Editor’s be aware: Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing, is writing a , giving a peek into the NASCAR life throughout Speedweek. That is Friday’s entry.
After I left the storage , was a mangled mess. After I walked into the storage the , it had all new entrance bodywork, new entrance wheel assemblies and a brand new rear bumper. However most significantly, we have been capable of hold the thumping Ford FR9 from Roush-Yates Engines bolted in and able to go.
There was nonetheless a whole lot of work to be performed, however a whole lot of work had already been achieved by my Rick Ware Racing crew. It was spectacular to see, and it helped reduce the anxiousness and stress I felt within the quick aftermath of .
The No. 51 Jacob Development/Elements Plus/Pronto Auto Service Heart Ford Mustang Darkish Horse that felt so good in Daytona’s opening follow session on Wednesday morning was properly on its strategy to getting its mojo again. We’ll run it in ultimate follow on Saturday afternoon to make sure it’s the place it must be and that each one the brand new components and items are proper and tight.
With no automotive to drive on Friday, what’s a driver to do? In our sport, there’s at all times one thing to do. For me, that meant spending time with our sponsors at Rick Ware Racing. We’ve obtained a whole lot of them right here at Daytona, and it’s essential that we offer worth to them past what we do on the observe. Elements Plus has an enormous activation occurring this week, and we’ve obtained giant teams from Jacob Development, Arrowhead Brass and Schluter Methods. The is our , and it’s why everybody desires to be right here. As drivers, we have to ship, each out and in of the racecar.
Despite the fact that I didn’t have my foot on the gasoline contained in the automotive as we speak, I used to be nonetheless full throttle when it got here to my preparation for Sunday. Staying hydrated, consuming proper, figuring out and getting evening’s sleep is paramount. Whenever you’re asking every little thing of your automotive and your crew, you could be asking every little thing of your self. You could be ready come raceday, and that preparation began lengthy earlier than we landed right here in Daytona.
It has been a bit of bizarre being on the racetrack, however not in my racecar. As a driver, that’s just about what we’re right here to do. However our eyes are on Saturday. That ultimate follow can be essential.
Ideally, we’ll do some drafting with our teammate, Corey LaJoie, and the RFK automobiles of , Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece. We have now a technical alliance with RFK (Roush Fenway Keselowski), and dealing along with them is one thing we do properly.
For me, I need to be sure that, aerodynamically, the automotive nonetheless feels pretty much as good because it did within the Duel, and that we’re capable of get the underbody and the bodywork the place we want it to be to maintain the automotive balanced. I need to draft with some good automobiles to be sure that we are able to nonetheless pull up within the draft and race in addition to we did on Thursday. I’m not apprehensive about our solo velocity and even our lap time. I simply need to be certain that the automotive’s dealing with properly, we’ve obtained the engine operating easily and, total, the aero steadiness is the place we want it.
If all goes proper, Saturday is a run-of-the-mill type of day with no surprises. We would like a clear slate for Sunday, the place we are able to put the aftereffects of Thursday’s Duel behind us. I’ll let you know the way it goes.
