The Middle of Nowhere

After a 3 week break we were back racing, this time at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, California also known as the middle of nowhere. Despite the inconvenient location, this circuit is incredible as it consists of just about every type of corner imaginable.

Discomfort

Friday consisted of a practice day where our goal was to complete as many laps as possible. Throughout the day I was not feeling comfortable with the car despite the many setup changes my race engineer James made.

After the previous weekend at Willow Springs, I focused on trying to have fun. But it was really difficult to have fun when I did not feel confident behind the wheel of the car. My frustrations crept back in and I ended the day feeling worse than when it started. This was the worst possible scenario. I made my thoughts brutally clear to James by telling him “I just simply don’t understand how to drive this car.”

Time to Reset

That night we had dinner together and made a plan to reprogram my brain for Saturday and Sunday. After a great night’s sleep at the luxurious Motel 6, I was ready for race day.

I arrived at the track with a completely different mindset. This time my goal was to drive the car and listen to what it needed to go fast. And just like that I was 2 seconds a lap faster. Not only was I faster, but I felt better too.

Turning Things Around

I qualified P2 and had an incredible battle with fellow drivers Zeke and Brett fighting for P2. Every lap we kept changing positions, it was a chess game that never seemed to end. I managed to pull ahead of them and finish the race in second. This was my best result to date and I was smiling again. Not only did I drive well, but I was happy about my driving.

The next day followed the same story, once again I qualified P2 and raced Brett and Zeke for what felt like forever. As I stood on the podium I thought to myself, “Wow, we truly managed to turn things around.”

Success Is Not Measured By Wins

Leaving Buttonwillow I felt incredible. While there is still a ton to work on, we made a huge amount of progress turning what looked like it was going to be a tough weekend into a successful one. I also learned that success is not only measured by wins but by growth and gratitude.

Thanks for a great weekend!