Quarter Master's Clutch Performance of the Week
Who Came Through in The Clutch This Time?
As Decided by the Staff of Speed51.com
Performing in the clutch is what seperates a winning driver from the rest of the pack. Flexing muscle at the right time is something that true talents posess. Often luck plays a big role in winning versus losing, but being able to squeeze just enough strength out at the perfect opportunity is what separates winners from losers. Performing in the clutch doesn't necessarily mean winning, however; it's all about making the most from what you've got.
That's why Quarter Master, providers of winning clutches & driveline components to racers from Super Speedway to the Bullring, from IRL to Rally, from NASCAR to the "Weekend Warrior," is proud to honor a weekly "Clutch Performance of the Week" from the short track ranks of America. Each week, an esteemed panel of short track industry insiders will vote on which drivers came through in the clutch. The driver or team with the most votes will then be the "Clutch Performance of the Week." At the end of the 2010 season, the driver or team that received the most votes throughout the season will then be the "Clutch Performer of the Year" and will be awarded a clutch kit from Quarter Master, valued at $3,500 - just like the 2008 Quarter Master Clutch Performer of the Year winner Eddie MacDonald.
This week's "Quarter Master Clutch Performance of the Week" goes to ...
Fadden Racing - #25 K&N Pro Series Team
Usually our Speed51.com Quarter Master Clutch Performance of the Week award goes to a driver for his efforts on the track. This time though, it goes to an entire team for what they overcame to win the 2010 NASCAR All-Star Showdown at Irwindale.
Back in 2005, Mike Olsen drove his family's Fadden Racing #61 to a first place finish in the Showdown. Immediately after the race, Olsen and his crew chief Harry Norcross, who is close enough to Olsen to pass as a brother, celebrated the victory. That celebration was short lived though after an unapproved wheel was found in post-race technical inspection. Several days after the event, Olsen was disqualified.
Norcross was relieved of his crew chief duties - a tough move for the team to make since he grew up around the team and was a childhood friend of Olsen's.
Time passed through and Norcross ended back at the helm of the time. The Irwindale DQ became more distant with time, but was never forgotten.
But now Fadden Racing has a new memory for the Showdown. This year, they enlisted NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano to drive their racecar at Irwindale. Logano fought a tough battle with newcomer Sergio Pena throughout the event and won. The car passed technical inspection this time too and Fadden Racing finally got their Showdown victory - five years later.
After a turn of events that could have crushed most race teams, Fadden Racing came back and won under pressure.
That performance allowed Fadden Racing to be named as the winners of this week's Speed51.com Quarter Master Clutch Performance of the Week award.
---
Here are our honorable mentions for this week:
Sergio Pena (NASCAR All-Star Showdown) - When he headed out to Irwindale, California; Sergio Pena only had a one-in-four chance of being in the NASCAR All-Star Showdown. The decision of who would drive for Revolution Racing in the event would be determined by a 50-lap match race among four drivers who are in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Two nights before the main event, that match race was held. The pressure to perform was on, but Pena came through with flying colors and won the right to drive in the Showdown.
Pena then showed just how good of a choice that was. He won the pole position for the race and battled with the much-more-experienced Joey Logano for the victory. When the dust settled on a pressure-packed week, Pena was rewarded with a runner-up finish in NASCAR's most prestigous short track event.
Rick McCray (ASA) - One of our voters told the story of Rick McCray's week so perfectly, that we'll just used that to describe why he was an honorable mention for the Quarter Master Clutch Performance of the week:
"Rick McCray....last week he was on his flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta to catch the flight to South Africa. Passed out on the plane which required an emergency landing in Phoenix. Came home, saw his doctor, got clearance (was only dehydration) and got on the next available flight to South Africa. Arrived Saturday night, got a few laps on the track on Sunday morning and finished fourth in the ASA Free State 500."
Jeff Fultz (SLM and PLM) - Jeff Fultz scored a pair of fine top ten finishes during SpeedFest 2010 at Lanier on Sunday, but neither one came easy.
In the Pro Late Model feature, Fultz had to overcome a spin to climb back up to sixth place at the checkers. Then he hopped into his Super Late Model only to find that the power steering failed. Fultz, however, didn't fail. He muscled on to finish third between NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Steve Wallace.
Marc Davis (ASA) - Just a little over a week after his father passed away, Marc Davis followed through with plans to run the ASA Free State 500 in South Africa. The young man then scored a solid podium finish in an event that series officials dedicated to his father.
Brad Leighton (PASS) - Ben Rowe left some big shoes to fill when he split with the Richard Moody Racing Super Late Model team. But replacement driver Brad Leighton wasn't afraid. He's won races and championships on the American-Canadian Tour and in what is now known as the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series. Now he's won in PASS Super Late Models too. On Sunday, Leighton tamed New Smyrna Speedway in his first race driving a RMR machine by winning the PASS South WinterFest 150.
Greg Simpson (PLM) - Kyle Busch put a hurting on the field in the Pro Late Model portion of SpeedFest, but Greg Simpson wasn't intimidated. After Busch was sent to the rear for contact with Casey Roderick, Simpson trucked on to the victory.
Kyle Busch (SLM) - There's one in every crowd. Even though Kyle Busch headed into SpeedFest this past weekend at Lanier National Speedway (GA) as one of the most talented drivers on the planet driving the best equipment out there with some of the best and brightest minds of racing, including Bond Suss and Chris Gabehart, turning wrenches on the car, someone still voted Busch as putting in a clutch performance at Lanier.
"Kyle Busch [for] mopping up the field at Speedfest," read one of our ballots.
---
Quarter Master salutes Fadden Racing on this week’s Quarter Master Clutch Performance of the Week award.
Quarter Master
"Clutch Performance of the Week"
1. Fadden Racing (NASCAR)
2. Sergio Pena (NASCAR)
3. Rick McCray (ASA)
4. Jeff Fultz (SLM and PLM)
5. Marc Davis (ASA)
2010 Cumulative Winners
Fadden Racing
CLICK HERE to find out all the products that Quarter Master offers so you too can be a Quarter Master Clutch Performer of the Week
NASCAR Photo
