June 5th was the sixth race of the season at Barona Speedway and the first with our new sponsor Bulky Boy Clothing. Of course, our longtime sponsor/partner Griffin’s Automotive was also displayed on the car. http://www.griffinsautorepair.com/
Let’s start with…boy, was it hot! What made life a little easier was the season debut of our teamate Phil Confer in the # 7 Bob’s Carbs/Towizard Pro Dwarf.
For the heat races, the track was dry, hard and dusty offering almost no grip. This created a slippery surface that had a couple of areas that were very rutted and proposed a driving challenge. In the first heat race for the Sportsman Dwarfs six cars began the race, only three cars survived the carnage. The other three cars broke parts hitting the rutted spots. The track management brought out the grading equipment to take some of the larger ruts off before the second heat race, which was the race we were running.
Razz started on the inside pole for the heat race and held his own for the first few laps. He was “freight trained” when the 11X car almost spun out in front of him. We went back to our pits, put the car on the scales, adjusted the weight ratios, and adjusted the tire pressures before the feature race. Thanks to Gary Richardson and Phil Confer and crew for helping out with these adjustments.
The Sportman Dwarfs were the “Featured Main” race this week. The tradition for this race is for the cars to pull out onto the front stretch and park while each driver is introduced. Razz was on the outside pole, perfectly visable to the fans in the stands. The cheers were great while he was introduced.
All that work in the pits paid off. Razz beat the inside car off the line and led the first lap. He stayed out in front and was gaining a long lead when the 11X driven by John Henry hit the wall very hard in turn 1. The race was red flagged for almost an hour while waiting for more emergency responders from the Barona Fire Dept to arrive and transport John to the hospital. (John we hope you’re okay.)
Once the track was cleared, it very quickly went back to green flag racing. Razz Barlow once again got a good lead. He was briefly challenged by the 52 of Sheldon Creed, but Razz wrestled the lead back. We had another yellow, when the 3E hit the wall between turns 3 and 4. Then we were off again. Razz lost grip on the restart and the car became very loose. He was passed by two cars and then got shuffled back further in line. He gathered the car back up and was gaining on the leaders, but unfortunately, it was time for the checkered flag. Final outcome: Razz Barlow III led 18 out of 20 laps and finished 5th. It was great seeing the flame paint job on the #2 out in front!
We really enjoyed having Bulky Boy with us for this race. Razz proudly wore his Bulky Boy Garage shirts throughout the pits. Bulky Boy Clothing is a unique, new apparel company with a unique attitude. They specialize in clothing for….well, bulky boys. They offer large clothing with distinctive attitude and style. They offer board shorts, Ts, polo shirts, baseball hats, hoodies and other accessories. Please check them out at http://www.bulkyboy.com/ .
On Saturday, June 12th, Razz and Phil Confer will have their cars on display at Totally Motorsports Racing Collectibles at 9937 Main Ave in Lakeside between 8am and 12 Noon. Come out and see the cars, meet the drivers and get some autographs!
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