Over the weekend, the JConcepts team split up and went to multiple events along the midwest/east coast! A few of us went to the INS12 race in Indiana, the RC Monster Truck World Finals in Connecticut, and the Adrenaline RC Invitational in Virginia! This was the 6th annual Adrenaline RC Invitational race at Adrenaline RC Raceway in Winchester, Virginia. This race is open to the public but got its name from their yearly tradition. Every year, the Hardison family sends personalized invites to all their customers to add a personal touch and show them extra appreciation. However, they’ve always welcomed anyone! They still try to send out invites to their regular customers or racers to keep the tradition alive. They also cater the event supplying breakfast and lunch for racers throughout the weekend. This year they had Dunkin’ Donuts, Panera, Chic-Fil-A, Subway, and Little Caesars. Another tradition is the fire pit, s’mores, and drivers’ social on Saturday night, but it rained this year.
The track layout was built by JConcepts team drivers Jacob Hardison and Lee Setser. In photos, the track looks much farther away than it actually is. It’s covered by a large dome which guarantees racing, despite the weather! The sides of the building go up on a nice day, and there are a few ventilation fans built in for Nitro Racing. The layout was fast and flowing. The go-to tire here is the JConcepts Ellipse. Drivers experimented with a few different compounds but ultimately ended on Silver. They also sauced their tires with FDJ. The track is capable of going to slicks for 1:10 racing. In fact, it may have been worthwhile to try on Friday night during 1:10 scale qualifying. Earlier in the year, we went to Adrenaline for the INS race and ran smoothies or sanded ellipses.
Qualifying:
13.5 4wd Buggy: Javon Mallory (TQ), Joe Spiggle (2)
17.5 2wd Buggy: Javon Mallory (TQ)
1:10 4wd Modified Buggy: Rusty Mihelich (TQ)
Pro E-Buggy: Jacob Hardison (TQ), Lee Setser (2),
Open E-Buggy: Mylee Mihelich (TQ)
40+ E-Buggy: Rusty Mihelich (TQ)
Nitro Buggy: Jacob Hardison (TQ), Lee Setser (2), Rusty Mihelich (3), Javon Mallory (4)
Final Results:
17.5 2wd Buggy: Javon Mallory (1), Rusty Mihelich (2)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Javon Mallory (1), Garrett Hawbaker (2), Joe Spiggle (3)
Open E-Buggy: Mylee Mihelich (1)
Pro E-Buggy: Jacob Hardison (1), Lee Setser (2), Garrett Hawbaker (3)
There were double a-mains for the Pro E-Buggy class. In A1, Jacob Hardison led the way after setting the TQ. He led for the first three laps before Lee Setser made the pass for the lead. Setser actually led the majority of the race from this moment on. However, the pressure was on because Hardison was on his wing. On lap 23, Setser’s car started to malfunction, and his ESC failed. Hardison got by and took the win in A1! In that race, Setser had the hot lap with a time of 19.8. In A2, they both were ready to race it out. When the tone went off, they were full throttle over the front double and onto the straightaway. Hardison led for the first three laps. He and Setser were so close together. They went over the back table jump, and over the next double Setser had the inside line, and Hardison went a little wide. Unfortunately, they accidentally got together, and Hardison went into the pipe. Setser waited but was able to take the lead shortly after. They were flying! Setser ultimately took the win in A2. However, Hardison took the overall!
Nitro Buggy: Lee Setser (1), Jacob Hardison (2), Rusty Mihelich (3)
The Nitro Buggy Main was 30 minutes long. In 30 minutes, anything could happen! Jacob led off the tone after taking the TQ. They raced nose to wing for the first half of the race. Hardison led until about lap 30 when Setser took over the lead. They were battling very close when Hardison got caught on a marshal’s foot as he turned to make the front double, and Setser got by into 1st. Setser held the lead until lap 56. Setser was going over the dragon’s back, navigating through lap traffic, and got upside down in the valley. He then flamed out. Luckily, the Marshall got him quick, and the handoff didn’t take long. He got into pit lane, started back up, and back out on the track. Hardison took over the lead for the next 7 laps. Setser was 2 laps down after the unfortunate flame-out. On lap 63, Hardison flamed out, and his pit crew ran to save his car. He got started back up but ultimately found himself in a similar situation a few laps down. Setser took over the lead. Unfortunately for Hardison, he would flame out a final time on lap 79. Setser took the win and Hardison still finished 2nd! It was a JConcepts top three sweep with Rusty Mihelich taking 3rd!
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend at Adrenaline RC Raceway! The event program ran well, the track was fast, and the food was perfect! We enjoyed racing and even tuned in to the live stream at the JConcepts INS race at Hoosier RC Hobbyplex! A huge shoutout to The Hardison’s and Lee Setser for putting on a flawless event and welcoming all the racers! We also were stoked to see team drivers: Javon Mallory, Rusty Mihelich, Mylee Mihelich, and Maddy Long at Adrenaline this weekend and represent on the podium! Up next, we’re headed to Thunder Road RC Raceway in Waite Park, MN for the JConcepts NCTS4 series!
Winning Products:
Ellipses
Mono Wheels
Bullet Wheels
S15 Body
Dirt-Tech Inserts
Razor Wing
F2I Wing
S2 Body