Koger Race Report

Orlando

by Trish Koger

"I know it's been a while -- so just remember to keep turning left!" Rick Koger was quoted as saying before the start of the September 5th Legends Cars of Florida feature race at Orlando Speed World.

Does a month seem like a long time to you? Well, have you ever tried to kick a bad habit? How long did you last -- two, three, maybe not quite four weeks? Well, let me tell you, a month can seem like an eternity when you're going through withdrawals... especially racing withdrawals.

At times, the TK Racing schedule has become downright grueling. Some weeks it takes every spare minute Rick and I can muster to prepare the car, turn around the equipment, and roll out to the next venue. But, like the old adage says, "You don't know what ya' got until it's gone." After not racing since August 9th at Hialeah Speedway... we were rewarded with racing a double-header this weekend. We would soon be free from our withdrawals!

The first half of the double-header was held Friday night at Orlando Speed World. Driving directly from work, Rick and I pulled the Florida Online / TK Racing trailer up to an unusually long line to the pit area. Not thinking much of it, we joined the line, talked racing with the crowd around us for about 45 minutes, and then cashed in our rain checks from our last visit. After getting settled into our selected pit, the loud speakers crackled, and we soon had a sign that the entire evening was probably going to be quite unusual:

"Attention in the pit area. Due to the large number of classes we have here tonight, we will only be running features. I repeat, that's feature races ONLY for ALL classes... no heats. Alright, let's line 'em up for practice, gentlemen." (Okay, so political correctness is not a prerequisite for race track pit area announcers. I get used to it.)

Twenty-seven Legends Cars had squeezed their way into the pits. The prospect of only running a feature race with that many cars was kind of scary. Normally, between qualifying or running heat races, the field gets a good shakedown -- the faster cars generally make their way closer to the front of the final lineup, and the less experienced racers gain valuable seat time while closer to the rear. This "survival of the fittest" theory is null and void, however, when you head into a "features only" event based on that ever-dreaded number draw.

As luck would have it, I failed miserably and drew #38. I would start 23rd -- and 23rd, mind you, meant starting behind 22 other cars that also were going through terrible racing withdrawals. Yes, it was going to be an unusual evening.

I made my way back to the #90 pit area to break the bad news to the crew. But, the mood wasn't somber for long, thanks to the racefans that were milling around the car. Along with Jim Devault and my dad, my cheering section also included several other honored guests. Three German friends that I have been working with on the recent STS-85 CRISTA-SPAS space shuttle mission got their first taste of Legends Car racing. (It may not be Formula One, but I think they were impressed!)

But, by far, everyone was very impressed by the appearance of Mara, TK Racing's official #1 fan. Standing only about four-feet tall, Mara was all decked out in her personally-designed #90 Trish Koger racing apparel. She had taken blue and black magic markers and transformed a plain, white t-shirt and ballcap into two of the greatest tributes I have ever seen.

With tremendous support from both the pits and the stands, and after two very good practice sessions, I was ready for the 25-lap feature. Or so I thought...

As I was strapped in and awaiting the line-up procedure, I had some time to myself to do some visualization. (Excuse me -- uh, visualization -- is she out of her mind?) No, I literally close my eyes and picture the things that I expect to happen during the race. In this case, I saw myself looking as far ahead on the track as possible, manuevering successfully around the wrecks, and then pulling off the track without a scratch on the car. It worked.

The unusual evening lived up to the predictions. After three extended stops under red flag conditions and numerous other caution flags, it took approximately an hour to complete the 25 laps. One harrowing wreck included Eddie Lepine's #29 car flying up the highbanking of turn three, flipping up on its nose while slapping hard into the wall in towards turn four, bouncing back off the wall, rolling over sideways, and then finally pounding back down rightside up on the asphalt. Looking ahead as I was entering the backstretch, I witnessed the entire event. I was able to slow down somewhat before hitting turn three, but I still wound up dodging rolling tires and showered parts.

The visualization turned out to be a blessing. I survived about four other melees ahead of me that night and returned to the pits, unharmed, with a tenth place finish. PHEW!

Thanks, again, for everyone that made it out to the race! I sincerely appreciate all your support. But, of course, the weekend's racing was only half-complete. Saturday, we traveled to Clearwater for some more paint swapping at Sunshine Speedway... stay tuned for the race report!

And, as they say on RPM 2night... "you'll be going green next time by."

Thanks for all your support!

--Trish Koger #90

To send a letter to Trish, email to koger@thunval.com

Check out the Distant Thunder archives for other articles by women drivers.