BARRIE, Ont. – October 14, 2016 – After a busy five months of weekly racing, Wendy Adams has had time to reflect on a successful learning experience behind the wheel of her Fastenal Midland/Pro Signs/Ernie’s Performance No.78 Mustang throughout the 2016 season.
Adams brought a brand new car to the track at Sunset Speedway to start the campaign in May. The 1994 Mustang was the first of its kind at the track as Adams sought a position among the division’s top-10 drivers.
She improved tremendously over the course of the season, but a handful of mechanical failures over the final six weeks of the season hampered the numbers. Adams finished 13th in the overall Mighty Mini championship standings.
“This season was probably what we expected it to be with a new car coming in to the year. I learned a lot overall,” Adams said. “We definitely made progress with this car. We learned a lot more about setup. I got outside help on what I needed to do getting out of the corners. I think our confidence level went up too.”
Adams got a big confidence boost early in the season when she led over half of her heat race, a first for the driver from Barrie, Ont.
“The biggest part of the whole season was knowing I could run up front. I led those five laps in one heat earlier this season and I think that was a really good thing knowing I could get somewhere and finally compete,” Adams explained.
The continuous improvement was seen near the end of the season when she ran inside the top-10, but had a handful of finishes derailed my mechanical failures. While the parts problems were a letdown, Adams was happy to know her equipment was among the best.
“I was seventh in a feature with five laps to go and lost a distributor. That gave us some confidence to know I could compete and the car could as well,” she said. “It was a successful year in the physical sense of putting a car on the track brand new and coming home with it knowing we did a lot more than expected, even though the numbers don’t show it.”
With the 2016 test session in the books, Adams and her husband Bill have both already debriefed and analyzed where to improve for the 2017 season. The car will undergo a makeover underneath the hood of the Pro Signs designed car.
“The front end could use a bit of lightening up. When the car was built, we didn’t know where we were going to be with the weight. We were 150 pounds over (the minimum requirement), so we can lighten up the front end a bit more without jeopardizing safety concerns,” Adam said.
Adams will return to Sunset to compete in the Mighty Mini division again in 2017 with hopes of racing into the top-five in division points. A new venture may also be in the cards for the team as well.
“We’re thinking of venturing into dirt racing. We have a 1993 Mustang we were building as a backup and we think we may try it on dirt,” said Adams, who added it could be her or husband Bill behind the wheel. “It just looks cool. My husband raced dirt when he was younger, so we think it might be an option since they run Friday nights.”
Overall, Adams is satisfied with her 2016 season knowing she made great strides to improve and has positioned herself for even greater success when the first green flag drops on the 2017 season next May.
“We know we went forward and did what we needed to do. We learned a lot this year from beginning to end and had a lot of fun with the different competitors in the division. We have a really good group of people that we race with.”
Wendy Adams and Adams Motorsports would like to give special thanks to Wanda Tennant-Gadsen, Aarin Tennant, and Ernie Fumerton for their help this season. Stay tuned towww.adamsracing.net throughout the off-season for the latest updates on Wendy Adams and the No.78 Mustang.
WATCH
Wendy Adams Speaks to CTV Barrie in August about the Defeat Depression walk. Click Here.
MEDIA LINKS
Website: www.adamsracing.net
Facebook: facebook.com/WendyAdamsRacing.
Schedule: www.sunsetspeedway.ca.
Wendy Adams 2016 season in the Mighty Mini Division at Sunset Speedway is supported by several dedicated corporate sponsors, including: Pro Signs, Fastenal of Midland, Ernie’s Performance, Fram Canada, J- Spec, UPS of Collingwood/Barrie, Robson Janitorial, Performance Improvements, RSA Auto Parts, TSS Top Shops Autobody, Beatty Automotive, OI West Wing and Canadian Pool Association.
Wendy Adams is racing in 2016 in support of the following organizations: New Path Youth and Family Services, Kids Help Phone, The Pledge To End Bullying, Canadian Mental Health Association, Help The 1 in 5, Start Talking, Do It For Daron, Bear Creek Wellness Initiative and Defeat Depression.
Prepared By Clayton Johns Media
Photo Attachment: Wendy Adams races down the front straightaway at Sunset Speedway. (Thompson Photography photo).
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