Story By: A2DPR / TREVER FEATHERS RACING – HAGERSTOWN, MD – One week ago, Trever Feathers noted that despite some quality runs in his black and blue No.20 Team Zero Chassis, he wasn’t satisfied. The consistency he had in late 2023 with the same car was missing and he was struggling to dial it in on certain types of surfaces.
It can be a slow and frustrating process for teams to work through the trial and error required to find the root of a handling problem. Sometimes the schedule allows for that but sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes it’s an expensive journey until you get to the solution.
The ace up his sleeve was a second Team Zero car, a 2016 chassis the team acquired with the intent to go Limited Late Model racing. Feathers did that early in the season with the No.27 on the door and he won at Hagerstown Speedway in dominant fashion.
In recent weeks, Feathers opted to bolt a super late model engine into the No.27 and keep it handy as a backup car as he entered Appalachian Mountain Speed Week.
NOT GREAT, NOT BAD
Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway, Feathers strapped into his McFarland Custom Painting & Wall Coverings, George’s Used Cars, Martin’s Pumping, North River Farm, Feathers & Son’s Roofing, Leggett Engine Research, Coffelt Graphics, Shane McDowell Racing, Fox Racing Shox No.20 super late model and turned in a respectable 11th quickest lap in group one qualifying.
With 45 cars on hand, the qualifying lap put Feathers in a decent position for the night. From the 4th starting spot in his heat race, he muscled his way to a 3rd place finish to qualify for the finale.
Feathers started deep in the field, 17th to be exact, but churned his way forward to a 12th-place finish. It was enough to earn Hard Charger.
It wasn’t a bad night but it was short of expectations for the Winchester, VA native when it comes to Port Royal Speedway where he has had considerable success. There was frustration in the TFR pit. At that point, the mindset was they would skip Hagerstown and instead get to work in the shop to figure out the issue.
YEAH, THAT’S BETTER
Sunday morning in the shop the team got to work and felt they had identified the source of some of the issues, so Feathers and the team loaded up and headed to Hagerstown, MD for the next stop on the speed week schedule.
Unfortunately, in hot laps Feathers experienced the same issue he has been having for a while. The feel he was seeking still wasn’t there.
The field of 36 cars was split into two groups for qualifying. Feathers turned the first of his two laps but the issues were significant enough that he opted to pull in before completing the second lap. He was scored 12th quickest in group one.
Tense team discussions led to the decision to turn the page. The team pulled down the No.27 backup car. They would get back to solving the No.20’s issue on another night when the stakes were not as high. Shocks and springs were moved from the No.20 to the No.27 to get ready for the heat race.
The swap to the backup car meant Feathers relinquished his 5th starting spot in his heat and he would have to go from the rear (8th). With only the top three transferring to the main event, his work was cut out for him.
One lap into the heat race, everyone with eyes on the track knew Feathers had made the right choice. He blasted from 8th to 3rd on the opening lap and never looked back, holding on to the spot to put himself and his team in the show.
Feathers lined up 15th for the 35-lap feature and used the opening laps to let the field sort itself out while he settled into a rhythm. By lap seven he cracked the top ten.
The charge accelerated from there. Feathers climbed into the top five on lap ten. Over the last 25 laps, he battled with the front runners, climbing as high as 3rd and within striking distance of the lead. Depending how it all unfolded, he had a shot to get to the front.
Ultimately, Feathers finished 3rd, completing an unexpected turnaround from his early challenges.
“Well obviously I’m happy with the result we were able to get tonight after making the swap, but to be honest while I was passing cars I was thinking about what’s wrong with our blue car (the No.20). That car won three of the last six races it ran in 2023. I kept telling people I didn’t forget how to drive.”, Feathers said with a grin.
“We built the 27-car using the 20-car as a template, so both Team Zero chassis cars are exactly the same but the 27 just has a much better feel right now.”
“We’ve managed some good results but I honestly haven’t been happy with the 20-car all year. It’s all about the feel. It’s a mystery we’re going to solve. We’re not giving up on it. We love these Team Zero cars and we are getting better with them.”
UP NEXT
Feathers will tackle two more Appalachian Mountain Speedweek events for super late models this weekend.
The team will travel to Lincoln Speedway in Abbotstown, PA, and BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, PA for the final two events of the series.