Mechanical Voo Doo
hits Hernandez
Belle Rose, Louisiana (April 24,
2005) – Struggling with mechanical problems all weekend
during the Jegs.com Cajun Sportsnationals at Belle Rose
Louisiana, driver Joshua Hernandez finished a
disappointing weekend in the Tommy Lipar Racing Dr. Moon’s
Rage ’57 Chevy. Problems with the brakes caused Hernandez
to leave the line early and forfeit the race.
“Either there’s something in the air
down here or someone hit us with that Louisiana Voodoo,”
Hernandez said. “There were some little things we were
struggling with on the car, but we thought we could work
through them.”
“I felt really confident we had
things ready to go, but when I got to the line and staged
the car, the brake just wouldn’t hold. I had hoped I could
hang on and make it to the next round, but it just let
loose and I redlit,” he said. “Ultimately, it was my fault
because I was the one driving the car. Howard [Moon, Crew
Chief] had her ready to run, but I just couldn’t hold on.”
Adding insult to injury, Hernandez’
opponent, Chip King, struck the tires hard on his car,
lost traction and would not have won the round with his
pass of 12.57 seconds.
“I always take it personally when I
don’t perform as well as I can. This time is even more
disappointing because Chip smoked the tires and I think I
would have won the round,” he said.
“Now we just have to re-group, take
care of the little things and look ahead to the next race.
These guys are the best in the business, and we’ll be
ready to go next weekend in Bristol,’” he said.
The AMS/TLR Pro Mod Challenge races
again next weekend at the NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley
Nationals in Bristol Tennessee.
