51Fifty jr late model race #8 (10/3/2020)

Race Report:

Race #8  was a step in the right direction. Bad luck didn't really play a part, but neither did good luck. We had a better car than the race before, but four other cars were better, as the #17 machine finished a solid fifth. While she was arguably the third fastest, and better car, of the third and fourth place cars, her rhythm got off in the final laps and got separated enough from the third and fourth place cars that she could not mount a serious challenge to those spots.

Kercie had a good day in practice, winding up with fifth fastest in the last practice. Kercie's best lap was in qualifying, but was only able to manage a 7th starting spot, only several thousandths separating spots 2 through 7. We also were taken out of the card draw, as only the top six participate in that. So, 7th was a decent starting spot out of a 13 car field.

The race was pretty uneventful, and clean. Kercie was able to work her way up to 5th by the halfway mark, and retained the 5th spot at the end, with no real challenges from behind. The car came home in one piece and only minor damage from using the chrome horn a few times to let the car in front of her know she was there and looking to make a pass. While the racing looked rather uneventful, Kercie worked hard in the car for the whole race, giving 110% to the effort. It was obvious that no one had anything for the top two finishers, including us. And, no one can accuse Kercie of not doing everything possible to make the car give it's best performance. As always, the "Proud in Pink" crew did an awesome job and Kercie did an awesome job. We were relieved and happy with a solid finish and no damage. We now can concentrate on the final race of the season, with a focus on winning as the championship battle is over for us.

We want to extend our thanks Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd as well as the track officials and safety crews. We also want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM for their sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway. We also want to thank Mission Foods (#2Fast2Tasty) for being a track sponsor and making us hungry all the time when we think about them! StevenBlakesley.com, Racin & Relaxin with Outback Andy., and Jason Galvin do an amazing job of bringing you the action as it happens.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
SHELDON TAX PREPARATION & BOOKKEEPING
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island
Society for Disabled Children
#bluelivesmatter

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Halie Sullivan, Jason Wedehase, Cook's Racing Photography, Alpha Dog Graphics and John Mooney / Y.B. Normal Designs. We also want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

We can't forget to thank the people that make this effort work every day, and especially on race day - our crew. Thanks to Brad Jung , Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, Gary Spangle and Gary Treanor. You guys continue to make it happen!

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! We can’t thank you enough! 

There are also support groups that make the events happen - thanks to 51 FIFTY LTM, Nut Up Industries, Mission Foods, Franks Radio Service, Competition Carburetion, Hoosier Tire West, and GoSunoco Racing Fuels.

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU so much for making us a part of your life.

We will be back October 17th, chasing our first win, so stay tuned.

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races! 

God bless!!!!

The #17 Team

Race Report:

Race #7  is in the books, and again we ended up on the wrong end of the luck spectrum - this time we were taken out on the last lap.

Kercie had an OK day in practice, winding up with fifth fastest in the last practice. She stepped it up in qualifying, putting the car solidly in second place, but then drew a #3 starting spot. 

The start of the race was pretty exciting and fast paced, with Kercie battling for fourth place until the halfway mark. The car was off, and Kercie couldn't drive it hard into the corners like she should be able to. We determined that the new set of tires on the car was junk and we couldn't get them to do anything that they should. The crew made a lot of adjustments on the car to make it better. In the final 30 laps, Kercie was able to hold her own, and was basically a solid 4th place car. There was a caution with three laps to go, and on the restart drivers started losing their minds driving over their heads.  Kercie ended up getting run into and turned - Kercie and Brody Armtrout were the only ones that didn't make it, sitting in the middle of the corner while the field luckily drove around them. We ended up finishing 11th out of 13 cars.  The positive was that the car didn't sustain any real damage. However, we took a big hit in points. We are now far back in 4th, 19 points out of 3rd, and no chance to win a championship much less finish in 2nd place. We have two races left to try and win a race, but that is if we can even have enough money to make either race. This team and this driver have worked so hard every race and have shown they are a front runner, a championship contender, and a threat to win at every race. It's a shame that there is no respect on the track, no give and take.  So, a frustrating finish to a very disappointing night.

We want to extend our thanksMadera Speedwayon to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd as well as the track officials and safety crews. They were tremendous, as always. We want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM for their series sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway. We want to thank Mission Foods (#2Fast2Tasty) for being a track sponsor and making us hungry all the time when we think about them! Track announcers StevenBlakesley.com and Racin & Relaxin with Outback Andy do a great job and track reporter Jason Galvin do an amazing job of bringing you the action as it happens.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors for their support:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive

San Joaquin Collision
@Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises

SHELDON TAX PREPARATION & BOOKKEEPING

Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey

Wiley X

Sparrow Ranch on the Island

Society for Disabled Children

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Halie Sullivan / @Photography by Halie, Wedehase,

Cook's Racing Photography, Alpha Dog Graphics, and @John Mooney / Y.B. Normal Designs. We want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

We can't forget to thank the people that make this effort work every day, and especially on race day - our crew. Thanks to @Brad Jung , @Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, @Gary Spangle, @Gary Treanor and @Austin Edwards. You guys make it happen!

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! You guys are amazing! We can’t thank you enough! Congrats to Buddy for his win in the Pro Late Model race last nice!

There are also support groups that make the events happen as well - thanks to Nut Up Industries, 51 FIFTY LTM, Mission Foods, Franks Radio Service, Competition Carburetion, Hoosier Racing Tire, and GoSunoco RacingFuels.

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU so much for making us a part of your life.

We will hopefully be back October 3rd, chasing our first win, so stay tuned. Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races! 

God bless!!!!

The #17 Team

Race Report:

Race #6 started out a good night for us....but then the gremlins and full moon came out.

Kercie continued to show strength throughout the day, posting the 3rd fastest time in the first practice session, and then leading the second practice session in time. In qualifying, Kercie broke the old track record, setting the fastest time for her in qualifying, but coming up short to Bradley Ericson, who set the new track record. In the card draw, Kercie drew #5, so got bumped from a front row start.

The start of the race was pretty exciting and fast paced, with Kercie battling in 5th place with the #21 car of Ethan Nascimento. Lap after lap the two cars battled, with Kercie glued to Ethan’s bumper. Coming out of turn 2, Kercie got into Ethan and sent him around for a non-damage spin. For reasons beyond our understanding, Kercie did not get sent to the back - and we'll take that. From that point on Kercie worked her way up to third, where the #04 car Cole Brown, the #22 car Bradley Ericson, and Kercie broke away from the rest of the field. At that moment it was clear Kercie had the car to win the race, and that if this continued, she could win. However, that was not to be. Another caution flew, and on the restart, Cole Brown missed a shift and Kercie drove hard into the back of Cole, ruining her evening. It was not the fault of anyone other than racing, and Kercie had nowhere to go. She went into the pits to get some minor repairs, and returned to the track at the back of the field. She was able to driver her way back to 8th place by the halfway break. During the half time break, the crew worked feverishly to repair the car as best as possible. When racing resumed, Kercie drove through the field and was racing for third place when she was loosened up by the #04 car of Cole Brown, and the #1 car of Kasey Kleyn rear ended her, spinning her. Once again she started at the rear of the field, and drove from 15th place back to 8th. While the car was beat to hell, she drove a great race, listened to her spotter, used her head, and still salvaged a finish that could have easily been a DNF. Hopefully she didn’t fall back too far in the points standings. 

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd for another successful and safe race. The event went extremely well, the track officials and safety crews were tremendous, as always. We miss the fans a lot. We also want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM for their series sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway. And we want to thank Mission Foods (#2Fast2Tasty) for being a track sponsor and making us hungry all the time when we think about them! The booth announcers StevenBlakesley.com and Racin & Relaxin with Outback Andy., and pit reporter Jason Galvin do an amazing job of bringing you the action as it happens.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors and supporters enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / @Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
@Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
Becky Sheldon / SHELDON TAX PREPARATION & BOOKKEEPING
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey (Cary Brewer)
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island
Society for Disabled Children

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Halie Sullivan / @Photography by Halie, @Jason Wedehase , Alpha Dog Graphics, and @John Mooney / Y.B. Normal Designs. We also want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

We can't forget to thank the people that make this effort work every day, and especially on race day - our crew. Thanks to @Brad Jung , @Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, @Gary Spangle, @Gary Treanor and @Austin Edwards. You guys make it happen!

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick, Kellie and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! You guys are amazing! We can’t thank you enough! Congrats to Buddy for his win in the Pro Late Model race last nice!

There are also support groups that make the events happen as well - thanks to Nut Up Industries, 51 FIFTY LTM, Mission Foods, Race 2B Drug Free, Franks Radio Service, Competition Carburetion, Hoosier Racing Tire, and GoSunoco Racing Fuels.

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU so much for making us a part of your life.

We will be back September 19th, chasing our first win, so stay tuned for more fun and games!

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races! 

God bless!!!!The #17 Team

Race Report:

Race #5 was a good night for us. Matter of fact, the weekend was a good weekend for us. It started with an early morning trip to Madera Speedway where Kercie and crew did a lot of practice in the moring, trying different setups on the car, and practicing qualifying runs. This, all before the race track opened for competition later that day. While the practice didn’t go as expected, lots of things were learned. By the end of the day, Kercie was sitting on top of the speed charts with a 15.115 sec. lap, so it paid off. However, the crew was still less than ecstatic about the results.

Race day was pretty normal for the team. In the first practice, Kercie was 5th fastest in practice, and was reporting that the car was tight. The car was not much better in the second practice. When Kercie went out for qualifying, she ended up a respectable 4th place, and improved her postion to 2nd after the card draw. Matter of fact, Kercie had the fastest qualifying lap of her Jr. Late Model Career, so her qualifying effort is improving. So, she started the race on the outside front row.

At the drop of the green, Kercie dropped back to 3rd, got passed for 4th, but ended up sitting 3rd by the halftime break. In the second half of the race, after a few minor adjustments, Kercie battled the 2nd place car of Bradley Ericson, keeping pace with him, until a few things factored in to relegate her to a strong 3rd place finish. Kercie had nothing for the 1st place car - but then again, no one had anything for the 1st place car. Third was an awesome end to a good weekend. The car came home in one piece - no dings, dents, or scratches. The driver did a great job, and continues on her learning curve. We know that a win is on the horizon.

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd for another successful and safe race. The event went extremely well, the track officials and safety crews were tremendous, as always. We miss the fans a lot. We also want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM and Mission Foods for their series sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway. And, we can not forget to thank the announcers - Steven Blakesley, Outback Andy Foster for the tremendous job they do in the booth. And the pit reporter Jason Galvin for doing a great job with all the interviews.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors and supporters enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
Becky Sheldon / Sheldon Tax
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey (Cary Brewer)
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island
Society for Disabled Children

And speaking of supporters - Stearns Racing, Stephanie and Eric, Anonymous via MPM Marketing helped us tremendously with their generosity. Their support covered the expense for a set of tires for this race, along with gas and some other expenses. This racing every two weeks has really impacted our budget in a negative way. We can barely catch our breath and we are scrambling to scrape up the money for the next race. So, your help was a blessing and something we won't forget.

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Halie Sullivan / Photography by Halie, Jason Wedehase, Alpha Dog Graphics, and John Mooney / Y.B. Normal Designs. We also want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

We can't forget to thank the people that make this effort work every day, and especially on race day - our crew. Thanks to Brad Jung, Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, Gary Spangle and Gary Treanor. You guys make it happen!

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick Shepherd, Kellie Shepherd and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! You guys are amazing! We can’t thank you enough! Kercie has improved exponentially under your guidance and mentoring, not to mention your wizardry on the car setups. We can't put a price tag on how much you've helped Kercie. Congrats to Buddy for his 2nd place finish in the Pro Late Model race last night!

There are also support groups that make the events happen as well - thanks to Nut Up Industries, 51 FIFTY LTM, Race 2B Drug Free, Franks Radio Service, Competition Carburetion, Hoosier Tire West, and Sunoco Racing Fuels.

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU so much for making us a part of your life. It is amazing the following Kercie has, and the likes and mentions that she gets on Social Media. We feel the love and we want to win one for you guys!

We will be back September 5th, chasing our first win, so stay tuned for more fun and games!

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races!

God bless!!!!

The #17 Team

Race #4 had it’s ups and downs, but Kercie recovered to finish a solid 4th. In Friday’s practice Kercie was the 2nd fastest Jr. Late Model, which carried into Saturday, where she ended up 3rd fastest. During qualifying Kercie ended up 3rd, and after the card draw, was 5th. Not the position we were hoping for. The positive was that Kercie was starting on the inside.

The race started with Kercie holding her own and retaining 5th spot. However, early in the first half, Kercie got turned by the 87 car in turns 3 and 4. She ended up with damage to the nose of the car, which hampered her performance through the first half. She had to re-start in the back, but by the halfway mark was back to 5th. During the 2nd half she drove off turn 4 a little high and pounded the wall, but continued on, finishing a respectable 4th, which will be helpful in the points standings. She never gave up and never let the negatives ruin her night. The crew has some work to do to mend the battered race car, but will be back in two weeks to try and chase that elusive first win.

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd for another successful and safe race. The event went extremely well, the track officials and safety crews were tremendous, as always. We miss the fans a lot. We also want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM for their series sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors and supporters enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
Becky Sheldon / Sheldon Tax
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey (Cary Brewer)
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island
Society for Disabled Children

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Halie Sullivan / Photography by Halie, Jason Wedehase,Alpha Dog Graphics, and John Mooney / Y.B. Normal Designs. We also want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

We can't forget to thank the people that make this effort work every day, and especially on race day - our crew. Thanks to Brad Jung, Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, Gary Spangle, Gary Treanor and Austin Edwards. You guys make it happen!

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick, Kellie and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! You guys are amazing! We can’t thank you enough! Congrats to Buddy for his win in the Pro Late Model race last nice!

There are also support groups that make the events happen as well - thanks to Nut Up Industries, 51 FIFTY LTM, Race 2B Drug Free, Franks Radio Service, Competition Carburetion, Hoosier Racing Tire, and @Sunoco Racing Fuels.

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU so much for making us a part of your life.

We will be back August 22nd, chasing our first win, so stay tuned for more fun and games!

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races!

God bless!!!!

The #17 Team

Race #3 was another solid outing for the #17 Kercie Jung driven machine. Coming off a very successful Friday practice, where Kercie was the 2nd fastest Jr. Late Model (of twenty cars), Kercie continued her solid performance on Saturday.

Kercie was running very well in practice, once again posting some of the fastest laps of the twenty car field. She was 2nd fastest overall for the day. During qualifying Kercie ended up 3rd, and after the card draw, was 2nd. Matter of fact, Kercie and her friend / competitor Holly Clark, driving the #17c machine, qualified 5th fastest but drew the #1 card. This set up an all-female front row (a first in Madera Speedway history, I believe) and an all #17 front row. We will call them the Dynamic Duo (or Front Row Divas?You choose!).

The race started with Kercie getting shuffled back to 5th place, but within the first 15 laps made some amazing moves to get back to 3rd. Holly Clark led during that time, doing some amazing driving herself. There were a few cautions, but all the while Kercie was a solid 3rd place car, until Holly got real bad sideways in the middle of Turns 1 and 2. How Holly saved it is beyond me as that car was going to wreck. Such a masterful piece of driving from that 14 year old. In any event, this allowed Kercie to get past her. At one point, the #87 machine of Seth Wise got around Kercie, but not for long, as Kercie strategically moved him and regained 2nd spot and maintained 2nd place until the halfway mark. By the start of the 2nd half, Kercie had some amazing restarts with the leader, the #22 car, and had enough to battle the leader in the corners, but the #22 car was able to pull Kercie on the straightaway. Kercie never relinquished 2nd place, able to keep a safe distance on the 3rd place car of Seth Wise, and went on to score her best finish to date in the Jr. Late Model Series. Truly a win for this little team! After three races, Kercie is 5th in points, 40 points out of first, and only 8 points behind 4th. Kercie equaled the best finish of a woman, set by Kayla Eshleman back in 2018 in this series. This is an amazing start to our season, with six more races to go.

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd for another successful and safe race. The event went extremely well, the track officials and safety crews were tremendous, as always. We miss the fans a lot. We also want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM for their series sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
Becky Sheldon / Sheldon Tax
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island
Society for Disabled Children

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Halie Sullivan / Photography by Halie, Alpha Dog Graphics, and John Mooney / YB Normal. We also want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

We can't forget to thank the people that make this effort work every day, and especially on race day - our crew. Thanks to Brad Jung, Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, Gary Spangle, Gary Treanor, and Austin "1st Place Ace" Edwards. You guys make it happen!

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick, Kellie and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! You guys are amazing! We can’t thank you enough!

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU so much for making us a part of your life.

We will be back August 8th, chasing our first win, so stay tuned for more fun and games!

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races! God bless!!!!

The #17 Team

Race #2 was a solid outing for the #17 Kercie Jung driven machine. Coming off a very successful Friday practice, where Kercie was the fastest Jr. Late Model (of 18 cars), and 4th overall fastest of the combined Jr. Late Model / Pro Late Model field (of 39 cars), Kercie and crew had high expectations for Saturday.

Race day was miserably hot (again!). Kercie was running very well in practice, once again posting some of the fastest laps of the eighteen car field. During qualifying Kercie ended up 4th, and after the card draw, was still 4th. The car was a little tight in qualifying, and she was a little off on her entries and exits in the corners. However, overall, a very solid qualifying effort. She was not happy to be starting on the outside of row two.

The race was rather uneventful for Kercie, thank goodness. In the first few laps, the car that started on the pole position and another car got tangled up in front of Kercie, and she literally scraped by the incident, leaving a few marks on the driver's side door. Beyond that, the car suffered no damage. From that point on until the ten minute break, Kercie battled to stay in 3rd place with the #07 car. A huge thanks goes out to the #07 car for some very clean racing. During the break the crew made a lot of changes to the car to loosen it up, and Kercie started the second half of the race in better shape. She battled the #04 and the #07 car for many laps, and once again very clean racing from all involved. Kercie was in danger of losing 4th place to the #04, but once she settled down and started hitting her marks, she started pulling away, finishing the night a solid 4th. Everyone was very happy with the results, and everyone was very tired after a very hot (107 degree +) day. We are very proud of the effort of the driver and the crew. Kercie was even interviewed several times - once during half time, and then after the race. It was a very good day for our driver.

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd for another successful and safe race. The event went extremely well, the track officials and safety crews were tremendous, as always. We miss the fans a lot - luckily Kercie was able to sign a few autographs for a couple that were at the race track. We also want to thank 51 FIFTY LTM for their series sponsorship, and MAVTV for their continued support and broadcast of all these great races at Madera Speedway.

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
Becky Sheldon / Sheldon Tax
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Photography by Halie, Cook's Racing Photography, Jason Wedehase, Alpha Dog Graphics, and John Mooney / YBNormal. We also want to thank MPM Marketing / Tonya McCallister for their help in promoting us.

Also we want to say a huge Thank You to Dick, Kellie and Buddy Shepherd for all their help! You guys are amazing! We can’t thank you enough!

Congratulations on your Win last night Buddy!

Hopefully we can pull one off with you sometime this season! 😊🏁

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU SO MUCH for making us a part of your life.

We will be back July 25th, so stay tuned for more fun and games!

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races! God bless!!!!

The #17 Team

  So last night we got a little tangled up after halfway break and it ended our night. We made contact with other cars then got hit in the LR and it made the car uncomfortable and sent it into the wall. It was a hard hit but I am ok, I have a few bruises but I am ok. We’re heading home early today to go unload the car and check out all the damage. It sucks but it happens in racing, we’ll be back next race!! Special thank you to Shepherd Racing, Cary Brewer, San Joaquin Collison, Franks Cabinet Shop, Harrison Street Automotive, Ian M Hassett Foundation, Bobby Courtney Enterprises, Mpm Marketing, WileyX, Sparrow Ranch, Daryl Curtis and Austin Edwards. Congratulations to Trenton Eurto on his win at Kern County Raceway Park, and congratulations to Buddy Shepherd, and Seth Wise on his win. 

 Race #1 is in the books and it ended up being a tough night for the Kercie Jung Racing team. We had our first DNF of the season when Kercie got caught up in race traffic and ended up in the wall.

This was the first race of the season, and it was much anticipated after sitting idle since March due to the Covid-19 crisis. Everyone was glad to get back to some sense of normalcy.

Friday practice went terribly well, with Kercie running in the low 15's, putting her second fastest out of eighteen cars, by the end of the day. The team was extremely proud of Kercie and very excited for race day.

Race day was miserably hot. Kercie was running very well in practice, once again posting the second fastest lap time of the day out of an eighteen car field. During qualifying Kercie ended up 3rd, and after the pill draw, was still 3rd. She was pleased with her starting position. This, by far, was the best qualifying effort by her. The addition of this new car, the expertise of her mentors Dick and Buddy Shepherd, and the great work by her crew chief (Brad Jung) and crew (Gary Treanor, Gary Spangle, Heather Jung, Ronnie Jung, and Austin "1st Place Ace" Edwards) put Kercie in a position to do well. Kercie achieved a goal that was set, which was to improve her qualifying effort. She stepped up her game and qualified in third.

The race, however, was a different story. On the start of the race, Kercie missed a shift and several cars got around her. During the first 40 laps, the car developed a vibration, and became tight. It just didn't perform as well as it had in practice and qualifying. During the break adjustments were made to the car, and Kercie started the second half in pretty good shape. However, within the first ten laps, Kercie got high in the corner, getting up into the "marbles" and allowing several cars to get past her on the low side. She was sitting eighth, and was trying to get some spots back when she ended up in a situation that ultimately ended her night. Coming off of turn two, Kercie ended up in a three wide situation, with her car in the middle. It is near impossible to go three wide on the back stretch without negative results. Ultimately she got together with the other two cars, and the right rear of the car hit the wall hard, bending the J-bar and moving the rear end out of alignment. Kercie brought the car in for repairs, but the damage was too extensive to continue.

There were some lessons learned from all of this. She will be on a steep learning curve to develop some driving techniques that should give her some insight into how to assess and react / take advantage of on-track situations. Obviously the goal is to prevent / help to prevent some situations from becoming race ending events for her.

Having said all that, it is all too easy to judge drivers because you are not in their shoes. It is also easy to forget that these drivers are still developing skills, and maturing as drivers. We, as spectators, forget that you're watching 10 to 16 year olds competing at an extremely high level, with only a few years / races (at this level) under their belt. You have to be darn proud of these kids, even when things don't work out because of mistakes or missteps are made on the track. Kercie will come back from this with a lot more experience and knowledge of what to do differently, next time. And it will help her continue on her path to ultimately succeeding and achieving her goal of winning races and championships.

We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Madera Speedway and Kenny Shepherd for working so tirelessly to get our race season started this early in the year. The event went extremely well, the track officials and safety crews were tremendous, as always. The attention to abiding by the rules to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus was well organized and everyone seemed to have done their part. Hopefully that just reinforces the confidence in the competitors and the track that we can do this and still be safe in preventing the spread of this virus. Thank you, Kenny, for a wonderful event!

Of course we can never thank our associate sponsors enough:

Frank's Cabinet Shop
Harrison Street Automotive / Ricky Hays
San Joaquin Collision
Bobby Courtney Racing Enterprises
Becky Sheldon / Sheldon Tax
Ian M Hassett Foundation
Cousin Carey
Wiley X
Sparrow Ranch on the Island

As always, we have a talented group of folks that help promote our driver and program. We want to thank Photography by Halie, Cook's Racing Photography, Jason Wedehase, and Alpha Dog Graphics. We also want to thank MPM Marketing for their help in promoting us.

Finally, once again, the fans make each and every race special and worth doing what we do. Thank YOU SO MUCH for making us a part of your life.

Until next time, keep safe and we will see you at the races! God bless!

The #17 Team

Yesterday the Kercie Jung Racing team had a very productive and successful practice. It was Kercie's first time in this new car. Kercie was able to get on-track four times. Each time she got more comfortable with the car, and by the third practice was one of the fastest Jr. Late Models on the track. She adjusted quickly to the car and was really happy with how the car handled. On the fourth practice session, we ended up breaking the trailing arm mount and so our day was finished. The car was not damaged.

Kercie and the crew did a great job getting the car ready for the practice and then the day of practice. We are very excited for our first race in two weeks. The Madera Speedway staff and safety personnel were great, and Kenny Shepherd has put a lot into making the track the best that we've seen. We can't thank him and his staff enough for their great effort, and for being the best short track and facility on the west coast. Thank you, guys, for all that you do.

We also need to thank our returning associate sponsors that were instrumental in helping us with the extra expenses incurred in necessary practices, purchases, etc. Thank you Frank's Cabinet Shop, Bobby Courtney, San Joaquin Collision, Ian M Hassett Foundation, Becky Sheldon, and Ricky Hays.

As you can see, we have a blank car to work with, so plenty of room to work with for primary sponsorship. We are working at trying to secure something for the season, but with work, life, and car prep, it is terribly difficult to fit in a full-time sponsor search. Wish us luck.

We definitely want to thank everyone that has helped us get to this point: Thanks to Dick Shepherd, Buddy Shepherd, Kellie Shepherd, Heather Jung, Brad Jung, Gary Treanor, Gary Spangle, Ronnie and Doris Jung. And, of course, we can't leave out the star of our little effort - Kercie Jung. She is just an amazing, amazing talent and we think good things are in store for her. She really stepped up her game yesterday, and we could not be more proud of her.

Of course, we also have help in other areas as well. Thanks to MPM Marketing and Tonya McCallister for her support. Without them Kercie would not be a brand ambassador for Wiley X sunglasses (which are awesome sunglasses, by the way). We will also be associated with Sparrow Ranch on the Island sometime this season, so am grateful for their participation. And how about Simpson Race Products for their awesome safety equipment and fire suits? Kercie is wearing a new suit and it looks amazing. And we also continue to get support from the track and staff at Madera Speedway. We mention them a lot, but we recognize that without the opportunity afforded us through the Jr. Late Model Challenge Camp, we would not have the visibility that we've received. And Steven Blakesley for all that he does with interviews and his interest. As you've seen, Cook's Racing Photography was on hand yesterday and gave us some great shots on the track. Zachary Cook is a great photographer and we are so blessed that he does what he does. There are some others that also support us, but in a quiet way, and we want to acknowledge them because they do support us but do not want the accolades or credit. However, they are not any less important. I (Daryl Curtis), personally, want to thank several people who have worked with me over the past few years in areas of marketing and promotions - Sabrina Hutchinson, Alpha Dog Graphics, and Elite Signs & Promotions. They have helped me tremendously in learning how to create the branding and learning how to promote Kercie and her career.

And finally, but not least, the key to making this all work. The fans! Without fans, we are performing to an empty room. You guys make this effort worth it all. And we hope that you are on board with us for the long haul. Our goal is to get Kercie to the NASCAR Cup level, and we want to take you on that adventure with us. Thank you for your continued support, your kind words, and please continue to spread the word about Kercie to all your friends.

So, rather long winded, but had a lot to say. Please join us for our first race in two weeks at Madera, on Saturday, March 14th. And, check out our website at www.kerciejungracing.com, buy some hats, or a 2020 calendar, and show your love!

Until then, God bless!

The #17 Team

Yesterday we took our new car to Madera to get the car setup dialed in for Kercie. We were on the track five times, and every time we got a little faster. We played with spring changes, shock setting changes, weight distribution changes, and gear changes. By the last run we were definitely fast enough to put the car on the pole and compete with the professionally prepared cars. Can't thank Buddy Shepherd enough for all of his help, along with his dad Dick Shepherd, Gary Spangle, Brad Jung, Heather Jung, Doris and Ronnie Jung, the other crew members (which I don't have their names but they were great), the crew at Madera Speedway, and Kenny Shepherd. We are very excited for the 2020 season!

Thanks to our returning sponsors Ricky Hayes, San Joaquin Collision, Bobby Courtney and Frank's Cabinet Shop for their help in getting our car ready for the 2020 season.

There is so much more to look forward to, and we want to thank our fans for being so loyal and following along.

MPM Marketing
Wiley X

The #17 Team