Nate’s summary of the day: Broke an axle the first lap on the qualifying session that was also treated as 10 minutes of practice, so we only got about 50% of the practice that the other teams got so we were already disadvantaged with not only HP but track time too.  The worst thing is that the axle we broke was an aftermarket reinforced bar that should be rated 2x stronger then stock. After it broke we switched all 4 axles back to the stock ones since we know that they work.

When we got paired against Burke who qualified and finished 5th we knew that it was going to be close. We hit the wall on the last lap and bent a tie-rod and had to fix that after the race.  Just a long day of stupid stuff, but we still had so much fun just being here.  After the races X Games asked if I would give a media ride and of course I said yes.  It was cool because I was the only rally car that did it.  I think Tanner declined and the next choice was us.  The best part was that in those 3 laps I felt better then I did all day.  Really looking to tomorrow and giving it everything we have.  It’s time to step up and drive Bullet as hard as I can.

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MyLife@Speed: What did you think of the course your first trip out there today?
Nate Conley: The course was awesome.  Really tight and going to be hard to pass tomorrow.

ML@S: Was there any sense of a “rivalry” with Burke due to the PPIR collision?
Nate: You know it.  That was the one guy that I did not want to be us, but that’s racing.  Tomorrow is another day.

ML@S: Do you think that having less power lead to pushing the car harder than you would have liked to resulting in rubbing the wall?
Nate: Of course it did.  If I had 500hp it would take less effort.  But that’s what we’re use to.  If I had more power I would probably drive it just as hard.

DSC_2140ML@S: Was there much damage to the car from the wall and how will that affect how you race tomorrow?
Nate- The passenger fender and rear fender and inner tie-rod.  That’s about it.  If that’s the only damage from this weekend I would be amazed.  Lets see how rough tomorrow is on Bullet.

ML@S: After you were eliminated were you able to watch from different viewpoints and check out some different lines?
Nate: It’s hard to see in person so I watched from the grandstands.  There is a lot I need to improve so I’ve been studying the in-car to see what I can do different.

ML@S: Going into tomorrow is your strategy the same as what you had at PPIR (following other drivers lines and waiting to capitalize on their mistakes)?
Nate: Not sure yet.  Going to see what kind of mood I’m in.

ML@S: How does it feel to have fans come up and ask you for autographs?
Nate: It’s soooooooo cool!  It makes you feel like a rockstar.  The atmosphere here is crazy.  It’s the Disney Land of Motorsports.

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Editor’s Note:
Thanks again to Nate Conley – we will be cheering for you today!  Special thanks again go to Emotive Image – check them out.  Super impressed with the images!!  Great job to Mitch Snow for another stellar article!

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