Final Results for 2005 UARA Races

                                                         Final UARA Race of 2005

11/5/05   Q=POLEFinished=WON

Lighting Strikes Five times for Matt and the Tomoe Warriors. The Team was going into the final points race with a 46 point lead. This meant if the motor stayed together, no flat tires,  or Driver crashing into spun cars, it was a goal that could be reached by a Team of Warriors. Guys that never questioned Matt's ability to win at other tracks and win Championships.  He was called a one Track Jack. But  Matt and the Team worked hard, never surrendered and proved that theory wrong. The night he lost at Lonesome Pine with 5 to go and at Kinley with 9 to go with the motor blowing, both could have been wins. Then with the motor laying down at Anderson's second race, Matt could have been the most winning driver ever in the UARA series. But could and should are dreams apart. Matt did win more races than any driver before him in the UARA in one season. Matt and his Team won 5 races and 4 poles and led the most laps in the 2005 race season. They were the Team to beat and when you go to tracks and race the locals, you best get up on the wheel. What a great year. The Team stood by him in the bad times as well as the good times. Matt is a talented race car driver and in the future he will get to display his skills at the next level.  The race at Hickory was a repeat of the first UARA race. There were many factors the team worried about - the vibrations in the motor and the car staying together - Matt and David Cool even changed gear to save the motor even though all the team had to do was finish 9th or better. How did this go?  Hickory is Matt's House and he would not surrender.  Matt put old gray on the pole and would LEAD EVERY LAP.

This made Matt and the Team the  "2005 UARA STARS CHAMPIONS".

Thanks to:  Steven who keeps Matt up to speed on how the fields times are to his so he can set his pace and he is an awesome mechanic. Greg King is the Tire man with setting air pressures and an all around great mechanic and Matts right hand Man on the car, late nights were common for this warrior. Steven Cannon has shown he can get the job done, no matter what he was asked to do. He replaced Jeremy Lisle. Jeremy did step in a few times this year and keep us on track. David Flynn is the anchor of the team and so cool when the going gets tough. He has the heart of a Champion and always handles each issue as a professional crew chief. Matt  McCall pulls the trigger on the UARA STARS Rocket. Danny McCall being his dad tried to work through David Flynn if need be, he kept the father-son relationship great and they remain friends . OSU!!

I think we should address the rumor of the first lap and restart.

As for the first lap, both cars got loose as Matt was ahead and they did touch. Matt never ran Caudill up into the wall  - if you will look at both cars, there's no damage. It's hard to call from the stands.

I know it's hard to get all the news correct (Race Rap reporter), Matt did not win because of a Botched up restart. The one to go over the radio was given and the lights went out. The 29 car was on the ball and passed Caudill on this restart, only to be passed back. Who's head was were ? The leader starts the race and Caudill should have been on Matt's bumper if  he thought he could win. Sometimes it appears as Caudill was catching Matt, but if you will look at lap times, Matt was only saving tires up on the high line. When it came time for Matt to go, he was gone. So let’s be fair to all.  The restart would not have changed the out come. It was clear on the restarts Matt pulled away. UARA has so many great drivers and Caudill is a true racer Best of the Best but he failed to shake Matt's hand because he was upset and his brother had to handle it. The 50 team  inspired us with a shirt Caudill's Brother was wearing. "In the Heart of a Warrior" "There is No Surrender" These two Warriors never surrendered. It's always hard to make one a Champion, when Jamey and Matt are the best at what they do - True Champions. It was only the bad runs and blown motors that decided this Championship. Jamey and Matt and their teams  are a class act and will continue to win races and Championships. Matt and his Tomoe Warriors have done what nobody thought they could do and that's winning at different tracks and under different conditions. They are Champions, so don't muddy the dreams of 6 guys who gave it all for this Championship. I would not have replied, but sometimes you feel the need to give your 2 cents worth. Thanks to Race Rap for covering this event. UARA will continue to grow as they are a no-BS Touring series and light years ahead of a lot of other LMS  series. Brian and Kerry are on the right Track. If you think you can run with the Big Dogs, you need to give it a try next year; you could get your feelings hurt. You will be on a level playing field as they have NO Favorites. Please see Matts Motor tear down after the win, click here This is why they will continue to be successful. Click here for more Final UARA photo's. Thanks to all who help Dream Team 23 get to their 2nd Championship in two years.

Look for big things as Matt's Dreams are BIG!!!!OSU!!

 In the Heart of a Warrior....There is No Surrender!!

See all at the banquet January 14th 2006 in Hickory

God Bless you and your family..........

10/29/05   Q=6th  Finished =2nd

Matt and the Tome Warriors had problems during practice with the rocker arms breaking. The Team  lost valuable practice time. But, as any Championship team would, the Team settled for a 6th place starting position with honor. This was a beautiful site to watch as the master of the wheel would move forward when the time was right. Matt would paint a picture to the front and at times was a tenth better than the leader. A final green, white, checker lap would cause Matt and the team to decide if you go for the win and maybe wreck or wait till we get to Hickory to settle the Championship. So when the rag dropped, Matt would finish second and loose a few points. The Championship will be decided at Hickory and the Team will have a home field advantage. Don't miss the final series race of the UARA STARS at Hickory Saturday at 4pm where we can say we have run in the series of the best late models in the country today. The UARA series is a success because they are filling a void. Hats off to the UARA leaders. The team will use this finish to fuel the spirit to keep on the Championship trail. 

See Ya Saturday!!!!!!

 In the Heart of a Warrior....There is No Surrender!!

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!! See Ya at Hickory!!

10/22/05     Q=3rd   Finished =1st  

   Matt with his Band of  Tomoe Warriors went to Tri-County to do battle.  The Tomoe Warriors found themselves among 36 other fast cars. The cooler weather caused the team to change up on qualifying. The  machine needed  another lap to keep the car from sliding around and resulted in a 3rd place start.  When the rag dropped, the  machine fell into the 4th spot and waiting for air pressures to stabilize rode for 10 laps or so. Then Matt started his march to the front, passing the 2nd and 3rd place rockets on the outside in the high groove, putting the "O'Quinn Move" on them.  Then he  ran down the leader and attempted to pass only to be cut off and blocked. This didn't stop old Gray Ghost from trying to get past the leader. But the pass had to be made in the tech shed, where the leader failed to pass post race tech. This gave the team its 4th win this season and the spirit to keep on the Championship trail.

 In the Heart of a Warrior....There is No Surrender!!

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!! See Ya at Florence.

10/1/05    Q=6th    Finished =2nd

Matt and the Tomoe warriors went to Manassas, Va with all the hopes of running good and winning the race.  How did it go? Not too Bad.  The old gray ghost got the job done. She hit the track during qualifying and caused Matt to start 6th. It didn't take Matt long before he was on the path to the front. If you have never been to Old Dominion, please take a flash light or some sort of lighting. We needed headlights.  Fireball McCall had to run thru the dark for a 150 laps and didn't know if he would hit the wall in turn four or not because he couldn't see.  Marsha could not  even video the race because it was so dark in the stands as well. But as for the race, Fireball  moved forward all night but ran out of laps to win with a local getting away in the lapped traffic. Now with two weeks off, it's tear down and rebuild all the motors and cars to get them ready for the final 3 races.  The points are close due to motor failures but hopefully we have solved the problems.  Remember, the warriors are racers who will race anybody, any place ,any time !

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!! See Ya at Tri-County?

9/24/05 Q=3rd   Finished =12th

Matt and the Warriors took on the mighty Bristol Motor Speedway along with 70 other awesome cars that came to conquer the Worlds Fastest 1/2 Mile. The Warriors had a great practice on Friday with thoughts Matt would come home the winner in the machine. So after qualifying 3rd and making it with the other 3 (no#4,70,23,44) who didn't have to race in, the team was sure we could get a win. When the rag dropped, Matt fell into line third and was on cruise till the 70 car smack the wall.  That left Deiny #4 and McCall to go to the next  zip code. During the first 100 laps these Warriors were the class of the field, lapping car after car until lap 115, Matt started to fall back with a right front tire going down. He touched the wall and  his hopes of stealing the show in the last 10 laps were gone.  The Tomoe Warriors had never experienced a problem where their performance would determine if  Fireball McCall would make it back on the track and maintain his points lead. But  David (Cool) Flynn (who stored extra lug nuts in his shirt, in case one or two where dropped during the battle) made the call and prepared the Warriors on what would  be done. Greg (Pimp Daddy) King and David (Hook 'em) Williams would get the jack under the car and get the car off the ground, with Steven (dream maker) Cannon standing by as backup if any additional tools or parts would be needed. David Flynn - had been there done that - in the past, (former crew chief for Robert Huffman and with a victory at Bristol along with 3 championships) but never with  Fireball McCall. He has guided Matt for 4 years to a Championship at Hickory and hopeful a win at Bristol. Hook 'em  and Pimp Daddy made the pit stop easy for DF Cool who changed the tire so Fireball McCall  never went a lap down under the caution. It's times like this when the Team works together with no name calling or joking around.

They were  "" and kept  Matt on the Road to success. They all have the  Six Qualities of a Champion - Accuracy! Discipline! Intensity! Focus!  Respect! Excellence!  The Team has had its share of heart breaks this year, but they are always in a position to win. That's all you can do when you are crewing one of the most consistent late model drivers on the circuit today. Matt would not give up as he put the pedal to the metal, only to have the sway bar hinge break a few laps later. So with a championship on the line, it was decided that Fireball McCall would stay out and finish the race without a sway bar and with sparks flying.  When the checker rag dropped, Matt would finish 12th and maintain the points lead. 

Now for the tire problem, Goodyear engineers will say it was the rim (had 8 new rims for this race), but the four quickest cars there had right front flat tires.  The tire has a bead problem and numerous wrecks occurred because of bead separation. Now Goodyear will say with only 5 or 6 tires going flat, that's normal. It's never normal when you put racers in danger with a tire that is a problem.  Hopefully, next  year more testing can be done to see if the tire will go 150 laps on a fast car.

A $15,000.00 race should not be a points race, as the regular UARA racers had to race differently than the gunslingers for money, but it was. So if the UARA stars must race for points and money, then if a UARA Star wins Bristol, he should get an extra bonus. If you will look at the list of the top 10 in points in the UARA you will see that UARA has the best in the business today. Racers who are not scared to race local heroes. It's tough to go to other  tracks and beat the track champion or current points leader but these guys do that.  These are the Top Guns of the Late model division, who will race anybody, any place ,any time and WIN!!!!.

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!! See Ya at VA?

9/02/05  Q=POLE! Finished=15th

Matt and the Tomoe Warriors started off the race with their 3rd pole and a sixty something point lead, life was good. But, with running a good clean race all night and the 50 car in site, it ended as a night to blow points and a motor. The race was in the final 10 laps when the Machine exploded into flames and the Teams night ended in Matt "FIREBALL" McCall fighting a fire in the car to save old gray. This is the "Winn ingest" car he has ever had. She set a track record at Hickory and is Matt's main Lady for the short tracks.  There were all types of reasons for the failure, but no one could say what caused it. But, old yellow has stepped up and put a win in the column of Matt's racing career so now Matt "FIREBALL" McCall will move to the back-up piece and work on each race to finish and win.

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!! See Ya at Bristol!!!!!!!

August 20, 2005  Q=Pole  Finished= Won!!

Matt had another wonderful week with the "Roush Gong Show- Driver X".  This has been an experience of a life time. He had prepared his car for LPR before going to  Darlington Raceway to work on making the finals of the elite "Roush Gong Show" so Matt was ready to race this weekend. While the finals were interesting and not maybe what we expected, only good can become of this opportunity. Matt hopes to become a Roush Team member and make a racing career with one of the icons of the sport "Jack Roush". Time will tell. Matt did make the finals, which is so cool.  Who will get the ride?

Now on to the race at Lonesome Pine. The Tomoe warriors went to LPR to redeem themselves from the mechanical break earlier in the year and to re-gain the points lead. How did it go.............G-R-E-A-T.  Matt put his ole yellow on the pole with a blistering 16:262. When the rag dropped, Matt and  machine lead every lap and were never challenged by running the famous Danny O'Quinn line. What happened to Matt at the last LPR race happened to Caudill - a distributor would cost him points. But Caudill is a great warrior and will not give up. Matt and Danny O'Quinn have  become great friends over the last 3 weeks and  have really grown to respect each other as drivers and racers hoping for a career in the Roush camp. 

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!   See ya next time at Kinley !!

August 5 2005  Q=12th  Started=18th  Finished =2nd

Matt was gone all week with the "Roush Gong Show" and never had a chance to touch his car until Friday. But, more importantly is that Matt McCall from the little town of Denver is one of the final 12 selected to compete in the Roush/Discovery Channel Racing Reality Show that will air this fall on Discovery Channel. Twenty-five of the best in the motor sport circuit today were selected from almost 1,700 applicants.  On Thursday August 4 the field was narrowed to 12. This is another great history mark in Matt's passion to be a Nextel Cup Driver.

Matt and his Tomoe warriors worked hard to make the gray ghost as good as possible in practice at Anderson Motor Speedway on Friday, but the motor was flat at the bottom end and ok on top end. So with visions of a pole and a win , the dream was smashed as the gray ghost qualified 12th. This was a shock to the team as the ghost is a front row queen.  After hours of who to blame this on, the Warriors had a meeting on how they could make lemonade out of  lemons. The vote was to go to make changes and go to the rear of the 19 car field. The Ghost didn't need much as she was a little tight during practice. The points leader was on the pole, so we had to take a chance on passing more cars and getting the 10 point bonus so we could close the playing field on the 50 car. Then when the rag dropped, Matt was clearly on a mission to win. With the skill of a fine artist, he painted a picture of hope. The team was amazed as Matt cut through the field of championship cars with his gray ghost, that never lets him down. Matt worked and worked and with 30 to go was putting the heat on the 50 car. The 50 car and the 20 car touched causing a spin and a championship vision started to glow in the team again. When the checkered flag dropped Matt was in the second spot and with another 20 hp, maybe could have won again. When the team found out they had cut the points lead to two, all was forgotten about who's fault it was and the team became one as every great team has in pass history. Each member of the Tomoe warriors want to win another Championship and with the determination shown Saturday night and with the most awesome driver it could happen. The team knows after the bad luck they have endured, it is within reach and will be done.

Stop by the pits and visit with a true Champion and crew who are  .

July 30 2005  Q=4th finished=3rd

The Tomoe warriors went to Elkin with a desire to take back the points lead.  The Team and   machine made a great run for it , but fell short when on lap 12, Matt and the missile hit the outside wall when a fellow racer thought he could win on lap 12.  Now the was crippled with a bent rear axle housing causing the Car to limp into the 3rd spot. But the 50 car came from the back to extend his lead to 20 points. But, winners want to quit ! But losers do!. So the warriors left the race with a plan to get the motor freshen up and a new plan to get the Points lead back. Hard work!!

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!   See ya next time in Andersons!!

July 16,2005  Q=9th F=3rd

The old rocket had some good practice times and then when it came time to qualify, the sun came out and slowed the second half of the field about  a tenth. Therefore, the machine started 9th and Matt had to work his way to the front. Some people still think the race can be won in the first 5 laps of the 150 lap race. Just as Brian had told us in the  meeting, somebody will try to win in the first 5 laps and he was right as the field piled up all around the missile. The machine was hit in the rear and pushed into the car in front causing damage to the front and the toe as well as a tire rubbing the fender.  All this on lap 5 as a Star was trying to be a star on lap 5. Now with a damaged front end, Matt drove what he had to the third spot and had a good run on the second place car only to fade in a sea of  lapped traffic. It was not a bad finish considering we had a damaged machine.  The warriors will be back in action the 31st of July at Elkin.

Stop by the pits and visit with a true Champion and crew who are  .

God Bless and Let's support UARA!!.....

July 2nd 2005  Q=3rd  F 19th

It looked like a race where Matt could run away with the points. But, racing is truly not over till the final checkered flag. The Warriors put the rocket in the three spot  to start the race and it looked like after 40 laps Matt would put the machine in victory lane. The 27 car came from way back in the field, but when he got to the front , Matt moved to the fast lane - to the tune of around 1.5 tenths faster . Then on the restart the machine looked to be back out front by 5 car length, BAM!!!the distributor gear broke and the Awesome ROHO power plant slowed going into 1 & 2. The night was over and the team felt the pain of  breaking with only 6 laps left.  Matt has worked hard to get the motor  ready for Tenn. The markings of a Championship Team is not to give up but get on the program and make it happen. 

Matt is a great driver, engineer and mechanic. He has learned from the best, but he's the one who keeps the wheels turning. Every thing on the car, Matt makes or installs himself. The motors are built by ROHO and Matt keeps the timing and valve lash set, as well as any leaks or squeaks.

 Stop by the pits and visit with a true Champion and crew who are  .

God Bless and Let's support UARA!!.....

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!

June 4, 2005  Q=11th  F=7th

Mattand his  band of Tomoe warriors went to Newport TN with plans of being quick. But, It was a learning experience for the Team. They had to change the complete setup to match the fast track of Newport.  The machine got faster with the chassis adjustments, but ran out of time with the two hour limit on practice. During qualifying there was too much air and scuffing of the tires to make the machine reach the top 5 in qualifying. So Matt and hisDraggin Bass machine was doomed to start 11th and fight for every spot. The  Champion Matt had another unexpected  problem on lap 2, he lost the power steering from a cut hose. Now for a 148 laps Matt fought a car that would not turn or allow him to feel safe in the tight corners of the lightning fast Newport Speedway. So Matt settled in for a night of work, making the crippled machine go left. But, in the end, the team was able to leave Newport with a 7th place finish and retain the points lead. Equipment is everything and even with the task log and check list, things happen.

Till the next UARA-STARS  event, God Bless and Till we meet again..look for Matt and the Tomoe Warriors at a Track near you !

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!

May 26, 2005    Q=Outside Pole  F= Win!!!       

Mattand the Tomoe warriors worked all day on a setup that would work when the tires were done. Matt with his Engineering skills didn't take long to figure out what made them fast and he built a set of shocks and springs to make them last.  David Flynn (crew chief) and Matt made changes to the rocket  to be there at the flag. Starting outside pole was exciting as they went 3 wide on the first lap with Matt on the outside and hanging on till he could make the machine move to third. Matt made it clear he was and there to race. He rode third for a 100 or so laps, missing 5 wrecks that almost took out all the leaders and watching how  Ward and Tissot passed each other on the track where they had won many races. Then with only 35 laps to go, Ward had trouble with his brakes and the machine moved into the #2 spot. With 25 to go the 33 machine couldn't hold off the McCall any longer.  With 10 laps to go and  another UARA-STARS  win possible,  Matt was hard to catch.  He never failed to hit his spots on the grip-less track of Anderson Motor Speedway to win his second UARA-STARS event.  Special thanks to Steven for keeping Matt out of trouble in the pits as there were some close calls. He baby-sat the 23 all day, in and out of the tight pits. Greg and Matt worked on tires and got the magic set and those tires made it to Victory Lane. David Williams our mechanic and chief timer was on hand to make sure Matt and the warriors went to Victory Lane. The officials of the series treat the teams as professionals.  What a great group of guys and what a series. If you want to run with the big dogs of late model racing and have fun, please take time to race with the UARA-STARS.

Dreams do come True..  Race Hard !  Finish First !

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!     (Click here for photos..)

April 30, 2005  Q=4th   F=5th    South Boston

Matt and the Tomoe warriors worked all day on the new tires that UARA passed out Saturday Morning.  The team struggled with the tires as they were different and tuning the machine to them didn't go well.  Matt was able to put together a 4th place qualifying run which was not a surprise as the team knew one lap would be easy for the rocket.  In the race the car was not well balanced and Matt fought a loose condition all night and never got a handle on the track. Matt ran in the top 5 until on a re-start, the machine was just to loose to hold off anyone. So instead of fighting and wrecking, Matt decided to ride out the night and hopefully save what he has for the next race in Anderson. Being the driver and warrior he is, he took what he had and made a 5th place finish out of a 15th place car.  During the wreck fest event Matt was able to clear wreck after wreck to get his  machine back to the checkered flag with only a few bumps. The team feels that with  more testing they will be back on top.  Matt and the crew  have torn the car down and sent the motor and other components out  and are making plans to test at some of the tracks that  MMR will be visiting soon. Till the next UARA-STARS  event, God Bless and Till we meet again..look for Matt and the Tomoe Warriors at a Track near you !

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!     (Click here for photos..)

April 16, 2005   Q=outside pole  F=3rd     Florence Speedway

Matt and a new team of warriors went to Florence with hopes of a second victory with the in the UARA-STARS  series. But, a sticking throttle caused Matt to miss more practice and only see 10 hot laps prior to Qualifying. Matt being the professional and the last car to go, put his Hot Rod and on the outside pole and let everyone know he was ready to do battle. On the start, he caught Caudill sleeping and took the lead. It was later learned that Caudill suffered motor trouble and dropped out. Caudill is one of the best in the series and with him out it was Matt and York to do battle. Matt set the pace for some 85 laps, having to dodge lapped cars every 5 to 7 laps (#1). You would think there would be a minimum speed rule.  So on lap 85 while slowing to pass the same lapped car, York gave Matt the old 1,2,3 nudge and as they say in racing," rubbin's racin". With the toe messed up, he was a sitting duck for another nudge by the 8 car. So when the rag dropped Matt and his Tomoe warriors sat in the third spot. It was clear Matt had a strong car, but it was York's night to Rub and Win. That's Racing and great racing it was!!  Till South Boston. UARA -STARS Rules cannot be built on the General rule #27 and #32.  Nit-picking is one of the main reasons cars leave local tracks as who knows how rule #27 and #32 will be interpreted the next time. Let's treat all the same. 

"On a Quest to be the Best".

March 26, 2005   Q=pole   F=win

Matt and the Tomoe Warriors visited the Hickory Bull Ring for the first race of their season.  The warriors worked on the car trying to top Matt's best time ever, but fell short of 14:79 with a solid 14:83.  Matt went on to lead every lap and win the Hickory 50 lapper.  It is sad not to be there every week, but the Team voted on traveling this year with the UARA-STARS.  Hickory will always be Matt's home track and whenever he can he will return to race or help others.  Looks as if Sherry has found the key to making a track successful and we wish her and the Tech Crew the best. Till we return. Thanks to all our sponsors and and one

of our new sponsors .  Thanks to all, see ya soon!!!!!!!!!

March 19, 2005    Q=pole   F=win

Matt decided to race with the Stars of  Late Models at Hickory and with a field of 48 cars nobody was safe.  They have an amazing program as UARA-STARS are on their game and made it known they want clean racing with clean restarts.  Matt and the Tomoe Warriors tested the new tires and worked on different areas of how the tires were different than the 2402s he has raced on for 3 years.  Matt with his Engineering skills didn't take long to figure out what made them fast and he built a set of shocks and springs to make them last.  With almost 50 of the best Late Model cars in the south, 28 made the show.  Hats off to the teams who got to race in the show.  It takes a team determine to win to do that. We consider the UARA series a real deal because they have done their homework.  Matt, as usual made no bones about the fact that he wanted to make a good showing with the new series. He hit pay dirt with a pole of 15:023 and leading all but 4 or 5 laps. So for 145 laps Matt dominated the field and rode to his first UARA-STARS victory . The officials of the series treated the teams as professionals.  What a great group of guys and what a series. If you want to run with the big dogs and have fun, please take time to race with the UARA-STARS.  Matt and the    Machine are back on the track till Matt gets the call all drivers want to get from a NASCAR Team wanting a young driver to test and race.  Matt dreams that it will happen someday but, in the mean time, he's training to be the best..or as we say "On a Quest to be the Best". Till the next circle of dream comes, look for the Tomoe Warriors to work hard .

Dreams do come True..  Race Hard !  Finish First !

(click here for photos)

Jan & Feb Late Model....Look on the front Page!!!!

12 18 04 till 12 23 04

10/30/04

Matt and his Family went to the NASCAR Awards in Nashville Tennessee. (See Pictures)  

The Tomoe Warriors and Matt will be leaving on December 18th for a 5 day cruise in the Bahamas to celebrate a great  magical year.                                                                          Dreams do come True..  Race Hard !  Finish First !

10-23-04  Q=POLE   F= WON

The crew came to the Fall Brawl "On a quest to be the Best"

The Tomoe Warriors made no bones that it would have the to beat.  Matt and the Warriors tuned the machine  to make a  qualifying pole run of 14:881, not a track record, but the outside pole was a 15:05.  This set the tone for the race at hand with 250 laps to be made around the Bull Ring of Hickory.  The  machine left the field like Coconut Cream Pie Shakes on a Saturday night at . There was never a question who had the fastest machine as Matt would drive out of site and then dice and slice his way thru a field of great  cars. Except for the missed shift with 50 to go and a rear end vibration, the machine was perfect. It was a great year for Matt and the WHO CREW- they loved every moment of it. What a way to leave the Greatest Short Track on the NASCAR Weekly Series Circuit, but with a dominating win. Teams all dream of doing what Matt has done, but no one has ever won the Track Championship, the  "Bobby Isaac Memorial"  and the Fall Brawl 250 in one year.  It was only disserving that Champion Matt and the Warriors leave the track with the motor out of the car and  in the back of the truck after an intense carb, head, piston, rod and crank inspection(click here). To all those who wonder, all was good and not even close as Matt has spent 10 years learning the ropes of shocks, springs and setup. But all  important is, when to make those changes and it was Matt and David Flynn's  job to do just that.  Let the numbers speak for themselves with 15 Wins and 10 Pole Awards where but a few of the Past Champions could not even hold a light to Matt's domination of the toughest track anywhere.

Thanks to all the Sponsors and Fans for their support of a True Championship Team

10/10/04  Q=28th out of 88 entries   F=10th out of 42 starters

The crew went to Martinsville to win. But, with a real fast car, we all know the unknowns sometimes get in the way.  Matt went from hero to zero in one lap. During the morning test session the rocket never made a qualifying run to see what it would take to make it faster as the team knew we could make the show with practice times. So with tape in hand, the machine was taped up.  Then with visions of  a pole and a win, the warriors had a rude awaking as the car bottomed out and all the hard work went up with the car dragging through the corners. This was the results of down force on the nose from the tape. Then with a time of 21:18, it was clear we would have to race our way in or take a provisional . The team never thought of using the free pass since they came to win. Now it was up to Matt to make the car work as qualified. He started third in the fourth heat race and ran a hard 25 laps to finish 2nd and make the Big Show. This meant he would start in the 28th spot of the 42 (88 tried) who made the Awesome Bailey's 300. Then with 3 people including Matt, the team would pick, mount, size tires and prepare the car for 200 laps in 30 minutes. The Warriors stepped up and made it happen because they wanted Matt to win. When the , ,  hit the track, Matt made it clear he was and would not be pushed around. During the first 100 laps Matt worked the Hot Rod to the 20th spot, while missing  numerous wrecks and Love Slams to make it through to the final 100 laps. At half-way Matt  and the other three warriors, David F., Greg and Jeremy (Danny M was spotting and David W. was scoring) went to work making changes to win.  Matt had his work cut out as now he had 14 lapped cars to the inside. This meant Matt would have to pass those 14 lapped cars and 19 more to win. The goal was set and Matt cut his way thru a maze of wrecks and near wrecks and slams to move to the 10th spot. At this point Matt gets punted by the #75 and has to make up 5 spots again as he was on a roll. But, time would expire and the Tomoe Warriors were crushed, yet happy to finish the race with a complete race car and a top 10 finish after such a slow start.  This was a great lesson to all. We have to test the car in all stages and not leave it to chance. The Hot Rod and Tomoe Warriors will be preparing the old Grey mare for the Fall Brawl.

This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!

Stop by the pits and visit with a true Champion who is .

9/18/04  Q=POLE  F=WONNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!LAST POINTS RACE!!

The  machine was grateful that Hickory Motor Speedway never cancelled their race so Matt could maybe gain some points in the Regional Points Race.  Had Motor Mile not  cancelled their race the Tomoe Warriors would have gone to MMS to race Frank, but MMS fooled everyone by holding a race Sunday. What was this about? No other class ran but the Late Models and it was free.  It's over at Hickory and Matt was again the dominate car, with only 50 laps to finish out the year.  The   machine won the Last race of  the year for the third time in three years since coming to the Late Model Class. There was never any doubt who would win the race with a 2.5 second over the field in qualifying and then 3 seconds over the field in the race.  We really enjoyed the racing with Brandon and Brian, Allison and Colby and not to mention Scott Kilby (former Track Champion) as well as the few times Jamie Yelton and Matt Carter gave the track a visit.  Thanks to the Staff at Hickory who work so hard to keep it rolling, as there is no other track in the NASCAR Division with more heritage.  Just look on the WALL and count the Champions who are true legends in the sport. The Warriors worked as hard for the last  race as they did for the Big Shows, never quitting and  always working to be "On a Quest to be the Best."   Till we get back from the Martinsville practice, look for the warriors to do what it takes to get ready for the Super Bowl of the Late Models.  Thanks again for all the support and we had a great year!!!! Dreams do come true...But, first you have to have a Dream......."Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."

Till we meet again..look for the Tomoe Warriors at a Track near you !

9/11/04   Q=outside pole    F=WON>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It was a great day for all the late models that came to the 28th annual running of the "Bobby Isaac" race.  The machine qualified "outside pole" with a 14:961 and the #8 Jamie Yelton with a 390 4-barrel  got the pole.  We have tested the 390 and found it to be faster for about 20 laps. Two things happen, one the brakes won't stop the car and then as the driver tries to get -it done, buzzes the wheels and then you are DONE.  Therefore, the track record holder made it clear he was the man to beat.  There were three former Track Champions that came to look at the rear of the on Matt's old gray rocket.  It was clear after 20 laps, the machine was waiting for the right moment to take the lead. But with so many lapped cars, Matt was waiting till he had a clear shot to make the pass and lead the field.   It's for sure of all the Late Model bad Boys, Jamie Yelton is a true racer and comes to win, not wreck the field as so many have done to him and Matt  in the past years. It was never close after the pass, even on re-starts, the 23 rocket was gone at the first corner. The team made a few  changes that proved to make the car better in the second 100 laps.  Matt lead the final 140 laps and made history with his win of the "Bobby Isaac Memorial" race (with a straight away lead).  Matt has never been one to blow his own horn or make excuses, he's a solid racer with a lot of knowledge who maintains his own car and performs all the body and chassis work.  No other driver in the last 18 years has dominated the track more than Matt has with his track record time of 14:79. The pit talk only makes Matt and the crew work harder as we race some of the best teams in the country.  Never in the last 18 years has anyone gone faster around Hickory Motor Speedway than Matt McCall.  We look forward to racing in Martinsville, Matt has a great crew who really care about him and his car.  It takes a Team effort to win Championships and Matt has a great Team who wants to win.  First, you have to expect to win.  Matt has those Championship qualities Accuracy ! Discipline ! Intensity ! Focus !  Respect ! Excellence!  It has paid off with 14 wins  and 9 poles, let the times and results speak for themselves.   This Team is on a Quest to be the Best!!!

Till we meet again..look for th