Thursday, September 1, 2022

CUP: Engine failure ends Jack Jet's day just two laps into SCRL debut at Daytona Beach



Jack Jet picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Grand National Series career in September 1's Race 1 at the Beach & Road Course when his #16 Holzmueller Motor Corp. Ford fell out with engine problems after completing 2 of the 10 laps.

The finish came in his 1st career series start. In the SCRL Grand National Series, it's the 2nd for car #16 and the 2nd for engine issues. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 9th for the #16 and 62nd for engine issues.

With the start of the SCRL's third second of its biggest series, a new crop of drivers would look to make their name in the SCRL, with over half of the forty two car field of drivers that signed up would be making their SCRL debuts, with one of those drivers being Jack Jet, who had never competed in a SCRL race before signups, with Jet being one of twenty drivers who would also compete on a part-time schedule during the 41 race season.

The entry list for the series second ever trip to Daytona Beach would be the full 42 car field with both full and part-time drivers racing, including defending two time series Champion Sebastian Torres, but none of the drivers had ever won at the Beach due to the previous two race winners, Steve Gamer and Johnston McClellan, not signing up to compete in Season 3.

In qualifying, Luke Walker would score his first career series pole with a time of 117.870 seconds. Jet would struggle around the bumpy 4.100 mile road course, posting a time of 119.402, while 1.532 seconds off Walker's time, placing Jet 31st on the grid. Starting last in the race was the #8 Fry Motors Lincoln of Chris Tuckett, who posted a time of 121.168, 3.298 seconds behind Walker's pole winning time.

Luke Walker heads to pit road at the start.
On race day, as the field made their pace lap, pole sitter Luke Walker would follow the pace car down pit road, which was on the backstretch, reporting to his crew that he was having brake problems, with the pedal going all the way to the floor and would start the race in his pit stall. Walker would trail for the first lap and would quickly lose a lap to the race leaders, and was running as the only car a lap down as the laps would tick by until Jet, who had fallen in the running order back to 39th, slowed coming off of Turn 2 on the third circuit and would pull onto pit road, reporting that his car had lost power and after looking under the hood, Jet's day was over after completing two circuits, his car being listed as "Out" on Lap 5, one lap after he had fallen back to last.

Finishing in 41st was the aforementioned #188 of Luke Walker, who was the only driver running to not finish on the same lap as the race leaders.

The remaining Bottom Five would finish on the same lap as the race leaders: 40th was the #12 Southeastern Ford Dealers Ford of Memphis Fisher, 39th was the #5 unsponsored Ford of Brian Fox and 38th was the #21 Ford of Adriana Costa.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #16 has finished last in a Grand National Series race at Daytona Beach.
*This was the first time the #16 has finished last since the Season 2 Race 18 at the Winchester Speedway when Sebastian Torres's #16 Plymouth completed 24 of the 25 laps under power; 2 races ago.
*This was the first time a driver trailed due to "Engine issues" since the Season 1 Race 7 at Heidelberg Raceway when the #78 Ford of Clyde Sparks fell out without completing any of the 25 laps; 21 races ago.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
42) #16-Jack Jet / 2 laps / engine
41) #188-Luke Walker / 9 laps / running
40) #12-Memphis Fisher / 10 laps / running
39) #5-Brian Fox / 10 laps / running
38) #21-Adriana Costa / 10 laps / running led 1 lap

S3 SCRLASTCAR Grand National Series Driver's Championship