We had a good points day at Kansas for the Ford Powerstroke Diesel by International No. 14 truck and got a top-10 finish in ninth. We tried something new. Our team tested in Pocono with Tony Raines driving and tried something new there. It’s just a point where Kevin Starland and the guys on the Circle Bar race team are getting this new package together and it will start showing dividends here pretty quick. We’ve never raced at Pocono before, but it’s a pretty good testing facility. The straightaways and the corners and all that let you try a lot of different elements out of a race.
I think our new teammate and how we’re working together has a lot to do with how well we’ve been running this year. The Maxx Force Diesel by International Ford with Brendan Gaughan driving and crew chief Bryan Berry are turning the corner right now. I think they’re in the top 15 in the points. They actually beat me in Kansas with a sixth-place finish which is good. They’re doing fine. It’s just a good team effort by both teams at Circle Bar Racing with the Nos. 10 and the 14 truck and, other than winning pretty soon, I couldn’t be happier with how things are going.
Adam has been off lately, too. He’s been off from racing and it has allowed him to get his inventory gathered all back together and fixed so he can get ready to go for the Miller Lite Series. His next race is at the end of May on Memorial Day weekend.
I went to the NHRA drag races while we’ve been off. I got to see Ashley Force win in her final round in funny car and that was pretty neat to see that. She’s a nice young lady driving a Ford Mustang and she actually beat her dad in that one. How about that?! It was a good day for John Force Racing and Ford Motor Company. I got to hang out with my friend Cory McClenathan. He was actually number one qualifier that day. I can’t get enough RPM.
They’ll be a lot going on coming up here with our home race at Charlotte. Our race team will be able to sleep in their own beds, and it’s just a good weekend all around for racing and to be in the Craftsman Truck Series – to be the preview for the Sprint All-Star Race. I look forward for things to be exciting on Friday night and I hope the No. 14 or the No. 10 truck will be up front.
There are a lot of people coming by the shop during that week. We give tours daily and if I’m there, I greet the fans. We’re an open arms, Southern-hospitality type of race team and they can look and see how the teams are prepared and how the trucks are built because they’re built Ford tough. We really look forward to it. It’s a pretty neat deal, especially being in the home of where Alan Kulwicki won his championship, in the same building, so that’s another reason a lot of people like to come by and not a whole lot has changed there from those days.
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