Stott struggles but finds hope
<p style="width:300px;float:left;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/Deby706/Martin_DSB_5723.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy">Stott said, "I'm not going to make excuses. It's one hundred percent my fault."</font>
<P> (8/14/08) COLUMBUS, N.C. - In the midst of what could be the most challenging drag racing season of his career, Quain Stott finds a reason to be optimistic. Stott, the 2006 Pro Modified World Champion and driver of the 1963 LeeBoy Equipment Corvette offers his no nonsense 'straight talk' style approach to the situation.
"I just want to apologize to LeeBoy, our fans, my crew and all of our associate sponsors," Stott said. "I'm not going to make excuses. It's one hundred percent my fault. If the car doesn't run good, it's the tuner's fault. My crew chief, Brandon Howard and Greg Waldrop, Dee Bragg and Cynthia have all done their jobs perfectly. There hasn't been one maintenance issue, not one piece has fallen off this car."
For all the frustration that Stott and his team have endured, specifically over the past five races, which include two DNQs and three first round losses, they have found hope for a brighter future. "I think we've finally pinpointed the problem," Stott said. "Sometimes you just have to slow down to go faster."
Stott spent most of the off-season in research and development mode. Days of work and dedication were finally scrapped on Saturday during the Martin, Michigan race. "Everything on paper says this car should have been faster with the trick parts we put on this car," Stott explained. "We felt sure it was going to work. It just took me this many races to beat it into my head that it wasn't going to work. I couldn't sleep Friday night [at Martin, Michigan] and I woke up and decided to pull all the trick stuff off of the car."
While Stott didn't get his ride into Sunday's show, he did make a marked improvement and got the car to move in the direction he wanted. "We still didn't qualify," Stott explained. "I was so far off on the clutch [from the previous set up], I was just trying to sneak up on the right tune up. I was sitting there Saturday night and got a little nervous about the clutch and I just chickened out."
Stott's final effort on Saturday left his team just two-hundredths from a qualifying position to race on Sunday. "If I would have left the clutch alone, the car would have run an oh-eight(6.08 seconds)," Stott said. "But we're back on track. That's the important part."
With just three races remaining in the Nitro Jam drag racing season, Stott finds himself in unfamiliar territory. He's currently in 12th position, 39 points from being back in the top 10. Stott has finished all 13 season of his professional career with a top 10 or better finish. If Stott is nervous about finishing in the top 10, he's not showing it. "We're headed in the right direction now. I'm confident that we can get the few rounds needed to get into the top 10 before the season is over," he said. That's reason enough to be optimistic and better than Quain could have hoped for before the Martin event.
The next stop for Quain Stott and his LeeBoy Equipment Corvette is the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals at the Tulsa Raceway Park, August 22-24.
Quain Stott Drag Racing partners with high performance companies like, LeeBoy Equipment, Richmond Gear, Hoosier Racing Tires, NGK Spark Plugs, Auto Meter, Stroud Safety, Santhuff Shocks, Fulton Race Engines, Stroupe Race Cars and Spartan Crank Shafts.
To learn more about Quain Stott Drag Racing, visit Quain Stott Drag Racing - LeeBoy Corvette.
photo used with permission © Roger Richards
ABOUT LEEBOY EQUIPMENT
LeeBoy paving and grading equipment can be seen on job sites throughout the world. Since 1964, LeeBoy has designed and manufactured superior commercial asphalt pavers and is the industry leader.
<p style="width:300px;float:left;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/Deby706/Martin_DSB_5723.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy">Stott said, "I'm not going to make excuses. It's one hundred percent my fault."</font>
<P> (8/14/08) COLUMBUS, N.C. - In the midst of what could be the most challenging drag racing season of his career, Quain Stott finds a reason to be optimistic. Stott, the 2006 Pro Modified World Champion and driver of the 1963 LeeBoy Equipment Corvette offers his no nonsense 'straight talk' style approach to the situation.
"I just want to apologize to LeeBoy, our fans, my crew and all of our associate sponsors," Stott said. "I'm not going to make excuses. It's one hundred percent my fault. If the car doesn't run good, it's the tuner's fault. My crew chief, Brandon Howard and Greg Waldrop, Dee Bragg and Cynthia have all done their jobs perfectly. There hasn't been one maintenance issue, not one piece has fallen off this car."
For all the frustration that Stott and his team have endured, specifically over the past five races, which include two DNQs and three first round losses, they have found hope for a brighter future. "I think we've finally pinpointed the problem," Stott said. "Sometimes you just have to slow down to go faster."
Stott spent most of the off-season in research and development mode. Days of work and dedication were finally scrapped on Saturday during the Martin, Michigan race. "Everything on paper says this car should have been faster with the trick parts we put on this car," Stott explained. "We felt sure it was going to work. It just took me this many races to beat it into my head that it wasn't going to work. I couldn't sleep Friday night [at Martin, Michigan] and I woke up and decided to pull all the trick stuff off of the car."
While Stott didn't get his ride into Sunday's show, he did make a marked improvement and got the car to move in the direction he wanted. "We still didn't qualify," Stott explained. "I was so far off on the clutch [from the previous set up], I was just trying to sneak up on the right tune up. I was sitting there Saturday night and got a little nervous about the clutch and I just chickened out."
Stott's final effort on Saturday left his team just two-hundredths from a qualifying position to race on Sunday. "If I would have left the clutch alone, the car would have run an oh-eight(6.08 seconds)," Stott said. "But we're back on track. That's the important part."
With just three races remaining in the Nitro Jam drag racing season, Stott finds himself in unfamiliar territory. He's currently in 12th position, 39 points from being back in the top 10. Stott has finished all 13 season of his professional career with a top 10 or better finish. If Stott is nervous about finishing in the top 10, he's not showing it. "We're headed in the right direction now. I'm confident that we can get the few rounds needed to get into the top 10 before the season is over," he said. That's reason enough to be optimistic and better than Quain could have hoped for before the Martin event.
The next stop for Quain Stott and his LeeBoy Equipment Corvette is the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals at the Tulsa Raceway Park, August 22-24.
Quain Stott Drag Racing partners with high performance companies like, LeeBoy Equipment, Richmond Gear, Hoosier Racing Tires, NGK Spark Plugs, Auto Meter, Stroud Safety, Santhuff Shocks, Fulton Race Engines, Stroupe Race Cars and Spartan Crank Shafts.
To learn more about Quain Stott Drag Racing, visit Quain Stott Drag Racing - LeeBoy Corvette.
photo used with permission © Roger Richards
ABOUT LEEBOY EQUIPMENT
LeeBoy paving and grading equipment can be seen on job sites throughout the world. Since 1964, LeeBoy has designed and manufactured superior commercial asphalt pavers and is the industry leader.
