RACE: NayKid Racing 2006 review

2006 Best Season in NayKid Racing History
Cindi Lux and Scotty B. White Again Show Viper Strength in SCCA T1

Puyallup, Wash. November 16 2006 -- NayKid Racing opened the 2006 Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Touring One (T1) class season with a list of unknowns. They had the new Coupe version of the Dodge Viper SRT10, a string of new competitors following their lead by racing Vipers, several new class entries including a mid-engine Ferrari, a host of new drivers racing the venerable Corvette and a new venue for the all-important season-finale, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. At the season's close it was clear that little of that mattered as they added impressively to the team's already remarkable record book. In what proved to be best season in NayKid Racing's history, drivers Cindi Lux (Aloha, Ore.) and Scotty B. White (Puyallup, Wash.) scored 12 victories between them in the 17 races they entered the matching pair of KUMHO Tires/Dodge Motorsports/SRT Dodge Viper SRT10s. Mathematically, that translates to a remarkable 70 percent victory rate for the NayKid Racing Viper SRT10s. No small feat considering this year proved to be the most competitive in T1 history.

The team introduced the latest iteration of the Dodge Viper SRT10, in Roadster form, to SCCA competition in 2005. For 2006, the team was armed with the recently introduced Viper SRT10 Coupe. The pair of the dedicated closed-top sports cars proved to be that final element that led to the 2006 domination. Lux added a fourth Northern Pacific (NorPac) Divisional title and a career high second-place in the season-closing Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka (HPT) to her resume. White accounted for six victories and won his second consecutive pole position at the Runoffs. Combined, they added heavily to the trophy case of the Dodge Viper SRT10, America's premier supercar, with 14 pole positions and 27 podium finishes.

White got a head start on 2006 as the team had completed the transformation of his street Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe to race form first. However, two punctured tires early in the year kept him out of victory lane and would, ultimately, hurt his efforts to capture a remarkable seventh-straight Southern Pacific (SoPac) Division title. Nonetheless, it was White who would take the first checkered flag of '06 for NayKid Racing in his No. 3 KUMHO Tires/Dodge Motorsports/SRT/CORSA Exhaust/Red Line Oil Viper at Willow Springs Raceway. Lux captured her first and second wins the following event at Thunderhill Raceway.

Lux, the 1999 American Le Mans Series Women's Global GT Series Champion, would add six victories of her own during the season and lead seven of the 18 laps at the Runoffs. Of those victories, the most impressive and historic was her second T1 class win in the Kohler/SCCA Chicago Region June Sprints® at Road America. The first place finish at Road America (matching her 2004 win) plus the NorPac title, made Lux eligible to become the first woman to win the SCCA's prestigious Triple Crown. White narrowly lost-out to Lux and her No. 78 KUMHO Tires/Dodge Motorsports/SRT/Nike/MOMO USA/Forgeline Viper at Road America. It was one of eight finishes in which the two drivers captured first and second-place.

The most dominating performances of the year for White would also be the most heart-wrenching for the native of Washington state. He handily controlled qualifying for the Runoffs in October at Heartland Park Topeka's debut as the home of the Runoffs. He walked away with the pole, set the track qualifying record for T1 and drove away to an eight second lead in the 19 lap race. The air would literally be let out of his parade when debris punctured the left-rear tire. Now forced to pit, White fell multiple laps behind Lux. Despite this, White set the fastest race lap further tightening his grasp on the speed records in the T1 class. Lux's day would meet with similar frustration once she took over the lead from White. She controlled the following seven laps before fading brakes- due to a rule requiring the addition of 140 pounds of weight to the Viper SRT10 for the Runoffs- allowed second place to catch and pass her with two laps remaining.

In all, NayKid Racing competed at 10 different tracks across the country including Heartland Park, Road America, California Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Thunderhill, Buttonwillow, Miller Motorsports Park, Pacifics Raceway and their home track at Portland International Raceway. At those venues they won the pole position 82% of the time and set the track record 52% of the time. As was the case in 2004 and 2005, Lux and White set new standards for success not only within their team but within the SCCA Club Racing community. A repeat of the dominating season that was seen in 2006 is difficult to imagine...from anyone outside of the two-driver NayKid Racing squad.

SPEED Channel will air the T1 class event from this year's SCCA Runoffs on a tape-delay basis on December 7 at 1 PM (ET).

Quotes:

Cindi Lux: "When you have such good people and companies behind a racing effort like this, special things happen. I would say this year was pretty darn incredible. Dodge Motorsports and KUMHO Tire really stepped up and showed the T1 community why they are the best. The effort from these two powerhouse companies boosted our program to a new performance level never seen before. When a team can grab the pole and finish one-two at the June Sprints and qualifying on the pole with a new track record and finish second at the Runoffs, that is a REALLY good year. The crew on this team is second to none; always wanting to learn more and finding ways of improving the cars. They never stop! Scotty and I had one of the best seats in the house driving these Vipers. It was a tremendous year but there were a lot of sacrifices made by everyone and the results showed. Our team really redefines the word...dedication. I just can' wait for '07 to get here."

Scotty B. White: "Wow what a season! This thing ended just exactly like it started with bittersweet disappointment of a personal nature. Just like at the first race of the season it looked to be a walk in the park; just drive around and wait for the black & white hanky to come out, collect the money and go home. But the next thing ya know I'm crashed up against the fence with smoke rolling out from under the right side of my hot rod. Fast forward to the Runoffs and there I am with a nine second lead on lap eight going into turn-three and realizing I have a flat tire. That just cost us what looked to surely be NayKid Racing's first National Championship. What a year, start with a flat end with a flat. For me personally, it was tough but I hated it for the crew who worked so hard and deserved to take home the gold. Then to see Cindi have it firmly in hand and see it slip away from her was even more brutal. I was so proud of the team and the way they held their heads high and took their defeat. They are a class act unequaled in that paddock and I sure am proud to be driving for NayKid Racing, SRT, KUMHO Tire and Dodge Motorsports."

Gary Johnson, Dodge Motorsports, Road Racing Manager: "What a great season NayKid Racing had running those beautiful Dodge Viper SRT 10s. Scotty and Cindi drove the wheels of those cars in all sorts of conditions. They really made people realize how capable the Viper is, even with the restrictions imposed by the SCCA Technical Staff. The highlight of the year had to be the Viper sweep at the June Sprints, with Jeff Robbins joining Cindi and Scotty on the podium. We were all heartbroken from the results at the Runoff's, yet were proud of Scotty's pole and the heroic efforts of the team and Crew Chief to get Cindi her second place finish."

-credit: www.NayKidRacing.com