Story By: Trenton Berry
Eric Turner had a good weekend in the Lucas Oil, Pannell Chipping, Don Babb Motorsports, Moyer Victory Circle. It was his first time to ever race at the highly regarded Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, LA. “That place was awesome,” commented Turner. “It was the perfect size and shape, in my opinion. The surface was smooth and slick. It’s everything I look for in a quality track. It’s definitely one of my favorites now.”
The weekend began on Thursday, with practice for the $10,000 to win race on Saturday. “We unloaded, and the car was good. I messed with some different springs and got it right on the money. We were among the fastest of the forty-seven car field consistently. I knew we would have to shot to be successful.” Turner timed in fifth fast overall on Friday. This gave him the inside of the second row for the night’s first heat race. Turner worked the bottom of the speedway early and took the lead. Then, as he put it, got greedy. “We were so fast on the bottom early that I went searching for more. I was on the top of the track, flying, in hot laps. Needless to say, I went to the top and the speed wasn’t there anymore.” Turner lost four spots before being able to get back down the track. He was credited with fifth.
Saturday his night began with the third starting position in the B Main. He jumped out to the lead and never gave it back. This put him on the inside of the seventh row for the feature. “I gambled on front tires for the feature, and it bit me. I just went a little too soft.” Turner started out good, but the front end started skating and he was unable to press forward. He retired to the pits and choosing to save his equipment. “We went down there to just get some time in our new car. It really wasn’t going to help me to just stay out there and fight the car late in the race. We’ve got a lot of racing to do, and I need to keep my equipment as fresh as possible.” He was credited with an 18th place finish.
In a nutshell the trip was well worth it for Turner. “This car is unbelievable. I was able to do things with it; I couldn’t do with any other brand I’ve driven. I am ready to get the Lucas Oil MLRA season going. I have a car capable of winning races and running up front. I’m so glad we were able to get connected with Billy Moyer and run one of his cars.”
Eric Turner would like to recognize and thank all of his marketing partners; Pannell Chipping, Lucas Oil Products, Don Babb Motorsports, Lucas Cattle Company, MAV TV, Protect the Harvest, Roush Yates Performance, Smith Equipment, Lightfoot Hardware, Midwest Sheet Metal, Keyser Manufacturing, BSB Manufacturing, Powertrain Industries, KRC and RacinDirt.com.