First practice saw everyone just getting used to the new track that was built on and inside the half mile dirt oval. Andrew started the Pro Light practice tentatively as he knew there was a second practice that afternoon, slowly getting the truck and himself up to speed on the high speed but tricky track.
Friday qualifying would see Andrew go out in the first group of Pro Light trucks which wasn’t the preferred group as the track was still lacking grip from the necessary track watering so the fans could enjoy the show. When qualifying was over, Andrew would qualify 4th which wasn’t a bad place to be starting for the 20 lap race. Andrew urged the crew back in the pits to review the AiM Sports data logging equipment and it showed that as the track evolved and Andrew got more comfortable, a gear change was needed to get the most speed out of the truck. The Jenkins Brothers crew would make that change before the race.
For the Friday night, round 5 race Andrew got a great start passing 2 trucks in turn 1 and by turn 2 was battling for the lead running 2nd behind only Casey Currie. Eventually MOPAR teammate Samuel Hübinette would pass Andrew through the long turn 1 sweeper putting him back to 3rd as Andrew started to feel the power steering malfunction in the tight hairpins but still working on straights and fast corners. Andrew was cruising to the series mandated competition yellow in 3rd right on the back bumpers of the two leaders. When the race went back green Andrew continued to keep pace and ran the races fastest lap to secure the Traxxas Maxx Lap award but the power steering kept getting worse until with 5 laps remaining, it was totally gone and controlling the truck was getting very difficult.
Then if not all of that was making driving at race speeds difficult enough, a stray rock found just the wrong spot on the last lap in the infield and the throttle stuck wide open and almost spun the truck which gave the always quick RJ Anderson a chance to take the final podium spot. Andrew got the truck back under control and fought hard around the outside of the last corner to beat RJ for the final podium spot by just a fender length.
“What a tough race out there tonight,” remarked Caddell “We probably had the best truck tonight but the power steering issue held us back a little bit. This Jenkins Brothers Racing crew is amazing; they always seem to give me the best truck. I’m ready to go for the win tomorrow night because I know we have a great Traxxas truck to do it!”
Heading into Saturdays race, Andrew felt really good about where they stacked up against the competition the night before and during the Saturday afternoon practice where he was clocked in a close 2nd position right behind his teammate Hübinette and only a tenth of a second back.
The Traxxas TORC series always inverts the start of the 2nd round of the weekend’s events so Andrew would start 4th for the Saturday night race. At the drop of the green flag, Andrew quickly moved into 2nd place and going into turn two would move right to the front of the tough Pro Light field with Currie right on his back bumper. Caddell and Currie were matching lap times and pulling away from the field until on the 5th lap, Hübinette would get bumped going up the face of a jump and roll his truck several times that created a full course caution to make sure he was OK and clear the track.
On the restart Caddell and Currie again began to pull away from the rest of the field with Andrew building a lead over Casey as Andrew's Mopar power and BFGoodrich tires began to show their superiority. Heading into the tight right hander in the infield, Andrew slowed more than normal as he was just cruising until the mandated mid race caution and he hit a large hole in the track and slowly rolled the truck over a full 1 turn and luckily it landed back on its wheels but by the time he got moving again, he was back to 5th place. Then in the next corner, he was helped around to a full spin and dropped all the way to last place! Andrew got back to full focus very quickly and would pass a truck before the competition yellow.
Under the yellow Caddell noticed his mandatory window net had come unhooked so he quickly headed to the hot pit area where the team got the net fixed and he rejoined the event again at the back of the pack with only 10 laps left in the race. On the restart Caddell would pass 3 trucks during first lap and was driving as fast and hard as he could, passing trucks every lap. With only 3 laps remaining, he had driven brilliantly back up to the 2nd position. However, by the time he got into 2nd the leader had been running with no traffic and had built a lead too large for Andrew to erase in such a short time although he did make it close at the end! The comeback would come up just a little bit short but a 2nd place after a flip and a trip to the pits was a very good result.
“Well that’s not how we wanted to finish tonight,” exclaimed Caddell. “I got a great start and was leading by turn 2 and just taking it easy until the yellow because this track can tear up the trucks pretty quickly. I went into that right hander knowing it was a tricky corner and just hooked a rut and went over. I am glad I ended up back on my BF Goodrich tires though and kept going. Turns out you can roll this Traxxas Pro Light truck over and back onto its wheels just like our Traxxas Radio Controlled trucks and just keep on going, pretty cool!”
“Most exciting though is we are tied for the points lead” he continued “which is great for where we started this season. We are heading to my two favorite tracks for the next 5 rounds and I can’t wait to get to Bark River and Crandon.”
Next up for Andrew Caddell, Jenkins Brothers Racing, and the rest of the Traxxas TORC series racers is August 13-14 in Bark River, MI. For more information on the 2011 schedule or to buy tickets, visit the series website at www.torcseries.com
Andrew Caddell thanks all of his 2011 supporters including:
Traxxas - BFGoodrich Tires - AMSOIL - King Racing Shocks - Simpson - SafeRacer – AiM Sports
Please support them!
To contact/follow Andrew Caddell:
- Website: www.andrewcaddell.com - Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Andrew-Caddell/141189415939687
- Email: andrew@andrewcaddell.com - Twitter: www.twitter.com/AndrewCaddell
About Traxxas
Traxxas, The Fastest Name In Radio Control®, is based in Plano, Texas. Traxxas is the leader in hobby-class, radio controlled models, and has been building the world's fastest Ready-To-Race® R/C vehicles for over 24 years. Traxxas models are sold exclusively in Hobby Stores, 4-Wheel Parts, and Pep Boys, or buy online at BuyTraxxas.com
About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Since the hospital was founded in 1962 by Danny Thomas, St. Jude's has made amazing advances in the treatment of pediatric diseases. In 1962, the survival rate for childhood leukemia was less than 5%; today, advances made by St. Jude Children's Hospital have ensured a survival rate of 94%. Other strides include Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (7% survival in 1962; 85% today) and brain tumors (10% in 1962; 85% today). At St. Jude's, no child is turned because of a family's inability to pay, so the support that comes from donations is essential.
To pledge your donation and help Andrew support this great cause, please visit: https://www.traxxas-stjudes.com/ and pledge a one-time donation or pledge an amount based on Andrew's TORC series accomplishments!
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