Scott Taylor Battles California Heat & the Competition,
July 25, 2006 Belvidere, IL Scott Taylor Battles California Heat and the Competition As Taylor Racing headed to southern California for the Rumble at the Ranch, the team was looking to get back on track after a tough outing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Unfortunately, the outcome was not what the former champion had in mind. Since the opening rounds of racing in May, the Chula Vista venue had gone through many changes. The first was the weather. The weekend at the Otay Ranch was brutally hot. The temperature both days hovered around 100 degrees. The track was also redesigned. Turn Two became a 90-degree turn (previously a high banked 180) that kept the trucks running at higher speeds and closer to the fans. The jumps were also made larger to allow for more highflying action. Turn Three was a slower, slightly off-camber, turn that played havoc with all the racers throughout the weekend. The new design added about a tenth of a mile to the length and added about ten seconds to each lap time. After the practice sessions, Scott felt confident with his chances for a podium finish. Saturday – Round 7 The start saw 15 PRO-2 trucks head for the high banked Turn One. Scott Taylor and his #8 Skyjacker Suspension BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150 grabbed the lead with Renezeder and Evans right behind. As the rest of the back came down the front straight, there were two trucks that blocked the track. The CORR officials immediately red flagged the race and prepared for a complete restart of Round 7. The restart saw Scott Taylor apply the Roush Performance horsepower to the BFGoodrich tires and immediately grabbed the lead. Once again, Renezeder was right on his bumper. The two champions battled for the lead, but Taylor never relented. That is until lap 6. Just as the two competitors started lap 6, Scott felt the ring and pinion self-destructing. At that point, Scott brought the #8 into the pits, ending his day with a twelfth place finish. The crew immediately went work replacing the differential and check the rest of the truck. Scott commented,” the truck was really working great. The rear end failure has not happen in a long time. I guess we are still fighting the new truck gremlins. We will be ready for Sunday.” Sunday – Round 8 Again the start of the PRO-2 race was red flagged, as the competitors seem to be racing under some sense of urgency. Turn Three, once again, challenged the drivers to race clean or just keep all four wheels on the ground. Scott and his #8 Skyjacker Ford grabbed the lead with Todd LeDuc in second. On lap 5, Scott and Renezeder were battling, as the two headed through the whoops. Suddenly, Scott lost his brakes and drove off the back of Turn 5. To get back on the track, Scott charged up the embankment. Unfortunately, #80 Mike Oberg was driving through the corner at the same time and Scott tagged Oberg’s truck in the left front corner. The encounter damaged both trucks, but both were able to continue. The contact also caused CORR officials to issue Scott a black flag penalty. After exiting the pits for the penalty, Scott realized his brakes weren’t working and his steering was damaged. At this point, Scott ran at a reduced speed, until the checkered flag. In the end the #8 Skyjacker Suspensions BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150 was able to stay on the lead lap and finish in seventh place. “Wow what weekend. Hopefully we all will be in better state of mind when we get back to Bark River. All the bumping and rubbing and banging got in the way of good racing. I feel terrible about the hit I gave Mike Oberg,” commented Scott Taylor. “Congratulations to him (Mike Oberg) for his first PRO-2 podium. It’s good to see someone move up from the Sportsman division, to the Pro level, and have success,” remarked Taylor. Here are the Lucas Oil CORR PRO-2 Championship standings after eight of sixteen rounds of racing: 1st Todd LeDuc – 79pts 2nd Carl Renezeder – 78 pts. 3rd Jerry Whelchel – 71 pts. 4th Scott Taylor – 69 pts. 5th Evan Evans – 64 pts. Thanks to all our supporters including: Skyjacker Suspension – Jesus Rocks, BFGoodrich Tires, Ford Trucks, Roush Performance, ATD, Russ Wernimont Designs, Justice Brothers, Miller Electric, Royal Purple, MSD Ignition, Phil's Inc., Precision Gear, Mobil 1, Auto Meter, Boatec, CNC, K&N Engineering, Mastercraft, and Ringer Gloves Next Race – August 12-13 – Bark River, MI