 PHOTOS: Bob Costanzo
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THOMPSON RACE REPORTS
LUX & GOESS 23RD, 24TH
ESR NASCAR Camping World Series -East Unofficial Results
Thompson International Speedway
June 12, 2008 |
| FIN |
STR |
CAR |
DRIVER |
LAPS |
STATUS |
| 23 |
20 |
22 |
Eric Lux |
100 |
Running |
| 24 |
15 |
2 |
Craig Goess |
99 |
Running |
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Lux Finishes 23rd in Oval Debut at Thompson Speedway
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Eric Lux |
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Thompson, Conn. (July 12, 2008) - The NASCAR Camping World Series East returned to its local track roots this weekend for the Full Fender Frenzy 100 at Thompson International Speedway. Eric Lux, road racing phenom, qualified the No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing Development Toyota in the 20th position. Running hard and in the Top 20 all night, Lux had a front tire go down in the final laps. Lux stayed on track to finish on the lead lap, but slid back to the 23rd position while working to keep the No. 22 off of the outside wall until the checkers flew.
"That was wild!" said Lux following his first oval track race. "That race was the craziest thing I have ever experienced! But, also the most fun I have ever had! It was totally different than what I am used to. When the green flag drops you race and you race hard, white knuckles and all. The entire time you are on the circuit you are trying to pass people ahead of you while avoiding cars wrecking in front of you. Trying not to bounce of the cars and walls next to you and just bring the car back pointing in the same direction as it was when you climbed in!"
Qualifying was delayed an hour as the track required clean-up from an accident during the PASS Super Late Model Touring Series heats. Lux was the 16th car to qualify. His second lap was his fastest at 20.934 seconds, putting him in the 20th position to start the 100-lap event. Trevor Bayne earned the pole position with his lap around the 5/8-mile track in 20.357 seconds.
As the sun set and the night temperatures dropped, teams rushed to set up pit stalls as soon as the Late Model event was completed. Drivers had already climbed into their cars that were staged in the garage area for the post-qualifying impound, and quickly pulled them onto the track and to the front stretch where they remained for driver introductions. Engines fired and the race went green under an impressive display of fireworks off the back stretch of the speedway.
The No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota was very loose early in the race, sliding sideways coming out of turn 4. By lap 25 Lux was running strong in the 21st position, running nose to tail with his ESR teammate, Craig Goess.
When the first caution of the evening came at lap 33, Lux reported on the handling of his Camry.
"We're pretty loose," commented Lux over the radio. "It's slick out here and feels like the tires wouldn't catch. I'm trying different lines to see if there's a change."
The race restarted at lap 38 with Lux running in the 19th position. The caution immediately when the 35 spun coming out of turn 2. Everyone scrambled to avoid a pile-up and all escaped with only some minor dings and scrapes.
Lux keyed his mic and told his team while laughing, "Oh my god, wow! Now I see why you guys use spotters in this series!"
Lux remained solidly in the top 20 and was working to move forward when he brushed the outside wall in the final laps. When the caution came at lap 91 for another massive scramble of the cars, Lux reported on the radio "that he brushed the wall" and "on the restart I had no turnability whatsoever. I picked up a huge push."
When the race restarted, Lux came on the radio and said "I definitely have a tire going down. I have no grip out here." Lux held on for the final laps, keeping the No. 22 Eddie Sharp Racing Development Toyota off the wall despite the failing tire, and finishing in the 23rd position and on the lead lap.
"When I came out of turn 2 there were about 5 of us all racing hard and then one of the leading cars spun and everyone checked up," commented Lux about the events in the closing laps. "I brushed the outside wall softly and we had small leak in the right front tire. With ten laps to go we opted to stay out and hope the tire would last. It did, however the car could not hold the bottom line and I would slide up the track into the corners. We ended up finishing 23rd. We had a top 15 car and should have been there but tonight was not our race. I have to keep reminding myself that this race was meant to be a learning experience and that next time we can focus on making a run to the front. I just need to get as much seat time as I can. I know the crew and ESR will give me the best equipment to do it."
Lux added. "I want to thank Eddie Sharp for the opportunity and Patrick Donahue, Wayne Carroll, and all the guys who put the car together and came out to work this weekend. They did a great job and I really appreciate it."
Next Stop: Lux returns to action this weekend in the Rolex Grand-Am Series GT class at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. |
Early Damage Creates Tough-Handling Car for Goess; Finishes 24th at Thompson
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Craig Goess |
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Thompson, Conn. (July 12, 2008) - Craig Goess and his Eddie Sharp Racing team travelled to Thompson, Connecticut this weekend for the Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100. Goess qualified the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota Toyota in the 15th position. Unfortunately, Goess was the victim of short-track racing early in the 100-lap event and fought to hold onto the ill-handling damaged Camry for the remainder of the race. Goess finished the night in the 24th position.
"This was just a disappointing race for the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota team," said a frustrated Goess. "The guys kept working on things all day and I appreciate all their hard work. We improved our practice times and posted a 15th-place start in qualifying. I was looking forward to getting back to a short track, but we just did not have the night we had hoped for. "
Clean-up from an accident during the PASS Super Late Model Touring Series heats delayed Qualifying for approximately an hour. Goess was the 12th car to take the track for qualifying laps. The second lap was Goess' fastest at 20.717 seconds, putting him in the 15th starting position. Trevor Bayne earned the pole position with his lap around the 5/8-mile track in 20.357 seconds.
As soon as the Late Model event completed, NCWSE teams rushed to set up pit stalls inside of the 5/8-mile track. Prior to the end of the Late Model race, drivers climbed into their cars that were staged in the garage area for the post-qualifying impound. The 28 car field quickly pulled onto the track and to the front stretch where they remained for driver introductions. Engines fired and the race went green under an impressive display of fireworks off the back stretch of the speedway.
Early in the 100-lap race, the driver of the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota Toyota reported that the Camry was lacking front grip. By lap 30, Goess slid back to the 19th position as he worked to control the car. On lap 33, contact from behind put the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota into a spin in turn 3. The back of the car connected hard with the outside wall.
Goess brought the No. 2 down pit road and the crew immediately went to work on the damaged left rear of the car. Returning to the track down one lap to the leader, Goess was in the lucky dog position when the race restarted on lap 38. The lead cars were in turn 2 when the spinning No. 35 sent the field scrambling out of the way. Surprisingly, no one was collected in the melee and Goess regained his lost lap.
The lap 49 caution allowed the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota team the opportunity to bring the car back to pit road to make adjustments to try to help the ill-tempered Camry. Goess reported that the car "feels like it's hitting a rock, like there's no suspension. And every time it hits it feels like it's going to come around on me." The team also had Goess return to pit road under caution on lap 81 to continue to work on the car's handling.
The race restarted on lap 81 only to go to caution again at lap 84 when another incident in turn 3 collected the No. 2 of Craig Goess. As the No. 99 spun in the turn, Goess hit his brakes to avoid contact which turned the already grumpy-handling No. 2 Greenville-Toyota Toyota. Goess came back to pit road and the team went to work on the additional damage to the rear of the car.
In the closing laps of the 100-lap event, Goess held on to finish in the 24th position.
"Well, it's on to Nashville next," said Goess. "We have three races in a row now and I'm looking forward to the seat time and just continuing to build on my experience and work with my Crew Chief Johnny [Allen] and the rest of my Greenville-Toyota team."
Next Stop: Craig Goess and the Greenville Toyota team travel to Nashville, Tennessee for the Strutmasters.com NASCAR Camping World Series 150 presented by Dollar General at Music City Motorplex. Qualifying takes place at 4:15 p.m., followed by the green flag at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 19th. The race will be tape-delayed and aired on SPEED on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 12:00 p.m. All times are EASTERN.
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THOMPSON QUALIFYING
Goess Starts 15th and Lux 20th at Thompson Speedway |
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Craig Goess |
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Denver, N.C. (July 12, 2008) - Qualifying is over and the order has been set. Craig Goess will start 15th in the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota Toyota in tonight's Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 after laying down a 20.717 second qualifying lap. Eric Lux, making his oval track debut in tonight's NASCAR Camping World Series East event will start in the 20th position. Lux turned in a 20.934 second qualifying lap around the 5/8-mile track.
"We were a tick on the tight side," commented Goess following qualifying. "It's not where we would have preferred, but we improved on our practice times, so that is positive. Now we have 100 laps to patiently climb to the front."
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Eric Lux |
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"This is definitely a whole new world!" Lux said. "I'm not used to these short qualifying laps. I'm used to four minute laps, with twenty turns, not 20-second laps with only four. I feel like I'm climbing into a go kart and trying to run in someone's backyard against guys who have been doing this for years. It's fun, but completely new. Tonight will be great. I excited to work with the team tonight and just keep building lap after lap."
Trevor Bayne earned the pole position running the fastest lap in 20.347 seconds. The green flag for the 100-lap race at Thompson International Raceway drops tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET. |
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THOMPSON INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
NASCAR Camping World Series-East
Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 Preview
Goess Ready to Take on Thompson
Denver, N.C. (July 9, 2008) - After having the holiday weekend to dry out from the monsoon rains at Loudon, Craig Goess and his Greenville-Toyota team are ready to tackle Thompson International Speedway in Saturday's Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100.
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Craig Goess |
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"I'm looking forward to this weekend at Thompson," stated Goess. "This track resembles Kenly; a track where I've had a lot of experience and success in the Legends car. I am excited to continue working with my new Crew Chief, Johnny Allen and the crew he has put together."
Goess and his Eddie Sharp Racing team travelled to Kenly, NC today to shakedown the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota Toyota at Southern National Raceway Park.
"It will be nice to get behind the wheel and get some seat time before heading to Thompson," said Goess. "Test days are great to spend time with the guys and work out any kinks before race day."
"This track resembles Kenly; a track where I've had a lot of experience and success in the Legends car." |
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Goess recorded his career best start and finish the last time he was at a short-track, starting tenth and finishing 13th at South Boston Speedway. Goess and the No. 2 Greenville-Toyota team have high hopes of bettering both those statistics this weekend at the 5/8 mile high-banked asphalt oval.
NASCAR Camping World Series East practice runs from 12:00 until 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, 2008, with Final Practice from 1:30 until 2:15 p.m. Qualifying follows on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. The green flag for the 100-lap race at Thompson International Raceway drops at 8:30 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN.
| TRACK FACTS |
| CAYUGA MOTOR SPEEDWAY |
| Location |
Thompson, CT |
Address |
205 East Thompson Road, Thompson, CT 06277 |
| GPS |
N 41o 58 min. -- W 071o 49 min. |
Length |
5/8 mile high-banked asphalt oval |
Turns |
26-degree banking |
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Road Course Phenom Eric Lux Joins Eddie Sharp Racing at Thompson International Speedway
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Eric Lux |
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Denver, NC. (July 8, 2008) - Eddie Sharp Racing announced today that Eric Lux will drive an Eddie Sharp Racing entry at Thompson International Speedway. Already an accomplished road course racer, 20-year old Lux will make his oval track debut at the 0.625-mile speedway on Saturday, July 12 in the NASCAR Camping World Series East 100-lap event.
"Eddie knew my father back in the 80's so it is really awesome to meet up down the road and have such a great opportunity to advance my racing career with ESR," said Lux. "The crew, shop and management is perfect, I have spent the past few days camping out in the shop from morning to close getting to know the guys and the cars. I probably annoy the hell out of them with all of the questions I have been asking!"
The Buffalo, New York-native was introduced to an oval track last week when he tested an Eddie Sharp Racing car at Tri County Speedway. This was the very first time the young road racer had been limited to four left turns around a track.
Following the test session, Lux commented that "today was the very first time I have ever stepped foot into a race car and only turned left. I really had no idea what to expect but I was really looking forward to it. It is starting to be a bit of a tradition that sports car racers make the crossover. For me, I am just trying to make a living in racing and Eddie Sharp Racing has presented a great opportunity for me."
Lux added, "When you pull into ESR you can see that it is a top notch facility and you can't wait to see what the inside looks like. It's the typical "kid in a candy store" feeling! The inside of the ESR shops were just as impressive. I have been driving on road courses for about 11 years in everything from karts, GT cars, Prototypes and road course stock cars so it was quite an experience to try out an oval. Luckily what everyone had been telling me to expect was pretty much right on. I drove at Tri-County Speedway and the test went great. I learned a lot about the car, the lines, communication and set-up. I would be lost out there if it wasn't for the guys Eddie hired. They all have very extensive resumes and knowledge of this kind of racing."
Lux and his ESR team travel to Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, NC this week to test prior to his oval track debut this weekend at Thompson International Speedway.
Following his start in karting, which led to a number of regional championships, Lux has seen extensive success behind the wheel in the Grand-Am Rolex Series. In 2005, Lux became first 16-year-old to take checkered flag in Rolex 24 at Daytona as well as race in KONI Challenge Series at Daytona. In 2006, Lux became the youngest driver to win a Grand-American Cup race. He won the season opener at Daytona at only 16 years old. In 2008 Lux and FarnbacherLoles have teamed up to charge after the GT Class championship. Lux shares the No. 86 GT3 Porsche with Leh Keen of Charleston, South Carolina. So far the teammates have already captured podium finishes at Virginia International Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this season.
Lux has found success off the racetrack as well. A freestyle snowboard instructor and coach, Lux also has over 25 Top-3 finishes in USASA competition. Lux enjoys using the outdoors and extreme sports to keep conditioned and sharp for racing. In addition to his rigorous race schedule, Lux has been a full-time student at Jacksonville University since fall 2006, pursuing a degree in Business and Communications.
"I can't wait to test again and make my first NASCAR debut in Thompson Speedway on July 12th under the lights! I can't wait to see where this relationship with ESR will lead!" commented Lux with a huge smile on his face.
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