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8/27/2009
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ANDY SEUSS WINS THE TRUE VALUE MODIFIED TOWN FAIR 75
She May Not Be
Veronica But She Can Win
by Denise DuPont |
They say that third time is either the charm or three strikes
and you are out, but on Thursday August 27th Mother Nature cooperated and it
was a spectacular day for racing at Thompson International Speedway. Fans
and race teams alike came to the 5/8ths mile high banked track to enjoy a
night full of racing.
The victor of the caution laden seventy-five lap True Value Modified Series
(TVMRS) race was Andy Seuss. “It was a lot of fun. The way that my day went
I did not see myself here.” The #70 Seuss Race team had issues from the time
they took the car off of the trailer to the lap thirteen caution when the
#70 car was called into the pits to check for a leak. “When we were called
into the infield because we were pushing water I did not think that we would
be out here. These guys are awesome.”
“We struggled with the car all day.” Said young Seuss as his car
went through post race inspection. “We were like twentieth on the speed
chart (practice times) and really could not get the push out of it (the
car). Even in the heat race we were good, but we were not as good as we
wanted to be.”
But things looked brighter after crew chief and father, Steve
Seuss, made adjustments to the car. “Awesome calls by my dad who is the crew
chief. I did not think that it would work. I just thought it was too much of
a change, to be honest with you. But that is why he is the crew chief and
not me. He made an incredible call and that is what put us in victory lane.
I have the best bunch of guys behind me. We made so many changes before the
feature and I just had to focus on what I was going to do in the race. And I
did not have to get my hands too dirty.”
Seuss inherited the lead from front runner Rowan Pennink after
Pennink was given a penalty for jumping the lap thirty-five restart. Pennink
had received previous warnings from the TVMRS officials for jumping on the
restarts.
Pennink did not give up though. He made it from the rear of the pack back to
the front by lap sixty-three. Seuss then found himself running to keep the
lead from challenges by Pennink. “I was really impressed by Pennink’s run
back to the front. Hearing that he was coming, I knew he was going to be
tough. He got to our inside a few times. I am not saying I was going to pull
away; but we had some racing.”
But then on lap sixty-nine the #25 car of Pennink stopped just
before turn three. Seuss then found himself in the lead without Pennink’s
challenge. “I was hoping that we would have come up on top. But we were the
winner no matter what happened so that is good.”
Richard Savary started the TVMRS race on the outside pole after he
won his heat race. He would have liked to add this race to his list of wins
at Thompson but at the end he had to settle for second. “I like this track.
I use to race here all the time a regular in the SKs, Pro Fours and stuff. I
was real comfortable with the track.”
Savary used his experience and past knowledge to develop a strategy
that kept him in the top five during the race. “We had a race strategy just
to ride for fifty laps. Even though I started up front, the guys that wanted
us to go faster. But we were going to let them (other cars) go and try to
set our pace. It seemed like it was working for us. A couple of guys got by
and then they got into trouble.” Andy Seuss and Rowan Pennink were the two
drivers that made their way by Savary on
 their
charge to the front.
Savary’s crew setup the race car to win, but they were a little
off. “We did have a problem with the way that we set up on the car. It took
about four or five laps on a restart for the car to go. I would loose a spot
of fall back and then after four or five laps I would come on and I could
pass cars. The setup was just not setup good for me on that final restart.
If we could have stayed green I think that I would have had a better shot at
passing. The guy in front of me was getting slower or I was getting faster.
But we were still just running there at the end. And that is racing.”
Todd Owen rounded off the top three with a
 podium
finish. He had broken into the top five half way into the race and then
progressed his was up to third at the end.
Coming into this race, Owen was a challenger after he won the
Modified Mania TVMRS race last September. “Our car goes really good here. We
had a good car here last year and actually should have finished third here
but then we won the race. So I will take a third. It is a good finish for
us. The car just seems to like it here.
Young Steve Masse made a charge for the front and swapped the lead
back and forth with Seuss before spinning on lap sixty-one. “It was good
hard racing up front. Andy and I were just banging wheels going for the
lead, anything that any other driver would do. I ended up scrubbing him a
little bit. I cut my wheel right to
 the
inside and caused it to spin around.”
So did Seuss take Masse around as he made a move to pass him or was
lap traffic a factor? “It was just good hard racing. It did not end up like
I had hoped. I love this track and I love racing it. But it did not go as I
planned. I will get him next time.” Masses said after congratulating Andy
Seuss on his win
The TVMRS teams will take a break from racing and will not be back
on the track until the month of October and the Ricky Miller Memorial 100 at
Twin State Speedway.
Notes From Thompson Speedway August 27, 2009
Andy Seuss
Was this the first time out for the red # 70 car?
“This is the second time out with this car. The first time was at
Loudon (NHMS June race). We brought it here three times. For the two True
Value rain outs and the one Whelen rained out races. We finally got to run
it.”
The #70 Seuss Race Team has been struggling to find the right
combination to break into the front since the Mod Mania race in 2007 brought
their forward momentum to an abrupt halt. The familiar white and blue #70
hit the unforgiving first turn wall and was put back into the trailer in
pieces. “It has been a long time since we won with our old car and
unfortunately she (Veronica the old #70 car) is no longer with us. It is
good to get into victory lane with a new car.”
“Kevin Stuart and Lyle Patterson really stepped up to the plate and
bought a new car that following week after I wrecked it (Veronica the old
car). So it is special to come back here and win with those two guys.
Veronica was really good to me. We won a lot of races with her and we have
not had a car quite like her. Basically this is the next win since that so
it means a lot to me.”
“Kevin Stuart gives me the best equipment and I cannot thank him
enough. Thanks also to Manchester Urology, Rockingham Boat, Stuart
Automotive and everyone who has made this happen. It takes a lot to get to
these races and I just cannot thank these guys enough.”
“I also have to take my hat off to my dad for making that call at
the last minute. We did not agree on it, but he was right. Let him be right
all the time. These guys worked their tails off on the car. Changing more
things then I have time to talk about.”
What do you think about the TVMRS officials call with Rowan
Pennink?
“I thought he jumped it and what the guys were telling me is that he wasn’t
going to jump it because they already were warning him. So the warning was
out there. The True Value guys are strict so I am not surprised. The fact
that I did beat him down into turn one, kind of made it different and I
thought they would just go with it. But apparently they were not happy with
him from earlier on and that start.”
Richard Savary
“I like the True Value (Series). I would like to run more races. I
probably will.”
What was Savary’s thoughts after the TVMRS race had finished?
“When I went into turn one on the restart and I think I forgot to
lift and I got way up into the marbles and I lost about eight spots. It was
all driver error. It was me trying to go to hard and the yellow came out and
I go my spot back. That was a huge break for us. It I had to race up I would
have used up a lot of car. So that was a huge break to get put back. Then we
just stayed there and got back my spot because the caution came out. We
refocused and got back into our rhythm and let the race kind of come to us.
There were a few other cars other then the #25 that were faster than we
were, but you still have to race until the finish. So the race ran to our
strategy. The race ran to our strength. I just wish that we were one
position better ahead.”
Todd Owen
“I love this place (Thompson) and this car. It is awesome. “
Will the #29 team and Todd Owen run any more TVMRS races?
“I am not sure, maybe the Lee race I would love to do Twin State
but it is the same weekend of the Fall Final.”
“This is the old gang here, the old Riverside (Park Speedway) crew.
You can only do so many races, that was why we did not do Waterford. They
(#29 crew) had come here for the rainout and they did not want to change it
(the car) back over for Waterford.”
Todd Owen competes weekly in the SK Modified division at
Stafford Speedway. What are his thoughts on driving an SK car versus the
TVMRS car?
“These things (cars) with the motors in them are just a blast. They
actually have power enough in them enough that you can let off the gas and
get back on it without loosing a spot. With the SKs the problem is that
everybody is so close. You cannot lift and I think that is why there is so
much wreckage because if you lift you loose so much spots, there is only so
much room. These things are the same as a tour car. I would love to get a
chance to do that (Whelen Tour) but I will just do this for now.”
The seventy-five laps race at Thompson International Speedway
had many cautions. The leaders thoughts on why there were so many cautions?
Andy Seuss
“That is probably because of a lack of experience here (Thompson
Speedway) for a lot of the guys, myself included. I don’t run here weekly.
You’ve expect guys like Jimmy (Blewett), (Steve) Masse and (Rowan) Pennink
to come to the front. We really thought they were going to come to the front
because of their experience here. It is the fastest place that we go to. It
does chew up the tires. Just stuff like that makes it tough for a lot of
people but in the same aspect for guys like me we need experience here to
try and be better on the Whelen tour. It is a learning series and it is a
stepping stone and it worked out great for me learning how to drive on the
track.”
“Not to pick on anybody, but the people that normally go home are
not up to par yet. It is fortunate that a race like this allows you to get
more experience at the track and allows pit crews to work on their cars. But
at the same token you have those people who would have went home on the
track which that is what the series is about. “
Richard Savary
“There were so many cautions.”
Todd Owen
“There are guys that do not have any experience here. This is a
whole different racing thing going. I will be honest with you when I go to
Monadnock I do not look half as good as those guys there. You have to be on
your game here. You have to be on top of your game. It is a whole different
experience. Malave and I, we even have run at Stafford. It is a big track
which gives us experience over these guys here.”
Rowan Pennink ran out of gas when he was challenging for the
lead. Were there gas issues?
Andy Seuss
“We started talking about that real early on. We started putting it
(the car) under high gear under caution and stuff like that. I do not know
how much is left in that car to be honest with you. Actually it (the car)
would not fire under the flag stand. I do not know if it was fuel or not but
sometimes they do that with the ignition when it heats up it will not fire
if you cut it out so. Something made it not fire. I do not know if it was
fuel or not, but it (the car) got a push back to tech.”
Richard Savary
“We talked about it (gas), thinking that we might run out of gas as
well. We have raced here enough. We know what gas that you need, we allowed
a little extra. There were so many yellows at the beginning of that race
that we thought that we could possibly run out of gas as well.”
Todd Owen
“No we filled it. We had run out of gas at Waterford before and I
said we are not doing that today. So we will filled it right up even though
it might make it a little heavy but there were a lot of cautions out there.”
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Source: Denise DuPont
/ True Value Modified Racing Series
Posted: August
31, 2009 |
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