The trip to New Smyrna Speedway for the 40th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing continued to be a struggle for TC over the final five nights. He did manage to post one victory in the Cushman Competition Super Late Model, but his Modified efforts went unrewarded. Even a change in cars failed to open the gate to Victory Lane. Ted headed back home disappointed but eager to begin the 2006 racing season in the Northeast.
The Bear Motorsports team continued to search for speed. Qualifying remained discouraging over the next three nights, with TC starting the feature from the 16th position each night. Starting deep in the field against the strong competition the World Series always brings is a sure recipe for lackluster results, and the #14 fought hard just to finish. For Friday’s Richie Evans Memorial 100 Ted made the decision to jump into the Brady Bunch backup car. It looked like the right choice, as he battled for the win in the final ten laps before finally settling for fourth. On the final night of racing, TC was running up front in the early laps but a mishap with a lapped car ended his night early.
The Cushman #29 ran consistently over the remaining nights. The first bright spot came in Thursday’s 50-lapper, as Ted finished a very competitive third. The following night he drew the pole position for the 25-lap feature and led from flag-to-flag to gain his only victory in Florida. In the series-closing Pete Orr Memorial 100 on Saturday it was a consistent run that resulted in a respectable sixth place finish. The final point standings listed them sixth.
“It wasn’t the way I wanted the week to go,” admitted TC, “but sometimes things just don’t end up as planned. We ran very consistently in the Super Late Model and managed to pick up one win. I was very happy for Jay Cushman and his team. They worked hard all week to try and improve and they deserved a reward for all their efforts. They are a great bunch of people and I look forward to racing with them in the future.
”In the Modified, the Bear Motorsports crew worked hard to find what we were lacking but just couldn’t come up with a solution. Joe and Linda Brady offered me the seat in their backup car and I made the decision to change for the Richie Evans race. We pitted for tires with 10 laps to go and we were the fastest car in the racetrack after that. We had a shot at the win at the end but got tangled up with Rob Summers on the white flag lap and had to settle for fourth. On the final night we were in contention when a lapped car just took us out. The worst part was my teammate, John Blewett, hit us, and it took both the Brady cars out. Still, it was good to end the week on a positive note by being competitive. I want to thank Joe, Linda and the whole Brady team for giving me a chance to run up front.
“Now I’m ready to get the season started back at home. It’s time to go racing!”
Look for TC to make a couple of starts in the Brady #00 on the Whelen Southern Modified Tour before the racing season begins in earnest in the Northeast. Let’s go racing!
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