November 20, 2007
Dan Gardner
Jackson-Dawson Scion Wraps Up Regional Championship at Buttonwillow
Team Wins NASA Championships in PTE and TTE with Groundbreaking Scion tC Racecar
TORRANCE, Calif. - This month, Dan Gardner and the Jackson-Dawson team again set a new milestone; two regional championships in one season with a Scion racecar. The team took the points championship in both road racing and time trials with wins in PTE and TTE, respectively. In PTE, the team accrued 1,155 points, 75 more than the second place finisher. TTE was effectively a run-away, with the team garnering 1,265 points, a whopping 440 more than the second-place car. The wins cap a season filled with accomplishments in both classes.
2007 NASA Season Highlights: Performance Touring E (PTE)
. 2007 Regional Class Champion
. 2nd Place Nationally
. First Scion in the World to Take National Road Racing Podium
. 11 Pole Positions
. 11 Wins in 17 Starts
. 5 Track Records
2007 NASA Season Highlights: Time Trial E (TTE)
. 2007 Regional Class Champion
. 2nd Place Nationally
. First Scion in the World to Take National Time Trial Podium
. 11 Wins
. 4 Track Records
"Whew!" exclaimed Gardner. "It's been a long season, but it sure has been rewarding. The results are what happen when a lot of people put their minds to a common goal. There's no one person who can claim the glory here. This is the biggest team sport there is."
As it would turn out, the second place runners in PTE and TTE would not take the starting grid. This would clinch Gardner's top position in both classes. And that meant that this time at Buttonwillow, some "creative liberties" could be taken.
After Qualifying on Saturday, Gardner was approached by a Nissan Sentra driver who was competing in a class up, the PTD class. He would be eligible for tire contingency money if four cars started the race.
After thinking about it for a minute, Gardner made a deal with the driver. He would help remove the 150 lbs. of ballast and Gardner would move his car into PTD. The deal was done, and Gardner would start out behind the Sentra, as he had qualified a touch slower.
When the green flag dropped, Gardner was out to a good start, but a slight miscue on the shift from 2nd to 3rd allowed a higher-class Mini Cooper S to pull ahead of Gardner. The Cooper was strong in a straight line with plenty of power on tap, but Gardner was raging on its rear bumper in the turns. A couple laps into the race, Gardner got a run coming out of Cotton Corners and pulled up alongside the Mini going into the Off Ramp. Gardner held the inside line through the turn and pulled ahead. Now it was onto the Sentra.
Gardner drove hard and eventually caught up to the Sentra, who was himself battling with an out-of-class SRT-4. Eventually going into Cotton Corners Gardner moved alongside the Sentra, as the driver went in too hot, locked up the brakes, and had to concede the inside line to the Scion.
From there Gardner drove defensively, holding off the Sentra for a few laps. The two were literally nose to tail as the Sentra bump-drafted Gardner down the main straight. In the end, the Sentra would break, giving Gardner a big cushion as he got through lap traffic and eventually even caught up with the monster 300 horsepower SRT-4. He would finish right in back of the higher class car and secure a PTD win, all in a car underprepared for the class.
During the race Gardner would rip off a scorching 2:12.2 laptime, enough to break the PTD lap record by a healthy margin. In TTE, Gardner also set a new track record, breaking his own record by a full second.
Sunday's weather would take a turn for the worse, as a large storm system blew in and blanketed the track. The team hadn't brought any rain tires, so it was going to be a challenge. The crew disconnected the rear sway bar as the rain fell and puddles began to surface all around the track. The team also slightly raised their cold starting tire pressures to account for the fact that they wouldn't be able to get enough heat in the tires.
In practice things proved dicey, especially in the esses where a mini lake spanned the entire track surface. Gardner drove with caution, and there were no incidents even though the times were quite slow. When Qualifying came, the track was partially dry, but the wet spots meant that it would be safer to leave the rear bar disconnected. Unfortunately the track would continue to dry out during the session. This would leave the car with tremendous understeer, as Gardner tried to manage the push, especially in Riverside, where the car simply wanted to push itself off the exit of the sweeping turn.
Gardner was left with a Qualifying time that was second to last, not just in class, but in the entire group! Not a good spot to be in, but that just meant that they'd have to work hard during the race to gain the positions back. The team assessed the weather, and decided to split the difference between a totally dry track and a rain setup. They connected the Progress rear bar again, but this time put it on the softest of the three settings. They also took out a bit of pressure in the tires, as a drier track would put more heat into them.
Just two cars were behind Gardner on the start (one with a slower Qualifying time, and one without a time at all.) As the cars came onto the front straight Gardner was on the inside, in the second to last row. When the
green flag flew, Gardner raged ahead in 2nd gear and quickly banged off the 2-3 shift. He pulled deeper to the inside and zoomed by 3 cars including a Porsche Boxster and Mazda RX-7.At that point he was on the tail of a red Porsche 944. He started to attempt a pass on the Porsche going into the esses, but decided to be patient and not force the pass. Before the first lap was over, however, Gardner would pass the 944. Now it was time to work on the Sentra.
Gardner would chip away at the gap lap after lap, until he finally caught the Sentra who was working on another RX-7. He, in turn, was knocking on the door of the Mini. Gardner was on the back bumper of the Sentra going down the front straight. He popped out of the draft, put his nose in the inside, and then late-braked the Sentra going into the first turn. Gardner gave the Sentra plenty of room by putting two tires on the inside curbing. As he did, the Scion roared up on two tires and paused for a second or two, before coming back down to the earth. Gardner heard his crewman exclaim on the radio, as he saw plenty of daylight underneath the car.
"It was wild," said crewman Craig Allen. "I saw Dan take the inside line for the pass, and then a second later, the car was up in the air, driving on two wheels. We could all see a huge amount of open air between the inside tires and the track. The whole tower of spectators gasped."
Gardner was working hard to keep the Sentra at bay as he chased down the RX-7. Going into Star Mazda, Gardner tried to make a pass on the inside but the RX-7 would turn down blocking Gardner from the pass. Going into Cotton Corners Gardner would try a pass again, and again he would be thwarted. As that happened, Gardner lost speed, as the Sentra moved to the inside. As he did, he collided with Gardner, ripping off his door handle and laying a big "donut" on the Scion's driver-side door. The Sentra would bounce off the solid tC, as Gardner maintained his lead.
On the next lap Gardner would set up the RX-7. He took a line to maximize exit speed out of Cotton Corners and onto the short straight.
He exited track right, held his position to confuse the driver for a minute, and then swung quickly to the inside before the Mazda could attempt a defensive line. The pass would stick, as Gardner held a tight inside line through Off-Ramp.
Ahead a bit was the Mini, and it would only be a lap later that the Mini would get a bit off line and spin at the top of a hill. Gardner was right on the back bumper at the time, as he floored the gas and drove around the spinning car. From there it was defense, defense, defense. The Sentra followed Gardner right through the last two passes, and was also getting through lap traffic quickly. In the end, the Scion would hold the Nissan off, finishing a half second ahead, but not before accruing some hard fought battle scars.
The win would mark back-to-back PTD wins for Gardner and the Scion, no small feat for a car built for a lower class. The removal of the ballast helped, but it by no means put the car at the top of the PTD class. Sunday's come from behind win was especially sweet, as the JD team proved that it's never over until it's over.
"Wow, what a win," said Brad Allen. "It's been a heckuva season for all of us. I came on board later in the season, but it's sure been exciting. I'm glad we got a chance to prove that a Scion can be a serious contender. I can't wait to see what next season will bring."
Gardner summed up the entire 2007 season by saying:
"We would be nowhere without the help of Scion, Jackson-Dawson and the host of valuable sponsors who believed in us. The crew and setup team were amazing. Everyone was so gracious with their time. The guys at Toyota Motorsports are second to none. Now though, it's time to focus on the upcoming season. We aren't taking the off-season off. It's time to get back to it. Scion for the win in '08!"
A gallery of photos from the season finale at Buttonwillow can be found at:
http://gallery.aboutgardner.com/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=buttonwi llow-11-07.
The JD Scion tC is currently fitted with
. Scion-supplied OE and TRD parts
. Nitto 235/40R17 and 225/45R17 NT-01 tires
. Enkei RPF1 17x8 wheels
. Recaro Pole Position Seats
. Progress Technology coilovers, rear swaybar, and camber bolts
. Dezod-supplied AEM standalone engine management, plug and play
harness and stainless clutch line. Kaminari carbon fiber roof
. Centerforce clutch and lightweight aluminum flywheel
. NST (NonStopTuning) Underdrive Pulley Kit
. NST (NonStopTuning) Shifter Cable Bushings. AIT carbon fiber hood
. Wild Pony Motorsports-supplied camber/caster plates
. Goodridge stainless brake lines and oil cooler fittings and lines
. Carbotech XP10 and XP8 brake pads
. G-Force 5-point harnesses, racing suit, gloves, and helmet
. TRD limited slip differential, thermostat, and crank pulley bolt
. DC Sports Header
. AEM wideband O2 sensor and controller
. Energy Suspension bushings and motor mounts
. HoseTechniques silicone hoses, couplers, and clamps
. Motul brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, and super coolant
. RobiSpec brake ducting
In addition, tire mounting, balancing, and repair are performed by America's
Tire Co., tuning is done by i-Speed, alignment is performed by M-Workz, car
care products are supplied by Mothers Polish, body work is done by Royalty
Auto Body, team clothing is supplied by turn3, and dyno testing services are
done by Harman Motive.
Jackson-Dawson Communications (JD) is a 25-year-old privately held company
that provides creative and strategic services to a range of national
clients. Core competencies include retail training, event marketing,
marketing services, business theater, video and media production services,
meeting planning, print graphic and design services, staging service and
vehicle management.
With corporate offices in Detroit, MI, Jackson-Dawson also maintains offices
in Torrance and Irvine, CA, Manhattan, NY, and Spring Hill, TN.
Jackson-Dawson owns and operates several divisions: Peloton Creative Group,
BenMar Communications, Drivers Talk Radio and Drivers Talk Testing.