Disappointing Missouri Race Behind Them, Deuser Preps For JEGS/CRA Event In Ohio

CoughlinCars.com 100 Presented by JEGS.com at Columbus Motor Speedway (Special from Deuser Motorsports)

May 22, 2013

Lanesville, Indiana (May 22, 2013) – After a disappointing outing at I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, Mo., the Deuser Motorsports team is reloading the Focus Eyewear Ford No. 14 for the next Jegs/CRA All-Stars Tour event. That will be the CoughlinCars.com 100 Presented by Jegs.com at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio.

According to crew chief Jim Robinson, the necessary parts are coming in and the team is prepping the car for its first outing on the one-third mile circular paved oval at Columbus. The parts are necessary because of damage suffered during last weekend’s 144-lap race in Missouri.

Corey Deuser of Lanesville, Indiana, the team’s 15-year-old driver, turned in top-five times in practice during all of Friday’s practice sessions, but the success didn’t transfer to qualifying on Saturday. “The car was the best it’s ever been there,” related Deuser, who had raced previously at I-44 and won a local feature last year. “We had a good day.”

On Saturday, he said, the car wasn’t quite as good, and the crew found that the sway bar tension bolt had loosened. “We found it before qualifying,” the driver noted, “but we still weren’t as good as Friday. I’d like to have been better.” Deuser qualified at 14,723 seconds for the 3/8-mile oval, and started 20th in the feature. “The car was good,” he continued, “and we were able to pick off one car at a time, working both the inside and the outside.”

He had worked his way up to 14th place when somebody ahead of him missed a shift on restart following a caution period.” That stacked a lot of cars up, taking out at least eight. Despite suffering some damage, Deuser got through the wreck in the top ten, but had to pit for repairs. His crew pulled off damaged body panels and sent him back out in 14th place again, but the engine cooling ducts had been closed off in the accident.

“It was drivable,” Deuser said, but we couldn’t run well enough to improve our position, and it started overheating.” With prize money and points being equal for all cars from 12th place on back, it was decided to pull him in after 38 laps, and he was official scored with a 19th-place finish.

“We’ve never been to Columbus,” the driver noted, “but we’re looking forward to it.” The associate sponsors on the Focus Eyewear Ford No. 14 Tom Sondergeld Plumbing, Clayton Homes, Big O Tires, McGunegill Engine Performance, Raceboost.com, ARC Construction Management, and Deuser Electric.

The team’s primary sponsor, Focus Eyewear, is also the official eyewear of the Champion Racing Association.