By Ebony McQuinn
The lead-up to The Annual Classic has started with the crew's first stop being in Avalon for the President's Cup. After a three-week break, the crew were itching to get back into it.
Opening the night with Time Trials, Waters, one of the first in his group to run, displayed strong pace as he went straight to the top with a time of 13.217. Unfortunately, Waters just missed out on Quick Time as No.NS4 Ian Madsen was one-tenth quicker, knocking Waters into second position.
As the top four from each qualifying group are inverted for the heat races, Waters started out of third position for Heat 2. Quick off the line, Waters moved straight into second, building a gap between him and the rest of the field. Due to tricky track conditions, Waters struggled to navigate the track and ultimately was passed by Madsen once again with four laps remaining. Madsen passed for first in the final lap to win the heat.
The points earned from the night saw Waters start out 12th in the A-Main race. Battling with a group of cars, Waters dropped three positions before the first red light of the race, dropping another spot by the final red light of the race with 16 laps remaining. Before the race could resume, Waters opted to pull into the infield rather than restart. He had noticed a slight issue with the front and decided to preserve the car for the upcoming Classic instead of risking heavier damage.
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Photos by Ebony McQuinn