Russell’s Fast Car Doesn’t Make It To The End In Lakeland

Youngster Leads Laps,  Has “Car To Beat”

How many times has any racer said “tonight, the fastest car didn’t win?”  It’s a regular phrase uttered at tracks across the country in all kinds of series.

And while Tim Russell didn’t say that specifically after Saturday night’s Florida State Championships at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL, he was definitely thinking it.

Russell led a bunch of laps and was in contention all night before falling out just past halfway, finishing 16th.

“I am pretty sure we were the fastest car in practice on Friday night and Saturday,” said Russell.  “We had a great car.  We qualified third, but we were the first car out to qualify.  I knew we were going to race a lot better than that.  We settled in and got into second and then we passed (Jeff) Choquette for the lead on the outside.   We put a straightaway on them and we were cooking.

“We led for a while, then Wayne (Anderson) was putting a little pressure on me, so I let him go.   A couple more cars that got tires got by us, so we fell back to fourth.  We came in and got tires and got out of the pits first.  As soon as we restarted, I passed for second and was soon battling door-to-door with (Jeff) Scofield for the lead.  The caution came

out and when it did, the car started smoking real bad.  So I came in and they jacked it up and there was a hole in the bottom of the transmission. 

“I think we had the car to beat.  It’s frustrating, but that stuff happens.  Our stuff is in one piece and everyone that was there knew we were the best car.”

Russell will return to the track on August 5th when the Sunbelt Series at DeSoto Super Speedway.

If you would like more information on Tim Russell and his future racing plans, contact Jeremy Troiano at (704) 455-2051 and check out TimRussell36.com.

Tim Russell's #36 was fast at at Lakeland, but problems forced him out of the race.