Belvidere, IL – When the time came for the seven-time PRO off-road champion to finally get a chance to race in the heart of NASCAR country, Taylor Racing knew that nothing but his “A-Game” would do. The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway would host the first ever PRO short-course race in the Southeast.
Along with the top drivers in the sport that were ready to do battle in Charlotte, several key supporters of Scott Taylor’s race team were on hand to witness this epic weekend of racing. A large contingent from Miller Electric, RoushYates Engines, Impact Racing, and BFGoodrich Tires were all on hand, and Scott Taylor made his supporters proud with a great performance during Round 5 action.
The track was built around and inside the.5 mile clay based circle track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The layout consisted of four high speed jumps on the actual oval, while the infield hosted a long rhythm section, a couple of mogul fields, two sets of small jumps, and a six foot tall jump that would send the truck over a thirty foot gap before landing on solid ground. It was a great combination of requiring plenty of horsepower and a well set-up suspension.
During qualifying, the #8 Miller Welders RoushYates Engines BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150 looked fast, but always seemed to be avoiding other trucks during the session. The result was a sixth place qualifying spot.
Friday’s Round 5 action would consist of twenty-two laps, including a mandatory caution lap at the halfway point of the race. Scott started on the outside of row three. When the green flag fell, the blue Ford F-150 moved into third place by the end of the first lap. Initially, the top two trucks, held a slight lead on Scott’s BFGoodrich truck, but as the mandatory caution lap came closer, so did Scott.
At the restart, Scott initially drove under MacCachern for second, but couldn’t hold the inside line going around Turns One and Two. That kept the Illinois native in third, looking to make the same move stick later in the race.
With just over a lap to go, Scott was able to gain one more position before the checkered flag. After twenty-two long laps, Scott Taylor to home his second runner-up finish of the season.
“Wow that was fun,” noted Scott Taylor. “We have really worked hard on this truck the last few weeks and it really paid off tonight. This track that USAC built for us is just incredible. I didn’t have enough tonight to catch Rob tonight, but we will make some changes and really give him a run tomorrow.”
Saturday night’s Round 6 action had the top six trucks lined up in reverse finishing order from the previous night. Once again race traffic could be a problem early on in the race, but this time MacCachern would be right next to him.
Unfortunately the battle between the two good friends never materialized. When green flag race started, the power steering began to fail halfway through the opening lap. After trying to man handle the truck for one more lap, the #8 Miller Welders Ford pulled off the track ending the weekend.
“It’s a shame we had a steering problem,” remarked Scott Taylor. “I knew we had something for Rob tonight. I’ve gotten real comfortable and confident with this truck. It’s a feeling that I haven’t had in a while. When we get to Bark River I’m looking to put a Ford on the top of the box.”
After four rounds of racing, Scott Taylor is currently fourth in the PRO-2WD Championship standings.
Next Race: August 13-14, Bark River Off-Road Raceway in Bark River, Michigan.
Taylor Racing thanks all their supporters including:
Miller Electric – RoushYates Engines – BFGoodrich Tires
Impact Racing by Mastercraft Safety, Automatic Transmission Designs, AMSOIL, Ford Trucks, Russ Wernimont Designs, King Shocks, Walker Evans Racing, MSD Ignition, Autometer, K & N Filters, Justice Brothers, Boatec, Ringers Gloves, and Phil’s Inc
Taylor Racing has marketing opportunities available for the 2011 TORC season. To contact Taylor Racing please email: stitchesbytaylor@comcast.net. – www.taylorsoffroadracing.com