Nikky Saxon Overcomes Engine Malfunction To Finish 12th At Angola
Next Race on Friday, July 18th at Berlin Raceway (Special from Nikky Saxon Racing)
July 9, 2014
Angola, Indiana (July 9, 2014) – Nikky Saxon of Saxon Racing finished 12th in the Powers
Automotive 100 presented by JEGS.com in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Saturday, July 5
at Angola Motorsport Speedway in Angola, Indiana.
The race was caution-plagued, with 15 yellow flags and one red flag, but Saxon was able
to fight through for her season-best finish.
Nikky Saxon of Saxon Racing finished 12th in the Powers Automotive 100 presented by
JEGS.com in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Saturday, July 5 at Angola Motorsport
Speedway in Angola, Indiana.
The race was caution-plagued, with 15 yellow flags and one red flag, but Saxon was able
to fight through for her season-best finish.
Saxon completed all 100 laps and gained 10 spots during the race in her No. 56 Saxon
Racing and J&J Financial Late Model after qualifying 22nd in the field of 27 drivers with a
time of 14.7 seconds, only two-tenths off the pole position.
Saxon faced one of her biggest challenges just getting on the track for the race. In
practice Friday, her engine malfunctioned and suffered a broken valve spring, and a bent valve and pushrod. The Saxon Racing team traveled 250 miles to get a new cylinder head for the engine from McGunegill Engine Performance.
"Most teams would have packed up and called it a day," Saxon said. "But my guys didn't quit and were able to get the motor running again. It cut my practice time short, but it gave me a good chance to see some other driver styles. Thanks to my crew at Cozzolino Motorsports and my parents, I was able to race on race day."
Saxon, a third-year motorsport engineering major at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is racing a partial season in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour as she prepares for a full season in 2015. She moved to the Indianapolis area in 2012 and climbed to the late model series this year after competing in Legends cars and karting in her native Las Vegas area.
"I'm still getting used to the car," Saxon said. "It was a great weekend to be able to learn more about the car and passing while on the track. It was also just a good weekend to get to know some of the other drivers, who have all been very nice.
"The series has been fantastic to this point, from drivers to officials to fans at the track. The Angola track promoters and their staff were very welcoming last weekend. I felt like I was part of their family."
Saxon enjoyed having family and friends from Michigan at the race, and four of her professors from IUPUI also made the trip to Angola.
Saxon will have a short turn-around for her next race, Friday, July 18 at Berlin Raceway in Mame, Michigan, near Grand Rapids.
For the latest news about Nikky Saxon and Saxon Racing, like the team on Facebook and visit its website at racingwithnikky.com
About Nikky Saxon:
Nicole "Nikky" Saxon has been racing since she was 8 years old, with the goal of becoming the first female NASCAR champion. Nikky gained racing experience through various series throughout her younger years. Originally from Las Vegas, Nikky and her family moved to Indianapolis. They moved Saxon Racing to continue to support Nikky and her jump to compete in her No. 56 Late Model in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet Performance in 2014. Two years ago, Nikky developed Colitis along with acute Rhuematoid Arthritis and continues to battle the diseases, trying to never let it interfere with achieving her racing goals. Nikky balances her racing with work in the classroom as a third-year, full-time student at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), majoring in Motorsports Engineering.
