|
Phelps Overcomes Difficulties to Score Top-10 at Fulton Speedway
 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 14, 2010) - Heinke-Baldwin Racing (HBR) driver Jimmy Phelps finished 10th in the VP Racing Fuels Spring Fever 100 Super DIRTcar Series event at Fulton Speedway on Saturday night.
Phelps had an eventful night at the Fulton, N.Y. track, experiencing both highs and lows. The weekend got off to a rocky start for Phelps during qualifying, as the nose of his No. 98H dug into the track sending the veteran driver's car onto two wheels.
"The car almost flipped over," the Baldwinsville, N.Y. native explained. "It went up on its side, but then it came crashing down. That kind of knocked the car out of whack."
Phelps was able to overcome his qualifying troubles and finish his time trial in the fourth position, which put the No. 98H Wave Energy Drink car in the front for his heat race.
Following time trials, the No. 98H HBR team did their best to rebuild the car in the pits at Fulton Speedway. Faced with a lack of supplies or a flat surface to work on and a limited amount of time, the HBR team had their work cut out for them. Nonetheless, the team was able to rebuild the car well enough that Phelps went on to win his heat race.
Phelps began the feature event in fourth position and quickly began moving his way forward. On lap 12, Phelps passed the No. 29B to take the lead, and within a few laps, he had a comfortable lead over the rest of the pack.
Near the 30-lap mark, Phelps ran into trouble while in the lead. "We were in heavy lap traffic, and I got shoved up over the cushion of the track," the driver stated. "A hunk of mud got wedged into the right-rear wheel, which caused the wheel to start vibrating really bad."
Phelps was able to hold on to the lead for the next 10 laps but was passed by eventual race winner Dale Planck on lap 40. Phelps hoped the piece of clay would come loose, but The No. 98H Wave Energy Drink team set a plan to come in to pit once it became clear that the piece of mud was not going to work itself loose. However, there was no opportunity to pit late in the race, as the last caution flag waved on lap 60.
Phelps continued to race, making the best of the situation. He went on to finish 10th in the 100-lap event.
"As the track started to get slicker, the wheel started to hop so badly that it was hard to keep from spinning," Phelps explained. "It got to the point where we were really far off from the beginning of the race, which took us out of contention. It was really disappointing because we had such a fast car. We had the lead, and we had a really good deal going."
Phelps and the No. 98H Wave Energy Drink team will next race at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on May 30, 2010. In the meantime, Phelps will keep busy racing for his family-owned team, Phelps Motorsports, during the Super DIRTcar Series schedule break.
About Heinke-Baldwin Racing
Heinke-Baldwin Racing was formed in 2009 by H&H Motorsports owner Al Heinke and Tommy Baldwin Racing owner Tommy Baldwin. Both Baldwin and Heinke grew up racing in New England and saw an opportunity to work together to help young drivers pursue their dreams to race.
In 2010, the team's freshman year, HBR is fielding the No. 98H for driver Jimmy Phelps in the Super DIRTcar Series, with sponsorship from Wave Energy Drink. They will also be fielding the No. 98 for driver Erick Rudolph in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, with additional sponsorship from Pizza Logs, Brigham Concrete and PrimeTyme Motorsports.
|
