Taylor Racing Creates Momentum in Bark River
The start saw Scott cautiously steer his way through Turn One and into fourth place
Scott Taylor and his #8 Skyjacker Suspensions BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150, came to the season’s second edition at Bark River Raceway looking to get back on track. Since the back-to-back wins at the Potawatomi Brush Run in Crandon, the team, uncharacteristically, has not had a podium finish. Needless to say, Scott has his work cut out for him. Saturday – Round 9The start saw Scott cautiously steer his way through Turn One and into fourth place. On lap three the truck spins going through the Cemetery Turn and loses three spots. Quickly he gains one position back, and begins to battle with #7 Douglas. Scott radios to his spotter, that the truck has lost its “bite” out of the corners. Never the less, Scott soldiers on to come home in fifth place at the finish. “Well we didn’t crash, or lose a motor, and that’s a positive step for us. I think we still have to work on the balance of the truck a bit more to get the back end to hook up better. Throughout my career Bark River has always been a tough place for us. We will make a change or two for tomorrow’s practice to see if we can improve the truck’s grip,” commented Scott Taylor. Sunday – Round 10 After the morning practice session, Scott Taylor brought the #8 Skyjacker Suspension back to the trailer feeling confident about the overnight changes the team made to their 2006 Ford F-150. There was a chance of rain in the afternoon forecast, so Scott and Mike Kaush discussed tire choices and strategy in case of rain. Fortunately, as the afternoon progressed, the skies stayed clear and rain was not a concern. As the sixteen truck field lined up for the start, Scott was in the third position, which gave him an ideal line into Turn One. At the drop of the flag, the huge crowd came to their feet as the PRO-2 trucks headed for the funnel and into Turn One. Scott used all the Roush Performance horsepower the truck would give and came out in third place, just behind #1 Renezeder and #6 Coyne, as the field headed for the grandstand straightaway. On lap three Scott and Renezeder moved passed Coyne as his truck had a tire going flat. At same time #41 Jerry Whelchel was right on Scott’s bumper. The next few laps saw Scott and Whelchel pass each other back and forth as the two Taylor-built trucks really had the attention of the huge crowd. Finally on lap seven, Scott made the pass stick and took control of second place. The battle with Whelchel allowed Renezeder to open up a lead that Scott could not overcome in the final two laps. At the flag it was: First, Renezeder, Second, Scott Taylor, and Third, Whelchel. “The changes we made last night, really helped with the balance of the truck,” commented Scott Taylor. “It took awhile for me to get into a rhythm out there today. The battle with Jerry really was fun, but it didn’t leave me with enough time to chase down the leader. The competition is incredible. The truck came out of this weekend in great shape. Just perform the usual maintenance and add the setup for Crandon. After the success we had there earlier this season, we are really looking forward to the next two rounds of racing. There’s still a bunch of racing left in the season, so don’t count us out !” Currently Scott Taylor is in fourth place in the Lucas Oil CORR PRO-2 standings just sixteen points out of first. Next Race – September 2 & 3, BorgWarner Off-Road Championships, Crandon, WI Thanks to all our supporters including:Skyjacker Suspension – Jesus Rocks, BFGoodrich Tires, Ford Trucks, Roush Performance, ATD, Russ Wernimont Designs, Justice Brothers, Miller Electric, Royal Purple, MSD Ignition, Phil's Inc., Precision Gear, Auto Meter, Boatec, CNC, K&N Engineering, Mastercraft and Ringer Gloves.
Thanks to Jeremy Pyatskowit, & Josh Pyatskowit from off-road.com for the photos. |