Other open wheel
SBRS: A Change of Fortune?
The scene that Barber Dodge Pro Series driver Matt Plumb would like to you to remember is the near perfect drive in Vancouver last September that netted him his first career Pro Series victory. Unfortunately, the scenes from recent history have not ...
Edited: Dec 29, 2009, 6:56 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The scene that Barber Dodge Pro Series driver Matt Plumb would like to you to remember is the near perfect drive in Vancouver last September that netted him his first career Pro Series victory. Unfortunately, the scenes from recent history have not been of the fist pumping out of the cockpit in exaltation, but rather of a steering wheel recoiling back toward the cockpit tethered by the radio wire as Plumb flings it from his car in frustration.
The 25 year-old Pennsylvanian has yet to complete a race in 2001 as a result of mishaps with other competitors. It's a string of DNFs that has plagued Plumb off and on since the latter part of 2000. In spite of it all, Plumb finished the 2000 championship in fourth, and came into the current season as one of the odds on favorites. He's yet to score a point. That is a fact he intends on relegating to the fine print of history come this weekend at Lime Rock Park, site of rounds 3 and 4 of the 2001 Barber Dodge Pro Series, when he steps into his Premier Nutrition Dodge Reynard.
"My intention is to win not one but both races. With the level of competition in this series, that's going to be tough to achieve," says Plumb. "I need to recoup lost points as well as earn prize money to continue racing, so I'm going into this weekend with nothing to lose and a lot to gain."
Indeed Plumb learned to drive a racecar on this storied track at a Skip Barber Three Day Racing School. As a racecar driver he may well have more competitive laps at Lime Rock than anywhere else. In 2000, he had a competitive racecar, and would surely have challenged for the win. Then his infamous luck struck. On the opening lap of the race, a stone had holed a fellow competitor's radiator, prompting it to spill coolant on the track. The next lap around, exiting the ultra-fast West Bend on the leader's gearbox, Plumb encountered the fateful fluid and in an instant careened heavily into the wall.
"It was a shame to have that happen at a track I'm so fond of. Going forward, I've learned from the lesson there to tread a little lighter at the beginning of a race when I'm in the hunt for the lead. This is the last place I want to have bad luck at," he addded.
At a track he likes, the two rounds could prove advantageous for Plumb. After all, only 10 of the best 12 results count toward the title. With significant results, Plumb would be right back in the hunt.
"A pair of wins would put me right back into contention. The competition is so tough, yet I still need to shoot for it." He continues, "Knowing this track so well adds to my confidence level. I plan to show Premier Nutrition and the rest of my supporters what I can do when I finish a race. I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity."
Is it a harbinger of good things to come that for Plumb he has the opportunity to drive his "home track" not once, but twice? He surely hopes so.
- George Tamayo
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article NA-F2000: Urlin shines at Watkins Glen doubleheader
Next article SBRS: Lime Rock Park preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Plumb
McLaren confirms multi-year deal with IMSA
IMSA
IMSA
McLaren confirms multi-year deal with IMSA
McLaren to run in IMSA GT Daytona
IMSA
IMSA
McLaren to run in IMSA GT Daytona
Porsche sweeps Continental Tire Challenge at VIR
IMSA Others
IMSA Others
SCC: VIR
Porsche sweeps Continental Tire Challenge at VIR
Latest news
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 3 h
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
4 h
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 5 h
Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello
Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
5 h
Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe