The better the race the bigger the disappointment when things go wrong. I had big hopes for this race also, I had the local ringer on my team and things were looking good.

qualifying was in the morning and we decided to change to a different brake caliper than we had run all year. It was a bit of a gamble, but for this race we were all in. Benoit (pronounced Ben-Waa) went out for qualifying and had to get used to these new brakes. The petal feel was very different and it took him the whole 15 minutes to get it. He ended up 4th, which he was not happy with, but it was just what we needed.

so the race started and our strategy was going to work perfect if we had no full course cautions. We took this gamble because everyone seemed pretty careful this weekend and there hadn't been any incidents in practice. My about the 5th lap Benoit had moved into 2nd place and was the only car able to keep up with the leader.

As the race progressed I got more and more nervous because starting about the 45 minute mark cars started pulling into the pits with brake failure. We kept talking to Benoit on the radio telling him to be conservative and not use the brakes up. But he kept going fast and was the fastest car on the track for a while. We had to get him to back off the leader once because he needed to run in cooler air to keep the brakes cool. But through all this he kept assuring us that he was taking it very easy on the car. To be honest I was thinking that there was no way the brakes would be able to finish the race at that pace. So, as cars kept dropping like flies Benoit just kept going the same quick pace.

The time came for me to get in and we had not had a caution yet. Our strategy had played out perfectly so far. I jumped in and we didn't really have the best pit stop, the driver change went a little slow. So, I pulled out in 3rd place. But 2nd place was right in front of me. In about 3 laps I was by him as he was having brake failure also. After a while, there I was sitting in 2nd place with the leader out of reach, and 3rd place (my teammate) well behind, having brake issues of his own. All I had to do was nurse the car home, while not using the brakes barely at all. I was using the transmission to slow the car down, which is a bit of a no-no. But there was no other option.

We were looking great for a second place, which I was very happy about. Then as I entered turn 1, one of the few right handers, I felt something terribly wrong in the left rear. I continued on though, and was hoping I had just missed the apex a little and gone through what we call "the marbles". Down the long fast back straight the car seemed ok, so I continued to push. Then the next straight had a slight bend to the right (the next right after turn 1) at over 100 mph. All the sudden the left rear corner went down, "a sudden blowout" I thought. I was able to keep the car under control and the pits were only 1 corner away. I immediately (frantically) called to the crew on my radio to get ready with a new tire. I head down pit lane repeating my instruction for new tire. But no response, as I get closer I see everyone running around getting ready, and then right as I pull in... they stop. No hurry just the crew chief over the wall. "Beau, were done." I couldn't believe it. I got out and looked; the wheel hub had sheered right off. The when was no longer there. It had broken all the way off, not the wheel itself, but the whole hub assembly, what the wheel and brake caliper attach to.

I have never seen this sort of thing happen, or for that matter heard of such a thing. With just 15 minutes remaining luck strikes again. It really is hard to believe so much bad luck can happen in one season. Everyone in the paddock finally decided that the car really is cursed. I guess I am a sucker for pain or something, because I will be right back behind the wheel again in just a few weeks out in Utah. If we do not get a podium out of these next two races this season really will have been a total waste. And it will be very difficult to get a decent ride next year.