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12/06/2011 |
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TIM JORDAN WINS VMRS
MOUNTAINSIDE GRAPHIX ROOKIE AWARD
'Part 2'
Jordan Zones in Out of His Comfort Zone
by
Denise DuPont |
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 Tim
Jordan made a big jump from running Late Model stock cars at his home track,
Waterford Speedbowl, to behind the wheel of a modified in the Valenti
Modified Racing Series (VMRS). It was not only his first time in the seat of
a modified car competing, but also the first time that he raced at most of
the tracks. Jordan completed his rookie year eleventh in points. He was the
only competitor eligible for the rookie honor but that did not stop Jordan
on the track as he proved that he could run side by side with the best of
the series. “Looking back at it we have a pretty good year for someone
making a jump from a Late Model to a Tour Type Mod. I do not think that too
many people try that. I do not know if it is a big jump or not. Without SK
Mod experience or local modified experience the cars are a different animal.
I knew going in making that jump it would be tough.”
Jordan never led a lap but his run was strong and consistent. Receiving the
award for his efforts with the series was his reward for daring to get out
of his comfort zone and try something new. “The rookie title is a nice award
and I definitely appreciate it from the series. It is disappointing as a
racer though. You always want to do well. I think that you get hard on
yourself. If you are really competitive you are mad that you do not run
upfront all the time. We were there and we have been the fastest car and we
have been up front. We have not led any laps but we were really close at Lee
(last race of the 2011 season).”
 At
the last race of the season, Jordan was a victim of a racing accident and he
went from running with the leaders to the pits with a trashed car. It was a
disappointing twenty-first place finish for the young driver. “Unfortunately
we ended the year stuff up in there (in an accident at the final race at Lee
while having one of his best runs.) If you look at it the other way though,
we went to the whole season without having a really bad wreck. It is racing
I guess. It is just the risk that you take when you race. It is frustrating
but it was what it was.”
But stealing the smile from his Pasteryak relatives, Jordan smiled as he
reflected on his 2011 accomplishments. “We will get there next year. I think
that if you look back at anybody that has truly been a rookie with no
modified experience we did pretty well. The finishes did not show it all the
time but people knew that we were there and I think that we blended in. I
think that if you asked anybody in the top five in points they would not
have thought Tim Jordan was in the way. They would know that they could race
with me without getting nerfed or having to be afraid of me making mistakes
that most rookies make.”
“It was a good year in some ways but as a racer you always want to do
better.”
Notes from Tim Jordan
Plans for 2012
“Full time VMRS. Win a race and finish top five in points. Hopefully then
you can go back to this little interview and say he held his words. Once
again we are going to win a race if it is the last thing that I do.”
Why did you make the move from a Late Model to a
Touring Series?
“I made the move because you can always go back. I think that every
successful driver, at least at Waterford, went out and did something and
they tried. Phil Rondeau went out and tried the Hooter’s Pro Cup. My uncle
Tom Fox went out and ran a couple of Busch North and Modified Tour races.
Dennis Gada went to Stafford Speedway. I am missing tons of people
obviously. But everybody that has done something has tried something else.”
“I was at a point where my father was Ok with it and I was Ok to do it. We
sold our Late Model and pretty much bought the car (modified) with the money
from the Late Model and from there everything kind of aligned. Plus my
brother-in-law Chris (Pasteryak) has been around the series and he liked
it.”
What is the VMRS racing to you?
“It is weekly racing at different tracks and that is what attracted us to
it. It is a home feeling you have at the tracks. It is running a weekly
series at a home track every race. People know your name and they do not
snub you. The officials do not ignore you. They say “Hi” to you and it make
it is a nice deal. That is another reason why we did it. So if we do not
make it here we can always go back and run Waterford. But we are going to
make it here if it is that last thing that I do!” |
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Source: Denise DuPont
/ TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: December
6, 2011 |
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