As hard as it was to qualify on opening night, the job got considerably more daunting on Thursday. With the machinations of the pill draw to determine time trial groups, which set the lineup for the heat races, Mat found himself sharing the track with an All Star Team, which included Brett Hearn, Stewart Friesen, Danny Johnson, and Andy Bachetti, among others.
Needless to say, things didn’t go well in the time trial session, with Mat ending up ninth out of ten, placing him in an unenviable position. He ended up finishing ninth out of ten in the heat, relegating him to the second consi to try to make the show. With only two qualifying spots available, it was going to be an uphill battle, with passing at a premium any way. Mat ended up 7th in the consi and didn’t make the feature.
“We’re struggling right now, “ Mat remarked. We’ve got to get back to the basics. We’re trying different things. Last night, we ran the same setup as Matt (Sheppard), but it didn’t help. The bottom of the track (where Mat traditionally likes to run) was soup and tacky, while the top was only one lane, so that made things even tougher. We’ll figure it out.”
It would be easy to get discouraged, but putting the whole experience in perspective, the team’s goal is to get big block seat time and experience at a big fast half mile. Whatever the results, they are getting that experience, and, hey, you can’t beat the weather.
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