HBR Racing Recap 8/15/18

HBR Racing Recap 8/15/18

Story By: Mandee Pauch/MPR

Photos By: Mike Johnson/RacersGuide.com

Mandee Pauch Relations – August 15, 2018 – The Heinke Baldwin race team registered one victory and eight top-ten finishes this past week in a span of four races at four different tracks.

The HBR team kicked the four-day race week off early on Monday in Ontario at Merrittville Speedway with the Super DIRTcar Series.

Phelps finished where he started in his heat race, sixth.

“We didn’t seem to fire enough off the truck,” he said. “We had a tough group, so we paid the price. Passing wasn’t the easiest thing so we settled for sixth.”

Phelps rolled off on the inside of the ninth row for the main event.

“We made the correct changes for the feature,” Phelps said. “We were pretty competitive. We got up to ninth, and at that track, position is really big. There were a few mistakes from a couple guys in front of me and we got them. It’s a tough track for a big block to navigate. It’s one of those deals where you go in there with an open mind because the big blocks tend to struggle there.”

Phelps clawed his way through the field to close out the night with a ninth-place finish.

McLaughlin was fast right off the trailer on Monday by timing fastest overall, which lined him up on the pole of his heat race. McLaughlin went on to drive away with the heat race victory.

By luck of the draw, McLaughlin rolled off on the inside of the third row for the 100-lap main event.

“We kind of ran fifth most of the race,” he said. “The small block modifieds got really good at the end. We couldn’t really put the power down. We were good, we were the third highest finishing big block, but the small block cars had such an advantage when it got really slick.”

McLaughlin closed out the evening with a seventh-place finish.

The HBR team then crossed back over the border on Tuesday to compete at Ransomville Speedway.

Phelps won his heat from his second-place starting spot, which placed him into the top-12 redraw.

Phelps rolled off on the inside of the third row for the 100-lap main event.

“We ran the top five most of the night,” added Phelps. “It seemed like once the top five strung out we only got to trade spots back and forth on restarts. I thought we had a pretty solid night going for us. We ended up with a legit shot at third. After a restart we got stuck on the bottom and had to settle for fourth. The two leaders had us covered. When you go into a track where you struggle at and come out with a top five, you’re pretty satisfied.”

Phelps rounded out the night with a fourth-place finish.

McLaughlin started on the pole of his heat and finished second.
McLaughlin then rolled off on the inside of the fifth row for the 100-lap main event.

“We got tangled up in a wreck early and came in for repairs,” added McLaughlin. “To rebound with a seventh was pretty good considering what happened. Track position was important at the end of the race. It was more of a survival thing really. We had some difficulties and missed the set up a little so weren’t that strong at the start of the night but we rebounded and came home seventh.”

Friday night had the team back at Brewerton Speedway.

Friday evening the no.98h team went to Brewerton with a different shock package this week.

Phelps started last in his heat and won it, which lead them to believe their new package was the golden ticket.

“We strayed off the beaten path a little setup wise,” noted Phelps. “We won the heat pretty convincingly, so we stuck with that for the feature. We didn’t have the same feel I’ve had the last month or two there though. My charge kind of died once we got up to third and fourth. We kind of gambled a little on the setup. We thought we learned something but weren’t as good as we needed to be. We aren’t disappointed though. We’ve been good there. I feel like we can’t quit searching.”

After starting deep in the pack Phelps was able to drive his no.98h machine to a solid fourth-place finish.

McLaughlin maneuvered his way through the heat race to finish third from his last place starting spot.

McLaughlin started on the inside of the seventh row for the main event.

“We got to third, and a caution came out,” McLaughlin noted. “I got to second the restart then another caution came out. I got to the outside of Larry Wight on the final restart and was able to hold him off for the win.”

McLaughlin’s Friday night win was his second victory of the season at Brewerton Speedway, which now has him in a close third in the points chase at the d-shaped demon.

Saturday had the team back at Land of Legends Raceway.

Phelps rolled off tenth and made his way up to a fifth-place finish in his heat race, which lined him up on the inside of the eighth row for the main event.

“Sometimes all it takes are those couple extra laps to clear a guy,” he said. “The other guys back there with you clear cars quicker and you miss the bus. I thought our car was super fast. I don’t think our car could have been any better but unfortunately, we didn’t have any yellows. There’s a handful of guys that are right on the money there, so you have to beat them there or stay with them. If they get any gaps on you, it’s hard to make up.”

Phelps went on to collect his third fourth-place finish of the week.

McLaughlin started tenth in his heat race and clicked off a few cars to cross the line in sixth.

McLaughlin rolled off on the inside of the seventh row for the main event.

“We had no cautions, so it was another track position deal,” he said. “We were really good but didn’t have the cautions we needed to fall our way. We had a pretty good car but not having any cautions makes it tough to beat those guys starting from the back.”

McLaughlin capped off the weekend with a sixth-place finish in the no.6h machine.

The team was scheduled to compete at Fonda Speedway with the Super DIRTcar Series on Monday but due to mother nature the race was canceled.

The Super DIRTcar Series will now be on a two week break until they head to Lebanon Valley Speedway at the end of the month. This weekend the HBR team will be back at their home tracks – Brewerton Speedway on Friday and Land of Legends Raceway on Saturday.

HBR QUICK RESULTS –

Jimmy Phelps
August 6 – Merrittville Speedway; Heat: 6 (6); Feature: 9 (17)
August 7 – Ransomville Speedway; Heat: 1 (2); Feature: 4 (5)
August 10 – Brewerton Speedway; Heat: 1 (8); Feature: 4 (15)
August 11 – Land of Legends Raceway; Heat: 5 (10); Feature: 4 (15)

Max McLaughlin
August 6 – Merrittville Speedway; Heat: 1 (1); Feature: 7 (5)
August 7 – Ransomville Speedway; Heat: 2 (1); Feature: 7 (9)
August 10 – Brewerton Speedway; Heat: 3 (8); Feature: 1 (13)
August 11 – Land of Legends Raceway; Heat: 6 (10); Feature: 6 (13)

HBR SEASON STATS –

Jimmy Phelps
44races– 4 wins, 26 top 5’s, 33 top 10’s

Max McLaughlin
43races– 3 wins, 16 top 5’s, 33 top 10’s

UP NEXT –
August 17 – Brewerton Speedway
August 18 – Land of Legends Raceway