The POWRi West series fired back into action at the ¼ mile track of Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, OK for the third round of action in the 2018 season. Red dirt is an understatement for this fun and fast track in the middle of Oklahoma. Hunter Fischer Racing, sponsored by Flying Tee Golf and B&C Custom Woodworks, entered into a field of 24 cars for the night’s competition and started 5th in his heat race. The track already began to slick off for the midgets, firing up after the stock cars and modified weekly regulars. Quickly, the race line moved to the top groove and everyone spread out. Hunter stayed on the tail of 4th place, looking for an opening and executing various lines. He was unable to gain enough of an advantage to move up a spot. With 2 laps remaining, the engine started losing power. This was just enough for 6th place to make the pass for position.
Diagnosing problems at the track is difficult and nerve racking. What did it sound like? What did it feel like? What piece of equipment would make it do/act like that? Electrical issue... fuel issue... mechanical issue? 100’s of thoughts and variables run through a crew chief and driver’s head to narrow down the possibilities. With intermission cancelled for the night, we had little time remaining for the next green flag. Crossing our fingers, Hunter made sure all of the electrical connections were tight and another 5 gallons of methanol was poured into the tank. Starting 18th in the A Feature, the #24 was able to make some green flag laps. Unfortunately, the gremlin was still alive and Hunter made the decision not to hurt the Esslinger powerplant by pushing it with unknown issues. The car was setup for much better than a 22nd place finish, but we can’t be mad for getting to compete in such an exciting sport. 8 other competitors found gremlins before the checkered flag, with only 15 cars finishing the race. Great appreciation goes out to our sponsors, with special thanks to Flying Tee Golf, Bolted Spine Designs, Skips Performance Corner, and FabTech! Thank you to all the fans that cheered Hunter on... HFR will be back on the track in OKC on 4/28.
Saturday’s race at Caney Valley Speedway in Caney, KS was cancelled due to cold weather. There is a possibility of getting rescheduled, so stay tuned!