Yet to win a modified feature race so far this year at the Estevan Motor Speedway, Jim Harris has been Mr. Consistency on the track up to this point.
After five races, Harris is two points behind Aaron Turnbull in the mod standings. Turnbull, who started off the season red hot, winning the triple crown in the first race of the season and finishing first in the second mod feature as well, failed to finish the June 19 modified feature, which has put his stranglehold on the point standings in jeopardy.
Turnbull rebounded with a win in the June 20 modified feature, vaulting himself back into first place, but has once again seen his lead nearly vanish.
In Friday's mod feature, Turnbull finished 10 cars back, picking up 30 points.
Harris, who has been eyeing first place ever since Turnbull's June 19 hiccup, finished in eighth place, picking up 33 points and further closing the gap between himself and Turnbull. Not bad for a guy who hasn't finished higher than fourth place yet this season.
Second place aside - Harris isn't quite satisfied yet.
"We haven't been that strong - we've just been finishing," said Harris. "We had one good night where we finished in the top four (June 19), but other than that we've been finishing like seventh. It hasn't been spectacular, that's for sure."
The EMS veteran knows that in order to challenge for the overall title by season's-end, seventh place finishes are not quite good enough.
"We need better finishes - it's not so much winning the feature, but making the top four - that's a feat in itself. Seventh place is frustrating. I just feel like we've got a better program than that sometimes - but everyone else is out there doing the same thing."
"When I'm out there, I try not to think about the points, because as soon as you get thinking about that, you forget why you're out there - you're out there to win and to do the best you can. When you start thinking about points you get conservative," Harris added. "I try not to let it bug me, especially not early in the season like this, because one bad night and you're tossed out of it."
EMS track president James Gustafson would probably agree with Harris about the "one bad night and you're out" statement, but he also thinks it's sometimes best to have a more conservative approach.
"When you talk to the drivers, their main goal is to finish the race, because that's what determines their points," Gustafson said. "Rather than push hard and wreck, they're better off to just stay in there and finish and get the points anyway."
Gustafson said that in Friday's race it was particularly hard to find any room to pass on the track. In situations like that, Gustafson said it's best for drivers to just hold their place, and pick up the points, rather than taking a chance.
With five races down, the race for first place in the mod class is extremely tight. Harris sits two points back of Turnbull, while Joren Boyce sits one back from Harris. Les McLenehan, who has also been pushing for first place in recent weeks, sits four points behind Harris, after winning 36 points in Friday's race.
"It's really been an exciting season because there are so many guys contending for those top points," said EMS president, James Gustafson. "I don't remember a year where midway through the season there was such a tight logjam."
Mike Hagen picked up his first mod feature win of the season Friday night, scoring the triple crown by winning his heat, the trophy dash and the feature.
Dana Brandt remained perfect in the hobby stock division, picking up his fifth straight win.
Greg Mann was victorious in the stock car feature.
