Barber Motorsports Park is one of the finest racing facilities in the country, host to a world class motorcycle museum and one of the cleanest, well kept grounds of any racetrack I’ve ever been to.  Barber holds some significance to me, as it was here that I made my start in Grand Am Cup last year in a Porsche.  I’ve grown and learned quite a bit since then and I’m happy to come back to such a great facility.  Plus, this race is always a great fan turnout.

Serge qualified again and I did the second stint, which ended up being a long and tiring one in the Alabama heat.  It was well over 130 degrees inside the racecar and without a cool suit system I wouldn’t have lasted more than 30 minutes.  Some of the other drivers this weekend have already been treated for dehydration, so we’re making sure to keep a bottle of water close by at all times.  The race was looking to be another solid top 10 finish for us, until the final pit stop.  There was an issue with the fueling rig and we lost nearly 30 seconds under green flag conditions while the crew fixed the problem as quickly as possible.  All was not lost though and I reentered the track with a fierce determination to hold my position just outside of the top 10. 

It was not to be though, as I encountered a car that was a lap down, but driving aggressively. He made contact with me which was enough to cut down my tire. After what seemed like an eternity crawling back to the pits on a flat tire, I got a new tire and was able to finish the race, albeit in a much lower position than I had hoped. 

Our teammates in the 09 and 99 cars finished in the top 5 and the 09 extended their points lead in the championship, so it was a good weekend for the team, we just have to keep looking forward and making the progress that we have been.  I know the potential is there, we run strong every single weekend, and we just need to convert that into strong finishes.  Sometimes you just don’t get the break you need, but I know it will come eventually.