7/30/2013
Ray Parent
Heartbreak
The sport of auto racing is filled with heartbreaking, nightmarish, woulda, coulda, shoulda type moments. This past Sunday afternoon at Devils Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT Ray Parent and the Amtrol Racing Team were just 4 laps from their best finish in a American Canadian Tour points race and a possible victory when their bad dream came true.
The Tiverton, RI driver put himself on the front row for the St. Jude 150-lap event after a 6th to 2nd place run earned him a +4 in passing points for the second starting position; joining fellow Welded Media driver Wayne Helliwell Jr..
From the drop of the green flag the battle was on between Parent and Helliwell; the pair swapped the lead 3-times in the first 29-laps in till the 17RI edged ahead on a restart to lead the next 41-curcuits.
With reports of weather in the area and a caution on lap 80 business was picking up at the front of the field; multiple restarts saw Parent and Helliwell swap the lead 3-times over the next 9-laps in a side by side fight.
Unbeknownst to Parent the nightmare would begin on lap-93 when rain would bring the caution out. The field would pace the half-mile oval for more than 35-laps trying to keep the track dry; eventually bringing the red flag out for a 20 minute rain delay.
When the action picked back up Parent went back to the lead on the restart leading the next 10-circuits. A yellow on lap 104 would see Helliwell go back to the top spot.
As the pair began to distance themselves from the rest of the field after multiple cautions it was a two dog fight for the victory. Heading into lapped traffic with 4-laps go Parent was at the back bumper of the 27NH when suddenly the Amtrol, Carlin Ford Fusion shut down going down the back stretch.
Parent’s machine was out of fuel. 16 caution flags coupled with those 35+ laps pacing the track under rain delay had run the tank dry. Parent would pit for fuel and rebound for a 12th place finish; but the heartbreak was already done.
“I don’t even know what to say,” stated Parent. “It’s a bad dream that turned out to be real… We didn't do anything different with fuel than we normally do. We had a lot of senseless cautions today along with all those laps for rain and we were 4-laps short."
In trying to diagnose the problem Parent felt his all-out hard racing for lead coupled with a gear choose may have led to being a few laps shy. “Wayne [Helliwell] and I were racing really hard out there the whole race, there was no riding around today. I think along with that, a taller gear choice and all those extra laps is what did it,” Parent stated.
Finding the silver lining in a terrible situation Parent was reminded by his Team that he was racing for the win when it happened and not 20th place. “It’s one of those double edge kind of things like the problem we had at Star earlier this year… We were up front when it happened; but I’m not sure if that makes it harder or easier to put it behind us... We are knocking on the door of that first win. My crew has been doing a fantastic job. You have to loss them big before you win them big," Parent finished.
Parent will have plenty of time to put the tough loss behind him as he and the Team take a few weeks off before heading to the one and only event in the state of Maine in 2013. When Beech Ridge Motor Speedway hosts a 150 lap event.
Next Event
What: ACT 150
Where: Beech Ridger Motor Speedway - Scarbough, ME
When: Saturday August 17th - 6:00pm
Rayline Racing would like to thank our proud partners: Amtrol • Carlin Combustion Technology • HydroLevel • Distinctive Auto Body • Phoenix Builders • Bayside Auto Center • Bobs Sea and Ski • Dan Davies Sales • Dominator Diesel • Five Star Bodies • Longacre Racing Products • Hedman Hedders • Ford Racing
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Eric LaFleche / VLF Photos
Article Credit: Jason Lubin / Welded Media
Submitted By: Jason Lubin
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