Duck Tape Racing's Michael Beard Takes the Win at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina
- 20 Jun 2012
Between April and May of 2012 there were some setbacks with the Duck Tape sponsored Super Stock Volare. A new rear end and tire combination had to be installed in the classic body Dodge. A drag racer with a broken car is like making a child do his chores before he can go out and play. The only thing standing in the way is the dirty work. After bolting in a bullet proof Moser M60 and some new Mickey Thompson slicks the car was able to return get back on the track in late May.
The first destination with the new and improved Volare was Mooresville Dragway. This event was used to prepare for the K&N Spring Fling at Thunder Valley in Bristol Tennessee. After 3 passes Beard felt confident enough to tackle to generously large field of cars in Thunder Valley. Once Beard and the Duck Tape Volare began making runs at the Spring Fling, electrical problems seemed to arise. They were able to compete all four days but, did not find their way into the Winner's Circle. Beard claims it was not a total loss because, "The Duck Tape Volare caught the lens of multiple photographers, and each run was broadcast on the live streaming webcast, which garnered over 39,000 unique viewers." This is one of the biggest "foot brake" drag races of the year and competing itself is an accomplishment. Beard also had the opportunity to participate as backup announcer for the event. Keep in mind the Duck Tape Volare has not seen the Winner's Circle or for quite some time. Patience is a virtue.
Things have seemed to make a change for the better recently as the wins have been more frequent. After swapping out the fuel management system testing continued at Rockingham Dragway in order to get the race car dialed in. Beard said, "Saturday and Sunday ended with close early exits in eliminations." Fouling out lights on the tree will not get any drag racer very far in the rounds but, on Monday the race car was hitting on all cylinders. Beard was nailing the tree with excellent reaction times of .002, .004, .014, .027, and .010 between rounds. After 8 elimination rounds Beard found himself holding the ridiculously large check at the end of the event. The success continued the next weekend as Beard subbed in for the driver on the Duck Tape sponsored Stock Dodge Dart run by Terry Knott. Beard managed to click off a perfect reaction time for the win in round 2 against division 1 racer Jeff Gardiner. Beard went on to win the event that Saturday. Not a victory for the Volare but, a win none the less. This past weekend was the third week in a row that the Duck Tape team found their way into the Winner's Circle only this time a victory for Beard and Knott. Beard's win last weekend has bumped him to a points lead in the IHRA division 2 Super Stock category. He now leads by 142 points. Let's just say Beard seems to have the proper combinations of tools to carry his sponsors, like K&N Engineering, to the Winner's Circle. The next big task for Beard is racing in the NHRA Div. 2 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Atlanta next week. Plenty of testing will be completed in the meantime. Congrats to Michael Beard for his dedication and hard work. Keep it up! Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
