Last Friday, the 23^rd, both Lance Tatro and Lance Jackson spent a little quality time with their pit crew just to show how much their efforts meant. “We just got to talking and we thought it would be fun for the crew to see what we do, and to show how much we appreciate all their efforts” Jackson said.  Therefore, the team rented some time at the speedway and let each of the crew members drive the car to see what it was like. Kenny Kinchen shook down Tatro’s car and check the track conditions and provided some essential feedback for the crewmembers so they new what to expect. This also gave Kinchen a chance to compare his “Last Call” rocket to the Tatro Racing Thorpedo. “Your car really responds with no hesitations” Kinchen said, “It was surprising, I am not really used to a car that does that”.  We discussed the differences in power range, stability and easiness to drive. “Our cars are totally different in those areas” Kinchen said, “a lot of it is a matter of driver preference, and I set my car up to allow some freeness in the corner, and Lance likes his car tight and to respond instantly”.  Kinchen also indicated that our car was a very comfortable fit. That comfort showed as Kinchen look very stable and fast in a car set up different than his.

Next in Tatro’s car was Jeremiah Bearden. For those who have seen Miah in a sprint car, and in the older offsets, should have seen him in this car. “I almost was shocked to see how fast and stable Jeremiah was right off the bat” Tatro said. “He looked as if he had raced for years, and with command of the car that I have never seen him have, frankly… he looked great!” Tatro said.  Bearden, when asked, indicated that on a scale from 1 out of 10, the car stability was a “10 ½”.  “Anyone that drives and has never driven a car that handles like that, does not know what they are searching for” and “After driving that, I now have an indication of what a car can do”. Like Kinchen, Miah stated that he loved the way the car responds in the corners, its friendliness, and its ability to corner under intense entry. All I can say is “We know”.

Now for the rest of the crew. In Jackson’s car Joel was the first driver to warm the car up and drive it like he was chasing “bad guys” on the highway. Joel, our local highway patrol hero looked very good, and was sporting one of Tatro pink suits to support Breast Cancer Awareness. “I just wanted to show my support in the fight of this terrible disease and to support breasts in general”…aw, spoken like a man! “Joel looked great” Jackson said “I think his extensive driver’s training helped him, I’m not sure for what, certainly not this…but I am sure that in some way it has helped him!”  With a few adjustments between sessions, mainly a red light on top of the car, Joel looked to have found his groove and went even faster.

Kevin Tatro was next out in the Tatro car. Kevin took it easy for a while to get a feel for the car and waited until the next outing to cut the throttle loose. Tatro was able to get the car respectively into the 15s for his conservative, yet stable run. “I just wanted to be safe, and I wanted to try and get to full throttle, those were my goals” Tatro said, “And I think that it takes a while not to confuse the feel of the horsepower and the noise of the motor with the speed that you are going” Tatro looked stable and much faster in his second go. Kevin finished by stating that the only way this day would have been better is if his brother would have been there and they could have experienced this together.

In the Jackson car, Joe hit the track. Joe was definitely not scared. He hit the track, hit the throttle and although he took up much of the track down the straight-a-ways, he was on the gas…until he looped the car in a high speed maneuver that left those observing asking “What the hell just happened?” And “How did he do that?” but Joe being the true professional just replied,
“Hey man...I was just trying to find the edge!” 

Next in the Tatro ride was “Manson the Maniac” Dewayne was out to improve his last outing in the Tatro Super. He did. “Dewayne looked very good, he was quick and he was stable.” Tatro said. Dewayne does bring to the table some experience, as he used to drive the city buses in road tests where he has proven that you can power-slide a 40ft bus without rolling it!

Greg (My father-in-law) drove the next round, and as predicted, he looked as if fear had left the building. “I had a feeling that Greg would look good in the car, he is just a confident guy and that plays a big role in how far you push things” Tatro said. After the hotlap session, Greg was all smiles.

Todd went out next in the Jackson car and we did our best to psych him out. Todd was a very nervous guy, but manage to bring the Jackson car to speed. “Todd puts a lot of time in the car, and he knows what it takes to fix it when things go wrong, he just approaches things with that kind of respect” Jackson said, “But that did not stop me from harassing him”.

Dutcher was the only double duty driver for both cars. Since he builds the motors for both cars, he wanted to see the differences. Pat was able to motor the Tatro car to 14 flats on tires with over 200 laps on them. “The car was really stable considering the tires were so worn” Dutcher said. “I like the way that the car performs, it turns exactly when you tell it to, and it forgives small mistakes” Dutcher indicated that the motors were very comparable, and that the power range is just a little earlier through the mid when comparing. Dutcher also said that is how he designed the motors as per driver request. “Some drivers like Kinchen or Jackson want just a little less on exit so they can roll harder without spinning the tires, and Tatro likes all his power early and then just adjusts with his foot control” and “They both have their advantages, but there is no room for error with a lot of early power, and that showed when Lance broke loose several times early in the season, although we did get that solved the last half of the season” 

It appears that both crews had a good time. Both Jackson and Tatro did not drive. “We did not want this to be about us” Both Tatro and Jackson indicated. “When thinking about what we could do to show thanks, this is what we came up with.

 
Photo:Steve Lombardo

Looking back on a memorable season...... Thanks to everyone!