06/15/2026
Diamond Cup Recap/JP Memorial Recap!
I want to start off by saying how impressed I was by this team. We have never even hot lapped this car and were nervous for our first race to be on a track like Meridian with so many cars. When I went out for the first time I got down to a 12.1. The next time out I decided to see just how deep I could drive it in and went to the top of the board with an 11.47! I ended up 2nd quick at the conclusion of Thursday night practice.
On Friday I was top of the board for practice with an 11.41 (0.27 faster than 2nd quick). We were struggling with a bad MSD box that kept shutting the car off or making it miss randomly. I qualified 2nd out of 22 cars with an 11.30 with the bad MSD box. We finally found one to borrow and the car ran like a dream. I started 4th in my heat and finished 2nd in 6 laps and avoided a really close call. I had to draw a pill for my starting position in the main and drew a 6. In the main I went from 6th to 4th in 6 laps. One pass I entered high and dove underneath coming out and the second pass I battled hard on the outside. On lap 8 I busted a power steering line and the steering wheel locked up. I drove the remaining 17 laps with no power steering and finished 4th.
On Saturday we fixed the power steering. The track changed and we struggled determining what adjustments to make. After figuring out what the car liked and didnāt like I went to the top of the board for 2nd practice with an 11.42. The car felt good but was on the tight side. We didnāt quite loosen the car up enough to qualify and I went an 11.33 putting me 4th. I started 4th in the heat and went to 2nd again in 6 laps. I tried to get the leader as we came to the checkered but didnāt quite have enough by the start finish line. I drew a 4 in the pill draw for my 40 lap main event starting position. I made a risky pass on the inside that paid off and got up to 2nd. I battled with a quite a few lapped cars as I tried to catch the leader. The car started getting a bad vibration on lap 15 but it was still handling okay other than my hands were going numb and my vision was blurring. I got within two car lengths of the leader with 7 laps to go when the vibration turned into a shake and by the end of the front straightaway the U-joint busted and pulled the driveline out of the rear end ending our night. I had so many mixed emotions, feeling happy and excited that I ran 2nd and was running down the leader for my first time in the super, and upset that the driveline couldnāt have held together for just a few more laps.
I canāt thank my crew enough for their hard work and dedication to figuring this car out. My Grandpa John, Chase, Buzz, Rob, Lynn and Kym. I also owe a huge thank you to Brad Hunziker and Jim Birges for their help on our setup and adjustments. The support from these drivers and crews was unmatched and I appreciate all of them greatly. I want to thank Colton Nelson and Bryan Warf for their driving advice and giving me the courage to push the limits of this car. I also want to thank Matt Elliott for lending us an MSD box. I couldnāt do what I do without my sponsors; Kirkey Racing Fabrication, Idaho Powder Coating, Grip Suspension and Design, Brad Hunziker, B-Graphics, West Valley Collision and Repair, and Sorensen Construction Services.
We will be back š
