Danica Patrick and Jon Henry Racing Team-up at Eldora’s Prelude to the Dream
http://www.knfilters.com/news/news.aspx?ID=3948

Eldora Speedway the legendary dirt track located near Rossburg, Ohio will host the "Feed the Children Prelude to the Dream" charity race on Wednesday, June 6. Adding her particular celebrity spotlight to the event will be popular female racer Danica Patrick. Patrick will be racing Jon Henry's the 2011 Eldora Speedway Late Model Championship car. Jon Henry Racing and Patrick's team worked diligently to put this deal into place. Patrick was looking for a top-notch ride and Henry was looking for a popular driver. When an agreement was reached, both sides were excited about having Patrick race for charity in one of the country's premier Dirt Late Model events. Patrick is quoted saying that she hasn't raced on dirt since she was 10, and that was once in a go-kart. 

"I feel like the biggest challenge will be getting comfortable behind the wheel of a Dirt Late Model," Patrick told K&N. "As someone who has raced my entire life, there are times when even I don't feel as comfortable as I did the week before, or even the race before. Knowing the race is only for charity will most likely ease some of those concerns, but also knowing you're racing a $40,000 Dirt Late Model that doesn't belong to you brings about a few stresses. In addition, I think the above-mentioned car control and throttle control may prove to be big learning curves. I think any racer - no matter what type of car or surface - will tell you that controlling a 2300 pound, 900 horsepower race car on dirt is a challenge no matter how much or how little experience you have." 

Henry, a two-time Sunoco American Late Model Series Champion, last fielded a car in the Prelude to the Dream in 2010. The driver of his car that year was another worldwide motorsports star, Travis Pastrana. Pastrana finished 23rd in his dirt track debut, but stated the opportunity to race a Dirt Late Model was something he'd never forget. We talked with Henry to get his take on having Patrick pilot his championship car. 

What does it mean to you and to the Prelude event to have Patrick sign on? 

"It's a huge honor for me to have Danica Patrick drive my car at the Feed the Children Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway. She's a worldwide superstar and well-known on so many different levels that the amount of exposure it brings to my team can only benefit us. As for the Prelude itself, I'm sure everyone associated with Eldora Speedway, and to that event, is just as proud to have her signed on as I am. She brings a following of fans that, most likely, will have never been to a dirt track stock car race before. Bringing new fans into our sport is great for the sport itself, as well as a prestigious venue like Eldora Speedway." 


Tell us a bit about the charity and your involvement with it. 

"Although I'm not directly involved with Feed the Children in any way, I know they have signed on a sponsor at Eldora Speedway, not just for this event, but for the entire year. Their mission is to have served over 320,000 families by the end of the year. What I enjoy most about the organization is their desire to not just feed kids in the literal sense, but also on the education side of things. They're big on nourishment for the mind as well, which I think is great for the underprivileged children of the world." 

How do you feel Patrick will do in the Late Model world, has she practiced in your car yet, and how did it go? 

"As you probably know, Danica has been progressively getting more involved with the stock car type of racing the past few years. Racing Dirt Late Models will undoubtedly give her an experience she has probably never had before. Honestly, I feel as though racing Dirt Late Models can often benefit anyone racing on asphalt as it teaches you an unbelievable amount of both car control and throttle control. Although she has not yet practiced for the June 6th event, we're currently working on getting her a test date in the near future." 

This may be a tough question to answer, but is she thinking of trying other dirt racing formats or is this a one-time thing? 

"That's a good question and, honestly, I'm not sure. I would imagine, for the time being, this is simply a one-shot deal. However, in the same sense, I doubt she would pass up the opportunity to race for charity again if the opportunity presented itself and the event fit into her busy schedule." 

JON HENRY RACING 2012 "DIRTY DOZEN" MEMBERS: 
Mike & Sheila Keller (Lima, OH)
Truman Quarterhorses (Kenton, OH)
Re-Deck of Northwest Ohio (Ada, OH) - www.redeckonwo.com
Norada Lanes (Ada, OH)
The JLH Company (Fremont, OH) www.jlhcompany.com
Home Savings & Loan (Kenton, OH) www.hslc-kenton.com
William H. Bass Trucking (Ada, OH)
Automated Transport (Kenton, OH)
Reproductive Assistance (Terrace Park, OH) www.reproassistinc.com
Ron Spencer Real Estate (Lima, OH) www.rsre.com
Lehman & Lehman (Milford Center, OH)
Associated Plastics (Ada, OH) www.associatedplasticscorp.com
Jon Henry Racing Affiliate Supporters:  Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop, Wide Open Graphics,  Snyder Chiropractic, BOCO Machine, K&N Filters,  Hooker Harness, Outerwears, Bell, Eibach Springs, Accu Force, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, Hawk Performance, VP race fuels, Wiles Drive Shaft, Team Peterson, Allstar Performance, Dyer Rods, Dargie Race Engines, Rocket Chassis, Sweet Mfg, Frankland Rear Ends, Beyea Headers, Phase II

Jon Henry Racing Ltd.
P.O. Box 54
Ada, Oh 45810
Phone/Fax: (800) 419-6940
www.jonhenryracing.com
www.facebook.com/jhr15
www.twitter.com/jonhenryracing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chub Frank Racing
982 Lottsville Niobe Road
Bear Lake, PA 16402
814-489-3952
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Southeast Swing Brings Chub Frank Pair Of Podium Finishes

BEAR LAKE, PA – May 9, 2012 – Chub Frank experienced a fairly enjoyable four-race swing through the Southeast with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

Two podium finishes, three top-10 runs and a two-spot jump to third in the national tour’s points standings – yes, the 50-year-old veteran headed home to Bear Lake, Pa., quite satisfied with his performance.

“Other than going to Tennessee, it was a pretty good trip for us,” said Frank, whose only subpar outing was a 17th-place finish in the ‘Outlaw Sizzler 50’ on April 28 at the Volunteer State’s high-banked Tazewell Speedway. “We would’ve liked to get a win, sure, but we’ll take the kinds of runs we had.”

Those runs were highlighted by a season-high finish of second in the ‘Pine Tree 50’ on May 5 at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway and a rock-solid third-place performance in the 50-lap A-Main on April 27 at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia. He also registered an eighth-place finish in the 50-lap headliner on May 4 at 311 Motor Speedway in Pine Hall, N.C., after using a points provisional to start 23rd.

Frank came closest to ending his frustrating two-year-plus winless streak on the WoO LMS in the swing’s finale at Swainsboro, a three-eighths-mile, red-clay oval where he recorded a runner-up finish for the second career year. He steadily marched forward from the 12th starting spot in his Corry Rubber/Hino Toyota/Horton Equipment Rocket No. 1*, finally reaching the second position behind winner Chris Madden with a lap-46 restart pass of Darrell Lanigan.

“We pretty much just ran the same setup we ran last year even though we ran a different type of car,” said Frank, who is closing in on his first WoO LMS win since August 2009. “It was still good, but we just needed a little bit more. Once we got to second we didn’t have anything for Madden – he was definitely harder on tire than we were – but we’re happy. We’re gonna win one of these things pretty soon.”

Frank made a serious run at Victory Lane in the North Alabama event. After timing third-fastest in qualifying and finishing second in a heat race, he quickly hustled his machine up to second behind eventual winner Brad Neat and appeared primed to challenge for the lead when Neat reached lapped traffic midway through the A-Main. But a series of caution flags dulled Frank’s momentum and got him involved in several restart scrapes that bent up his car’s front end and forced him to be satisfied with a third-place finish.

“We had a pretty good car,” said Frank, who lost second to Rick Eckert on lap 44. “Our problem was the restarts. We kept getting double-file restarts and kept getting run over. One time we got run into the wall and got the front end bent, so we were pretty much holding on at the end.”

After a disappointing night at Tazewell – he timed 20th fastest and never recovered on a track surface that produced little passing – he failed to qualify through a heat or B-Main at 311 Motor Speedway but salvaged a decent eighth-place finish in the WoO LMS’s inaugural event at the half-mile oval.

“We had some good luck,” Frank said of his 311 performance. “A bunch of them guys all wrecked in front of us and we missed most of that, so ended up with a good finish. After the way we started the night (timing 22nd-fastest), I’ll take a top 10.”

Frank entered the stretch of racing ranked fifth in the WoO LMS points standings but ended it sitting third, 132 points behind leader Lanigan. It’s the first time he’s been third in the points race since July 21, 2008, after the 26th race of that season.

With the WoO LMS idle until a Memorial Day weekend tripleheader, Frank plans to enter a weekly DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned show this Friday night (May 11) at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. He also might race somewhere in the area on Saturday evening (May 12).

For more information on Chub Frank, visit his Web site at www.chubfrank.com.

Chub Frank Racing receives support from many valued sponsors, including Corry Rubber, Lake Shore Paving, Hino Toyota, Sorbera Family Chiropractic, Horton Equipment, All-Star Performance, Slavic Corporation, GW Performance, Integra Shocks, Hoosier Tire and Roush-Yates Racing Engines.