Amber Balcaen and the Apex SpeedSports team were in Grand Forks, ND on Friday night for their first ever World of Outlaws event. The Apex team was excitedly nervous about the chance to compete with the elite of sprint car racing, with the likes of Donny Schatz, Steve Kinser, Joey Saldana, and Sammy Swindell in the lineup as usual. Despite wet weather in the days leading up to the event, the crew at River Cities Speedway made the best of a difficult situation and were able to prepare a great track with multiple lanes. Balcaen's first time at qualifying in a big sprint didn't go the way she wanted. "My nerves got the best of me" she admitted. However, she dug deep and with the passion and determination she always shows, posted some great results in the heat and B-main. Balcaen moved up 3 spots in her heat race, finishing just behind Wade Nygaard and Donny Schatz. In the B-Main, she advanced from 17th to 9th, in a run that showed true grit and skill. Unfortunately only the top four advanced to the A-Main. Balcaen still had an opportunity to visit Victory Lane on this Outlaw night, however, as she joined her dad Mike Balcaen, who won the night's Late Model feature. Perhaps a sign of things to come.
- Chris Unrau on Jun 22, 2014
- Article Date: 6/22/2014 by Chris Unrau