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Rockingham (2-22-02)
SLIPPIN’ & SLIDIN’ AT THE ROCK
Dan Pardus and The Outdoor Channel Chevy Monte Carlo created a new aero package for the Rockingham race this past Saturday. On Friday morning, just before the completion of final practice the car was set up for a pre-qualifying run. “I started to go into turn one and the tires had not heated up. I smacked the wall with the left rear corner and
pancaked the rest of the car against the wall. It was not a pretty sight. The crew went to work to repair the damage. Everyone was helping. Our team spotter, Tommy Praytor was pulling on sheet metal. Kerry Earnhardt came by and pounded out sheet metal with a rubber mallet. Nascar officials permitted us to move to the end of the qualifying line to
allow more time to fix the car. We made qualifying with just two minutes to spare and qualified 33rd.”
On race day, the left side of the car looked like a washboard. It was race ready but was difficult to handle throughout the day. At one point, the car came loose and it spun on the front stretch. Fortunately Dan was able to hold on and not hit anything. During each pit stop, the crew worked on the handling. There were periods when the car ran with
the leaders (though down laps) but the handling kept changing because of the aero package and kept us off pace.
Dan was pleased he was able to dodge most of the track incidents during the race and finish 34th.
The car and crew returned to Charlotte Saturday night. When reached by phone, Dan added, “The team worked together all weekend to keep us in the race. I am proud of their effort and the help we received from others in the garage. We are in the shop now putting a new left side on the Outdoor Channel Chevy and getting ready for Las Vegas.”
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