Track: Rockford Speedway  Class:Slammer  Car:1976 Monte Carlo
Worked on car all week, towed out to Dave Behnke's on Friday night.  Started welding in cage and put in floor Friday night.  Dave worked on cage all morning until Ronnie Morris took over.  Scott Birkness did body work for me.  I left for some parts and came back to see four guys, Dave, Scott, Ronnie, and Scott's dad, working on the car.  I actually had time to spare before the race.  I went home for a minute and missed the driver's meeting and din't sign in so I had to start last.
First race-12 1/2 laps: I started last (13th) and managed to work my way up to sixth.  I don't remember hitting anything but did have a couple battle scars.
Second race-12 1/2 laps: Started sixth-inverted field-got up to fourth for about eight laps.  Pancaked the wall once and the metal might of cut the tire.  I spun out in the first and second corner and ended up with cut tire.
Ended up ninth out of 13 in points.

May 26, 1997
Track: Rockford Speedway  Class:Slammer  Car:1976 Monte Carlo
Drove back from Indy 500 after rainout.  Dad turned around and went back with Ron Johnson.
First race-10 1/2 laps:  Started seventh-inverted points with addition of new cars-got to third.  Looked at score board on last lap and ended up hitting second place.  He got hit by someone else and I got second.
Second race-10 1/2 laps: Started second to last because of inverted field.  Followed the last races third place car.  Took it real easy until he and other car started banging on eachother.  Kind of had a brain fade or something and took turns one and two WAY to deep on sixth lap.  Stopped before wall but got hit by another car.  Sheet metal damaged and wheel bent.
Ended up sixth out of 19 in points.  Indy got rained out after 15 laps.
          
May 31, 1997
Track: Rockford Speedway  Class:Slammer  Car:1976 Monte Carlo
First race-Started seventh. Got up to second and battled until lap six. Drove in a little hard into turn one.  Sent leader towards wall and he came back down and nailed me on purpose.  Bent the axle.  Spun out in front of field but recovered for eighth.
Second race-Started midfield.  Drove a nice clean race to finish fifth.
Ended up seventh out of 21 in points.

June 4, 1997
Track: Rockford Speedway  Class:Slammer  Car:1976 Monte Carlo
First race-Started second.  Did a huge wheelspin from standing start and lost position on leader until I got traction.  Mike Harney in #88 passed me for second.  We both passed the leader.  I quickly gained on him but on lap eight there was a caution.  Lauren Strahorn in the #69 blew by me on the restart.  In corner two we were side by side and I started to drift up but backed off and jumped on the brakes to not hit him.  #3 Leonard Hammack passed me but spun out in front of me.  I got third.
Second race-Started in back.  Had to drive through a lot of wrecks.  Had fun racing with the leaders.  Almost passed Harney but got sixth.
Ended up sixth in points out of 22 cars.  Top six cars have big lead on everyone else.

Slammers-June 14, 1997
First race-Started way in the back.  Had passed a number of cars but number three, Leonard Hammack, went real low in turn one and spun me out.  I finished like 11 or something around their.
Second race-Started up front but got spun out again, no fault of my own.  I might of got number seven, the guy from the third night.  He spun out in front of me, I don't know if I helped him around or not.  Finished towards the back.
Kept sixth in points.  Total of twenty-six cars have earned points so far.

Slammers-June 21, 1997
First race-Started about mid-pack.  Drove through a couple crashes and passed some cars.  The number seventeen car and I raced pretty good.  At one point his car, which is red, got into the side of me and I thought it was number three, his car is also red.  I started hollering and screaming at him but realized it wasn't number three.  I was running fifth but after a restart we locked bumpers.  I ended up about seventh or eighth.

Second race-Once again I started in the middle of the pack.  I got by quite a few cars at the start and was running third behind double zero.  The leader pulled away as I tried to get by.  Double zero ended up spinning out right in front of me.  I slowed and Hammack in the three car tried to pass me.  Unknowingly I took him real high and we rubbed fenders and he got into the wall.  As soon as I could I went low and gave him room.  Actually I ran the race too low and should have taken the mid or high groove.  On the very last lap number three got real loose and I took second at the flag.
Once we got in the pits and in the inspection line his pit man, Mark Sypes, came after me.  He said I did something to their car four weeks in a row.  We started hollering and swearing at eachother before dad and the officials broke us up.
Ended up fourth out of 27 in the points.

Slammers-June 28, 1997
First race-Started on pole.  Got a great start and led until all the belts (including the power steering) fell off.  I went into corner one without knowing that the power steering was gone.  I jumped on the brakes but didn't hit the wall.  I had to pull out after a couple more laps when it started to overheat.
Second race-Just rode around for points after the belts fell of again.
Fell to fifth in points.  Luckily I didn't loose that much ground because Hammack in the three flipped, destroying his car, and the other point leaders had problems in the first race.

Slammers-July 3,1997
First race-We decided to only run one belt and eliminate the alternator and power steering.  I ran fourth in this race. 
Second race-Ended up fifth.  Got into Harney in the #88 car on the last lap trying for fourth.
Dave Behnke told me not to look at the points.  I'm either fourth or fifth.

Slammers-July 5, 1997
First race-Started way in the back.  Worked my way to the front real nicely.  Was going for the lead after a late caution.  Went into one and got into some slippery stuff.  I nailed the wall but kept going.  Two cars passed me.  One of those guys spun out on the last lap so I ended up third.
Second race-Had to start in the back again.  Jim Daughterly in the Batmobile got hooked on my bumper in the beginning of the race and I couldn't catch the leaders.  I thought Eddie Beck in the #4 was first but I was chasing him for second I later found out.  I finished third.
I still haven't looked at the points.  Besides the winner of the first race, who is out of the points race, I earned the most points of the evening.  I should be third.  Dan Sander in the #17 spun out in both races.  Harney blew a radiator in the first race but won the second.  Hammack finished last in both races.  Beck and I had about the same races.

Slammers-July 19, 1997
First race-Started on inside all the way in the back and tried to get high real quick.  Cut in front of Sander in the red #17.  He spun me out and got black flagged.  I worked my way up to about fifth with the help of a caution.  Daughtery and I were racing real hard towards the end of the race.  I saw that someone had blown a radiator in the last turn on the last lap.  I still went into the corner as hard as I could and spun out.  Everyone passed me again.
Second race-Started about mid-pack.  The latemodels were not racing that so they were not cleaning the oil of the track.  On lap four I started to spin and Jeff Paul in the #10 hit me on the driver side in the front tire.  The impact bent a tie rod.  I finished way in the back again.

Slammers-July 30, 1997
First race-Started way in the back because I was fourth in points.  Drove one of my best races ever.  Was passing a slower car for the lead on the eighth lap with no competition from behind when my PCV valve blew out on the right side.  I continued to run, blowing oil everywhere.  It was real slick and I lost some power.  I finished the remaining lap and a half and got fourth.
Second race-Started in the back again.  Was real aggressive and smart at the start, but didn't get very far after that.  Ended up fifth.
Earned the most points of the championship contenders.  I am now fourth.

Slammers-August 1, 1997
First race-Fourth from the back at start.  Moved up to fifth place when the 1212 car, the new guy that spun me out the night of the first trailer race, drove in underneath me and cut the front tire.  I pulled in for a change under caution.  I didn't organize for a tire change and didn't get back out in time.  Dad was at the Brickyard 400, so there was only three kids helping me.  We put a flat one back on and didn't get back out in time.
Second race-Started towards the front.  Raced Lorron in the Dream Police car for the lead.  He bobbled twice but I was unable to get passed a lapped car.  Still had a chance at the win but coming out of turn two on the last lap my throttle cable broke.
Managed to keep fourth place.

Slammers-August 5, 1997
First race-During the day I put the tires on wrong.  I had the small tires on the outside.  Dad realized it sitting in line.  We quickly put two new tires on so that they were the same size all the way around.  The tire pressures were wrong and I started dead last because the field was already lined up.  Was moving up, saw smoke ahead, tried to drive threw it but ended up nailing Eddie Beck Sr. in the #4.  Hit reverse and kept going.  Fell short in last lap attempt to pass Bill Balmes in the #64 in the wagon and Harney in his dad's old car, now the new #88.  Finished ninth.
Second race-Started out with a bent right front.  A lot of the other fast cars had fallen out of the first race and got to start in front of me.  Drove through a big crash and grabbed third place.  Somehow although I was through the initial crash but got hit from behind and ended up nailing the wall hard.  Kept going under caution.  Had a flat tire.  Greg and Dad got it changed in perfect time.  I was already under speed down the backstretch when they field got the green.  Drove back up to fifth. 
Bent the whole back of the car in.  Should be OK.

Slammers-August 13, 1997
Second race-Car doesn't handle very good. One of the drivers in car Bobby Alverson in the #52 was pretty wild and I should have just let him go.  We raced too hard and I hit the wall.

Slammers-August 20, 1997
First race-This was the last time that I planned on driving the Monte Carlo because the rear was bent.  Took the first few laps easy.  The drive shaft was hitting the body and it doesn't handle very well.  Ran seventh.
Second race-Started mid-pack.  Drove through some spins.  Was running fifth on the last lap but spun out in turn two.  I thought I had the opportunity to pull out under the circumstances that involved the only car I saw, Bobby Alverson.  Unfortunately it turned out to be a very stupid move.  Bobby hit me, and we collected the guy that won the race.  I still finished seventh.
Still fifth in points.

Slammers-September 1, 1997   1977 Chevy Malibu
First Race-Started in the back like always.  Didn't have any practice laps on car.  Drove too low on the track but moved up to sixth on the last lap.  Went into one too hard and spun out.
Second race-Got to start up front but the leader was throwing oil everywhere.  Was running third going into corner three.  The leader was all over the place because of his oil.  The second place car got sideways and I looped it again.  Got hit head-on but real softly.  The car was OK and I took it easy to a seventh place finish.
Holding onto fifth in the points championship race.

Slammers-September 13, 1997
Had fun racing.  Finished towards the front.
Managed to place fourth in the final standings.

Slammers-September 19, 1997 (Short Track Weekend)
22 Lap Winston Select Style race-Started fourth from last of 16 cars.  All the fast cars sandbagged so I worked up to sixth.
Field was inverted after 11 laps started midfield.  Most of the guys that sandbagged got screwed at the start because there was a real slow car on the pole that took forever to start.  I drove a real smart race and worked up to third.  Then the track got very slick because a car was leaking oil.  Gave up third to Rick Wishard in the #14.  He hit me, Sander, and Lorron on his way to victory. 

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