Tardiff posts solid 7th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Maine veteran charges from 17th on the grid at The Magic Mile
LOUDON, N.H. (June 24, 2019) — When it comes to racing on tracks one mile in length or greater, there is no substitute for experience. It takes a different set of skills to compete on a superspeedway than it does to go side-by-side on the more common bullrings of a quarter or 1/3-mile in length.
For Maine native Alan Tardiff, experience in the NASCAR K&N East Series proved invaluable on Sunday, as he wheeled the iRacing/Earnest Performance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to a solid seventh place finish in the New England Short Track Showdown at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Tardiff started 17th on the 29-car grid and wasted little time getting up into contention. The driver from Lyman ran inside the top five for much of the 50-lap tilt, then pitted for service under caution at lap 30. The tire installed on the right rear blistered in the final 20 laps, yet Tardiff hung on.
“We had a really good car down there on Sunday,” Tardiff said. “My guys had to overcome a ton of obstacles on Saturday, including a bad rear end. With help from two other teams, they worked their tails off and got the car ready for Sunday. It was a struggle, but they dug in and got it done.”
Tardiff’s weekend got turned around on Sunday, as the car finally had the speed they needed.
“We picked up a full second on Sunday over what we were running on Saturday,” Tardiff added. “The car felt great and had that tire not deteriorated like it did, I think we would have picked up a top-five finish. I’m happy the car came out of there in one piece and we can get it ready for Oxford.
“I have to thank the Shaw racing team and Petit Motorsports for helping us get that bad rear end rebuilt. They both stepped up and we truly appreciate all they did. It saved the weekend for us.”
Next up for Tardiff and his TMR Racing squad is the Open 100 on Sunday, June 30, at Oxford Plains Speedway. This is a non-points race for those who haven’t won a PASS race and will lock three drivers into the prestigious 46th annual Oxford 250 on Aug. 25. Qualifying races will begin at 6 p.m.
TMR Racing is owned by Rick Lockwood, a real estate developer who resides in Gorham, Maine. Tom Nason is also a part of the team, and brings years of racing experience to the table. Alan’s father, Marc, is very active in the shop and on race day, as are a handful of dedicated crew members.
Founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry, iRacing is the world’s premier motorsport racing simulation. iRacing puts you in the driver’s seat by allowing members to experience today’s newest form of competitive motorsport: virtual racing.
Earnest Performance was established in 2014 by veteran shock specialist Brannon Earnest. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based company offers a full-service, in-house shock program including everything from sales and service to at-the-track consulting.