Johnny finished 2nd for his Best Feature Finish in his Rookie Year at Peterborough Speedway.

August 30, 2008 – Race 17 Report

Peterborough Speedway – The Full Throttle Race Team once again pulled into Peterborough Speedway for another night of racing. It would be a full schedule as the OSSCAR Super Late Models would also be racing which is another fan favorite.

The Full Throttle Race Team was very glad to see that the #33 Paul Pierik and the #15 Rick Cooke who crashed hard the week before showed up to race. We would do a quick check on the car and with Johnny dressed and ready to go it was time for his first testing session.

It became immediately apparent that the #36 Ford was extremely loose and so were the other cars on the track. After the practice, Johnny came off the track and confirmed that the track was very greasy and the car was hard to handle. We talked with several drivers to see if they were also finding the track loose and they agreed it was. We decided to leave the car alone and see if the track would come to us.

During the next session it was still very loose but Johnny was pushing the Coupe hard to see its limits. Finally, in the third session the #36 was hooking up and Johnny was ready for his first Heat. Johnny would pull a high number at the series trailer and would be starting his first Heat in 8th. The car count was the lowest we have seen all year but still we had 16 cars for the night which was decent. This would mean Johnny would start last in the first Heat and would be in the number one spot for his second Heat.

When the pack of eight took the green the #36 would start his charge to the front. As they came into turn 1 Johnny had moved up 2 positions and had a good inside line for the back straight. He would stay on the gas and slide by another car, moving into the top 5 by the time the first lap was complete. Another good pass on lap 3 would move Johnny into 4th and he would drive by another car with four laps in the books. On lap 6 he would make his final pass on the front straight and was now running in second. With the #88 of series point leader Bruce Grimes out front, Johnny would have 3 laps to try and reel him in. The #36 Ford Couple would stay close but could not make the pass for the lead and would finish in 2nd place. This was a fantastic result as he had to pass six cars in 10 laps to cross the line in second.

In the second Heat race, Johnny would be starting from the pole position. He would need to pull away fast as the #88 of Bruce Grimes was hoping to repeat the win from the previous Heat. The #36 would lead the pack around turn 4 and would take the green. Johnny would have a couple of good shifts down the front straight and carried his lead through the first turn. Johnny would lead the first four laps of the race and looked to be pulling away until a caution would slow the field down. This time the #88 was starting in 4th and Johnny would have to be quick to avoid being passed by the point’s leader.

On the restart Johnny once again pulled away but by the time he was around turn 4 he had company on his tail, the green double eights of Bruce Grimes. Johnny would run his line into 1 but with Bruce putting a nose in he would give it up to the faster car. Johnny would follow Bruce on his bumper for the remaining laps waiting for a mistake that never came, another 2nd place finish for the young #36.

This was a great start to the night and with two 2nd place finishes, Johnny would have a good starting position for the feature. The #36 would line up in the 3rd position, behind the #24 Andy Warbutton who was on pole. With the #88 and the #24 out front, Johnny would do his best to stay with the two point’s leaders, but the #77 of Tim Fernandes would be right beside Johnny and have the same ideas.

On the drop of the green, the front four took off and Johnny would hold his position through the first turn. The young Whalen would stay right on the door step of Grimes who was running a very close second through the half way point. The #77 of Fernandes would test the rookie by tapping the bumper cleanly down the straights to see if he would back off and give up the position. Johnny was comfortable and confident running up front and was not about to let that bother him. (Thanks for the lesson Tim).

As the leaders came into lap traffic, Johnny would stay on the high line and would pull tight into turn 3 and would make the pass on the #88, taking over 2nd. Keeping his nerves in check and driving smart Johnny would stay out front of the #88 for 5 laps and would constantly try and put a nose in on the #24 for the lead at each corner. The speedy #88 would find his way past Johnny on lap 18. Johnny would keep it close and with 6 laps to go a spin in corner four would bring out the first caution.

Johnny would restart the race in his original position, which was third but this time he would be behind the #88 of Bruce Grimes. With Warbutton and Fernandes on the outside, Johnny would have to stay on the bumper of Grimes to try and hold onto second spot and not allow the boys on the outside to come in. That is exactly what Johnny did.

On the green he was pushing the #88 down the front straight and the two car train pulled ahead through turns 1 and 2. With four laps to go the front two created a decent gap between the 3rd and 4th place cars. Johnny tried several times to find a path around the #88 for the lead but Bruce was running quick and would be tough to get by. Johnny using his racing sense tucked in behind with one to go and would follow Bruce to the checkered.

An incredible performance by the #36 would give him his highest Feature finish in his rookie year and earn him the second place trophy. Quite an accomplishment for the young driver! The first trophy means a lot, but the biggest thing is knowing that you can run up front and be a contender with the best Legends driver’s in the country.

I will close with my favorite quote”It is the work of the team which determines success!”  Great job by everyone who is part of the Full Throttle Racing Team!