Wife's view from the pits - by Lynda Makinson (July 2014)
Disclaimer: This is my view and opinion, not the view or opinion of Bruce Makinson or anyone else.
July 21, 2014
Hi Everybody,
What a night!
Of course it was warm but with the cloud cover made it tolerable…enough of the weather report!
Saturday night was autograph night and the Sprint cars were there. So, it was a busy night.
Bruce started the night out right, he won his Heat race. The car looked good and Bruce was in perfect form. This was a great start to the evenings racing.
Autograph night was good and we had a chance to meet some fun fans that I'm sure after Saturday night are true Makinson Racing fans :)
As for the Feature…well, the only thing on the BOS site that was correct is Bruce was showing his muscle. Bruce started in 3rd position and took the lead early (I don’t remember the exact lap but it was within the first 5), yes, earlier than the 9th lap and it was easy to tell because there were many cautions (it was about a caution every two laps) and every time Bruce had to hammer it to keep the lead. He chose to start on the outside because it’s the leader’s choice and it was working for him. And every time, he hammered it and pulled away strong.
Many fans and crews reported back to us that they were rooting for him to win (thanks Millar crew, Polite crew, Cindy and friend, and all the other folks that came by to say “great job”). Bruce lead almost 20 of the 25 laps and it wasn’t until the final caution that someone could catch him and keep up with him. Bruce was holding his lead until an untimely foible that allowed the second place car to take advantage and take the lead away from him with 4 laps to go. Bruce had to settle for 2nd but it was a wonderful 2nd. The car looked fantastic out there, Bruce was charging hard, it reminded many of his 2011 win when he took off and never looked back. In this case the cautions didn’t help.
And since this is MY page and MY opinion, I have to say one thing….a car that can pass the whole pack after causing a caution to keep himself from being lapped…wow…odd huh?!?! And the funny thing is that I’m not the only one that noticed this, other people in the pits and fans in the stands questioned the same thing. If only there was a rule about causing an unwarranted caution to keep from being lapped. Funny how a lot of people saw this but just not the ones that make the rules….curious.
Anyways, it was a good night (it could have been a great night), our sponsor and friend Sandy Vanier was there and Bruce’s 82 yr old father (Rapid Roy) was there to witness this good night.
But like I’ve been telling you all, it’s coming, Bobby and Bruce have been working hard on getting the handling right and I can feel it…it’s in the air….can you feel it too??
And don’t forget, there’s 6 regular race nights left (yeah…I’m doing the countdown thing).
Well, that’s all for this week, hope to see you at the races and have a great week,
Lynda
Hi Everybody,
What a night!
Of course it was warm but with the cloud cover made it tolerable…enough of the weather report!
Saturday night was autograph night and the Sprint cars were there. So, it was a busy night.
Bruce started the night out right, he won his Heat race. The car looked good and Bruce was in perfect form. This was a great start to the evenings racing.
Autograph night was good and we had a chance to meet some fun fans that I'm sure after Saturday night are true Makinson Racing fans :)
As for the Feature…well, the only thing on the BOS site that was correct is Bruce was showing his muscle. Bruce started in 3rd position and took the lead early (I don’t remember the exact lap but it was within the first 5), yes, earlier than the 9th lap and it was easy to tell because there were many cautions (it was about a caution every two laps) and every time Bruce had to hammer it to keep the lead. He chose to start on the outside because it’s the leader’s choice and it was working for him. And every time, he hammered it and pulled away strong.
Many fans and crews reported back to us that they were rooting for him to win (thanks Millar crew, Polite crew, Cindy and friend, and all the other folks that came by to say “great job”). Bruce lead almost 20 of the 25 laps and it wasn’t until the final caution that someone could catch him and keep up with him. Bruce was holding his lead until an untimely foible that allowed the second place car to take advantage and take the lead away from him with 4 laps to go. Bruce had to settle for 2nd but it was a wonderful 2nd. The car looked fantastic out there, Bruce was charging hard, it reminded many of his 2011 win when he took off and never looked back. In this case the cautions didn’t help.
And since this is MY page and MY opinion, I have to say one thing….a car that can pass the whole pack after causing a caution to keep himself from being lapped…wow…odd huh?!?! And the funny thing is that I’m not the only one that noticed this, other people in the pits and fans in the stands questioned the same thing. If only there was a rule about causing an unwarranted caution to keep from being lapped. Funny how a lot of people saw this but just not the ones that make the rules….curious.
Anyways, it was a good night (it could have been a great night), our sponsor and friend Sandy Vanier was there and Bruce’s 82 yr old father (Rapid Roy) was there to witness this good night.
But like I’ve been telling you all, it’s coming, Bobby and Bruce have been working hard on getting the handling right and I can feel it…it’s in the air….can you feel it too??
And don’t forget, there’s 6 regular race nights left (yeah…I’m doing the countdown thing).
Well, that’s all for this week, hope to see you at the races and have a great week,
Lynda
July 14, 2014
Hi Everybody,
This past Saturday night was a calmer night for the Sportsman considering it was a full moon (some may have called it boring). It was a non-points night so only 12 cars showed, the race started as a lovely parade but ended with some excitement.
So to start off my version of the night, the Heat race was going ok; Bruce started last and was working his way up but unfortunately there were two cars ahead of him that both Bruce and I knew would turn into trouble. In their usual fashion one wiped out the other on the last lap and Bruce almost made it clear around the one across the track until she forgot how to use the brake and the car drifted up and smacked Bruce off the track. He was able to continue on but it was the last lap and it put him in last place. (Seriously, if you get into an accident on the Queensway do you not put the brakes on and hold them?!?!?!…just sayin’ zol…)
Anyways, I regress…the car did not have much damage but it put Bruce in 9th position to start the Feature.
Now for the Feature, as I said earlier it a pretty parade for over half the race, right away everyone spread out (at least I had more time to focus on swatting mosquitoes). There were no cautions until late in the race. Our friend Kenny Polite took the lead early and never looked back (it reminded me of when Bruce won the 50-laper a few years ago…it was nice to see as Kenny hadn’t won a race in his 8 yr career…great job Polite Crew!!).
After the late race caution Bruce was around 7th with someone coming up his inside and Bruce was now on the inside of the 6th place car (more or less three wide). It was the best part of the race, last lap and the three of them coming around turns 3 and 4 battling for position. Bruce was able to overtake the car ahead of him to take 6th just off 4 ahead of the checkered. I have to say the caution was the best part, I was nervous for Kenny hoping it didn’t ruin his chances for his first win and nervous for Bruce battling to get 6th….I have no idea what else was going on on the track, I was just focused on Bruce and Kenny. It’s too bad no points were given out that night because now Kenny’s win will not show on his stats. But at least the pay outs were the same so Bruce got a better payout which helps with the expenses (this makes me happyJ).
Anyways, there’s only 7 regular race nights left….yes SEVEN. I can’t believe it either, but no complaints on my side. Next week is the Sprints and autograph night. So, if you’re planning on coming out it may be a good one to see. Bruce and Bobby are starting to feel good about the changes they’re making so I believe every week will only get better.
Well, hope you all have a great week and maybe see you at the races!
Cheers,
Lynda
Hi Everybody,
This past Saturday night was a calmer night for the Sportsman considering it was a full moon (some may have called it boring). It was a non-points night so only 12 cars showed, the race started as a lovely parade but ended with some excitement.
So to start off my version of the night, the Heat race was going ok; Bruce started last and was working his way up but unfortunately there were two cars ahead of him that both Bruce and I knew would turn into trouble. In their usual fashion one wiped out the other on the last lap and Bruce almost made it clear around the one across the track until she forgot how to use the brake and the car drifted up and smacked Bruce off the track. He was able to continue on but it was the last lap and it put him in last place. (Seriously, if you get into an accident on the Queensway do you not put the brakes on and hold them?!?!?!…just sayin’ zol…)
Anyways, I regress…the car did not have much damage but it put Bruce in 9th position to start the Feature.
Now for the Feature, as I said earlier it a pretty parade for over half the race, right away everyone spread out (at least I had more time to focus on swatting mosquitoes). There were no cautions until late in the race. Our friend Kenny Polite took the lead early and never looked back (it reminded me of when Bruce won the 50-laper a few years ago…it was nice to see as Kenny hadn’t won a race in his 8 yr career…great job Polite Crew!!).
After the late race caution Bruce was around 7th with someone coming up his inside and Bruce was now on the inside of the 6th place car (more or less three wide). It was the best part of the race, last lap and the three of them coming around turns 3 and 4 battling for position. Bruce was able to overtake the car ahead of him to take 6th just off 4 ahead of the checkered. I have to say the caution was the best part, I was nervous for Kenny hoping it didn’t ruin his chances for his first win and nervous for Bruce battling to get 6th….I have no idea what else was going on on the track, I was just focused on Bruce and Kenny. It’s too bad no points were given out that night because now Kenny’s win will not show on his stats. But at least the pay outs were the same so Bruce got a better payout which helps with the expenses (this makes me happyJ).
Anyways, there’s only 7 regular race nights left….yes SEVEN. I can’t believe it either, but no complaints on my side. Next week is the Sprints and autograph night. So, if you’re planning on coming out it may be a good one to see. Bruce and Bobby are starting to feel good about the changes they’re making so I believe every week will only get better.
Well, hope you all have a great week and maybe see you at the races!
Cheers,
Lynda
July 7, 2014
Hi Everybody,
This past Saturday night was a busy one with a 40-lap Sportsman and 50-lap Modified but you’d be surprised as to how quickly each race went. There were limited cautions and nothing too drastic so the races finished in no time.
Only 17 cars showed for the Sportsman race. I guess the price of gas is keeping people from travelling for these races. It’s too bad, the first race you had to qualify to get in, this one everyone was in the show. It’s a little more exciting when you have to work for it (that’s my opinion). Bruce’s qualifying times were very good, but his Heat race looked odd to me. It seemed like the car was going squirrely at times. When I asked him about it he said that the car was loose and with certain people squirrely around him it was hard to keep it straight (that I understand, the same squirrel was in front of him for the Feature).
Bruce started the Feature in 13th (at least it wasn’t last place this time!!). He was unfortunately stuck behind the same driver that gave him grief in the Heat race. But fortunately just as Bruce was about to pass him, this driver took himself out of the race by hitting an inside tire and Bruce was able to safely get around him. I have to say this race was the prettiest parade you ever did see. Throughout the race the cars would spread out so there wasn’t much competition going on or passing. During the race he did bobble between 8th and 9th but took the checkered in 9th (gain another top 10…we gotta break the top 5 plain soon!).
It wasn’t disappointing because the race was a parade and the car came home in good shape.
Bruce still hasn’t received the part he’s been waiting for. Will it make a difference?!?!? Only time will tell. I hope so, Bruce and Bobby are starting to feel confident in the changes they’re making and are feeling the love for Scarlett. I’m sure even better days are coming so stay tuned.
Nothing too exciting this weekend coming, there’s the Vintage and a 20-lap enduro along with the regular show. The Sportsman will not be competing for points as there’s a special out of town race that many drivers will be attending (excluding us!). So, this will be a good weekend for the boys to experiment even more on the set up (not that we’re in contention for points after missing 4 weeks, but if you see the points, Bruce isn’t doing that bad considering).
Anyways, enjoy your week and hope to see you at the races,
Lynda
Hi Everybody,
This past Saturday night was a busy one with a 40-lap Sportsman and 50-lap Modified but you’d be surprised as to how quickly each race went. There were limited cautions and nothing too drastic so the races finished in no time.
Only 17 cars showed for the Sportsman race. I guess the price of gas is keeping people from travelling for these races. It’s too bad, the first race you had to qualify to get in, this one everyone was in the show. It’s a little more exciting when you have to work for it (that’s my opinion). Bruce’s qualifying times were very good, but his Heat race looked odd to me. It seemed like the car was going squirrely at times. When I asked him about it he said that the car was loose and with certain people squirrely around him it was hard to keep it straight (that I understand, the same squirrel was in front of him for the Feature).
Bruce started the Feature in 13th (at least it wasn’t last place this time!!). He was unfortunately stuck behind the same driver that gave him grief in the Heat race. But fortunately just as Bruce was about to pass him, this driver took himself out of the race by hitting an inside tire and Bruce was able to safely get around him. I have to say this race was the prettiest parade you ever did see. Throughout the race the cars would spread out so there wasn’t much competition going on or passing. During the race he did bobble between 8th and 9th but took the checkered in 9th (gain another top 10…we gotta break the top 5 plain soon!).
It wasn’t disappointing because the race was a parade and the car came home in good shape.
Bruce still hasn’t received the part he’s been waiting for. Will it make a difference?!?!? Only time will tell. I hope so, Bruce and Bobby are starting to feel confident in the changes they’re making and are feeling the love for Scarlett. I’m sure even better days are coming so stay tuned.
Nothing too exciting this weekend coming, there’s the Vintage and a 20-lap enduro along with the regular show. The Sportsman will not be competing for points as there’s a special out of town race that many drivers will be attending (excluding us!). So, this will be a good weekend for the boys to experiment even more on the set up (not that we’re in contention for points after missing 4 weeks, but if you see the points, Bruce isn’t doing that bad considering).
Anyways, enjoy your week and hope to see you at the races,
Lynda