Justin Larson puts in a solid performance in Punta Gorda
03/16/2009 - With rain a threat to most racetracks in the Southeast, there was never a doubt that the first race of the ASA Late Model South Series would get under way. It was a beautiful weekend in Punta Gorda, Florida at Charlotte County Motorsports Park for "The Real Diehl 100" and the Justin Larson Racing, Inc. team made the most of it.
The ASA teams had practice on Friday and Justin was in the top five on the speed charts throughout each session. Crew Chief Rick Knecht and Larson were talking about strategy and changes that would possibly make the car better. While the crew was hard at work making changes it was then that they discovered a broken track bar on the #88 machine. Repairs took place on the Ford and Justin used the evening practice session to make sure all things were go.
It was race day and there were 16 cars registered for the ASA South season opener. With the 2008 Series Champion Jimmy Lang and runner up Colt James missing, Larson knew he was one of the top drivers to beat over the course of the weekend. Justin qualified third behind Drew Brannon and CCMP track record holder, Brandon Johnson. After the field inversion, the 20-year-old would start fourth.
After much anticipation, it was time for the ASA cars to hit the track. It was race time! The green flag dropped and Larson knew he needed to get down to the inside as quickly as possible. He would nearly fall back into sixth position after a hard fought battle with the #61 car. On lap eight, Larson was getting comfortable and into a groove just riding in the fifth position. Being patient, he knew he would quickly start to run down the cars in front of him. Justin would overtake Dustin Dunn for the fourth position on lap 12.
At the halfway point, Larson found himself running in second behind fierce competitor, #08 Drew Brannon. Larson’s car looked to handle better than Brannon’s did on the longer runs. Justin knew that if he was going to have a shot at a win, he was going to need the longest green flag run of the night. Unfortunately for the Justin Larson Racing, Inc. team, that never happened. There were four cautions from lap 56 on and Justin would end up 2nd.
It was a great ASA Late Model Series South season opener for Larson and his team. "I’m really happy with our performance this weekend. We ran really well here in October and I knew we would have a car to beat this weekend. Unfortunately, there was one car just a little bit better than we were," stated Larson. "My guys have nothing to be ashamed of. We worked our butts off all weekend long. I just can’t thank them enough for everything they do."
During the off season, Larson got word that he would be losing primary sponsor, Skinner Nurseries due to the economy. It was then that the team decided to change color schemes and design in hopes of changing their luck a little bit. By the looks of things, Justin's luck may be in the transition stage. If he continues to have a dominant car at each race, he could be on track for a stand out year.
The Justin Larson Racing, Inc. team heads to South Georgia Motorsports Park on March 28th for the second race of the ASA Late Model South Series.