Looking for a Strong Finish at CASC Race

Spirits were high heading into the first race of the weekend. Hey, even a bad day at the track is better than a good day at work (or school) anytime! Drivers feel like stars with strangers asking racing questions, and little kids wanting to sit in the race car.

With a new 1200 cc engine in the back of the No. 12, Daniel was stoked. He even won a $50 gas card in the lunchtime raffle, which he presented to his father Chris, so there would even be enough duel to get home. Cool!

Race 1 was a challenge. Right from the wave of the green flag, Daniel would have to make up positions from a less than stellar qualifying. And with so much attention paid to the smoking brakes, the engine and carburetor remained an unknown quantity. A work in progress.

Demaras made some aggressive moves early on, before the field strung out a little. The car was strong in the draft, but as the laps wore on, top end speed was still missing. Bill Vallis pointed out later in the weekend that the car had about three solid laps in it before something started to slow it down. Whether it was a dragging brake or a worn bearing, it was never determined. This was the last race weekend before the off-season rebuild.

Knowing full-well that the car might not hang with the leaders for the entire race, Daniel employed an aggressive strategy for Race 2 on Sunday morning. Makes passes on the outside and inside while everyone was coming to grips with track conditions, and take the lead.

What an exciting run! From his P4 starting spot Demaras took Abrams on the outside of Turn 1, the Murray on the inside of Turn 2, and finally a pass on Aubrey in the braking zone of Turn 3 to take th overall lead. Sure, it wouldn’t last. But Daniel was going to capitalize on the opportunity and have some fun.