TJ Hartman with Silva Motorsports - UPDATE - Roller Coaster!                                  

Knoxville, IA - August 12, 2009...

Opening night of the Knoxville Nationals for the Silva Motorsports team can only be described as just like being on a roller coaster at the greatest theme park in the world.  A pill draw that would have the team qualifying way down in the order got some help from mother nature, as the race was delayed nearly three hours while the track crew prepped the saturated race track.  When the teams finally got their chance to dial in their cars for hot laps, Shane Stewart turned the only sub 15 second lap out of the stellar field of cars signed in for the night.  Going out on the clock 45th of the 50 cars making an attempt to qualify on Wednesday, Shane laid down an impressive 14.738 second lap to put his team in the 7th position overall.  But when he slowed on the backstretch, the engine puffed a cloud of smoke and the roller coaster ride was underway.   

In TJ's words:  "Ron Shaver(engine builder) was right there.  We pulled the oil filter and looked at it and he said everything was OK, so we just got it ready for the heat race.  Then the start of the heat race was crazy and it took a lot of laps to get it started.  Shane went from 7th to 3rd and was looking good until the last lap.  There was a bunch of yellows and a red flag and we ran out of fuel on the back stretch and ended up finishing 7th or 8th."


Photo courtesy of Roger Kolb - The Silva Motorsports crew prepares their car for battle.

A 3rd place finish would have locked the team solidly in the A-main.  The 8th place finish relegated Shane to a loaded B-main, and on a fast, hooked up race track where passing would be tough.  A wild start to the B-main had the team edgy, but once underway, Shane drove his way into the 4th place transfer position.  The haggard crew would start preparing for the A-main, where Shane would start dead last.  But the ride wasn't over yet.

TJ continues: "The start of the A-main was crazy too.  The front axle was bent from the B-main but we didn't have time to change it.  Shane on the first yellow Shane came into the pits and said it was to tight, so Paul made some adjustments and they pushed him back out.  Shane drove his butt off and ended up finishing 12th.  It was a crazy and chaotic night.  It didn't get over until 3:00AM, but it was fun and Shane and Paul showed me why you never give up.  I can't wait for Saturday.

The Silva Motorsports team is listed as 6th overall in points after night one.  The other half of the field will qualify on Thursday night, and points will be tabulated to line up the rest of the week.  Strange things happen when a lot is on the line.  Such is the case with the Knoxville Nationals where the total purse exceeds $900,000.00 and Saturdays winner will receive a cool $150,000.00.  When that kind of money is on the line, you better have your A-game on.  Shane Stewart, with the Silva Motorsports team, overcame the roller coaster ride to put themselves in a position to be one of the elite on Saturday at the greatest sprint car race in the world - the Knoxville Nationals.

The team will be watching the action tonight to see where they end up.  Being 6th in points after night one should give them a decent shot at the finals on Saturday, with Friday's lineups for the World Challenge and Alphabet Scrambles yet to be calculated.  You can view the format for the 49th Annual Knoxville Nationals by clicking on the following link:

http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com/Events.aspx?id=3 ;    

Next scheduled stop - Waiting in line for the next ride!


TJ Hartman Racing with Shane Stewart & Silva Motorsports