J. D. Smith Insurance Brokers is a proud sponsor of the Gary Elliott Racing Team

Here is our first race report for 2010.
Pictures courtesy of Dave Franks.

Quaker State Team Has Great Start For 2010
Season Opener Produces Heat Win & 2nd In Feature

Flamboro Speedway May 15th

The 2010 race season got under way at Flamboro Speedway this past Saturday. Seventeen cars were on hand to begin the chase for the Flamboro Speedway Late Model Championship.

Practice laps produced some good results. The car was as fast as the top runners. The only glitch was a faulty power steering line. It failed as the car was flying into turn three. Smoke came from under the hood as power steering fluid hit the hot exhaust. Immediately Gary lost steering assist, making the car very difficult to turn. Returning to the pits with no damage was a bonus, and the fact it didn't happen in competition gave the team much to be thankful for. There was a spare hose in the trailer. Once replaced the car was re tested and everything was operating normally.
In the first heat of two heats #36 started inside pole. On the green flag Gary and outside pole sitter Junior Farley ran side by side for two laps before the Quaker State Impala pulled away, taking their first checker of the season.

After a third place finish in the second heat, qualifying was completed putting the veteran in row two on the inside for the 30 lap feature. The race was fast and furious as racers battled and beat each other in the early going.

Running 3rd after 12 laps, Gary closed in on the second place car #89 Sean Chenoweth. A caution came out with 18 laps to go. On the restart the leaders got into trouble sending one car to the infield and the other to the back for rough driving. This put Gary and his team in the lead. The race procedures for 2010 were changed with the cars doubling up on all restarts. This new rule, though exciting for the fans, would take some getting use to by the drivers. In the past 50 years, the first three cars ran single file, and they the field doubled up. On the start Gary was able to pull away and lead for three laps, however another caution would nullify a chance for the win. On the next restart, a slight hesitation was all Jason Shaw needed from Gary to get his car just enough ahead to take the lead. The final yellow had the Quaker State vet on the outside and cars behind hoping to keep him out there. However a strong effort put #36 back into 2nd. The white flag came out with Gary now gaining on the Jason and pulling away from the 3rd place car. However a second place finish was the best for the team on this night, and the strong performance put them in good shape for the first points event, only one point out of first place. The next race is Saturday May 22nd at Flamboro Speedway.

Gary and his team are planning on running this Sunday against the very powerful OSCAAR Super Late Models at the newly renovated Sunset Speedway. Races start at 5:pm.

Listed below is the current points standings for 2010.

Flamboro Speedway Points
After May 15th

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