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Kaley Gharst – Wild Weekend!
(Bill W) – October 31, 2007 – Kaley Gharst has had a tremendous season, and one factor in that has been keeping the car on all four wheels and finishing races. At Little Rock last weekend, that was turned upside down, not once, but twice. After crashing in Florida last February, Gharst had racked up wins and charges from the back, giving and taking sliders along the way without toppling once.
The Short Track Nationals draw over 100 of the finest in the sport from around the country and Canada to the I-30 Speedway. That didn't seem to faze Kaley after a good draw and a heat race win going away in his Friday prelim. The Decatur, Illinois driver rushed from seventh to third in his qualifier to earn a starting spot in the feature outside of row two.
Battling with the likes of Tim Shaffer, Gary Wright, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jason Meyers, he was holding his own in the main event. With a goal of finishing in the top three, he was battling for fourth on lap eight. "We were battling with Meyers pretty hard for fourth," says Kaley. "The corners were different. Turns one and two were slick, and three and four were choppy. It was a nice track though. We were heading into turn three there and peeled the right front tire off. The rim dug in, and that was the end of that one!" The incident put an end to Friday's action.
Things were looking good early on Saturday as well. The Tri-Star Racing #3* was humming on all cylinders when the machine of Kenneth Walker veered in front of the youngster heading into turn one in heat race action. "We had a bad start there, and started getting around some cars," says Kaley. "We were coming up on (Walker) pretty quick, and he changed his mind at the last second. I caught his right rear, and tore another car up. I guess that's just how racing goes sometimes. Your highs are high and your lows can even get lower. I guess our luck at Little Rock hasn't been too good the last couple years. We were a lot faster this year, but neither experience was that great."
This weekend Kaley will bring his season to a close in the World of Outlaws Finals at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina. "We've never been there before, and we'd like to get a win on TV there for everybody," says the young driver. "There are going to be some good cars and good drivers outside of the World of Outlaws coming down, so it will be tough. We've got a good Charlie Fisher motor in there, so we're ready!"
Kaley would like to thank the following sponsors: Maxim Racing, Phillips' Floors, Bell Racing, ProShocks, McKenna Truck Center, Charlie Fisher Racing Engines, Karl Chevrolet, Wilco Heating and Air Conditioning and HostIowa.net - Your Complete Internet Solution.
If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to [email protected].
Kaley at Little Rock (Jeremey Rhoades Photo)
Bill WrightBill W MediaMonroe, IAUSA[email protected]
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