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For Immediate Release Garrett Alberson Wins First Event of 2014; Makes Big Announcement Las Cruces, New Mexico (04/08/14) - Garrett Alberson returned to familiar territory on Saturday evening in a Championship Dirt Motorsports (CDM) Weekly Racing Series event at Southern New Mexico Speedway (Las Cruces, New Mexico) and came away with his first victory of the season in his #43 Deetz Racing/Batteries Plus Bulbs/Mastersbilt/Pro Power Racing Engine Super Late Model. Alberson started the night by finishing second in his preliminary heat race, locking him into the fourth starting position for the main event. When the feature went green, Garrett took over the top spot early and built a comfortable lead at the front of the pack. As he began to work lap traffic, contact with a lap car caused him to spin, but Alberson was able to keep his momentum and retain the top spot. The hometown driver went on to claim the victory over Christy Georges, Rick Ortega, Eric McNutt, and Jeff Whyman. Defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion, Matt Crafton, piloted a team car in the weekly racing event as well. Crafton finished sixth in his heat race which earned him the twelfth starting spot for the feature. During the course of the main event, Matt advance six positions en route to a solid sixth place finish. Complete results are available at www.ChampionshipDirtMotorsports.com "This is a deal that that started coming together over the winter, and I'm both excited and a little nervous to finally be making the move," comments Alberson. "I can't thank Dave and Anita Deetz enough for their support as well as my amazing family and sponsors. Ronnie Stuckey is offering me a great opportunity, and I'm excited to give it a shot." He concludes by noting, "Hopefully this is the first step toward making a future in Dirt Late Model racing." Garrett is currently unsure of when his next race will be, but he may compete in the $3,000-to-win, unsanctioned event at Thunder Valley Speedway (Glenmora, Louisiana) this Saturday, April 12th. For more information on the event please visit www.ThunderValleySpeedwayLA.com . Garrett Alberson would like to thank all of his sponsors including Deetz Racing, Batteries Plus Bulbs, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Rio Grande Foot Clinic, Argyle Welding Supply Co., Wehrs Machine, J. Craig's Tile Company, Indy Screen Print, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services. For more information on Garrett Alberson please visit www.GarrettAlberson.com . For Immediate Release Rodney Sanders Wins First Career Super Late Model Feature Happy, Texas (04/08/14) – Rodney Sanders from Happy, Texas is no stranger to victory lane in the Open Wheel Modified ranks, but on Sunday evening he made history by registering the first Super Late Model victory of his career with a triumph at I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, Nebraska). The weekend opened on Saturday night as a talented field of forty-three competitors were registered for battle in the $3,000-to-win event, which was sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA) and Corn Belt Clash (CBC). Sanders would find himself battling an ill handling race car throughout the night. After starting on the pole of his heat race Rodney slipped to a fourth place finish, leaving him to run a b-main. Sanders drove to a fourth place finish in the b-main, locking him into the 24th starting spot for the 35 lap finale. In the feature, Rodney continued to battle the handle on his #20 machine to a disappointing 30th place finish in the final rundown. Thirty-nine competitors participated in the $2,000-to-win event on Sunday evening. An eight to second run in his heat race positioned Sanders starting on the pole for the finale, but it would be Terry Phillips grabbing the lead at the drop of the green flag. Rodney stalked Phillips throughout the event's first half before using lapped traffic to his advantage to take his lead late in the affair. Once out front he motored away from the competition to claim the victory in his #20 Swan Energy/Eibach/MB Customs/Pro Power Racing Engine Super Late Model. "Wow this is pretty cool," an elated Sanders said in victory lane. "I knew we had a good car tonight, but I didn't know it was this good. It feels great to get my first Super Late Model win. Thanks to Swan Energy, and all of my sponsors and fans for their support!" Rodney will return to the familiar confines of his Swan Energy #20 MB Customs Modified this weekend with a tripleheader with the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) in Kansas and Oklahoma. On Friday night action opens at Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, Kansas) before moving to Salina Highbanks Speedway (Pryor, Oklahoma) on Saturday night and concluding the weekend on Sunday evening at Outlaw Motor Speedway (Oktaha, Oklahoma). For more information on the events please visit www.USMTS.com . Rodney Sanders would like to thank all of his sponsors including Swan Energy, Kimrad Transport, Special Care, Outreachers Sustainable Solutions, Swan Racing, Geddes Race Engines, MB Customs, Alaron Energy, B&L Satellite Rental, STSI, Integra Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, C&R Radiators, Eibach Springs, All Star Custom Graphics, Charter Oak Production Company, Palmer Painting, D&G Contracting, FK Rod Ends, Fike's Transmissions, Krohn Farms, Mars Race Cars, K&N Filters, Real Racing Wheels, 87 Automotive, Wichita Tank Racing, Hooker Harness, CMD Race Shocks, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services. For more information on Rodney Sanders, please visit www.RodneySandersRacing.net . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE She notes, "I had some great companies come on board to sponsor me, and I also received $5,000 for making it as one of fifteen finalists in the Champion Spark Plug Search for a Champion contest, but it still left me short of my sponsorship goals." However, a few weeks ago Balcaen's luck began to change for the better, when she was contacted by Chris and Charlotte Unrau, owners of Apex SpeedSports Inc. "They asked me what I needed to make the move to Sprint Cars, and we discussed what goals had to be achieved to make it happen," comments Amber. "I'm proud to announce last week that we were able to finalize terms to make this a reality!" The 2014 season will find Amber piloting the Apex SpeedSports Inc. entry on the full Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) Sprint Car tour. The team will utilize Eagle chassis with power plants prepared by Lou Kennedy Sr., who is Balcaen's 75-year-old, grandfather. Tommy Taylor will serve as crew chief on the entry. When not competing in series action Balcaen will compete at River Cities Speedway (Grand Forks, North Dakota) on Friday nights as well as select events with the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Cars, All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCOC) Sprint Cars, and the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series (ASCS). The start to the 2014 campaign is largely dependent on weather, but right now it looks like the first event will be on Friday, May 2nd at River Cities Speedway (Grand Forks, North Dakota) with a Weekly Racing Series Event. "I'm very grateful to the Unrau family and my sponsors for this great opportunity," comments Balcaen. "I look forward to this new challenge, and hopefully I can give back to them for affording me this chance to make my dreams come true." Balcaen continues to ink sponsorships for the 2014 season so any interested parties are encouraged to please contact the team at sponsorship@apexspeedsports.com. Follow Amber on Twitter and Instagram at www.twitter.com/amberbalcaen10 and find her on Facebook at Amber Balcaen Racing. Amber Balcaen would like to thank her marketing partners for the 2014 season, which include Apex SpeedSports Inc., Champion Spark Plugs, CDR, Metalz in Motion, Imrie Demolition, Simpson Race Products, Red Dragon, FK Rod Ends, Kirkey Racing Seats, Hoosier Tire, Weld Wheels, MSR Mafia Marketing Services. |
Reutzel Off to I-30 After Two More Top-Fives!
Lonnie Wheatley, CLUTE, Texas (April 8, 2014) – Aaron Reutzel has Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway in his sites coming off another strong weekend that included a pair of top-five runs for the Stafford Performance-powered Bob and Christie Miller’s Car Parts Machine/Wren’s Motorsports No. 87 Triple-X chassis.
While Lucas Oil ASCS National action resumes Saturday in Arkansas, Reutzel took advantage of an idle National weekend to take in two ASCS Gulf South nights close to his Clute, TX, home.
The Battleground Speedway double in Highlands, TX, proved to be another good weekend for the Momentum Racing Suspensions/Danny Sander Construction/ButlerBuilt team with a runner-up finish in Friday’s main event before finishing fourth on Saturday.
“It was a good weekend,” Reutzel commented. “We’re really happy with our engine program and the car right now.”
A bad draw worked out just right for Reutzel as action got going on Friday night. “We drew bad for the heat, but it was the right heat to draw a bad number so it worked out.”
Reutzel raced from the tail of the heat to finish third and ranked second in passing point aboard the Lone Star Hydro Maintenance/BC Fundz/Wright Way Logistics mount to get in the redraw where he drew the pole position for the feature.
“It was dead slick top to bottom, it was one of those things where we really weren’t sure where we needed to run,” Reutzel explains. “I rolled the bottom the first couple of laps and Sam (Hafertepe) and Seth (Bergman) got by.”
“I moved the wing back and moved up the track and started diamonding off the corner, we got back by Sam and ran down Seth. I thought I was going to get him in traffic, but he never once made a wrong decision.”
Reutzel had one run at Bergman for the win that nearly ended in disaster just a handful of laps from the finish. “I dove underneath coming off the corner and we drag raced down the frontstretch. Seth cut down getting into one, I tried to miss him and miss the infield tires but we hit, I ended up spinning and Seth cut through the infield,” Reutzel explains of the wild chain of events.
“We kept it going but we fell back to fourth, a caution came out then for someone else and we got our spot back.”
“I didn’t get a good start on the restart so then we just never could get back up there to do anything with him,” Reutzel explains of the late-race restart. “We just didn’t capitalize on starting from the pole.”
With a season-best runner-up finish logged into the books on Friday, Reutzel redrew the sixth starting position for Saturday’s main event and fell back even further in the blink of an eye.
“The car in front of us got a horrible start to begin with then got sideways, we probably fell all the way back to tenth,” Reutzel explains.
The chances of getting back up front were minimized further by track conditions.
“It ended up being one lane around the bottom so it was tough,” Reutzel comments. “We got our way back there to fourth and that was all we could do, we were the same speed as the rest of the top four.”
With a strong weekend in the books, Reutzel is pleased with the No. 87 car as the first stop of the year at I-30 Speedway looms this Saturday.
“We’ve got good speed right now, if we can just keep our luck going with it we’ll have some good finishes and gain some points.”
As for I-30 Speedway, “I like it when it’s completely dusted off or when there’s a big ol’ curb right around the top,” Reutzel explains. “Maybe a little treacherous getting in, it’s fun that way, you really have to get your elbows up.”
A first-time visit to West Siloam Speedway in West Siloam Springs, OK, for the ASCS Sooner Region season-opener on Sunday is tentatively on the docket as well.
2014 Quick Stats: 14 races, 5 top-fives, 9 top-tens, 1 heat race win, 2 “B” Main wins.
Up Next: ASCS National Tour at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway on Saturday and ASCS Sooner Region at West Siloam Speedway on Sunday.
Keep Track: Keep track of Aaron Reutzel’s on track-action including schedule and results at http://www.aaronreutzelracing.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Reutzel-Racing/117666254913127 or on Twitter at @AaronReutzel. You can also e-mail Aaron at aaronreutzel@yahoo.com.
If you would like Aaron Reutzel Racing press releases e-mailed directly to you, send your e-mail address to Lonnie Wheatley at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
Penning the recurring series of “The Wheatley Chronicles” articles on racinboys.com, Lonnie Wheatley provides media, public relations and more for select tracks, drivers and events. For more information, Wheatley may be contacted at lonniewheatley@gmail.com.
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