- Location
- Yucaipa, CA
The weather was hot and dry as we prepared ourselves to start the Freedom 250 night race in Barstow, California. The Barstow "B" course is known for its rough terrain and grueling rocks, and on this day, it would live up to it's reputation.
We started side by side, 8th off the line in the right hand lane. We knew that the left lane was smoother so it was a drag race to get there. We pulled the first car off the line and reeled in all the others with the exception of one, by the first road crossing. We were not even to mile 3 when the first problem arose. The car had no top end power and felt like it was running out of fuel. Dan Turner flipped to the back up fuel pump and it improved the performance somewhat. The problem would recur again and again throughout the race. We worked our way through the other classes of cars with Rex Lair in our sights the entire time. We finally came out of the rough area known as College Hills and passed Lair for the lead as we went past Garth Goodell and Bob & Machelle Green at Pit 1.
About 15 miles into the race, Driver Scott Hartman attempted to brake and the pedal went to the floor. There were almost no brakes and we were leading on the roughest course of the season. We kept on course, just ahead of Ray Griffith through the first lap and into the second. Even with a 2 minute stop at Main Pit to diagnose the brake problem, which turned out to be a broken rear brake line. During the second lap, Dan and Scott felt something odd in the front end as they pushed through College Hills and down to Pit 1. The crew found a broken limit strap mount and zip-tied the strap out of the way. While we were stopped, Ray caught and passed us for the lead. We kept Ray in sight the rest of that lap until we pulled into Main Pit. Crew Chief LJ welded a new mount to the frame while the crew serviced the car and performed a driver change. Scott Parker driving and Tandi Hartman co-driving in their first race ever. The pit stop took just over 7 minutes and we were passed by Eric Helgeson while stopped. Scott P. and Tandi dealt with the lack of brakes and stalling car with enough speed to regain second place with over two minutes of cushion on Helgeson.
The fourth lap started great with the Banks Wrangler performing well. Just before pit 1 the car sputtered and died as if it was out of fuel. After a few minutes of looking and sitting it was evident that the problem was not going to fix itself. Garth and Bob left Machelle in the pit to relay on the radio as they went to the car in an attempt to get it running again. They changed fuel filters, checked pumps and relayed back to main that the car was out of fuel. Knowing that was not the case, Main Pit relayed through Machelle to the car that it must be the fuel pickup. They disassembled the fuel cell filler neck and attempted to replace the pickup. The fuel cell pickup line was swollen and cracked allowing air into the fuel system. To compound matters, the AN fitting installed by the factory was cross threaded and galled. With ingenuity and perseverance the crew built a new pickup and installed it through the fill hose to get the car running and off again on the race course.
Scott P. and Tandi were able to bring the car around after some serious problems and finish the race. This race was a test of patience and perseverance for the Dust Junkies and we passed! Sixth place was not what we were looking for, but it was a total team effort to bring in the finish.
Congratulations to Ray Griffith in his win. He is a solid performer and a great competitor. His team is winning because they work hard and have fun doing it.
The Dust Junkies would like to thank our families and teammates who give so unselfishly to this team to make it what it is. We would not be racing without the help of everyone. Thank you to our friends, family and sponsors who allow us the opportunity to race.
We started side by side, 8th off the line in the right hand lane. We knew that the left lane was smoother so it was a drag race to get there. We pulled the first car off the line and reeled in all the others with the exception of one, by the first road crossing. We were not even to mile 3 when the first problem arose. The car had no top end power and felt like it was running out of fuel. Dan Turner flipped to the back up fuel pump and it improved the performance somewhat. The problem would recur again and again throughout the race. We worked our way through the other classes of cars with Rex Lair in our sights the entire time. We finally came out of the rough area known as College Hills and passed Lair for the lead as we went past Garth Goodell and Bob & Machelle Green at Pit 1.
About 15 miles into the race, Driver Scott Hartman attempted to brake and the pedal went to the floor. There were almost no brakes and we were leading on the roughest course of the season. We kept on course, just ahead of Ray Griffith through the first lap and into the second. Even with a 2 minute stop at Main Pit to diagnose the brake problem, which turned out to be a broken rear brake line. During the second lap, Dan and Scott felt something odd in the front end as they pushed through College Hills and down to Pit 1. The crew found a broken limit strap mount and zip-tied the strap out of the way. While we were stopped, Ray caught and passed us for the lead. We kept Ray in sight the rest of that lap until we pulled into Main Pit. Crew Chief LJ welded a new mount to the frame while the crew serviced the car and performed a driver change. Scott Parker driving and Tandi Hartman co-driving in their first race ever. The pit stop took just over 7 minutes and we were passed by Eric Helgeson while stopped. Scott P. and Tandi dealt with the lack of brakes and stalling car with enough speed to regain second place with over two minutes of cushion on Helgeson.
The fourth lap started great with the Banks Wrangler performing well. Just before pit 1 the car sputtered and died as if it was out of fuel. After a few minutes of looking and sitting it was evident that the problem was not going to fix itself. Garth and Bob left Machelle in the pit to relay on the radio as they went to the car in an attempt to get it running again. They changed fuel filters, checked pumps and relayed back to main that the car was out of fuel. Knowing that was not the case, Main Pit relayed through Machelle to the car that it must be the fuel pickup. They disassembled the fuel cell filler neck and attempted to replace the pickup. The fuel cell pickup line was swollen and cracked allowing air into the fuel system. To compound matters, the AN fitting installed by the factory was cross threaded and galled. With ingenuity and perseverance the crew built a new pickup and installed it through the fill hose to get the car running and off again on the race course.
Scott P. and Tandi were able to bring the car around after some serious problems and finish the race. This race was a test of patience and perseverance for the Dust Junkies and we passed! Sixth place was not what we were looking for, but it was a total team effort to bring in the finish.
Congratulations to Ray Griffith in his win. He is a solid performer and a great competitor. His team is winning because they work hard and have fun doing it.
The Dust Junkies would like to thank our families and teammates who give so unselfishly to this team to make it what it is. We would not be racing without the help of everyone. Thank you to our friends, family and sponsors who allow us the opportunity to race.
