(Bill W) – June 18, 2009 – Kaley Gharst drove from 17th to 9th in last Saturday’s Midwest All Star Series (MASS) show at the Vermilion County Fairgrounds in Danville, Illinois, but he didn’t see much of it. With a motor change consuming he and his father’s night, there was not much time for the little details like tear-offs. This weekend, Kaley will hit at least a pair of Ohio Speedweek shows in the Webb #51.
Tear-offs are a necessity when things are tacky, and that was the case on Saturday. “We knew it would be a heavy night,” says Kaley. “It rained about 45 minutes before the drivers’ meeting. The track was heavy all night long.”
If the Decatur, Illinois driver had known what was ahead, he would have spent the time changing motors instead of watching the rain. After qualifying 8th quick, a DNS in his heat race sent him to the back of the feature. “We lost oil pressure in practice, and we cut the oil filter open,” he says. “Nothing was in there, so we decided to put a new oil pressure gauge and qualify on it. The pressure was fine, but the motor was missing. We decided to go ahead and change the motor, so we missed our heat.”
Slated to start at the tail of the main event, the motor was changed just in time. “We were so busy with the motor, that I forgot to put my tear-offs on,” he admits. “I couldn’t see anything out there…I was too busy wiping my shield off to really drive like the car I had to.”
That wasn’t the only problem. “We didn’t really have time to change anything for the feature either,” says Kaley. “The car wasn’t very good, but we managed to pass a few of them. At least we kept the car together, and everything stayed together.”
Still, a drive from 17th to 9th on a fast track is nothing to sneeze at. “In the feature, the track developed a cushion, and you could run anywhere you wanted to,” he says. “It was definitely heavy. It was not a track you wanted to go out without tear-offs, that’s for sure.”
Missing out on the heat, and his feature finish cost Kaley the MASS series lead to Bill Rose. The series picks up again on June 27 at the Charleston Speedway in Charleston, Illinois. This weekend, Kaley will tow to Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio and Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio for two legs of Ohio Speedweek on Saturday and Sunday. “We had planned to run the whole deal (Speedweek), but with the one motor, it would be tough,” he says. “If we win a race or two, we may keep going. Who knows?”
Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!
If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net.
Kaley and car owner Randy Plath would like to thank Sebastian Powder Coating and Sandblasting, Scott Performance, Holtkamp's truck and trailer repair, Rockstar Graphics and all of their sponsors.
Photo By: Dennis Krieger Imagery
- Bill Wright on Jun 19, 2009
- Article Date: 6/19/2009