Dominic Slesinski Racing

DSR Charges from 20th to 8th Before Late-Race Trouble at Limerock Speedway

A New Track and a Steep Learning Curve

Saturday took us north to Limerock Speedway in Caledonia, New York, another new track for Dominic Slesinski Racing. Anytime you unload at a place you’ve never raced before, you’re starting from scratch. No setup notes. No previous laps to look back on. Just your best guess and a lot of adjustments throughout the night.

After hot laps, we knew we had work to do. The car just wasn’t where it needed to be, and Dominic wasn’t comfortable behind the wheel. We made a few changes before Heat Race #2, hoping we’d be closer.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the effect we were looking for.

Back to the Drawing Board

Starting seventh in the heat, Dominic finished where he started. Even more frustrating, he said the car actually felt worse than it did during hot laps.

That meant it was time to stop making small tweaks and really figure out what the car needed.

We spent time talking through exactly what Dominic was feeling in different parts of the track and decided to make some major setup changes before the feature. It was a bit of a gamble, but we knew we had to try something different if we wanted to move forward.

From 20th to 8th

Our heat finish lined us up 20th in the 20-car feature. It wasn’t the starting spot we wanted, but it gave us one goal. Go forward.

As soon as the green flag dropped, we could tell the changes had worked.

The 30s was finally handling the way Dominic needed it to, and he started picking off cars one by one. Lap after lap, he worked through the field until he found himself running eighth.

After struggling most of the night, seeing the car come alive and make that kind of charge was a huge boost for everyone on the team.

Late-Race Contact Ends a Strong Run

With 18 laps remaining in a 30-lap feature,  a caution slowed the field for a single-file restart.

When the green came back out, the cars ahead checked up unexpectedly, creating a chain reaction. Several cars got together, and Dominic had nowhere to go before making contact with the car in front of him.

He did everything he could to keep the 30s going, but after a couple of laps it became clear something was broken. Rather than risk causing more damage, he pulled into the infield, ending our night with a DNF.

That’s never the way you want to finish.

Trackside Takeaways

  • Racing at a brand-new track always comes with a learning curve.
  • The major setup changes before the feature completely changed the car.
  • Climbing from 20th to 8th showed the speed we had once we found the right setup.
  • Even though the results don’t show it, we left Limerock knowing we made big progress and gathered valuable information for the future.

Appreciation Lap

Leaving with a damaged race car is never fun, especially after fighting through a tough night. But we’re proud of how the team stuck with it, kept working, and turned a difficult start into one of our strongest drives.

A huge thank you goes out to our sponsors, supporters, and everyone who continues to believe in what we’re building.

We’d also like to give a special thanks to Shane Trout for all of the help he gave us throughout the night. Having people willing to lend a hand at the track means more than you know.

Now it’s time to get the 30s repaired and get ready for the next race. That’s dirt racing. You learn, you fix what’s broken, and you come back ready to do it all over again.

See ya at the next one!

Photos: Hendo Photo

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