The Clutch Let Me Down

The funny thing about racing is that it tests you time and time again, but you just can’t stop going back for more - no matter how much it tries your patience. And on the nights that test you most, you find that the people who show up for you on the best nights still show up on the bad ones, too. Saturday night was no different.

We started the day with a couple of strong practice sessions. We were running top 5 and tinkering with our setup, trying to figure out how we wanted to approach the car in the 100-degree heat. Feeling good, we headed into qualifying and put down a solid P4, which lined up well with where we’d been running all afternoon.

From there, we started P3 in the first main event. We got a couple of strong starts, but I eventually realized something wasn’t right in the car. I was able to bring it home in P4, but I felt like I was fighting for my life out there. The rear end kept slipping out, and I couldn’t get any traction off the restarts. Once the tires finally caught, I had some speed, but I struggled to make it happen from the jump.

We did our best to fix the car and started P5 in the second main. We were still running in the top five, but I was still loose and slipping around. That caused me to make a mistake, and unfortunately, I lost the car and spun. Thankfully no one piled into me, but it dropped me to the back of the pack. The last 7 laps were a bit of a blur, and honestly, you didn’t miss much. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I believe we finished P12.

After getting home, we spent all of Sunday tearing the car down. While there were several broken parts, the biggest culprit was the clutch. Turns out the car wasn’t slipping because of our setup...the clutch was failing. In all my years behind the wheel, I’d never experienced that before. Unfortunately, now I can tell you exactly how the car drives with a failing clutch.

We’ve got a couple of weeks until the next race, and we’ll be ready. Like I said before, no matter what, we keep coming back for more, and you all keep showing up for us, time and time again.

Thanks to everyone for the support. The 21 team and I are truly grateful!