It started off OK! The first couple of months of the new year were full of optimism and enthusiasm. Here at Gozzi Racing we had much to look forward to. We had shiny new parts ready to bolt on the car, a new body, and a full wrap which we’d never done before. The most exciting thing for me personally was the fact that my boys were “home”. “The Joes” as I like to call them, Joe Archiere Sr. and Jr. were back on our team. These two are family, and we all have a lot of fun together, and this promised to be the most fun season we’ve had in a while. It doesn’t hurt that they had been the right-hand men for Brett Hearn for a few years and had learned a ton of invaluable information under his wing. Information that could really help our program. We were literally counting the days until that first practice.
Then, COVID-19 hit and turned everyone’s lives upside down. We were no different. Everything racing related came to a halt as we tried to protect ourselves and our families, and, in the case of my wife and I, keep our businesses viable. To say it was a struggle would be an understatement. As the summer hit, and race tracks began to open up, we got the itch to go racing as well. But, no one really had an idea what racing would look like this year, and what steps would be taken to keep all of the fans and participants healthy. In our case, we vowed to not return to the track until we were satisfied with the health precautions that were in place as we have many in our families and on our race team who are considered high risk. Racing had to take a back seat.
After Orange County was shut down by the NYS government, they held a series of private practices on Tuesday nights in August and September. We finally decided to try one out in the middle of September for our first time on the track this year. I hadn’t been in the car since the previous September, so between my rustiness and a new suspension on the car we weren’t expecting much. After making a series of small changes to the car, by the end of the night we were as quick as anyone. Then, the wheels started turning. We headed to the Accord Speedway the following Friday night for more practice time, but, just as we had the engine warmed up, the track canceled due to a lack of cars. If that’s not a 2020 thing I don’t know what is! The next Friday, Orange County announced that there would be an Eastern States Weekend, condensed into two days instead of the usual three (or four). After a lot of consideration, we decided to make our first race of the season the biggest one of the year. Hey, I never said we were smart! The track held an open practice session the Saturday before, and we were consistently fifth or sixth fastest each time out.
Leading up to Eastern States, we went over everything with a fine-toothed comb so we could be as prepared as possible. My father and I worked ourselves to death night after night. I don’t think we’ve ever worked harder! We got to the track on Friday morning, and I noticed the track wasn’t particularly wet when I walked across it. The two practices we ran this year had a dust-free, tacky track. This was the total opposite. We were pretty good in warmups, but didn’t change much for time trials and that hurt us as the car was just too loose. We put our heads together, and systematically planned out what to do for the heat race, a race that had us starting seventh on a track that wasn’t exactly conducive to passing. Four would qualify out of the twelve cars in the race. As soon as I pulled onto the track, I knew that the car was good. We went to work and clawed our way toward the front, battling for a transfer spot when the driver got pinched low getting into the first turn and hit the inside wall before ricocheting hard into the outside wall. I’ve never hit that wall in that spot in my life. I still don’t know how it happened. Anyway, we had a wrecked race car, and our Eastern States Weekend was over. Like the rest of 2020, a bunch of promise fell flat.
At the time, I was pretty down on myself. My guys reassured me, and were excited about how good the car was. I’m still hobbling around a week later after whacking my knee hard on the steering box, but I’m excited now too. I think we’re all looking forward to 2021 for many reasons, racing and otherwise. I know that I’m certainly proud of our equipment, and the way we were able to turn the car around for the heat race with only four laps on the track all day. Let me tell you, this is the best car I’ve ever driven. I’ve got a great team around me who want to be there and want us to succeed. This is the best situation I’ve been in in my racing career. We have a few pieces to put together to make this puzzle what we really want it to be, but I think we’re going to get there. I’m looking forward to having you all along for the ride.