By: Fast Time Media
10/3/23… Petaluma, California: Saturday Night, Nick Robfogel was back in action with the Joe Hunt Series at Petaluma Speedway for the Penultimate event of the season. It was the final time in 2023 that the series would visit the Adobe Clay of Petaluma Speedway.
The night started out on a good note for Nick. He would be the 22nd of 26 Wingless Sprints to hit the Adobe Clay for qualifying. Despite going out late, Nick was able to rip off a very good lap. That would be enough to time him in 3rd quickest overall.
Going into his heat race, the track would be tricky to gauge as it had rained off & on before then. However, Nick just needed to transfer to the feature to make the redraw as well. After starting 4th, they seemed to have hit on the setup. He would move his way up to the 2nd spot & finish the heat there.
“Unloaded with our usual and found speed in qualifying 3rd of 26. Mother Nature kept throwing us curve balls with little drizzle here and there so car setup and track was tough to read. But knew I only needed to transfer out of the heat to be in pill draw so we experimented a little in the heat with setup and finished 2nd.”
Nick’s son Brody would pull the three for Nick in the redraw & he’d start the feature off in 3rd. They’d have the car dialed in as he quickly got up to 2nd & was waiting for the right time to challenge for the lead. Unfortunately, Nick would bike the car up in a big way & would fall back to 4th.
Once Nick settled back in, he began to move back forward getting to 3rd. However, a lap car would spin in front of Nick & collect him. He was able to keep the car rolling but had some front end damage. The damage made the car harder to drive, but Nick hung on to grab a 3rd place finish.
“Brody once again with his best pill left in the bag trick pulls a 3 for the main. Main started good I felt like we had speed getting up to 2nd and on top of the leader until I went for a huge bike in 3-4 within 10 laps. I fell back to 4th and readjusted my line when a lap car got turned by the leaders and came down across my nose. Fortunately I was able to stay under power and not lose my spot. It changed the attitude of the car and I fought a right front tight race car the remainder of the race.“
It was another solid night for Nick & the team. However, Nick felt that they had a car capable of winning. Unfortunately, they battled some bad luck but salvaged a podium finish.
Next Race: TBA
Nick would like to thank his sponsors; RCS, Empire Automotive, Tony Maestri w/state farm, and Apex contractors.
2023 season stats: 12 events, 12 features, 0 wins, 10 top-5's, 11 top-10's