In team sports like baseball, football and hockey a first year player will often have time to adjust to the pace of the game. They’ll get their feet wet and learn as they go. Freshman drivers in short track stock car racing also get the chance to sharpen their skills – only at a faster pace.
First year runner Joshua Gruntz – from Kawartha Speedway’s Better Carpet Thunder Car division – filled his head with knowledge during his rookie season. The 28 year-old, originally from Bethany – who now calls Peterborough home – says it was sometimes an uphill climb, but feels he’s a better racer from the experience.
“I’ll admit that I didn’t know much when I first started”, said the plumber/pipefitter. “I had watched the races from the grandstand, but there’s nothing compared to the rush you feel when you see that first green flag. We started scratch (at the back of the pack) for the first few weeks. Once I began to build my confidence, we were right there fighting for positions like everyone else”.
Gruntz steered his Ultimate Car Care/Maple Key Landscaping/Mike’s Transmission Repair/Laddie’s Signs and Graphics sponsored Monte Carlo to a 16th place finish in Kawartha’s final point standings. He says some solid effort and support from his crew members Jamie Wagar, Fred Norton and Ben Gruntz helped him reach that level. During the off-season, they’ll be stripping down the car, looking to make some changes to the complete package program in a search for more speed.
“Much of what we worked with on the car during 2010 is a baseline set-up we got from the former owner”, said Gruntz. “We’re going to check the frame, cage and all the suspension components to see if there’s anything that needs to be adjusted or even replaced. I learned some things about the way I like the car to feel and we’ll work on those ideas over the winter. The start of the next season isn’t as far away as everyone thinks and we want to make sure we’re ready for opening night”.
Gruntz says he enjoys the friendships he’s made at the track and the helping hands his team receives from other drivers, teams and crew members. There’s even a chance his thunder car – carrying #31 as a tribute to his high school football days – could begin the next campaign with fresh graphics package and a brand new colour scheme.
Kawartha Speedway will present their 2010 awards at the annual banquet Saturday, January 15th 2011. Fans can submit their choices for the most sportsmanlike and most improved drivers in each of the track’s 3 weekly classes by using the on-line ballot at www.kawarthaspeedway.com.
Photo attachment: Joel & Heather Wiebe www.adrianmediaservices.com: Joshua Gruntz works around the inside of turn 2 in Better Carpet Thunder Car action at Kawartha Speedway.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
