TALLADEGA, Ala. – Armed with a new mustache and plenty of motivation, Stewart Friesen hopes to put a Super DIRT Week qualifying effort he called “frustrating” behind him with a pair of victories.
That mission starts Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway and will continue on Sunday at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway, when Friesen returns to the north to compete with the Super DIRTcar Series in the Billy Whittaker Cars & Trucks 200 at the five-eighths-mile, dirt-covered asphalt oval.
Friesen hopes to lock himself into the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoffs with a win in the Sugarlands Shine 250, but he’s equally as motivated to win his sixth Super DIRT Week crown, particularly after being fast in practice but only turning the 19th-best time trial lap at 20.983 seconds (107.230 mph).
Because he didn’t lock into the top six in qualifying and had to miss the ‘Friday Night Lights’ Triple-30 heat races, Friesen will grid up at the back of the field for Sunday’s Super DIRT Week finale.
He’s not too worried, though, even if he was disappointed in the lap from a stopwatch standpoint.
“We just missed it a little bit,” said Friesen of his qualifying effort. “We were really, really good in practice … and then the track kind of rubbered up right toward the end, and we were just a little too gripped up really. I flew the nose a bit and got into the rubber, and had two kind of crappy laps.
“The goal was to be in the top six, but the good news is, we have a guaranteed spot, so we’ll start 40th or whatever on Sunday and try to race up through (the field). As long as you’re in it, you’ve got a shot.”
While, as a driver, Friesen didn’t want to have to rely on the “safety net” of a guaranteed spot from winning a Super DIRT Week qualifier earlier in the year, he was relieved to have it nevertheless.
“It’s frustrating, yeah,” he noted. “I thought we did a better job as a team of being prepared. To be fast like we were in practice – I think we were like fifth and second, both practices yesterday – and to not execute and get to the top six was a little dejecting, I’ll be honest. But, you know, we’ll just hopefully make some right adjustments to the car and have plenty for them on Sunday afternoon in the race. It’s there if you do need it, and we had one to use in a case like this, so it’s a good thing in that respect.
“It kind of stinks that we couldn’t go back around and run the heat race tonight, because it’s always a fun race, but we’ll watch (wife) Jess (Zemken-Friesen) and pull for her before we get back and then go back there on Sunday and see who all we can pass.”
Of note this weekend, Friesen is sporting a new mustache, which debuted in winning fashion at Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway recently when the Ontario native won the big-money Fonda 200.
He’s hoping that tradition will continue into Super DIRT Week, where mustaches and victory lane have been a common pairing throughout history.
“I went through all the old programs and looked, and all the guys that won Super DIRT Week frequently all had mustaches,” Friesen said with a smile. “Billy Decker, Gary Balough, Brett Hearn obviously had one for years … so we got into 200 season this year, and here it is.
“My wife absolutely hates it, but it’s almost as much fun pissing her off too. (laughter) It’s been cool.”
Reminded that a mustached driver (Brett Moffitt) recently won the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship also, Friesen nodded and laughed.
“Oh yeah, I showed him, and he said ‘well, now you’re going to win for sure,’” Friesen recounted. “Hopefully his luck with one translates over to us the next two races.”