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Because of the invert policy the series has, Hemphill started
the event in the sixth spot after the top ten were reversed.
Even with the great qualifying run, his team was still
questioning their knowledge of the car and the racetrack. This
was the first competitive trip to the facility for any of them
"I got
acquainted with the track right away. It only took a couple of
laps to get acquainted with the track," said Hemphill. "It's a
little different on television, but the track is beautiful.
Qualifying went pretty well. We learned a lot. The weekend
turned out better than we actually thought it would. We got two
laps to qualify. When I went out, I did one lap and knew I got a
good lap, and that's what I wanted. During the second lap, I
pushed a little harder, and going into turn three I missed my
line a little bit. The track was real slick at the time, and I
got a little loose and just brought it in. But one lap that was
good enough for a top five, and it was good enough for us. We
were in the race with a good starting position."
When the green
flag for the Miller Lite State Fair 150 flew, Hemphill proceeded
to make mincemeat of the competition. Gradually moving up from
his sixth place starting position, it was no time until he was
on the back bumper of race leader Jeff Storm. After working
Storm on the bottom of the racetrack, Hemphill showed his muscle
when he was finally forced to pass No. 68 Chevrolet on the high
side of the racetrack on lap 33. Once by Storm, Hemphill checked
out until lap 43 when the caution flag came out and bunched up
the field. Hemphill gave up the lead to Brian Hoppe after the
caution. A miscommunication between he and the team during the
team's lone pit stop possibly cost him the race.
"The first part
of the race, we were probably one of the fastest cars. We
started sixth and moved right up a little bit at a
time," Hemphill explained after the event. "Once we got to
first, I was working on him and trying to pass him low because I
had passed everyone else low. I remembered from the Busch race
that that was the time that people started moving up the track
for bite. I was a little loose at the time, and as soon as I
moved up, I picked up a lot of bite and the car really ran free
and was fast up top.
"We came out
behind the people we pitted with because we had some
miscommunication on pit road," he continued. "We knew we were
gonna be close on fuel. I was off the jack waiting for someone
to say 'Go!', and finally, someone did and we had to work our
way back up. We didn't have the car we had the first half. Our
car was way too tight the second half of the race. We managed to
get fourth. I was passing third on the last turn, and I guess I
didn't come close enough."
Many bystanders
felt Hemphill had finished third, as did he. In post-race
celebrations, Hemphill pulled into the third place spot, but was
told to move by series officials who then placed Hoppe in third
and Hemphill in fourth. Regardless, the team felt victorious
with such a super run in their very first RE/MAX Challenge
Series, NASCAR Touring event.
"It was a new
experience. You always learn something racing against anyone
different, and I learned a lot from racing with those guys.
They're all good and respectable," Hemphill commented. "In that
situation, it's like racing with a lot of other people I've
raced with before. You always learn a little something different
racing with other people. The next time I go race with them,
I'll remember certain things about what they might do in a
situation. All in all, from what I saw, they raced everyone,
including myself, clean and respectful. It was a good race -- a
really good race."
"Big Mo"mentum
has been on the team's side for four weeks now. Following a
sixth place finish in the ASA ACDelco Series race at Chicago
Motor Speedway, a win in the prestigious NAPA 200 at Motordrome
Speedway last weekend, and now a fourth place finish in their
first RE/MAX Challenge Series, NASCAR Touring event, the team is
pumped about their next race. Among other things, the event is
at one of Hemphill's two home tracks -- Jennerstown (Pa.)
Speedway. As a former winner of the Blue-Grey Shootout at the
track, Hemphill is pumped about returning to Jennerstown. He was
also the 1999 Rookie of the Year in late models and 6th place
point finisher at the track.
"We've got a
little bit of luck on our side right now. We're trying to carry
momentum with us right now in everything we do and everywhere we
go," stated the excited Hemphill. "Hopefully we can carry this
momentum with us to Jennerstown for our ASA race. We're really
looking forward to going there. We're going to start practicing
some more and trying to get the car more dialed in, but
hopefully we can carry this good luck and momentum that we've
been having and come out with an even better finish than we've
been having (in touring events) at Jennerstown. But everything
has to go smooth. We've got to have a little luck and we've got
to have a good car. If we can have all of that, we'll be pretty
good."
Hemphill
Racing's next event will be the ASA ACDelco Series Pennsylvania
300 at Jennerstown Speedway on August 26. Plans also call for
the team to attempt the Gatorade All-Pro combination events in
Memphis and Nashville later this year. Hemphill
Racing is searching for primary sponsorship and marketing
partners for both the NASCAR Re/MAX Challenge Series and the ASA
ACDelco Series. More information about Ryan Hemphill and
Hemphill Racing can be found at
http://www.ryanhemphill.net.
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