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View Full Version : Delange Young Guns Strong At Chemung



RGeeProductions
08-15-2007, 05:24 PM
The DeLange Racing Young Guns returned to Chemung Speedrome last Saturday afternoon to race in a 75-lap Race of Champions Modified Tour North Region event. The race had been postponed by rain on June 2 after the qualifying heats. With the field set, both drivers had good starting positions and drove a smart race. Each was rewarded with a good finish.

Bobby Holmes of Lockport lined up second on the starting grid in the #22 DeLange Original Pizza Logs Modified. Holmes was returning from a three week layoff after suffering a mild concussion at Oswego Speedway on July 21. He showed no ill effects from his hiatus. Starting from the outside pole, he grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag. He swapped the lead with Lee Sherwood in the early stages of the race before Pete Brittain took command on the 36th lap and drove to victory. Holmes continued his battle with Sherwood and then held off a late charge by local standout T.J. Potrzebowski to finish in the runner-up position, his best finish to date in 2007.

“You always want to win but it ended up being a good day for us,” stated Holmes after the race.” I’m really happy with finishing second. We got a good draw, started second, led some laps, got some good seat time, and got beat by the best car here. I can’t be disappointed with that. It was a good way to return.”

Erick Rudolph of Ransomville started sixth in the #45 DeLange Original Pizza Logs Modified and drove a steady race to hold his position to the checkered flag. Unofficially this moves him into a tie for the RoC Tour North Region point standings with Brittain.

“The car started out good but the stagger didn’t come up to where we wanted it,” explained Rudolph afterwards. “We had a push in the car for the rest of the race. This is a tough place to race with a tight racecar, especially with the hairpin turns. You really have to keep the car down and that’s tough here when you’re so tight. I would have liked to finish a little further up but I’m sure everyone else feels the same way.

Following the afternoon racing, Chemung held a regular Saturday night program. The headline event was a 75-lap SST Modified event. Rudolph stayed to compete in the #12 Original Pizza Logs/PrimeTyme Motorsports/Brigham Concrete SST. He drove another steady race and battled through a learning experience to earn a top-five finish in his first SST start at the unique three-eighths mile oval.

“We hoped for a better race but we just didn’t get any lucky breaks on the track,” noted Rudolph. “It seemed like all the bad news came to us during the race. We were really tight in the middle of the corner and I couldn’t get the car to pivot. We lost a lot of our stagger again. We pitted but it didn’t really make it any better – maybe just a touch coming off the corner. It was a learning experience and we’ll know how to compensate for it the next time we come back to Chemung.”

This weekend Rudolph will carry the banner alone for the DeLange Racing team. On Friday night he will return to Spencer Speedway in the #45 Original Pizza Logs Modified to compete in a 30-lap feature. The following night he will be at Lancaster Raceway Park in the #12 Original Pizza Logs/PrimeTyme Motorsports/Brigham Concrete SST Sportsman. Both Young Guns will return to Lancaster on August 25 in the DeLange Modifieds.

Bruce Boucher/DeLange Racing