Track Schedules

GRIMES, IA (August 11) – Brett Moffitt, the rookie Late Model driver from Grimes, IA, put together another top ten run, finishing ninth, during the ASA Late Model Challenge Series – Thompson Metals 200, hosted by the Bristol Motor Speedway. Moffitt celebrated his sixteenth birthday last Thursday by competing, for his first time, at the coliseum of motor sports nicknamed “Thunder Valley” this past weekend.

Moffitt and the 5K Motorsports team hit the track on Friday for practice only to find, the same as every other team, that the tire change for the 2008 event would make 2007’s notes and setups useless. ASALMS officials chose the Hoosier radial treaded tire for this year’s event, rather than the bias tread tire used last year at Bristol. Most of Friday’s practice and a good part of the Saturday practice were used to make new adjustments to the #13 Chevrolet Impala SS. Like all of the other teams, the 5K team would also have to deal with a tire compound that was a mismatch for the concrete surface of the 30 degree banked Bristol speed plant. Tires and their lack of wear was a consistent theme throughout the weekend, as many competitors experienced severe, premature wear and blistering on right side tires, as well as left rear tires.

Thirty-one cars qualified for Saturday night’s 200 lap event, with all thirty-one starting the show. With a completely new set up on the car, Moffitt made his qualifying run. Moffitt’s time of 15.612 seconds calculates to an average lap speed of 122.905 mph and would put him in the twentieth starting spot based on speed. At the end of qualifying, there was only a .465 second difference between the top qualifier and Moffitt’s 20th place time; however, qualifying and tires did not mix well for some drivers, including quick time qualifier Justin Larson. Six cars would crash during their qualifying runs, two of them requiring back up cars to start the race, including Larson. A little luck came Moffitt’s way when four of the cars that had qualified in front of the youngster were moved to the rear of the field, due to the work that had been done to repair them, and two drivers were forced to bring out back up cars. ASA Late Model Challenge series events are impound events where cars are sent to an impound area after qualifying, leaving the teams unable to make any repairs or changes to the cars before the start of the race.

Moffitt started the first of two 100 lap segments from outside the eighth row and would begin a drive to the front. Running in 12th place, and with the halfway break soon approaching, Moffitt, like most of the competitors, appeared to be settled in and holding his position, just waiting for a new set of tires. But, on lap 92 the right rear would go completely away on the #13 car, resulting in a spin. Moffitt was able to avoid contact with the wall and the other cars, and after a quick pit stop for tires, was able to restart and race from the rear of the field and was back to 18th place before the break after lap 100. Some adjusting to the car and another new set of tires would prepare Moffitt for the restart. On the restart, Moffitt again began working toward the front, but would be a victim of circumstances when a group of the front runners got together in turn four, forcing Moffitt to come to a halt in order to prevent contact. Concerned that his tires had been flat spotted, Moffitt would be called to pit road for a new set, again forcing him to join the rear of the field for the restart. For the next eighty-one laps Moffitt raced with that cool demeanor and mature driving style most would expect from a seasoned driver, not a rookie driver competing for his first time at Bristol. Lap 185 the yellow flag waved for what would be the last caution of the night. Fifteen laps later when the checkered flag flew, Brett Moffitt’s results were incredible. Keeping the fenders on his car and fighting back from tail of the field restarts, Moffitt was scored as the highest finishing rookie in ninth place, adding another top ten finish to his first year, asphalt racing resume. When asked how he felt at the end of the race, Moffitt commented, “The car was really good on new tires but, they went away so quickly. The track would just eat up tires in no time and the car would become a handful to drive.” And Moffitt was right; a post race inspection of his Hoosiers would find that each of the tires at the end of the race, except the left front, were badly blistered and most of the footprint had exposed cords.

Next up for Moffitt and the 5K motorsports team will be the Dixie 100, held at the Dixie Motor Speedway located in Burch Run, MI. This event, scheduled for Friday night, August 15th, will be the team’s return to ASA Late Model North Series action, where Moffitt currently sits in third place overall in the point standings and also leads the hunt for the ASA Late Model Series North, “Rookie of the Year” award. Following Burch Run, Moffitt and crew will head to Milwaukee where driver and crew will be very busy, competing three times in two days, with the ASA Late Model Challenge Series, North Series and the Midwest Tour Series on the famed Milwaukee Mile. Race dates for the Milwaukee events are Friday and Saturday, August 22nd & 23rd.

For more information about Brett Moffitt and for updates on his racing career, log on to his web site at: www.brettmoffitt.com