Jake Struggles for Seventh
Berkley, MA – (August 18, 2008) – The Mad Dog Motorsports team survived seven caution periods and scoring issues to cross the line in the seventh position.
Jake earned a fourth place starting position by virtue of his third place heat finish. Jake quickly moved into third at the drop of the green flag and stayed there through the first third of the race. Dave Darling snuck by Jake, shuffling him back to fourth. Once in fourth, Jake would begin a torrid battle with Ryan Vanesse and Scott Dion for the third position, one that he would eventually win.
“That was some good hard racing out there with Ryan and Scott. David was quick and got by us on the inside, but we had a good car tonight, and were able to get back into the third spot.”
Just 10 laps later, Jake would begin another battle for the third position, this time with Fred Astle, Jr. and Tom Scully, Jr. Jake got shuffled back several positions into the fifth position. This is when the third caution of the event flew, and also when things began to get interesting. When the restart lineup came down from the tower, Jake was listed in tenth, a position he had not vacated for the previous 32 laps. Then, when the caution came out again for a false start, Jake had been moved up into the seventh position despite not completing a lap.
“Tonight was an extremely frustrating night, not only for me, but for all the guys. Just like everyone else here, we put a lot of time into our car and to come here, be running in the top five, and then be put back five positions is just frustrating. It seemed like there was no rhythm or reason to the way that tonight’s race was scored and that is too bad for all of the competitors, just not us.”
Despite the fiasco, the team gained a position and moved themselves into eighth in the point standings, trailing Tom Scully, Sr. by a mere 6 points. Jake is also second in the running for the Rookie of the Year crown.
MDM will be back at it this Saturday night as they will compete at Seekonk Speedway (MA) in a special 75-lap event – the Miller Gold Cup Classic. Heat races will begin at 6:00 PM.
Jake Cruises to Third Place Finish
Berkley, MA – (August 11, 2008) – In their return to competition this past Saturday night, Mad Dog Motorsports (MDM) brought their #16 Pro Stock home in the third position.
Jake started the 40-lap feature event in the third position, a result of his third place heat finish. Powering by on the outside, it did not take him long to make his was past the top two cars and into the lead. Jake paced the race from lap seven all the way until lap 22.
“When we wrecked, we took that week off to go over the whole car and make sure that we had everything in working order. Vinny (Annarumo, former owner of the car and current True Value Modified driver) came over and helped us out a ton. It is obvious to see that really was beneficial. We were able to get ourselves back on track and into the top five.”
Following a lap-19 restart, Fred Astle, Jr. passed Jake to take over the lead. Jake would run in the second position all the way until lap 30 when Kenny Spencer snuck by Jake for the bridesmaid position. A penalty assessed by ARC officials to race leader Fred Astle, Jr. moved Jake into the second position on lap 33. During the last seven laps, Jake would do his best to hold onto the second position but eventually would relinquish it to Mike Brightman, resulting in a third place finish - the team’s second podium finish of the season.
“Tonight’s race had a lot of cautions (6) for a 40-lap race. Unfortunately for us, they kept coming at inopportune times. If we could have had some long green flag runs, I think that we might have had our first win. Nevertheless, to come back after our wreck and finish third is more than satisfying. I just have to thank everyone for all that they did to get us back out here. It was humbling to have so many people jump to throw a hand in,” said a grateful Vanada following the race.
Despite missing a week of racing, MDM still sits ninth in the overall point standings, trailing the John Dabrowski, by a mere 2 points. Jake is also second in the running for the Rookie of the Year title.
MDM will be looking to make up some more ground this Saturday night as they will compete at Seekonk Speedway (MA) for the 40-lap ARC-sanctioned Pro Stock race. Qualifying is slated to begin at 6:00 PM.
Wreck Takes MDM Out of Contention
Berkley, MA – (July 22, 2008) – Jake and the MDM team were sidelined on lap 33 when they were involved in a multi-car wreck while trying to avoid a spinning car.
Jake started the special 45-lap main event in the 4th position after finishing fifth in his qualifying race. Fighting an ill-handling racecar, Jake did his best to hold his position. Quickly, though, the Propane Plus/Aubuchon Hardware Ford Fusion began to lose several positions.
"We missed the set up tonight. It seems like the further we got into the night, the harder the car was to drive," Jake said after the race.
On lap 31, Jake was contacted from behind by another car and was sent spinning, bringing out a caution flag. The team took the opportunity to go pit side and bring the #16 Pro Stock to the attention of the crew.
Before Jake could see if any of the adjustments were successful, he was trapped against the front stretch wall while trying to avoid the spinning car of Scott Dion.
"That was a hard hit," Jake reflected. "We were not good enough tonight, but that wreck certainly did not help. We basically have to rebuild the whole front end this week.”
MDM is going to do everything in their power to be ready for this Saturday, July 26, but at this point it is too early to tell whether that will be possible. Stay tuned to the official MDM website for schedule updates.
Jake Salvages an Eighth Place Finish
Berkley, MA – (July 14, 2008) – Prior to the race, Jake and the #16 Aubuchon Hardware Ford Fusion were set up in victory lane for a meet and greet with all of the fans. Following the autograph session, many fans were walking around, sporting MDM tee shirts and brandishing autographed hero cards of Jake and his #16 Pro Stock. These were the same fans who cheered Jake on to an eighth place finish.
Starting the race from the thirteenth position, Jake was boxed in at the back of the pack for the first 16 laps before the first caution of the event was thrown. “We were just stuck back there behind the 52. I was planning on following David through the field, but the lane just did not go as we expected,” Jake said after the race.
During the next green flag run, Jake began working the outside lane, when another car made contact with the left rear quarter panel, sending him spinning into turn one. Maneuvering the car like a veteran, he was able to keep it both off of the wall and out of the way of oncoming traffic.
“That was a tough deal in turn one. We were trying to work the outside groove and the guy on the inside of us just came right up into us and took us out. It is unfortunate that some of the drivers don’t respect each other so early in the race. I mean there was still 20 to go.”
Jake’s string of bad luck would continue on lap 30 when he would make contact with the spinning car of David Hutchins. Hutchins spun down off of the track coming off of turn number four, leaving Jake and three other competitors no place to go. The result was four cars being collected in the melee.
“That thing with Hutch was tough, but I had nowhere to go. I feel bad for Hutch too because it looks like someone got into him and spun him to cause that whole deal. Tom, Sr. and the other guys that got into me had nowhere to go either.”
The end result was a top ten finish, though, as Jake worked his way back from his restarting position at the tail end of the field into the eighth spot.
“Our finish was not bad. We would have liked to finish a little bit better with Aubuchon here tonight, but that’s racing. We just have to get ready for next week now. There is a lot of work to do on the chassis, but we are going to throw all we have at it and be back next Saturday.”
Jake is now tied for fifth in the point standings with Mike Brightman and Kenny Spencer. He is second in the running for the Rookie of the Year title, trailing Ryan Vanesse by 30 points.
The next race for MDM is Saturday, July 19, at the Seekonk Speedway (MA) – a 50-lap event as part of the Mid-Season Championship presented by Francis Farm.
Jake Notches First Podium Finish
Berkley, MA – (June 30, 2008) – Jake and the rest of the Mad Dog Motorsports team brought the yellow, white and blue Ford Fusion home in the second position in the Propane Plus-sponsored 75-lap main event Saturday night, surviving a caution-marred race. This was the team’s first top five on the young season.
Starting from the fourth position, Jake fell back to fifth at the drop of the initial green. He would not be there for long, though, working his way past the third and fourth place cars before a caution flag slowed action. Restarting in the third position, Jake passed the #95 of Steve O’Brien (Scituate, MA) for second, and a few laps later the #4 of Scott Dion (Taunton, MA) for the lead.
Jake set the pace for thirteen laps before relinquishing the lead to Pro Stock veteran Fred Astle, Jr. (Westport, MA) on lap 45 of the 75-lap main. Jake would not go down without a fight, though, racing side-by-side with the veteran ace.
“It was great racing with Freddy! We had a great time out there, rubbing a little bit and racing the old-fashioned way,” Jake said after the event.
Shortly after Astle, Jr. got by, the #52 of defending track champion David Darling (Rehoboth, MA) passed Jake, shuffling him back to third. With just six laps to go, though, Jake was able to get by Darling and restake his claim on the second position.
“We are thrilled with our finish tonight. The guys worked hard to give me a great car and it really showed because we were definitely one of the fastest cars here tonight. We are really happy to post such a solid finish with one of our partners (Propane Plus) here sponsoring tonight’s race,” said an exhausted Vanada.
The next race on tap for MDM is this coming Saturday at the Seekonk Speedway, July 5, for a 40-lap main event.
Another Solid Top Ten
Berkley, MA – (June 23, 2008) – MDM returned to action this past Saturday night after a week off, and logged their fourth consecutive top ten finish of the season.
Jake started the 40-lap feature event from the tail end of the field because of a poor heat finish. “We decided to run our older tires in the heat because we thought that they were better in practice, but they actually were not. Once we bolted on the newer rubber in the feature, it was clear that that would have been the best choice,” said Jake in a post-race interview.
The poor starting position would not stop Jake, though. Using all 40-laps, he weaved his way in and out of traffic, circuiting the 1/3-mile oval nearly effortlessly. A late race caution, however, slowed Jake’s progress as he got boxed in while vying for a position in the top five.
“All in all, it was a good day. If we hit the set-up, we probably had a top five car, but we still worked our way through the field and managed a seventh. This is another strong finish for our team, which shows that we are competitive. Pretty soon we’ll crack the top five.”
In the overall point standings, Jake sits eighth, trailing Tom Scully, Sr. by six. He also is second in the running for the Rookie of the Year title to Ryan Vaneesse, who currently has a 37-point lead.
The next race for MDM is a 75-lap main event – being brought to the fans of Seekonk Speedway by MDM partner Propane Plus – scheduled for Saturday, June 28.
Jake Leads Laps, Finishes Eighth
Berkley, MA – (June 7, 2008) – In what turned out to be a wild race, Jake brought the Aubuchon Hardware/Propane Plus Ford Fusion home in the eighth position – the third straight top ten for the team based out of Berkley, MA.
Jake started the 40-lap event from the fifth position. Using the outside lane, Jake methodically stormed his way to the front of the field. By passing David Hutchins on lap 18, Jake took over the lead and paced the field for the first time behind the wheel of his #16 family-owned mount.
“We were fast on the outside. There was a lot of grip out there tonight and the car just drove the best when we were out there. It was great getting those three positions and leading the race. It was yet another notch on our belt,” Jake said after the race.
On lap 24, contact from behind upset the #16 Ford Fusion and sent Jake into the infield. Like a seasoned veteran, Jake was able to keep the car going despite losing seven positions.
This was not able to deter Jake, though, as he went back to work during the next 13 laps. A lap-37 caution would slow the field, but by this time, Jake was already back in the fourth position. Several restarts on lap 37 resulted in another car making contact with Jake, sending him spinning into turn one. It was determined by ARC officials, however, that the caution had already been displayed to the field for an unrelated incident and so Jake was reinstated to the fourth position. The contact did prove to be harmful, though, as Jake had to complete the last three laps with a deflating left rear tire. Despite all of this Jake held on to come home in the eighth position.
“There is no doubting that this was a tough race. I am still proud of the team, though, we hung in there during several sticky situations and have a top ten to show for it. Leading those five laps was huge, it shows that we are making progress, and should not be overlooked,” Jake concluded.
The team will not be racing this week as the Pro Stocks have a scheduled week off with the visiting True Value Modified Racing Series in town. This does not mean that the team will not be busy this week, though. They will be making an appearance Saturday, June 14, at the Community Covenant Church in Rehoboth, MA. The team will be displaying their #16 Pro Stock as part of GearFest ’08, a Father’s Day event featuring heavy power equipment and other machinery. The team will be there along with partner Propane Plus. For more information on GearFest, visit http://www.gearfest08.com.
Another Top Ten
Berkley, MA – (May 27, 2008) – Jake logged yet another top ten finish this past Saturday night in the Coors Light Silver Cup. Rebounding from a poor restart early in the race, Jake climbed back into the top ten from this and logged a sixth place finish.
Gridding from the fourth position for the special 75-lap event, Jake lost several positions when the outside lane did not come to speed. “We just didn’t go. We went from a spot in the top five to pretty far back in the field. That put us at a handicap early in the race. Thankfully, though, the race was 75 laps, and not the customary 40,” Jake recalled. An early caution slowed the race and allowed Jake to regroup.
During a 50-lap green flag run, which followed the lap-4 caution, Jake went to work, attempting to make up some of the lost ground. He was able to do just that as he was sixth across the line when the checkers were unfurled.
“We had a good run. It was unfortunate that we got shuffled back like that because if we could have stayed in the top five, who knows what could have happened. We passed a lot of cars, though, and got some more seat time,” Jake reflected.
The next race on MDM’s schedule is Saturday, May 31, at the Seekonk Speedway (MA).
A Night of Firsts
Berkley, MA – (May 19, 2008) – In the second event of the season, Jake and the Mad Dog Motorsports (MDM) team brought home the team’s first top 10 finish in their newly-purchased #16 Ford Fusion. Avoiding an incident which could have ended his night halfway through the race, Jake kept the Propane Plus/Aubuchon Hardware-sponsored machine within a car’s length of the top five.
Jake started the 40-lap event in the fifth position by virtue of his heat race win. It was Jake’s first heat race win in only his second start. Situated in the midst of veteran drivers like Kenny Spencer, David Darling, and Fred Astle, Jake battled with Seekonk’s best drivers throughout the main event.
“We had a great car for the feature. It was tough getting there, though. We were too tight in the first practice then over corrected and were too loose. The adjustments after the second practice seemed to be right on because the car was great from the start of the heat race on,” Jake said after the race.
The only close call of the race came on lap 20 when Jake and Tom Scully, Jr. were battling for position. Coming up on the lapped car of Joe Melberg, contact was made between the three cars which resulted in Scully, Jr. and Melberg making contact with the outside retaining wall.
“That was too bad with what happened to Tom, Jr. We were battling for position and were trying to get around the #100, but we really were not getting enough room. That could have been an ugly finish for us,” Jake recalled.
As the laps continued to click off of the scoreboard Jake battled with both defending track champion David Darling and fellow young-gun Mike Brightman for a place in the top five. The result, however, was a sixth place finish. Jake concluded, “We had a great night. We won our heat and then finished sixth in the main event – our first top ten. We continue to get some quality seat time, and that is the name of the game in this sport. It’s all about seat time. Thankfully, we are logging some solid finishes in the process. I can’t wait until next week’s 75-lapper.”
The next race on MDM’s schedule is The Coors Light Silver Cup, a 75-lap feature event scheduled for Saturday, May 24, at the Seekonk Speedway (MA).
For all of the latest information on MDM, stay tuned to www.mad-dogmotorsports.com.
Jake Rebounds for Eleventh in Opener
Berkley, MA – (May 11, 2008) – Jake and the Mad Dog Motorsports (MDM) team competed in their first event of the 2008 season this past Saturday, logging an 11th place finish. Jake rebounded from a mid-race incident to finish in the top 15 in just his first race behind the wheel of the #16 Propane Plus/Aubuchon Hardware Pro Stock.
Jake started the 40-lap event in the ninth position by virtue of his fifth place heat finish. Once under green, Jake went to work, following the likes of David Darling and Fred Astle to the front.
“The car was real good. After the first few laps, I really started to get into a rhythm. Fortunately we were behind some guys that know their way around this place and were able to follow them through,” commented Vanada.
Avoiding spinning cars, Jake was able to make his way through several sticky situations on his way into the top five. By the time that the fifth caution flag flew with 20 laps complete, Jake was sitting in the fifth position, looking for fourth.
Things changed, though, on lap 26 when another car made contact with the blue, white, and yellow Ford Fusion sending it into the frontstretch wall backwards. “We got tapped from behind and I tried to correct it, but just couldn’t; we were too far sideways. Its unfortunate because the guys gave me a great race car here tonight and we were on our way to a top five finish in our first Pro Stock start. That’s racing though,” Jake recounted.
Jake was able to earn back eight positions in the final 14 laps, resulting in an 11th place finish. Jake concluded, “It was good comig back through the field. We were able to pass several cars using both the inside and the outside. Despite the wreck, we still had a good night. Now we have some work ahead of us, though, to straighten the clip and get the car back to where it was before the wreck.”
The next race on MDM’s schedule is Saturday, May 17, at the Seekonk Speedway (MA).
For all of the latest information on MDM, stay tuned to www.mad-dogmotorsports.com.
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