The ASA Challenge Series hosted the second leg of the O'Reilly Triple Crown at Salem Speedway Saturday. Jimmy Lang posted a 13th place finish at leg on at ORP back in April and followed it up with an 18th place finish in the Trials 200 over the weekend.
"We just struggled a little all weekend," said Lang, " We rolled the back up car out Friday night and worked hard to get it ready for race day, but just kind of struggled this weekend."
Lang qualified 12th and was up to 7th in the Trials 200 when he tangled with Peter Cozzolino. Tempers flew on the track and Lang was black flagged for the rest of the night.
"At first I thought he intentionally turned me and so I got in to it with him under caution and I was black flagged," says Lang, "I was just so mad because we were running really well and had a really fast car. Once I stepped back I realized it was probably just a racing incident and nothing intentional. I might even have drifted up in to him a little on the backstretch. I was just so frustrated at the time."
Some frustration has kind of been the theme for Lang's run in the ASA Challenge Series so far this year though. Lang, who is the ASA South point leads, hasn't had much good of luck in the Challenge Series so far this season.
"We've been running really well in the ASA South and we'll qualify well in the Challenge Series and actually have a really fast car," says Lang, "But then it's always something and we can't close the deal. That's just the way it goes in the Challenge Series sometimes."
And some of that might have to do with the radial tires teams run in the Challenge Series. This is the first time Lang has had to run them and it makes for a little getting used to.
"They're not as forgiving," says Lang, " They're a lot harder tired and there's a lot of difference in the set and the changes you can make to your setup with them. We need to get used to them though because that's what the big teams and big series run."
Lang has a little time off from both series now. Next up for him is the Orange County 100 at Orange County Speedway in North Carolina. It's a track that Lang believes he may have tested once, but has never raced. That's nothing new for Lang though this season, new tracks seem to be a theme and so far he's adjusting well.
"I've raced a lot of tracks this year that I've never seen before, but it's great," says Lang, "Running different tracks you learn so much. Now I'm at the point I can go to a new track and run ten laps and just pick it up."
