G2Racing Blog
TYLER HUGHES WINS BACK-TO-BACK AT SNMP – DECLARED WINNER MONDAY AFTERNOON
July 7, 2016 g2racing
Lucama, NC – For Tyler Hughes racing in North Carolina does not seem to want to come easy for the Maryland native. Two weeks now in a row now the driver and his crew have faced some type of adversity. Now of course you will have that in this sport but an electrical issue that could have taken you out of the features all together one week and a post race technical inspection the following is not something a team wants to see happen week in and week out that is for sure.
After splitting a set of races the prior week with Louis White, Hughes found himself yet again on the road traveling to Southern National Motorsports Park. Leaving most of the electrical problems back home this weekend, Hughes entered the twenty plus car field feeling pretty good about the car, the crew, and himself. "The car was decent," Hughes spoke about the car during practice. "We worked hard on it all day just fine tuning. We didn't want to get to far away from what we had the week before. We still had a small miss but it was only little pops, nothing major that we were going to worry about."
Apparently the fine-tuning was just what the car needed because he would go on to set the pole in euro style qualifying with a time of 15.790 (91.197 mph). Michael Fose, Tyler Matthews, Ricky Jones, III, and Clay Jones would round out the starting five.
"By fine tuning I knew we had a decent piece," Hughes told The Weekly Racer this afternoon after an announcement was made about the official results. "But I didn't know how good of a car we actually had until we started racing in that first race." Good enough to lead wire to wire and pick up his second win in that many visits to SNMP in 2016. After, lets call it an unlucky start this season at Dominion Raceway, the back to back wins is something much needed for the team as a reminder they still have what it takes to win.
David Polenz, Louis White, Tal Davidson and Ricky Jones rounded out the top five. Brenden Queen, Clay Jones, and Michael Fose completed the top eight – the importance of that can be found bellow.
An eight-car invert was set for race number two later on in the evening as the sun went down and the track cooled off. A note to make, sixth place finisher Brenden Queen, had to give his third place starting position up after a fire broke out under the hood of the car as he was leaving the scales forced the team to the back up car and to the back of the field for the start of race two.
With twin races running in the sun and then under the moon we asked Tyler if the crew went to work during the break to change things on the car to make it any better. I think he was pleasantly surprised when swapping some tires around was all that was needed.
"We inspected tires and moved them around to where we felt it would benefit us the most for race two," Huges commented about the adjustments. "It didn't take us to long to get back up to the front and into the lead either."
Hughes would go on to win the second feature of the evening and grab what he thought was going to be his third victory at the high-banked oval. Chris Chapman – who at one point was the division points leader – would finish second followed by Louis White, Clay Jones and Brenden Queen.
I am just so proud of this whole team for how hard we have worked and how much effort has gone into making the cars fast." Hughes said about his team. "For only our second season of working together I cant think of anything better than to win four races in nine starts."
The wins certainly did not come easy this weekend for Hughes as he learned at the completion of the night that one of the fellow competitors in the field had protested his motor. The team was ordered to submit their heads for further inspection. The team removed them from the car and a representative from G2 Racing along with the protesting team meat with officials in the tech shed. After the initial inspection passed the party that filed the protest requested further measurements to be taken which the track did not have the tools to complete. The heads were then taken to the NASCAR R&D center, which they had no issue with and officially handing the win over the Hughes.
"We let the head tech official keep the heads and take them to the R&D center," Hughes told use over the phone Monday evening. "They went through every single test they could run and check on the heads and we got the phone call telling us we were 100% legal. Protest can become heated between teams sometimes but this was all 100% professional. From my team, to the track officials, to the protesting team, we all worked together and in the end, got rumors cleared up."
Hughes went on to explain he is happy to show people what they do is by the book and that is what his team is about. They want to be known as a humble, fair, and fast competitor and Hughes hopes that message was delivered this past weekend.
~ Justin Kern
Tyler Hughes Scores Emotional Father's Day Victory At SNMP
June 25, 2016 g2racing
LUCAMA, N.C. :: Tyler Hughes scored a poignant and emotional win at Southern National Motorsports Park on Saturday night, celebrating with his father in victory lane on Father's Day weekend.
This Father's Day weekend – and this victory – means a little more than most to Hughes, as his father recently went into remission after battling cancer since last December.
"My dad got diagnosed with cancer back around December," an emotional Hughes said in victory lane. "We just got word this past Thursday that the cancer had gone into remission. He's only got two more chemo treatments left."
After climbing out of the car and celebrating the victory, Hughes immediately embraced his dad, saying "This one's for you," before beginning his victory lane interview.
With Father's Day this weekend, Hughes had an extra incentive to celebrate his father's good news with a win at the 0.400-mile oval in Lucama, North Carolina. Hughes and his team even overcame some mechanical issues on race day to achieve that goal.
"Being that it's Father's Day, I really wanted to win for him this weekend," Hughes said. "We overcame a lot of adversity today, with the engine troubles we had. We got fixed literally right before the race. I can't thank my crew and team enough, because this wouldn't be possible without them."
Hughes started fourth in the 19-car field, but methodically worked his way to the front. By lap ten, Hughes passed pole-sitter Tyler Matthews entering turn three to take the lead, which he would not relinquish.
"We had the car pretty hooked up," Hughes said. "It felt really good. I tried to conserve as much as I could [for the second race], keep about five or six car lengths lead from what my car owner and spotter was telling me."
A seven-car invert placed Hughes deeper in the field to start the second Late Model Stock feature of the evening, but with a strong run and a solid decision to take the outside line on a cone-rule restart on lap eight propelled him to second. However, Hughes was unable to pass eventual winner Louis White, settling for a second place finish.
"We picked through the pack pretty quick," said Hughes after the second race. "I got up on the outside pretty quick on one of the restarts, and was able to get to the bottom and get to second. Louis was just beating me off the corner and down the straightaway. I was able to catch him in the center, but I just couldn't get the forward drive I needed or wanted to pass him."
Nonetheless, it was still an extremely successful – and rewarding – weekend for Hughes.
"I think we did an awesome job tonight to come down here and get a one-two finish," Hughes said. "I couldn't be happier right now."
"It's hard to put into words," Hughes said about the weekend. "I'm so happy for my dad, great start to the weekend. Between coming down here and thrashing all day and getting the win and finishing second in the second one, definitely an awesome weekend."
Hughes readies for Double Duty at Dominion – Mark Rogers
Set for double duty in the K&N East Series and in the NWAAS Late Model series. Track regular Tyler Hughes stands to have a very genuine opportunity to race both events at his home track at Dominion Raceway this Memorial day weekend. Hailing from Cordova, Maryland, Hughes racing career began at the age of five racing quarter midgets before jumping up big to the Legend's series at the age of thirteen at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. Along the way, collecting up wins in over four states and various series championships aiding into the dreams of one day making it to the top. Soon after, Late Model racing was next for Tyler Hughes where in his debut season at Old Dominion Speedway, nabbed up his first race win to what has already been a story book beginning for Tyler Hughes.
Well respected racer himself and car owner Paul Green, owner of G2 Racing Inc. Green recognized the potential, saw the race talent which soon developed a relationship with Tyler Hughes that lead to him racing his Ford Fusion Late Model at Langley Speedway. At this point, the opportunity put Hughes skills to the test, running up against some of Late Models best race talent in Greg and Danny Edwards, also of the likes of Mark Wertz. It also placed Hughes against some of the nations best race teams like three-time National Champion Lee Pulliam and standout Matt Bowling just to name a few. Of that 2015 race season at Langley Speedway, Tyler Hughes impressed many when he collected his first Late Model win at the track, earning the praise and competitor respect every step of the way.
That same year, Hughes was approached with the opportunity from car owner Paul Green to field an entry into the K&N East Series at Langley Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Once again for Tyler Hughes, the K&N East series opportunity at Dominion Raceway has presented itself in 2016 for the Maryland native. Looking to further advance his seat time in that series and seek a strong finish, Hughes will also race in the Late Model feature this Memorial day. Hughes to his credit has already collected one feature win at the new race facility and currently sits fourth in points in the Late Model series. No doubt for Tyler Hughes, a genuine opportunity to perform at his very best is now, an opportunity in front of his home crowd and at his home track. Race22.com spoke with Hughes about his double duty weekend and exactly his plans to make the best of his given opportunity.
Race22: Tyler, doing double duty is no easy task. Is there a possible advantage of racing Late Models that could help in the K&N East race?
Tyler Hughes: "The only advantage that I think that I might have is the track time and the race time in a Late Model. Obviously set ups don't transpire over into the K&N car and both cars are driven differently. I think the fact that I know where the race grooves are on the track, I know where to push and where I need to conserve," shared Hughes.
Race22: Tyler, describe how much this opportunity means and the challenges that lies ahead in running both a Late Model and a K&N East series car?
Tyler Hughes: "Its an awesome opportunity for me, we have a very strong Late Model program and were expecting a win this weekend, ya know, ever weekend when we go to the track we expect to win," says Hughes. "When we turn to the K&N side, it's a little bit different cause we haven't had a top ten finish in that car yet. Our first goal is to get that top ten and anything past that will be great especially if we could win, man, that would be awesome!" "Otherwise, my expectations is a top ten finish and a solid finish with the K&N car".
Race22: Not to long ago, your father who is such a pivotal member of your race team, was diagnosed with cancer. Courageous as he has been in his fight, describe the emotions and how he has influenced your drive to succeed?
Tyler Hughes: "Obviously I really want to succeed for him because he's fighting as hard as he can as the chemo has made him weaker than what he used to be," explained Hughes. "He's ninety percent of what goes on here in the race shop and he always told me that when I am gone what are you going to do. That was during a time when I didn't work as hard on race cars, but when he started going through the chemo I knew I had to step it up realizing how much work he put into the race team, my racing, my whole program," tells Hughes. "It opened my eyes a lot, all of the work involved in getting the cars to the race track every week. Ya know, the team Don and Cancer ribbon logo on the hood of my car, we just wanted to support my dad in the biggest most possible way. Keep him pushing, keep him strong, keep him fighting even during times when he feels weak. When we unveiled the hood to him for the first time it was such a surprise for him. Man, it had to be one of the coolest feelings, after all he has been going through, to see him happy again I believe it helped gave him a push to keep on."
Race22: I'm sure there are some special people who have helped make this weekend possible?
Tyler Hughes: Paul Green (car owner) is one of my biggest supporters of keeping me moving up in my racing career. He's put a lot of faith in me in racing his race cars without having to put up hundreds, thousands and millions of dollars to get in these cars. I would never be where I am now without him else we would still be racing Legends just because we didn't have the money to go any further," explains Hughes. "Also all my crew members who are there in the shop every single week, every weekend who keeps it fun and keeps us going. My mom is the backbone of the team too, she keeps us fed throughout the whole weekend and also my girlfriend Nicole. She never wants to miss a race and is very supportive of my racing. Its funny, she hates how long it takes to get the car ready throughout the week but loves to come to the track on race day".
This Memorial Day weekend at Dominion Raceway is certainly going to be special for Tyler Hughes Motorsports and G2 Racing. With the love and support from family, a great relationship with his car owner and a tireless crew. Just as Tyler's father who is the inspiration wishes for his son to succeed, so does Tyler wish to be the same inspiration for his fathers fight against cancer.
Challenging Times at Dominion Raceway
May 18, 2016 g2racing
G2Racing is committed to competing at the highest possible level within the NASCAR rules. We respectfully disagree with Dominion Raceway's decision regarding the weight of the car following the Late Model event on the 14th of May. The fuel allowance rule was a carry over from Old Dominion Speedway's rules which was a 3/8 mile track with a rule that limited all carburetors to 500 cfm vs. Dominion Raceway which is a 4/10ths mile track that allows the use of a 650 cfm carburetor on crate engines. On Saturday night, after losing our engine in practice we leased a car with a crate engine using a 650 cfm carburetor to compete. We ran 5 scuff laps before qualifying, 2 qualifying laps, and 5 pre-race scuff laps and over 40 laps under caution (none of which were counted towards our allowance) for a total of 52 additional laps during the event each of which consumed fuel and lowered our overall weight.
We are encouraged to see that Dominion Raceway has elected to change their post race weight rule moving forward and we are optimistic regarding our prospect of winning many more races there in the future.
Race22.com Names Tyler Hughes As Early Favorite
March 28, 2016 g2racing
With two weeks remaining until its first of many opening nights, racers took on the newly paved and newly constructed 4/10 of a mile Dominion Raceway. With 10 Late Models in attendance, Dominion is ready for a season of healthy car counts.
In the Late Model Stock Car division, Cordova, Maryland's Tyler Hughes will be the man to beat this season. After snatching a win at Langley last year, Hughes is ready for the challenges the new track presents.
"We had a good year last year with one win at Langley and we learned a lot as a team," Hughes said about his team's performance. "The track is unbelievably smooth and incredibly fast. Dominion did a awesome job making sure they did it right and getting as many bumps out of the racetrack as possible. I think there will be very good racing there with the banking of the track."
Hughes expects there to be competition, but he's not letting that phase him. "I think some fast and competitive guys will show up for the track, but my personal expectations are to win races."
Hughes also began his journey in the K&N Pro Series East last year, making starts at Langley, Motordrome, Dover and Richmond. This year, it just so happens that the tour will be visiting Dominion on May 30th for the ComServe Memorial Day Classic. Given the fresh track and limited practice time, Hughes still believes his team has a good shot at the checkers.
"The advantage for us is going to be knowing how the track conditions change throughout the day and night," Hughes added. "Just racing the track from week in and week out and being used to it as a driver will also be important."
In summary for is his season, Hughes commented, "We're excited and ready to kick this season off."
Fans, Friends & Family don't forget to join us on opening night April 9…
see the full article at: http://race22.com/dominion-raceways-inaugural-season-ready-for-launch/
Hughes starting on the front row of the Hampton Heat
July 25, 2015 g2racing
With a blistering lap of 15.540 Tyler Hughes drove his way to the front row of an extremely competitive field in tonight's Hampton Heat. "What an awesome job" ~ Paul Green "Tyler Hughes is the real deal."
Hughes delivers the message that he's a threat to win the Hampton Heat
Tyler Hughes posted the fastest lap in practice today with a quick lap of 15.658. The #8 car had been struggling to compete consistently in top three of late and last week's engine tear down helped identify why. "A head gasket had been giving up between a couple of cylinders and we're lucky we caught it in time." ~ Paul Green. With the motor freshened, Tyler piloted the car to the fastest lap time so far of the season. "Our program is coming together at exactly the right time." ~ Tyler Hughes.
Tyler Hughes to test the K&N car this Thursday at Langley Speedway in preparation for the VISIT HAMPTON 175 on June 20th
June 9, 2015 g2racing
The G2Racing team has been extremely busy lately as they complete the build and setup of their 2014 Ford Fusion K&N East entry for the VISIT HAMPTON 175 on the 20th of June.
The team is making final preparations to the car and is eager to get to their first test scheduled for this Thursday the 11th of June.
"Competing at this level is new for all of us." ~ Paul Green "There's no doubt that Tyler will adapt to this car, he's proven he can move between classes before and be successful. The pressure is really on the team to ensure the car is as competitive when it unloads on the 20th. The challenge is the car is narrower, heavier, longer, taller and more powerful than the late model which means we're starting over with the setup."
Overcoming Adversity, the theme as the team nears the mid-point of the season
As the team nears the mid-point of the Langley racing season, they find themselves six points out of third place. So far the season can best be described as a battle between a determined driver and crew and a heap of misfortune.
"We are fortunate to be doing as well as we are given we have had three DNFs due to a wreck and equipment failures, " ~ Paul Green. "We are still in a learning phase as a team and each week we have been able to dial the car in more to Tyler's liking, we're getting really close to where we need to be."
"The car was excellent in the second half of the first race, but took several laps before it would come in in the second race." ~ Tyler Hughes.
"It's possible some of what was plaguing us recently was a failing idler arm, which finally gave up in that second race and sent us into the 67 car. " ~ Paul Green.
This weekend, the team will return to Langley Speedway to complete in the NAPA Auto Parts Night Twin 65s with their eyes set on gaining the spots needed to close in on the top three in points.
A solid points night for the #8 team.
A solid performance moves Tyler back into the top 5 in points at Langley Speedway. Saturday night, Tyler would race against the likes of Matt Waltz, Tommy Lemons, Lee Pulliam (former Whelen All-American Champ) and Greg Edwards (the reigning Tr ack Champ at Langley).
Tyler qualified 5th (.12 seconds off the pole)for race one and managed to move the #8 Late Model to a 4th place finish a full 2 seconds in front of the #97 car driven by Greg Edwards.
In race two Tyler would take the #8 Late Model as high as second place but found himself in 4th place when the checkered flag dropped behind Waltz, Lemons and Pulliam.
In the end it was a great points night for the #8 team, and we'll be back looking for a win on the 30th of May.
G2Racing – Innovation at Speed