Friday, June 25, 2010, Ocean Speedway
Saturday, June 26, 2010, Marysville Raceway Park

Friday night, we were back at Ocean Speedway.

There were 28 cars signed in. Devon would be the 14th qualifier out, & by the time that we qualified, the track seemed to be going away, & he ended up qualifying 17th quick out of the 28 cars. A lot of the cars were pretty close; only .2 sec separated 5th from 17th.

For the heat race, he would start 2nd & ended up 4th, barely transferring straight to the Main. He complained that we just had the car too loose & he could barely hang on. He had a great battle with Brad Furr for that final transfer spot, & after the race, Brad gave him a friendly nudge with the bumper & a thumbs up for a tough battle. Brad is a former World of Outlaws Driver, & has a ton of experience. Devon said he had to make his car pretty wide to keep Brad behind him. Brad would have to run the B-Main, & had a great night finishing 3rd in the Main event.

For the Main, Devon would start 16th. He had a pretty difficult start, & got hung up in the back behind a few slower cars. He passed a few, but quickly found himself being a lap down. A yellow came out shortly after, so he was trapped behind the top 2 running cars & the rest of the cars on the lead pack. On the re-start, Devon held his own pretty well, but was getting a lot of pressure from behind. He said after the race that it was a pretty frustrating race, as it was the first time he had been lapped. He said he was trying not to hold up the leaders, & just get some experience trying different lines on the race track. He ended up finishing where he started in the 16th position.

It was a disappointing night, but he said he was glad that he forced himself to run the high line when he knew that it was not necessarily the fastest line of the night, but just wanted to get more comfortable running there.

For Saturday night, we would make our first appearance of the year at Marysville Raceway Park. Devon raced there a few times last year in his non-wing car, & it was one of his favorite tracks, as it is a really racy track due to turns 1 & 2 being kind of tight.

There were 16 cars signed in. The track is smaller than Ocean Speedway, which is ¼ mile. Due to the track size, 16 cars is actually a good number

We ended up doing two gear changes for the night.

The format is a bit different there; each group runs two 10 lap heats, the top 6 in points draw for starting position for the Main.

Devon started 5th in his first heat, & finished 2nd.

Devon would start 4th in his 2nd heat, & again finished 2nd.

There was a 3 way tie for the points, & Devon ended up drawing a 3 which would put him inside row 2.

Colby Wiesz, a well accomplished Sprint Car racer, & multiple time track champion at Placerville Speedway, would start on the pole. We knew the race would be for 2nd.

The track developed a pretty radical rut in the middle of turns 1 & 2, & the racers had a difficult time negotiating it. By the end of the night, there were 6 cars that flipped over as a result of hitting it. Two of them had flipped right in front of Devon, & he had to climb over the big rut to avoid hitting them & maintain his spot.

Devon managed to drive a great race. He was pressuring the 2nd place car most of the night, as they were just about dead even. On the white flag lap, Devon made the pass for 2nd & held the position as they took the checkered flag. A few moments later, the yellow lights flashed, then a red. There was a lot of confusion surrounding a car that had flipped as the leaders took the checkered flag. Some of the cars had actually exited the track as the race was over. Colby stopped on the front stretch, getting out of his car to be interviewed when the track officials said that there would be a restart with 2 to go. Devon would have to restart in 3rd, as they go back to the last scored lap before an incident. It was kind of bogus, but that stuff happens now & then. Anyway, the 2nd place car was able to go into prevent defense, & Devon would end up finishing in 3rd.

Despite the controversial finish, it was a fun race, & we are looking forward to race there again in a few weeks.

Stay tuned!

www.devonostheimer.com

June 12, 2010, Petaluma Speedway

This past Saturday night, the team headed up to Petaluma Speedway.

There were 22 cars signed in. The track officials were having a difficult time getting the track prepared. It was looking like Petaluma would have a very uncharacteristic dry slick track.

Qualifying:

Devon’s pill draw put him out as the 14th car to qualify. After the first few cars went out, the lap times began to increase pretty steady, as the track was getting slower & slower, resulting in speeds that were about 10-12 mph slower than usual for Petaluma.

Devon put together 2 very smooth laps, & managed to qualify 6th fastest. He was extremely happy, as the track conditions were pretty tough. 

Heat Race:

Devon would be in Heat Race # 3, starting in the 5th position. We had to finish 4th or better to save our qualifying time for the Main Event.

As the green waived, Devon managed to get a great start as a few cars were having difficulty with the dry slick conditions. By lap 3, Devon had managed to get in to 2nd. He was chasing & catching the leader, but had to settle into 2nd as they took the checkered flag.

Main Event:

They drew a 0 inversion, which would have put Devon in the 6th starting position. However, 3 drivers who had qualified faster did not save their time in their heat races, which moved Devon up to the 3rd starting position.

Veteran driver Bobby McMahan would start on the pole, with the previous race winner Cameron Mendes on the outside, & current Petaluma Track points leader Terrell on the outside of Devon.

When the green waived, the top four cars quickly jumped out for a great start, separating themselves from the rest of the field. There would be several cautions throughout the race, as many of the hometown drivers were just not used to driving the track as slick as it was. For the first 8 laps, Devon was in 3rd, all over the 2nd place car driven by Cameron Mendes. On about lap 10, as the leader was coming up on lapped traffic, and just as Devon was attempting to make a pass for 2nd, a lapped car had spun in front of the leader, causing Bobby & Devon to check up, but the spun car gathered it up & a caution did not come out. Mendes was able to dive under the slowing car of McMahan, & Terrell was able to get by Devon as he had to avoid the car coming across the track. It was a just one of those racing situations. There would be several restarts due to the amount of cautions, & the top 4 would finish as they were running.

Devon would end up 4th, a very good night for the Devon racing Team.

Stay tuned.

www.devonostheimer.com

Friday night, June 4, 2010 Ocean Speedway:

After 2 weeks off, racing resumed at Ocean Speedway for round # 6 of the Taco Bravo Sprint Car series.

There were 24 cars signed in.

Qualifying:

Devon would end up 7th quick in qualifying with a time of 11.955, which was our first time getting into the 11’s.

Heat Race:

Devon would start outside front row. He was in 2nd on lap 2, & when he was entering turn 3 for lap 3, he edged just slightly over the cushion, & must have caught a rock or some broken debris as he had punctured a hole in the right rear tire the size of a quarter, & would have to pull off the track. With the DNF, he would have to run the B-Main to try & earn one of the 7 transfer spots.

B-Main:

Devon started on the pole for the B-main. He led all 12 laps in taking the win, & would get his qualifying time back to start the A-Main in 7th.

A-Main:

Starting 7th, we had a goal of at least finishing the race, since we had some bad luck the previous race at Ocean Speedway. At the start, after things settled down a bit, Devon was running in the 7th spot. He lost a position, & was running most of the race in 8th. There was a caution with about 5 laps to go, & on the re-start, he was moved to 9th. The scorers made a mistake, & put a car in front of him that had actually passed under caution while the yellow was out. After the restart, Devon managed to pass 2 cars for position & moved up to 7th, where he would end up finishing.

It was a good solid night of racing, & the team was real pleased with the outcome.

Saturday, May 22, 2010 Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway

This past Saturday, we headed down to Tulare for our first visit at the famed hi-speed, hi-banked oval. This track would be the biggest that we have raced on to date. Tulare is known for having a tradition for providing great racing, & also has a reputation for some pretty amazing crashes. When we first looked at the track, it was kind of intimidating. We had to make a pretty radical gear change as compared to what we normally run as a result of the length & banking.

There were 27 cars signed in, with about 8 cars which had run the night before in Hanford as part of the Golden State Challenge Series. That is a 410 series, so they had to pull their motors out & install a 360 motor. The competition would be very tough.

Devon qualified 20th out of 27 cars. We thought that we could have done better, but he said that he was being a bit conservative as he was learning a new track. He didn’t want to do anything stupid to cut the night short.

In our heat race, we started 8th out of 9 cars, & that is where we finished. It was tough to pass. The top 5 from each of the 3 heat races would transfer straight in to the A-Main, with the remaining 12 cars having to run a B-Main. The top 7 of the 12 cars in the B-Main would complete the lineup for the A-Main.

Devon would start the B-Main in 6th. He got off to a good start, & settled into 6th for the first several laps. There would be a few spins up front, moving him up to 4th. He passed for 3rd, & was chasing the 2nd place car, & finally overtook 2nd with a few laps to go & that is where he would finish. He came off the track with an ear to ear grin, saying that he really had a lot of fun, but that it was pretty intense.

We started the A-main in 17th. Devon had moved up to 15th, but as they were starting lap 4, he entered turn 1 a bit too fast for the slick conditions, & he spun out. He had to re-start in 22nd. The track was really going away, getting very slick, with several cars having problems getting enough grip, but it was still very fast. Devon ran some really good laps as they hit the halfway point of the race, & managed to climb back up to 17th where he started & where he would finish. He stated that he felt that he could have had a top 10 or 12 finish if he wouldn’t have spun out, but we were happy that we finished & have the experience under our belt.

Tim Kaeding won the event, & it is always special to watch him drive. He pretty much owns the Tulare Track, very tough to beat there…

Friday, May 14, 2010 Ocean Speedway

It would turn out to be a difficult night, starting off with low fuel during the qualifying run. We had an extended hot lap session, & just burned off more than anticipated. Devon ran what were probably his best qualifying laps at Ocean, only to have the car sputtering as it came off the corner, & he ended up qualifying 17th out of the 31 cars signed in.

He started 2nd in his Heat Race, got an early lead, & lost it on the last lap, finishing 2nd.

For the Main, Devon would start 15th. He had moved up to 13th on lap 2, & was trying to run a higher line, & just got a bit too high & rolled the right rear over the cushion, causing the car to flip over as they were just starting lap 4. We were done for the night. It was just one of those nights where things didn’t go as well as hoped for.

 When we got back to the shop, we unloaded the car from the trailer, changed oil, gears, & started lining up parts to be ready for Saturday night at Petaluma. It was a long night.

Saturday, May 15, 2010 Petaluma Speedway

There were 16 cars signed in, & Devon set fast time for qualifying. They invert 6 for the heat race, & you have to finish 4th or better to save your time. The track was very hooked up & fast, & very difficult to pass. Devon got up to 5th, & was pressuring for 4th, but just couldn’t make the pass & had to settle for 5th.

He would start the Main in 9th. The track was getting more hooked up as the night went on, & there was just very little passing. Devon managed to get up to 7th, & that is where he would finish.

Next Saturday, we will make our first visit to Tulare’s Thunder bowl Raceway in what is Ocean Speedways 2nd off site visit.

Stay tuned

May 7, 2010 Ocean Speedway:

Ostheimer takes 10th in round 3 at Ocean Speedway.

Ocean Speedway’s Taco Bravo 360 Winged Sprint Car Series was back home in Watsonville for round # 3.

There were 27 cars signed in, & Devon qualified 10th quickest. Our goal is qualify in the top 10, which puts you in the invert.

There would be 3 heats of 9 cars; top 5 transfers to the A-Main, the remaining 12 would run a 12 lap B-Main, with the top 7 transferring to complete the A-Main field of 22 cars.

Devon started 1st in his heat race, which had a very tough field of cars. We hit the setup just right, & Devon hit his marks, and managed to just check out from the rest of the pack, & took the checkered flag for the win. It was a pretty impressive run.

They ended up drawing a 4, which didn’t help us, but at least we put ourselves in a position to capitalize. If they would have drawn a 10, we could have started on the pole for the Main Event.

For the Main, Devon would start 10th .The track was starting to really go away, so we knew it was going to be a tough track to pass on. Devon had gotten off to a good start, & had settled into running 8th. He was kind of stuck behind a slower car for several laps, & out of frustration, left the bottom to try & pass, & the car just slid up & he ended up loosing 2 positions. The exit of turn 2 developed a really bad rut, & Devon seemed to have a lot of trouble dealing with it. As the race approached the last 12 laps, a yellow allowed us to see that we had a left rear tire that was really low on air, which contributed to the handling problems he was having. Devon ended up finishing in the 10th position. It was a good run, & he got some really competitive laps in running with some top drivers. When he got back to the pits, we found that the LR bleeder had failed, which allowed the air pressure to drop down to 2 pounds. He was bummed he gave up those two positions, but considering the level of competition that we are running with, the team was more than happy with the finish & the night in general.

April 30, 2010, Santa Maria Speedway:

Ostheimer takes 8th in round 2 at Santa Maria Speedway.

Ocean Speedway’s Taco Bravo 360 Winged Sprint Car Series took its show on the road for round # 2. It would be the first time for the Devon Racing Team to run at the famed speedway down the coast.

There were 26 cars signed in, & Devon qualified 8th quickest.

Devon started 2nd in his heat race, & settled into 2nd for the first few laps. At about lap 4-5, the car really went away badly, as the track became so slick, he was basically in a 4 wheel slide coming off the turns, just no side or forward bite at all. Devon barely managed to hold on to a 5th place finish, which would save his time & transfer him to the Main.

For the Main, we were scheduled to start 8th, but someone dropped out & moved us up to 7th. The track was just continuing to get slicker, but it created another dilemma as it appeared like it was going to start to take rubber. We really agonized over what to do, & finally decided that we were going to adjust for continuing slick conditions. We tightened the car up more than we ever had before. We even decided to change gear at the last moment, trying to lessen the tire spin.

When the green waived, we looked good right from the start. Devon settled into running in the 6th position for most of the race, having an unbelievable battle with Brent Kaeding for about 12 laps or so. They traded slide jobs, Brent was a bit better on the bottom of turn 4; Devon was faster as they exited turn 2 on the high side. They were 3 wide on several occasions as they split cars that were being lapped. It was really exciting to watch. There was a late caution, & with about 3 laps to go, Brent was able to get underneath & maintain the position as Devon got hung out a bit. Another car was able to follow Brent through, & bumped Devon to 7th, where we would finish.

The stands were pretty full, & the fans were treated to a great Main Event race, as there were intense battles all over the track. Devon was disappointed that he gave up those 2 positions right at the end after running so hard, but commented that it was really a fun race, & he felt that he had gained so much experience. The competition level was really strong, so the team was very satisfied with the run.

Devon Earns First Sun Electric Hard Charger Award @ Ocean Speedway  

Ocean Speedway season opener, April 16, 2010

 We had 31 Winged Injected 360 Sprint Cars signed in, so it was going to be a battle just to make the field for the 22 car Main Event.

Hot laps started out great, Devon looked real fast & comfortable with the car. The track appeared to be going away pretty quickly, so we tightened him up for qualifying. We adjusted the car too much, & he just wasn’t able to turn very well. We ended up with a very disappointing run that put us near the bottom. It was going to be a long night. Devon had complained that the car seemed to be missing, but we couldn’t hear anything, & didn’t find any problem.

There were 4 groups of heat races. We were in the 4th group, started 7th & finished 6th. The top 4 would transfer straight to the A-Main; the rest would be seeded into 1 of 2 B-Mains. Devon looked OK, but again claimed that he felt he was down on power, & the car was just slightly missing coming off the turns.

We were scheduled to start 4th in the 2nd B-Main, which would be 12 laps; the top 3 would earn a transfer spot to the A-Main. We made some adjustments. In the staging area, Devon wanted to know who was on the front row, & inside of him, & said he was determined to take one of those spots. He just wasn’t ready to call it a night.

When the green waived, the top 4 cars started well, & began to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Devon was closing in on the 3rd spot, & on lap 3, he had caught & made a move on the 3rd place car. The car tried to fight back, but came into turn 3 too hard, & spun himself out. On the re-start, the top 3 cars were pulling away. Devon had a chance to take 2nd, & had it for about a half a lap, but the other car retook the position & Devon settled in just wanting to make the transfer. As they were getting ready to take the white flag, Devon had trouble coming out of turn 4, & seemed to slow. The car in 4th was making a final challenge, but Devon held on, making his car wide, to take the final transfer spot. When he came in, he again complained that something was wrong with the motor, as he felt like he just didn’t have full power coming off the corner.

A full inspection found that we did indeed have a plug wire that had actually backed of the plug. The boot visually appeared to be connected, but the metal contact had backed off. We all felt pretty bad that we could have missed that. I think that it was intermittent all night, & finally just came unplugged during the B-Main.

OK, we would be starting dead last (22) in the Main, but we didn’t care. It felt like a victory just to make the show, considering how the night went.

This year, Sun Electric Corp is sponsoring a “Hard Charger” award at each race, with a 100.00 bonus going to the driver that advanced the most positions in the Main. This is about all we had to shoot for. Our goal was to try & earn a top 15 finish, the hard charger award, & stay on the lead lap.

The fans were treated to some great racing, & at the end of the 30 lap feature, Devon had moved up to 12th, earned the hard charger award, & barely stayed on the lead lap. The entire team felt like we had salvaged the night with a respectable finish.

Ostheimer finishes 8th @ Petaluma in Civil War Feature*

2010 Season Opener @ Antioch Speedway

March 20th, 2010 (Morgan Hill, CA) The Devon Racing team traveled to the Antioch Speedway in Antioch, CA for the 2010 season opener.

This race would be more of a test & tune, as we knew there would be a limited number of cars for the event. The heat race got us off to a rough start, as we were experimenting with a new axel bleeder system. The right rear tire ended up loosing 3 pounds of air pressure, which drastically hooked up the car on a very tacky surface. The track stayed hooked up all night so the Devon Racing Car had to be freed up all night to keep up with the tracks very fast racing surface. For the 20 lap feature Devon had troubles on the start and was not able to take advantage like he would have liked to. The laps winded down quickly as the race went caution free, and the top 3 were on the gas around the top of the race track. Devon ended up 2nd as the checkered flag waived.

The Devon Racing Team would like to thank our sponsors; MDR Machine, German Auto Body, Passama Motorsports, Charron Metals, Red Line Oil, Wolf Pak,  Passama Motorsports, Betsy’s Restaurant, Top Line Applications, & JH Designs for their continued support.

February 22nd: Racing News

-          Devon Racing’s 2010 schedule is posted.

-          Devon Racing sells non-wing Spec Sprint Car to focus on Winged Injected 360 Series.

-          Devon Racing Welcomes new sponsors: German Auto Body & Betsy’s Restaurant.

October 24th: Antioch Speedway

Saturday, July 11: Petaluma Speedway

This event had 30 cars signed in, so we knew it was going to be a tough night.

Heat Race:
Start: 5th
Finish: 2nd
There would be a total of 4 Heat Races, with the top 4 from each Heat being seeded in the Main. The top two from each Heat would have a chance for the inversion.

Devon would line up in the 5th position for his Heat Race. It is really important to get a top 2 with this many cars, otherwise you will be seeded deep in the field for the Main Event, or worse, having to run a B-main to try & transfer.

When the green waived, Devon got a great jump, & moved his way into 4th as they entered turn 1. As they entered turn 3, two cars had slid up a bit, & Devon was able to get under both of them to take over the 2nd position, which is where he ended up finishing.

Main Event:
Start: 4th
Finish: 2nd
Devon would line up in the 4th starting position of the 22 car field for the Main. It was a fast track, very difficult to pass. As the green waived, the top 5 cars settled into position, & stayed pretty close. Devon was able to maintain 4th position for most of the race, finally taking 3rd at about lap 17, & taking over the 2nd spot at lap 23 of the 25 lap Main, which is where he finished. It was a big night for the Devon Racing Team, as Devon managed to recapture the Series Points lead at Petaluma Speedway after two very disappointing outings due to mechanical failures.

There is a brief write-up on Petaluma's site:
www.petaluma-speedway.com

& the spec sprint site:
www.specsprint.com

We will be back at Watsonville on Friday night, July 17.
Stay tuned.

May 16, 2009: Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
Ostheimer and Wright represent Morgan Hill


On the night of May 16, 2009 two drivers from the same small town won the A-Main Features. Devon Ostheimer and Ricky Right Jr., both from the city of Morgan Hill, won their Main Events. Devon won in his 25-car field, and Ricky won in his 18-car field.

Heat Race:
Devon drew a 50 out of 50 for his pill draw which is the worst you can draw. So, that put Ostheimer in the back of his heat race. From the 8th position, due to the rookies having to go to the back Devon was fortunate to move up to the fourth starting position. Ostheimer was able to move into the 2nd position coming out of turn two. Lap after lap went by, with the cars spreading apart. Devon was able to finish in the second position.

Feature:
Devon would start on the front row for the feature event. Beside him was veteran driver Terry Shank Jr, who won the night before at silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA. Shank got the jump on the initial start, and the 22 car field started to settle in. 10 laps had gone by, and lapped traffic was coming into play. Ostheimer jumped up to the cushion in turns 1&2 and realized he was faster than veteran Shank. Ostheimer kept peaking under and on the outside of Shank, trying to figure out how to get by...& then finally came into the corner high. Shank pushed through the center of the corner, and Devon having better car angle to exit, was able to get under him. One corner later Terry Shank Jr. broke a shock and was forced out of the race. Ostheimer took charge on the restart coming into the corner high in the slick stuff, got the car rotated, and avoided the ruts on the bottom. Most of the other drivers behind him were running the bottom trying to take the short way around the track, but did not realize they were hitting all the ruts. Ostheimer led the final 14 laps, & took the Double Checkers to score his first ever Sprint Car Main Event.

May 15, 2009: Ocean Speedway
First GLR Winged Injected 360 Sprint Car Race

Heat Race:
First ever GLR Wing 360 race for Devon was at Ocean Speedway May 15. Devon qualified 14th out of 23 cars, which would put him in the 6th starting position in his heat race. Ostheimer had to get used to driving the Winged Car in harder and deeper into the corner. This is a huge transition from the Wingless Sprint Car Class. Devon did a great job, passing 2 very fast and experienced guys in front of him to pick up the fourth position.

Feature:
Devon would start in the 14th position for the Main Event. The track remained very hooked up for the Main, so we knew that the cars would really be hauling with the throttle full hammer down. The race provided some excellent racing for the fans, with cars passing left & right, topside & bottom as well. Devon did a great job, having some serious battles with many veteran drivers. He gained a few spots, then lost a few, ending the night with a 13th place finish. Devon commented later with an ear-to-ear grin that this was extremely intense, & was quite satisfied with his performance for his first race in the GLR Investment 360 Feature Main Event.
A lot of the veteran drivers came by to congratulate him for an outstanding run in his first race in this extremely competitive division.

May 9, 2009: Antioch Speedway
So close for Devon Racing

Heat Race:
There was a 22-car field at Antioch Speedway Saturday night, another huge car count for the Wingless Spec Sprint Cars! Devon Jumped into the lead in his heat race and never looked back in the 8 lap heat race.

Feature:
All 22 cars started the bone-dry slick Feature A-Main event at Antioch Speedway. Ostheimer drew a lucky 0 for the inversion, which gave him his earned front row starting position for the A- Main event. Ostheimer finally got the 25 -lap feature started after 3 initial double file re-starts due to cars in the back spinning out or getting into tangles. Once the race went green, Devon checked out & had built a full straightaway lead. The pack would get bunched up due to the yellows & reds coming out. During the last red flag stop, the Antioch Track officials threatened to cut the race short. The long race continues with more yellows. Ostheimer finally get a decent green flag run and leaves the field again. The 20x car of Tommy Laliberte starts to catch Ostheimer on the topside of the racetrack. Tommy passes Devon on the top coming out of turn two and the excitement begins for the fans. Ostheimer was able to get right back under Tommy in turns 3&4 on the bottom, then immediately jumped to the topside coming into turns 1&2 and started to leave the pack once again. 10 laps go buy then another yellow. Devons crew told him to keep the car on the topside in turns 1&2 and on the bottom in turns 3&4 and that's just what he did. Unfortunately that was the wrong call in turn 3& 4, and Tommy was able to get around Devon the topside coming out of 4. This pass was with two laps left to go. Ostheimer lead 23 of the 25 laps and got passed right at the end. Ostheimer was able to finish second.

April 11, 2009: Antioch Speedway, Antioch, CA

Antioch Speedway provided Saturday night action with a fast and tacky track.
23 cars showed up for points race number 2. The event started with the heat
races. Devon would start 4th, 2nd row outside. Ostheimer was able to get the
jump on the third place car. Coming into turn 1, Devon was able to maintain
the third place spot. With the track being very tacky it made it very hard
to pass. With three laps remaining in the 8 lap heat race, Devon was able to
make the bottom work and take the 2nd place spot in his heat, to take a 2nd
place finish.

6 cars made the trophy dash. Devon would start 3rd for the 4-lap dash. The
track was still holding up well,& the cars pretty much finished in their
starting order, with Devon maintaining his position for the 3rd place
finish.

The inversion for the A-Feature was a 0, So that put Devon in the fourth
starting spot. With all 23 cars starting the Main Event, it was about to get
a little crazy. As the green flag drops for the Wingless Sprint Car 25 lap
A-Main Event, Ostheimer got the jump on the 3rd place car, & maintained the
3rd place spot coming into turn 1 and coming out of turn 2.
Unfortunately, a tangle in the back brought out a yellow flag, so they would
have to re-start in their original side by side positions. The same thing
happened four times in a row, each time with Devon getting the jump on the
3rd place car as the top side of the race track was the preferred line on
the tacky race track. Finally on the 5th restart Ostheimer got the jump
again and maintained the 3rd place spot. The top 6 cars pretty much pulled
the rest of the field, as these guys were getting everything out of their
500HP race cars, flying around this hooked up track near the 90 mph range.
As the laps were winding down, it became the top 4 as they were pretty even
trying to work their way through lapped traffic..& trying to stay in the
middle/top side of the race track.
Ostheimer was able to maintain the 3rd place spot until a veteran racer
passed him on the white flag lap. Once they were finally able to take the
green, the 25 lap feature went green to checkered, with Devon taking home a
4th place finish.

Next up:
Friday, April 17, Ocean Speedway points race # 2.

Saturday, April 18, Antioch speedway points race # 3.

April 3 and 4, 2009: Watsonvilles Ocean Speedway Wingless Spec Sprint Car season opener was this past Friday night, April 3rd, 2009. Team Devon Racing was really
pumped to get back to their home track. Devon would be in the 2nd
heat, starting on the outside front row. When the green flag waived,
Devon immediately got the jump on the outside, but as he past by the
flag man entering turn 1, Devon biked up on two wheels & almost went
over due to the really bad ruts on the top side of the race track.
There was a tangle at the back of the pack, bringing out an opening
lap caution. On the following restart, Devon got the jump once again
on the top side, & maneuvered around the ruts, and was able to
immediately check out from the the rest of the pack.

As the laps wound down, Devon would extend his lead to capture the
heat race win.

For the 25 lap A-Main Feature Event, the inversion was a 5, which
would put Devon in the fourth position. The track was dry slick and a
"bottom feeder". On the start, Devon made an excellent move to get
down on the bottom, & hang out the front row outside starter. That put
Devon into 3rd. The top 3 cars ran pretty much nose to tail. There
were a few restarts due to cautions, & with about 10 laps left Devon
was able to move into the second position. It was a very difficult
track to make a pass on, & Devon would have to settle with a 2nd place
finish. A great way to start off the home opener….

Night 2 of double duty took place at Petaluma Speedway on Saturday
Night, April 4th. This would also be the season opener there for the
Spec Sprint Car class. This race track is known to stay pretty hooked
up throught the night, but this night it had an unusually dry slick
track. Devon drew the 9th qualifying spot out of 19 cars, but the
track was going away quickly, & the early qualifiers had a slight
edge. Devon ended up qualifying 8th.

Devon was scheduled to start 4th in his heat, but there was a car with
a rookie flag lined up in front, which they sent to the back, which
put Devon front row outside in his heat race. On the start, Devon
tucked right under the leader coming into turn 1, and was able to hold
the second place position for the remainder of the race with everyone
running right on the burm.

For the A-Main Feature Event, Devon started in the 8th position. On
the start, Devon was able to get down on the bottom in the 9th
position. Devon’s car was very hooked up as he started to pick off
cars one by one. As the 25 lap feature started to wind down, Devon was
able to pick up the left front and ride the burm nice and smooth
around the speedway, moving into 2nd from his 8th starting position
with about 6 laps to go, which is where he finished. The competition
level at Petaluma is very tough, and the Devon Racing Team pulled off
a very respectable finish to end the night.

NEXT RACE: Antioch Speedway Saturday April 11 2009.