Michalek Brothers Racing Eliminated by .007 Seconds in Norwalk
Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR) was dealt an early exit at the 2022 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio when Madison Payne narrowly crossed the finish line first in the opening round of eliminations by .007 seconds; a margin of victory of less than 3 feet. The first round loss once again denied MBR their first round win at an NHRA sanctioned event at Summit Motorsports Park since 2015’s runner-up finish.
“That was a tough weekend from start to finish,” said Corey Michalek. “We were playing catch-up from the moment we left the shop when we lost the generator in our trailer, and the car fought us a little bit each time we took it to the starting line. While the numbers that came up on the scoreboard ultimately were not what we were after, Kyle and Adrian were encouraged by some of the things they saw on the computer during our last few runs. We’re all in agreement that we are not where we want to be, but we do think we’re closing in on something in terms of the tune-up. Congratulations to Madison and her entire Duane Shields Racing team — that was an incredible race!”
Michalek Brothers Racing has little time to dwell on the Norwalk result as the team is less than 3 weeks away from the next stop on their 2022 schedule, the JEGS SportsNationals at National Trail Raceway, just outside Columbus, Ohio. This event will be the first time that MBR has competed at the historic central Ohio facility that is located less than 30 minutes from the team’s headquarters.
“Even though we didn’t see the results we were aiming for on track at Norwalk, we are optimistic and have several ideas we will be testing before the Columbus race,” said Kyle. “We are working on a new clutch combination and it takes laps to get these things figured out. We believe we’re moving in the right direction and we’ll see the payoff over the next several races. The team continues to do a great job preparing and servicing the car. We all are chomping at the bit to get back to the track and keep getting after it!”
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