Emily Packard
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt – In front of a huge crowd at Devil’s Bowl on Friday July 4th, Emily Packard and the 9x Northstar Fireworks/Packard Fuel team unloaded and hit the ground running to continue building on their successful season. The 17 year old East Montpelier native finds herself in a tight point’s battle for the track championship, and was looking to this night to stay in contention.
When the heat race rolled off, Packard was slated to start in the 5th position, but the car starting 3rd chose to drop to the rear of the field, which moved Packard up to the 3rd starting spot. Only a handful of laps into the race, Packard and another car got together coming out of turn three, and Packard spun as a result. She took a quick trip into the pit area, where the guys changed the left front and got her back on the track without losing a lap. Working her way through the field, Packard finished the heat race in second position.
With a fifth place starting position in the Coca Cola Firecracker 100, Packard headed straight to the front, taking over the lead by lap 18. Running out front for more than half the race Packard maneuvered her way around the track, lapping cars as she led. “We put it on cruise control and just tried to ride around and keep a little distance between myself and the cars behind me,” said Packard.
A late caution on lap 81 allowed for the field to bunch back up for the restart. Choosing the inside line for Packard seemed to be the logical choice for the restart, but it didn’t work in her favor. “I chose the bottom thinking that I would have better drive off,” Packard said, “but it didn’t have the grip I needed.” Packard and Masterson battled cleanly side by side lap after lap for the last 19 laps around the track, neither of them wanting to give an inch. “We were side by side for those last laps, he would gain a little and then I would gain a little,” said Packard, “I wish we had a few more laps because maybe the outcome would have been a little different, but it was a fun battle with him.”
“The guys gave me another great car, and I am really happy with our run tonight. We have had a really good car here the last few times that we have been here, and I am really hungry for a win,” Packard said, “Special thanks to all my guys and my sponsors, Northstar Fireworks, Packard Fuels, Yipes! of Barre, Fecteau Homes, Berlin Optical Expressions, GossCars.com, Be the Match, Rutland Regional Medical Center, and R.G. Paving.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
Emily Packard on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EmilyPackardMotorsports
Emily Packard on Twitter: @EmilyPackard9