5/13/2010
Sprint Source
Lucas Wolfe Carries Plenty of Momentum into Home Races at Williams Grove Speedway
Mechanicsburg, PA—May 13, 2010—Being on the road with the World of Outlaws, Lucas Wolfe only gets to race at his home track of Williams Grove Speedway a handful of times each year nowadays, but he certainly makes the most of it when he is able to take to the half-mile and compete in front of his family, friends and supporters that have been with him since the first time he climbed behind the wheel of a sprint car at the legendary track in Central Pennsylvania. Wolfe brings plenty of momentum with him this week as he returns home, following a very strong pair of races at Eldora Speedway last weekend.
Wolfe will make his first of three separate visits in 2010 with the World of Outlaws to Williams Grove Speedway this week for two full nights of racing, today and on Friday.
“It’s good to go home and a track we know,” said Wolfe. “We were able to go back there and race earlier this year during a few of the off weeks and had some pretty good runs and some speed. Hopefully we can go back and have some good results. The races there are obviously always quite tough. We are getting to the part of the schedule where it starts to pick up, so hopefully we get some good weather and can get all the races in.”
Wolfe has a win at Williams Grove already this year under his belt, taking the checkered flag in a weekly event back on March 26 to bring his career win total to nine at the famed half-mile, where his father and crew chief Randy is a multi-time winner as well over the years. Lucas finished ninth in his other start at Williams Grove track this season aboard the Allebach Racing Maxim.
“We’ve run well there in the past and run well with the Outlaws there, so we are capable of running good there,” he stated. “You never know what you are going to get into with a big field. Sometimes it takes a lot of luck and there are a lot of good cars.”
While Williams Grove has nuances unlike any other track on the circuit, Wolfe approaches it like he does every other stop over the course of the 70-plus season that stretches from February until November. He has been strong on half-mile tracks in 2010, scoring fiveTop-10 finishes in seven starts on tracks that size.
“It’s a little different shape, but it’s like most other tracks,” noted the 2008 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year. “It gets pretty hard and slick in the feature and it’s hard to find grip. The guys that are really good on that type of track and know what they want usually have good handling cars and are able to do well there. It’s something that takes a lot of work and certainly isn’t easy to get to that, but hopefully we’ll do it.”
Wolfe matched his career-best finish with the World of Outlaws last weekend at Eldora Speedway coming home second, which marked the third time in his career he has scored a runner-up finish with the series as he closes in on his first win. He led four laps last Friday night at Eldora, after taking the lead from four-time and defending series champion Donny Schatz and battled Joey Saldana late in the going.
“We keep getting better and better,” he said. “It’s about putting your time in and now we are going back to places for the second and third time and that always helps and we seems to be better at places when we go back. Hopefully that is a trend that we are able to continue.”
While the rivalry between the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse is very much alive, after a clean sweep by the home track drivers last season, Wolfe who has been on both sides of the fence in the rivalry just focuses on his race car and racing the competitors on the track.
“I’m certainly happy to be at the level and it’s something you always want to be, so it is cool,” shared the 23-year old. “At the end of the day though, you are racing 23 other cars and you don’t really care where they are from or what they do. It’s one of those things that actually is not that big of a deal when you are out racing. Hopefully we’ll be one of the 24 in the race.”
Wolfe would like nothing more than to add his name to the record books as scoring his first career World of Outlaws win at his home track, though with the level of competition at an all-time high with the series, a victory at any track on the circuit would fulfill a lifelong dream for the young driver. In his career with the World of Outlaws at Williams Grove, Wolfe has six Top-10 finishes with three of those being Top-Five performances including a third-place run in 2008.
“It would be good to win there, but it would be good to win anywhere,” shared Wolfe. “Any Outlaws race is tough, so it doesn’t matter if it’s your first or 500th. Hopefully we’ll be able to get one somewhere.”
With the 2010 schedule beginning to pick up with the three races this weekend on the East Coast, Wolfe has one goal as the busy time of the year approaches and that is to reach Victory Lane. Along with his runner-up finish at Eldora last weekend, he has also finished second in his career with the series at North Central Speedway in Minnesota and Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York, both tracks the series will visit in the summer.
“Winning races,” he deadpanned when asked what will make it a good spring and summer stretch. “I think we are close to that right now and we have some momentum going into tracks that we have run well at in the past. Hopefully we can get that done.”
On Thursday, May 13 at Williams Grove Speedway, general admission tickets will be $28, with tickets for those ages 13-20 $15 and kids ages 12-under will be admitted free of charge. For ticket information visit http://www.williamsgrove.com or call the track at 717-697-5000.
On Friday, May 14 at Williams Grove Speedway, with tickets for those ages 13-20 $15 and kids ages 12-under will be admitted free of charge. For ticket information visit http://www.williamsgrove.com or call the track at 717-697-5000.
Both nights of racing at Williams Grove will be a DIRTVision Cybercast with live audio and streaming video. For more information and to purchase visit www.DIRTVision.com.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Chizmark & Larson Insurance, Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder's Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.
Submitted By: Tony Veneziano
