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Wilt Racing: 2004-2006 Kaitlyn

Sunday, December 31
A Learning Season !!!
2006 Season in Review – Kaitlyn had to do a lot of racing this year, and I believe she learned a lot. Her best race of the year was in her brother’s Talon for the Jr. Honda Cup race with a 3rd place finish. As the ONLY girl in the class all year, Kaitlyn would finish the year in 6th place in points in a very competitive Jr. Honda class consisting of 20 drivers. Good Job Kaitlyn!!! More racing to come in 2007 for Kaitlyn and maybe in a Talon!

Saturday, November 11
Carrying the Flag
11 Nov 06.  Kaitlyn would not race today but in honor of Veterans Day she would carry the POW/MIA Flag and Nicholas carried the US Flag.

Saturday, October 28
Final Race of 2006.
28 Oct 06. Heat race - finds Kaitlyn on the pole. Top 2 transfer to the A-main. The race starts and a 3-wide battle going into turn one finds Kaitlyn in the middle. However, a car behind them spins out, and the race restarts single file. Kaitlyn runs a good race and brings the car home in 4th and will have to race out of the B-main.
B-Main. Starting in the 4 hole out of 7 cars. She holds onto 4th at the start and makes a pass for 3rd as the caution flies so the pass does not count. Back into 4th for the restart. She again makes the move to get into 3rd and makes the pass with 10 laps remaining. One more caution flies, and she holds onto 3rd and makes it into the A-main.
A-Main. Starting 7th, she gets hung up with two other cars at the start, and she spins herself and another car out.   Call goes to Kaitlyn. Race restarts with Kaitlyn in 8th. She quickly gets the 7th place car but cannot gain any other positions and brings it home in 7th.


Saturday, October 21
A Bad Day.
21 Oct 06. Kaitlyn hit the track for qualifying and could only muster up a 7.088 lap which is not bad for her in the old car but was 7th fastest out of 8. The green flag drops for the A-main, and the 8th place car spins her out on the start but with a call she gets her position back. The race restarts and she races hard, but her car just can’t keep up the speed. A pretty uneventful race as she drops to 8th and finishes there.


Saturday, October 14
Making her Talon Debut in Style!
14 Oct 06. Kelly, Kevin and Paul would talk me into this one! Big brother Nicholas said it was fine that Kaitlyn could use his Sr. Honda car to run her Jr. Honda Cup race. Kaitlyn would get a little practice time in the morning in the car, and she was turning her fastest laps ever in Jr. Honda. Qualifying time rolled around, and she hit the track with 3 great laps turning in a fast time of 6.836 which was 4th fastest out of 12 cars and would put her directly in the A-main on the pole!

A-Main. Kaitlyn was really excited as the A-main time approached. The green flag would drop, and she was on a mission. A bad wreck after the green brings out the red flag so Kaitlyn lines up the field behind her for the restart. She holds onto the lead for several laps and then falls to 2nd. With the race staying green and a nice lead on the 3rd place car, things looked great. As quarter midget luck goes, the caution flies with 6 laps left and she would be tested on her weak point - restarts. The flag drops and she loses one position but stays on the second place car’s bumper and brings it home in 3rd. A great debut for Kaitlyn in a Talon! Her best finish of the year gets her the 3rd place trophy cup, and Daddy takes a razzing from all the other moms and dads about buying Kaitlyn a new car!!



Saturday, September 30
Making Dad work hard!
30 Sept 06. Heat Race - Starting in 4th out of 6 cars. She holds onto 4th at the start and the race goes green until a bad wreck brings out the red flag with 18 to go. Not getting a good restart Kaitlyn drops to 5th and stays in that position and will now have to race out of the C-main.

C-Main. Starting 2nd she gets stuck on the outside at the start but holds on hard, keeps the outside line and somehow picks up the lead. She holds onto the lead until 7 to go when the car gets a little tight and she drops to 2nd. Still good enough to transfer to the B-main.

B-Main. Starting in 6th, the caution flies on the first lap, and she will restart in 5th. The remainder of the race goes green. She gets passed a few times and makes a couple of nice passes but falls 1 position short of making it to the A-main finishing in 5th so she will be the X-car for the A-main.

A-Main. As luck would have it no cars fall out during warm-up, and Kaitlyn will not make it into the A-main today.


Saturday, September 9
Birthday Girl !!!
9 Sept 06. Not a great qualifying effort today for Kaitlyn. She would end up 12th out of 12 cars. Starting in 6th out of 6 cars for the B-main she would have to work hard to get to the A-main for on her 8th birthday. Kaitlyn jumps into 4 as the green flag drops and hold on to the position until a caution flies with 11 laps remaining. Race restarts, and she moves into 3rd. With about 5 laps remaining she lost a position and is now in 4th and the final transfer spot but holds on to it and makes the A-main.
A-Main. Starting in 8th. During warm-up a car spins in front of her, she has nowhere to go and hits the car head on. Both drivers and cars are fine. The race starts and the field is pretty even as the first caution flies with 11 to go and Kaitlyn in 7th. The race restarts and a nice move at the end has the birthday girl bringing home a solid 6th place finish.


Saturday, August 26
Racing her way into the A-Main.
26 Aug. 06. Heat Race- Starting in the 2 hole out of six cars with two transferring to the A-main. Kaitlyn finds an opening at the start and is in 3rd. The car begins to slow down on her, and she drops to 5th place when the first caution flies with 8 laps remaining. The race restarts, and the 6th place car makes a pass attempt but hits her left rear tire spinning her out, and the caution flies. We bring her into the pits to check the car out and have a quick talk. She returns to the track and the chain comes off so she will finish 6th with a DNF.
B-Main. Starting 7th out of 7 cars. The race starts and a huge wreck in the front of the field in turn two, and Kaitlyn has to spin the car out to avoid hitting anyone. She lines up in 5th on the restart when another caution flies. She is now up to 4th and makes the pass for 3rd with about 10 to go and finishes in 3rd . She is now headed to the A-main.
A-Main. Starting 7th out of 8 cars. She holds her own on the start of the race but cannot make any passes as the field looks pretty equal until the first caution flies with 9 laps remaining. The race restarts, and she does a good job at holding her own then makes a late pass and finishes in 6th.


Saturday, August 5
White Flag Kaitlyn Returns!
5 Aug 06. Kaitlyn has been out of the car for over 6 weeks and was ready to roll. She was a little nervous for practice, but she would qualify at 7.153 (which is one of her better times) but was still only 10th fastest out of 11 cars. The majority of the cars were within 2 tenths so she was not off that much. For the B Main, she is starting 6th in the 7 car field (top 4 transfer). Kaitlyn gets a nice start and starts to work her way up. First caution flies, and she finds herself in 5th. Staying with the top 4 cars the race stays green. White flag comes out, and she decides it is time to make her famous white flag pass. Going down the backstretch she goes for it. She makes the move a little late and gets under the 4th place car, but it is too late. She hits the rear of the car and both wreck sending Kaitlyn into the wall. She is ok, the car is ok, she won't advance to the "A" main, and finishes in 7th (DNF). She knew she had to try and make the pass and did her best but unfortunately took out both cars. Nice try sissy!!

Saturday, June 17
Nice Run but bad luck in the end!
17 June 06. Kaitlyn would be in heat race one (7 car field) with a total of 14 cars starting in the #4 spot. Green flag falls and she avoids a first lap caution. Restarts in 4th but with a few more cautions she cannot gain any positions. With only a few laps left she would lose the #4 spot but held onto 5th to cross the finish line. However, she will now have to race out of the C-main. C-main starting from the #1 spot, Kaitlyn has car problems during warm-up and has to come into the pits as time expires. She would lose the #1 spot and now have to start 6th. She gets two positions at the start. She makes a pass for 3rd , but both cars get together and spin out. Kaitlyn gets a call and has to go to the back (bad call – she was side by side with the other car and had the pass made). She makes another hard run and is passing cars left and right. Caution flies with 2 laps left, and she’s in second. She takes a look to make the pass for the lead but cannot make the pass and settles for 2nd to advance to the B-main. B-main starting in 5th. Kaitlyn gets a bad start and finds herself in 7th after the first lap. Then, the car gets a little loose on her and she spins out so to the back she goes. After a tire change and restarting in 8th, she makes a pass for 7th and then works on the 6th place car making a nice move, but the cars get together and wreck. Race goes red, and her car is in bad shape. We bring her into the pits but were unable to make all the repairs. She lines up 7th for restart, but her car would throw a chain after the green flag. She would finish the race in 7th. Nice day of racing for Kaitlyn. I think without all the bad luck she would have made it to the A-main.


Saturday, May 13
Unlucky Wreck!
13 May 2006. Kaitlyn was ready to roll and looks good in qualifying but her time of 7.232 is only good enough for 10th out of 11 cars which gives her the #6 spot in the B-main. She is ready to go for her race and hits the track with confidence she can finish in the top 4 and make it to the A-main. However, her bad luck would continue. On the first lap of warm-up she gets under a slower car that gets loose, and they go into the wall. Several seconds later another car comes out of turn 4 and t-bones her. We bring the car into the pits and try to make repairs. Some repairs are made, but our time is up and as I go to push her back out on the track, the car won’t run. During the wreck the key from the engine gear was dislodged. So, Kaitlyn would only get a warm-up lap in and finish with a DNF and 11th place. The one good thing about this incident is she has forced me to now make a gear change and work on the car which will hopefully make her that much better next time out.



Kaitlyn had special visitors today for her races. Grandma Molly and Pappy Steve from Pennsylvania and Uncle Jeff and Aunt Wendy from North Carolina came in to watch her race today.


Saturday, April 22
Mother Nature Wins!
22 April 2006. Kaitlyn would draw the #2 spot in a 9 car field. The green flag drops, and she somehow holds onto second place. She holds onto the position for several laps, but the 3rd place car gets under her, and she gets freight trained to the back. She kept up with the field and was able to gain 1 spot back for an 8th place finish.

A-main rained out.



Saturday, April 15
Good Racing!
15 April 06. Kaitlyn would draw the #4 starting spot out of 5 cars for her heat race. Kaitlyn gets a good start and keeps up with the field but is unable to hold on to her 4th place position and falls into 5th. Her line was really good, and the car was getting faster with each lap. Kaitlyn makes two nice moves about half way through the race and grabs 3rd spot. The race would go caution free, and Kaitlyn would bring it home in 3rd. She would start in the 3 hole for the main and held onto her position at the start. Her line continues to improve, and the car was getting faster again with each lap. She would hold on to 3rd spot after some challenges from the 4th place car. Great job sis!

Kaitlyn would have a special visitor today. Mackenzie English from Pennsylvania drove in to watch her races.

Saturday, March 25
2006 Season Begins
25 Mar 06. Kaitlyn got very little practice in the off season and only 1 short session before it was time to qualify for her first race of the year. She looked great in qualifying and never lifted. Her best time was 7.291, but that was only good enough for 8 out of 9. However, she was less than .03 slower than the 4th place qualifier. Kaitlyn got a great start and jumped into 6th at the green. The first caution flies, and she now finds herself in 5th. Some great racing and another caution, and she is now up to 4th. She runs a great line the rest of the race and stays with the top 3 cars and comes home a strong 4th. It appears Kaitlyn was somehow practicing in the off season. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come for Kaitlyn in 2006.


Saturday, November 19
Last race of the year
19 November 05. Kaitlyn is starting 4th out of 5 cars today. Grammy in the van is here to watch her. She falls to 5th at the green flag. NO cautions for this heat race! She gets lapped by the leader with about 8 laps to go. A car came off during green flag racing so she finished 4th!! Good job Kaitlyn! For the main race, she is starting in 4th place again. She fell into line in 4th place at the start. A car came off after a few laps again. She got lapped by the leader with 3 laps to go. No cautions again! Finishes 4th! Good racing Kaitlyn!



Saturday, November 12
Her 1st Jr Honda Regional!
12 November 05. Kaitlyn decides she’s going to try her best at her first regional at NCQMA as a Jr Honda. Her line and times have been getting better throughout the year but not good enough. She qualifies 14th out of 16 drivers with a time of 7.211. Fast time for the day was a 6.840. This will put Kaitlyn starting in the “C” main. She lined up in 6th place out of 8 cars. She got a small bump from the car behind her at the green so she went high into turns 1 and 2 and fell back to 8th place. The leader had just caught her bumper as the 1st caution flag flew. Just in time to keep her from being lapped! She lined up 7th and fell to 8th at the start. Race went green the rest of the way – giving her an 8th place finish!! She didn’t transfer, but she raced good and clean. Way to hang in there sissy girl!!


Saturday, November 5
Bad car day!
5 November 05. Kaitlyn is starting 2nd out of 9 cars for her 20 lap heat. She did some practicing earlier in the week and was ready to go racing. Most of the cars were lined up, and she was trying to get to her spot. She went high down the backstretch and into turn 3 to get in 2nd place. When she came down, the #4 car hit her back left tire hard enough to spin her out. She broke!! DNF – 9th place. ? Daddy fixed the car in-between races, and Kaitlyn is ready to try again. She is starting in 9th place. About halfway through her 2 minute warm up, she spins out all by herself and the left front tire breaks!! What a bad day. DNF – 9th place. Sorry sissy!!


Saturday, October 15
“Beat the Clock” day
15 October 05. Kaitlyn attempts to qualify today. She has a time of 7.426. There are 9 Jr Honda drivers all together. She qualifies #8. A track record was set of 6.759 by Katlyn Stanley. There’s only 1 main race today for 25 laps, and Kaitlyn is starting 8th out of 9 cars. Daddy pulled her into the pits at time to line her up in the back. It took SEVERAL attempts to go green because the flagman didn’t like the lead car jumping the start. They finally go green, she passes 2 cars for almost a full lap when 3 cars crash in turn 4. Kaitlyn comes into 3 and hits a car head on! The cars were sitting in the groove. She had nowhere to go. RED FLAG – drivers ok. Kaitlyn goes into the pits. Only 5 cars left on the track. She comes out in 6th. Two cars fall out. Her car isn’t steering the best, but she holds onto it. The race goes green till the end. She gets lapped once by all the other cars about halfway through. She finishes 7th! Way to go Sissy!!

Saturday, September 24
Handler neglect!
24 September 05. Kaitlyn is getting as good as Nicholas at picking bad numbers and starting in the back. She starts #5 of 5 cars. A car is in the pits at time so she gets bumped to 4th. She falls to 5th at the green flag. Two cars wreck in front of her. She misses the wreck but comes off the track with other 2 cars. Daddy pushes her car out of the pits to the staging area. Next thing I look up, and Daddy is pushing her back out for the green flag, but the flagman doesn’t let her line up and black flags her. DNF – 5th place. Her problem: Kaitlyn’s brake pedal had broken off so she was afraid she had no brakes. Then she figured out she could push on part of it so that’s why she tried to come back out. Just as well so she didn’t wreck herself or anyone else. At least she knew to use the “kill” switch to stop her car!! GOOD GIRL!! Next time Daddy will remember to fix something when she tells him about it. For the main race, she is starting in the back again! Once again, she is bumped up to 4th for the line up. She fell to 5th at the start then a car spins out so she lines up 4th. She is running in 5th till next caution. She is actually in 4th place, but the leader had lapped her so she is lining up in 2nd place. Daddy decides it’s best to pull her into the pits to put her in the rear in 5th place so the faster cars don’t knock her out of the way on the restart. Another caution flies, and she ends up finishing 4th.


Saturday, September 17
Doesn’t want to drive!
17 September 05. Kaitlyn decided she didn’t want to race again today for some reason. There were 7 other cars in Jr Honda.


Saturday, September 10
She’s 7 now!
10 September 05. Kaitlyn drew a bad number today so she will start 6th out of 6 cars. She settles into 6th at the green flag. Race goes caution free for all 20 laps! She ran 6th the whole race and didn’t get lapped!! For the main, she’s starting 6th again. A car falls out during warm up so she starts in the 5th spot for this 25 lap race. There was 1 caution, and she lined up in 4th. She fell back to 5th at the restart. She got lapped by the first 2 cars with about 8 to go. Finishes 5th!!


Saturday, August 27
Wilt Racing’s 1st DQ!
27 August 05. Kaitlyn is starting on the pole for her heat race today. There are 5 Jr Honda drivers in all. She settles into 3rd for awhile then falls back to 5th. A car spins out with 7 laps to go so she lines up in 4th. Another caution with 4 to go has her lined up in 4th again. They red flag it this time for some oil or something on the track and to check everyone’s engine. They go back green. Kaitlyn finishes 4th!! For the main race, Kaitlyn starts on the pole again! She LEADS for about 6 or 7 laps, goes to 2nd, then a few more laps finds her in 3rd, but she’s holding her position good. She eventually falls to 4th, and with less than 10 to go, a car passes her in turns 3 and 4. She goes low to get side by side down the front-stretch. As they go into turn 1, they bump and the outside car doesn’t give her room to complete the pass. She tries to hold her line down low as they come down the backstretch, but the outside car forces Kaitlyn down low going into turn 3 so Kaitlyn tries to stay on the gas and make the pass, but in doing so her car goes below the red speed bumps. She completes the pass on the other car, but the judges call her for it giving her a DQ for the race. She continues racing until she spins out all by herself on the white flag lap coming out of turn 4. Daddy is told she was DQ’d for pass under speed bumps earlier so he pulls her off the track. SORRY SISSY GIRL!! She was very upset!


Tuesday, August 23
Tuesday night races
23 August 05. Kaitlyn starts 2nd out of 6 cars tonight for her 20 lap heat race. She falls to 5th at the start since the outside line normally gets freight-trained at this track. She will go to 6th after a couple laps. She gets lapped by the first 2 cars with about 8 laps to go. With 3 to go, 2 more cars lap her. Another caution free race! Finishes 6th – GOOD RACE SISSY!! For her 25 lap main race, she will start in 6th place. She stays in 6th and gets lapped by the leader with less than 10 to go. Caution comes out with 3 to go. Daddy pulls her into pits to put her in the rear for the restart. Finishes 6th!


Saturday, August 6
She’s trying again!
6 August 05. Kaitlyn will start in the 3rd position out of 4 cars today. On the 1st lap, she hits a car stopped in turn 2 HEAD ON! She gets pushed off and lines up 3rd. She falls to 4th with 11 laps to go. With 8 laps to go, a car falls out of the race allowing Kaitlyn to finish 3rd! For the main, Kaitlyn starts on the pole for her 30 lap race. At the green, she falls to 3rd. With 11 to go, she gets lapped by the leader. Caution flies with 6 to go, she is lined up in 2nd as a lapped car so Daddy pulls her into the pits to put her behind the faster cars. She lines up 4th and makes the pass for 3rd place with 4 laps to go. Solid 3rd for the night!! She gets another plate for her plaque! Good job girl!!


Monday, August 1
Big Monday night races
1 August 05. WOW! The NCQMA track is filled with drivers from all over the country after leaving the Eastern Grands that were held in GA. It was a mutual decision not to race Kaitlyn tonight with 9 other Jr Honda drivers present. Kate Dallenbach from our San Antonio club had a car there so she asked to borrow Kaitlyn’s uniform, helmet and equipment. Races were barely over by our 11:00PM curfew! Total of 81 cars showed up.


Monday, July 18
Our 1st Monday night race
18 July 05. Kaitlyn doesn’t want to race her car again tonight. Her disappointment is still showing.


Saturday, July 16
Not racing again
16 July 05. Kaitlyn decides that she doesn’t want to race for some reason today. There are 4 other drivers signed up. After talking to her for awhile, she is showing some disappointment at not winning and not being able to keep up with the other drivers. She is also getting discouraged by not getting any awards for her efforts.


Saturday, July 9
New team member arrives
9 July 05. The Harris family arrives from Texas to move Blake to his apartment in Gastonia so they come out to help and watch our NCQMA races. Kaitlyn starts her heat race in 3rd place out of 3 cars. She settles into 3rd at the green flag – no cautions during the race. She stays on the gas pretty good and doesn’t get lapped!! ? She finishes 3rd. For the main, she starts on the pole and leads for 2 laps again! The caution flag flies, and she lines up in 1st. The other 2 cars pass her after the green flag, and she goes to 3rd where she stays for the rest of the race. She doesn’t get lapped this time either! Great job sissy!!


Monday, July 4
Independence Day races
4 July 05. Kaitlyn gets the fantastic opportunity to carry the flag before the main races on this special day. She carried the US flag, and Nicholas got to carry the POW/MIA flag in his car behind her during the National Anthem. HOORAH!!! There’s qualifying today. There are only 2 Jr Honda cars – Kaitlyn and Austin. She turns a 7.652 lap, but Austin will beat her by having a fast lap of 7.132. No heats for today, just a main. Kaitlyn lines up on the pole position. She takes the lead at the start and leads for 2 laps. Austin passes her then he spins out so she lines up in first place and leads for a few more laps. He finally passes her then his car appears to be slowing down. Kaitlyn catches him and PASSES for the lead. He spins out again, goes into the pits and comes out faster! He passes her on the restart with 9 laps to go. Austin will spin out again after the checkered flag with Kaitlyn coming in a close 2nd! What a fun race!! She loved it.

Saturday, July 2
She’s racing!!
2 July 05. Kaitlyn is back in her car. She started 2nd out of 3 cars. She went to 3rd on the green flag – got lapped twice by the leader, but she hung in there till the end – NO CAUTIONS! Finishes 3rd – she’ll have the pole for the main! At the green flag of the main race, Kaitlyn falls to 3rd right away pretty much letting the faster older kids pass her so they wouldn’t wreck her. She got lapped by the leader about half way through the race. There were 2 cautions for cars spinning out. Daddy pulled her into the pits each time so she didn’t line up in 2nd and get pushed by a faster car. Kaitlyn mistakenly came off the track before finishing her checkered flag lap so she was scored with a DNF. The flagman confused her by throwing the checkered flag as Kaitlyn was going by him for the 1st place car that was in turns 3 and 4. We had to talk to her about taking that “extra” lap just to be sure she was scored as finishing the race.


Saturday, June 18
Making money
18 June 05. Kaitlyn didn’t race today. She stayed home with Mommy and Grammy to have a yard sale so we would have money for our trip to Pennsylvania.


Saturday, June 11
Region 3 races
11 June 05. Lots of cars in the Jr Honda class today. We decided that Kaitlyn wasn’t ready for this regional race, and since we weren’t going to be racing in any other regionals for points, we’d let her sit this one out.


Saturday, June 4
Still hesitant to race!
4 June 05. Three other cars signed up for today’s races, but Kaitlyn still is not ready to race. She decides to stay after the races and practice to get the car set up. Daddy forgets that Josh Butler borrowed the engine for a May race and sends Kaitlyn out on the track without her restrictor plate!! She handled the car well without the restrictor plate.


Saturday, May 21
Finally cars, but?????
21 May 05. Four other Jr. Honda cars registered, but her handler (Daddy) did not take the time during the week to fix the car assuming that no other cars would show up. Also assuming that the Nervo parts distributor that is usually at the track will have the parts needed for her car, but that doesn’t pan out either. Kaitlyn did not get to race, but she was able to loan her engine to Sr. Honda driver Josh Butler who ran some good races with it.      

Saturday, May 14
Cup race with bad breaks!
14 May 05. Big Day! The Jr Honda Cup race is a really big deal. In fact, big enough to bring in 10 other Jr. Honda cars from around the south. Kaitlyn was really looking forward to this day, and we were hoping for a great day of racing. Kaitlyn lines up #3 in the first heat race out of 5 cars and runs pretty good for several laps. While still in 4th a car gets underneath her and pushes her high coming out of turn 4, and she goes straight into the wall. The entire front end of the car is destroyed, and Kaitlyn will finish in 4th with a DNF. I did not have all the parts to fix the car so Kaitlyn did not get to race her B-main or get a chance to make the A-Main for the Jr. Honda cup race.

Saturday, May 7
Trying hard
7 May 05. Another two car field for Kaitlyn. The car is just not right, and Kaitlyn needs more seat time. She tries really hard to keep up, even hard enough to cause a minor wreck. The green flag flies again, and she does her best and comes in second. Same story for the main. Kaitlyn needs more seat time as a Jr. Honda, and dad really needs to work on the car to make it faster and handle better for her.

Saturday, April 23
Finally a car and a win!
23 April 05. Finally another Jr. Honda car registered. Kaitlyn lines up #2. She does a pretty good job of trying to keep up with the other car but is just not able to. However, with one lap to go the other car breaks, and Kaitlyn takes the checkered flag for the win. For the main she once again did her best to keep up, and her line and times were improving with each lap. No break for Kaitlyn this time, and she would come in second.

Saturday, April 16
No cars again!
16 April 05. No Jr. Honda cars registered so we decided not to race Kaitlyn today.

Saturday, April 9
Racing by herself!
9 April 05. Kaitlyn’s first day at her new track in North Carolina (NCQMA). No Jr. Honda cars registered, but Kaitlyn really needed some practice, and she wanted to race. She went out for her heat race and did 3 minutes of practice and took her green, white, checkered flag. Her first Jr. Honda race and first Jr. Honda win. The flagman didn’t give her the flag to carry like they used to do at our old tracks. She received a nice plaque and a plate for on it.

Wednesday, December 1
2004 Texas Shootout Champion and LSQMA Rookie of the Year
2004 Season. What can you say about the little woman. Kaitlyn had a pretty good year for a 5-6 year old little girl. She started out the year a little slow but came on strong. She also nearly won the Region 6 Jr. Novice Championship falling only 2 points short and finishing a strong second. Katilyn had 5 fast times with 4 heat race and 6 heat race wins in 8 local races.

Saturday, October 30
Saying good-bye to Region 6 in style!
30 Oct 04. It had been several races since Kaitlyn got fast time, and I told her it was her last chance as a novice to get fast time. She must have listened and ran a fast time lap of 8.396. Once again (and sadly for the last time), she would be racing against her friend, Cody. Kaitlyn was determined to win. She took the lead early in the heat race and went on for the win. We had special visitors show up to watch qualifying and the heat races – Ms Milly, Elena, Corina and Jesse would be in the stands to cheer Kaitlyn on. During the main, she followed Cody for nearly the whole race, and then with 4 laps to go she must have realized the race was nearly finished. She made a nice clean pass on Cody and took the win. What a way for her to leave Austin and Region 6! Congratulations Kaitlyn on your 2004 Texas Shootout Jr. Novice Championship!!!!!!   

Saturday, October 23
Determined.
23 Oct 04. I told Kaitlyn this would be her last night of races at LSQMA and to make them memorable. Her qualifying effort was good but not good enough for fast time. Her best lap was a 7.885. During the heat race, she and Cody again battled, but Kaitlyn would fall a little short at the end. It was time for the main, and I reminded her this was her last race in San Antonio. She said “I will win”. Well, she took the lead at the beginning of the race and never looked back. She would go on to win her last race at LSQMA and keep a comfortable lead in the Shootout series. She was very happy with herself.

Sunday, October 10
TULSA!
9-10 Oct 04. Kaitlyn had never raced at Tulsa before, and with our history at Tulsa, we were just a little on the nervous side. She had several good practice runs but was much slower than the Tulsa novices. She had a good qualifying run and had a fast time of 7.680 which was 4 tenths slower than the car that had fast time. However, she would end up 4th fastest out of 7 cars, which would put her on the poll for the race; a good place to start at Tulsa, much better than in the back of the pack. She was really determined at the start of the race. Kaitlyn held the lead at the end of the first lap and led nearly half of the race. She got passed by the second and third place car in the same corner but the third place car went way under the speed bumps to pass her. She held her position for the remainder of the race and would end up finishing in second place because the car that passed her that went under the speed bumps got disqualified. A great finish for her first Tulsa race! Sunday would arrive and prove to be a gully washer. It poured and poured. With no chance to get the race in, the race officials called the Monza races off early. No bent parts and a great effort at her first ever race at a very tough track. Great job Kaitlyn!! Congratulations on your Region 6 Jr. Novice second place finish for the year!!!!!! Not bad for a 5-year-old little girl.

Saturday, September 25
Close racing.
25 Sept 04. Kaitlyn continues to develop her racing skills but lifted a little during qualifying and had a time of 7.828 giving Cody Stacy fast time for the night by .04 sec. The heat and the main were great races for both Kaitlyn and Cody, but Kaitlyn would win both races and was very happy with her performance. It is great watching these two kids race against each other.

Saturday, September 18
Great Day of Racing.
18 Sept 04. Kaitlyn is now a 6 year-old race car driver. Track conditions were a little on the bad side but Kaitlyn had a good qualifying run. With a little bit of tire prep, her lap times of 7.666, 7.612, and 7.615 were good enough for fast time. In the heat race she settled into second. It was only her and Cody racing. Cody led a good amount of the race but with about 5 to go Kaitlyn made a pretty clean pass coming out of 4 and went on for the win. She was ready to go for the main and got a great green flag start (she usually falls a little behind on starts) and got the lead on the first lap going into turn 1. She never looked back and went on for the win in the main. She got first place for local and shootout.

Sunday, September 5
Monza #3 in Austin.
3-5 Sept 04. Kaitlyn had a good practice session on Friday but two cars out of Tulsa and Topeka were much faster than she was. It was time to qualify on Saturday and Kaitlyn would run some good laps (8.644, 8.480, 8.500) her best time was four tenths slower than the fastest qualifier who set a new track record. I knew we had to work hard this weekend. Kaitlyn did end up just 3rd fastest in the field of five. She would line up in the #2 position for the States race on Saturday. The race pretty much went incident free and would run a very strong race and would hold onto third spot. She was a little mad and told me she could not catch the first and second place cars. I knew I had to work on the car to get it better. Sunday rolled in and it was time for the Monza. After introductions we pushed the cars off. The drivers lined up ready to race but the bad thing was they still had a 3 minute warm up session. Once they realized it was not the race Kaitlyn would take off for her warm-up. Coming out of turn 4 Kaitlyn got hit from behind and spun out. Then the worst would happen. She got T-boned from one side and then T-boned again from the other. She kind of looked like a rag doll during the wreck. The track would go red. I went out to Kaitlyn and she was crying. The crying was more from being scared than hurt. Once I got her to breathe smoothly and stop crying she said she was ok and “Ready to Go”. The safety features and equipment in QM racing is what kept her from getting hurt. The car was in pretty bad shape. Several of the radius rods had slight bends in them and the left rear tire was hit pretty hard. I brought her in and Benny and I worked on the car. The left side nerf bar was bent back into the wheel which made it a little hard to change. We did the best we could and sent her off. The green flag fell for the race and after a lap or so found herself in second place. She was working hard and without any cautions the leader just keep getting farther ahead of her. With about 4 laps to go she was nearly a half a lap down. The leader caught lap traffic and would not pass. Advantage Kaitlyn. She was not letting off and was gaining quickly. White flag came out and Kaitlyn was there. She passed the leader in turn one and two and went onto take the checkered flag for the win. The fans went crazy and I was in tears and sure mom was also. I could not believe after that hard of a wreck and nearly half a lap down she could come back to win. This girl was determined to beat the boys. This would be Kaitlyn’s first Monza win. This monza did not count for her in the points since novices only get to count their first two races and not their two best. She is locked into second place for the region. Not bad for a 5 year old little girl.

Saturday, August 21
White Flag Woman.
21 Aug 04. Night racing in Austin. Kaitlyn had a good practice session and was ready to roll. However, Mother Nature would put a delay into the race night. After an hour or so rain delay Kaitlyn would hit the track and be a little on the slow side. The track was really green and I told her to take it easy and not spin out. Her fastest lap was 9.175 which was nearly a half second off what she would normally run in Austin. However, it would still be good enough for second fastest. Kaitlyn would line up in third for the heat race and worked her magic through traffic. She would run a great race and take the win for the heat race. For the main she would line up in fourth. The green flag would drop and she would once again work her way through traffic. She caught the leader Cody Stacey with about 3 to go. Well the white flag came out and Kaitlyn was on a mission. Coming out of turn 4 she would do her best to try and make the pass but charged Cody and they both spun out. Kaitlyn got called for a charge and would go to the back of the field (4th) with just one lap to go. I told her to just do her best there was only one lap left. The green flag flew and going into turn one and two she would pass the second place car on the inside. Going down the backstretch and into turn three she decided to pass the second place car on the outside and somehow pulled it off. She would end up finishing second for the main with mom, dads and several fans with their mouths just hanging open with the passes she made with one to go. Once again two great races from the group of novices. Next race is the Austin Monza.

Saturday, August 14
Moving Along
14 Aug 04. Just like every other novice Kaitlyn seems to have her ups and downs. She would have another pretty good qualifying effort but it would be somewhat inconsistent. Her times were 7.816, 7.939, and 7.941. She would get fast time by .007 a real close on with Cody Stacey just behind. Her lap times were about two tenths slower than she normally runs. During the heat race she would drop into third and stay there for several laps. After about ten or so laps she got into second but ran out of time in her chase to catch Cody. Kaitlyn would end up in second place for the heat race. It was time for the main and she wanted to win. She would start in third and would pass early and quick. By lap 10 she had the lead and never looked back, taking the checkered flag for the main win. Two great caution free races for the drivers. Kailyn ended up winning the points night with her fast time and main race win.

Sunday, July 25
Kaitlyn's Grands Trip
14-25 July 04. A long 1750 mile trip. We made it a two-day trip on the way out. Day one took us to Pasadena, CA. The reason we decided to stop was we hit rush hour traffic in L.A., and that was a bear. After 25 hours I did not want to deal with bumper to bumper traffic. We got up early to beat the California traffic. Only a 6 hour drive today to get us to our final destination. We arrived in Sacramento around noon and headed to the track to drop off the trailer. We arrived at the track and could not believe the parking situation. There was plenty of trailer parking but the area was rocky and very dusty, it was going to be a rough week walking through this boulder field everyday. Kaitlyn got a practice session on Thursday. She pretty much had the track to herself and her 5 minute practice session went well. She adjusted to the track quickly and was pretty much in the gas all the way around the track. Friday morning was raceday for Kaitlyn. She was the second novice race to hit the track. She had a good practice on Thursday evening and was ready to roll. She was assigned the 4th starting position which meant she was stuck in the middle of the field. After many laps of trying to line the field up, the green flag would fall. Kaitlyn looked pretty good but seemed to not be giving the car all it had. After several cautions, she was in second or third. During one of the green flag runs a car would spin out in front of her, and she had nowhere to go. She would hit the car, and another car ran into her. She was fine, but the car was not. We got the car in the pits and lots of hard work by Ralph Hernandez and Donnie Montgomery helped me get the car fixed. However, we were just short of getting her back out on the track in time. Unfortunately, she would finish last since we were unable to get the car back out on the track. Kaitlyn would end up in 8th place but learned a lot. She was not happy that she did not get to finish the race but accepted the hand that was delt to her. This was a great learning experience for Kaitlyn as a novice driver. We would depart on Saturday morning. We hooked up with Ralph and Donnie and would convoy back to San Antonio. We drove straight back (33 hours) except for a 3-hour nap in New Mexico. We had a very fun, rewarding, and learning trip to California. The trip was a great family building experience. However, I don’t know why anyone would want to live in California. I don’t think it has rained in the area where we were since 1910. The kids did great in the car, and Zachary was a champ the whole time. Once again Wilt racing would like to thank everyone who helped us go to California. (The photo is of Kaitlyn during introductions on Friday).

Saturday, June 12
Night race in Austin (Shootout #4)
12 Jun 04. It was finally time for Kaitlyn's first race in Austin. Since she had never been on the track before we would arrive several hours early to get some track time. After a few practice sessions her line looked really good and she was ready to go. Mom and dad were a little worried since this would be a long day and it was her first time in Austin. Well Kaitlyn would prove us wrong. Her qualifying times of 8.512, 8.519 and 8.528 with a fast time of 8.512 was good enough for the overall fastest. Looks like she is turning out like her brother. The really like to get fast time. It was time for the heat race and she told me before she went out she was going to win. The race started and she held onto third place for a good amount of laps but I knew her car was much faster than the two in front of her. She finally made the move on second and then on first. Just as she told me, she went onto win the race. It came time for the main. Once again she would fall into third place but this time did not look as aggressive and just kinda cruised around the track. With a few laps remaining she once again found the gas pedal and took the lead. She would win the main and the points night. Wow, maybe this night racing is a good thing. Kaitlyn's next race will be in California at the grands. Should be interesting.

Sunday, May 30
Kaitlyn's First Topeka Race
28 - 30 May 04. Kaitlyn was really excited about her first race in Topeka. She knows her brother really likes the track and she figured she would also. She had a great practice on Friday but the field was close and with 8 cars qualifying was going to be key. It came time to qualify and she would be next to last out. Her times were 7.884, 7.955, and 7.934. Her best time of 7.884 was good enough for second fastest. She was only 0.014 away from fast time. It was time for the Memorial Day race and Kaitlyn settled into third on the start. Numerous cautions would come out and on one of the re-starts she got punted from behind on the backstretch and spun out. I knew that was ok since the driver that hit her was going to get a charging call. However, the judges for some reason did not see it that way, I nearly had a cow. So, since her car went dead on the track she would have to go to the back of the field in 8th. The rest of the race went pretty much caution free and she worked her way back up to 5th. She had a great race. Sunday was the Memorial Day Monza. WOW, does not even explain this race. If it could happen it happened. The race went 26 minutes. Kaitlyn held strong throughout the race even though I could see she was getting tired. Worked very hard and stayed out of all the wrecks and spin-outs. She made a strong run at the end and would come in third. She is now in second place in points for the region. She is pretty much locked into that position since only the first two races count for novices. We never imagined she could even end up in the top 5 for the region. We are very impressed that this 5 year-old little girl with only a few races under her belt is doing so well.

Saturday, May 15
Shootout #3 in San Antonio
15 May 04. As usually Kaitlyn was really excited about racing. Once again she had a great qualifying run. He times were 7.539, 7.572, and 7.575. She is getting really consistent with her times. Also the best time of 7.539 was good enough for fast time. During the heat race she got a bad start but worked her way back up to second place and would come within a few cars lengths of the leader but ran out of laps. She promised me she would pay more attention at the start for the main. At the start of the main she got a better start but fell a little behind the leader. The race had a few cautions which closed up the field. She again fell a little behind the leader but held onto second. With one lap remaining she once again found the gas pedal and made an awesome attempt to win. Her and the lead car were side by side at the finish. She lost the race by probably two inches. She would end up second overall for Shootout and first in local points.

Saturday, May 8
She is coming along
8 May 04. Looks like this kid is turning into a heck of a racer. Kaitlyn would once again have a great qualifying effort. She ran her best times of the year. 7.454, 7.466 and 7.768. 7.454 was good enough for fast time. It was time for the heat race and she was more than ready. Kaitlyn had the lead by the end of lap one and would run a great race. Her line stayed really consistent and she would go on for the win. During the main she once again got the lead by the end of lap one and nearly lapped the second place car but played it safe and would once again bring home the checkers. She has come a long way in the past few months and is very rarely lifting now going into the corners. I guess we can now start to look at trying to break the track record by the end of the year. We shall see if she can pull it off.

Saturday, April 24
Kaitlyn's First Austin Race
24 Apr 04. Kaitlyn was really looking forward to her first race in Austin. However, mother nature would see it differently. Bad weather was predicted and an early phone call would delay Kaitlyn's first race in Austin. She was not a real happy camper when she found out the race was cancelled but a good call by the Austin folks on the early decision to cancel the race.

Friday, April 9
Kaitlyn's first monza
8 & 9 April 04. After several weeks of sanding, buffing, and polishing, Kaitlyn's car was ready to race and for the pretty car contest. The design and colors Kaitlyn and Artie(Spook)Lund picked out were just incredible. This little kid has one pretty car. Anyway, back to the racing. Kaitlyn really seemed ready to go. 5 other novices from the region would show up which made for nearly a full class of Jr. Novice cars. It came time to qualify and Kaitlyn would be the last car out. I never though in my mind that she would come even close to fast time. I looked at my stopwatch and said wow. She had a fast time of 7.635, she shaved another 2 tenths off her best time and would get fast time for the Jr. Novice class. That is one heck of an accomplishment for a 5 year old at her first monza with only two races under her belt. It came time for Friday's Easter race and I was nervous. Kaitlyn lined up well and got a so-so start. She would settle into fourth place and hold her own for the entire race. She got held up trying to lap a few slower cars and just seemed to stay in their tire tracks. She stayed out of trouble and brought the car back in one piece. She would finish in fourth place. Now it was time to get her car ready for the pretty car judging. The entire Lund family showed up to help get her car ready for the show. We would not know until Saturday afternoon how we did. There were some pretty nice cars out there including her brother's car. Back to racing again. It came time for the monza and Kaitlyn told me she was going to win. She got another so-so start and I think actually dropped back to fifth place but about 10 laps into the race she found the gas pedal. She was over a half a lap down to the leader at the time. Don't really know where she learned this next trick but it would pay off. Jr. Novices don't always have the best line and Kaitlyn could not get past any car on the low side so she decided to go all out and pass on the outside. Everyone's eyes and mouths just dropped except mom and dads heart rate went sky high. She was passing cars like she had been doing it for years expect she was way up in the marbles and I knew it would not last for long. She worked her way up to second place with two laps to go. She entered turns one and two just behind the first place car. The first place car made a move on the outside to pass a slower car and Kaitlyn thought she could take them both. Well she carried the car even higher into the marbles and spun it out. Ohhhh, what could have been. She lined back up with two laps to go and worked her way back up to fourth place. In her first monza she would end up with fast time and second overall in points. Now, onto the pretty car, the last award announced. They announced Kaitlyn Wilt, she had a smile from ear to ear. The trophy is nearly a foot taller than her, and she could barely carry it. A huge thanks goes out to Spook and the Lund family in helping Kaitlyn win Pretty Car. Spook has a history of winning pretty car with his fantastic paint jobs and he continues to prove why he the best painter in San Antonio. The picture is Kaitlyn with Spook and her pretty car trophy.

Saturday, March 20
Not so lucky this week
20 Mar 04. This would be the first shootout of the year for Kaitlyn and we would not be as lucky this week. One other Jr. Novice car would show up from the Austin track. However, when it came time to qualify she improved her time a bunch. She ran a fast time of 7.810, that would be 3 tenths faster than her first time out and she was only a little over 2 tenths slower than the other car. Kaitlyn was really ready to go and had a great heat race. She hung tough throughout the race and her line is really improving. She did not get lapped and came off the track mad that she could not catch the car in front of her. Well, dad still has not given her a full gas pedal which she does not know about. For the main I decided to give her a little more gas but still not full throttle. She did not get a great start and fell into second. She stayed on the first place cars bumper until the red flag came out for rain when the first place car spun out. The rain stopped and I figured she would have the lead but that was not so. She restarted in second and stayed on the bumper of the first place car for the rest of the race. She came in mad again and said she was not fast enough to pass the leader. Guess dad better soon give her full throttle. She made several great saves during the race keeping the car out of the wall and mom and dad were very proud of her first real race with another car. Kaitlyn is really excited about the monza since she will be debuting a new paint job for that race.

Saturday, March 6
First Race
6 Mar 04. Today was the big day for Kaitlyn. Mom and dad were nervous but we would catch a break. It ended up Kaitlyn was the only Jr. Novice car to show up for the race. She did really well in qualifying and had a best time of 8.185. She went out to take a green, white, checker to get credit for her racing. She also got to carry the checkered flag which is a QM tradition when you win. Well, we forgot to practice this part. I stopped her handed her the flag and told her to take a lap and to just stop the car with her breaks. Well, guess what, I think she forgot what I told her. After several laps around the track she figured it was time to come in. She reached up and somehow got her car shut off with the flag in her hand. Everyone got a big kick out of her first victory laps. Since she was the only driver in her class she would end up with fast time and first place for the night. This was one proud girl when it came awards time. Of course, she took her trophy to school on Monday to show everyone.

Monday, December 1
Training for Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn would have several training session during the off season but not nearly as much as I would have liked her to have. She seemed to develop pretty normal but putting a five year old in a car is always a little scary. Kaitlyn always wanted to practice and nearly every day she would ask if we were going to practice and when her first race was. By late Feb. she was ready to go but not really sure if mom and dad are.