Only 4 more years to go.......................or at least that is what one of my "buddies"pointed out. I finished 6th at the runoffs in 2006 and 5th this year so only 4 more years until an overall win!
Our Runoffs started one week before the race when Chris Goebel, Mike Messenger, Wayne Panter and myself made the 10 1/2 hour drive to Heartland Park Topeka. Chris is new to my team this year. He has autocrossed with our local club, and his dad has been involved with the local club for many years. Chris just finished college and is a car nut. He made every event we ran with the Lola this year and worked as lead mechanic on the car. Mike Messenger, my older brother, has been with me since it all started in 1980. Recently his job has kept him from making many races, and it was good to get him back involved with the program. He, like Chris, is a great all around mechanic, supporter, gofer and he is very patient with me! Lastly, my dear friend Wayne Panter made the trip again. Wayne is in his 80's and still working harder than anyone else on the team. Wayne and I have probably traveled 50,000 miles together since the mid 90's. He has made just about every race I have run in that time from the Pro Sports 2000 races in Daytona, Mid Ohio, Sears Point, Irwindale and many others to the Legends car races, shifter kart races, stock car races and anything else I could dream up to drive. Wayne worked as a race promoter for Al Sweeney of National Speedways in the 50's and 60's taking the up and coming young drivers like Bobby and Al Unser to state fairgrounds for midget car shows. He lives and breathes racing although he still has doubts why any racecar would ever need fenders, roll hoops or wings, but that is another story.
We arrived Satuday, found our paddock, made friends with the neighbors (a critical step in the week long stay at the race track) and started preparing for the Sunday test day. I knew the test day would be very crowded on track and that turned out to be the case. I had some learning to do even though I had driven on HPT the previous year. The track had been modified to increase the speeds on the front and back sections which significantly changed the characteristics of the track.
The new turns were exciting and it only took me about 4 laps before I was bouncing across the grass in the back straight at over 100 mph in search of the all important "proper turn in point"! But, once that was out of my system we ran fine - the only problem was the lap times were slow due to traffic and I had no real idea what a fast lap with no traffic would yield.
Qualifying Monday morning was rained out and so we waited until Tuesday to see where we stood versus the big boys that had come from both coasts loaded for bear this year. At the end of Tuesday qualifying, I was in 8th position. Wednesday's qualifying was interrupted by a black flag due to a couple of cars coming together so I only ran 4 laps and none of them were clean. A few people did get one flying lap but luckily I was able to stay in 8th position going into the final day of qualifying. One fun thing that happened Wednesday being featured in the Speed Channel TV shoot. This was the second year in a row I have been featured and is a great way to repay the sponsors that have helped me.
Here is a photo while I was "posing":
As I looked at my Pi data system after these two days of qualifying, I was able to see from the predictive lap summary that the car was readily able to run times that would qualify us in the top 5 up to that point. With that bit of news in hand, I was confident going into the last day of qualifying. The weather was ideal. I was able to get 4 clean laps in a row just when I needed them and was able to run a time equal to 3rd on Wednesday's grid. The only problem was everyone else went faster too! By the time it was all said and done, I had qualified 7th at a 1:35.550. By comparison, 3rd on the grid was a 1:35.147! Many people commented that this was one of the closest Sports 2000 fields the Runoffs had seen in many years. This was evidenced by the fact that 3rd through 11th on the grid were all qualified within 1 second of each other.
I had come to the runoffs with two goals: qualify in the first third of the field and finish in the top 5. Depending on how you do the math I was close or one short of goal 1. Goal 2 would be determined on Friday.
Race day dawned with pleasant but cool weather. The car was ready and so was I. This sitting around for a week to run one race really drains me, and I have to work to keep my energy level and mental game sharp. I have a routine that helps me get ready for the race. Once I am strapped in and sitting on the grid, I pray for peace, I thank God for the blessings in my life, I pray for protection for the other competitors and for a clear focused mind. It works! We pulled out for the pace laps and I was ready to rock and roll!
On the grid between Michael Scully and Bart Wolf:
Mike and Chris standing by as I go through my pre-race routine:
The pace lap showed us our first surprise. A morning warm up session had resulted in a major oil down of the track from turn 2 through turn 4. The track was covered with a fine white silt that was a different kind of oil dry than I had seen before. The oil seemed gone, but the fine dust was everywhere. I was surprised they started the race, but with TV coverage these big events get where there is little scheduling flexibility.
Anyway, at the start - as you can see in the previously posted lap one video - I stayed close enough to not leave a gap but far enough back to keep from getting caught in some other idiots screw up (yes all racers are idiots on the first lap of the national championship race). The first two turns were a dancing act because Bart Wolf didn't get the memo about letting me lead and we went through those two high speed turns two abreast. (BTW, Thanks Bart for running me clean through these turns - a great guy on and off the track.) The real surprise was when we hit the speedy dry. My camera on the car was mounted about 8 inches above my eye level and made things look easy compared to what I was actually seeing. ZERO visibility on the straight and the same again in turn three except for the dark rear corner of Michael Scully's Swift. Thankfully, he kept his foot in it since I wasn't lifting.
Somewhere in all that, I got past Bart and was able to settle into a normal racing line for turn 3-4 complex. By turn 6 which starts the back straight, I had caught Scully and was having to brake early to avoid hitting him. By the end of the back straight I was able to pull by and pass him easily. The next goal was Hardyman who would take a few laps to run down. If you haven't watched the video, do so, the link is in the post prior to this one, it says it all a lot better than I can - but I can assure you it was very intense!
After lap one the race settled into a battle of keeping my head down and running each lap better than the last. It took me about 6-7 laps to get a really good run on Hardyman, and I was able to pass him entering the fast turn 3. From this point on - I expected to pull away from Mark - but like Bart earlier - he didn't get the memo. He hounded me every corner for the rest of the race. I was faster in the high speed sections and he was quicker in the low speed sections. He raced me as cleanly as I have ever been raced. He is another one of the great folks in Sports 2000. When the checkered flag dropped I was still holding onto 5th with two or three cars within striking distance and no opportunity to relax. I was pumped!
Now its time to celebrate - right? 
No! I come into the pits only to hear that there is a dispute between the leaders about body contact on the last lap. I talked to some pretty upset people. I did learn last year to get my cell phone to a crew member so I could call my wife, Sally, immediately. She was excited and so was her junior high class. She was wearing her Messenger Racing T-Shirt that day in school! I listend to their congratulations and then told her students to get back to work!
The podium ceremony was subdued, but one bright moment was Mark Mercer thanking God for the day and the race - a refreshing jolt of reality in the sometimes selfish, me-centered world of motorsports. Then to impound. No problem right? Wrong - 8 hours later we're finally released. The cars weren't the problem, but the last lap rough driving was, and they held everyone of the top 6 until all of the courts could decide the issues. In the end, they let it stand as it did on the track - I haven't talked to a person that saw the incident yet that agrees with that call. I didn't see it, and therefore have not taken a side on the issue.
Sitting in impound with Michael Bautz - 4th and Mark Hardyman - 6th place finisher:
All in all - it was one of the best runs of my life. I know there was more speed to be found. A test day with less traffic would have allowed us to get to that level before the race, but that wasn't possible. At least not and keep the major sponsor happy (my employer who provides my paycheck).
I want to thank the other sponsors and helpers for the successful season. Bruce and Tim at Hoosier Tires, Bell Racing, Jim at Continental Motorsports, Curtis Farley Engines, Mark Mercer for the shocks and other Lola whizzy things, and all my buddies who come by every year at the runoffs and work on my motivation: Peter Agnell, Dan Taylor, Craig Mendenhall, Terry Johnson, Rodney Whitney, Chris Goebel, Mike Messenger and Wayne Panter. I am sure there are others, including many of the S2 community. Two I should mention who couldn't be there were Josh Shelburne and Jeff Maddox. Both were with me last year, and both couldn't be this year. Josh is in Africa touching lives and making a difference working with Aids orphans, and Jeff has spent the last year working on the Motorsports Simulators that are being marketed to many of the big name pro racing teams.
The racing may make it fun, but the people make it worth while!
This may be my last Sports 2000 race. The car is sold and I am building the DSR. I have been in Sports 2000 since 1993 and it is a tough change. I have talked to some people about making an appearance in Sports 2000 next year - it seems some people think I have a shot at a podium and are willing to help me get there! But, time and God will decide those things.
Thanks to everyone.
Jay Messenger
Muleshoe Texas USA
