The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be a very exciting place to race and at the same time be very tough on equipment. Douglas Motorsports experienced this phenomena first hand during Rounds 11 and 12 of the TORC Series presented by AMSOIL. The AMSOIL Rusty's Off-Road Cooper Tire Walker Evans racing backed PRO-4 bounced back from a sub-par performance on Friday to take the PRO-4 win during Saturday night's finale.
Whenever the TORC Series presented by AMSOIL makes its annual stop in North Carolina, the weather is always hot and a humid. This year's edition was no different. Thankfully the racing is at night allowing for a break in the sweltering conditions.
Friday night saw the familiar #7 AMSOIL Rusty's Off-Road Cooper Tire Walker Evans KC HiLites truck positioned in the second row for the start of the eighteen-lap race. Once racing began Douglas had a fast truck and quickly moved into podium contention. Unfortunately contact with another competitor caused a tire to go flat. The stop in the Hot Pit for the tire change took the #7 AMSOIL truck off the lead lap which resulted in a seventh place finish.
Immediately after the race the team determined what the truck needed to give Scott Douglas an opportunity for a win and by the next morning the crew went to work.
The track conditions for Saturday's main event on the Carolina Clay was best described as tacky, thanks to the brief rain shower just before opening ceremonies.
The final race of the weekend saw Douglas get a great start running right behind the leader Mike Jenkins. The two trucks had a great battle throughout much of the race. With six laps to go, the
AMSOIL Rusty's Off-Road made a pass to take the lead. The eleven time off-road champion held the top spot all the way to the checkered flag. This was the second win of the season for Douglas Motorsports.
"Even after Friday's flat tire, the truck was quick and we showed that tonight," noted Scott Douglas. "The team really has a great handle on adjustments to the truck. I give them feedback from my time behind the wheel and the crew determines what changes are needed. I just get in and drive. This track tonight seemed to be really hard on equipment. Heck the last couple of laps I lost second gear and the clutch wasn't working properly, but I kept going. What a great feeling to stand on the top spot of the podium."
The final stop of the 2016 TORC Series presented by AMSOIL is the Labor Day Weekend: World Championship - Keys to the Big House event at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. The final round of the season as well as the $47,000 AMSOIL Cup will be the featured races of the largest short-course event of the season.
