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Category: Other Series Racing

Other series racing

  • Disappointing Result For Tom Hessert; KSR At DuQuoin

    DUQUOIN, Illinois (September 7, 2011) – – Considering his experience on the dirt from his United States Auto Club (USAC) days and now with the 3,400-pound stock cars in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for the last four years, Tom Hessert III and his Ken Schrader Racing (KSR) team were easily tabbed as a pre-race favorite for Monday’s Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Auto Parts at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.

    By the end of the lone practice session on Labor Day, it was easy to deviser why. Hessert in his No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala sported the quickest time throughout the one-hour assignment. When the cross-flags had waived Hessert landed the second fastest time overall.

    Confident in his racecar, Hessert leaned into Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying with high hopes. By the time Hessert’s Chevrolet bow-tie took to the one-mile dirt track, lap times began to drop because of the track’s changing characteristic. When time trials came to a close, Hessert would start the 100-lap shootout from the 13th position.

    Disappointed but still highly optimistic about his racecar, Hessert climbed into his racecar shortly after 1:00 p.m. ready to do battle in the 16th race of the season.

    Hessert wasted no time maneuvering through the field as by the completion of lap five, the Cherry Hill, New Jersey native bolted into the top-10 with some very quick lap times.

    Six laps later, Hessert had nestled his way into the eighth position and climbed up to seventh just five circuits later before his day took a dramatic turn.

    While gaining ground on the competition ahead of him, the engine seized on lap 22 forcing a trail of white smoke to emerge from the tailpipes of the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala. Hessert was able to bring his machine to pit road but made the quick left hand-turn into the garage area as he knew his day was done.

    Obviously dejected about the circumstances, Hessert would have to settle for a frustrating 26th place finish.

    “There was no warning whatsoever,” offered the 25-year old. “The car felt weird for about one lap and then it went away and the next thing I knew she blew up. It’s extremely disappointing because I think we had one of the top-contending cars. We were moving through the field quickly before our day abruptly ended. I hate it especially for Federated Auto Parts who was a presenting sponsor for our annual trip to DuQuoin. We’ll do everything we can to make it up to them at Salem.”

    Unofficially with three events remaining on the 2011 schedule, Hessert slipped to seventh in the championship standings just 15 markers behind Tim George Jr. for sixth and 75 markers for fifth currently occupied by Chad McCumbee.

    Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is a return trip to Salem, Indiana for a Saturday-night shootout at the brutal half-mile short track for the running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic by Federated Car Care. The one-day show is set for Saturday, September 17th with the green flag scheduled to drop just after 7:15 p.m. Hessert will make his eighth-start at legendary short track and aims to improve on the team’s seventh place outing in May. Overall, Hessert has collected two top-fives and five top-10s there.

    In addition to Federated Auto Parts, Cherry Hill Classic Cars served as an associate marketing partner for Hessert’s 80th career ARCA start. In those 80 outings, he has maneuvered one win, 18 top-fives and 42 top-10s.

    For more on Tom Hessert III, please visit tomhessert.com.

  • Earnhardt ‘Swaps his Ride’ joins the Ford camp for Grand Am

    Jeffrey Earnhardt made the announcement last week that he will be competing for the 2012 Grand Am Series Championship in the GT Class with Rick Ware Racing.

    Today, the fourth generation Earnhardt provided even more news on that venture.

    “I am officially Swapping my Ride!” he proclaimed and will trade in his bowtie allegiance that has been synonymous with the Earnhardt name for decades and head to the Ford camp.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt will pilot the #15 Ford GT Mustang, a move that will reflect his grandfather, Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s, move with Bud Moore in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1982, exactly 30 years ago.

    “This is a great opportunity for me, Rick Ware Racing and the Ford organization,” Jeffrey Earnhardt stated.”

    Earnhardt looks forward to the upcoming weeks as the team will begin testing their 2012 Ford GT Mustang.

    “The car looks awesome.  We have already made adjustments to my liking for driver comfort and it won’t be long before we start testing.”

    Rick Ware Racing has expanded their operations last month to an additional 24,000 square feet specifically for the Grand Am program.

    RWR will now occupy both their current building and the previously owned Petty Motorsports building that housed the late Adam Petty’s racing program.  Both buildings are directly across the street from each other.

    “These are great times at RWR and the growth of our organization was inevitable.  The newest facility will host the Rick Ware Racing NASCAR Grand-Am Series Ford Mustang program,” stated Rick Ware.

    Ware’s entrance into the Grand Am Rolex program will be fielding two full time entries in 2012.  Their NASCAR Nationwide Series fleet of 11 Ford Mustangs driven by the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year point leader, Timmy Hill, will remain at their current facility to help grow that program to new heights.

    “It wasn’t that long ago that there were several NASCAR teams here in Thomasville.  We want to show that growth with an organization can still happen right here in the Piedmont area of North Carolina.  We have everything we need between the two facilities to showcase our program in both NASCAR and Grand Am.”

    “It’s a fresh and exciting time here with Jeffrey and the Grand Am program as well as what Timmy has been doing in the Nationwide Series.  Collectively we have grown into a team that can market year round with solid performances that reach millions, something that every company in motorsports marketing desires,” stated Ware.

    RWR will field the #14 and #15 Ford Mustang GT’s for the season with the #16 third car competing by the third race of the season on.  Additional sponsors and drivers will be announced soon.  In addition, RWR will also compete with this years 11th place finishing Tafel Porsche GT3 at the 24 Hours as well.

    RWR now houses a fleet of Nationwide, Camping World Truck, K&N, ARCA, Legends, Allison Legacy, Bandelaros, Grand Am Series, Sprint Cup and HSR cars in their 45,000 square foot, 11 acre facility, complete with 9 offices , two paint booths, bondo booth, engine room, storefront and a showroom.

    For more information please visit www.wareracing.com or follow the team on twitter @rickwareracing

    For more in Jeffrey Earnhardt visit www.jeffreyearnhardt.com

    Check out Jeffrey’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jeffreyearnhardt

  • Race No. 10 of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule: Wild Wing 300 at Barrie Speedway

    For race no. 10 of the 12 race schedule, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be heading to Barrie Speedway for the Wild Wing 300. This marks the seventh event for the series at the venue.

    With only three races left on the schedule, the championship battle is coming to a close as Scott Steckly leads DJ Kennington by 84 points.

    Both have had success at Barrie as the pair of them have won five of the six races so far at the 0.333 mile tri-oval in Barrie, Ontario.

    Kennington, who has won three of those five races, has led a total of 323 laps at Barrie Speedway and is the defending series champion.

    Steckly, who has won two of those five, has led a series-high total of 511 laps and picked up his 10th series victory back in July at Motoplex Speedway, to tie Kennington second on the all-time win list.

    The only other driver who has won at Barrie Speedway besides the pair of them is Don Thomson Jr., who picked up a win in 2009 while finishing second last year. Thomson Jr. is another driver to expect up front at Barrie as he has led 409 laps and has never finished outside of the top five at the track.

    While eyes will be on the guys who have done well at Barrie in the past, it marks the return of Pete Shephard III to the series. Shephard III, who is only running a select group of races in 2011, won in his most recent start in Saskatoon with a bump-and-run on Kennington.

    “He’s gotten me twice this season,” Kennington said. “In Saskatoon, I guess anything goes on the last lap, but rest assured I’ve got my eye on him.”

    “(Kennington) is a great driver probably one of the best ever from Canada,” Shepherd said. “He hasn’t won all those races that he has by just riding around in circles. If the roles had been reversed that last time, he would have done the same as I did.”

    Shephard has only competed at Barrie Speedway two times before, finishing eighth in 2008 and third last year.

    “I like racing at Barrie,” he said. “It’s close quarters, but it’s always a lot of fun to get out there with a bunch of drivers who know what they’re doing.”

  • LAPTOP GIVEAWAY HIGHLIGHTS SEPT. 8 STREET FIGHTS, DER BRACKET SERIES RETURNS TO ACTION

    LAPTOP GIVEAWAY HIGHLIGHTS SEPT. 8 STREET FIGHTS, DER BRACKET SERIES RETURNS TO ACTION

     

    *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *

     

    *LAPTOP GIVEAWAY HIGHLIGHTS SEPT. 8 STREET FIGHTS, DER BRACKET SERIES RETURNS TO ACTION***

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    *BRISTOL, Tenn. (Tuesday, September 06, 2011) –* Bristol Dragway and King College’s student activity board are going to make back to school shopping easier for one student by giving away a new laptop during Fas Mart Street Fights Sept. 8. ****

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    King’s student activity board, known as Student Life Activities Committee @ King (S.L.A.C.K), has joined Thunder Valley to host the King College S.L.A.C.K.’s Back to School Bash Thursday night to give students one last break before they hit the books. ****

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    Thanks to S.L.A.C.K., a new laptop will be given away to one deserving student during the evening. The student who correctly answers the most trivia questions will take home the prize. ****

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    As always, race fans can expect the same exciting street-legal drag racing action they find during any Fas Mart Street Fights Series event. From import tuners to the family grocery getter, all street-legal machines can tackle legendary Thunder Valley. ****

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    Gates open at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 for the S.L.A.C.K.’s Back to School Night. Racing will begin at 6 p.m. ****

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    Admission to the Fas Mart Street Fights Series is only $5, while anyone ready to challenge Thunder Valley can do so for only $10. ****

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    The DER Bracket Racing Series continues its season with a test and tune session on Friday, Sept. 9, followed by a weekend of racing Sept. 10-11. *** *

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    Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday, with tech inspection at 4:30 p.m. The test and tune begins at 5:30 p.m. The Virginia Lasers Shootout also will take place during the test and tune. ****

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    Gates open Saturday at 10 a.m., with tech at 10:30 a.m. and time trials at noon. Eliminations begin at the conclusion of time trials. ****

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    Gates open at 9 a.m. Sunday. Tech inspection is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by time trials at 10:30 a.m. Eliminations take place after time trials. ****

    [media-credit name=”track” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]For more information about the Fas Mart Street Fights Series or other Bristol Dragway events, please call (423) 764-DRAG or visit www.bristoldragway.com. ****

     

    Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates the following premier facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. The Company provides souvenir merchandising services through its SMI Properties subsidiaries; manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars and parts through its 600 Racing subsidiary; and produces and broadcasts syndicated motorsports programming to radio stations nationwide through its Performance Racing Network subsidiary. The Company also equally-owns Motorsports Authentics, a joint venture formed with International Speedway Corporation to produce, market and sell licensed motorsports merchandise. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.speedwaymotorsports.com****

     

     

  • Earnhardt to run for title in Grand Am Series in 2012

    The Earnhardt family has accomplished nearly every goal set in racing. Jeffrey Earnhardt will now set his goal on a family first……winning the championship in the NASCAR owned Grand Am Series.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt has signed a deal to place him in a full season of Grand Am Racing in 2012 in the Rolex GT Class with Rick Ware Racing.

    Earnhardt made his series debut at the 2011 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona with RWR in a GT3 Porsche and finished 11th in class and 25th overall, a huge accomplishment for the organizations entrance in the grueling around the clock event.

    “I have never experienced any type of racing like that before. It was definitely a rush and look forward to competing in the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2012 with RWR again,” stated Jeffrey Earnhardt.

    Earnhardt will be displaying the number 15 for the 2012 season, a number his grandfather, Dale Earnhardt, competed with 30 years ago in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

    “The 15 number is a pretty cool deal. I have seen pictures of the car he drove with it before he jumped into the 3. To start my Grand Am career with it will hold a special place to our family and fans.”

    Jeffrey Earnhardt will also make his Indianapolis Motor Speedway debut as the Grand Am Series heads to the “Brickyard” for the inaugural event during the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend.

    “To compete at the Brickyard is a dream for any racer in any series. The history is rich and the atmosphere is electric. To be a part of the inaugural event makes it that much sweeter,” claimed Earnhardt.

    The North Carolina native will be making the jump from NASCAR to the Grand Am Series to compete full time, something rarely done.

    “I have always done well on road courses, so this seems like the natural progression for my career. Besides that, Grand Am has a great marketing avenue to sponsors that reaches globally and yet is more interactive with fans with their hauler-garage setups, something we are looking forward to exploring with our program.”

    Earnhardt and Rick Ware Racing will be making announcements for the car manufacturer, sponsors and co-drivers in the upcoming weeks.

    For more information on Jeffrey Earnhardt visit www.jeffreyearnhardt.com or visit on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JefferyEarnhardt

    For more information visit www.wareracing.com or you can also follow the team on Twitter at @rickwareracing

  • ISABELLE TREMBLAY CAPTIVATES MONTREAL

    ISABELLE TREMBLAY CAPTIVATES MONTREAL

  • Batteries Announces New Power Play Text-to-Win Promotion through September 30, 2011

    Batteries Announces New Power Play Text-to-Win Promotion through September 30, 2011

    OPTIMA® Batteries Announces New Power Play Text-to-Win Promotion through September 30, 2011
    Consumers Can Text or Scan On-Pack QR Code for a Chance to Instantly Win One of Hundreds of Great Prizes from Performance Automotive Power Brands

    OPTIMA® Batteries, a leader in high-performance automotive and marine batteries, today announced its new 2011 retail promotion that is designed to benefit automotive enthusiasts as they gear up for an action-packed season of high-powered events. Beginning July 1, 2011 consumers will find OPTIMA RedTop® and YellowTop®products with a specially designed on-pack sticker, and will be given an opportunity for text-to-win one of hundreds of prizes instantly from leading automotive aftermarket brands.

    OPTIMA_LOGO“This Text-to-Win program is designed to demonstrate OPTIMA Batteries’ commitment to supporting the lifestyle of performance automotive enthusiasts, and drive a two-way conversation between the brand and our customers while they’re shopping the category at our retail partners,” said Cam Douglass, director of product development and marketing for OPTIMA Batteries. “We like to reward people who spend time learning about batteries and our product in general. We know that the more time people spend educating themselves on the differences in batteries, the more likely they are to choose the Ultimate Power Source.”

    When consumers enter the text-to-win code (or scan the QR code that is also provided) they can instantly win prizes from highly-sought-after brands like Superwinch, Red Line Synthetic Oil, K&N Filters and Holley. The promotion will run through September 30, 2011.

    To learn more about OPTIMA Batteries and to find your nearest retailer, please visit http://www.optimabatteries.com/. You can also visit OPTIMA on-the-go using your iPhone, Android or Blackberry device for helpful tips on charging, battery care and maintenance and product information at http://www.optimabatteries.com.

  • IndyCar Wants to Return to Mexico in 2013

    IndyCar Wants to Return to Mexico in 2013

    by Luis Ramírez at La Aficion

    The president of IndyCar’s commercial division, Terry Angstadt, revealed to La Aficion that they would like to have a race at the Hermanos Rodriguez track and a Mexican driver in the series.

    [media-credit name=”IndyCar” align=”alignright” width=”199″][/media-credit]Mexico not only has awaken interest in Formula One to have a race in the medium term, but also the IndyCar Series who is working to bring its show to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in two years.

    In this way they are looking to integrate into the Hispanic market through a project that also includes the arrival of a Mexican driver into the grid of the series as an additional element so the event has more appeal to the local fans.

    Terry Angstadt, president of the Commercial Division of the American open wheel series, explained to La Aficion that they’ve started conversations that will eventually bring drivers like the Brazilians Helio Castroneves and Tony Kannan, and the Americans Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, among others, to the race track in Mexico City.

    “I was in Mexico City approximately four weeks ago, and I have been there before in the last three years.  We are in conversations with strong companies to be able to return to the city and go to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez”, revealed the series executive in an exclusive interview for La Aficion.

    The visit however has not been the only one in 2011 by the commercial director of the series.  Sources close to the negotiations pointed out that they’ve had at least three more meetings this year in Mexico City to advance the project.

    With the arrival of new chassis and engines for 2012, which will represent a revolution for the series, IndyCar does not wish to limit its markets to the USA, Canada and Brazil, and because of that Mexico is an obvious choice for an event: “I think that everything points to 2013.  I don’t think the negotiations will allow us to do it by 2012, but it’s still too early to decide.”

    Terry Angstadt also mentioned that they had not lost interest in Mexico, however there were needs that had to be taken care of before: “We’ve always had interest but lets not forget that this is a business.  We need a motivated promoter, someone on the other side of the table that sees the potential of an IndyCar event, I see the potential, but we need that on the other side and it is something we are working on.

    The plan of a Mexican driver

    On the list of regular drivers on the IndyCar series only three are Spanish speaking: the Spaniard Oriol Servia, the Venezuelan E.J. Viso and the Colombian Sebastian Saavedra, however the last report given by the US Census Bureau says that the majority of the Hispanic population, which has grown to 50.5 million, are of Mexican decent.

    “In my opinion, this is a great opportunity to enter into the Latin market, I think it’s the best.  We are in talks to have a Mexican driver, a successful driver, and we are working very hard so he can be in the series.  I think we need a Mexican driver”, pointed out the commercial director.

    The locals Memo Rojas (Champion of the Grand Am Series with Ganassi) and David Martinez have shown interest in reaching IndyCar and both are working in projects to be able to make that happen.

    Angstadt explained that what’s important at the moment is to help the competitors find sponsors and be able to join the series:

    “We don’t have to worry about the talent of the drivers, because they have it, we simply need to focus on the commercial side”, he said.

    For him, having a race in mexico city requires an necessary element to attract t the attention of the public: “I think that the combination of the race wit ha drivers is necessary and would be the best way of doing things”.

  • Race No. 9 of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Season: NAPA Autopro 100 in Montreal

    For race no. 9 of the 12 race schedule, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be heading to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the NAPA Autopro 100. This marks the fifth and final road course for the Canadian Tire Series drivers this year and fifth time they’ve been to this particular track in series history.

    In two of the races on the 2.709-mile road course, Andrew Ranger has two victories, including one last year that came as a result of a  controversial last lap wreck.

    On the last lap, Ranger and Jason Bowles went into turn 10 side-by-side, where contact forced Ranger outside of the racing groove. Then down in turns 13 and 14, contact was made sending Bowles into the wall.

    “I don’t talk a lot about it,” Bowles said recently. “I know what he did. He knows what he did and things like that come back to you at some point.”

    Bowles, a native of Ontario, California, is looking for his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory after competiting in the NASCAR K&N West Series and winning four road courses as well as the 2009 championship. This weekend’s race will mark his fifth start in the Canadian Tire Series.

    Ranger, meanwhile, is looking for his 14th Canadian Tire Series victory and 11th road course win. He has one road course victory this year, which came at Toronto in July. The 2-time series champion is an accomplished road racer as to go with the wins in 2008 and last year, he finished second in 2007 and 2009 in Montreal.

    The only other two drivers to win at Circuit Gilles Villenueve are J.R. Fitzpatrick and Kerry Micks.

    Fitzpatrick, a native of Cambridge, Ontario, won the 2009 NAPA Autopro 100 while finishing 18th last season due to mechanical problems early in the race. He has led the most laps at Montreal (42) and five of his six career wins have come on road courses.

    Micks, a native of Mount Albert, Ontario, won the first race in Montreal in 2007 and has since scored a pair of thirds, along with a sixth last season. Micks has two road course victories.

    Though the driver to watch this reason is Robin Buck, who is a road course instructor. Earlier this season, he scored his first Canadian Tire Series victory at Circuit ICAR in June, followed by a win at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres on August 7th. He has had success at Montreal, too, as he finished third in both 2007 and 2010.

    As the seaosn draws to a close, everybody will also have their eyes on the championship as Scott Steckly comes into this weekend leading D.J. Kennington by 47 points.

    Steckly’s best finish at Montreal came in 2008 when he finished second, to go with the fifth in 2007 and fourth last year. The 2008 series champion has been on a roll as he has finished inside the top five in seven of the last eight starts.

    Meanwhile for Kennington, the defending series champion, he finished fourth in Montreal three consecutive times before finishing 28th in 2010.

  • Gustavo Yacaman Leads First Practice For New Hampshire 100

    In practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Firestone Indy Lights New Hampshire 100, Gustavo Yacaman topped the charts with a lap of 25.0034 seconds.

    “The car felt good today and the track is a lot of fun and it reminds me of Milwaukee,” he said. “I really hope that qualifying doesn’t look like it did in Milwaukee after I topped both practice sessions, I qualified fourth. I hope that this weekend we have the speed to keep our pace up during qualifying and the race. Hopefully we can get a pole and maybe a win. I wouldn’t mind having a perfect weekend. It isn’t easy to pass at this track. It really depends on when you come up on a car that is slower than you, you lose all of your front grip. This is why I feel that qualifying will be so crucial. Whoever is on the pole, unless their car is really off, they will keep the lead. We can still make our car better and go faster so we will see what happens Saturday when everyone puts their little tricks on.”

    Sam Schmidt Motorsports trio Josef Newgarden (25.0242), Bryan Clauson (25.3175) and Esteban Guerrieri (25.4634) followed while Anders Krohn was fifth.

    “It was OK,” Newgarden said. “Obviously it was our first day here and it’s new for everybody like a couple of places on the calendar this year. I think we had a good day. It was definitely productive for what we needed to get done and tested on the car for qualifying and race day. I think we’re looking good here for Saturday and hopefully  we qualify well here because I think that it’s going to be very difficult to pass here with the track configuration and the areo push you pick up here. It’s almost worse than Milwaukee. Qualifying could be crucial for the race and hopefully we can put it together for that session.”

    “It’s (NHMS) a lot of fun,” Clauson said. “It’s a tricky little one mile with a lot of grip and a lot of speed. With the progressive banking, you can use multiple lanes to help your car in several different ways. The Sam Schmidt Motorsports guys gave me a great Mazda Road to Indy/NOS Energy Drink No. 77. It’s been a good day of practice here, and I feel really good about the car we have going into this weekend’s race. When you’re fast right off the trailer, it gives you a lot of confidence. It allows you to start working on the little details that are probably going to win you the race. These guys unloaded a great race car for me today, and we’ve just been fine-tuning it all day long.”

    “I think it was a good learning process coming back to the ovals,” Guerrieri said. “The track is a bit tricky, so my approach was to gradually be more aggressive. I think it was a good day. We found the pace and worked on the car. We have good information to analyze Friday. Overall it was good and I’m confident.”