Rebounding From Turmoil Sixteen year old Victor Pfluger proved a lot this past weekend. This, the first race after the disconcerting claiming of his motor, proved beyond a doubt that this young gun is definitely a force to be contended with... With a 4th fast qualifying time and a pill draw of 6 the road course expert was starting second row inside. As the flag dropped and turn one loomed ahead the leader Scott Franchimone spun his truck and 2nd place Jim Putnam drove in too hard and slid up the track handing the lead to a vigilant Pfluger. Pfluger led the race for four laps before the veteran Darren Young was able to get around to the lead. Victor hugged Young's bumper for the rest of the race. On the last lap Pfluger made a hard charge and nearly had the win but the wily Young hung low and had the advantage for the checkered. "It could hardly have been better; except for a win, that is" said a proud Pfluger. The truck started out tight, but with the help of crew chief Chuck Lahorgue post qualifying changes put the truck into better shape for the main event. After the race Victor Pfluger was all smiles and said "we really had a good day. The truck was really hooked although we didn't qualify where we wanted to. But everything's all good. The new motor that we put in for the race really pulled strong and we ended up with a second place finish which will help out our points lead and, hopefully, we can keep up this pace for the rest of the year. " The incident of the claimed motor turned out to be a blessing in disguise. "As it turned out, we got a brand new motor which certainly helped us take home second place and even move us ahead further in the championship points standings." said Pfluger. In addition to his fantastic Speed Truck run, Victor pulled double-duty this weekend. The team brought their recently renovated late model to the road course. This was the first attempt to run a car with a four speed transmission in preparation for his hopeful debut in the Grand National West Tour later this season. "With all the work to put the new motor in the truck the team didn't have a lot of time to invest in setting up the Late Model properly for the road course. We had kind of a mix, a hybrid, of circle track and road course parts in the car. However, it proved to be no challenge to Victor." quoted father, Art. Its a tribute to Chuck's ability to build us such versatile cars. Pfluger, who favors road courses, wheeled the late model right past veteran drivers exclusively run only road courses. Crew chief Chuck Larhorgue wasn't concerned about the Victor's abilities but was curious to see how Victor would handle the car. Needless to say,. he was pleased and feels more confident in moving up to the Grand National level. After a hard fought battle in the truck race Victor got out and right into the Late model, he started 19th in the GTSC class. He moved him rapidly through the field. Running some laps 2-3 seconds faster than the leaders. Victor charged into the third spot, and with time enough to challenge the leaders a flat tire ended the day and the car was put in the trailer. Victor had a great time in that car while it lasted. "I want to thank Parker Farms, Maxima Oil, Copperstate Tire and everyone who has
made this possible. Special thanks to Bud Harvey for an awesome transmissions that
takes the beating a road course can dole out." |
