Race Recap
- Neves Racing Team
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
At this point in my racing “career” (and yes, I’m using air quotes), I’ve narrowed Race Day goals down to three simple things:
Be competitive
Have fun
Bring the car home in one piece
Well… this past Saturday, I struck out on goal #2. Fun was not had. Zero stars. Would not recommend.
Now, full disclosure—the lack of fun was mostly my own doing. But still, it counts.
The car’s actually been pretty solid this season. We’re in that “fine-tuning” zone, just trying to shave off that last little bit to catch the fast guys. But then, Saturday happened.
Let’s rewind.
We roll out for practice, and I notice the clutch feels off. Weird, but I get it in gear and make it to the lineup. Clutch still feels wonky, so I test it again. Nope. Not good. That’s when Trevor and a few others spot a lovely puddle and a line of fluid following me like a sad parade float.
Sooo, out I hop. Trevor, Frank (shoutout to the #24 crew!), and I push the car back to our pit like it’s 1993 and we’re broke teenagers. I already knew the issue—my hydraulic throwout bearing has been slowly weeping its life away for months, despite me changing the seals twice. I was hoping it could hang in there for just one more weekend. Spoiler alert: it could not.
Trevor and I decide to do the only logical thing—pull the transmission at the track. If you’re wondering, yes, it’s exactly as fun as it sounds. We wrench, sweat, curse a little, miss practice, miss qualifying… but somehow, we’re ready just in time for the Heat.
Start at the back, work up to 2nd. Not bad for a guy with brake fluid on his face.
Main event time! Made some tweaks (Thanks Joe!) to get the car a bit more dialed in. First couple laps? Felt great. Then I go for a move on the #45, and we trade paint—his door meets my right front. Car says “nope,” and now everything feels off.
Still trying to make it work when I—how do I put this—misjudged the backstretch wall. Decided to give it a love tap. A very hard love tap. Car realllllly didn’t like that one either. At that point, new goal: finish the race without the car falling apart.
P2 finish, somehow. Loaded it on the trailer in one piece (technically).
Congrats to Tommy in the #24 for taking the win… again. It’s really getting old, man.
Big thanks to Trevor for spotting solo for the first time! Crushed it, even if the rest of the day tried to crush us.
Wouldn’t be racing without the support of my family, my great sponsors, and supporters like Joe, Chuck, BRW Beaudoin Racing Werkes.
Craig Neves Design
“Your Business could be listed here”
Thanks to FSCRA club sponsors Adam's Northwest Estate Sales & Auctions
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