(Image: Jessica Ward)
26 Promotions – Show Low, AZ – (August 1, 2018) – Colton Hardy produced his second Non-Wing 360 Sprint Car victory of his career Friday at Show Low Speedway Park while also capturing two top-ten finishes in the Micro Sprint division.
Both Friday and Saturday night’s action kicked off with the Micro Sprints. Running with the wing bolted on Friday night, Hardy ran away with the heat race win from fourth. The result would line him up on the outside of the front row for the start of the feature.
“We started off pretty good, we were decent in the heat, but we weren’t exactly happy with how the motor was running,” he explained. “We changed a few things for the feature and probably led about half the race before getting passed. Then we hooked a rut and spun out sending us to the back. We came back to finish fifth, but we were still off, and I’m surprised we hung on to the lead that long. It gave us something to build on for the next night.”
Running without the wings on Saturday night, Hardy and his Bandit Racing team continued to struggle with motor issues in the heat race, causing him to have to tag the field for the main.
“We just tried to run where guys weren’t,” he said. “The track was really good and really fast which made it harder to get up further than we did. It’s hard to say that if we started in the first few rows, we might have had a car to win.”
Hardy’s weekend in the Micro Sprint ended with a 20th to 6th run for his second top-ten finish of the weekend.
“It’s hard to swallow. We know we have cars that should be racing for the win and the results just weren’t there,” he said. “I know we’ll have the cars tuned up and ready to go for the next outing. We learned some things that will help us when we come back in a month.”
Moving over to the Sprint Car, Friday night saw Hardy pick up the heat race win after starting third and making the pass for the lead coming to the white flag. Hardy would be the night's high point earner, pulling a sixth for his starting spot in the 25-lap feature.
“We got to third fairly quick, and we were just running where the guys in front weren’t,” explained Hardy. “We got to second, and I did everything I could to get around the leader. On a restart with about six to go, I just went for it and got the lead coming off turn two and never looked back. It felt good to pick up the win; it was by far one of the hardest ones I’ve earned. The track was tricky in places and kind of cowboy up. It sucks the car owner wasn’t there, but I’m happy he let us take the car out and play.”
Going for the weekend sweep on Saturday night, Hardy ran second in his heat from sixth, making him the high point earner for the second night in a row and again he’d pull the six for his starting position.
“We got up to fourth and all of a sudden the car kept snapping loose, and we went yellow,” he explained. “I went to slow up and had no brakes. I pulled it into the infield, and it’s hard to say what happened, but something on the left front broke ending our night. It sucks that it happened so early in the race because we believe we had a car that could have won with how the track conditions went.”
Hardy was officially credited with a 15th-place finish to close out his weekend in Show Low.
“I can’t thank Nate and Nikki enough for what they did this weekend. Also can’t thank my mom, dad, and everyone else that helped make sure both cars were ready when I needed to be on the track,” he said. “Hats off to the Show Low Speedway Park crew. It’s always fun to go up there. It’s by far my favorite track in the state, and they gave us an excellent track both nights, and I’m really looking forward to Labor Day.”
Hardy’s next scheduled set of races will be September 1st and 2nd with the ASCS Southwest Region and the Micro Sprints at Show Low Speedway Park.
Colton Hardy would like to thank Diamond Mechanical, A & C Remodeling, Engler Machine and Tools, CSI Shocks by Factor One, Schoenfeld Headers, Marks Bolts, Nuts & Surplus, M & J Trophies and Apparel, Bandit Racing, Borello Race Engines, and Highline Clothing Co. for their support of the Sprint Car.
He would also like to thank A & C Remodeling, Engler Machine and Tools, CSI Shocks by Factor One, Schoenfeld Headers, Marks Bolts, Nuts and Surplus, M & J Trophies and Apparel, Bandit Racing, Diamond Mechanical, Hyper Racing, NPS Race Engines, and Highline Clothing Co. for their support of the Micro Sprint.
Friday Night’s Wing Micro Sprint Results
Heat: 4th -> 1st
Feature: 2nd -> 5th
Friday Night’s NMMRA Results
Heat: 3rd -> 1st
Feature: 6th -> 1st
Saturday Night’s Non-Wing Micro Sprint Results
Heat: 5th -> 7th
Feature: 20th -> 6th
Saturday Night’s NMMRA Results
Heat: 6th -> 2nd
Feature: 6th -> 15th
Links
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/colton_hardy41
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Website: http://www.coltonhardy.com/
Article Credit: 26 Promotions