IT IS WHAT IT IS...

A lot has transpired since my last post.  On September 15, Mason won the feature race of the purple plate alcohol class, putting him just one point behind the leader for the championship.  We were scheduled and registered to race in Illinois for the last round of the Burris Thunder Tour on September 22.  When we first began this season, we had our schedule all planned out.  We knew we would miss a few races at Arthur to be able to participate in the Burris Thunder Tour.  We figured out the dates and determined that we would be able to make it to all the Chase races at Arthur for a chance at the championship.  We knew the chances of being in that position would be slim, but there was a chance, nonetheless.  A few weeks ago we were threw a curve ball and Arthur decided that their schedule was not correct and they were in fact racing on September 22.  At the time we found that out, we were disappointed but still planned on going to the tour race.  After Mason won and closed the points up, we were now faced with another choice.  We could go out of state, which costs a ton of money, or we could stay home and see what we could do at Arthur.  Mason was sitting in 5^th place on Tour and 2^nd at Arthur for the purple plate alcohol class.  We were not able to better our program for the tour, therefore, if we did go, we would most likely still be sitting in 5^th position.  A chance at the championship seemed like the better decision.  Staying home would allow us to save money, making being able to get into a newer chassis that much more likely.  We went to the race feeling pretty good as Mason did so well the weekend prior.  Mason struggled a bit and Rick made some adjustments throughout the night.  Mason was to start the race in the rear of the pack.   He left our trailer saying his competitor was faster than him, which he was.  But the only reason he was faster was because he had brand new tires and we didn’t.  A fellow racer was so generous and loaned us a set of right side tires so we were hoping for a bit more speed.  I assured Mason that he had the capabilities to get to the front; he just had to want it.  I told him that we couldn’t predict what might happen out there and that anything was possible.  He just needed to do his best and be ready for the challenge and believe in himself.    I guess I should have believed my own speech a little more, because I for one didn’t have much confidence at that point that Mason would finish in a very good position.  Mason must have taken it to heart though and went out on that track and made his way to the front, from the very last position.  He led 19 of the 20 laps.  With two laps to go, the competitor, that was on his tail the entire race, drove himself off the track.  They called a caution and that kid was sent to the rear of the field.  On the first attempt at a restart, Mason jumped it and they waived the start off.  They made another lap around and that competitor that was running in 2^nd the entire race went from the rear of the pack to right behind Mason.  What I haven’t mentioned up until this point is how rough of a driver this competitor had been all night.  I’m not saying anything bad about him, in fact, I like the kid, however, his driving style leaves a bit to be desired to say the least.  He tends to turn into the other drivers as he is attempting to pass.  Mason has been a victim of this several times throughout the years and last night was no different.  On the last lap, he managed to drive up next to Mason and beat off the side of him to get Mason loose.  This allowed him to get around him and take the checkered flag.  It’s really hard to swallow, even today that Mason lost that race.  When Mason was done racing for the night, he got out of his kart and told us he should have spun that kid out.  We agreed at the time, however, Mason’s choice on the track to not retaliate makes him who he is.  He’s an honest and fair competitor and that’s one thing that no one can ever take away from him.  I am very proud of Rick and Mason for their accomplishments last night.  They alone figured out how to get to the front and made it happen.

We are in the position now to decide if we even want to return to the track for the final race in two weeks.  I’m sure we will leave it up to Mason, as we don’t want to take that away from him.  However, some other things went down last night that have opened our eyes to what and who we are actually dealing with at that track.  For the most part, I have always enjoyed the track and the people there.  It really has been a joy to see these kids grow over the past few years, both physically and with their driving, but there are just some things that are hard to get past.  Looking back, we have really taken a beating on certain things from points being calculated incorrectly, to bad calls, to not being invited to the State banquet that Mason worked so hard to achieve because of a track oversight, to schedules being wrong and rules being changed.

One thing is for certain, however, and that is that next season we will be making changes to our program and focusing most of our energy and attention on the national level.  YWe will be moving on to bigger and better and continuing to get Mason as much experience and recognition as possible.

One more thing, this is MY blog and MY feelings created by ME for MY family and friends.  Thank you!