RGeeProductions
09-13-2007, 11:25 PM
The DeLange Racing Young Guns were in competition at Lancaster Raceway Park last Saturday night. It was a consistent performance that yielded positive results. For the Original Pizza Logs Modifieds it was also a final tune-up for the upcoming end-of-season special events.
Erick Rudolph of Ransomville won the first qualifying heat in the #45 Original Pizza Logs Modified and drew the sixth slot on the feature starting grid. In the 50-lap “Mr. Modified” main event, Rudolph started from the sixth starting position. The talented teenager quickly moved up to fourth behind his teammate. He fell back to fifth on the eighth lap when Tom McGrath made a pass and went after the leaders. When McGrath tangled with Bobby Holmes on lap 12, Erick moved up to fourth. He ran the outside groove up to second and was challenging Hossfeld, but could progress no further and eventually finished third behind Chuck Hossfeld and Sege Fidanza.
“We were really fast at the start of the race,” explained Rudolph. “I knew the car felt too good for that early. I wanted to get to the front as soon as I could because I knew the car would get loose later on. It is easier stay up there than pass other cars to get up there with a loose racecar. I went as hard as I could until the tires gave out and then I just protected my position.”
Bobby Holmes of Lockport started from the pole position in the second qualifying heat and cruised to the win. In the “Mr. Modified” feature he started on the outside pole in the #22 Original Pizza Logs Modified alongside Hossfeld. At the drop of the green flag he settled into third but soon moved back up to the runner-up position. His tangle with McGrath sent him to the rear of the field. He climbed back into the top-ten but was fighting an ill-handling racecar and eventually finished seventh.
“We had a good run going and ran into some bad luck,” said Holmes. “Tom McGrath ran into the side of us in the turn and spun us both out. I don’t know what he was thinking. It ended up being another disappointing race because we had a better car than our finish shows. It’s the way our year has been going. The car was bent up and all I could do was try and get to the checkered flag.”
In the SST Sportsman, Rudolph lined up third in the first qualifying heat and finished second in the #12 Original Pizza Logs/PrimeTyme Motorsports/Brigham Concrete SST. He started second alongside polesitter Russ Gian in the 20-lap feature. He took over the lead on lap three and cruised to a comfortable victory over Tom MacLeod and Kirk Rutherford.
“I don’t know how I started on the outside pole but I’ll take it,” smiled Rudolph. “The car was really good tonight. I got to the lead and Tom MacLeod seemed to be as fast as me but it was a case of I started out front and he didn’t. I just ran as hard as I needed to and ended up with a good win.”
On Friday night Rudolph raced in a 30-lap feature at Spencer Speedway in the #45 Original Pizza Logs Modified. In only his second career Modified start at Spencer, he drove a very smart race. Starting eighth, he drove to a very respectable fourth place finish.
“This was our first sprint here in the Modified and we got a top-five out of it,” Rudolph noted. “We wanted to start the race a little bit looser but I think we overdid ourselves. Not too far into the race I could tell the handling wasn’t going to hold up for too long. I couldn’t feel anything but the right rear tire working. I was sticking for a while but I knew that later in the race I wouldn’t have that. When we come back here next year we’ll know better and tighten it up a little bit more. After a few laps I didn’t have any side bite so I just went as slow as I could and stay on the bottom and get the best finish I could.”
Rudolph will carry the banner alone for the DeLange Racing team this week, racing the #12 Original Pizza Logs/PrimeTyme Motorsports/Brigham Concrete SST Sportsman at Lancaster on Saturday night. The Modifieds will remain in the garage, preparing for the 57th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions at Oswego Speedway on September 22. The following weekend the Modifieds will return to Lancaster for the 2007 US Open on September 29-30.
Bruce Boucher/DeLange Racing PR
Erick Rudolph of Ransomville won the first qualifying heat in the #45 Original Pizza Logs Modified and drew the sixth slot on the feature starting grid. In the 50-lap “Mr. Modified” main event, Rudolph started from the sixth starting position. The talented teenager quickly moved up to fourth behind his teammate. He fell back to fifth on the eighth lap when Tom McGrath made a pass and went after the leaders. When McGrath tangled with Bobby Holmes on lap 12, Erick moved up to fourth. He ran the outside groove up to second and was challenging Hossfeld, but could progress no further and eventually finished third behind Chuck Hossfeld and Sege Fidanza.
“We were really fast at the start of the race,” explained Rudolph. “I knew the car felt too good for that early. I wanted to get to the front as soon as I could because I knew the car would get loose later on. It is easier stay up there than pass other cars to get up there with a loose racecar. I went as hard as I could until the tires gave out and then I just protected my position.”
Bobby Holmes of Lockport started from the pole position in the second qualifying heat and cruised to the win. In the “Mr. Modified” feature he started on the outside pole in the #22 Original Pizza Logs Modified alongside Hossfeld. At the drop of the green flag he settled into third but soon moved back up to the runner-up position. His tangle with McGrath sent him to the rear of the field. He climbed back into the top-ten but was fighting an ill-handling racecar and eventually finished seventh.
“We had a good run going and ran into some bad luck,” said Holmes. “Tom McGrath ran into the side of us in the turn and spun us both out. I don’t know what he was thinking. It ended up being another disappointing race because we had a better car than our finish shows. It’s the way our year has been going. The car was bent up and all I could do was try and get to the checkered flag.”
In the SST Sportsman, Rudolph lined up third in the first qualifying heat and finished second in the #12 Original Pizza Logs/PrimeTyme Motorsports/Brigham Concrete SST. He started second alongside polesitter Russ Gian in the 20-lap feature. He took over the lead on lap three and cruised to a comfortable victory over Tom MacLeod and Kirk Rutherford.
“I don’t know how I started on the outside pole but I’ll take it,” smiled Rudolph. “The car was really good tonight. I got to the lead and Tom MacLeod seemed to be as fast as me but it was a case of I started out front and he didn’t. I just ran as hard as I needed to and ended up with a good win.”
On Friday night Rudolph raced in a 30-lap feature at Spencer Speedway in the #45 Original Pizza Logs Modified. In only his second career Modified start at Spencer, he drove a very smart race. Starting eighth, he drove to a very respectable fourth place finish.
“This was our first sprint here in the Modified and we got a top-five out of it,” Rudolph noted. “We wanted to start the race a little bit looser but I think we overdid ourselves. Not too far into the race I could tell the handling wasn’t going to hold up for too long. I couldn’t feel anything but the right rear tire working. I was sticking for a while but I knew that later in the race I wouldn’t have that. When we come back here next year we’ll know better and tighten it up a little bit more. After a few laps I didn’t have any side bite so I just went as slow as I could and stay on the bottom and get the best finish I could.”
Rudolph will carry the banner alone for the DeLange Racing team this week, racing the #12 Original Pizza Logs/PrimeTyme Motorsports/Brigham Concrete SST Sportsman at Lancaster on Saturday night. The Modifieds will remain in the garage, preparing for the 57th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions at Oswego Speedway on September 22. The following weekend the Modifieds will return to Lancaster for the 2007 US Open on September 29-30.
Bruce Boucher/DeLange Racing PR