Steve “Hot Rod” LaMance takes home the $50,000 at the
Fastrak Grand Nationals!!
What a weekend it was as late model teams from across the entire USA
headed to this historic event. Steve “Hot Rod” LaMance became the eventual
winner of the Fastrak Late Model “Grand National” weekend.
Taking home the $50,000 prize was no small task as some of the best teams
in the country were on hand to challenge for the much anticipated race.
Teams were on hand from as far away and Washington and Oregon.
LaMance, now fifty four years old and a thirty year veteran of dirt racing
resides with his wife Teresa, in Six Mile SC. Teresa had suffered a stroke
just six weeks prior to the Championship weekend.
The Monday before the race was to take place, she had just received the
release from her doctor to even attend the races. “What a blessing” quoted
LaMance. “When Teresa had the stroke we didn’t even have insurance and
winning the $50,000 is truly a blessing from God”.
“I can remember when she had the stroke on a Tuesday” said LaMance. “I had
not left the hospital and that Saturday the doctors had finally gotten her
to eat something. I wasn’t thinking about the race that night until Teresa
said, hey you get out of here and go race. You need to get those two
loyalty points”.
LaMance made his way to his local Fastrak weekly sanctioned track racing
that same evening. LaMance did earn his two loyalty points, taking them
into the Grand Nationals and won the Championship because of that
decision. A tough one no doubt, but one that paid off handsomely in the
end.
“After the Volunteer event was cancelled I left the Riverside race third
in the points” stated Lamance. “I knew I had to have good luck at
Lancaster. Once the event got underway, Morgan broke. Then Pursley was
winning the main and he broke something. In the meantime I had fallen back
to eight or ninth and thought to myself, well third or forth in points
pays pretty good too so I will just sit right here and take care of my
car.
I moved up a position, then another and the next thing I knew I was in
forth. I was calculating in my head where I needed to be and realized I
could win this thing!
I was just driving as carefully as possible, taking care of my equipment,
when all of a sudden with eight laps to go a tire and wheel came of off
another car. I tried to speed up to miss it but as he was trying to get
his car under control he hit my left front pushing my right front into the
back straight wall. I just knew a tire would go down or I had busted a
wheel or something”. It did bend the right side spindle on the number 8 of
LaMance so badly that after the event was over they had to adjust the tow
end just to get the car back into the trailer.
When the race got back underway LaMance knew something was wrong as the
car steered terribly. “I had to turn twice in each corner” said LaMance.
“I turned once to get into the turns, and then turned again to overcome
the front end being out of tow so bad. It was all I could do to keep it
aimed right down the straights.
I really didn’t get excited until I actually went under the checkered
flag. I have lost too many races with one lap to go and once I crossed
under that Flag I knew I had won it.
I couldn’t believe it! I still can’t believe it. Fastrak has offered to
put my car in the PRI show and I am actually working on getting a new car
put together for the show”.
LaMance won $50,000 in cash plus a new Mastersbilt chassis making his
total payday around $53,750. Not too bad for a guy that basically ran at
his home track all year. LaMance commented, “It is a great opportunity to
have your car displayed at PRI. I think there will be a lot going on
around the Fastrak display with this type of Championship. I appreciate
Mastersbilt for working with the series and furnishing a chassis. My car
was a 1999 model so it will be great to have a new car”.
“I just appreciate all Fastrak has done not just for me, but for racing in
general. I struggled for the last few years I ran Supers. I won races but
it just wasn’t fun anymore.
Fastrak has made it affordable again to race. It takes the pressure off
and you can have fun again doing this. I can’t believe how the Fastrak
Series has grown. I know Stan struggled to get people on board in the
beginning and everyone thought he had lost his mind but he never stopped.
Actually he never stopped believing in the drivers. That’s what Fastrak
really is about. Having fun and taking care of everyone along the way.
Now with the $250,000 in 06 and Fastrak talking about it being even more
in 2007 who knows where this thing will go? I really think we are looking
at the next NASCAR”.
For a complete run down of the weekends points please go to
www.trackforums.com
Fastrak Racing Series Marketing Partners:
Goodyear Racing Tires, General Motors Performance Parts, Maypole
Chevrolet, Ohlins Technologies, Duralite Wheels, PPM Racing Products,
Rapture Racing Carbs, Racing News, Raceiver, Dirt Late Model Magazine.
Manufacturer Cup Participants:
Mastersbilt Racing Chassis, Rocket Racing Chassis, TNT Racing Chassis.
The Fastrak Racing Series is a GM crate engine late model dirt racing
series and utilizes both the GM 604 and 602 crate engines. Fastrak was
started in 2004 as the “first” late model touring series with crate
engines in dirt.
The Series is compiled of 7 Regions throughout the Nation and 26 weekly
sanctioned tracks. The drivers of the series will compete for a $250,000
National Championship in 2006 at three tracks in three days Oct 19-20-21.
The Series anticipates 10 Regions for the 2007 season as it also continues
to expand its “weekly sanctioned track program” for the 07 season paying
each track champion for their efforts as well as Regions and the Grand
Nationals. The 2007 Points fund is anticipated of being dramatically
increased possibly making it the largest in dirt late model racing.
Fastrak started an Open Wheel Modified division in 2006 with the 2007
season anticipated as growing very quickly.
www.fastrakracing.com
