- The full article was originally published on JConcepts (Racing) -
The Psycho Nitro Blast is a race that completely embodies its name. The 24-hour race program, the 1,000+ entries, and the fire that shoots from the podium makes this race unlike any other. Dave Leikam and the RaceTime Entertainment crew always put on a great show and bring a unique take on racing to the table! For the track build, they brought in Bobby Moore and the RC Trackmasters crew to design and develop the ultimate layout. The PNB track has to be one of the largest tracks we race on throughout the year. Typically, the PNB is known for it’s huge jumps, and wooden features. Historically, they’ve had wooden jumps and a wooden wall ride. This year Bobby switched things up with a section that went completely down to the concrete, an option lane, a plethora of jumps no bigger than 2 feet, and a rhythm section. However, what remained this year was the iconic Joker Lane.
The Joker Lane adds a next level strategy to the racing program. Known for its ability to change the game quickly and create a wild race, this year was no exception. A Joker lap is essentially a short cut and you get one per 10 minutes of a race. For example, if it’s a 30 minute main you are allowed to use the Joker Lane 3 times and you can use them whenever you’d like. It makes it harder for drivers to know who they’re actually racing at any given moment. It’s not possible for them to race and keep track of who has used their joker lanes and who hasn’t. That’s not to say they don’t have any idea, but it definietly makes things tricky.
Check out the full photo album Here.
The track surface was primarily dusty, bumpy, and loamy. However, depending on the watering schedule some drivers had to drive on a wet or damp track. Due to these conditions the track had low to medium abrasion and wear. The main tire of choice was the trusty Reflex for Truck and Buggy. Depending on the temperature and the length of the race drivers went with the green or blue compound. Mason Fuller strayed away from the predictable choice and went with the blue Rehab for the Pro E-Buggy Main. Something new you’ll notice in Dakotah Phend’s Tire Guide is the prototype RM2 1/8th scale Truck Insert Bands (#8142). It’s still in the development phase but it’s designed to reduce swelling in the insert under acceleration and in return add more consistency. You can read more about the winning tire choices at the bottom of this article. We have tire guides from Dakotah Phend, Ryan Maifield, Mason Fuller, and Tyler Hooks.
The Stats:
Entries: 1,010
Drivers: 478
Total Race Laps: 27,338
Practice: 24 Hours
Mains: 70 Races
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Qualifying (Best 1 of 2):
40+ E-Buggy: Aaron Buran (4)
40+ Nitro Buggy: Adam Drake (TQ), Brandon Melton (3)
E-Truggy: Phi Long Nguyen (TQ), Tyler Hooks (2), Patrick Rossiter (3), Jonah Wilson (5)
Int. E-Buggy: Logan Wendling (2), Coty Ingram (5)
Int. Nitro Buggy: Jonah Wilson (2), Logan Wendling (4)
Int. Nitro Truggy: Coty Ingram (TQ), Logan Wendling (2), Kiarra Hold (4), Ken Rand (5)
Pro E-Buggy: Dakotah Phend (TQ), Mason Fuller (2), Tyler Jones (3), Ryan Maifield (4), Spencer Rivkin (5)
Pro Nitro Buggy: Ryan Maifield (TQ), Dakotah Phend (2), Joe Bornhorst (3), Spencer Rivkin (4), Mason Fuller (5)
Pro Nitro Truggy: Dakotah Phend (TQ), Mason Fuller (2), Ryan Maifield (3), Tyler Jones (4), Jackson Brunson (5)
Final Results:
40+ E-Buggy: Aaron Buran (4)
Photo courtesy of Jacob Peterson
40+ Nitro Buggy: Adam Drake (1), Brandon Melton (3)
Photo courtesy of Jacob Peterson
E-Truggy: Tyler Hooks (1), Jonah Wilson (2)
Photo courtesy of Jacob Peterson
Int. E-Buggy: Jonah Wilson (1), Ken Rand (2), Coty Ingram (3)
Photo courtesy of Jacob Peterson
Int. Nitro Buggy: Coty Ingram (1), Jonah Wilson (2), Logan Wendling (3)
Int. Nitro Truggy: Coty Ingram (1)
Photo courtesy of Jacob Peterson
Pro E-Buggy: Mason Fuller (1), Tyler Jones (2), Spencer Rivkin (3), Ryan Maifield (4), Dakotah Phend (5)
Phend made a sudden surge on the first lap, but chose to conserve his Joker lap. Mason Fuller, Lutz, Jones, Maifield, and VanDalen all took their Jokers, repositioning those top 5 spots. Lutz broke out of the race, and Tyler Jones moved into 2nd. Dakotah Phend lost his wing, but was able to move into 3rd despite the loss. Halfway through, Fuller had a 7.5 second lead over 2nd. Meanwhile, Rivkin and Phend were battling for 3rd. Rivkin got by Phend into 3rd and Maifield was able to get by as well. Phend fell back to 5th but was driving that wingless buggy like a champ! Phend was putting a charge on Maifield for 4th. He got it wrong in the concrete section, and Tessmann got by into 5th. Tessmann crashed shortly after and Phend took back that 5th place spot. Fuller was still out front cruising with now a 9 second lead. The tone went off and it was an E-Buggy win for Mason Fuller!
Pro Nitro Buggy: Ryan Maifield (1), Dakotah Phend (2), Joe Bornhorst (3), Spencer Rivkin (4), Mason Fuller (5)
Ryan Maifield led the way, Joe Bornhorst made an early move into 2nd, and Phend was right there in 3rd. Maifield took one of his Jokers on the first lap trying to safe gaurd his position. Phend, Bornhorst, Rivkin, and Fuller also followed through as well. Maifield and Phend stay the course for a normal lap but Bornhorst took his 2nd Joker which was enough to put him in the lead. He was only left with one Joker now. He was cruising through with a 9 second lead, if he would have to keep stretching it out to safe guard himself from being overtaken by a Joker lap. Rivkin took his 2nd Joker, which streamlined him into 2nd and 2.5 seconds behind Bornhorst. Meanwhile, Maifield and Phend were both going at it. Phend made a mistake, Maifield capitalized and took his Joker lap at the same time. It was enough to get in front of Bornhorst and take the lead. Maifield then made a mistake, Rivkin and Bornhorst both went by. Maifield took his final Joker lap right after that, in order to take the lead back.
Meanwhile, Phend and Fuller still had 2 Jokers remaining. Rivkin was still running 3rd. Bornhorst was about 5 seconds behind Maifield who was in the lead. Rose and Rivkin both had small mistakes and Phend was there to capitalize. He took over 3rd place. Halfway to go, Rivkin got back by Phend into 3rd. The two of them were wing to nose, battling hard. Phend went in to pit, Rivkin stayed out. Rivkin was on the back door of Bornhorst. Bornhorst used his final Joker which put him back in the lead over Maifield by 1 second. Maifield got caught on the pipe, Bornhorst lengthened his lead. Fuller was lurking in 5th with 2 Jokers in his back pocket still. He was still in contention for a top spot. Bornhorst made a mistake in that center section, Maifield got by. They were all out of Joker Laps. Rivkin was running 3rd, but Phend still had one Joker left. Fuller was pushing hard, he was running hot lap after hot lap. 3.5 minutes left to go, he was still saving those jokers. It was the final 60 seconds, Phend and Fuller left with their Jokers. They both saved their jokers for the final lap. 30 seconds to go, how would this thing shake out? They both took their Jokers, Fuller had crash. Phend took over 2nd after taking his. The race concluded with Maifield, Phend, and Bornhorst as the top 3.
Pro Nitro Truggy: Dakotah Phend (1), Ryan Maifield (2), Mason Fuller (3), Spencer Rivkin (4)
The start was a clean train around the turn into the double. Dakotah Phend led the way. On the first lap, several drivers opted in to the Joker Lane. Phend, Fuller, Maifield, Brunson, Rivkin, Cavalieri, Heckert, and Tollard all used it! Phend made a small mistake and Fuller got by. However, Phend took a 2nd Joker lap which put him back in front and he was able to stretch it out. On the 3rd lap, Phend decided to save his final Joker, but Maifield did not. Maifield was on his wing ready to take over that first position already. Phend and Maifield went side by side along the back stretch and Maifield was able to make the pass into the lead. Jones took his Joker lap in the middle of all that action which put him in 3rd and up in the Phend/Field mix. Maifield’s transponder missed a lap, but he was still in the lead. Through the whoops section he got a little wobbly which allowed Phend to take it back. However, Maifield and Jones were still right on Phend.
Mason Fuller was saving his Joker laps and trying to make up time organically. He was lurking in the background but could be up in that top mix at any point. Nearly halfway through the race, Maifield took his final Joker lap which put him right in front of Phend for that race lead. Fuller used one of his Joker lanes which put him in 3rd. He still had two more in his back pocket. Phend was gaining on Maifield with now only 1.5 seconds between them! They went in and out of pits, Drake was on the gun for Maifield and he had a 10 second lead. Mike Sontag was on the gun for Phend and he was lightening fast also, keeping him right in the race! Meanwhile, Fuller & Jones were battling for that 3rd place finish. Phend was only 2.4 seconds behind Maifield with a Joker lap still in his hand. That would help him gain 8-9 seconds and put him right out in front. He was chasing down Maifield and Maifield was trying to surge, lengthening the lead. With 3 minutes left in the race, Fuller was running 3rd, with 2 Jokers still in his plan. Would it be enough to put him in the thick of things? Fuller got on his lid on the straightaway and in that exact moment Rivkin used his final Joker which put him right in 3rd. Fuller then took a Joker lane and it put him back into 3rd. He was only 10 seconds behind Phend. It was the final 60 seconds, Maifield was leading, Phend 4.5 seconds back, but a Joker in his pocket. Fuller also with a Joker left, but 9 seconds behind 2nd place. Phend used that final Joker with 30 seconds to go and he took over the lead from Maifield. Fuller saved his Joker for the last lap. Would it be enough to take 2nd from Maifield? Not quite! Maifield’s transponder wasn’t counting every lap but they got it corrected and the race concluded with Phend in 1st, Maifield in 2nd, and Fuller in 3rd!
Overall, it was a marvelous weekend for the JConcepts Team! We won all three pro classes, all three intermediate classes, E-Truggy, and 40+ Nitro Buggy! Congratulations to Mason Fuller, Dakotah Phend, Ryan Maifield, Tyler Hooks, Coty Ingram, Jonah Wilson, and Adam Drake on their wins! We’d also like to once again thank the Racetime Entertainment crew for hosting us, and we look forward to the next one. Up next, we’re switching back to 1/10 scale for the JConcepts INS12 Spring Indoor Nationals at Adrenaline RC Raceway!
Tire Guides:
Dakotah Phend
Ryan Maifield
Mason Fuller
Tyler Hooks
