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5/5/2007 1st Night Back at Lincoln Speedway
A tough night for a first night back, A Double Feature Night.
One makeup and the regularly scheduled 358 Winged Sprint Feature.
More cars went home on this night than made the Feature. There were 49 cars trying for 24 starting spots in the scheduled feature. It was apparent quickly that the penalty for missing the first race on this fast track night was going be tough.
Lincoln had replaced the clay at both ends in the turns and its great clay, thanks for the hard work. They did in a week what normally takes all winter. It was a little rough but really fast with a lot of bite.
Missing the rain delayed heats from 4/14/2007, Jessie was not able to run in the makeup Consi or the makeup feature. She and Frank were only able to watch and guess what setup would be best while the field was seeing the new clay first hand. One thing for sure it was rough in the corners and fast with a lot of bite. Some good cars did not make the makeup feature in those Consi’s. It was obvious in the makeup feature that a couple hit it just right and then the rest of the field. Jessie said “I would love to get out there and try a couple different lines with the first group.”
Congratulation Jeff Rohrbaugh on wining Lincoln’s first 358 race of the season. You had it hooked up.
When the first feature was completed, points were compiled and those including Jessie attending Lincoln for the first time this year were handicapped to the back (penalty for missing the first race).
It was a tough night to start in back (is there a good night). On a night with a lot of attrition, many flips and barrel rolls on this night, her Heat and Consi had no cautions. Maybe the only two heats this night without cautions. Both her heat and Consi had a group of good drivers who were able to stay out of trouble on a night when you might need a caution or two to get to the top four qualifying spots from the back. Seeing track for the first time with those in front having run the Makeup Feature made it even tougher. It takes lot of work to get by one, then the next is several car lengths away with only a few laps to make it happen. It just didn’t work out that way. There was not much passing by any of the cars in her heats. The track was very fast with a lot of bite and rough in the corners. Jessie started 9th in the third heat with 4 to qualify and finish 8th, mostly a single file race and very fast. In her Consi Jessie started 7th and finished 6th in a race very similar to her heat.
John Westbrook took home the win in the scheduled feature, Congratulations.
On Sunday Jessie and Dad made the trip a couple hours north to the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds and Racetrack where the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing is located for the Annual Gary Wolford Fish Fry & Silver Spring Reunion. With the stories being told on this Sunday, it was “Listener Beware”.
Gary, Jessie loved the fish, thanks. It looked like a good time was had by all. Jessie and Dad had to leave a little early and didn’t get to see the blind fold race with Gary Wolford and Lynn Paxton. What great group. If you haven’t been to the Museum, you should make time. It’s just beyond the York Springs, PA exit on 15.
We did hear from our friend Rick Mandelson that Lynn put his car through the fence in the blind fold race and all came away ok. Now a little more Fairground maintenance is in order. I'm sure Lynn will get plenty of help with the fence repair.
A little Go Kart News from Virginia International Raceway (VIR).
Congratulations go out to our friend Danny Miller on his National Kart Win at VIR this past weekend.
Jessie loved the track the one time she was able to race there in her laydown enduro. |
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4/28/2007 When is 12th a Great Night? Last Night!
It was the Annual Mid-Atlantic Racing Fuels 358 Sprints Spring Championship at Trail Way Speedway. Two big factors came into play tonight. It had been raining and it's a Pill Draw for position. By the way Trail Way has brought in some great Clay. Thanks.
The new clay and great work by the track allowed them to get the heats and 30 lap feature in. Great Job.
The rain did make for a single racing line heat for the most part, still great to be racing. Jessie said "I'd pull in behind someone to pass and their tire would just cover my face shield up with mud. And you can't pull a tear off while you're in the middle of a pass." It was much better in the feature.
The second problem is a driver's tough time drawing a decent Pill. Must needmore practice <G>. Jessie drew to a 9th place start in the heat, only one pill drawn behind her. Luckily she was able to pass just enough to make the feature without going through the Consi.
Jessie started 20th in the lengthened 30 Lap Spring Championship feature. Before the first lap was done Jessie was in 24th, not the way she hoped things would go. The first turn was a mess and from there the race got better though, much better.
On lap 3 a car spun causing the 24 car field to be pretty strung out and those including Jessie at the back needed to get up and go or be lapped. It was one of those nights where on the restart the end of the field is on the back straight while the front is at the start finish line and some decent cars can get lapped.
She went on to have one of her better nights passing. She passed about 15 cars on the lead lap, some twice with cautions returning the cars to the position in front of her for a restart and passing several lapped cars on a night when even the lapped cars were running pretty good. Frank Fleming hit the setup tonight, "Thanks Frank you're the best." Jessie.
All in all a good 12 place finish with some hard driving.
Congratulation to #55 Brian Eichelberger on his win, his first. We bet his dog is still driving his truck today. There is a picture of Brain and his car on www.PAPosseRacing.com .
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4/21/2007 Great Reception Returning Home to Trail Way Speedway Friday Night.
It’s was great night to return to Trail Way Speedway, first night back in her own car. Jessie was warmly greeted by the Fans, Staff and Officials. They are the best. It’s home.
The track has made additional improvements to the racing surface and it shows. They’ve done a little each year we been there and it gets better all the time. The weather was perfect and a good crowd was in the stands.
It was good to be back in a race car with the winter off and the ups and downs of the last few weeks. You appreciate it all when you’ve missed a race or two or more, even scraping the mud off is a pleasure. It’s tough to get ready in a just a few days or weeks. It normally takes all winter. As one driver on PAPosseRacing said “There is no off season, just not racing”.
Jessie would like to thank all those that helped her get back on the track. Frank Fleming her new crew chief is always in overdrive. Without him we’d still be picking up pieces in the shop. Scott Jorda with Digna Machine for all his help and support as well. The list is endless.
Jessie pulled a 7th place start in the heat last night and had a great 2nd place finish. Not having to go through the Consi and making the top 12 inversion was big. If she could only learn to draw a better pill <G>.
She also pulled a 7th place start in feature. Our friend Randy Davis in his second night back pulled the pole and finished a strong second. Congratulations Randy.
The feature had lot a wrecks and spins. Jessie was running a consistent 7th to 9th through about 10 restarts in about 10 laps. Then a little trouble with the dreaded Orange Cone and back to the back. She finished well from there moving back to 10th on lap 22 when she was hit from behind and finished 12th. All in all a great night back racing with her friends at Trail Way Speedway.
Congratulations to Brad McClelland on his first win of the season. Billy we didn’t forget you, great job last week as well.
Again Jessie would like to thank all the Trail Way Fans, Staff and Officials for the warm greeting she received last night. “You’re the Best”. Hopefully we can make more than a couple races. That’s still up in the air right now.
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4/13/2007 Invited to attend the University of Maryland in Mechanical Engineering.
On a Non-Racing note Jessie was excited to receive her letter of acceptance to the University of Maryland and a few days later acceptance into the Mechanical Engineering Program. Jessie and Dad went to the Open house and didn’t have time to see it all.
They have an SAE (Society of Automobile Engineers) Lab with two continuously on going projects for students to participate in. One is an off road test vehicle and the other a solo style car designed from the ground up. You could tell the students giving the tour enjoyed their time involved in the projects. They do a few All Nighters, something very familiar to Jessie in her racing.
Off course her question “Who drives it?” The answer was it’s a group decision and tends to be those who are here the most. Before he could finish the sentence Dad heard her whisper “I’ll sleep down here in the Lab.”
In the break out with the Mechanical Engineering Dean we heard the average unadjusted grade point for those accepted to the program was 3.95 (Good thing Dad went during a different era). Of course Jessie had to poke dad.
Now before our great friends in PA get up in arms. Two of the best Engineering Schools in our area are MD and Penn State (but don’t let it get out that dad a UofM grad said that.). You do know we only live about 10 miles from College Park and In-state tuition will allow us to buy more tires. It’s all about new rubber.
Jessie next invited to the Women in Engineering Reception. What a great group of Women. Dad now has work to do to convince Jessie that the food served won’t be there every night for the students <G>.
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4/12/2007 Changes for 358 Sprint Driver Jessie Morrison
Jessie Morrison and the 358 Sprint 1m of Mader Motorsports will be parting ways.
All though things did not work out as hoped for by both parties, both Morrison and Mader Motorsports wish each other the best. Morrison will be attempting a partial schedule on her own at Lincoln Speedway as she finds support
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1/22/2007 Monday Night with the CarQuest Gasoline Alley Guys.
Jessie had the pleasure of being one of the four guests on the CarQuest Gasoline Alley weekly radio show http://www.racefan.com/sResults.asp?SanctionID=693&StoryID=211218 Monday night.
The newly formatted show allows the fans to ask questions or express their opinions in this quickly paced one hour show designed for the racing community.
Jessie really enjoyed her chance to interact with the Pados Brothers, Bob, Ed and Steve, and Area Auto Racing News (AARN) racewriter Randy Kane. Jessie even enjoyed her time on hold listening to the ads. Within minutes of getting off the phone she called dad with “It was really cool. I really enjoyed talking to the panel and even the ads were cool while I was on hold.”
The new programming on WALN Digital Cable Radio, Internet (walncableradio.com) and Service Electric Digital Cable TV Channels 126, 137 was live & later tape delayed on Channel 50 at 11 PM.
If you haven’t checked out on Monday nights, you should. It’s a two hour fast passed and entertaining show. Check them out at http://www.walncableradio.com/prod01.htm .
Should you have questions on how to be a part of the program through advertising, appearances or remotes, please contact Steve Pados at: 610 573 9706, Ed Pados at: 610 739 0391, Randy Kane at: 610 682 6273 or WALN at 610 791 1818. You may also e-mail: steveswp@netzero.net or racewriter@enter.net |
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1/21/2007 ARCH Junior Achievement Award.
Saturday night Jessie was surprised and excited to receive the ARCH Junior Achievement Award sponsored and presented by Bobby Fletcher at the 42nd Annual ARCH Awards Banquet.
ARCH the Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown has long focused on honoring the sportsmanship of drivers in conjunction with the Speedways they represent.
Bobby Fletcher and his father Harry are members of the ARCH Hall of Fame with many Championship wins and Sportsmanship Awards during their racing careers.
Be sure to stop by Fletcher’s Service Center in Olney, Md and thank them for their continued support of the racing community.
Again Jessie was honored to receive the award and glad to see someone from her area of Maryland that knew what a Sprint Car is.
Thanks Dave Loss (of Delco Signs www.delcosigns.com ) for orchestrating the whole process without Jessie knowing. She was surprised.
If you are not a member of ARCH, you should be. It’s ($8.00) money well spent. I’m sure Dave Loss can help you out if you need an application. |
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1/15/2007 Area Auto Racing News Motorsports 2007
Mader Motorsports and Jessie Morrison spent the weekend in Atlantic City with their 2007 Sprint Car and Sponsor Citrus Breeze http://www.citrusbreezecleaner.com . It was a busy Friday through Sunday show with folks coming from all over the country.
Many friends and fans stopped by to greet Jessie and the Mader Motorsports 358 Sprint Car Team. Morrison gave each a signed copy of her new card and a smile. Even getting up early and to bed late was still a break from Senior Mid-Terms which continued when she returned Tuesday to school.
The show gave Jessie, Charles (Muskie) Mader her new Car Owner and Troy Souders her new Crew Chief a chance to meet with the many Sprint Car fans that attended the show. Many of those who have watched her race at Trail Way Speedway stopped to say they will miss her when she racing at Williams Grove and to wish her and the team luck.
SUSAN LULGJURAJ with the Atlantic City Press was gracious enough to include Jessie in her article on Sunday about Women in racing. Being included with racers like Mares Stellfox is an honor. Stelfox is a special person with time for all those who stopped by the URC booth and Jessie was one of those. One of those attending the show Sunday morning stopped to ask if we had seen Jessie’s picture and the article in the Sunday Paper. Well of course we had to buy several.
Our friends from Rife’s Collectibles were there with coloring books and sprint car wrapping paper, but really requires you attention is their Sprint Car Calendar. It’s a must have. It’s focused on our area. Check out the birthdays and pictures on each month. Tony Rife and his folks have done a great job. Check them out at http://www.riferacing.com.
Your next chance to get one of Jessie’s new cards will be at the Dirt Trackin show in York, Pa January 26 through the 28th. Check out http://www.dirttrackinshow.com/ and http://www.wisemotorsport.com/ for more information. |
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1/10/2007 Last Night on Steve Miller’s Race Night.
Last night Jessie Morrison, from Silver Spring, Md was the guest on Steve Miller’s Race Night. Race Night has entertained Morrison as their guest each year she has raced in the 358 Sprint Car Divisions in the PA area.
As always Steve Miller makes his guests feel like they are family in his living room and Jessie a Senior at Kennedy High School sure appreciates that.
Jessie was able to introduce her new Car Owner Charles (Muskie) Mader of Mader MotorSports as a guest and talk about her recent trip to Arizona to attend the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program http://www.lynstjames.com/ . Both big developments in her life.
Lyn St. James was just the second women to compete in the Indy 500 in 1992. St. James went on to compete at Indy seven times. She is one of those women who have paved the way for the young women of today to follow proudly. Her sacrifices and successes have made the path much easier for the current crop of women to follow.
Morrison was able to relate her experience from the week before at the York County Racing Club (YCRC) Hall of Fame Banquet where she met Jack Hewitt, always an exciting speaker and great driver. As the guest speaker he was lively and engaging to say the least, not sure what he would say next. Great fun had by all.
Several friends and family members came to watch and encourage her. She was grateful for the support. Those who called in had great questions as well. As always Sally Miller kept things on track.
Race Night can be seen via the internet at http://www.dirt-trackin.com/race_night/race_night.htm . The archived recording of last nights show should be there as well for a couple weeks. |
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12/19/2006 Mader Motorsports and Jessie Morrison to Team Up in 2007
Mader Motorsports and Jessie Morrison will be teaming up next year in the 01 Mader Motorsports 358 Sprint on Friday nights at Williams Grove.
Morrison said "I couldn't be more excited. I'll be working with Crew Chief Troy Souders and Team Owner Charles Mader. This is a great opportunity for me to run one of the most famous Dirt Tracks in the world."
Charles Mader of K&M Services Electrical Contractors is looking forward to the partnership as well. The 01 Mader Motorsports car will be at the Motorsports 2007 show in Atlantic City, NJ January 12th through the 14th, the DirtTrackin show in York, PA January 26th through the 28th and the Motorama show in Harrisburg, PA February 17th and 18th. Be sure and come by to meet Jessie and the whole crew.
Mader Motorsports would love to have additional marketing partners, so if you interested be sure to contact Charles Mader. Still in the works are efforts to add Saturday night racing to the team's schedule.
Morrison will also be attending the 42nd Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown Banquet on the 20th of January. Be sure to stop by.
Morrison would like to thank Randy Davis and Doug McGiffin for all their support these past two years and their encouragement to accept the offer to join with Mader Motorsports next year. "It's great having them in my corner".
She would also like to express her gratitude to Digna Machine and Scott Jorda for their past and future support. "Mr. Scott has always been there for us."
The 01 Sprint will also continue to use the great DMI products and the Wings by Wings Unlimited she had become accustomed to these past two years. |
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11/22/2006 Special Announcement, Lyn St. James Driver Development Invitation
PA 358 Winged Sprint Car Driver Jessie Morrison received an invitation
to attend the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program in Phoenix, AZ.
The Kennedy High School Senior from Silver Spring, MD was excited to
receive an invitation from Lyn St. James to attend the Lyn St. James
Driver Development Program in Phoenix next month.
Lyn St. James was just the second women to compete in the Indy 500 in
1992. St. James went on to compete at Indy seven times. She is one
of those women who have paved the way for the young women of today to
follow proudly. Her sacrifices and successes have made the path much
easier for the current crop of women to follow.
As a seventeen old, Morrison raced this past season at Trail Way
Speedway in the 358 Winged Sprint Division finishing 11th for the year in point.
9th through 11th were only separated by a couple points providing
excitement right to the end of the last race. Her best feature finish
at Trail Way Speedway was a hard fought 3rd place. She also raced a
partial schedule at Lincoln Speedway high lighted with a 7th place feature finish.
Lincoln Speedway had as many as 48 358 Sprints Cars competing for 24
feature starting spots each week. The PA area has some of the best
competition in the country.
She would like to continue her professional racer development and
couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to participate in Lyn
St. James Driver Development Program. Some of the current women stars
in racing as well as many up and coming drivers have attended this prestigious program.
Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick, Erin Crocker and Becca Anderson are
several of those who have attend the program in the past.
Jessie was so thrilled to receive her email invitation, she bounded
down the hall in the early hours to wake dad with "Guess What, Guess
What Just Came". Dad was just as excited.
References: Lyn St. James |
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1/22/2007 Monday Night with the CarQuest Gasoline Alley Guys.
Jessie had the pleasure of being one of the four guests on the CarQuest Gasoline Alley weekly radio show http://www.racefan.com/sResults.asp?SanctionID=693&StoryID=211218 Monday night.
The newly formatted show allows the fans to ask questions or express their opinions in this quickly paced one hour show designed for the racing community.
Jessie really enjoyed her chance to interact with the Pados Brothers, Bob, Ed and Steve, and Area Auto Racing News (AARN) racewriter Randy Kane. Jessie even enjoyed her time on hold listening to the ads. Within minutes of getting off the phone she called dad with “It was really cool. I really enjoyed talking to the panel and even the ads were cool while I was on hold.”
The new programming on WALN Digital Cable Radio, Internet (walncableradio.com) and Service Electric Digital Cable TV Channels 126, 137 was live & later tape delayed on Channel 50 at 11 PM.
If you haven’t checked out on Monday nights, you should. It’s a two hour fast passed and entertaining show. Check them out at http://www.walncableradio.com/prod01.htm .
Should you have questions on how to be a part of the program through advertising, appearances or remotes, please contact Steve Pados at: 610 573 9706, Ed Pados at: 610 739 0391, Randy Kane at: 610 682 6273 or WALN at 610 791 1818. You may also e-mail: steveswp@netzero.net or racewriter@enter.net |
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1/21/2007 ARCH Junior Achievement Award.
Saturday night Jessie was surprised and excited to receive the ARCH Junior Achievement Award sponsored and presented by Bobby Fletcher at the 42nd Annual ARCH Awards Banquet.
ARCH the Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown has long focused on honoring the sportsmanship of drivers in conjunction with the Speedways they represent.
Bobby Fletcher and his father Harry are members of the ARCH Hall of Fame with many Championship wins and Sportsmanship Awards during their racing careers.
Be sure to stop by Fletcher’s Service Center in Olney, Md and thank them for their continued support of the racing community.
Again Jessie was honored to receive the award and glad to see someone from her area of Maryland that knew what a Sprint Car is.
Thanks Dave Loss (of Delco Signs www.delcosigns.com ) for orchestrating the whole process without Jessie knowing. She was surprised.
If you are not a member of ARCH, you should be. It’s ($8.00) money well spent. I’m sure Dave Loss can help you out if you need an application. |
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