2005 Results
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2005 Results
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10/2/05, 10/3/05 - Lake GenevaThe end of this season saw Michael Shorten and the Neon 109 qualify into the the feature and secure a season ending spot in the Top 20 in points! A year ago, S&T Racing enjoyed their first Fall Classic event as a newly created race team. One year later, the 109 race car returned to Lake Geneva to enjoy the Fall Classic weekend of racing alongside 300 other competitors and machines. Despite some mechanical issues and bad weather, the 109 posted it's best qualification ever at a 21.849. "We've worked hard all year to get better, both with the cars and with my driving." said Michael Shorten. "We shaved a full second off of our qualification times earlier this year and we managed to do it overcoming a lot of adversity." "We've accomplished goals that we weren't sure we'd reach." Michael summarized. "We won a race, timed into the feature, finished in the Top 20, became a much better driver and had a lot of fun. Every race was a learning lesson and we're going out with our heads high at our accomplishments." "We want to thank our sponsors, Quality Auto Parts, for all their key support this year, as well as thank my Dad - Richard Shorten." Michael said. "We've had a lot of help as well, Mundelein Tire and Service, Signs Now, Victory Lane Motorsports, Jensen/Mundelein Disposal and best of all, my family and friends who supported me. I owe this great season to them." Next year, Michael and S&T will be taking their new machine into a new division, the Weapons Division and quite possibly the Roadrunner division at Rockford Speedway!
9/9/05 - Lake GenevaS&T Racing participated in the 2005 Tour of Destruction! Ohmy, there was exactly that, destruction aplenty in the wild trailer races, as well as tons of fun with the novelty races! Michael Shorten teamed up with Pete Koenig (#2b) to win the first Tag Team Race! In the next event, the Train Race, Michael and Pete encountered trouble when the middle empty car flipped on it side. However, much to the pleasure of the roaring crowd, Michael and Pete managed to push/pull the car back onto it's wheels and they finished third! 9/2/05 - Lake GenevaThe regular season ends for S&T Racing at Lake Geneva with a great accomplishment, but an unfortunate mechanical failure. "Ever since we started the season, I've been learning and working hard to get a qualifying time in the 21 seconds range." Michael Shorten explained. "We finally, on the last Friday of the season, just put it all together." And they scored their best qualifying time of the year, a 21.949! Not quite enough to get into the feature, but enough to put Michael into the mix of a very fast heat race. Unfortunately, during that race, the timing belt on the Neon 109 broke, ending the night and the regularly season rather abruptly. "What are ya gonna do?" Michael shrugged. "That's racing. It's been a great year and we'll see if we can get the car together for the Fall Classic." As of now, Michael is solidly in the Top 25 in points, at 23rd - not bad for his rookie year!
8/26/05 - Lake GenevaThings are tightening up with only 1 more race left in the regular season, plus the October Fall Classic! While solidly in the Top 25, Michael is still looking to get into the Top 20. There was plenty of hard racing action in the Semifeature as Michael avoided a nasty accident that put the 17s car into the wall. Michael managed to stay with the leaders, but couldn't quite make it into the Top 2, despite a hard charge in the closing laps.
8/19/05 - Lake GenevaA good run for the 109 led to Top 5 finishes in all events!
8/12/05 - Lake GenevaA solid bounce-back from last week and a couple of exciting races for the 109! After fixing the broken right-front knuckle, the 109 came back and provided a couple of thrilling races. The heat race saw the 109 trying to work through traffic, but Michael chose to keep a solid 5th place finish and get the 5 points. The semifeature saw Michael duking it out with Roger Schultz, the #10 car, for the lead in the first four laps of the race. Michael posted a good 4th place finish. "Again, learning lessons." Michael said. "I really wanted that first or second place to transfer to the feature. The car runs well, I just need to get better coming into the corner and not fading so much later on in the race." Michael and the 109 are still in the hunt for a Top 20 finish for the year at 22 points. Only 100 points separate Michael from 20th place, so it should be an interesting finish, with only THREE races left to go in the season!
8/5/05 - Lake GenevaAn up and down night served to teach some hard lessons about control and patience. The Neon 109 ran hard in a heat race, but then suffered a hard crash in the semifeature, which broke the right wheel knuckle and sent the car and driver to the pits. "All my fault" Michael said. "It was a hard heat race with a lot more bumping and banging than I'm used to and I just overdrove the car in the semi. Too excited and just plain stupidity on my part. We'll patch it together and learn from this. Fortunately, nobody else got caught up in my mess."
7/29/05 - Lake GenevaHopes were high, and nerves were a bit on edge as S&T Racing went into competition in the new car - the 109 Dodge Neon. Wednesday practice had uncovered some mechanical problems which were quickly fixed, thanks again to our sponsors at Quality Auto! Our fears were quickly put to rest as the car did well in the practice laps. In fact, Michael Shorten turned in his best qualifying time yet this year, at a 22.066. Not enough to get him into the feature, but it shows the car has promise! Despite a small bump/rub in the heat race, Michael got a 6th place finish and then raced hard to grab a third place finish in the semifeature. More practice is planned for the new Neon and we are aiming for a move into the top 20 in points with some good semifeature and possibly feature showings!
7/22/05 - Lake GenevaThe 109 and Michael Shorten wins! Michael's first career victory! See Michael take the checkered flag here! Michael and the 109 set the successful tone early on with another fastest career qualification time. The 109 charged from the rear of the first heat to the front in about 4 laps and held on to the win, despite two cautions that allowed competitors to catch up. With about a quarter lap lead, Michael took the checkered flag for the first win of his career! "This is what we've been working for!" Michael said. "All the hard work paid off, the car is running about as good as it ever has, and things are starting to come together in terms of my handling and understanding of how to race Lake Geneva. There is just nothing in this world like the first time you win!" And then... disaster! The 109 provided an extremely scary moment when we collided with the #115 and went airborne, up and over the backstretch wall! Michael Shorten was OK with no injuries, but the 109 Nissan Sentra is a complete loss. Not to worry, however, as we've obtained another car and the 109 will be returning as a Dodge Neon!
7/15/05 - Lake GenevaThe S&T Racing team, with the help of Pete Koenig (#2B) worked hard and got the 109 machine ready for Friday night racing! Huge thanks to our sponsors, Quality Auto Parts for their efforts in getting us the tools and parts we needed very quickly! The 109 was actually running much better with some tweaks and new clutch. Michael ran the best qualification lap he had ever run and we competed hard against a much faster set of competitors, thanks to our faster qualification. Thanks to an unfortunate spin, we did not do as well as we hoped during the heat race, but the 109 ran good during the semifeature!
7/8/05 - Lake GenevaLady Luck was not smiling at the 109 machine this night as the 109 suffered a complete loss of the clutch, a split in the right front brake line and the discovery of various other mechanical problems. Huge thanks go to Jack Raby of the #48R car and Pete Koenig of the #2B car as they assisted us in getting the car onto the track to qualify and run the heat race. Unfortunately, the clutch gave out before we could compete in the semifeature and the night was over. Big thanks to our sponsors, Quality Auto Parts, for the great help in the following week. The great folks at Quality helped us in getting the parts we needed quickly and taking care of some machine shop work on various pieces. We also were helped by Pete Koenig with the removal and installation of the transmission. We'll be back on 7/15 with a race ready machine!
7/1/05 - Lake GenevaS&T Racing attended the somewhat smaller event on this holiday Friday, but the action was still fast and furious! "We learned a few things about the car." said Michael Shorten, driver of the 109. "We're starting to get a handle on how to improve the handling and figure out the tricks of getting around the track better. Every night and every lap is a good learning experience, to be expected for our rookie year."
6/24/05 - Lake GenevaThe 109 machine and Michael Shorten survived an interesting night that saw a bump in the heat race which spun the car in the middle of traffic, taking us back to finish in 10th place. The semifeature was a race of attrition that saw the 109 finish in 5th in a caution filled event.
6/17/05 - Lake GenevaA good night to bounce back from the previous week! The 109 machine ran well and although we slid around a bit when racing hard, we managed to place within the top 5 for both the heat race and the semifeature!
6/10/05 - Lake Geneva"To finish first, you first have to finish" - and the 109 team learned that lesson the hard way. During the first heat race, the car was collected in a turn 2 mishap involving several cars hitting the wall. Although sustaining front end damage, the 109 took the lead for an exciting 4 laps! Unfortunately, damage to the car led to the tire disintegrating and the 109 had to retire. After quick repairs and a tire change in the pits, the 109 returned to the semifeature and again took the lead! Another 3 lap lead and after slipping to third place, the 109 mistakenly retired after believing they had been black flagged. It was just one of those nights and a big learning lesson. We'll be back on the 17th!
6/4/05, 6/5/05 - Autobahn, JolietThe 109 and Michael Shorten enjoyed a wonderful weekend attending the NASA HPDE (High Performance Driving Event/School) at the Autobahn Club in Joliet, IL. This was hosted by the Midwest Chapter of NASA. Although an unusual sight among all of the high powered performance vehicles, the car held up very well and it was a fantastic learning experience! Road racing is very different, but the lessons learned are well applied to the short track. We're looking forward to a possible return visit next year to both Road America and Autobahn HPDEs! 5/27/05 - Lake GenevaRain descended onto Lake Geneva Raceway just prior to BIC division qualifications. The night was on hold for roughly 45 minutes, but there was racing on a very wet and slick track! It was an exciting, entertaining night as the 109 slipped and slid it's way to surviving and finishing in the top 15 for the consi race!
5/20/05 - Lake GenevaMichael Shorten and the 109 ran in the Lake Geneva Raceway Friday night opener. Michael avoided an early race accident and raced to a third place finish in the BIC semifinal! Michael found himself moved into the feature race, where he survived an oil-slicked track, lots of exciting racing and an extremely fast set of competitors to place 15th.
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