INNISFIL, ON- ‘The Astronaut’ Brandon McFerran opened up his 2014 championship campaign in impressive fashion, turning in a 5th place finish in a talent-laden field of cars at Sunset Speedway’s inaugural ‘Spring Derby 35’ presented by Great Lakes Concrete
“We had over 30 cars this afternoon, any time you can grab a top-5 in a field this stout it’s definitely considered a success”, said McFerran post-race.
Starting in the 11th position, the Acton, ON-based driver saw himself mired in heavy traffic for much of the race’s first 20-laps.
“When you’re trying to roll through traffic, the most important thing to remember is to keep your composure”, explained the 15-year old. “I knew we had 35-laps, and I didn’t really want to push the issue any more than we had to early on in the race”.
In addition to the cramped quarters on the track, McFerran found himself fighting handling issues that intensified as the race wore on.
“We didn’t change the setup in the car between the heat and the feature and I think that’s where we hurt ourselves”, admitted the personable high-school student. “Our car was way too loose. We missed the setup, we should have tightened it up a little bit. Any time I tried to dive to the inside, the car would snap loose and I wasn’t able to pick off positions like I was hoping to”
“The most difficult race we have all season is opening night”, continued McFerran. “You never know exactly what the track’s going to do. It’s a guessing game and we were just a little off tonight”.
As the team worked to load his ride for the trip home, McFerran made sure to emphasize his focus for the 2014 season.
“We’ll get it right next week and come out swinging. I know we can give these boys a run for their money if we hit the setup right. This is a tough division and we just need to up our game a bit”.
‘The Astronaut’ Brandon McFerran’s Ford Mustang proudly carries marketing support from Peter D. Laird Transport, Road Ranger, East End Car Wash, Creative Edge Graphics, Finish Line Painting & Restoration, DS McClure Farms and AMD Electric.
Follow Brandon on Twitter @BrandonMcFerran and be sure to visit his brand new Brandon McFerran Racing page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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