Strong K&N Debut for Porter Quick Pick Motorsports driver Andrew Porter found out he would be participating in the race of his career literally three days before strapping into the car. K&N Pro car owner John Wood contacted Andrew to drive his #38 machine in Irwindale Speedways opening race of the season. With a truck and K&N car, there was a lot of work ahead of the young driver. The entire weekend leading up to the race was about getting the car to handle, and getting the driver to handle as well. This was Porters first time experiencing the heavy, high-horsepower K&N Pro monsters. Practicing on old tires helped continue the frustrations of getting the handle. Once Saturday rolled around, everything started to fall into place. Every time I got in the car, I learned something new. I got better. Qualifying slotted the rookie into 18th of the 26 competitors. It was our best lap up to that point. The race car was good. Leading up to the race, Andrew had never raced more than 75 laps in a night. He was aiming to compete for nearly 200. The truck race came first, and although a mediocre qualifying time set him back in the pack, Porter could feel that he had a good truck under him. It was too little too late. If we didnt start so far back, we wouldve been up there with the leaders. He finished 7th, but is looking forward to the next race. Well have a good truck for April 5th. Then it was time for the NAPA 150. Heading into this weekend, Andrew was focused on a realistic finish. A lead-lap finish would be equivalent to a win for this team and driver. At halfway, the race was playing out much better. The green flag flew over 26 racing machines for the first time since the K&N raced here in 2011. Immediately, strategy began to shake up the running order. Tire conservation was a major player, and half the field began to fall back. There is a known saying in racing, that to win one has to do what the others arent. Porter went for it. In a miraculous effort, Porter not only was on the lead lap, but by lap 66 was sitting in 6th position with race-favorites half a track behind. Once gravitating to the front, Porter tried to conserve his equipment. The car was great. I went too fast, found a hole and went to the front. I tried saving my tires but it was too late. A late race caution shook everything up. It brought the fresher tires up against those who played the go for it strategy. The result made for a wild shootout on the restart with a handful of laps left. Porter slipped back to 13th, but fought and held on for a lead lap finish, bettering half the field. It was a great experience, I learned a lot. Surprisingly, after all of those laps, Porter was barely phased. I wasnt that tired. I loaded everything up, helped unload at home, packed all the bearing in the truck. I have been working out and it paid off this weekend. Oddly enough I was more tired after the truck race than the K&N race. The strong run was rewarding and well recognized by many in the pit area. A ton of people came up after the race. Hopefully the right person saw what we could do. The team deserved a medal after the accomplishments of this weekend. Thanks to Uncle Chris, Brad Billings, Richard Yanker, John Wood and whole crew. Everyone throughout the weekend who helped, and a big thanks to my parents and grandparents. Without them I couldnt do this. It was a hectic weekend, thanks to whole group for putting up with everything and making this a reality. Andrew Porter has other potential opportunities, but needs the help of a company to make them a reality. Any sponsorship is a big help, and Quick Pick Motorsports would love to welcome in new partners in their endeavor to light up the racing world. Andrew Porter will be back on track on April 5th, racing his truck and Late Model. For more information on Andrew Porter, Quick Pick Motorsports, or for sponsorship inquiries, please visit quickpickmotorsports.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 16:08:31 +0000
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