Carney’s Opening Weekend Cut Short by Weather after Top 15 Prelim Run
Lonnie Wheatley, EL PASO, Texas (April 11, 2019) – The opening weekend of the 2019 season didn’t go exactly according to plan for John Carney II with Mother Nature wiping out the primary night of last weekend’s NCRA Sprint Car “Air Capital Shootout” at Wichita’s 81 Speedway.
Carney did manage to get in one night of action on Friday aboard the Sander Construction/South Plains Auto Transport/Mesilla Valley Transportation No. J2 Sprint Car, rebounding from an early-race incident to salvage a 14th-place finish on the night.
“Most nights on a deal like that with no points or real money on the line, I probably wouldn’t have gone back out,” Carney said after a quick left rear tire change got him back in contention. “But with this being our first race of the year, I just wanted to get some more laps and get the feel of the car.”
Carney began the night with a third-place heat race finish after starting third and then won his “B” Main to secure the 13th starting position for the main event.
Some opening lap chaos sent another car into Carney’s left rear, cutting the tire down and resulting in a quick trip to the work area for repairs. Carney worked his way back up to 14th by race’s end on a rubbered-down surface.
“We were just a little too snug early in the night, but I felt like we were getting it better each time out,” Carney explains.
Poised for money night on Saturday, the plug was pulled early in the day.
With one night in the books, Carney will be back in action when the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour fires off at Nebraska’s Eagle Raceway and Cameron, Missouri’s U.S. 36 Raceway on April 25-26.
John Carney Racing is made possible by the support of invaluable partners including Danny Sander Construction, South Plains Auto Transport, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Jackson Compaction, Vado Speedway Park, CSR Garage, Momentum Racing Suspensions, Performance Plus, Performance Motor Coach, Raider Graphix, MSD Ignition, Joe Hunt Magnetos and Bell Helmets.
Next Up: Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour at Eagle (NE) Raceway and U.S. 36 Raceway (Cameron, MO) on April 25-26.
Keep Track: Keep track of John Carney II’s on-track action including schedule and results on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JohnCarneyRacing/.
If you would like John Carney Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on www.sprintcarmania.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
