SIXTH PLACE FINISH FOR VICTOR AT LAS VEGAS
Going into the race at Vegas the VPR team knew that a top five finish was very important.
Victor sat first in overall points in the series but with only a 2 point margin
over his closest competitor. The evening's race was being filmed in front of the
record breaking crowd for broadcast on the Outdoor Channel later in the year. And
the crowd was not dissappointed. Vegas is a tough track, especially when
the weather is hot and the surface holds the heat. Vapor lock has been a consistant
problem for the VPR team at the toasty venue. It is also the backyard for the
United Nissan Team - the toughest competition in the series. Track experience, which
United Nissan has in abundance, plays a crucial factor in setting up the trucks to run
their best as track temperature and conditions change.
Victor qualified 4th in the pack 22 trucks. Andy Allen set fast time with a
20.042 second lap. He rolled a one on the die so there was no inversion. This
put Victor on the outside row - a disadvatage. But the hard charging Victo made the
best of the situation and managed to not get freightrained back by the inside runners.
He dropped to fifth before finding an opening and diving to the bottom of the
track.
The heat combined with the configuration of the track wore on the tires and they were
fading earlier in the race than anticipated. By the end of the race Victor was
holding strong battling for a better finish against cars that were perhaps suffering less
tire fatigue.
The fifth place finish dropped us to 2 points out of the lead, but with 3 more races
ahead, including Irwindale, the whole team is confident that regaining the top spot will
be possible.
"It has been a great season so far." Said Victor. "We just have to
be consistent, stay on top of setup and keep a positive outlook on each of the remaining
races. Our crew chief, Chuck Lahorgue and the whole team have really been able to
keep my car in top condition so I can run each race at the front. And our sponsors
have given us so much support in a time when sponsorships are getting harder and harder to
come by in our area." Continued the 16 year old driver.
Next stop, Irwindale ! |
