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Russell Racing Crew, Adrian, MI (2026)

06/18/2026

What was supposed to be a relatively low-key race weekend took a pretty drastic turn this week!

Originally, the plan was simple: head to Darana Dragway - Milan on Sunday for a points race and call it good. Then, a few days ago, we made the decision to switch gears and head to US 131 Motorsports Park for the Michigrander instead.

Just like that, I went from thinking I had plenty of time to get everything packed and ready for one day of racing to scrambling to prepare for a FOUR-day race weekend while still working my regular job. To say this week was hectic and stressful would be an understatement! But that's race life, and somehow it all came together.

We loaded up and headed out last night for early check-in, rolling through the gates a little after 8 PM.

Today is Test & Tune from 10 AM - 2 PM. Ethan will make a few passes to make sure everything is still where we want it, but the biggest focus will be Elena's car.

After struggling to find consistency last weekend, Rorric basically threw the entire playbook at it. The car now has a different engine, different carburetor, different gearing, and fresh fuel. We decided to stop chasing the previous combination and start over from scratch. Hopefully all of those changes move us in the right direction because we definitely weren't making any progress with the old setup. 🤞

Then it's game time.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are all race days!

This event is a little different than our normal points races. Instead of multiple age groups, there are only two classes: 6-12 and 13 & Up.

It should be a great learning experience for both kids.

For Ethan, he'll likely find himself racing much slower cars than he's used to. That means he'll need to stay patient on the tree and avoid anticipating the start. It will also create some new finish-line situations as he'll be closing on opponents much faster than normal—sometimes by 30+ MPH.

For Elena, if she gets paired against a faster car, she'll experience something she's still learning: not seeing her opponent until the final moments of the race. While we're not quite ready to start actively working the finish line yet, it's something we talk about often and hope to begin introducing next season. And who knows... she may even surprise a few of those faster cars along the way!

We're looking forward to a fun-filled weekend, making memories, learning a few things, and hopefully turning on some win lights along the way.

Let's go racing! 🏁🩷💚

06/17/2026

💚🏁🩷Ethan & Elena Summary - Summit Motorsports Park - June 13, 2026 🩷🏁💚

06/16/2026

🏁 Elena's Summit Motorsports Park Recap Saturday 6/13/26 🏁

Coming into Summit, one of our biggest goals was improving Elena's reaction times. Historically, this track has been a bit of a challenge for her on the starting line, so we decided to try something different and swapped to a smaller set of front tires to see if it would help.

The results were encouraging right away.

In her first time trial, Elena cut a .143 light and the car ran a 15.25. Then in her second time trial, she really showed what she was capable of, cutting a .054 light while the car ran a nearly identical 15.24. At that point, we were feeling pretty good. The smaller tires seemed to be helping her adjust to the tree, and the car was showing some consistency as well.

For Round 1, we dialed the car at 15.20 in case it decided to pick up a little from the time trials. Elena had a .118 reaction time while her opponent turned on the red bulb with a -.119 reaction time, giving Elena the automatic win. That was a good thing too, because her car decided it wanted to wake up and ran a 15.17, much quicker than we expected.

For Round 2, we adjusted the dial to 15.15 while her opponent dialed a 14.49. Elena did her job on the tree with a great .068 reaction time compared to her opponent's .273. The good news was she had a huge starting line advantage. The bad news was her car decided to do the exact opposite of what it did in Round 1 and slowed way down, running a 15.32. Thankfully, luck stayed on her side as her opponent also missed their dial, running a 14.62. Elena's excellent reaction time earned her the win and, even better, secured the BYE to the Finals!

With the bye run in Round 3, we figured we'd get a better idea of what the car wanted to do. Since it had just slowed to a 15.32, we put a 15.25 dial on the car expecting that trend to continue.

It did not.

Elena cut a .134 light and then the car threw us another curveball, running its quickest pass of the day with a 15.08! At this point, Rorric and I were completely baffled. In the span of two rounds, the car had swung from a 15.32 to a 15.08—a .24-second change. That's a huge difference when you're trying to pick a dial-in.

After discussing every pass from the day, Rorric made the call to dial the car at 15.05 for the Finals. We knew the car was capable of running a 15.08, and we'd rather be a little conservative than risk breaking out.

That set up a final round matchup with Elena dialed 15.05 and her opponent dialed 11.91.

When the tree dropped, Elena once again did a great job, posting a .178 reaction time to her opponent's .205 and grabbing a slight advantage at the start. Unfortunately, the car slowed down again, running a 15.16 while her opponent ran an 11.94. Despite getting the jump on the starting line, it wasn't enough to hold off her opponent at the finish line.

While the day didn't end with a win light in the Finals, there's still a lot to celebrate. The smaller front tires appear to have helped her confidence and consistency on the tree, she earned a trip to the Finals, and she added valuable points toward the championship chase. Most importantly, she proved she can cut some really good lights when everything comes together.

A Runner-Up finish and a Finals appearance is a pretty great day at the track for Miss Elena! 🏁 🩷

06/14/2026

🏁 Ethan's Summit Motorsports Park Recap Saturday 6/13/26 🏁

Ethan started the day off showing just how consistent his car was. In the first time trial, he cut a .053 light and ran an 8.916. When he rolled up for the second time trial, he followed it up with a .061 light and an identical 8.916 pass. Seeing back-to-back runs that close is always a great way to start the day!

For Round 1, both Ethan and his opponent were dialed 8.90. Ethan was a little slower on the tree than he would have liked with a .083 reaction time, but he still held the advantage over his opponent's .149 light. Knowing he had room, Ethan gave the throttle several quick rips before lifting at the finish line, scrubbing between 6-7 mph and running an 8.97 to his opponent's 8.99. The combination of controlling the starting line and being closer to his dial-in earned Big E the Round 1 win.

Round 2 saw Ethan dialed 8.90 again while his opponent dialed 8.93. The reaction times were much closer this time, with Ethan holding a slight edge, .052 to .065. Our best guess is that his opponent experienced some sort of issue because they slowed to a 9.39 on their 8.93 dial. Ethan didn't know that, though, and drove the finish line exactly how he was supposed to. He gave the throttle several rips before lifting, killing roughly 10 mph and posting a 9.08 to advance into Round 3.

Round 3 turned into another heads-up 8.90 race. Ethan grabbed the advantage at the tree with a .038 light compared to his opponent's .079. At the top end, he gave a few quick rips and crossed the finish line with an 8.92 while his opponent ran an 8.91. The starting line advantage proved to be the difference-maker and sent Ethan into Round 4.

His .038 reaction time from Round 3 also earned him the bye run for Round 4, which happened to be the Semi-Finals. Since Ethan hadn't made a clean pass without ripping or lifting since the time trials, this was a great opportunity to see where the car really was. He responded with his best light of the day, a stellar .010 reaction time, and the car ran an 8.85. Based on his previous 60' and 330' numbers, we suspected the car might be on the quicker side, but now we had a full pass to confirm it.

That set up a trip to the Finals.

Both cars were dialed 8.90, but this time Ethan didn't have the advantage on the starting line. His .060 light was solid, but his opponent was nearly perfect with a .008 reaction time. There wasn't much Ethan could do to make up the time lost at the tree, so he did the only thing he could at the finish line—he let his opponent go in hopes that they would break out. Unfortunately, that's not how it played out. His opponent stayed above their dial and took the win, while Ethan finished the day as the Runner-Up.

While everyone wants to end the day in the winners circle, a Runner-Up finish is still a great result and caps off another strong points day for Big E. Coming into the race, Ethan was leading the Intermediate points standings, and after making it all the way to the Finals, he should have been able to extend that lead even further.

Congratulations on another great day of racing, Ethan! 🏁💚

06/14/2026

Well, I finally got caught up on race recaps... and I'm hoping to keep it that way! 😅

This weekend is another busy one for the Russell Racing Crew as we're splitting time between two different tracks.

Yesterday, we headed to Summit Motorsports Park for Test & Tune and were able to get several good runs in for both Ethan and Elena. Today, we raced a Summit points event before loading everything back up and hitting the road for US 131 Motorsports Park.

Tonight will be spent getting settled in and set up at US 131 before we do it all again tomorrow for another points race. In all our years racing, I don't believe we've ever missed a points race at US 131, so splitting the weekend between two tracks is definitely a first for us!

Coming into today's Summit race, Ethan was leading the Intermediate points standings while Elena sat 4th in the Novice class. Both kids put together a really solid day on the track, and there are plenty of highlights to share.

I'll be posting full race recaps for each of them separately, so stay tuned to see how their day unfolded and where they stand after another weekend of chasing win lights! 🏁💚🩷

(Both kids did Little League too 😂💸💸)

06/08/2026

💚🏁 Ethan's Summit Motorsports Park Recap – June 7, 2026 🏁💚

If you've been following along lately, you've probably noticed a trend: Ethan keeps finding himself racing late into the day.

Yesterday at Summit Motorsports Park was no exception.

For his time trial, Ethan cut a great .014 reaction time and the car ran an 8.93. With Summit's round-robin format, there isn't much time to relax after a pass. As soon as he got back to the pit, Ethan immediately started his tire prep while Rorric and I focused on getting Elena through her time trial and back to the trailer. Then it was a quick clutch wipe-down on both cars, making sure Ethan's junior was fueled up, getting the tire covers back on, and heading right back to the staging lanes for Round 1.

Based on the 8.93 time trial pass, we put an 8.93 dial on the window.

When the tree dropped, Ethan was right back to business with another great light, posting a .015 reaction time. Just as both cars were staging, a strong headwind started rolling through the track, bringing some pretty good gusts with it. His opponent was dialed a 9.23 but immediately turned on the red bulb with a -.019 reaction time. Ethan stayed focused and made his pass, running a 9.00 while his opponent ran a 9.63. The win light went on, but more importantly, we learned that the wind was definitely affecting the cars.

Knowing the wind was still hanging around for Round 2, we adjusted accordingly and dialed Ethan an 8.99. His opponent was dialed a 9.02.

When the tree dropped, his competitor once again made Ethan's job easier by going -.042 red while Ethan posted a .069 green light. Ethan's car picked up a little and ran an 8.96 while his opponent ran a 9.00, giving him another round win.

Round 3 was shaping up to be a driver's race.

Both cars were dialed 8.97, making it essentially a heads-up battle. Ethan cut a .021 light while his opponent answered with a .025. Neither driver had much advantage leaving the line, so it was going to come down to who managed the finish line better.

Ethan gave the throttle a few quick rips at the top end and crossed with a 9.01 while his opponent ran a 9.02. Between his slight advantage on the tree and being a little closer to his dial, Ethan secured the Round 3 win.

His .021 reaction time also earned him something every racer hopes for—the Bye run into the finals.

If you're going to get a Bye, this is the one you want.

With no opponent in the other lane, red lights and breakouts don't matter. It gives you a full pass to see exactly what the car wants to do and helps take some of the guesswork out of your final-round dial-in. Ethan ended up kicking it -.012 red and running an 8.92.

Then it was time for the finals.

Ethan dialed an 8.93 while his opponent put a 9.04 on the window.

The tree dropped, and Ethan knew immediately he had missed it.

After spending weeks cutting lights in the teens, twenties, and thirties, he posted a .104 reaction time—his worst light in quite some time. His opponent left with a .069, putting Ethan behind from the start.

At the top end, Ethan knew he wasn't going to catch him outright, so he made the smart move and released the throttle, hoping his opponent would break out. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Ethan crossed with a 9.04 while his opponent ran a 9.09, ending Ethan's day with a runner-up finish.

As soon as he got back, he was disappointed in himself.

He knew he was late on the tree.

But sometimes that's racing.

Rorric and I had to remind him that nobody is perfect all the time. Even the best racers miss one now and then. The reality is that when you look at the bigger picture, Ethan is putting together an incredible stretch of racing.

📊 Last 5 Weekends:
🏁 5 Final Round Appearances
🏆 3 Wins
🥈 2 Runner-Ups

That's five consecutive weekends racing in the finals.

Most racers would gladly take that record.

So while yesterday ended one win light short of the winner's circle, there's still plenty to be proud of. Ethan continues to prove that he's one of the toughest competitors in the class, and if he keeps racing the way he has been, there will be plenty more opportunities to park that lime green junior dragster in the winner's circle this season. 💚🏁

06/08/2026

🩷🏁 Elena's Summit Motorsports Park Recap – June 7, 2026 🏁🩷

Saturday night we made our way to Summit Motorsports Park for yesterdays points race, hoping to find a little more consistency with Elena's car.

Unfortunately, the struggle bus was still making regular stops.

For her time trial, Elena cut a .201 light and the car ran a 15.38. At Summit, the time trial and Round 1 are run round-robin style, so after making their time trial passes, we made a quick stop back at the pit to get both cars turned around before heading right back to the staging lanes.

With the car running a 15.38 in the time trial, we dialed a 15.36 for Round 1.

Elena posted a .281 reaction time and the car slowed down to a 15.49. Fortunately, her opponent provided one of those moments that reminds you just how unforgiving bracket racing can be. Dialed a 12.10, they cut a PERFECT .000 reaction time... only to run a 12.00 and break out, handing Elena the Round 1 win.

Round 2 brought Elena's best reaction time of the day.

With the previous 15.49 pass, we dialed a 15.43. When the tree dropped, Elena responded with a .086 light and ran a 15.55. Her opponent was dialed 12.11, cut a .235 light, and ran a 12.15. Elena's advantage on the starting line was enough to secure another win and send her to the semifinals.

And that's where our old friend, the dreaded slowdown, decided to make another appearance.

For the semifinals, we put a 15.49 dial on the car while her opponent dialed a 12.05. Elena cut a .129 light to her opponent's .115. Both drivers were relatively close on the tree, but once again the car slowed down, this time running a 15.66. Her opponent crossed the stripe with a 12.21, and the combination of their slight advantage on the tree and being a little closer to their dial was enough to end Elena's day.

Another race.
Another semifinal.

At this point, Elena is becoming the "Princess of the Semis"👸 or maybe the "Semi-Final Sweetheart" 💟 She keeps finding her way deep into race day, but that last step into the finals has been a tough hurdle lately.

To say she was upset would be an understatement.

Honestly, it's hard to blame her. Rorric and I are just as frustrated trying to find consistency with this motor. One run it's here, the next run it's there, and trying to predict what it's going to do can feel like throwing darts blindfolded.

We keep reminding Elena that next season, when she turns 8 and becomes eligible to run 11.90, she'll be able to move into a combination that typically offers a lot more consistency than what we're working with now. Unfortunately, for the time being, the rules are the rules and our hands are tied.

As parents, it breaks our hearts to see her so disappointed because we know how badly she wants it and see how much effort she is putting in.

The silver lining is that she's still going rounds. She's still learning. She's still putting herself in position to win. And if she keeps knocking on the door with semifinal appearances, eventually that door is going to swing wide open.

Until then, we'll keep working, keep learning, and keep doing everything we can to set her up for success.

One of these days soon, that pink junior dragster is going to be parked in the winner's circle. 🩷🏁

06/07/2026

💚🏁 Ethan's Darana Dragway - Milan Recap – May 31, 2026 🏁💚

After coming off another strong weekend at US 131, Ethan rolled into Darana Dragway - Milan looking to continue his recent streak of deep-round appearances.

In his time trial, Ethan cut a respectable .030 reaction time, but the car was a little too quick, running an 8.82. Knowing we'd need to slow it down a touch, we added some weight before heading into eliminations.

For Round 1, we dialed the car at 8.90 while his opponent put an 8.91 on the window. Ethan left with a .040 light, but his opponent was just a little better with a .035. It turned into a great race downtrack, but Ethan gave just a little too much at the finish line. Running an 8.91 to his opponent's 8.92, he came up short by just .0082 seconds.

That sent us to the buyback window for another shot.

Round 2 was a heads-up race with both drivers dialed 8.90. Ethan had the advantage from the start, cutting a .067 light to his opponent's .157. As the finish line approached, Ethan gave the throttle a couple quick rips and crossed the stripe with an 8.98 to his opponent's 8.97, securing the Round 2 win and keeping his day alive.

In Round 3, Ethan kept the 8.90 dial while his opponent dialed 8.95. When the tree dropped, his competitor immediately turned on the red bulb with a -.049 reaction time while Ethan posted a .041 green light. Knowing he already had the win, Ethan ran the car out the back door, posting an 8.91 pass.

Round 4 brought something every racer loves—a rematch.

In the lane next to him was the same driver who had sent him to the buyback window back in Round 1.

Once again, the dials were identical: Ethan at 8.90 and his opponent at 8.91.

This time, however, Ethan owned the starting line.

When the tree dropped, he fired off a stellar .019 reaction time while his opponent managed a .047. With the advantage in hand, Ethan had plenty of room to work at the top end, scrubbing roughly 5.5 mph off the car to run a 9.01 while his opponent crossed with a 9.04. The finish margin was .0508 seconds, and Ethan earned his revenge along with a spot in the next round.

As an added bonus, that .019 reaction time earned him the Bye run into the finals.

On his Bye, Ethan posted a .056 light and laid down a nearly perfect 8.906 on his 8.90 dial, giving us even more confidence heading into the final round.

Then it was time for the finals.

Ethan dialed 8.90 while his opponent put a 9.07 on the window. As soon as the tree dropped, the outcome was decided when his opponent went -.284 red while Ethan turned on the green bulb with an .081 reaction time.

With the automatic win already secured, Ethan still made a clean pass, running an 8.92 on his 8.90 dial while his opponent crossed with a 9.33 on their 9.07 dial.

🏆 Winner's Circle! 🏆

For the fourth consecutive weekend, Ethan found himself racing in the finals. Even more impressive, he's now won three of those four final-round appearances.

Consistency wins races, and right now Ethan is putting together one of the most consistent stretches of racing we've seen from him. Four straight finals, three wins, and plenty of win lights later, "Big E" added another trophy to the collection and continued an incredible start to the season. 💚🏁

06/07/2026

🩷🏁 Elena's Darana Dragway - Milan Recap – May 31, 2026 🏁🩷

After finding some success with the front tire stagger changes during Memorial Day weekend at US 131, we were hopeful that Elena's improved reaction times would carry over to Darana Dragway - Milan. Unfortunately, one of the challenges of racing at different tracks is that rollout can vary from place to place, and what works great at one track doesn't always translate to another. We'll keep experimenting with front tire size and stagger combinations to see what works best for her at each facility.

For her time trial, Elena cut a .205 reaction time and the car ran a 15.14. Knowing her car typically picks up a few numbers between rounds, we dialed a 15.05 for Round 1.

When the tree dropped, Elena posted a .201 light and ran a 15.08. Her opponent left with a .330 reaction time and ran a 14.43 on a 14.55 dial, breaking out and handing Elena the Round 1 win.

Heading into Round 2, we lowered her dial to a 14.99, expecting the car to continue picking up like it usually does. Well... it usually does until it doesn't.

Elena improved slightly on the tree with a .175 reaction time, but instead of getting quicker, the car slowed down significantly and ran a 15.31. Fortunately, her opponent struggled even more, posting a .417 light and running a 14.78 on a 14.20 dial. Being further off their dial than Elena was off hers gave her the Round 2 win and a trip to the semifinals.

Now comes the part of bracket racing that can make both drivers and crew chiefs question everything.

The car picked up from the time trial to Round 1, then slowed way down in Round 2. So now we're standing in the staging lanes asking ourselves, "What's it going to do this time?"

Since we knew the car was capable of running slower after the 15.31 pass, we put a 15.25 dial on the window for Round 3 and hoped for the best.

Elena cut a .191 light while her opponent left with a much better .057, putting her behind from the start. Then, just to keep us guessing, the car decided it was done running 15.30s and went right back to a Round 1-style pass, running a 15.09 and breaking out. Her opponent ran a 12.21 on a 12.04 dial, ending Elena's day in the semifinals.

While the reaction times weren't what we were hoping for after the progress she showed at US 131, there were still positives to take away from the weekend. Elena battled her way through two rounds, earned a semifinal finish, and gave us more information to help continue dialing in both her setup and her confidence behind the wheel.

Some days you're chasing win lights. Other days you're chasing consistency. This weekend, we were chasing consistency—but we'll be back at it next race trying to find both. 🩷🏁

06/07/2026

🏁 Memorial Day Weekend Visitor Spotlight 🏁

While Memorial Day weekend at US 131 Motorsports Park was all about racing, we were fortunate to have some very special visitors at the track with us as well.

On Monday, Mike and Heidi Raymond, owners of Affordable Towing & Auto Repair, along with their son Kayden, made the trip to watch Ethan and Elena race. As one of the kids' sponsors, their support means so much to our family, but what made this visit even more special is that they truly understand the commitment and chaos that comes with racing. Kayden races dirt track karts, so weekends at the racetrack are usually spoken for in their household too. Due to weather, their event was canceled, creating a rare opportunity for them to come spend the day at the dragstrip with us.

We are incredibly thankful for the time they took out of their holiday weekend to come cheer on the kids and for the continued support they provide both on and off the track. Sponsors like Affordable Towing & Auto Repair help make this racing journey possible, and we can't thank them enough.

We also want to recognize two of the kids' biggest supporters—their grandparents. My parents make the effort to attend as many races as they can throughout the season, always cheering on Ethan and Elena at the starting line for every round. Their support extends far beyond race day, as they also help sponsor the kids through my dad's business, Bob Slusher Floor & Tile. Whether it's celebrating the wins, helping us through the losses, or simply being there week after week, their love, encouragement, and dedication to the kids' racing journey never go unnoticed. We are incredibly grateful for everything they do and for the role they play in helping make this dream possible.

We were also excited to welcome some family we haven't seen in far too long. Rorric's brother, Michael, flew in from Alaska for a visit and, on his way to US 131, picked up our niece and the kids' cousin, Mackenzie. It had been several years since we'd seen either of them, making the day even more special. Watching them reconnect with Ethan and Elena, catch up on life, and spending time together at the racetrack created memories we'll cherish for years to come.

While none of our racers found their way to the winners circle that weekend, we still left feeling incredibly fortunate. Racing is about much more than win lights and trophies. Sometimes the biggest victories come from the people who invest their time, support, and love into your journey. From sponsors and family members to grandparents who rarely miss a race, we are surrounded by people who make this adventure possible, and for that we are incredibly grateful. 💚🩷🏁

Russell Racing Crew

06/18/2026

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