Eric Gunderson Suffers Last Lap Crash at Perris Speedway
Photo Courtesy of Doug Allen
Perris Auto Speedway – March 28, 2009 In his second dirt track race, Eric Gunderson got caught up in a multi-car wreck that happened on the Perris track in front of him.He couldn’t avoid the wreck, which caused substantial front end damage to his car and ended his race day with a DNF. Eric continued progress on his dirt track racing learning curve at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California.The race drew a strong field of 17 Focus cars. “I am picking up speed here as I get in more laps,” said Eric after his heat race.“But my lack of experience on dirt tracks is showing itself tonight.We will be starting the main event in mid pack, and I will treat this race as a learning experience about running in traffic in this new (for me) environment.” Eric worked well with his crew to get the car tuned for the track conditions.He was confident going into the main event that the car would be strong, and would allow him to experiment in the main on moving to different lines on the track to find the fastest way around. Trouble struck on the last lap while Eric was well on his way to reaching his goal of a top 10 finish. “I saw the 55 car slide up the track and turn another car in front of me.That collected a couple of other cars,” said Eric after the main event.“I steered toward a point on the track where I thought I would be able to get through and pick up a few more spots.Unfortunately, I misjudged where the cars in the wreck would end up on the race track.By the time that became clear I had nowhere to go. The car took a hard hit that ended my race on the spot.” The accident destroyed the front axle and associated running gear.It also bent two right side frame members adjacent to the engine.“The car definitely took a hard hit,” said crew chief Jeff Wahl after the race.“We will have the car back together good as new in a week or so.This kind of thing is just part of dirt track racing.” Eric thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, MLP Imaging, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bar for their support.He also thanked his crew for their effort both on race day and in the days to come getting the car ready to race again.Eric’s next race is a Ford Focus pavement race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 4.
Eric Gunderson Places Second in Dirt Track Racing Debut
Photo Courtesy of Tom Macht, Photo Finish Photography
BakersfieldSpeedway – March 21, 2009
This was the first race of the 2009 USAC Ford Focus Dirt Track season.It was also Eric’s first race on a non-pavement track.Eric showed he is on a fast track learning curve in this new type of racing. Bakersfield Speedway is a 1/3 mile high banked clay oval track known for fast racing action.The season opening race drew a strong field of 13 Focus cars.
Eric finished 4th in his heat race and by the end of the race was turning laps as quick as the race winner.“I just treated this heat race as a learning experience, going to school by watching what was going on around me,” said Eric after the heat race.“I felt more comfortable in traffic with every lap.I experimented with running on different parts of the track, looking for the best grip available.Towards the end I found a line around the track that was much faster.Now I need to work with my team to make some car adjustments.”
Eric worked with crew chief Jeff Wahl to get the car dialed in for the main event.When the green flag dropped for the main event, it was immediately clear that Eric’s car was fast. He jumped into an early lead, and he the number 19 car began to pull away from the field.There were numerous cautions. It soon became apparent that Eric had the faster of the two lead cars when racing action resumed after a caution, but his car slowed slightly in comparison to the other lead car as the right rear tire heated up.
Eric maintained the lead until he was passed with 3 laps to go, finishing a close second to the number 19.“The last 6 laps of the race ran caution free,” said Eric after the race.“As soon as we got going again after the last yellow flag, I could feel the right rear tire heat up and start to lose grip.I held the number 19 off as long as I could, but he finally got by me on the inside.”
After the race, Eric thanked the crowd of 3000 for their support.He dedicated his race to the memory of Bob Landreth.“Bob passed away last week,” Eric told the crowd.“He helped me throughout last year when I was first learning oval track racing.He was a dedicated racer who still found the time to help newcomers to the sport.”
Eric also reflected on the season ahead.“This is so different from any other racing I have done,” said Eric.“The complexion of the race can change completely from one lap to the next.The track changes constantly and the tires are extremely sensitive to changes.Jeff and Wally are the best in the business. I am very lucky to have them helping me.They are great teachers, which is good because in many ways this is like starting over again in racing.”
Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, MLP Imaging, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.Eric’s next race is at Perris Speedway on Saturday, March 28.
Eric Gunderson Claims First USAC Ford Focus Midget Podium Finish in Season Opening Race
Photo Courtesy of Peter Schumann
Havasu 95 Speedway – March 14, 2009
This was the first race of the 2009 season for Eric Gunderson Racing.Havasu 95 Speedway is a very nice ¼ mile short track facility located in the resort town of Lake Havasu City, Arizona.The race drew a strong field of 20 Focus midgets, and they put on a great show for the fans.
Friday night practice revealed that the beautifully prepared 98 car was mechanically sound, but also that it had a push that could not be tuned around.Eric’s team began to look for the reason, and the racing and setup experience that Wally Pankratz and Tres Van Dyne bring to the team paid major dividends.They discovered that the front axle offset was incorrect, and had probably been run in this incorrect position by the car’s previous owner.
An early Saturday morning call with Bob East Enterprises confirmed their reasoning, and the crew set about correcting the situation.When the car went out on the track for the first practice run at mid day Saturday, it was loose.“Now we have something we can work with” said Eric after the first practice.“We have a lot of tuning variables we can use to control how we setup the car from now on, whereas yesterday it seemed nothing we did had any effect on the push problem.”
As practice continued, the car setup was refined and the correct stagger for qualifying and the main event was determined.Eric qualified 7th, and knew the car could have done better once qualifying was over.“I was still trying to find the limits of the car,” said Eric after qualifying.“I didn’t want to push it too far as loose as it was, but as I get more time in the car I am realizing I was not as close to the limit as I thought I was.The car could have qualified much better if I had pushed it a bit harder.”
Eric turned his heat race into a learning event, by pushing the car up to its potential and moving up to finish 2nd in the short 8 lap race.He also learned how the track was changing as it cooled off as the sun was setting, providing valuable feedback to his crew as to how to adjust the car for the upcoming main event.
Eric started the main event in 7th spot, and immediately began to move up.By the end of lap 5, a breakaway group of the 5 fastest cars had formed and drew away from the rest of the field.Eric patiently worked his way up to 3rd in that group, finishing behind the winning 55 car of Alex Bowman and the 60 car of Michael Lewis.The final laps of the race were a great show for the fans, as the lead cars aggressively moved through lapped traffic.
“We had a great run tonight,” said a happy Eric after the race.“We proved our car is as fast as any car out here, and successfully diagnosed and solved a major setup problem earlier in the day in the process.I think we are going to have a great season ahead of us.
The dedication of Van Dyne Engineering really showed for Eric’s team in the flawless operation of the car.“Right out of the trailer the car ran flawlessly,” said Eric after the race.“We worked well as a crew this weekend.I am really looking forward to the next race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.”
Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
