Back at the Track

June 20, 2009: Following last week's rainout the 40 Crew was eager to get back to action on Saturday in Knoxville. The night started out well with Matt drawing yet another good number for the heat line-up. Clint started on the pole and maintained position to take the checkered flags. Following the heat race, the Crew had its first good draw of the year for the A feature line up placing the 40 in the front row. Clint immediately jumped out to the lead but was unable to pull away from Chad Humston. The two swapped the lead several times in the early stages of the race before Clint finally put some distance on the rookie in lap 10. A yellow came out one lap later and the restart saw another rookie, Jonathon Cornell, lined up behind the 40. Cornell managed to slide in front coming out of turn two. Although Clint was able to hang with him, he was unable to mount a serious charge and took second place. The finish was a little disappointing but overall, the night was a success for the Crew. The point lead grew from 50 points to 135 over runner up Ryan Roberts.

June 6, 2009: After a week off for the Master's Classic the Crew was back at Knoxville hoping to pick up where they had left off. A very fast race track awaited them so a 5th place starting spot in the heat looked to be a tough task. The 40, however, was up to the challenge- Clint finished the heat in 3rd place. The invert for the feature was an eight- with Clint 9th in points, the Crew missed the draw by just one spot. This kind of set the tone for the rest of the night. The start of the A-main found Clint bottled up and in 13th place after just one lap. It was difficult to pass anyone and by the time the checkered flags dropped, the 40 was right back where it started- 9th place. Not a great night, but it certainly could have been worse.

June 5, 2009: Friday was a night of non-wing action for the Crew in Rock Rapids, Iowa. Clint worked from the back of his heat race to finish 2nd. He then started 7th in the A-main and was able to climb to 3rd place on the slick track.

May 29, 2009: The 40 Crew had a little different night at the races on Friday and it came in the way of a new driver. Sammy Swindell climbed behind the wheel of the Midwest Excavating, Parker Engines 40 car for the Masters Classic at Knoxville. What was shaping up to be a barn burner with Gary Wright in the A-feature turned into a runaway when Wright broke halfway into the race. Sammy would go on to win over Kenny Jacobs and Chuck Swenson to claim his first Masters title. It was an honor to all involved with the team to have such a legend behind the wheel and we couldn't have asked for a better finish!

May 24, 2009: Sunday night brought hopes of continuing the winning streak. Clint lined up third in the heat but a difficult track meant very little passing- the 40 passed the finish line in the same position it started. A bit of luck with the draw put the Crew on the front row for the A-main for the second week and Clint quickly jumped into the lead. The 40 found itself battling lap traffic by lap three but Clint was able to slice his way through to maintain a comfortable margin, even with multiple restarts. At the halfway point it looked like the race was in the bag with almost a half lap lead when the right rear exploded entering turn three. Luckily, no other damage was done and no one was hurt. Although it put an end to the evening, everyone was grateful to leave the track relatively intact.

May 23, 2009: The 40 Crew found themselves in Knoxville looking to improve on the previous finishes but found themselves in an early hole after a less than stellar heat race. Clint started fourth and after falling back a bit, eventually got back to his starting position as the checkered flags fell. This left the Crew barely tagging the back of the A-main, starting in the last available spot- 16th. Clint quickly asserted himself, though, passing four cars on the first lap. After a good restart following a yellow in lap seven, the 40 left three more cars in its wake. By the time the Crew passed the finish line, they were running in a solid 3rd- a great finish for starting at the back of the pack!

May 22, 2009: It was off to Rock Rapids for the first time this year for some non-wing 360 action. The 40 ran third in the heat race and was to line up eighth for the main before the rain ended the fun for the night. Overall, a pretty uneventful evening.

May 17, 2009: The 40 Crew made the trek back to Sioux Falls to tackle Huset's once again. Clint took the track 2nd to last for time trials on the already dry, slick surface but was still able to register in at 7th quick. The Crew lined up 4th for the heat and all was going smoothly until disaster nearly struck as Clint almost looped the car coming off turn four and ended up infield. No damage was done to the car but he found himself sitting in 7th place on the restart. Clint immediately changed his line on the ensuing start and powered his way back to 4th for the finish securing the 40 the outside poll position for the A main. As the green flag dropped for the feature, Clint was able to get a jump on fellow front row starter Mark Dobmeier and maintain the lead. From there, it was smooth sailing other than holding off Terry McCarl after several yellows. It is never easy to beat the 24 car and having it following the 40 as the checkered flags dropped makes the first win of the season even sweeter.

May 16, 2009: Saturday found the Crew back in Knoxville putting a new front end in the car after Friday's tangle. At the track, Matt pulled yet another good number for the heat race and Clint held up his end of the deal after starting 4th and taking the win. Although everyone was excited about the win, being the high point car started the 40 further back in the A main. On this night, it meant rolling off the grid 10th. After a great start, Clint had moved to 7th by the end of the first lap but passing slowed for the remainder of the event. With most cars seemingly travelling at the same speed and a lot of two and three wide racing in front of him, Clint sat back and waited for an opportunity that never really materialized. The 40 passed the checkers in a solid 6th place and the Crew maintains their point lead over race winner Ryan Roberts.