Sponsor LinksLucas Oil |
News
MIKLA Makes First Late Model Start
Tom Mikla has been running well enough in the Factory Stock class at Tucson Raceway Park to catch the eye of car owner and driver Scott Rueschenberg. The Pontiac that Mikla drove is a crate motor powered late model. Although Mika has some experience with the crate motors, he had not had any experience in the Late Models. Scott has brought in drivers before to run this car for him. On opening night, Trent Snyder, the ASA North Division Champion, drove the car to a win. Then Chris Cooling, a Super Late Model standout from Illinois, drove the car to a 4th place finish. Scott himself has not been out of the top 3 all season and has two wins. Mikla showed up Friday to practice the car. “The biggest challenge was getting use to the locker. These cars drive so much different then the Factory Stocks. When you get off the gas the locker un-locks and turns the car,“ said Mikla. On Saturday the team bolted on two new tires for the heat race. The car stuck to the track and was hooked up. “After running all of the practice on 100 plus lap tires I finally figured out why the cup guys always want new tires. That thing was hooked up,” said Mikla. They started 8th in the heat race and picked up three spots to finish 5th. The team was ready to go for the 40-lap main event. The rookie rule is to tag the field for your first race. Although they started 17th, once the field was shown the green flag Mikla began picking them off one by one running the low line. The caution came out on lap 24 for a spin involving 3 cars right in front of him. “Once I avoided the spin my confidence grew,” said Mikla. On the restart, Mikla went back to work and picked up three more spots moving him into the top 5 by lap 35. He began to work on the 4th and 3rd place cars, which were running nose to tale in the high grove. “I thought I could get a 3rd place finish, then the car just quit running going down the front stretch,” said Mikla. A dead battery ended the teams’ night on lap 38. “I would like to congratulate Scott on his win tonight and thank him for the opportunity to drive his back up car. I would also like to thank Paul, Tom, and the whole crew at GAT racing for preparing the car for me tonight. They build and set up top-notch stuff. They were able to take a raw rookie in these cars and get us up front. I also need to thank our sponsors for tonight, Elite Care, Desert Mountain Medical and Lucas Oil, without their support this night would not have been possible. The next race is Saturday, April 19, 2008 at Tucson Raceway Park. Tom will be back in his number 95 Factory Stock. Gates open at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. For more information on our team you can visit www.tommikla.com or stop by Tucson Raceway Park and come see us in the pits.
MIKLA KICKS OFF SEASON WITH A WIN
Tom Mikla and the FAST racing crew took the win opening night at Tucson Raceway Park. “This car has never been fast on the clock, but for some reason it always races good. I was a little worried with it being an early show and having to race in the daylight. However, the sun went down and the track cooled before the race even started, so we were in business. This was great for us, but not so great for the fans that had such a long wait. We really appreciate them sticking around to watch the race” said Tom Mikla.
During the pill draw Mikla drew a 14. That put the car 4th on the starting grid. Starting on the outside of row 2 was a double challenge, because while we were trying to get to the bottom, where our car works best, the other cars seemed to be trying to get to the top. It took a couple of laps to sort out the line, but once on the bottom Tom worked his way to the front to win the heat race.
Mikla started the main event 6th on the grid. At the drop of the green, he went to the bottom of the track and worked his way into the lead by lap 3. Once in the lead he was never challenged. “When we took the lead I moved up the track to save the tires. With the new one tire rule, these Hoosiers are going to have to last us awhile,” said Tom Mikla.
Lucas Oil came on board this year and we wanted to put them in victory lane tonight, as it was Lucas Oil Night at the track. It was also the first night for our TNT Welding sponsors out of Tucson, so it was great for them to be able to enjoy a victory their first time out with us.
The next race is Saturday, March 1st at Tucson Raceway Park. Gates open at 2 p.m. and racing starts at 4 p.m.
We would like to thank Lucas Oil, TNT Welding, U.S. Army, FAST Racing, Thanks Sally, Fix it Fast, Prattster Graphics, and Heavensnext.com for all of their continued support.
For more information on our team you can visit www.tommikla.com or stop by Tucson Raceway Park and come see us in the pits.
MIKLA LOOKING TO REPEAT IN 2008 Returning in 2008 with the popular 95 Lightning McQueen paint scheme is Tom Mikla. The only difference is the addition of a few more sponsors on the car. This year we would like to welcome Lucas Oil who is partnering up with us, as well as TNT Welding out of Tucson, Arizona. After securing the Rookie of the Year title, Most Popular Driver award, and the Factory Stock Division title at Tucson Raceway Park in 2007, the team left with nothing but excitement for 2008. “I can remember dreaming about TRP while watching winter heat back in the day. I have always wanted to race there, so to be able to do that with the success we have had in our first season out is a dream come true.
We had a phenomenal year in 2007. Our goal for last year was at least one win and we managed to pick up 9 wins en route to the title,” said Tom Mikla.
So this year the team is going to be more aggressive in their goal and set out to take the 2008 Factory Stock Division title. Trying to secure the championship will be even more of a challenge as they are going to miss the May 17th race due to a schedule conflict with the West Coast Pro Truck event in Las Vegas. In addition to running the full season in Tucson, Tom has been selected to drive the F.A.S.T Racing #96 Chevy Silverado in 5 races this year. "We wanted to get our feet wet in the trucks before jumping in full time” said AJ Davis, owner of F.A.S.T Racing, who plans on providing Tom with a full time ride in 2009. “The trucks remind me of the old Southwest Tour days, except less expensive, which means we can afford to give it a shot, and with Tom behind the wheel of our #96 WCPT I’m sure it will be a fun ride."
AJ has been around TRP for more than 20 years and has raced in almost every division the track has to offer. Now that he is no longer behind the wheel, he enjoys giving back some of his experience and support to others that want to be successful. This year the F.A.S.T team will focus on running three full time Factory Stocks. Putting each of them in contention to win each week is their main goal. The team tested their cars a couple weeks ago. Tom Mikla’s comments on the test session: “I had the opportunity to drive my teammates car, and all I can say is I’m impressed and scared. That thing was bad fast. I don't want to hear any excuses from them this year. They have nothing to complain about."
We would like to thank Lucas Oil, TNT Welding, U.S. Army, FAST Racing, Thanks Sally, Fix it Fast, Prattster Graphics, and Heavensnext.com for all of their continued support.
For more information on our team you can visit www.tommikla.com or stop by Tucson Raceway Park and come see us in the pits.
1/18/2008 Welcome to the Race Report!
|
.jpg)
