2006 Race Results
August 25th- Well, the season is already over, how fast time goes! The lows and highs of the season left Ross with some of the best learning experience he has had yet. Ross had an awesome year, 4 wins, Rookie of the Year, 5th in points, and 2nd in hard charger points! The 2 dnf's ruined Ross' hopes of the points title, however he is very pleased with the outcome of the year! On the final night of the race season, Ross joined his fellow competitors for one more race. Ross started 5th, and was forced to the top, and pushed towards the back. He later moved forward, and back to a very respectable 4th place finish to cap off the tremendous season!
August 18th- Gene Peterson Racing, recorded yet another 1-2 finish, however this time, it was Curtis Van Der Wal recording the win, and Ross running second. Ross had to start near the back in 11th, and came to the front more than one time due to double file restarts on cautions. Ross' car was handling good, and the driver was on making it a great night for the whole team!
August 11th- After a "sneaky" brake problem and an unexpected trip to the front stretch wall, Ross made his return to victory lane! Ross thought that the car was back to winning form last week and this week the driver put it all together for an impressive fourth win in his "rookie" 2006 season. Starting in the fourth starting spot Ross quickly moved into second, and was running the leader down as the yellow flew. On the lap 7 restart, we took the lead coming out of turn 2 and stayed in the front all way to the checkers! Ross' teammate Curt Van Der Wal made a return back to the Downs in his Mid-America car. Ross said it was an especially fun night to run with the guy that has been his mentor. Gene Peterson Racing Inc. had both cars at the front all night and wound up with a great 1- 2 finish.
August 3rd- The team made it back, and the car was extremely fast early on. However in the heat race, the same driver that wrecked Ross 2 weeks ago, did the same once again. This particular driver has stirred problems up every race, as he has run 4 and caused an accident every night. Ross overcame these issuses and started the feature. At the drop of the green the car was a rocket, however the flat-spots from the wreck in the heat race, grew to more of a problem. This created major handling issues, and forced the team to a 7th place finish. Ross was just glad to be back, and hopes to be back on track this next weekend!
July 21st- Ross was involved in a major incident with a few laps to go in the heat race. The 3rd place car at the time drove up into Ross, never lifting forcing him into the wall head on. The car is currently in the shop, as the frame is being straightend. Hopefully the team can get the car back for the August 4th race. Pictures from the wreck are located below.
July 14th- Ross had yet another great night, as did the rest of the crew. Ross was fortunate enough to win the heat race, he was very happy with the car. During the feature Ross started sixth, and in two laps worked his way up to third, and eventually into second. The car however wasn't what the team wanted. Handling issues held up Ross' charge, soon after he tried passing the leader. Ross then dropped back into third, and finished there just two laps later. We are getting close to where we were a few weeks ago, hopefully we can keep up the good runs!
July 7th- The Budweiser Sportsman 50 lap special was sure exciting for everyone. Ross had an eventful night, qualifying was something new, and it showed. Ross had to start 11th for the feature, but a lot of laps means a lot of time. Ross made the most of the time, as well as the caution flags, while working towards the front. The race ended with Ross finishing in the 4th position. The team needed this, as the past weeks have been rough. Next week we hope to carry the momentum, and keep running up front.
June 30th- Unfortunately Ross posted his worst finish of the season, however 7th isn't much to complain about. The whole team learned some lessons this week, as the left front brake was causing some handling issues. We have the problem fixed and look forward to the next race, the Budweiser Sportsmen 50 lap special!
June 23rd- Mid-Season points night, we were allowed two practice sessions unlike the usual one. Both sessions showed that the night was going to be a struggle, as the setup was off a fair amount. The top 6 in points drew cards for the invert. Ross drew the worst card in the hand, the 6. The race got underway, and Ross struggled from the beginning, fighting a very tight racecar. He dropped back to 10th on the start, but worked his way forward to a tough but respectable 6th place finish. Ross is currently 4th in points, 9 points behind the leader, in a very tight battle.
June 16th- The night didn't get off to a great start, as the car was way off in hotlaps, as well as in the heat race. The crew turned the car around, and got it working good for the feature. Ross had to start in the back due to the way lineups are done, based off the previous two weeks. Nine laps in the car was working good, and Ross was on his way through the field, when the leader broke, leaking fluid on the surface, causing everyone to spin. Unfortunately Ross suffered a flat left rear, and right front. Ross then returned to start once again at the rear, he made his way up to the 5th place finishing spot for the night.
June 2nd- A mere 51 hundreths of a second, gave Ross his 3rd win on the season. It has been an impressive year for him so far, as he has won 3 of the last 4! Dave McCalla, made a hard charge for lead after a lap car had slowed Ross coming out of four. Ross led most of the race, but was glad to lead it at the finish line!
May 26th- Ross picked up his second feature win of the season. All the work from the previous week by the crew paid off! The battles with set-up continued at the track. However, the team got the car working good for the feature. Ross worked his way past Kevin Franks, and then pulled away from the field, only to be harnessed by a late caution flag. With 4 laps to go, Ross held Martin Ballard off to secure his 2nd victory.
Special thanks to Greg House for making the trip down to support us, it meant alot!
May 19th- Unfortunately on lap 6 Ross was involved in an accident, that put him out of contention for the rest of the race. He had started 7th and made his way through the field, only to be stopped by a spin on the backstretch. Ross restarted in 3rd, and was outside the leader, when a slip up by the inside car, forced Ross into the wall. Overall it was a good night, and a huge part of the learning process
May 12th- Rained Out
May 5th- Ross was more than fortunate to pick up his first career feature win in the sportsmen, on the Hawkeye Downs half-mile. In just his second start Ross made a strong showing, and worked his way past Bob Ahrendsen and quickly pulled away from the field, to recieve the checkers! We want to thank Gene Peterson for giving us the opportunity to be here, it is a major dream come true for Ross!
April 28th- The first ever time in the car for Ross, was definately a learning experience. He elected to start in the back, to gain experience and worked his way through the field. Ross had intense battles with Brian Franks, and Bob Ahrendsen and ended up finishing 5th. We are all very pleased with how the first week has gone!