Eric Gunderson Finishes 6th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Photo Courtesy of Jim Stewart
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring – March 20, 2010 Eric Gunderson raced his Legends car at the LVMS Bullring.After qualifying 3rd, Eric decided to start at the back of the 28 car field for fun.He raced forward to finish 6th in 25 laps.
The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 3/8 mile track located in Las Vegas, Nevada.The track features steep banking and is very fast.The race drew a strong field of 28 Legends cars. Eric continued his campaign of early season races in his old Legends car from the 2008 season.“We are getting close to having our new car ready to race,” said Eric during practice on Saturday.“We will race it here in early April if it is ready and if not a week later in Texas.In the meantime we are beginning a program of upgrading our old car to serve as a backup this summer.We will be introducing those changes in our next race.” Eric was among the fastest cars during practice on Saturday, and qualified for the main event in 3rd position.“The top 3 cars are separated by only a few hundredths of a second,” said Eric after qualifying.“So we should have a good race tonight.But I am going to start at the back of the field tonight to make it more challenging.I only have 25 laps so it should be exciting.” When the green flag dropped Eric wasted no time getting starting moving up.He moved steadily through the field to finish in 6th position at the end of the race.“That was a lot of fun racing tonight,” said a happy Eric after the race.“This really is one of those times I wish I had a few more laps to run.But our tires were pretty much gone by the end anyway.” Eric’s next race will be a return to Las Vegas for a triple header weekend – with racing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.“Our goal is to have our new car ready when we return here in a few weeks,” said Eric after the race on Saturday.“I know everyone on our team is working very hard to make that happen.In the meantime, we will be making some major changes to our current car to prepare it for racing in Charlotte this summer.” Eric thanked Michael Harper and car chief Jarod Carpenter for their support throughout the race weekend.“Michael and his team take Legends racing to a new level,” said Eric.“We will be modifying our car with their guidance in the coming weeks to improve its performance.And, of course, I can’t wait to get my hands on the new car they are building in April.” Eric thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, MLP Imaging, Nomad Slot Racing, Organic Food Bar, and Koolin’ Klothz for their support. He also thanked his crew for their efforts preparing his car and working so hard throughout the race weekend.
Eric Gunderson Finishes 3rd at Blythe I-10 Speedway
Photo Courtesy of Keith Jarvis
Blythe I-10 Speedway – March 13, 2010 Eric Gunderson returned to I-10 Speedway in Blythe California this weekend, and recorded another podium finish.
The I-10 Speedway is a 1/3 mile track located in Blythe, California.The race drew a field of 15 Legends cars.“My crew has been working hard on my car the last few weeks working the bugs out,” said Eric on race day.“We look forward to a competitive race tonight with some strong competition.” Eric qualified 3rd for the 50 lap main event.The race officials inverted the starting positions of the top six qualifiers, so Eric started the main event in 4th position. “The key to doing well in tonight’s race for us will certainly be tire conservation,” said Eric before the start of the main event.“We have tires left over from 2008 to add to our challenge tonight.But we showed good speed in practice and qualifying today so I think we can do well in the race.” Shortly after the green flag dropped, Eric moved up to 3rd place.He held that position up to the first caution of the evening.On the re-start Eric was able to move up to 2nd.The race settled into a long green flag run, and the age of the tires began to show.Eric held on to finish the race in 3rd. “I think we got the best finish possible out of our equipment tonight,” said Eric after the race.“My crew really helped me get the most out of the car and tires in this race.I am really looking forward to working with these guys when our new car is track ready.They have the reputation of building the best Legends cars in the country, and after working with them I believe it.” Eric’s next race will be at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring.“I have never raced a Legends car at the Bullring,” said Eric.“But we did well there last year in the Focus Midget car.That track is really fast and should be a lot of fun in one of these.” Eric thanked Michael Harper and car chief Jarod Carpenter for their support throughout the race weekend.“I truly enjoyed working with Michael and Jarod this weekend,” said Eric after the race.“Their knowledge of Legends cars is very impressive.This experience has really made me look forward to racing with them this season.” Eric thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, MLP Imaging, Nomad Slot Racing, Organic Food Bar, and Koolin’ Klothz for their support. He also thanked his crew for their efforts preparing his car and working so hard throughout the race weekend
Eric Gunderson Finishes 2nd at Blythe I-10Speedway Begins 2010 Season with Podium Finish
Photo Courtesy of Ms. Mary Secord
Blythe I-10 Speedway – February 6, 2010
Eric Gunderson began his 2010 race season with a return to Legends car racing at I-10 Speedway in Blythe, California.Speedway Legends is building a new car for Eric to drive this season.In the meantime Eric will be driving his 2008 season Legends car. “It feels great to be here in a Legends car again,” said Eric.“We will be racing our old 2008 car for a few races until our new car is ready.”
The I-10 Speedway is a 1/3 mile track located in Blythe, California.The race drew a field of 17 Legends cars.“We are struggling with a car that has not been raced in a long time,” said Eric during practice.“The car is very tight, and we are running on very old tires.But we are getting the car better with each practice.”
Eric qualified 3rd for the 25 lap main event.The qualifying order was not changed for the start of the race, and there were no heat races so Eric started the main in his qualifying position.
Shortly after the green flag dropped, Eric passed for 2nd place.He held that position throughout the race to the finish.“We just didn’t have the speed to catch the first place car tonight,” said Eric after the race.“He had the field covered.We used the race to get time on the car to help us sort it out for the next few races.”
Eric also talked more about his plans for the 2010 season after the race.“I recently tested at Irwindale Speedway in a late model stock car,” said Eric.“This was preparation for testing later this spring in an ARCA car.That will be a big challenge that I am really looking forward to.I enjoyed the late model test and am looking forward to more stock car experience in the near future.”
Eric thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, MLP Imaging, Nomad Slot Racing, Organic Food Bar, and Koolin’ Klothz for their support. He also thanked his crew for their efforts preparing his car and working so hard throughout the race weekend.
Eric Gunderson Ends the Season with a Win in a
Wreck Filled Race at I-10 Speedway in Blythe
Eric Gunderson won in his first race at I-10 Speedway
November 29, 2008 This was the last Legends race of the 2008 season for Eric Gunderson Racing, but the first appearance for Eric at this facility.It is a narrow ¼ mile track located in the desert town of Blythe, California.It typically draws cars from the Southern California, Las Vegas, and Phoenix racing communities.Despite the state of the economy a healthy field of 19 Legends cars turned out for the event. The track has some unusual features that contribute to its reputation as difficult and dangerous to drive.Cars enter and exit the track at the same point.To exit, a car must slow down to complete a very slow, tight right turn with other cars still at full speed just a few feet away.The outside wall is very close to the racing groove exiting turn four. Friday afternoon practice showed that Eric was one of the faster cars, but not quite on the pace set by the quickest cars.Eric’s team steadily brought the lap times down as Eric learned the new track and the team’s efforts improved the car setup.“I am pleased with our progress this afternoon,” said Eric after Friday practice was over.“I think we will do well tomorrow during race day.” Eric’s team tested two sets of tires during Friday practice, quickly determining which set was faster.That set was put aside to save for race day.Blythe is a track that quickly consumes tires, and the tires the team used during the Friday and Saturday practice sessions were quickly worn out. The team switched back to the race tires for the last practice session on Saturday afternoon.“We discovered we were very close to the pace of the quickest car in that last practice session,” said Eric after qualifying.“We made a last minute change before going out to qualify, and unfortunately we slowed the car down.As a result we only managed to set 5th fastest time during qualifying.But we know the error we made, and will correct it for the trophy dash.” Eric used the trophy dash as another practice session to confirm the final setup changes before the main event.There were 6 cars in the trophy dash, and the short race made it clear that 5 of the 6 were very close in terms of lap times, setting the stage for a very competitive main event. The cars lined up for the main event in their respective qualifying positions, so Eric started the race in 5th position.He drove conservatively for the first few laps, settling in 5th place while the lead group of 5 cars pulled away from the rest of the field.Eric then began moving forward, and by mid race was in 3rd position.
Behind the lead pack, chaos erupted about mid race.“I completely lost track of what happened in what accident,” said Eric after the race.“There were so many caution (yellow) flags and two red flags (race stopped) that I can’t remember one from the other.”Eric passed the 52 car for 2nd position about lap 30.About 2 laps later, the 52 rammed into the back of Eric’s car in turn 2 so hard it broke the rear bumper on Eric’s car off the steel mounting tabs attaching it to the car.The bumper on Eric’s car came completely off his car. Normally, the track officials would have immediately black flagged Eric to leave the track to have his bumper repaired, but for some reason the officials ignored the situation.On a subsequent lap, the 52 car again rammed the back of Eric’s car.But with no bumper in place to prevent it, the frame rail on Eric’s car punctured a large hole in the oil cooler on the 52 car, spilling a huge amount of oil on the track.This caused yet another large crash further back in the pack.Once the action began again Eric quickly passed for the lead. But the race was not over yet, as separate incidents back in the pack on restarts resulted in 5 yellow flags between laps 34 and 37 alone.Finally, the race ended after 40 laps with Eric taking the checkered flag for the win. “When I got out of my car after the race to greet the crowd, I was amazed to find I had no rear bumper,” said Eric after the race.“When I am strapped into the car, there is no way to see whether there is a bumper on the back of the car or not.It was a crazy, bizarre race but the fans seemed to have enjoyed it.” A careful review of the rules by officials at INEX headquarters in North Carolina in the days after the race showed that the track officials may, but are not required to, remove cars from the track that are missing rear bumpers.If in fact the cars are not removed during the race, then the track officials may not disqualify those cars missing bumpers after the race has ended.So, after much discussion, the results of the race were confirmed. “This track certainly lived up to its reputation tonight,” said Eric after the race.“I am glad that none of the incidents produced injuries of any kind.We will be racing here next year in Focus Midget cars, which are much faster than Legends cars.We will be very careful.” Eric’s team is already getting his Legends car ready for next season.The car is being stripped down to the bare frame, and will be rebuilt as new from the ground up.It is a good time to review Eric’s Legends racing results in his rookie year as an INEX semi-pro driver:
Total Legends races entered 27 Fastest qualifier1037% Main event wins 933% Top 5 finishes 1970% Based on these spectacular rookie year results, INEX has promoted Eric to the pro driver ranks.In terms of competition, it will not matter on the track as all races combine drivers of all experience levels and ages together in the main event fields.Eric Gunderson Racing will soon issue a press release detailing his plans for racing in the 2009 season. Eric wants to thank his crew for giving him cars all year long that were capable of winning.He also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their year long support.
Eric Gunderson wins in his first race at Havasu 95 Speedway
Eric Gunderson's first visit to Havasu 95 Speedway produced a win, and information for next year's return in a Ford Focus Midget
November 15, 2008
This was the first race for Eric Gunderson Racing at this track.It is a very nice ¼ mile short track facility located in the resort town of Havasu City, Arizona.It typically draws cars from the Southern California, Las Vegas, and Phoenix racing communities.But the state of the economy was really showing, with a much smaller than expected field of 8 Legends cars showing up to race.
Friday night practice revealed that Eric and the 3 car from Las Vegas were going to be the two fastest cars of the group.Eric had the good fortune to be working with Josh White of Las Vegas, a chassis tuner familiar with the track.Josh helped Eric adapt to the new track configuration quickly.“I am surprised how quickly we got up to speed here and grateful to Josh for his help,” said Eric after Friday night practice was over.“I think we will do well tomorrow during race day.” Eric’s team started Friday practice with relatively new tires, and under the conditions the team is used to from other tracks these tires should have been excellent throughout race day.But by Saturday morning it was clear that the surface of the Havasu track was very abrasive.“The right rear tire was complete gone during the second lap of qualifying,” said Eric just after his qualifying run.“That tire has huge chunks of tread missing, and it really had no grip at all during the second qualifying lap.”It held together well enough on the first lap to allow Eric to grab the number 2 qualifying spot, just 0.001 seconds behind the fastest qualifying car.But his team elected to change back to older tires with several races on them for the trophy dash and main event. Eric got an excellent start in the trophy dash, coming from 3rd to first in the first corner of the first lap.He stayed in front for the furious 4 laps of this short race, and it proved an excellent opportunity to make additional setup changes.At the start of the heat race, he pulled to the outside of the track and let the entire field pull away.He then used the 8 laps as a final practice session, and from that his team arrived at the final setup configuration for the main event.“Our car was already very good in the heat race,” said Eric while waiting for the main event to start.“We have made some minor tire pressure adjustments to make the car last longer in the main event.But basically we know we have a fast car.” The race officials elected to start the field in the original qualifying order, so Eric started the main event on the outside of the first row.Both cars on the front made it obvious before the green flag dropped that they intended to win, but of course only one of them could.They pulled away and raced together only inches apart for the entire race, leaving the rest of the field far behind.It was a small starting field, but as it turned out it was one of the most exciting Legends races to watch of the season. Eric took the lead on lap 10 of the 30 lap main event, and held off the continual charge of the 3 car until the checked flag flew.“That was the most fun I have had racing all year,” said Eric after the main event.“The 3 car was never more than a few inches behind me for the last half of the race.”The announcer agreed that the two cars had put on a great show for the fans. Attending this race at Havasu was part of the team’s plan for next season.Eric’s first race of 2009 in the Focus Midget cars will be at Havasu in March.This Legends race was a tune-up and track learning experience for that Focus Midget race.The team will be following that same strategy in attending the last Legends race of the year at I 10 Speedway in Blythe, which will be the scene of the second Focus Midget race of the 2009 season
Eric Gunderson finishes second at Orange Show Speedway
Eric Gunderson finished 2nd in his latest visit to Orange Show Speedway
November 1, 2008 A solid field of 20 cars showed up for the last race of the year at Orange Show Speedway. Eric picked up where he left off at the last Orange Show race, posting the fastest lap times during most of the practice sessions on Saturday.This was a good result, because Eric’s team was trying a completely new setup approach for this race.“Just about every chassis setting is different for this race,” said Eric during practice. “This is part of our plan to get ready for next year.We will be racing at some tracks that are new to us, and we believe this setup approach will be better at the new tracks.But we want to preview it here in a setting where we have some experience.” At qualifying, Eric posted the second fastest qualifying time, but the field inversion wasn’t so kind to Eric this time.It placed him in 9th position for the start of the main event. This race turned out to be a bit more exciting than the last race.It was immediately obviously that several drivers were serious about winning and willing to take chances to accomplish it.Eric began to steadily work his way to the front, and by the middle of the race was up to 4th.“Unfortunately, at the mid-point while running 4th our new setup faded quickly,” said Eric after the race.“We did not set the tire pressures correctly with this setup to make the car last through the race, and it really ended our run short of the win tonight.”By the last lap Eric was in second, struggling with a car that had been gradually slowing down each lap for the second half of the race. “Overall we are happy with the result,” said Eric after the race.“We wanted to preview this setup approach before heading out to Havasu 95 Speedway for the first time.We think we know what we did right and what we did wrong, and are confident we can make this new approach work for us.”
Eric thanked his crew after the race for giving him a car to drive that was capable of winning.He also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric Gunderson has eventful race at Orange Show Speedway
Eric Gunderson battled back from accidental contact from behind to finish 13th at Orange Show Speedway
October 18, 2008 A full field of 22 cars showed up for the second to last race of the year at Orange Show Speedway. “It feels great to be back here at Orange Show,” said Eric on Saturday morning.“It looks like a good field today.We will wait and see how our car is when practice gets underway.”Practice progressed well, with Eric posting some of the fastest times during practice.When it came time for qualifying, Eric turned the second fastest time.The always unpredictable field inversion put him 3rd on the grid for the main event, a good spot to start from at this tight, challenging track. Eric got a good start, and within 2 laps was in the lead.He remained in the lead for 3 laps until he was tapped from behind which broke his car loose and caused him to drop back to 8th spot.From there, he worked his way steadily back toward the front during the middle part of the race.He was up to 3rd spot when he was again hit from behind.“I was heading toward the front with a car that could have won tonight when that second incident occurred,” said Eric after the race.
“Unfortunately, being part of the incident that caused the yellow flag meant I got sent to the back with only 2 laps to go.I didn’t have much time to work back toward the front when the race got back underway for the last time.”Eric worked his way up to 13th at the end, certainly not indicative of the way his car was running.“It was just a racing incident,” said Eric after the race.“I wasn’t hit intentionally.The lead pack was very tight going into turn 2 and I just got turned around.” Eric thanked his crew after the race for giving him a car to drive that was capable of winning.He also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Legends Division Season Ends at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale with Rainout
Eric Gunderson Clinches Rookie of the Year and Season Runner-up Honors
Eric with Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Legends Car track champion Tom Landreth
October 6, 2008 Race officials cancelled the last Legends race of the year at Irwindale late on Saturday night, after attempting to wait out the rain.Eric was named Rookie of the Year in the Legends Division, and finished 2nd of 62 drivers in the final season points standings. Friday night practice produced spectacular times, with Eric setting a fast time of 16.55 seconds.His fastest lap was only 0.04 seconds off the lap record that has held up since 1999.The weather was perfect for a speedy track, but that was to change drastically when Saturday race day rolled around.“John did an incredible job of repairing my car from last week,” said Eric after Friday practice.“It was good out of the trailer, and with a few adjustments was really, really fast.The track and weather conditions are also optimum for fast lap times.” Saturday rain had been the prediction all week, and just before practice was set to start it began.Practice was delayed until the rainended, and the track dried out.Qualification was cancelled due to the delays, and each division set its main event line-up according to season point standings. The Late Model Stock Car division title was undecided going into Saturday’s race, so officials moved their 100 lap main event to the front of the race order.The field completed 35 green flag laps before rain started to fall once again.The race director had the field run slowly under yellow flag conditions until the 51st lap was completed.The race was then red flagged with the cars stopped on the back stretch of the track to wait out the rain.But the rain continued and then began to intensify.Once it became clear that the track could not be dried the officials declared the late model main event over, and cancelled the other races for the night. As a result, the Legends division season point standings were concluded after 14 races, rather than the originally scheduled 15 races.Eric went into the last race with a comfortable lead over the 3rd place driver, and thus ended the season 2nd in the division point standings.He also clinched Rookie of the Year honors for the division, completing a spectacular rookie season of oval track and Legends car racing. After the race Eric reflected on his first season of oval track racing.“We had results this year that really exceeded my expectations coming into the season,” said Eric.“The head start I got in learning this new type of racing format and car from Tom Landreth brought me to the front quickly.Otherwise I think I probably would have struggled most of the year.John London’s experience in Legends car setup is another major reason I had such a good year. Finally, I have a crew that just never accepts anything less than being as prepared as possible when we come to the track.When you add all that up, I think I am the luckiest driver in the division.” Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oils, Organic Food Bar, Oakley, Vitalyte, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and MLP Imaging for their yearlong support.“Last but not least I need to thank all my competitors in the Legends division,” said Eric.“I proved on several occasions this year that I really was a rookie driver in this form of racing.My competitors as a group were very patient with my mistakes, especially considering that the consequences were usually just as bad if not worse for one or more of them than for me.” Irwindale Legends Division Year End Season Statistics With the Irwindale Legends Division 2008 season completed, it is time to finalize Eric’s scorecard for the year in the series: Total Races: 14 Overall Win Percentage: 21% Top 5 Finish Percentage: 64% Fast Qualifying Time Percentage: 29% Season Points Standings: 2nd (of 62) Highest Finishing Rookie Driver: 93%
Eric Gunderson’s Luck Runs Out in 13th Race
Of the Season at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
September 20, 2008 Eric Gunderson qualified1st in the September 20th race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.After the inversion he started in 2nd position, but his luck ran out in the first turn of the first lap with a spin and crash. Friday night practice went very well, with the car good right out of the trailer.“We felt confident after Friday practice that we could win on Saturday,” said Eric on Friday night.“The car turned in well tonight, and felt just about perfect.” Eric set the fast time in both practice sessions on Saturday morning.He followed that up with the fast time in qualifying.“I got my turn again to try the inversion wheel and my typical luck held,” said Eric after qualifying.“I rolled a two which still leaves me on the front row but unfortunately on the outside.That is the same starting spot for us as last race, but I think the car is even better tonight.” Eric’s luck deserted him coming out of turn one of the first lap.He had an open position to move to the inside line, and turned down the track to take it.He got the car loose and spun and came to a stop in the middle of turn two.“That mistake was 100% my fault,” said a dejected Eric after the race.“The worst part of the whole thing is that the 16, 48, 75, and 87 cars all got caught up in the wreck and their races were finished practically before they even started.” Eric was able to drive away from the wreck, but with a severely damaged car.He got it off the track, where his crew picked it up with jacks and pulled it through the pits back to the trailer to make emergency repairs.The panhard bar and one of the trailing arms were broken, both right side wheels destroyed, the rear axle housing bent, some of the body work torn off, and the rear bumper and frame members pushed to the left.“My crew told me to get back in the car and get ready to drive,” said Eric after the race.“I didn’t believe them when they told me I could get back out on the track, but they worked like demons and patched the car back together.I got back on the track in time to complete the last 6 laps and at least score 10 points.That really helped me hold a comfortable margin on 2nd place in the season points standings.” “I think I feel the worst I have felt all season,” said a dejected Eric after the race.“My mistake not only seriously damaged my car, but caused much worse damage to the 16 and 87 cars.I am not even sure the 16 car can be repaired.” Eric’s team reminded him that racing is an endeavor of high points and low points, and all he could do was to get ready for the next race and prepare to do the best job he could. Eric thanked his crew for keeping him in the race.He also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support. Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, October 4.
Eric Gunderson Back On The Podium at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
Eric Gunderson stuck to the leader all race, but multiple cautions prevented Eric from mounting a challenge for the lead in his latest race at Toyota Speeday at Irwindale
September 8, 2008
Eric Gunderson qualified1st in his latest race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.After the inversion he started in 2nd position, and finished the main event in 2nd place. He maintained his 2nd place position in the season points race.
From the first practice run on Friday night it was evident that the handling problems that have plagued Eric’s team at Irwindale for the last few races were substantially improved.“We felt confident after Friday practice that we would be competitive for this race,” said Eric on Friday night.“The car turned in well tonight, and exhibited none of the mid corner push problem we had during our last race here.The practice lap times were also very consistent which means we should be good throughout a 35 lap race tomorrow night.”
Eric’s team experimented with tire choices during the two Saturday practice sessions, but even so he was among the fastest cars.After making the final tire decision, Eric qualified with the fastest time in the 25 car field.“I got my turn again to try the inversion wheel and my typical luck held,” said Eric after qualifying.“I rolled a two which still leaves me on the front row but unfortunately on the outside.There are several very good cars and drivers here tonight and the start will be very challenging from the outside.”
Eric made a good start and held position alongside the first position car for the first two laps.But the two drivers on the inside immediately behind the first place car also did well at the start, and formed a solid wall of cars that blocked Eric from moving over to the inside line.“No one was going to give an inch at the start,” said Eric after the race.“I decided to slot over to the inside when the first opening appeared and that put me in 5th place.Then I had to go to work making my way toward the front.”
The race had several caution periods and many of the laps were run under yellow flag.“I worked my way forward back into 2nd position about two thirds of the way through the race,” said Eric after the main event.“The 04 car and I then pulled away from the field.I was able to stay with the 04 but didn’t quite have the speed to make a run on passing him.”A caution late in the race grouped the field up, and on the re-start Eric and the 04 car again pulled away.This time the 30 car was able to keep up and the three cars pulled away.Eric finally got a run going on the lead car for first, but about that time the last caution period started.The race finished under the yellow flag with Eric in 2nd.
“I am satisfied with 2nd place tonight,” said Eric in the pits after the race.“Our car showed a big improvement over the last race.We think we know how to improve it a bit more and look forward to the next race in two weeks.And Tom Landreth finished 3rd tonight and it was a lot of fun to share the podium with him.He has helped me a lot this year.”
Eric thanked his crew after the race for giving him such a strong car.He also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, September 20.
Eric Gunderson Finishes Fourth at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
Eric Gunderson made the best of an ill-handling race car by improving from his 8th place qualifying position to finish 4th in the race
August 28, 2008
Eric Gunderson qualified 8th in his latest race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, after struggling with an ill handling car during race day practice.His crew improved the car before the start of the main, and he raced forward to a 4th place finish.He maintained his 2nd place position in the season points race.
Eric and his team struggled with a chassis problem throughout practice on Saturday.“The car has had a push in the middle of the corners all day,” said Eric after qualifying.“We have tried adjustments that usually cure this condition but nothing has worked so far.In fact, we made adjustments before qualifying that actually made the car worse.But at least that gives us information and points us in the right direction to make it better.”When the car is pushing in the middle of the corner, this means it is not responding correctly to steering input.It takes more steering input than it should to keep the car low on the track in the middle of the corners.It is a serious problem because it is inefficient and costs lap time.
Eric started the main event on the outside of the 4th row of the 30 car field.The race was a strange one, with the first caution occurring on only the 2nd lap.After the restart, there were only a couple of green flag laps before the next caution, and it became apparent this was going to be one of those races where most of the laps were run under the yellow flag.
“It was a frustrating race all around,” said Eric after the main event.“I knew right away that my crew had finally found the problem and gotten rid of the push.Unfortunately, the car was very loose going into the corners and this caused us to slow down a bit, but that was a much less serious handling problem.But with most of the race run under the yellow flag there was very little opportunity to move forward.”
Eric drove forward through traffic during the brief green flag periods, and was in 4th place at the end.“The race director was frustrated by all the yellow flags, so he started counting the yellow flag laps as race laps early on,” said Eric after the race.“This means we actually only got to race about 15 laps out of 35 tonight.Our car was better in the race than it had been all day.It wasn’t capable of winning tonight, but we got a top 5 out of it and from how most of the day went that was a big improvement.”
Back in the pits after the race, Eric thanked his crew and especially John London for working so hard on the car all day.
Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, September 6..
Eric Gunderson Claims Another Podium Finish and Pole Position at Orange Show Speedway
Eric Gunderson with his car at Orange Show Speedway
August 19, 2008
Eric Gunderson raced at Orange Show Speedway this past weekend.He claimed pole position in qualifying and finished second in the main event.
A small field of only 8 cars gathered for practice on Saturday.Practice progressed normally throughout the day, with Eric’s team making only very minor changes from the setup developed last week.“The weather conditions are just about identical to last week,” said Eric during practice.“There is a big field of IMCA modified cars here today and they are running a different tire compound than we normally see.That leaves a different rubber residue on the track, so that affects our setup a little bit.”
Eric set fast time in qualifying with a time of 14.710 seconds.This time, with only 8 cars, the officials didn’t even bother with rolling the dice to determine the inversion.They just inverted the whole field, so Eric got to start in 8th position for the main event.
The IMCA modified cars were the main show this weekend, so the Legends main event got cut back to only 20 laps and there were no heat or trophy dash races.
Eric started on the outside of the fourth row.He worked his way through traffic, along with the 77 car.“The 77 was fast tonight as usual,” said Eric after the main.“I had a great car and I think would have had a good shot at a win under normal circumstances, but with the short race I had to settle for 2nd place.I am satisfied with our run, and as usual my team gave me a great car to drive.”
After the race Eric thanked his teammates for preparing a fast car for him to drive.Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race will be at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday, August 23.
Eric Gunderson Claims Podium Finish and Pole Position at Orange Show Speedway
Eric Gunderson fighting for third at Orange Show Speedway
August 11, 2008
Eric Gunderson raced at Orange Show Speedway this past weekend.He claimed pole position in qualifying, won his heat race, and finished third in the main event.
A field of 14 cars gathered for practice on Saturday.Practice progressed normally throughout the day, with Eric’s team making minor adjustments to his car to adapt it to the track and the hot August weather of San Bernardino.The overheating and ignition problems that plagued the team when last at Orange Show Speedway seemed to have been conquered..
Eric set fast time in qualifying with a time of 14.676 seconds.At Orange Show Speedway, the fastest qualifier literally rolls the dice to determine the field inversion for starting the main event.Eric rolled an 11, so he started the main event on the inside of row 5.“The car was great,” said Eric after qualifying.“It’s too bad I can’t get my mechanics to work on the dice as well as my car.”
The officials try to change the race day format from week to week to keep things interesting for the fans.This time, they eliminated trophy dash races and instead had all the drivers participate in one of two 8 lap heat races.Eric started at the back of his heat race, in a field of 7 cars.He moved steadily through the field, taking the lead on the final lap.“The car was setup just right for the track,” said Eric after his race was over.“I hope we can get the car that good for the main event later on tonight.”
Eric started on the outside of the fifth row.He worked his way through traffic, along with the 29 and 33 cars.“The 29 and 33 were both very fast tonight,” said Eric after the main.“All three of us started near the back, but moved up together through the field.”Once the group of 3 cars got to the front, they began to pull away from the field.As the race progressed through several caution periods, it became clear that Eric’s car just wasn’t going to be able to get past the 29 and 33.“Our car was fast, but not quite fast enough near the end to get past the 2 cars in front of me,” said Eric after the race.“My car faded a bit in the last third of the race.I could stay with the two cars in front of me, but could not get enough of a run to get past them so I had to settle for third tonight.Darren Amidon in the 33 drove a great race to get the win.”
After the race Eric thanked his teammates for preparing a fast car for him to drive.Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race will be at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, California on Friday, August 15.
Early Mistake Results in Mid Pack Legends Race Finish For Eric Gunderson at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
August 4, 2008
Eric Gunderson qualified 5th in his latest race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.An early race mistake sent Eric to the back of the 30 car field, and he worked his way back to 14th by the race finish.He maintained his 2nd place position in the season points race.
The race day started with Eric’s team working to pick up speed during the practice sessions.“We were among the fastest cars in both practice sessions today,” said Eric after qualifying.“I was a bit surprised to find us in 5th place in the qualifying order, but the field is extremely tight and I think I the car will work well in the race tonight.”It is always a mystery where the top qualifiers will actually start the race at Irwindale, usually because of the “inversion wheel”.This time, the officials decided to hold a trophy dash race for the slowest 6 cars, but for the main event have the cars start according to qualifying order.So, Eric started the main event in 5th place in the 30 car field.
During the first several laps, it became clear that everyone in the lead group was serious about winning.The group ran two wide with no one gaining or losing spots for the first 3 laps.Then, two cars touched in front of Eric, and he had to slow to move around the affected cars.This dropped him back to 8th position, where he ran for 2 more laps.Eric then made an uncharacteristic mistake that caused him to slide into the 71 car, which in turn caused the 71 to spin and bring out a yellow flag.This resulted in the officials sending both Eric and the 71 to the back of the field.“I just made a mistake,” said Eric after the race.“I was setting up to go under the 71 car, and I got too close to the rubber donuts placed next to the inside line on the track.I hit one of them – and bounced up the track into the 71.It was my fault, and I must apologize to the 71 because it negatively affected his race as well as mine”.If you look at the photo on this page, you can see the white rubber donut Eric hit still spinning and his car making contact with the blue 71 car.
Once at the back of such a large field, it was just a matter of regaining as many spots as possible before the checkered flag.Eric was in 14th place at the end, having steadily moved through the pack as the laps wound down.“For sure I am disappointed about this race,” said Eric afterwards.“Our car was good, and I think we would have finished well if not for the incident I talked about earlier.But we will be back for the next race determined to be back on form.I need to thank everyone on my team for giving me such a good car to drive and the opportunity to race.”
Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, August 23.
Eric Gunderson Finishes Second In Hard Fought Race at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
A close finish after 35 laps of Legends Racing at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
July 28, 2008
Eric Gunderson finished a close second in an exciting Legends race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.He strengthened his hold on 2nd place in the season points standings.
The Legends division had the crowd on its feet Saturday night with an extremely close finish to a hard fought race.The race day started as most such days do for Eric Gunderson’s team at Irwindale.“We were fast in the first practice session,” said Eric after qualifying.“We made an experimental setup change for the second practice session which slowed us down – but also told us a lot about the car.We corrected that and managed to qualify 2nd.”The fast time qualifier rolled a two on the inversion wheel, so the two cars on the front row switched positions for the start of the main event.
This had Eric starting in the pole position, and he jumped to an early lead.But it was immediately clear that this was going to be one of the toughest races of the year in the Legends division.A breakaway group of 4 cars quickly formed and began pulling away from the rest of the 26 car field.Eric held the lead for the first 5 laps, until he was passed for the first time by the 72 car.The 71 and 30 cars were close behind the two leaders.
“We had a great battle with the 72 car tonight,” said Eric after the race.“Both of us had the fastest car at different points in the race.We both took advantage of that as we exchanged the lead several times.”Eric passed the 72 to regain the lead midway through the race, and from then on it was a constant battle as the two lead cars swapped the lead 4 more times in the last 10 laps.The 71 and 30 cars were also right in the mix, having a battle of their own.“I knew the 72 car and I were equally fast,” said Eric after the race.“After the 72 passed me the last time with 3 laps to go I decided to wait until the last lap to make a final bid for the lead so I could hold on to it across the finish line.”Eric almost pulled it off, diving to the inside of the 72 at the entrance of turn 3 and holding the position as they headed for the finish line.It almost worked.Eric crossed the line about a half car length behind the 72 to finish second, with the third place 71 car literally right on his bumper.
“It almost worked out for us with that last pass,” said Eric during the post race interview.“But we had a great race tonight and I feel I got the most that I could out of the car.”The officials and Eric’s fellow competitors agreed.“That was the best Legends race I have witnessed in a long time,” said the race director on the radio just after the finish. Veteran Legends driver Ryan Partridge, who piloted the 72 car to the win, had nothing but praise for the race and his competitors after it was over.“I wasn’t expecting anything like that battle tonight,” he said in tech inspection after the race.“Racing in these Legends cars doesn’t get any better than that.”
Eric wants to thank TEI Motorsports and everyone in his crew, especially John London for giving him a car capable of such a performance.Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race will be at Orange Show Speedway on Friday, August 1.He will next race at Irwindale on Saturday, August 2.
Eric Gunderson Storms Back to Victory Lane at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
Eric Gunderson celebrates his 3rd victory of the year at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
July 14, 2008 Eric Gunderson took his third win of the season in dramatic fashion at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.He set the fastest lap of the race in the process, and regained 2nd place in the season points standings. Eric was fast in Saturday practice, but he and his crew kept working to improve the setup as the race day continued.“I set 4th fastest time in both practice sessions,” said Eric after qualifying.“The car was close, and it kept getting better as we worked on it, but it still was not where we wanted it as we went out to qualify.However, we knew our main event would start well after sunset with a much cooler track, and we were confident we had a good setup for those conditions.”Eric qualified 2nd, but after the inversion wheel was spun it was determined he would start the main event in 5th position in a field of 29 cars. Eric wasted no time in getting down to business as the green flag dropped.He was already in 4th by the time the first caution flag of the night flew, before even one lap was complete.Because a full lap had not been completed, the field lined up once again for a full restart.Eric got another good start, and found himself in 4th at the end of the first lap.The competition was very strong at the head of the field, and it took Eric until lap 20, and several caution flags, to work his way into first place.“The three cars in front of me all put up a determined fight,” said Eric after the race.“It took several laps to get by each one, and it was not until lap 20 that I passed the 75 car for the lead.Once I got in front, I was able to quickly pull away from the field.” That’s when the race took a very unusual twist.The weather had been warm and humid all day, and finally about 9:00 pm a thunderstorm began to pour rain on the speedway.The field was put under caution, and the officials declared the race over on lap 25 with Eric in the lead.All the races scheduled after the Legends race were also cancelled as the stands quickly emptied of a crowd not used to heavy rain in mid July. “Our car was good in the race,” said Eric as his crew scrambled to get the car under cover after the race.“John London got the setup dialed in for the main event, and once we got in front we had the fastest car.John has wanted me to greet the crowd after the race from our emergency escape hatch in the roof.I had fun doing it, and I think the crowd enjoyed it.” Eric wants to thank TEI Motorsports and everyone in his crew, especially John London for giving him a car capable of winning.Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support. Eric’s next race will be at Orange Show Speedway on Friday, July 25.
Ignition Failure Results in DNF for Eric Gunderson at Orange Show Speedway
Mechanical maladies plagued the #97 of Eric Gunderson all weekend at Orange Show Speedway
July 7, 2008
An unusual race weekend plagued by mechanical problems for Eric Gunderson’s team ended with his first DNF for the year.
It was another hot weekend in San Bernardino, California at Orange Show Speedway.The temperaturereached 104 degrees on Friday evening during practice and peaked at 110 degrees on Saturday afternoon.The mechanical problems began early in Friday practice with a persistent problem causing the left front wheel to lock up under braking.“Normally I drive very deep into turn 3 here at Orange Show and use hard braking,” said Eric during Friday night practice.“But I couldn’t do that most of the night because of the brake lock-up.My team is trying to figure out what is wrong with the car, but in the meantime I need to take it easy through 3 and 4 which is slowing me down.”
The team also needed to change carburetor jetting to compensate for the hot weather; once that was addressed the engine ran really well.With engine problems seemingly out of the way, the team focused on solving the brake problems.“We completely disassembled and cleaned the brakes and everything seems to be right but we keep having the problem,” said a frustrated Eric during Saturday morning practice.“We are changing front spring split to see if the unusually hot track conditions are just too slippery for our normal setup.”This seemed to help, and the car got really fast late in practice.Eric took pole position with a car that seemed to be back on track.After qualifying, Eric rolled a four with the dice to set his starting position for the main event at 4th on the grid.
The actual racing began with a short 4 lap trophy dash for the top 4 qualifiers.Eric started 4th, and moved up to 2nd with a car that seemed to be running and handling well.“We used this short race to verify setup and car operation,” said Eric after the trophy dash.“But looking the car over when it came off the track we saw the engine vented a huge amount of oil into the oil catch tank.We don’t know what is wrong – hopefully nothing major.All we can do right now is hope for the best because we don’t have time to try to really determine what might be wrong.”
Eric got a good start in the main event, but the brake lock up problem re-appeared on the first lap.“I drove it hard for the first 3 laps,” said a disappointed Eric after the race.“But the brakes continued to lock up.I decided to back off and just try to finish in the top five with a car that clearly was not right.My team has worked very hard on the car all weekend and we thought we had fixed the brake problem, but obviously not.”The main event ended for Eric on the last lap while he was running in 4th place when the electronic ignition module failed.His race day ended in the infield.“I think we made up for a whole trouble free season in this one race,” said Eric afterwards.“It has been one thing after another.We have a lot of work to do to get ready for Irwindale next weekend.”
Preparation for the race next weekend began at the shop on Sunday evening.“John discovered the root cause of all the brake problems,” said Eric on Monday.“The inner left front wheel bearing had disintegrated but has now been repaired.We have another ignition module on the way and we believe we know why the engine was venting oil and how to solve it.So we will be ready to race again this coming Saturday.I need to thank my entire team, especially John London and my dad for working non-stop on my car all weekend in the heat.Normally our car is trouble free. This is the first time this year it has let us down on race day.”
Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race will be at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday, July 12.
Last Lap Crash Spoils Legends Race Finish For Eric Gunderson at ToyotaSpeedway at Irwindale
Eric Gunderson had a tough night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
June 23, 2008 Eric Gunderson’s attempt to win three in a row at Irwindale was thwarted by a crash damaged car and a mistake on the last turn of the last lap.He finished in 16th place, and slipped to 3rd in the season points standings. The race weekend unfolded with Eric’s team struggling to find the correct setup for the track conditions.“We knew we were in for a challenging weekend right from the start,” said Eric after the race.“The car was reasonably fast in Friday night practice, but had a four wheel drift problem coming off the corners that had not been present before.”The weather was very hot on Saturday; with the air temperature reaching 111 degrees and the track surface 152 degrees.“The high temperatures make it difficult to sort out the car,” said Eric after qualifying 4th in a field of 24 cars.“Part of the problem could be the slippery track conditions due to the heat, and part from the setup.We will find out in the trophy dash if we have improved the car enough to be competitive in the race tonight.” The trophy dash is a short race sometimes used to determine starting positions for the main event.The fastest 8 cars took to the track for a short 6 laps, with the field inverted.Eric started the trophy dash in 5th, and ended in 3rd.“We have really improved the car,” said Eric after the trophy dash.“The car is turning well through the corners now, just a bit loose in the middle of the corner.I should be able to drive around that in the main event.” Eric started the main event in 3rd position, but touched wheels with the number 7 car near the end of the second lap.Eric found himself in 2nd place for the restart with a car that no longer steered correctly.He took the lead on lap 7 and held on until the last lap.“My car was damaged in that first incident,” said Eric after the race.“The car wouldn’t steer straight.The handling was way off and so was our pace.I held off the 04 car as long as I could but he was faster than us.” The race had a wild finish.Eric held on to the lead until coming out of the last turn of the last scheduled lap.The 04 car moved to pass on the inside coming out of the turn.Eric turned to follow and made contact with the 33 car, which had been running a close 3rd place position.Eric’s car spun and brought out a caution flag before the end of the lap.Eric and the 33 car were sent to the back of the field for being involved in the collision that caused the caution flag.The race restarted with a two lap green-white-checkered flag finish and was won by the 04 car.Eric was able to move up and finish in 16th place. “First of all, I must apologize to Darren Amidon in the 33 car for causing that incident,” said a disappointed Eric after the race.“It was a mistake on my part that hurt both of us.This race set us back a bit in the season points standings.We came into the race in 2nd place, and are now in 3rd.But we have a lot of races left and I know we will bounce back from this.I really need to thank my team for all their work today.We started out with a car that was not handling right, but Tom Landreth and the rest of my team kept working at it until the car was really good for the main event.I just was not able to stay out of trouble during the race so we don’t have the finishing position to show how good the car was.We will be fine for the next race. ” Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support. Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, July 23.
Eric Gunderson Claims Podium Finish and Pole Position at Orange Show Races
Eric Gunderson on track at Orange Show Speedway on June 14th.
June 16, 2008
Eric Gunderson raced in two events at Orange Show Speedway this past weekend, claiming one podium finish and one pole position in the process.
Eric’s first race event of the weekend was on Friday night.These Friday night races are short – only 20 laps – and usually have a small field.This Friday was no exception with a starting field of only 9 cars.The starting line-up for the race was not based on qualifying times, but rather a random pick of a number by each driver.Eric elected to start in the back, to get in some practice for the longer race on Saturday.
Right from the start, Eric showed he had a fast car for the weekend.He steadily worked his way through the field to end up second at the checkered flag.He was closing steadily on the leader.“My car was very fast tonight,” said Eric after the race.“I was closing on the leader at the end but ran out of laps.I think we should have a good run on Saturday.”
The car count increased on Saturday, and by the time qualifying was set to begin the Legends field had grown to 17 cars.Qualifying at Orange Show Speedway is a green-white-checkered run of two timed laps, with the driver’s fastest lap counted as his qualifying lap.Eric was first out for Legends qualifying, and set a blistering first lap of 14.705 seconds.Just as he was starting his second lap, which is usually faster than the first, the grid personnel mistakenly sent another car out on the track.The scoring system during qualifying cannot tell one car from another, so Eric’s time during his second lap was not recorded.Shortly after exiting the track, the officials called him back to run a second qualifying lap, but made him wait for the rest of the Legends field to complete qualifying before sending him out again.“It was really confusing,” said Eric after qualifying.“I didn’t know why a second car was on the track behind me, and I also didn’t know when I left the track that no time had been recorded on lap two.I know my second lap was faster than the first, but I’ll never know by how much.”Eric waited through the qualifying line for his turn to come up again, with his tires cooling down in the process.When he finally went out again he proved his first time on the track was no fluke by recording his second lap at 14.681, only 0.03 seconds off the track record.“I think I might have had the track record today if not for the mix up in qualifying,” said Eric after qualifying ended.“But at least I know my car is very fast.I will be starting in 10th position later tonight after the inversion, so having a fast car will be a good thing.”
Eric started on the outside of the fifth row, beside second fastest qualifier Darren Amidon. They both quickly went to work moving through the field.By lap 17, Darren had moved into the lead and Eric was passing the 76 car for second place.The 76 car made contact with Eric after the pass was completed in turn 4, and spun himself out in the process.This brought out a caution flag, and unfortunately for Eric resulted in him being sent to the back of the field.“The track policy is that any car involved in an incident that creates a caution is sent to the back of the field – regardless of whether that car is at fault or not,” noted Eric after the race.“It is unfortunate because I think I could have won tonight, but that’s racing.”When the race resumed, Eric began working through the field again and ended the race in 8th position.“We had a great weekend of racing here at Orange Show Speedway,” said Eric after all the racing was over.“Our baseline setup here is now very good, and I know when we come back we will be ready to go for the race win.”
Eric showed that he is a true racer and sportsman this weekend, working late into the night on Friday to help rebuild the damaged race car of fellow competitor Brian Tyczki.“Brian really tore up his car tonight,” said Eric while working on the car.“The right front is torn completely off, and the left front is not much better.But between all the competitors here we have the parts and tools needed to put it back together.”Brian’s number 44 was back on the track on Saturday night, almost winning one of the heat races.Unfortunately, it was involved in another incident in the last turn of the last lap, and was severely damaged again.Some race weekends are like that.
Eric thanked his teammates at TEI Motorsports for preparing a winning car for him to drive, and all their help in learning how to go fast at Orange Show Speedway.“Winning a race is never just the driver,” said Eric.“I have great equipment because of the dedication of the TEI Motorsports team.”Eric also thanked his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race will be at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday, June 21.
Eric Gunderson Makes It Two Legends Race Wins In A Row at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
Eric won for the second time in a row in his latest race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
June 8, 2008
Eric Gunderson made it two Legends race wins in a row with another dominating performance in his TEI Motorsports prepared car at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.Racing to his fifth top five finish in a row, Eric closed the gap to first place in the season points standings.
Eric showed he had the car to beat right from the start, posting the fastest time in both practice sessions.He emphasized the point by claiming his second pole position in a row.“We were the fastest car at the track right off the trailer today,” said Eric just after qualifying ended.“Once again Tom Landreth and the TEI team had the setup nailed right from the start.”
This time the “inversion wheel” stopped at three, so Eric started on the inside of the second row of the 24 car field for the main event.The start was a wild one.Eric quickly slotted into the number two position behind the 13 car.Part way through the first lap the 13 got loose and slid up the track.Eric quickly took advantage and was in the lead by the end of the first lap.“There were cars moving every which way around me at the start,” said Eric after the race.“The 13 car got loose on the back straight and I was able to get into the lead by the end of the first lap.”Eric never looked back.He opened a huge lead during the first half of the race before the first caution came out.He got a good restart and was opening a lead again when the only serious incident of the race occurred, resulting in a red flag (more about that later in this report).
When the race restarted for the last time on lap 20, Eric held off the 33 car and again opened a gap to finish by a comfortable margin.“TEI Motorsports prepared my car so well I was able to lead every lap tonight,” said Eric after the race. “Having the best car in the field is what allowed me to win tonight.My team is just awesome.”Eric also turned the fastest lap of the race.
Eric and the entire TEI Motorsports team also talked about the red flag incident after the race.“The 05 car got into the wall in turn two, and it really tore up the car,” said Eric after the race.“The damage was so severe that when the car came to rest it caught on fire.Luckily Irwindale has excellent fire crews and the fire was out in literally a few seconds.The driver walked away completely unharmed, but it could have been really bad.”The incident points out the need for safety improvements in Legends cars, an area that TEI Motorsports has pioneered.Eric’s car has been heavily modified to reduce the possibility of a fire occurring and it is equipped with fire extinguishing systems in the unlikely event one does occur.It also has been modified to make it much easier for a driver to escape, or a safety crew to remove the driver, in an emergency.Please contact Eric at eric@ericgundersonracing.com to learn more details if you want to modify your Legends car.Eric Gunderson Racing provides all information on the modifications for free to any Legends team wanting to use them.
Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support.
Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, June 21.
Eric Gunderson Claims His First Legends Race Win at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
Eric won his first Legends Car race in his sixth event at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
June 1, 2008 Eric Gunderson claimed his first Legends race win with a dominating performance in his TEI Motorsports prepared car at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.TEI teammate Tom Landreth finished second to give TEI its first one-two finish of the year.Racing to his fourth top five finish in a row, Eric strengthened his hold on second place in the season points standings. Eric’s car was fast all day, topping the time sheets in both practice sessions.He followed this up by claiming pole position in qualifying.“We were the fastest car at the track right off the trailer today,” said Eric just after qualifying ended.“That really shows how good John London and the entire TEI team is at setting up the car.” This time the “inversion wheel” stopped at two, so Eric and teammate Tom Landreth swapped positions on the front row for the start of the main event.Eric started on the outside, and fell to 4th at the start before he could push his way to the inside line on the track.“It is always better to start on the inside,” said Eric after the race.“My start was OK, and I was able to move to the inside fairly quickly, but not before two cars pushed past me.”This didn’t slow Eric down for long, as he quickly worked his way past both cars and began to chase down leader Tom Landreth.“My car was just so fast tonight I was able to catch Tom within a few laps and get by for the lead,” said Eric.“I was pulling away when the first caution of the race happened and the field regrouped behind me.”Eric got a good restart and was soon pulling away again.But another caution on lap 23 regrouped the field once again, forcing another restart.Again, Eric made a good restart.He was comfortably in the lead and had just taken the white flag on lap 29 when a wreck at the back of the field brought out the final caution of the race and set up a green-white-checkered finish.“I wasn’t happy when that last wreck happened,” said Eric after the race.“You just never know what might happen on a restart, and I admit I was nervous that this win might slip away.”But the final restart also went well for Eric, and he took the checkered flag for his first Legends race win.He set the fastest lap of the race on his way to victory. After the race, Eric reflected on his good fortune to be part of such a powerful race team.“This win tonight was a team win,” said Eric.“Tom and Bob Landreth have been helping me learn to drive a Legends car and learn this track since the day we joined them at TEI.My car dominated today because of John London’s setup knowledge.I would not be in the Winner’s Circle this quickly without their continuous support.” Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support. Eric’s next race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale will be Saturday, June 7.
Eric Gunderson Finishes Third At Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in His Latest Legends Race
Eric finished third in his most recent race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
May 17, 2008
Eric Gunderson finished his latest Legends car race in third position, his first podium finish in Legends racing.Racing to his third top five finish in a row, he moved intosecond place out of 44 drivers in the season points standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Eric’s team was fast in practice, topping the time sheets in the second practice session.He followed this up with a third place qualifying run.“With the really hot weather today, the track lacked grip during qualifying,” said Eric just after qualifying ended.“The top five cars were very close in qualifying times.We could have done better but at the same time we knew we would be good in the main event by which time the track would cool off substantially.” This time the “inversion wheel” stopped at six, so the first 6 cars in the 20 car field inverted their qualifying positions.This placed Eric’s car on the outside of the second row in fourth position for the main event.At the start Eric got stuck on the outside as the field raced two wide for the first 3 laps.“A lot of cars got past me on the inside in the opening laps,” said Eric after the race.“For the first two laps it was impossible to move over to the inside. I finally found a break and moved to the inside, but by that time I was in ninth place so I had a lot of ground to make up.” Eric started working his way back through the field.He was soon back in the top five cars, and a re-start gave him the opportunity to move up further.“I made a good restart at the last caution,” said Eric.“That set me up to race forward into the top three.I started in fourth position, and ended in third, but I had to pass a lot of cars to do it.I got a lot of good racing and passing experience in this race.” Consistency wins championships, and it shows in Eric’s position in the season points standings.Just two months into his oval track racing career, Eric took control of second place in the standings in what is shaping up to be a stellar rookie season.“I don’t think we can catch Tom Landreth in first place,” said Eric.“But, our team is doing really well.Every time we go out on the track, we learn something new that makes us better.We also make mistakes but that is part of learning.I am very happy with our progress and cannot thank my crew enough for their part in making this all possible.” Eric would like to thank Bob and Tom Landreth and John London of TEI Motorsports for their help in preparing his car and their advice throughout the race day. Eric also thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, Nomad Slot Racing, and Organic Food Bars for their support. Eric's next Legends race will be at Orange Show Speedway on May 23rd.
Eric Gunderson Finishes Fourth At Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
Eric Gunderson finished fourth in his latest race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
May 3, 2008
Eric Gunderson finished his latest Legends car race in fourth position, following an excellent second place qualifying run.He advanced into 4th place out of 43 drivers in the season points standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Eric’s team again showed progress toward becoming the fastest car at Irwindale.Eric topped the time sheets in both Saturday practice sessions.Eric just missed taking the pole position, finishing the qualifying session in second place by just 0.006 seconds.“We have developed a really good base line setup at this track,” said Eric just after qualifying ended.“We have been fast all day so far, and better yet the car adjustments we are making to keep up with the changing track are really working.”
This time the “inversion wheel” stopped at one, so the 26 car field actually started with all drivers in their qualifying position.It was Eric’s first chance to enjoy a Legends main event start on the front row.Eric got an excellent start, maintaining second position after the first corner of the first lap.The race stayed green flag for a change, and Eric and teammate Tom Landreth (who started alongside Eric on the front row) really got a chance to show their speed compared to the rest of the field.“Tom and I really pulled away from the field,” said Eric after the race.“By the time the first caution started on lap 17 we had really run away with the race.”
Eric got a good restart and once again he and Tom pulled away from the field.This time it was only for a few laps until the second caution period started.On his second restart, Eric hesitated a bit and that allowed the car behind him to get a run on him and get by at the first corner.“I made a mistake on that last restart,” said Eric after the race.“That little bobble allowed the 33 car to get by me and take the 04 car along with him.”The race ended a few laps later with Eric in fourth place.
Eric recorded his second top five finish in a row, and in the process moved into fourth place in the season points standings.He recorded the fastest lap of the race in the process.“I know we are making good progress,” said Eric.“We have overcome some of our early season setup problems and I am learning to drive the car fast.Every time I go out on the track I am still learning the basics of oval track racecraft.I have a great team supporting me.”
Eric would like to thank Bob and Tom Landreth and John London of TEI Motorsports for their help in preparing his car and their advice throughout the race day. Eric thanks his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley Inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, and Nomad Slot Racing for their support.Eric would also like to welcome his latest sponsor, Organic Food Bar, onto the team.
Eric's next race will be at Orange Show Speedway on May 9th.
Eric Gunderson Records Top Five Finish in His Third Legends Car Race
Eric Gunderson finished 5th in his third Legends race
April 20, 2008
Eric Gunderson finished his third Legends car race in fifth position, following an excellent third place qualifying run.He advanced into 7th place out of 39 drivers in the season points standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Once again, Eric was very fast in Friday night practice.But, the team showed great improvement in adjusting the car setup to keep pace with the rapidly changing track conditions that unfolded on Saturday.“We struggled in our two previous races at Irwindale to adjust our setup to maintain our speed throughout race day,” said Eric.“We really made progress in learning how to anticipate how the track would change as it warmed up during the day, and make adjustments to the car to keep our speed.We were the fastest car in the first practice session and the second fastest car in the second practice session.We followed that up by qualifying third.My speed was only 0.006 seconds slower than the second qualifier, who in turn was only 0.006 off the pole setting pace.It was a really tight field.” Eric actually started the main event in fourth position.The pole winner has to spin the “inversion wheel”, which determines how many cars at the front will be inverted in position after qualifying.The driver drew six, putting the first qualifier in sixth, the second qualifier in fifth, and Eric in fourth. Eric got an excellent start, maintaining fourth position after the first corner of the first lap.He moved into third position a few laps later.“Early on, my car started to really work well as soon as the tires heated up,” said Eric.“For the first half of the race my car was great, allowing me to record the second fastest lap of the entire race.” After several cautions and restarts, Eric’s car began to fade during the second half of the race.After running the first two thirds of the race in third place, he faded back to fifth as his car tightened up.“The tightening of the car slowed my corner entry speeds,” said Eric.“My car was still relatively good, but I fell back two positions as this condition became more pronounced.” Eric finished a solid fifth, a great ending to a much improved race day.“We really advanced our program today,” said Eric.“The top cars in the race group form a very tight field, and by improving our setup details we can now take advantage of our speed.I really need to thank John London of TEI for all his hard work in helping me understand how to keep the car working throughout a race day.
Eric would like to thank Bob and Tom Landreth and John London of TEI Motorsports for their help in preparing his car and their advice throughout the race day. Eric would also like to thank his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, and Nomad Slot Racing for their support.
Eric Gunderson Records Another Solid Finish in Second Legends Car Race
April 7, 2008
Eric Gunderson survived another incident filled race at Irwindale to finish 11th overallout of a field of 28 cars in his second Legends car race at Irwindale. He charged from the back of the field after a mid race spin out to record a solid finish and move into 9th place out of 36 drivers in the season points standings.
Eric’s race day progressed much like the race day two weeks before, with Eric being one of the fastest cars in practice. "We are still struggling with how to adjust setup in our Legends car to keep up with the track changes during the race day," said Eric. "We qualified in 12th position, after being much faster during practice. "
Eric started the main event in 12th position, and during the first half of the race steadily worked his way forward to 7th by the mid point of the race. "The track came back to us during our main event which started after dark," said Eric. "We were fast, and did well on the re-starts to steadily gain ground. Unfortunately, I got tapped from behind going into turn 2 and spun, bringing out yet another yellow flag." This put Eric at the back of the field in 22nd position, with only 8 green flag laps left to go. Eric made the most of the remainder of the race, quickly climbing back up to 11th before the checkered flag flew.
"All in all, I was very happy with the race," said Eric after the race. "We have good speed, and I am getting used to the close racing and am getting comfortable moving through traffic. We were well on our way to a top 5 finish before I spun late in the race. Even then I was able to salvage a very good finish. We will be putting our emphasis on qualifying in the next few races so we can be running in the lead group early in the race."
Eric would like to thank Bob and Tom Landreth and John London of TEI Motorsports for their help in preparing his car and their advice throughout the race day. Eric would also like to thank his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, and Nomad Slot Racing for their support. Eric's next race will be at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday, April 19 at Irwindale Speedway.
Eric Gunderson Racing Now Sponsored by Mechanix Wear
March, 2008
Eric Gunderson Racing is pleased to welcome new sponsor Mechanix Wear to the team. Mechanix Wear was the first company to develop and introduce high-performance work gloves designed specifically for mechanics. Visit their website at http://mechanix.com.
Eric Gunderson Has Solid Finish in His First Legends Car Race
March 23, 2008
Eric Gunderson survived a wild race filled with many wrecks to finish a solid 15th in his debut Legends race in front of a sell-out season opening crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Eric was one of the fastest cars all day during practice, finishing both practice sessions in the top six. He qualified a solid 11th in a strong field of 30 cars. However, taking the advice of Bob and Tom Landreth of TEI Motorsports to heart, Eric decided to start at the back of the field to gain racing and passing experience. Although moving to the front was one of Eric's goals, his main goal was to finish his first Legends race with no damage to his car.
"A lot of drivers seemed determined to win the first race of the year on the first lap," said Eric of his experience. "There were many crashes. It was really hard to move toward the front because there would only be 3 or 4 laps of green flag racing before another caution period. There were so many wrecks and so many slow laps being run under yellow flag conditions that the track officials decided to shorten the race to 25 laps instead of the planned 30. Starting at the back, I was surrounded by many inexperienced drivers. I had to be careful when passing them because I didn't know if they would drift up into me, or turn down on me." Nevertheless, Eric moved from the back of the field to finish in 15th position.
Eric would like to thank Bob and Tom Landreth and John London of TEI Motorsports for their help in preparing his car and their advice throughout the race day. Eric would also like to thank his sponsors Maxima Racing Oil, Oakley inc, Vitalyte, MLP Imaging, Mechanix Wear, and Nomad Slot Racing for their support. Eric's next race will be at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday, April 5.
Eric Gunderson Ready for Legends Racing Debut at Irwindale Speedway
Eric with his new Legends Car
March, 2008
After three test sessions, one to "break in" the motor, the other two to get up to speed, Eric is set to take to the track for his first ever Legends race at Irwindale Speedway on March 22.
A Legends car is a tube frame, suspended race car. It utilizes a 4 cylinder Yamaha 1250cc motorcycle engine for power. It has a 5 speed transmission. It can be configured to run on oval tracks or road courses, but this season we will be running exclusively on oval tracks. The front suspension is independent with coil springs over tube shocks. The engine is in the front, with the fuel cell in the rear. The body is molded fiberglass, and is easily removable for manitenance and repair. The photo shows Eric and the Legends Car at a test session at Irwindale Speedway.
With the new car comes new team members. Bob and Tom Landreth of Total Enviromental Industries in Fontana, California have the winning-est team in Legends racing in Southern California. Tom has won the Irwindale track championship many times. Both Bob and Tom are usually in the top five, and in victory lane. The shop at TEI is thoroughly set up to prepare Legends cars for racing. John London, also at TEI, is the master mechanic behind car preparation. He is also a driver, and knows first hand how the cars need to handle on the track and how to get them set up to do so. TEI has the knowledge and infrastructure to win, and we are very lucky to be part of their team.
