NO-TILL AT THE HILL
JULY 28, 2008 --- This past weekend, T.J. Herndon and the UpFront Performance team pulled to the Camden Speedway in Camden, TN for their weekly show on Friday night. Like in so many instances this year, Herndon would find himself starting on the rear of the Heat after drawing an extremely high number at the pill draw. In his Heat, Herndon raced his way to the front to make a pass for the lead in turns one and two on the last lap. After taking the lead, Herndon mistakenly hung his left front in the mud as he entered turns three and four allowing the second place car back by him to take the win. Later in the evening, as the Modifieds took to the track for their Feature event, a slight sprinkle suddenly turned to a downpour leaving no chance for the Modified event to ever take the green flag.
On Saturday night, the Atwood Outlaw returned home to compete in the weekly show at Clayhill Motorsports. With most every other track in the Mid-South being rained out, Clayhill had an exceptional turnout boasting upward of 160 cars. Once again, Herndon would have to come off of the back of his Heat finishing third in the second qualifying Heat which locked the #1 Shaw by Taylor into the eighth starting position of the Modified Feature. At the start, Herndon would immediately carry his X-treme Graphics by J-Rod clad #1 to the high side as he began his march toward the front. Herndon made his way through traffic and into the second position by mid race only to find the red #1 of Bart Richardson 10 to 15 car lengths ahead. As the race continued through the final laps without a caution, Herndon would be able to close the gap on the leader but was unable to offer any pressure as the Feature had been shortened to fifteen laps due to time constraints. As the field crossed the stripe, it would be Bart Richardson taking the checkered followed by T.J. Herndon, Jeff McWilliams, Matt Cooper with Jeff Howell rounding out the top five. For complete results and the latest news from Clayhill’s No-Till weekend, log onto www.clayhillmotorsports.com.
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CHECKERED FLAG & CLAYHILL
JULY 21, 2008 --- The Atwood Outlaw took the opportunity this past Friday night to travel to Checkered Flag Speedway in Hohenwald, TN to toss his helmet into the ring for the $3,000 to win Openwheel Modified Special. Herndon kicked the night off by qualifying second fastest overall securing the third starting spot in the Main event of the evening. As the green flag was waved to start the forty lap Main event, Herndon would start the race behind the fast qualifier and pole sitter Jared Landers out of Benton, Arkansas. Herndon would continue to hold the third position throughout the majority of the race with two cars making a pass for position in the final eight laps as his car began to fade. As the checkers waved over the field, it would be the Mark Martin Chevrolet, Bad Boy Mowers 777 of Jared Landers taking the $3,000 walking away. Landers was followed by Chris Moore, Hunter Rasdon, Randy Todd, T.J. Herndon, Michael Lee, Lucas Lee, Steven Holcomb, Bradley Qualls with Jamie Mann rounding out the top ten.
On Saturday night, the UpFront Performance crew returned home to Atwood, TN to compete in Clayhill Motorsports weekly program. Herndon came from the rear to win the first of three Heat races qualifying the Atwood Outlaw for the pole in the Modified A-Main. As Herndon planned his strategy for the Feature event, he knew that he would have to go to the high side if he was to have any chance against the stepped up engine program of Bart Richardson who would start alongside him on the front row. As the Feature event came under green, Herndon would send the #1 Jeff Taylor Motorsports entry into spin cycle on the first lap as he tried to cross the loose dirt in efforts to get to the cushion. On the restart Herndon would once again find himself at the rear of the field. As the race got back underway, the Atwood Outlaw took about three or four laps to blow the loose marbles out of the way and began his march toward the front with the right rear quarter of his Shaw by Taylor merely inches off the wall. As the checkered flag waved over the field, Herndon would find himself occupying the fifth position and quickly closing on everyone except eventual winner Bart Richardson who led from flag to flag. Following Richardson to the stripe was David Esch, Ronnie Vernon, Bronson Berry, T.J. Herndon, Hunter Rasdon, Jimmy Halford, Ben Reed, Keith Davis with Jeff Howell rounding out the top ten. For complete news and the latest results from this weekends events, log onto www.clayhillmotorsports.com and www.checkeredflagspeedway.com.
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WET HOME COMING
JULY 14, 2008 --- This past Thursday evening, T.J. Herndon and the UpFront Performance team traveled to Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas for his first visit ever to gumbo clad speed plant. Herndon continued to struggle throughout the night as he fought to get a handle on the track. Herndon was pleased to compete in the Street Stock division with the help of car owner Keith Davis. He also wheeled the #1 Shaw by Taylor in the USCS Modified Series event. After qualifying heats, the Atwood Outlaw would start 12th in the Street Stock Feature eventually finishing 12th after being taken out several times as he slowed to allow drivers to regain control. In the Modified Feature event, Herndon barely made the show by qualifying 21st out of the twenty two drivers allowed to start the event. Herndon steadily moved up through the field in the Feature event making it from the 21st starting position all the way up to 8th by races end.
On Friday night, Herndon came back closer to home to compete in Camden Speedway's weekly program. As Herndon bailed off into turn three on the first lap of his Modified Heat, he sent the #1 into spin cycle as he hit an oil slick laid down by a blown Hobby car in a previous race. After assuming his place at the rear of the pack, Herndon managed to work his way up through the pack to garner a 5th place starting position in the Main event. In the Feature, Herndon advanced into the third position by the closing laps while racing door to door with the runner-up entry for approximately eight laps. After a late race caution, Herndon would assume the third place position in a one lap sprint to the checkered flag. As the #1 of Bart Richardson sprinted away on the re-start, Herndon and the #12 of Lucas Lee would once again go door to door for a photo finish at the flag. Although Herndon was scored in 2nd place by the tower and paid for second at the payout window, management made an unprecedented move by coming to T.J. after the race requesting that he return the second place check and receive the third place purse instead. Herndon agreed to return the second place check but made it clear that he would be claiming the second place finish for his statistics as the judges had scored the race initially.
On Saturday night, the Atwood Outlaw was elated to return to his home track for the first time since mid May. As the night’s program got underway, the sky opened up and the rains descended upon Clayhill Motorsports drowning out all chances of a homecoming until the following week. For the latest news related to the above listed events, log onto www.uscsracing.com.
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TAYLOR PARADE!!!
JULY 7, 2008 --- After encountering more than a fair share of problems last weekend, the Atwood Outlaw passed on an invitation to wheel a Modified for a car owner in New Mexico to take his place at the front of the Taylor Parade through West Tennessee. Herndon started his holiday weekend on Thursday night by pulling to Camden Speedway to compete in the opening date of the 2008 USCS Modified Series Speedweek. After the qualifying Heat races, Herndon was set to take the green in the Main event from the fifth position. As the Feature got underway, Herndon wasted little time assuming the point from USCS points leader, Ashley Newman, on lap two and continued to put distance between himself and the remainder of the field between occasional caution flags. At the drop of the checkered flag, it would be the #1 Jeff Taylor Motorsports entry at the front of the line taking the win in dominating fashion.
On Friday night, the UpFront Performance team traveled to West Tennessee Motor Speedway in Bargerton, TN to compete in the first event of the SMP Modified Series “Firecracker Weekend Shootout”. The night kicked off with the qualifying portion of the event in which Herndon qualified fourth overall. By virtue of his qualifying time and a pill draw, Herndon earned rights to the third starting spot in a three lap “Dash for Cash” sponsored by D&L Photo. After the three lap shootout, Herndon would take the win and the $100 bonus closely followed by the fast qualifier Shane Akin, Michael Lee and Lucas Lee. In the Main event, after some exciting door to door competition with the #j40 of Rusty Cooper, Herndon made his way past Michael Lee and pole sitter Shane Akin early on and set his sights on the #12 of Lucas Lee who had assumed the point. The first half of the event was interrupted by a red flag due to an accident involving Michael Lee, Rusty Cooper and Shane Akin which resulted in Akin’s GRT coming to rest on it’s roof. As the race got back underway, Herndon muscled his way to the front on the highside of the banking and never looked back. Herndon would once again find himself and his #1 Shaw by Taylor, X-treme Graphics by J-Rod, Full Throttle Race Parts Modified in victory lane for the second time in as many tries. Herndon would be followed to the stripe by fellow Shaw by Taylor driver Lucas Lee with Randy Todd, Tony Simmons and Rusty Cooper rounding out the top five.
On Saturday night, Herndon made the pull to Milan Speedway in Milan, TN for the second event of the SMP Modified Series “Firecracker Weekend Shootout”. This night, Herndon would dig himself into a hole early on finding himself having to start the Main event mid-pack after qualifying ninth. In the early laps of the Feature, Herndon started a move toward the front before being held up several laps while trying to make the pass on a slower car. After being cut off on several occasions as he attempted a pass to the inside, Herndon finally opted to attempt a pass on the outside. As Herndon patiently worked the car in front of him as to make a clean pass, the car directly behind him plowed into the rear of his car while wadding up the entire right rear quarter panel, bending a shock and panhard bar in the process. Although Herndon was very fortunate to continue after the incident which eliminated the impatient driver from competition all together, he was unable from that point forward to return to the bottom lane which he had initially set up to run. The Atwood Outlaw would continue to make the best of the high line as he and the #15 of John Alexander ran the final eight laps side by side while never touching. At conclusion of the Main event, three Shaw by Taylor Modifieds would once again lead the parade with Lucas Lee taking the top prize and Jeff McWilliams, T.J. Herndon, John Alexander and Tony Simmons rounding out the top five. For the latest news and complete results regarding the afore mentioned events, log onto www.smpracing.net or www.uscsracing.com.
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