JS: July Driver Column

I can honestly say that we as a group have been working our tails off to give me a better car and for me to become a better driver. From the outside looking in it would appear that we have not made any progress and we have been junk, based upon the points and our race results. My speed and consistency has been increasing and the car has become more and more to my style of driving. I have had to learn this year to really become mentally tough, which is what a true champion is. I have been involved in some on track incidents which have not been my fault and have had some mechanical failures to not give us the results we deserve. But every time something bad happens I have had to just put it behind me and remember how I was running before the unfortunate event happened, so that I could get focused for the next session.

But on the bright side me as a young rookie driver, my team as a rookie team have been very fast during the bad luck scenarios. Consistently qualifying and running in the top-5 and top-10 we just don’t have the race results to show it. Going into Mid Ohio Group A Racing has made some personnel changes to improve the team and to try and help me and my teammate out going into the season finale to hopefully end the season on a high.

Mid Ohio is one of the many tracks that I have been to so many times to watch my brother race but have not driven it myself yet. The first time I was there I believe I was 6 years old when my brother was racing F2000 and CART was there. I remember it like it was yesterday; it was Bobby “Rahals last ride” and was the race that Michael Andretti who at the time was my favorite driver flipped going down the back straight. The track is a very flowing technical track and I am looking forward to driving it for the first time in my career. I think that my team and I keep doing what we have been doing all year long can really be a threat for two solid podium finishes, we just need to have some good luck fall our way.

But for now I am going to take a break from racing for a week. I will be going to Mexico for a week with my local church doing a mission trip in a village called Chatemal. The village is about 5-6 hours away from Cancun where we will be doing a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the week, spreading the Gospel, feeding the kids, giving them clothes etc.