Hernandez ready to prove himself in Hattiesburg
HATTIESBURG, MS. – To say Josh Hernandez received a
crash course in driving a Pro Modified car would be both
a bad pun and the truth combined. In his first outing
behind the wheel of Tommy Lipar’s supercharged 1957
Chevy, the Magnolia, Texas-based driver found himself
entangled with fellow Lone Star State racer Frankie
Taylor in a two-car crash at Houston Raceway Park.
Not
exactly the kind of start a rookie Pro Modified racer
wants to ever encounter, Hernandez is eager to put the
unfortunate experience behind him. This weekend’s ADRL
Winter Drags in Hattiesburg, MS., will provide the
opportunity.
“I
have been involved in drag racing long enough to know
this isn’t the way we wanted to get started,” said
Hernandez. “Drag racing has its way of making you
experience emotional peaks and valleys.”
Never
has Hernandez made a truer statement. Just one round
earlier Hernandez stormed to the low elapsed time of the
Pro Stock Super Bowl in Houston, Texas with a mark of
6.13 to eliminate veteran runner Roy Hill. He also
established the pole position with a 6.19 posting in
only his second run behind the wheel of a Pro Modified.
Hernandez will be representing not only Tommy Lipar
Racing in 2005 but a few local associate sponsors as
well. The Angel Brothers, co-owners of Houston Raceway
Park, are major associate sponsors on the team.
“It’s
great to have the opportunity to drive the Pro Mod for
Tommy and the Angel Brothers this year,” Hernandez said.
“Together with Century Asphalt Materials, Angel Brothers
paving and utility contractors have provided the support
to put on a professional, high-performance program. We
couldn’t be more excited about 2005.”
Hernandez is an admitted horsepower enthusiast, having
tinkered with hot rods for much of his youth. A former
Technical Student of the Year for his technical drafting
talents, it didn’t take long before his concentration
settled into the Motorsports arena. He’ll quickly lay
claim to being a jack of all trades when it comes to
driving a race car. Hernandez is currently licensed in
Pro Stock, Pro Modified, Alcohol Funny Car, Competition
eliminator, Top Sportsman and Super Comp.
Hernandez spent much of last season behind the wheel of
the Tommy Lipar Racing Alcohol Funny Car. He enjoyed a
fair amount of success and the experience did a lot to
lay the groundwork for his current endeavor. He’ll admit
that replacing last year’s driver Von Smith provides an
incredible amount of pressure to perform.
“Von
Smith established a high standard to follow,” Hernandez
said. “In moving from a Funny Car to a Pro Modified, I
understand a lot more of the things that he experienced.
You tend to overdrive a Pro Mod a lot more than a Funny
Car.”
But
when it comes to the accident in Houston, Hernandez is
still at a loss for what caused the mishap. The car rode
the wall and was immediately thrust into the opposite
lane.
“Your
guess is as good as mine,” Hernandez says, shrugging his
shoulders. “All I could see were sparks and the bottom
of Frankie's car about ten feet in front of me. Luckily,
I didn't run into him, I was doing everything I could
not to make contact. I pulled the 'chutes and tried to
steer away from him. My car was sliding on the bent
wheelie bars and I was just along for the ride with a
front-row seat of Frankie rolling and spinning on his
lid.
“I'm
glad no one was injured and, obviously, I feel horrible
about the accident especially after doing so well so
far. To let the team down by banging up the car is the
worst fear as a new driver."
In
Hattiesburg, Hernandez will have the opportunity to
redeem himself even though he doesn’t have to. For him,
it’s a personal thing.
Qualifying for this weekend’s ADRL Winter Drags in
Hattiesburg, MS., begins on Saturday at Noon. Teams will
be afforded two more sessions at 2:00 and 4:00 PM. Final
eliminations are slated for 7 PM.
