Duck Tape Racing Scores First Win of 2009

April 8, 2009
Pageland, S.C. - When we left our story last time, the Duck Tape '80 Volare was down for repairs, but team driver Michael Beard had brought out another trusty Duck with his backup ride, his '74 Duster. On Saturday, March 21, Beard again drove deep into eliminations, making it to the fourth round of competition with the Duster at Greensboro, N.C.'s Piedmont Dragway.

It was no joke that Sloan Racing Engines finished rebuilding the Volare's 360 Magnum on April 1st, and it was non-stop from that point on. The engine was installed on Thursday, and tested Friday night at Mooresville Dragway, in Mooresville, N.C. Saturday morning featured qualifying runs for the IHRA Div. 9 Summit Pro-Am Tour, also at Mooresville. Mechanical gremlins cropped up in the first run, but Tim Sloan (Sloan Racing Engines) and Scott Macy (Macy Motorsports) quickly assessed the problem and corrected it. On the second run, the Volare jumped up to 12th on the Stock qualifying sheet.

Those two rounds of qualifying were completed by noon. Beard packed up and travelled and hour and a half south to Pageland Dragway, in Pageland, S.C., where they were contesting their first IHRA Summit Super Series points race of the season. After seven rounds of competition in the Footbrake category, Beard and the Duck Tape Volare were left standing in the winner's circle with the victory and the early points lead, just days after firing a fresh engine.

Beard returned to Mooresville Dragway on Sunday, but lost in the second round of Stock at the Pro-Am event.