Full Name: Zachary Davis Tribble
Age & Birthdate: 9 years old; June 17, 1998
School: 4th grade at Jefferson Elementary
Hometown: Charleston, IL
Years racing: 4th year
Favorites: Music- AC/DC, Metallica; Food- Chicken Nuggets; Drink- Coca Cola, Jones Whoop Ass Energy Drink, Powerade; Color- Green; Sports Teams- Indianapolis Colts
Free Time Activities: Playing X-Box and Wii, Watching Football (Go Colts!), Spending time with friends
News From Blaze
2/26/08 -- Well, I can't wait to get back to racing. Winter has been way too long for me. Dad says that we are going to race on March 15 at Greenville. I have never been to that track so it will be exciting. I hope the new car is better this time then it was at Ft. Wayne. I did not like the way it felt so I could not drive it hard. Dad says he knows what was wrong so we will see if he can get it figured out.
We landed a sponsor for 2008. Bell Racing in Rantoul, IL will be our provider of safety equipment. I am getting a head to toe replacement of my gear. Helmet, suit, gloves and shoes. I even get to go to the factory and see how they make the equipment. I can't wait.
4/22/07-- This weekend I raced for the first time at Kokomo for the season. Dad made a lot of changes to the car over the winter, and it handles really well. OK, I think it handles GREAT compared to before. But Dad says I need to practice a little more in the car. It was fun to see all my friends at the track again, and I had fun racing with Billy again.
But there has been other exciting stuff happening too. My Dad and Step-Mom are going to have a baby! It is a girl and she is going to be named Amelia, but we will call her Mia for short. (Before we knew it was a girl we all called her Cletus.) She will be born in the middle of August. My Step-Mom will not get to go to as many races this summer, but later in the Fall my new little sister will get to go to the track with us. It's pretty exciting.
2/19/07-- Hey guys-- I just watched the Daytona 500. I sure do know how Mark Martin feels...there have been a lot of races that I thought I had won only to be passed at the very end like that. But in other news- I am so ready for the race season to start. This year I will have REAL race seats in my car. My dad let me bring one in the house and I sat in it while I was watching TV to get used to it. Of course, my cat had to sit in it too (see photo). I also got a HANS device for this year. I think my Dad and Step-mom are ready for racing season to start too because they keep telling me to "find something to do" all the time.
7/25/06-- Today when I got to the house I saw how busy my Dad and Step-Mom have been getting ready for our trip. Tonight I am going to help them load the trailer, pack our camping gear, pack my clothes and help decide the menu for the weekend. It will be a really long drive, but I am really excited about spending the time at another track. We plan to get there Thursday evening, and then Friday I will get some practice time at the track to prepare for Saturday. Of course, we are going to do some fun stuff as well, like visit Joe Gibbs Race Shop. I know, Tony Stewart will probably not be there...
7/22/06-- No racing for me this weekend. Several tracks in our area are closed this weekend, so we thought I would take the weekend off and rest up for my big trip to North Carolina. I am really excited about the trip. I am going to race at the track in Salisbury, NC. NASCAR driver Bobby LaBonte helped build the track so the kids in his area would have a nice place to race. Bobby is one of my favorite drivers, so I am so excited to have a chance to go there.
Since I am not racing this weekend, it has been a good time for some work on my equipment. My Dad took everything out of our trailer last week and painted and sealed the floor to protect it. My Step-Mom washed down the walls, cleaned and organized all the tools. Dad sent all my shocks off to be rebuilt (I sure hope they come back in time for the NC race!). Dad also took my 160 motor to Steve's house ("The Farm") to work on it. Together they discovered that I had a bolt that was bent and a gasket that needed to be replaced. My Dad will get the parts to fix it.
7/17/06-- Today I had a really nice surprise. Monica sent me some more sponsor money. That's really cool. I think it's really nice of her to help me race, and when I get older (with a job) I want to do the same to help out a younger driver. I hope that I have a race close to her house this summer so she can come watch me race.
7/15/06--Today I went to Rockville Speedway in Illinois to see Monica Kunkel race her Bandolero. My Dad has been 
making the decals for her car, and Monica and I have written to each other, so I was real excited to meet her. This was the first time I got to see a Bandolero race in person. I also saw Legends, Late Models and RoadRunners at Rockville. Monica was having problems with the clutch in her car, so she didn't have the best run. I told her I knew how she felt because the week before I had some things break on my car too! After the race I got to go in the pit area and meet Monica in person for the first time. She let me sit in her car, and that was really cool. I had asked my Dad to help me make her a Good Luck banner with all her sponsors on it to take her. She thought it was cool, and she is going to hang it up in her garage where she works on the car. I learned a lot of other things about
That night I stayed at the campgrounds with my Dad and Step-Mom. It was OK, but there were these 2 raccoons that had eaten some food that the guys next to us left out. Then the raccoons thought that we had food for them also and they were looking for a way to get in out tent. I thought it was a little funny, but my Dad thought it was irritating! Tomorrow I get to do a little shopping with my Dad and Step-Mom, and I am excited.
7/09/06--I showed up today READY. When we got to the track I helped Dad work on the car because when I flipped it a few things got messed up a little. I had a good run in qualifications. I started on the pole for the heat race. I ran it hard and finished 2nd! In the 160 race I did not qualify so well and I finished the heat race in 7th, but Dad said that I looked like a different driver out there. I was pulling the front wheel off the ground in the turns (that means that I am driving it hard). I really like sharing the track with Billy and Laine in the 160 races because I learn a lot from them. The winner of the 160 race was Dylan Welsh from Indianapolis, and he came over and talked to me about my driving.
7/08/06--Well, I finally did it....MY FIRST FLIP!! I had told my friend earlier in the day that I thought I would end up flipping today, but he didn't believe me until it happened. I was in the Jr. Honda running in 4th, and I was FAST. We came up to the lapped cars and there was a wreck. I tried to go high (they were coming down the track) but at the same time the car in front of me when high too. I hit his tire, then the wall, and next thing I know I see blue sky and trees. They had to red flag the race and everyone ran over to my car, but I thought it was cool. I scratched my new helmet but that is ok. In the 160 race I was not too good. Ok, I was a little scared. Dad took me off the track after only 10 laps. We talked about it and I think tomorrow will be better.
7/01/06--I only ran the 160 car today. It was handling ok. I finished 3rd. We had a great dinner at the track. Fun day was FUN (except for the rain).
6/24/06-- I had a good race day at Kokomo today. I was solid in the Jr. Honda races and brought home a 4thplace finish in both the heat and the feature. I'm still having a problem with one of the shocks on my Jr. Honda car-- OK, it broke right after the heat race ended and Dad had to put it back together before the feature race. The Lt. 160 races were exciting...I was SO READY to drive this week. I started on the pole for the Lt. 160 heat, but as we took the initial green flag, the car next to me moved to take the lower position and spun me...into the wall...HARD. Then there was a pile-up and a red flag. Dad and Heather both ran to the track (I had never seen them go so fast)-- I was OK, but, as usual, the car wasn't. The first thing we noticed was that someone ran over the back of my car and the right rear tire was flat---the wheel was bent and the tire was coming off. Dad told Heather what to get, and she ran off to get a wheel and other tools. Then Dad noticed that the right front spindle was bent--probably from me hitting the wall-- so Heather had to run to the trailer for a new one. I got turned on my side (which is actually sort of cool, but a little boring) while everyone in the pits tried to help fix my car. I thought it was kind of like NASCAR because everyone was working really fast and yelling instructions to each other. I was almost ready to go back out when Dad noticed that my engine gear was bent. (Dad says that I keep breaking things that he has never seen anyone else break before.) So I didn't even get to actually start the Lt. 160 Heat. Dad worked on the car though, and I came back for the feature ready. I started in the very back, but I was patient, used my head to drive and stay out of trouble. I finished 3rd in the feature. I was so excited. I really can't wait to go back next week and participate in fun day at Kokomo.
6/20/06-- Today my brother Tim hit the baseball over the fence again when the bases were loaded- a GRAND SLAM homerun! I was really excited for him.
6/18/06-- Today was a rain out. The race was rescheduled for Aug 19th.
6/17/06--Well, after taking a week off from racing, we were back at it. My luck did not change. I went out for the Jr. Honda race and my chain came off. Some how the motor shifted and we could not get it tight. Dad fixed it for the feature and it ran great. I made my first start in the Lt. 160 car. I finished 3rd in the heat...I was pumped and ready to go out for the feature. I am ready to run with the older kids! But then in the feature I was warming up in my Lt. 160 car and another car wrecked and hit me. It tore my car up pretty bad. So bad that I could not make the race. Oh well.... my season of breaking continues.
6/03/06-- Wow, what a day for Tribble sports. It started with my brother Tim playing in the championship game in the Klondike baseball tournament. His first game was good. He hit 2 doubles and made some key plays at home, but they lost forcing a second game to decide the tournament. (double elimination) In the second game he hit a single, double, and finally hit his first home run. His team won the tournament.
Dad got to the track at about 2:30 and was scrambling to get the car ready. He told me that he did not get everything converted from asphalt. We really missed the setup but I drove it as good as I could. You can see the results on the schedule page. The most important thing is that I FINISHED BOTH RACES!!!!!!!
5/20/06-- There were a total of 31 cars in the Jr. Honda class this weekend. I was the 15th car to qualify, so the track wasn't too fast yet, but I still did OK. I started 4th in the G-Main race. I drove it hard because I really wanted to win. Early in the race I dropped to the bottom on the front stretch to take the lead. On the next lap I was passed, but I didn't let that stop me from passing again on the bottom of the front stretch to take the lead again. I held the lead for 20 of 25 laps. As I came around
turn 4 towards the checkered flag the cars in 6th and 7th place got in a wreck and slid down the track right onto me. When they red flagged the race I knew there was a problem. Dad ran out to the track and saw that my right side nerf bar had been snapped right off the car and bent into a weird shape. Dad was so upset that he tossed the nerf bar into the infield, and I got out of the car on the track (I know I am not supposed to do that, but I was so MAD!) For the 3rd race in a row I was leading the race and ready to win and the car broke and it wasn't anything that I did to it. Dad says we are having "that season where everything breaks." I hope this stops soon.
I will still be following my regularly posted racing schedule. We were able to get replacement parts for the Jr. Honda car off the Lt. 160 car so I will not be missing any races. My Lt. 160 car will then go to Ashley Chassis in Casey, IL (www.ashleychassis.com) for repairs.
5/19/06-- We arrived at the track in Taylorville, IL today. I like this track because it is banked a little higher and it is a little wider, so there is a lot of space to pass. When we arrived my Dad did a few things to the car, then we got our fuel, got our car inspected, and got me signed in. Tonight we are camping in a tent-- we just got the new tent and it is four times bigger than the tent we had last year. Tomorrow another driver from teh Terre Haute Track, Tyler Loughmiller, and his parents will meet us and we will all camp together. Tomorrow the qualifying and the racing begins.
5/15/06-- No racing this weekend. It was Mother's Day, so I spent the weekend with my family. Next weekend I will be racing in the Region 5 States Race at Taylorville, IL. Any driver planning to race in a Grands Race is required to participate in a States Race to qualify.
5/6/06-- This was the first points race of the season. I qualified 9th fast. I started on the pole in
the "C" main. I led 13 of 15 laps before the car broke. Dad said that I broke a panhard bar bolt. I don't know what that is, but it made the car not driveable. I was very upset and so was dad. I guess that is just racing. My Dad had made a deal with me that if I drove the car hard I would get a new decal on my car- "First came the Smoke, Then came the "Blaze." I love this decal because it uses Tony Stewart's Smoke logo and my Blaze logo together. Even though I didn't win this race, I earned my decal for driving hard and smart. Thanks go out to Monica Kunkel for sponsoring me in the race. Monica is a Bandolero driver from IL.
4/29/06 -- This was supposed to be the first day of 2 at Kokomo. It tried to rain all day, and it finally just rained too much. We got qualifying and one heat race but then the rain came. The remainder of the weekend was washed out. I broke a shock during the heat race and finished 4th.
4/22/06 -- We raced at Terre Haute again. I did ok. I made it to the A-main but was not handling very well. Dad promises that we will get better before the first points night. I doubt it. Shea did not have a good night in the 160 car. The brake caliper came off and got jammed in the wheel. The car was done for the night.
4/15/06 -- What a weekend. We got to the Terrre Haute track and while dad was setting up our spot a guy came up and asked if my 160 car was for sale. Dad told him no. The man said that he was looking for another car for his grandson to drive in Lt. 160. They talked a while and decided to just let him drive our car. Now we have a "hired" driver on the team. It took dad and Bill about 3 hours to get the car "ready" to race. It was going to be an adventure for the driver, racing in a new class, in a new car, with NO practice.
My racing went good. I got 7th in the first heat and 4th in the 2nd heat. That made me start 6th in the Feature. I quickly moved up through the field and finished 2nd. This was my first time on the dirt track since last October, so I know with a little more practice that I will do well.
Shea Orr (our Lt. 160 driver) did not fare so well in the 1st heat race. Dad knew that it would be a miracle if the car finished the race. It did not. Shea got a little excited and pushed the gas pedal a little hard--pulling the throttle stop off. Even with that little problem, Shea thought the car was handling great. They worked on it and he did much better in the 2nd heat race (still finished 7th, but at least he finished) in the Feature he did super. He finished 5th. I'm really looking forward to sharing the car with him. We think it is going to be exciting to watch him in it all year when I am not driving it.
After the racing was done, I got to practice in the 160 car. All I can say is WOW!!! I cannot wait to drive it in a race.
4/8/06-- Today was my first race of the season in Kokomo, IN. It was very, very cold at the track today...I'm not used to that, and I don't think my car is used to it either! I am still getting used to my new motor, so my qualification times and my race was not as good as I had hoped. I am looking forward to getting back out to the track later this week for some practice time. It was great to see all my friends at Kokomo again, and I am really looking forward to a great season.
4/2/06-- Dad finished the Lt. 160 car body today. He still needs some parts for the motor. It looks good. Dad is not a body man, but he did the best he could. The graphics that he cut are really cool. I especially like the flaming cheetah.
3/23/06-- I am ready to get back out on the track to practice, but earlier this week 7 inches of snow fell on my home track in Terre Haute. Dad says there is no way I can practice in the snow. Since this is a dirt track, not only do we have to wait for the snow to melt, but the track crew will have to get out to fix the track as well. I am hoping that maybe I can go to practice at Kokomo soon. Dad has been working on the body of my Lt. 160 car--there were a lot of smashed up spots (not from me-- from the driver before me) and he has to fix it and sand it before he can paint.
3/12/06-- Dad and I have been talking about what colors I would like to have my Lt. 160 car. I think I would like orange and green- sort of like my favorite drivers, Tony Stewart and J.J. Yeley. Dad turned the car upside down to take the body off...I hope this is the only time we see the car upside down.
3/5/06-- Today I finished up my racing in Bloomington. I had a great start, and I was a strong third. (I LOVE my new motor.) But the cars in first and second got into wreck with each other in a turn, and when I tried to avoid them I hit the wall HARD. After that I had problems steering the car, and I wish I could have finished better, but I know there was no way I could avoid it. I did hurt my thumb and wrist a little bit in the wreck, but I'm OK.
3/4/06-- First day of racing in Bloomington, IL. Some of my Terre Haute friends are here too-- Caleigh and Gage. Dad talked to my Papa Dick on the phone about the track, and the car is handling a lot better. Turned out all it needed was a new set of softer Hoosier Racing Tires. This was a tough track for racing--there is almost no room to pass and I am not used to this. I did not do as well in the first heat, but I got 4th in the second heat and I was really excited.
3/3/06-- Today I am in Bloomington, IL for an indoor race. I got to leave school a little early, but my parents made me study spelling in the truck on the way here. The track here is a little smaller than I am used to, and it looks like it may be difficult to pass. I was excited to try out the car because it would be my first laps with my new motor. But I was little frustrated with the handling of the car, and my Dad was frustrated too. He adjusted a lot of things, but this is a tough track. We took a break for dinner, and practicing after dinner was a lot better.
