Short Crashes Out at Mid-Ohio

Lexington, OH (Aug. 13, 2006) – D&N Motorsports returned to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend for the 4th east coast round of the USTCC.  After being plagued with mechanical issues during the first round at Mid-Ohio, the team was looking forward to a trouble free weekend.

Trouble free?  Not to be!  The team arrived at the track on Thursday night two hours after their anticipated arrival time because of two trailer tires that had blown out along the way.

Friday started off with one minor problem.  The fuel pumps at the track were out of order, so the team had to search the paddock for a team with extra fuel.  Fortunately the Motorkars team from Columbus, OH had brought extra and loaned some fuel for the weekend.  The rest of Friday’s practice sessions went without problems as the team collected data on the engine and suspension.  Only a few minor changes were made to prepare the No. 24 Hazardous Sports Saturn for the first round of qualifying on Saturday.

During the Saturday morning practice, driver Dennis Short reported that the brake pedal felt spongy and the brakes were fading.  Team Engineer James Walker, Jr. quickly diagnosed the problem and made the appropriate adjustments on the brakes.  With the car dialed in, Dennis took the car out for the first round of qualifying.  He put in a time that was third quickest for the day and a personal best time at the Mid-Ohio track.

Saturday almost went without problems.  During the final session on Saturday, Dennis beat his personal best lap time again before the exhaust header broke, forcing him to end the session early.  With some help from the VFC Engineering crew, the header was welded back together and the team worked into the night to get the car prepared for Sunday’s qualifying session and race.

On Sunday, Dennis put in another personal best lap time for the second round of qualifying.  Unfortunately a few other teams stepped up their game as well and Dennis remained in the third starting position.  Things seemed to be shaping up for an exciting race as Dennis lined up on the inside of the second row for the dramatic standing start.  At the drop of the green flag all the cars launched off of the line, and Dennis was right on the bumper of the first place car when that car suddenly slowed.  His only option to avoid running into the back of the car was to cut to the inside and go around.  Unfortunately, Dennis was unaware that a car had shot up the inside of him, and when he veered to miss the car in front of him he pinned the other car up against the wall.  The incident forced the retirement of the No. 24 Hazardous Sports Saturn with major damage to the left side of the car.

The incident was investigated by race officials and was determined to be a racing incident.  No fault was given to either driver.

D&N Motorsports would like to thank their sponsors, Hazardous Sports, Quality Tire, The Sign Shop, CarCraft Collision Center, Valvoline, and FiberWise Pasta for all of their support.

DENNIS SHORT, OWNER/DRIVER NO. 24 SATURN: “We can’t seem to catch a break at this track.  It’s really unfortunate, because we had a really good car and were looking for another podium finish this weekend.  The other car involved had a great start and came from two rows back.  He was sitting in my blind spot and I didn’t even know he was there.  I would like to thank Motorkars and VFC Engineering for their help this weekend.  It really goes to show the camaraderie between the racers and teams.”

DON SHORT CREW CHIEF NO. 24 SATURN: “We haven’t had a lot of luck in Ohio it seems.  We were happy with the way the car was performing, and it was getting faster each session.  The standing starts just increase the chance of incident, and that is one of the reasons I don’t like them.”