Everything that could go wrong for Josh Schneiderman on Saturday night at 34 Raceway did go wrong! The inaugural event for the FVP National Sprint League was the perfect opportunity for the West Burlington, Iowa driver to make a splash in his hometown. Unfortunately, starting in the heat race, a series of events led him to a DNF at race’s end and the night’s Bell Helmets “Hard Luck Award”. This weekend the Deuce Motorsports #49 team is looking forward to the season opener at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
Things started very well for Josh when he timed in seventh quick. “Over the last few years, that has been our Achilles’ heel,” he says. “Drawing as late as we did (38th out of 40), I was nervous. It worked out well. To be honest, we didn’t really make that great a lap. I made some mistakes. I think the homework we did in the offseason really showed.”
He would line up fifth in his heat, but that’s when the trouble started. “We were really fine in the heat race,” says Josh. “On the original start, we were fourth coming out of turn two before the yellow came out. The second start, I hit the cushion so hard in turn one that it bent a panel in and locked throttle pedal to the floorboard. When I turned back across the racetrack to try and diamond the corner, I could get off the throttle to feather the tires. It just spun into the implement tire from there.”
There was too much damage for Josh to continue. “I couldn’t get the throttle off the floor that quickly,” he says. “When we hit the implement tire, it also bent a right front radius rod. That was kind of lucky actually, because we hit that cushion so hard, that it bent the phalange on the header. It wasn’t making contact with the headers, so that wouldn’t have been good on the motor. It was unfortunate, because we had a great racecar and a good shot at the redraw (top eight).”
Still, he had a shot at starting in row five of the feature if he could finish first or second in the B. “We were decent in the B main car-wise,” says Josh. “The car was smoking early and then caught fire. I knew exactly what it was, because I was watching the gauges. I knew that the oil temperature wasn’t at the appropriate level, so it was spitting oil out at the header. Then the flames came. Usually, that’s a ball of fire, and it quits. But it didn’t. It continued for several laps.”
About the time the fire subsided, another issue arose. “The nose wing collapsed,” says Josh. “I don’t know if that was a result from the heat or something from the B. I just figured we’ve made it this far, we might as well keep going! I was slowly losing spots though. Somehow we made the last transfer spot though. I told the guys when I got in that the top wing might as well have collapsed to.”
After limping home fourth in the B and earning the Speedway Graphics “From the Tail Award”, Josh started 24th in the feature. “We were fairly good in the feature while we were out there,” he says. “The track was really good, and as good as the competition was, it was extremely hard to pass. We decided to fight another day. We’re really excited for Knoxville this Saturday. If we can keep our motor program qualifying like it did last week, we could be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, we’ve gotten rid of the bad luck. It was unfortunate, but that’s life.”
World of Wheels
World of Wheels has proudly been servicing the Des Moines area for over 25 years, selling quality pre-owned vehicles. World of Wheels #1 priority is helping you find the vehicle of your choice. At the World of Wheels location you will find one of the nicest showrooms in town, in addition to a friendly, knowledge sales staff, backed with an exceptional service department. Please visit World of Wheels today for your next vehicle purchase or let them assist you with your automotive service and maintenance needs. Visit their website at www.worldofwheelsonline.com.
Universal Therapy Group
Universal Therapy Group offers comprehensive therapeutic care and support service. They offer a variety of services including; pre and post-surgery rehab, work-related injury prevention and rehab, sports enhancement, and personal training. With locations in Burlington, IA; Chesterfield, MO; Fort Madison, IA; and a new location coming to North Liberty, IA, they are here to help you with your health care needs. Universal Therapy Group has also recently added a new fitness facility, Universal Fitness located in Burlington, IA. Universal Fitness features state of the art training equipment, along with a knowledge staff to help you train properly and efficiently. Visit them today and let them show you how they can assist you with your health care goals. Visit their website at www.universaltherapygroup.com.
Josh on Twitter and Facebook
Be sure to keep up with Josh and the Deuce Motorsports #49 team…
Twitter: @JSRACING49
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jsracing49?fref=ts
Josh’s Weekly Releases
If you’d like to be added to Josh’s e-mail list for weekly releases, e-mail sprntcar@hotmail.com with “Josh” in the Subject Line.
Deuce Motorsports would like to extend thanks to all of their partners for the 2015 Season: World of Wheels, Universal Therapy Group, Universal Fitness, MD Orthopedics, Morning Sun Farm Implement, Kubota, Gear Heads for God, Trinity Archery, Ideal Ready Mix, Ted's Body Shop, Norm's Koestner Electric, Automotive Machine, J&J Auto Racing, Engler Injection, Hoosier Tire, Grand Strand Salon, Haircrafters, Matteson Marine, SignTec, Weld Wheels, Hepfner Race Products, and Mountain Dew Kick Start.
Attached: Josh at 34 Raceway (Rob Kocak Photo)
Bill W Media
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
Monroe, IA USA
- administrator on Apr 17, 2015
- Article Date: 4/15/2015 by Bill Wright