LOANSTAR RACING DRIVERS
LOANSTAR RACING DRIVER
LOANSTAR RACING FULL

We know what it takes, it will be tough but we love it! We want to win races but it’s also about having fun and enjoying the challenges along the way.” Once we get a couple of wins under our belts and figure out the series we want to contend in we will make a charge for a championship. “Our plan is to run as many races as we can this year to get the car dialed in,” says Tracy, “We may even run the Baja 1000 in November.

LOANSTAR RACING DRIVER

With an accomplished driver like Tracy, an innovative car builder like Dale Dondel at Racer Engineering and a dedicated team like the Lonestar Racing crew it’s only a matter of time before they get the kinks ironed out on the new car. Fortunately, the team diagnosed the crank trigger issue quickly and a different belt configuration will be in place at the next race. To make matters worse, when the belts malfunction, rubber is deposited on the crank trigger pick-up causing the engine to drop cylinders. The same set-up that works fine on other cars keeps spitting out belts without reason. Racing can be cruel as it is but when you have a simple mechanical assembly like a belt running on a set of pulleys that defies logic it makes you wonder how the complicated stuff works at all. The plan to have crew at each pit was a good one because the frustrating belt issue that has been plaguing them returned once more.

LOANSTAR RACING FULL

Back at full speed they made up for lost time. The crew changed two tires, loaded a fresh spare and sent them on their way. Their Method Race Wheels proved to be tougher than the dirt and rocks as they made it to pit 3 without any further damage. With two flats and one spare, they were forced to drive on a flat rear until they reached the next pit. Unknown to Tracy and navigator Curtis Warner they had a tire that was slowly losing pressure until the rim caught a rut throwing them sideways off course cutting a second tire. Due to the thick, blinding dust and the abusive terrain at Vegas to Reno there where many mystery flats throughout the field. A mystery flat is one you get when supposedly you didn’t hit anything. Most of the time a driver can pinpoint the cause of a flat, a large rock, a branch or some other sharp or unforgiving object struck on the course. They made good time at the start of the race until they encountered a mystery flat before pit three. The plan was to have crew at each pit and dump fuel at 4, 8 and 12. The team had several issues during the race but responded admirably to each challenge along the way. Each race they make progress learning more about the car’s set-up, logistics and race strategy. The Lonestar Racing team is learning what it takes to compete in the unlimited class, dialing in a new car and experimenting with some innovative concepts too.

LOANSTAR RACING DRIVERS

When you’re racing against some of the fastest and most experienced drivers in the dirt, you have your work cut out for you. Tracy’s teammate James Horvath, who won the unlimited truck class at the recent HDRA, Eldorado Fireworks 500 race was without a ride he is waiting the completion of a brand new Racer Trophy Truck. They qualified 32nd which does not sound notable until you learn that nearly the entire field was separated by a mere 20 seconds. Graf, who shared the driver’s seat with Dale Dondel on the 534 mile course finished 13th in class 1500, 25th overall. Lonestar Racing driver Tracy Graf and his crew made huge strides at the Best in the Desert, General Tire Vegas to Reno off-road race.

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