Eddie Sharp Racing Dillon Motor Speedway Development Driver recap

ESR DEVELOPMENT DRIVER WILL GALLAHER FINISHES 21ST IN DILLON, S.C.

Will Gallaher and the No. 6 Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team entered the UARA Eggs-traordinary 150 at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway with one goal in mind–to run competitive laps and finish the race.  Competing in his first year of stock car racing, Gallaher took advantage of having several mentors around the track this weekend willing to act as his driving coach.  The 22-year-old absorbed all the information about breaking points, and how and when to turn his car, to learn the limits of his racecar and gain valuable experience on the 4/10-mile asphalt track.  By the end of the weekend, Gallaher and the No. 6 ESR team were happy with their car, competed throughout the entire race and finished in the 21st position.

In just his second United Auto Racing Association (UARA) STARS Series event, Gallaher and the No.6 team spent Friday’s practice session working through several shock and spring options to fine-tune their setup, and eventually found the exact balance they needed on Saturday morning.  The young driver benefitted from first working with veteran spotter and car owner, Eddie Sharp, before working with veteran late model car owner Carl Hartman, and eventually NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) contender Justin Lofton to learn the track and gain more familiarity with stock cars.  Lofton really pushed Gallaher to drive his car to the limit eventually causing him to spin during practice, but also teaching Gallaher the limitations of his Chevrolet.

After qualifying 21st, Gallaher was happy with the setup and handling of their car and had high expectations for the race.  In a case of ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ Gallaher and the No. 6 ESR Chevrolet were collected in a wreck on the second lap.  The driver made the trip down pit road for repairs to the front end of his car, and returned to the track without the hood, nose or front fenders.  Despite the aerodynamic challenge, Gallaher was able to continue in the event to complete 140 of the 150 scheduled laps resulting in a 21st-place finish.

“The team really made some great strides from Friday to Saturday,” commented Gallaher following the race at Dillon Motor Speedway.  “We fought a tight handling car all day Friday, and didn’t find the change we needed until Saturday morning. I qualified near the back of the field; I’m still learning the process of how to qualify a stock car.  We got caught up in an early race accident, but the team did an incredible job of getting car back out there.  The goal was to finish the race, and the team and I made that happen.  I really can’t thank the team enough for getting the car adjusted for the race and getting it back out there after the collision, also a shout out for Justin Lofton for spotting for me this weekend.  It was awesome of him to come help me on his off weekend.  I can’t wait for the race at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.  We had a really good test there last week and I feel comfortable on those high, rough banks.  It should be a lot of fun.”

The UARA-STARS are back in action this weekend at Rockingham Speedway.  Racing in conjunction with NASCAR’s return to The Rock, it is sure to be a big event.  Stop by Rockingham ThunderFest on Friday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. to meet Will Gallaher, teammate Brandon Jones, and the other UARA-STARS at an autograph session on Harrington Square.  Gallaher and Jones will also join other Rheem Racing drivers for an autograph session in Rockingham Speedway’s fan zone just prior to their race.  Look for the NCWTS and UARA-STARS drivers at the Rheem Racing display from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.  Drivers of the UARA-STARS Series will take the green flag for their 75-lap event at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 14.

 

BrandonJones_No33

BRANDON JONES RACES TO A 15TH-PLACE FINISH AT DILLON MOTOR SPEEDWAY

 

Competing in the second United Auto Racing Associated (UARA) STARS race of the season, Brandon Jones and the No. 33 Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team took advantage of several long practice sessions to work on the balance of their car at the 4/10-mile asphalt oval known as Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway.  The UARA Eggs-traordinary 150 marked Jones’ third trip to Dillon Motor Speedway since joining ESR in late January.  The 15-year-old from Atlanta, Ga., also piloted the No. 33 machine in a test session and a Pro All Star Series (PASS) race last month.  After unloading a tight car, the team made several wholesale changes to help the No. 33 Chevrolet travel through the corners and allowed Jones to pass nearly half the field en route to a 15th-place finish.

Jones and the No. 33 ESR team spent Friday afternoon’s practice session working with a car that was tight in the center and on the exit of the corners.  After working through a list of changes and continuing to be challenged in the corners, the team made the decision to work through a few concept changes-changing the entire front end geometry and how the car reacted to the various corners at the small oval.

By the end of qualifying, the changes seemed to be helping and the ESR Chevrolet was reacting better than it had the entire weekend.  Jones recorded the 20th quickest lap of the afternoon, but the team noticed that the cross member hit the track during the qualifying lap, requiring more changes before the green flag.  The crew elected to make the changes to the car and have Jones start in the rear of the field.

When the green flag finally fell in the UARA Eggs-traordinary 150, Jones’ Chevrolet looked better than it had the entire weekend.  The driver did a great job avoiding a lap two caution, carefully slowing down to avoid other competitors and debris on the track.  When another incident happened on track on lap 21, Jones was not quite as fortunate.  The driver avoided making contact to damage his car, but spun himself to avoid crashing and caused the motor to stall on-track.

After losing two laps, Jones got the engine to fire and rejoined his competitors for the remainder of the event.  After completing 148 of the scheduled 150 laps, Jones crossed the finish line in the 15th position, two laps behind the leader.

“We struggled with the handling of the No. 33 car all weekend, but the team made some last minute adjustments that helped the car in the race,” commented Brandon Jones following the event at Dillon Motor Speedway.  “I don’t want to make a habit of starting last, but it was fun making passes up to 15th.  I’m really looking forward to the UARA race this weekend at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.”

The UARA-STARS are back in action this weekend at Rockingham Speedway.  Racing in conjunction with NASCAR’s return to The Rock, it is sure to be a big event.  Stop by Rockingham ThunderFest on Friday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. to meet Brandon Jones, teammate Will Gallaher, and the other UARA-STARS at an autograph session on Harrington Square.  Jones and Gallaher will join other Rheem Racing drivers for an autograph session in Rockingham Speedway’s fan zone just prior to their race.  Look for the NCWTS and UARA-STARS drivers at the Rheem Racing display from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.  Drivers of the UARA-STARS Series will take the green flag for their 75-lap event at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 14.