PRESS RELEASE: BARK RIVER, MICHIGAN

Green Bay, Wisconsin (August 16, 2004)

FRIDAY NIGHT LONG JUMP;  HINTZ FLIES 148 FEET!

            Going into the race weekend Josh had high hope of a good finish and move up higher in the points standings.  Hintz is 15th in the points standings.  With no rain in sight and fans from all around have ventured to watch the exciting long jump competition.  “I have been looking forward to this all year long, I know I have a fast truck and now I can prove it!”  When Josh went out earlier in the day testing out the truck and the new back section of the track, he realized at the start of his second practice lap that the tachometer wasn’t working properly.  Learning from what happened at Crandon, Josh pulled off and bought yet again another new Optima Battery.  “I’m not sure why these batteries aren’t keeping a charge, but they do take a lot of abuse, who knows but I’m not risking it anymore, As soon as we get back to the shop I’m going to fabricate another battery holder and run with two batteries from now on.”  With the battery changed out Josh was ready to fly high and give the long jump a challenge.  With nearly every competitor taking a chance at the prize the fans got their money’s worth.  When Hintz came off of the jump he flew and amazingly level headed 148 feet.  Which was just shy of Jeff Kincaid and Chad Hord by 5 feet.  “That was an awesome feeling, you keep climbing the hill full under power and the ground just drops out from underneath you, what a feeling!”

SATURDAY’S RACE, ROUND #9;  OPINIONGRENADED RING!

            Starting in 15th position, Bark River’s first turn is just as tough as Crandon.  At the drop of the green flag Josh realized that he didn’t get a good start and filed into the first corner around 13th position where he noticed, “a very bad vibration.”  Josh wasn’t sure what it was and continued driving to the best of the trucks ability.  “I kept on racing, but the vibration started to get worse and worse, I wasn’t sure if it was the transmission or the ring and pinion, so I kept it in second gear towards the end hoping to last the whole race and salvage a finish.”  As soon as the thirteen minute came Josh was hitting the whoop section in front of the fans where the drive shaft finally vibrated the bolt on the yoke out of the transmission, and there Josh sat.  “I was just trying to nurse it to the finish, but unfortunately the bolt loosened itself out of the transmission.”  Later in the pits Josh and pit crew along with the help of Brian Hord, Chad’s Brother helped out to change the ring and pinion along with the rear of the transmission and driveshaft.  “I can’t say enough for the help that Brian did for the team, I never had something like this happen before, heck I was asking him to be a member of my team and razz’n Chad that he just might be wearing a Dedicated Systems team shirt for the race on Sunday,” smiled Josh.

SUNDAY’S RACE, ROUND #10;  SPINDLE WOES!

            Starting in the 16th position, Josh was ready for a good race, going into the first turn Todd Leduc, son of the great Curt Leduc and brother of Kyle, decided to put on a good race for the fans by bouncing nearly 5-8 feet every time he hit the jumps.  “My back hurt from watching him in my truck, I’d hate to see his chiropractor bills.”  Josh was racing clean with Todd when he decided in the back section to try and make a pass on Todd, “I decided not to lift off of the gas, because the truck seemed to handle great through the jumps, but unfortunately I must have missed the line by about a half a tire, which in turn ‘kicked’ the back of my truck up.  Glen told me that I might wanna slow down for that one next time.”  Josh cased the second jump at about a 45 degree angle which sent his Toyota Tacoma into an almost vertical position.  “That’s the fastest part of the track and all I remember is that I was looking straight at the ground at about 90mph, all I remember telling myself is not to touch the brake and try to ‘ride’ it out.”  Fortunately for Josh came back down to earth and about a half of a lap later ended up losing his left front tire.  “The spindle nut backed off of the snout, because of the high impact of the hit, it actually sheered off the metal tang on the lock washer and undid itself.”  Basically the spindle was junk and Josh finished a dismal weekend in 16th position.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support...
Dedicated Systems, Inc., Dedicated Repair, Inc., BF Goodrich tires, Halron
Oil Co., Inc., Quaker State, Powermist racing fuels, Engine Ice
hi-performance coolant, Sir Speedy of Green Bay, Captain Steve's
www.beercanchickenroaster.com, Jim & Tina Willison Trucking, TOYOTA along
with Josh's friends and family.