FIRST NIGHT AT THE HISTORIC WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY ENDS EARLY FOR VEAL AFTER 14TH PLACE RUN IN THE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN

MECHANICSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA (May 15, 2015) – The World of Outlaws (WoO) continued their first visit into Pennsylvania to race against the Posse as 40 cars filled the pit area at Williams Grove Speedway. For the Warrnambool native, Jamie Veal, it was his first time at the historic speedway that has seen greats like of Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Gordon Johncock circle the half mile oval. The paperclip shaped oval present many challenges, especially for newcomers, but Veal was ready to go in the Jonestown KOA/Weld Racing #41 Maxim.

The pill draw may be the most important part of the night. Unfortunately, the highest number doesn’t bode well for you as it puts you at the back of the pack. While the highest number did not roll out, the third highest number did for Veal, which meant the Australian speedster would be one of the last three cars pushed out. By the time the push truck hit the bumper of the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Valvoline Maxim to fire his engine, the track had slowed almost a second. Veal did his best and on the second circuit he circled the big half mile in 17.417 seconds, which was only good enough for 36th quick overall.

Lined up at the back of heat race number four, Veal had some work to do. The front row of Danny Dietrich and Joey Saldana brought the field up to speed and the Warrnambool warrior pounded the loud pedal. He was hitting his marks and making his way forward. He surged as high as sixth place, but drifted high in turns one and two late losing a few of the positions he had previously gained. When Saldana took the win, Veal crossed the line in the eighth position.

Relegated to the Last Chance Showdown, he was buried deep in the field on the outside of row eight in the sharp looking Fischer Body Shop/Pro Powder Coating machine. There were only four coveted transfer positions available and twelve cars between the forty one and the last transfer spot. When the green flag waved, Jamie got his elbows up and got up to speed. He was smooth around the bottom and making his way forward. After an early race caution, he put the nose of his Maxim in the middle on the restart and gained a position. Sheldon Haudenschild took the win in his #93, while Veal brought home the car home in one piece with a 14th place finish.

After the race, the young Australian driver commented, “It was a bit different and takes some getting used to.” He paused, “But, it was fun. I struggled a little, but learned a lot. We will come back tomorrow night and hopefully do much better and make the show. I will work with the team and we will give it a go.”