March 17th - Weekly Racing Update
Joe Aramendia and Brian Moczygemba ended the night far better off than they felt when the day started. Both were sick with food poisoning. Hubert Bean, Kenny Hurley, Earl Cradoct, and James Aramendia all worked hard to prepare the cars for qualifying while Joe and Brian suffered through the long afternoon.
Joe took the pole position in qualifying with a lap time of 19.16. Brian wasn’t far behind qualifying in 5th position at 19.50.
During the opening ceremonies Brian Moczygemba car #50 received the 2005 Rookie of the Year Award.
After, the not so good luck of, the draw - the top 6 qualifiers drew for starting position. Joe began the first Twin 50’s race in 6th position, third row outside. Brian started in 4th position, second row outside.
In the first NASCAR Late Model feature,
In the meantime Aramendia was working his way through the 13 car field and caught Oates and Barker just before the half-way mark. Aramendia then battled his way around Barker and set sail for Oates, reeling him in with 20 laps remaining. Aramendia tried every trick in the book to get by Oates, who was beginning to show signs that his handling was going away coming off the turns.
Finally, on the 42nd lap, the lead pair made contact coming around the second turn and the resulting spin brought out only the second caution period of the race. Both were sent to the rear of the pack for bringing out the yellow flag.
Barker then inherited the lead and watched in his mirror as Aramendia stormed through the field to finish second.
“My car was getting looser and looser,” Oates said when asked about the spin. “And Joe was right on my bumper. Coming off turn 2 I got a bit too loose and when I corrected Joe was already under me and we hit. It was just one of those racing things.”
Aramendia told pretty much the same story. “I really was just a racing deal,” Aramendia said. “I saw an opportunity to get by Justin but his car shot down into me when he was trying to get his car back under control. It was just plain hard racing. I wanted the spot and he didn’t want to give it up.”
Reininger held on to finish third while Brian Moczygemba of
The lead-lap finishers from the first Twin 50 drew for starting positions in the second. Aramendia pulled the pole with Oates and Barker starting in seventh and eighth respectively. Aramendia clearly had the car to beat in this one and led wire to wire, but not without hearing from Oates late in the race.
Just a few laps into the race Barker pulled to the pits with a broken panhard bar, ending his night. Oates, meanwhile, made a dramatic charge through the field and by lap 10 was in second place followed by Danny Garcia of
The race was slowed by a three caution periods for a spin involving Reininger and Moczygemba, a spin caused when Donnie Horelka of Jourdanton and Farris got together on lap 23 and a final caution when Moczygemba hit the wall in the first turn with only two laps remaining.
On the final restart Oates and Aramendia made solid bumper-to-bumper contact going into turn one. Aramendia got a bit sideways but was able to hang on and was able to fend off the determined Oates to take the checkered flag.
“I probably didn’t go into the first turn as hard as I could have,” Aramendia said after the race. “I was going to let Justin try to pass on the outside if he wanted to, but wanted to protect the bottom. I guess he got into me expecting I would be going in harder than I did. It’s really fun racing Justin. He races hard and clean.”
So the night ended with the whole team feeling great. A pole, a win and a second place finish for Joe. A fourth and sixth place finish for “B”.
Next race is at San Antonio Speedway on Saturday March 25th in the NASCAR Late Model Dodge Weekly Racing Series. See you at the track!
---excerpt from Nick Holt (Texas Speedzone)
