PETERSEN MEDIA: Getting to the track on Saturday night was a victory in itself for Robert Ballou. Blowing a steer tire on his rig en route to the track, Ballou was able to arrive just in time, and would then proceed to put on a show as he timed in third fastest, won his heat, and then ran second in the feature event.
“It was quite the day, but to run second when all was said and done was pretty special,” Ballou said. “Thanks to all of the people that support our operation and help us get up and down the road.”
Once checked in at Atomic Speedway as the series returned to the track for the first time in over a decade, Ballou came how on a mission as he timed the Suburban Subaru/Berks Western Telecom/Dragonfly Aviation backed entry in third quickest in time trials.
Lining up sixth in his heat race, ‘The Madman’ lived up to his billing as he carved his way forward making quick work of the field. Going from sixth to first in convincing fashion, Ballou made it known that he would be a threat later during the impending feature event.
With the track still extremely slick when the ‘A’ went green, the initial start saw Ballou make a pair of bold moves that saw him jump to second in just one lap, however the caution flag flew and negated his efforts.
While the second start went off without a hitch, it wasn’t as kind to Ballou as he settled into the fourth spot as he chased after the likes of Brady Bacon, Justin Grant, and Kyle Cummins.
Able to throw some big moves at the competition, Ballou would overtake Cummins for third as he then chased after the lead duo who had broken away from the pack and raced into traffic.
Continuing to run in third, Ballou would erase the gap until a caution flag for Grant’s blown left rear tire put him on Bacon’s rear bumper for a late race dash to the finish.
Keeping stride with Bacon, Ballou just wasn’t good enough to pressure him for the win as he capped his night off with a second-place finish.
“We were really good in the feature, but Brady was just better,” Ballou said. “I feel the best I have felt in a while, and as we get a couple more races under our belts and get our cars a little better I think we might be pretty tough once things really get going.”
Robert Ballou would like to thank Suburban Subaru, Deaton’s Waterfront Service, Rossie Feed and Grain, Berks Western Telecom, Inc., Dan Roberts Motorsports, Dragonfly Aviation, Hinchman Indy, Don Ott Racing Engines, Manvel Motorsports, CSI Shocks, Walker Performance Filtration, Amsoil Inc, Murray’s Body Shop, Pacific Grass and Turf, MPHG Promotions Inc, Team Jack Foundation, Olson Custom Design, Konnected Clothing, Hooker Harness, Indy Race Parts, Hoosier Tire, Schoenfeld Headers, ISC Racers Tape, Chalk Racing Products, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Saldana Racing Products, Moose Blocks, Inc., AO Designs, and Arai Helmets for their support.
ON TAP: Robert Ballou will be idle this weekend but does return to action on April 29th when USAC heads to Bloomington Speedway and April 20th with the series visits Tri-State Speedway.
BY THE NUMBERS: Starts-8, Wins- 0, Top 5’s- 4, Top-10’s- 5
STAY CONNECTED: Stay up to speed with ‘The Mad Man’ by following him on Twitter @RoberBallou81, liking https://www.facebook.com/robertballoumotorsports/, or by clicking over to www.balloumotorsports.com.
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