Erick Rudolph of Ransomville and the DeLange Racing team wrapped up a very impressive year of racing at Chemung Speedrome in the Southern Tier in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Rudolph, 16, more than held his own and finished sixth — his best result so far in eight Whelen Tour races.
“We had a pretty good run and got a sixth place finish out of it,” Rudolph said.
“We really didn't have the car to go to the front. We worked all day trying to get it right; first it was tight and then it was loose and we struggled back and forth trying to find a middle ground. It ended up being a tad too loose in the feature but we came out with a solid finish anyway.”
On Saturday the team returned home to Dunn Tire Raceway Park for the completion of the annual U.S. Open. Rudolph had won the first three Modified-type feature events and was hoping to conclude the sweep in the 100-lap Race of Champions Tour 100, but he battled an ill-handling race car all day and still came away with a respectable seventh place finish against a stellar field.
“I thought we’d come out of here with a little better finish after last week but we just didn't have that success today,” Rudolph said.
“All year we’ve struggled with our program for 100-lap races here at DTRP. We’ll have to keep working on it for next year. We have a long winter to think about it so hopefully we can come back with something better in 2009.”
Lockport’s DeLange Racing Team have enjoyed a record-setting season in 2008.
Rudolph was the first-ever driver to win the track championship in both major open wheel divisions in the 50-year history of the Lancaster track.
Two races remain on the 2008 schedule. On Oct. 19, the team will head east to historic Thompson International Speedway to challenge the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the World Series of Speedway Racing, the biggest auto racing event of its kind in the Northeast.
Then on the first weekend in November they will head south to Concord, North Carolina for the Sixth Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park.
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AUTO RACING: Record setting season for Rudolph, DeLange Racing
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