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Tornado Alley – No Excuses!
(Bill W) May 15, 2008 – Billy Alley is not one to make excuses when things aren't going right. Such a time came last Friday when the SA Racing team headed to the 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa for some Interstate Racing Association action. After a rainout at Knoxville on Saturday dampened plans, the team rebounded in fine fashion at the Huset's Speedway in South Dakota on Sunday, scoring their first top five finish of the young 410 season.
Billy pulls no punches when talking about his 26th quick, sluggish heat, B and A finishes on Friday at 34. "In a lot of these releases, we say 'It was a nice day, we had a nice drive down to Burlington. We transferred out of the B, which was great because we got more laps.'", he says. "What a load of hooey that is. We were terrible, and really have no excuses. We were bad from hot laps to the end of the night. When the racecar is not driven correctly, it's hard to get the right setup on it."
The night ended with Billy pulling off during the feature, having not done much on the racetrack. "I don't know what the deal was, but we weren't in left field, we were beyond it where they hit homers and we're all picking dandelions," he relates. "I really thought we would have a good night going down there, and I wish we could use some of my favorite excuses guys use like the tires sealing over, or the mag box went out, etc., but we can't! We were looking for some confidence, but left with our heads hung pretty low. When you are off in 410 racing, it shows a lot more than in the 360."
The Lincoln, Nebraska driver bounced back at Huset's on Sunday in a big way and with a stout field assembled, registered the 8th quick time of the night. The finish put him outside row two of a heat race he would run away with. "Half the battle is a good mechanic getting me comfortable enough in the racecar to drive it to its max, and that's what (Bob) 'Buns' (Richardson) is good at," says Billy. "We were able to do that in the heat race. On a heavy bullring we started fourth and won it, which isn't the ultimate, but it was good for us. You couldn't jack around, you had to get up on the wheel and I think we did that."
The car felt good, so the team didn't feel any changes were needed setup-wise for the finale. "We were loose in the feature; we just left it alone after the heat and didn't tighten it up," says the driver. "It was comfortable; we were just off the pace a little bit. We were a fifth place car." Indeed he was. The fifth place finish is the best for the team in five 2008 410 starts.
Things were going well, and Billy was running second for a time in the Delta Oil/Sterling Physical Therapy #22, but eventually the car got looser and looser and former track champions, Danny Lasoski and Gregg Bakker relegated him to fifth. In fact, the top four finishers were all former Huset's track champions (winner Mark Dobmeier, Justin Henderson, Lasoski and Bakker). "We were definitely better early when the track had some moisture in it, but as the race went on it got slicker and slicker, and we got looser and looser," says Billy. "When we were in clean air, we were pretty good, but in lapped traffic it got worse and those two guys got by me. I was waiting for that, because I kept missing my marks too, and about hit the fence twice. It was a top five, not what we're aiming at ultimately, but something for the team to build on right now."
The team will join a handful of other competitors who plan on practicing at Knoxville Raceway on Friday night, and then they will run the regular show on Saturday. The team will again make up their minds about a Sunday Huset's run after that.
Hoseheads Radio
If you are too far from Knoxville to make it on Saturday night, Billy's races will be on the internet at www.HoseheadsRadio.com all season long! Join "Hot" Rod Pattison and Bill W for all the action starting at 7:30 p.m. CST. SA Racing is a proud partner of Hoseheads Radio this season!
Billy on the Radio
Billy is making morning appearances all race season long on KJJY (92.5 FM). He's looking forward to talking about racing…and other things with Hatfield and McCoy. "Because it is a country station, I think we'll talk hunting," he says of his love of the outdoors. "I think the people in Iowa can appreciate that!"
Kids, Design Your Own Wing!
For all the kids, please use your imagination and color a top wing picture in the Kids Page section of my website. Your design could be used on our car the week before the Knoxville Nationals! During the Nationals the wing will be auctioned off for charity. To learn more about Billy Alley and SA Racing, visit www.BillyAlley.com!
T-shirts
SA Racing apparel can be viewed at www.BillyAlley.com and purchased at the track! Also visit www.RacingThreads.com for apparel on clearance!
Down the Alley
Darrell from Chariton, IA asks: What do you think of the nicknames people have given you? Did you have any favorite nicknames growing up?
Billy answers: When I was a kid, a neighbor called me "Billy the Bull". I kind of liked that when I was wrestling. I'm getting used to this "Tornado" Alley though, I really am. People are starting to call me that…Steve Sinclair and a couple of IRA guys I don't know called me that last week, so I think it's really catching on. When I was growing up, I liked "Slammin'" Sammy Swindell and "The Wild Child" Jac Haudenschild, but we really didn't have too many with the Eagle guys. I saw the "WFO" sticker on local driver Mark Lyons' car when I was nine years old, so obviously, that stuck with me too.
Got a question for Billy? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for Billy" in your subject line.
Alley's Anecdotes
Billy is the only driver to lead the 360 Nationals finale from start to finish on two occasions (2004 and 2005). Both wins paid $10,000 to win. His 50 feature laps led, is second on the all-time list to David Hesmer's 54. Billy qualified for the pole position in 2005, and in 2004, he inherited it with a lap one spin by John Kearney. Billy has competed in the event five times, and in addition to his two wins, he has a 7th and 8th place finish.
Tornado Alley
"Tornado Alley" is an up close look at the past, present and future of 2006 Knoxville Raceway track champion, Billy Alley. To receive "Tornado Alley", send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "Alley" in the subject line.
Billy and SA Racing would like to thank Delta Oil, Sterling Physical Therapy, PC., Bolz Farms, Aeroquip, Awesome Racewear, The Buckles Brothers, Buss Excavating, JEI Chassis, McLain Motorsports, Schmit Automotive, Wesmar Racing Engines, Red Devil, Brakes, Pro Shocks, Fuel Safe, C&R Radiator, Vortex Wings, Sander Engineering, K&N Filters , Harris Decals, Toad Valley Golf Course, Speedway Motors, Featherlite Inc., Autometer, D'Agostiono Racing, Monarch's Restaurant, Volvo, Hoosier Tires.
Billy gets the wheels up at Huset's (Doug Johnson Photo)
Bill W MediaMonroe, IAUSAsprntcar@iowatelecom.net
www.hoseheads.com/billw.html
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