After a stellar 2010 season in Legends Cars, driver #29 Garett Goodwin was excited to move up to the full-sized 430 horsepower short track trucks of the ASA SCAG Power Equipment Truck Series. Goodwin's Debut in the truck exceeded expectations. A top 10 finish at the tough Wisconsin International Raceway, in his inaugural event had the team on the highest of highs.
Goodwin was confident, going into the race at his home track of Grundy County Speedway, that he would be a contender for the win. In the past Grundy set the stage for several of Goodwin’s most memorable moments behind the wheel. Three straight legend car championships and countless wins, Goodwin was poised for greatness.
The high expectation quickly turned to surprise as the power plant in Goodwin’s truck let go ending his night and possibly his season. Through the support of the racing community the GGR team was able to have service work done on their engine. Racing is a cruel business at times and the Goodwin organization was facing the wrath head on. Racer’s race, however, and Garett Goodwin is no exception.
Days after receiving the engine Goodwin and his GGR team headed to compete in the USST Great Lakes Truck Series event at South Bend Motor Speedway. It appeared the gremlins had subsided as Goodwin bolted out to a demanding lead in the early stages of the event. Once again misfortune would plague the upstart team. An oil leak developed causing Garett to shut down his mount and exit to the infield for the remainder of the race. The Goodwin crew tried valiantly to find the problem but it looked to be an internal issue.
The team loaded up and headed to rejoin the ASA Midwest Truck Series at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in midsummer. The racing fraternity led by Tom McCardle of JET Motorsports rallied around the young driver to find the oil issue once and for all. They discovered that the valve covers were warped causing the oil to leak onto the exhaust which was creating smoke. The covers were replaced; however, Goodwin was not able to finish the feature race due to something malfunctioning inside the motor.
After the issues at South Bend and Hawkeye Downs, GGR team leadership determined it was best to end the season early and focus on resolving the motors issues with the engine builder. A dejected driver Goodwin understood the decision yet he was still disappointed. "We just didn't have the year we expected to get this season", says Garett, "We will just look past it and start fresh for the 2012 season and as compete in as many races as we can".
Next season, will be a fresh start for Garett Goodwin and the GGR team. The opportunity to race in the CRA JEGS All Star Series looks to be available pending marketing partnership support. Add in select ASA Midwest Truck Series and USST Great Lakes events on the schedule and next year is already looking positive for the talented teen racer from Three Oaks Michigan.
To learn more about Garett Goodwin please visit www.garettgoodwin.com, visit Face book at www.facebook.com/garettgoodwinracing and Twitter @GarettGoodwin.