Paulie's Blog: Another top-five finish for the team

This week, the Camping World West series went to Madera Speedway in Madera, Calif. for our third short-track race of the season. Our NAPA AutoCare Toyota team was fast all day, qualifying second and finishing fourth. Additionally, Duke's last day of classes was Wednesday and I tested a Late Model in Portland!

The week started when I returned to Duke University from Phoenix for my final few days of classes. Fortunately, I do not have any final exams, so I don't have to study like crazy for any big tests. However, I do have a number of final papers and final projects, instead. This made my last few days of classes extremely busy. On Wednesday evening, I switched gears from "Duke Student" to "Race car Driver" and headed west.

• West: News, Results, Schedule

The first stop was Portland, Ore. The Camping World West Series is racing at Portland International Raceway, a road course, this summer. In order to learn the race track, Bill McAnally gave me and teammates Moses Smith and Eric Holmes the opportunity to learn the track in two-seater late models. Along with a few other West Series drivers, we spent all morning running these cars around the race track and learning the ins and outs of the place. Road courses take a lot longer to learn, as you've got a lot more turns to deal with and, because of the length of the track, you get fewer laps in during a practice session than you've got on an oval. The day was successful, and I feel like I've got a much better idea of what to expect when we return this summer for the race.

From Portland, I flew to Sacramento, Calif., and was picked up from the airport by crew chief Duane Knorr. With Madera, another short track, coming up, we discussed what we had learned in Roseville. The following morning, I headed to the BMR shop to help the guys get ready for the race. Although I don't have any responsibilities in building the cars, I like to be around the shop to spend time with the team away from the race track rush. Additionally, as I've mentioned, I'm heavily involved in our shock program. I built two shorts that I wanted to try at Madera. With the track being about three hours from the shop, we all headed up Friday night and checked into our hotels. After a team dinner, we headed for bed.

Just as all of our races have been this season, Madera was a one-day event, meaning we would practice, qualify, and race all in the same day. As soon as we hit the track for practice, it became apparent how quick the race track was. After just a few laps, Duane and I learned exactly what direction we'd need to go in with our changes. One of the great things about working with Duane is that we tend to think the same way. Often times, I can explain what I'm feeling in the car by throwing out ideas as to what might fix it. Although Duane doesn't always use my ideas, it helps him understand what I am feeling. This was a big help at Madera, as we ended up using a few of my ideas and a few of his. We ended the first round of practice fourth on the charts. (Continued)