Salm qualifies second, finishes fifth

Mike Salm qualified second and finished fifth in the July 21 Hoosier Tires Modified Series race at San Bernardino’s Orange Show Speedway.

Salm’s qualifying time of 13.74 seconds on the quarter-mile oval not only gave him his best-ever qualifying position in the series but also came close to Jason Patison’s fast time of 13.72 seconds. “We were right there,” Salm said.

As the fast qualifier, Patison was also responsible for picking the inversion pill which determines how many of the fastest qualifiers are inverted to begin the main event. Patison’s draw inverted six drivers, putting Salm on the inside of the third row and Patison on the outside of Salm.

An incident in the first lap caused a restart of the race but also caused Salm to enter the pits. “We thought we had a tire going down,” he said.

Salm raced at Cajon Speedway for nine seasons before that track closed. At Cajon Speedway a driver who pulled into the pits during the yellow flag for a full restart retained his starting position. In the Orange Show race Salm was sent to the back after entering the track prior to the restart.

“We probably wouldn’t have come in,” Salm said.

Salm moved up to fifth by the end of the 75-lap race. He believes he could have finished as high as third or fourth had he not run out of laps. “I think we could have got up another spot or so,” he said. “Those guys up in the front were going to be tough.”