DISAPPOINTING RESULT AT LANGLEY Speedway WONT KEEP HEAVNER DOWN
Written By: RyanHeavner.com
June 1st, 2010 (ROCKINGHAM, NC) Ryan Heavner went into Saturday’s USAR Pro Cup Hampton Virginia 250 at Langley (VA) Speedway with concerns of flat-track racing on his mind.
“It’s not difficult to adapt to driving the flat surface, but learning the set-up the car needs is quite a challenge,” stated Heavner. “[Langley Speedway] was not one of my favorite tracks as a driver. I tend to like bigger, more banked tracks – not a track as flat as Langley. It’s a great facility, but it just isn’t the best fit for my driving style.”
Qualifying went well for Heavner. Although the Kirk May Racing Team struggled to find a set-up for the #14 Elite Auto Collision Chevrolet, they laid down an 11th place qualifying lap.
The drop of the green proved to Heavner and the team that they had missed the set-up on the Elite Chevy, as Ryan worked hard to keep it in the top-15. A lap 74 caution was a perfect time for a fuel-only pit stop to attempt to gain track position.
A rough day got worse for KMR when Heavner reported a loss of engine oil pressure over the team radio at lap 100. Ryan reassured the crew that he could keep a close eye on his oil pressure gauge, to make sure no unnecessary engine damage occurred. Considering that, the decision was made to keep plugging on for the remaining 150 laps.
Ryan’s raw talent showed through, as he remained on his original tires until a caution at lap 183. The KMR team bolted new left-side tires on the #14 then, and Heavner restarted in the 14th spot at lap 189.
Unfortunately, the new tires would only see 12 laps of competition before the Elite Auto Collision Impala SS completely lost oil pressure. Heavner brought his ride behind the wall, with a small fire onboard by the time he got there. It was quickly determined that the oil pump belt had worked its way off of its pulley, which caused the fire and the loss of oil pressure.
Although retiring 49 laps early, Heavner’s perseverance paid off with a 14th place finish. While a top-15 in his first start at Langley with one of the top touring series in the country would be exciting for most, Heavner hopes to charge towards victory lane in the near future.
“I want to move forward with consistent top-five finishes,” he said. “It was a tough points day for us in both Rookie-of-the-Year points and championship points, and we have to make that up. I want to thank God, first and foremost, as well as my parents, KMR, Elite Auto Collision, The MS Society, and MPM Marketing. We wouldn’t even have been able to attempt to qualify without all of them.”
Next on the USAR Pro Cup schedule is South Boston (VA) Speedway on June 12. Ryan Heavner and Kirk May Racing will again field the #14 Elite Auto Collison Chevy, as they seek the 2010 USAR Pro Cup Rookie-of-the-Year and series titles.
Fans are encouraged to log on to RyanHeavner.com to catch up with the latest news, stats, and more on Ryan. To learn more about USAR Pro Cup or to check and see when the series will be near you, head over to www.usarprocup.com
Ryan Heavner and Kirk May Racing would like to thank all of their team partners for the 2010 racing season. These include; Elite Auto Collision (Athens, Georgia), Dupont, Lawing Marble, McCallister Precision Marketing, LJ DeZigns, and WaltersWebDesign.com.
Exciting marketing opportunities are now available with Ryan Heavner and KMR. To inquire, please contact Tonya McCallister with McCallister Precision Marketing by telephone at (803) 361-6199, or by email at [email protected]. Additional contact options are available online at www.marketwithmpm.com.