Amanda Ferguson Motorsports

This past weekend Amanda Ferguson and Phase One Motorsports debuted their new look for 2012 at the Goodyear 12 Pack Series race #1 at Punta Gorda Speedway. The team spent Friday evening at the track working on setting up the car.  Practice on Saturday did not go as well with the team chasing the setup all afternoon.  A slight adjustment prior to qualifying was not enough to get the car rotating in the center of the corner.  With a disappointing qualifying effort Amanda would find herself starting in the 19th position.  The Phase One crew made some more adjustments prior to the race trying to get the car back to where it had been on Friday evening.  When the green flag fell the car was still tight in the center but Amanda was confident the car would eventually come in.  As the race laps ticked off the clock, Amanda began making some progress in moving up through the field.  By lap 70 Amanda had figured out how to make the car work for her and she found herself running inside the top 10.  With 2 laps to go Amanda was running in 6th place when the #28 of Billy Bigley Jr. managed to get his nose under her coming off turn 2.  When the checkered flag fell Amanda was running in 7th place.  Amanda had this to say after the race, "The car was definately better on the long run.  Everytime the caution fell and the tires cooled off the car just didn't want to rotate in the center of the corner for the first couple laps.  I had my hands full trying to keep my car down from the center off.  I knew there were some good cars behind me and I didn't want to get freight trained on a restart."  Amanda would like to thank Eagle Jet International and Banta Logistics for their support both on and off the track.  Check out the slide show below for a recap of the weekend.  Amanda's next race in the #7 Phase One Motorsports super late model will be the Bright House Series race #1 at New Smyrna Speedway on February 25th during speed week.

The last race for Amanda and the Phase One/Eagle Jet racing team at Punta Gorda Speedway tested the team’s resilience and persistence.  Electrical problems plagued the car during qualifying which resulted in Amanda only taking one lap.  This had her starting back in the 14th position for the 100 lap main event.  By lap 55 Amanda had worked her way up to 9th place and was running with the lead pack of cars.  On lap 56 Amanda was passing a lapped car coming out of turn 2.  She was almost clear when the lapped car bounced off the wall catching Amanda in the right rear and sent her for the ride of her life which ended with the car hitting the opening on the backstretch going into turn 3.  The impact tore the front of the car off and crushed the entire rear end of the car.  After the dust settled, Amanda walked away from a totally destroyed car.  Although she and the team were on their way to one of their best finishes this year the day ended with disappointment and frustration at not being able to finish the race.  The team loaded up the destroyed car with a determination to come back next year better and stronger.

The 2011 season by and large was a successful season as Amanda worked with Phase One Motorsports and MK Motorsports in transitioning to a super late model.  One of the biggest challenges for Amanda was learning to qualify.   By the end of the year Amanda improved her qualifying effort to consistently qualifying in the top 10.  In addition, with 5 top 10 finishes and 2 top 5 finishes Amanda Ferguson Motorsports accomplished everything they set out to do and more.

When asked about the season Amanda had this to say, “The 2011 race season was a tremendous season.  Even though we experienced some bumps early on, as a team we met all our goals by the end of the year.   I’d like to thank the following people for their help in making my season a success.  First, I’d like to thank my parents for their continued love and support through all the ups and downs.  I’d also like to thank the rest of my family and friends who faithfully come to my races to cheer me on.  I’d also like to thank the hardworking crews at Phase One Motorsports and MK Motorsports for their hard work and dedication to putting me in a safe, competitive race car.  In addition, I’d like to thank my sponsors Eagle Jet International, Banta Logistics, Florida Bearings, Atlantic Powder Coating, Coleman Racing Products and Simpson Race Products.  Their financial support is what allows me to continue pursuing my dream.  And finally, to all my dedicated fans that follow me on my website, Facebook, Twitter and at the race track:  You are the greatest fans anybody could ask for and are my motivation for always giving 100 percent effort at every race.”

On behalf of all of us at Amanda Ferguson Motorsports we would like to thank everybody for their support of Amanda during the 2011 season.  Look for an announcement in the next 2 weeks concerning Amanda’s future career plans.  Should the announcement not be released prior to January 1st please accept our holiday wishes for a happy and safe holiday season.