Hernandez settles back into his groove with impressive
ADRL debut
HATTIESBURG, MS. – Josh Hernandez knew the most crucial
part of his weekend during the Inaugural ADRL Winter Drags
was not in qualifying for the tough eight-car field. For
the newly appointed driver of the Tommy Lipar-owned Pro
Modified, the most complex task was in simply climbing
behind the wheel.
Just
weeks removed from an unavoidable but nevertheless nasty
accident, the former alcohol Funny Car driver still had a
few lingering jitters. However, those feelings quickly
dispersed the moment that championship winning crewchief
Howard Moon gave the signal to fire on a Friday evening
shakedown pass.
“It felt
a little bit unnerving at first, but once the car
straightened out and ran, it felt great,” Hernandez said.
“I’m pleased to be back on the horse. I knew this first
run was going to be crucial. I feel a lot more comfortable
now than I did before I got back in the car.”
In a
short amount of time, Hernandez is learning more than just
how to drive from a different position within the car. His
previous driving gig was a center-driven Funny Car. His
Pro Modified is left-hand driven.
Hernandez is quickly adapting to all the intricacies.
“I think
I’m experiencing the full menu in Pro Modified,” Hernandez
added. “My crew has been very supportive of it all. I
think the biggest fear a driver should have is in letting
his team down. I felt like I did that in
Houston. We ran so well and they had done an incredible
job. I think their support has made this return possible.
It can be a head game sometimes.”
Sandwiched between the concerns of driving comfort were a
handful of mechanical gremlins that commanded painstaking
attention to detail. Nonetheless, the various distractions
didn’t cause his confidence to waver in the least.
Hernandez completed qualifying for the ADRL event less
than .03 off of the qualifying pace. His best run of the
weekend was an eighth-mile 4.209.
With
this event out of the way, Hernandez is more than ready
for his NHRA AMS TLR driving debut at next month’s NHRA
Mac Tools Gatornationals in
Gainesville, Fla.
The
official website for Tommy Lipar Racing can be accessed at
www.tommyliparracing.com.
Associate sponsorship for Tommy Lipar Racing comes from
Century Asphalt Materials and the Angel Brothers.
By: Bobby Bennett, Harley Communications
