first man to go more than 200 MPH in a sprint car.
To see a Loudpedal Productions video on “The World’s Fastest Sprint Car,” at Bonneville please click on or paste the following link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omkB-79eW3o&feature=c4-overview&list=UUuaxfAugSI-ByjFsyLD0K6g
Go Rhino! has jumped on board this exciting project as a sponsor. For more details on the company and the quality products Go Rhino! produces, please visit the company website at: http://www.gorhino.com/
After earning his class “B” license on Tuesday, Gardner took some time out to talk about the challenges of driving the “World’s Fastest Sprint Car” with Shawn Wood on the Dirt Track Channel. To hear that interview in its entirety, please click on the following link: http://thedirttrackchannel.com/Webcast.html
Tomorrow is going to be another scorcher at the Salt Flats with sunny skies and the mercury headed past 100 again. Light breezes and virtually no humidity will prevail throughout the day.
Watch this space tomorrow for a report on Damion Gardner and the “Green Demon’s” exploits on the Utah salt. You can also check out what it going on in Utah on Instagram and Facebook. On Instagram (http://instagram.com/) simply type in name “surfnsprint” to view photos of the epic endeavor. On Facebook, you can check out the Damion Gardner Fan Page, Steve Watt or Loudpedal Productions for their take on what is happening with the ground breaking effort.
Fans can listen live to the high speed action on the Salt Flats at the following link: http://www.scta-bni.org/Bonneville/SpeedWeek%202013/LiveStream.html
Don’t forget the great new website, http://worldsfastestsprintcar.com/, for copious amounts of photos, news and facts on the driver, the car, the team and the goals.
Gardner’s endeavor will be documented in a made for TV documentary titled “The World’s Fastest Sprint Car.”