NEW SMYRNA, FL - Hooker Brothers Racing has returned to Florida for their 9th year of racing at New Smyrna Speedway. The crew arrived almost a week early to get in some golfing in the Florida sunshine prior to the 43 Annual World Series of Asphalt. The #38 Smith & Wilson Chevy arrived with a new Florida spec motor to narrow the gap against the local teams that in the past, ran with more horsepower than the Hooker Brothers Team. The motor was built by Jimmy Cope in Pinellas Park, Florida and shipped to Ontario where it was installed and tested prior to the long drive south of the border.
The crew made minor changes at the track during practice day on Thursday as the car was running well and the new motor looked like it was just what the team needed to be more competitive at the high banked half mile speedway. Late afternoon, Kirk piloted the #38 for the two lap time trials used to set the qualifying order for the 25 lap feature that was to run in the evening. Kirk was happy to qualify 9th and said the car was fair however, they should have used scuffed tires instead of new sticker ones as it takes more than a couple of laps for them to come in and get the grip required to pick up the best speed.
Before the first lap could be completed, one of the front running cars entered the pits helping Kirk gain 3 positions on the first lap. The #47 went into the wall in turn one to bring out the first caution on lap 2 and Kirk was now in the top 5 in 5th behind the #08, 4, 63 and 60. The #08 pulled away from the field as Kirk ran uncontested as the #26 behind him fell back in the field. A hard charging #51 was now gunning for the #38 and by lap eight, it was obvious that he had a faster car so Kirk wisely gave up the lane and fell back to 6th, well ahead of the 7th place car. Just past the half way mark, the #38 slowed on the track and as the caution came out, Kirk informed the crew that he suddenly lost all power in the motor.
Electrical power seemed fine and as the tow truck pushed the silent Waste Management Chevy into the pits, the crew readied to diagnose the problem. As the field returned to green flag racing, the crew determined that it was a broken fuel pump and that the night was done for the Hooker Brothers team. A disappointed crew watched as the #8 held off challenges to finish with a win on the first night of racing ahead of the #63 and #51 who rounded out the top 5.
Kirk was happy with the handling of the car as it was fast and capable of finishing in the top 5 A disappointed crew replaced the fuel pump, checked over the car and loaded it in the trailer in anticipation of better results the next day.
From Ken Spira
