Salm leaning toward entire Modified series

After a 15th-place finish May 19 at Havasu Speedway, Mike Salm expressed tentative plans to race all nine races in this season’s Hoosier Tires Modified Series.

The Hoosier Tires Modified Series consists of three races apiece at I-10 Speedway (Blythe), Havasu Speedway, and Orange Show Speedway (in San Bernardino). The first of the three Orange Show races is scheduled for June 9, and Salm will run the three Orange Show races before the season concludes with the final four competitions at I-10 Speedway and Havasu Speedway.

“If we’re pretty good in the points we’ll probably run the whole nine races,” Salm said.

Salm finished fourth in the April 28 series opener at I-10 Speedway. His May 19 race at Havasu Speedway was his first at the Arizona track since a 1996 open competition. The Lake Havasu oval has been reconstructed since that 1996 race. “It’s quite a bit nicer,” Salm said.

Laps consist of approximately one-third of a mile, and the new track was a set-up challenge for Salm and his crew. “We salvaged what we could,” he said. “First time there, so I think we’ve got to do a little more set-up homework on it before we go back.”

Although Salm qualified tenth among 31 cars, only three-tenth of a second separated the fast qualifier from the 17th-qualifying driver who was forced to run a B-main to earn entry into the main event. “All in all I guess that wasn’t too bad,” Salm said of his qualifying position.

Tenth place in qualifying put Salm directly into the 75-lap main event. He spent most of the race on the outer edge of the top ten leaders. “We didn’t have the car set up as well as we would like,” he said.

After slowing down for a yellow flag caution, Salm’s car developed a transmission shaft problem. Salm went into the pits and re-entered the track on the rear of the lead lap. He was down a lap from the leaders by the end of the race.