The Inside Track Aug 2014 | Page 23

by Joanne Mady So young yet so old. Nate Brinker showed the nerves of a veteran on a night he will not forget. The 13 year old young gun held off the best of the best for the first FXG Sign & Label 100 lap race and to win his first Xcel Chassis 600 modified tour race. It was a $1000 payday to round off the night at Shippensburg Speedway on July 12th. No one knew what to expect or could guess how the night would go. The two biggest questions of the night were tires and brakes. Fuel was not an issue but would your brakes run hot or the tires run bald. Nate summed up some of the race during tech. "After the redraw, my dad and I were talking set up and decided to go with our normal set up. Even though it was a 100 laps, the biggest thing would be patience. At the end of the race, my arms felt like they had grown 2 feet running 75 green flag laps but picking up that $1000 envelope sure did help. I'm glad to have my grandmother and grandfather here and Dectis Painting for the sponsorship. Man I was so happy to see the smile my dad had running down here" On the final restart with 5 laps to go had the fans on their feet. Could this 13 year old keep the "old timers" at bay? That question was quickly answered when Nate pulled away with a text book start that left Dunkleberger and Pepe fighting for second place. Pepe gave everything the car had and tried the outside but to no avail bringing home a third place finish. Heat winners Brinker, Jason Dunkleberger and Aaron Bowes set the pace for the night with Brinker and Dunkleberger on the front row. Patience would be the last word on the radio before the green dropped. "This is so cool. I can't believe it happened. I knew the car could do it but I had to keep telling myself to hit my marks. Those last five laps were the best and worst all at the same time. Your heart's going a mile a minute and I just had to keep doing what I had been doing. "stated Brinker" The first run was a blast running with Dustin and the second green flag run I ran the car hard. I prayed I didn't use up the tires for the last five laps and I still don't know but I will look at them when the car goes thru tech.“ “ Those last five laps were the best and worst all at the same time. Your heart's going a mile a minute and I just had to keep doing what I had been doing.” FEATURE FINISH (100 LAPS) 1)NATE BRINKER 2)Josh Pepe 3)Aaron Bowes 4)Ian Williamson 5)Michael Burrows 6)Jonathan Josko 7)Scott Washburn 8)Dustin Dunkleberger 9)Shawna Schibilia 10)Charles Bowers 11)Jonathan Pepe 12)Ray Horning 13)Jordyn Mohr 14)Tim VanHorn Jr. 15)Chad Zornek 16)(Ryan Mohr 17)Brad Smith 18)Abbey Price 19)Richie Hitzler 20)Jason Dunkleberger 21)Rich Savage August 2014 ~ 23