Emily Heisler Photoby Matt Panure for RacingOnline.com
SLINGER, Wis. (July 11, 2011) – Anyone looking for Jeff Holtz could find him sitting under the big shade tree that has become a cornerstone of the Slinger Speedway pit area. Thoroughly exhausted and beside himself with happiness, Holtz seemed more concerned with recovery than celebration.
“I think I need to work out more, I hate to say it,” said Holtz who could barely stand. “We need to get some more fans and cooling in there. Holy man, those yellow flags killed me.”
Although the exhaustion caught up to Holtz after the 200 laps were complete, the majority of his energy was utilized in the first half of the race, he said.
“I think after that first 80 or 90 laps when the car was a handful it was wearing me out,” Holtz said. “I actually had more energy the second half even though I’m dead now. That first half killed me. We didn’t have the best handling car.”
Through the first half of the race Holtz struggled to make any head way. While the likes of Kyle Busch, Eric Fransen, Conrad Morgan and Dennis Prunty were moving through the field, Holtz had fallen to 14th at the 100-lap break.
In fact, Holtz was in danger of going a lap down as Busch had caught him and Kelly Bires, who was the final car on the lead lap when the first segment ended.
During the break Holtz and crew made some adjustments and ran a consistent second 100 laps.
“The car sure was good that second half,” Holtz said. “We had a lot of good breaks. This is as good as winning on a regular night.”
Holtz’s ascent to the top five didn’t come without a few nervous moments. When Dennis Prunty and Eric Fransen made contact on lap 136, Holtz made a daring pass to the inside to take two spots. Biding his time, Holtz had a few more cautions to negotiate.
“It’s nerve-wracking. It takes a lot out of you,” he said. “The second half I think I was getting a headache. The worst (caution) was when Schill was sideways out of two. If I hadn’t seen him I think we would have had a problem there.”
Securing his first ever Super Late Model feature win at Slinger last season, Holtz said this weekend may have taken the cake. Holtz also took the Midwest Sportsman Prelude to the Nationals Feature win on Saturday night.
“I don’t think I could ask for a better weekend of racing here at Slinger,” Holtz said. “To qualify fourth and finish fourth is the same as winning for me. When you’re behind Busch, Lepak and Feiler it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Holtz said he and his team will return to Slinger for the Pepsi Challenge as they are running second in points in the season-within-a-season competition.
“We’ll see how the car feels after 200 laps. I think the motor is going to need a little work. It got hot, but actually cooled off at the end. I’ve got to work out a little more and get in better shape. I’ll take fourth any day, I’ll tell you that.”
This article was posted to the website on July 11th, 2011 • Click to view all related content in the following categories
