Bill Balog and Team B2 Motorsports Earn A Podium Spot At Beaver Dam
- Jul 30, 2012
"The more appearances any team makes at the same track will help the car setup," explained Balog. "Things like gearing shocks, tires, and wings," he continued. "Also, more laps at the same track help the driver feel comfortable over time."
Referring to the track conditions on that particular day, Balog said, "Usually, a hot, breezy day will dry the track out and the track will slow down a little bit. But at the same time, more water is usually added to compensate. The trick is reading the track and making sure you know where it’s going before the A-Main event. For example, it helps to know if it will be dry-slick, rough, heavy moisture and so on. Balog then said, "My favorite track conditions seem to be when the track is a little bit slick. A nine-hundred horsepower sprint car is difficult to "hook up" in these conditions. A lot of finesse is needed, and it puts the driver back in it." After qualifying fifth quickest, the driver eagerly waited for the second heat race to get underway. Starting in the fifth position, Balog held that spot going into the final lap of the race. Recognizing an opportunity to move into the fourth position, Bill Balog made a slight miscalculation in a turn and tagged the wall. "I had earned a good qualifying spot," recalled the driver. "It would give us some points toward the championship. The car was definitely in the ball park. After bouncing off of the wall, the car wasn’t as bad as we had thought. It needed some wheels, shocks, a nose wing, and some other bolt-on parts that usually break during an accident. We put the car together as fast as we could to get out to the B-Main," he continued. "I started in the rear of the field and just tried to stay out of trouble. One more mistake and we would have been done for the night. The car was still messed up from the crash and we needed one more chance to repair it for the A-Main." After taking it easy for a few laps Balog grew confident in the car, and in turn, began a run toward the front of the pack. In fact, by the race’s end, the driver had managed to move into the second position, crossing the finish line behind Robbie Pribnow. Starting in the eleventh position on the A-Main, Balog didn’t deter from the same game plan that had just earned him a second place finish in the "B". Once again the driver held his position while checking the car out. Once comfortable that his #17B Sprinter was ready for battle, he began his charge toward the front of the pack. By lap eighteen of the thirty-lap event, Balog had managed to increase his position by six spots. Now fifth in the field, the driver went straight to work after the caution and managed to gain two more positions before the waving of the checkered flag. Although the night had proved a trough one, Bill Balog and his team managed to cross the finish line in third place. "I like to win, but after a night like that, I was happy with third," shared the driver. Referring to the importance of his team, he continued, "My team spends a bunch of time in the shop, and we work hard on our race cars every day. They do the motor maintenance, tire work, and everything in between. I definitely couldn’t race without them." Bill Balog is obviously aware of the importance of proper maintenance. In turn, he is a strong advocate of using the best filters on the market. "We use K&N carbon fiber airbox filters, oil filters, and K&N cleaners," he explained. We’ve been using their products from the beginning, and they work great. K&N has been around for a very long time and have a great reputation. Their oil filters are very strong, and have superior filtering capabilities. Their air filters are very light-weight, which is huge in sprint car racing. They stop the dirt at the filter." In closing, Bill Balog said, "My favorite thing about sprint car racing is the on-track competition; racing side-by-side with other cars. I also enjoy the raw power of the 410 engine. They are a blast to drive! We just need to keep working and doing what we’re doing," he continued. "We have nine feature wins so far and are hungry for more." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
