2014 Preditions ....A Look Back at How bad 1 man can make himself look.

Hello and welcome once again to Central PA Racing Scene. I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.   Today I want to take a look back at my predictions I made back before the beginning of the 2014 racing season. While I dont think I did to bad with my bold and some not so bold predictions, it should be fun to take a look and see just how big of a fool I made myself look.

Lets start off with Williams Grove Speedway.

I predicted Donny Krietz Jr. to win the 2014 track championship. My reasoning was while I thought the 27 team with driver Greg Hodnett was the top team in the area, I figured with Greg being the full time paid driver they would miss to may races going for big money around the country. I was right in that regard, as the 27 team did travel, what I couldn't count on was the luck the team would have with rain outs at the speedway. Greg would win the 2014 track championship but not by much over my prediction Krietz. It was close most of the season, so I would say I did pretty good at almost getting that one right.

In the 358 division I guessed right. Kevin Nouse would back up his 2013 Track Championship and more less walk away with his 2nd consecutive track Championship at the historic track.

At Lincoln Speedway I was darn close once again. I predicted "The Edge" Brian Montieth to claim his 5th track championship and at 1 time it was looking really good for the popular driver, but bad luck and just an all round bad season by the teams standards saw them scratch and claw all season to only end up 2nd in points falling 240 points back of Alan Krimes in his bid. Krimes who won twice early in the season and would be a model of consistency the rest of the season.

In the 358 division I predicted Jeff Rohrbagh to claim the championship but I also said it would come down to him and the eventful track Champion Chase Dietz. I'm going to have to take 1/2 credit for calling that one even if I'm stretching to claim victory.

At Port Royal I picked Blane Heimbach to go back to back at the Speed Palace and damn it I just missed out on that 1 as well.  Blane would end up 3rd to the two drivers I said would make a challenge for the championship Mike Erdley and eventful track Champion Ric Lafferty. Man I just cant catch a break in my 410 predictions.

At Trail Way Speedway I hit the mark right on the dot as I predicted Big Brad McClelland to walk away with the 2014 track Championship.

At Selinsgrove Speedway I was not even close. I predicted Pat Cannon and Pat didnt even make it to the half way point in the season before making the jump to the 410 division and running at Port Royal Speedway. Mark Smith would go on to win not only the most races but also the track championship at the fastest half mile on the east coast.

So how bad did I actually do? Not so bad if you will give me partial credit for most of my picks. I hit all the 358 drivers ruight on the money and except for Port Royal where my guy finished a close 3rd, all my 410 picks finished 2nd to the track champions. I would say I did ok, but I promise next year I'm hitting a home run and getting them all correct..... Yeah right.

With that I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year, Im hoping to have my 2014 season in review posted sometime in the near feature. I'll be taking another NOT so serious look at the racing season through the eyes of Lynn Shaffer and his awesome Thunder in the PA Mountains 2014 season review. Until then you can hit me up on twitter @BillMcIntyreIII or leave a comment here in the comment section.

Exclusive Q&A with 358 Rookie CJ Quirk

Today Central Pa Racing Scene is happy to share with you all an exclusive Q&A with up and coming 358 driver CJ Quirk. CJ jumped into the 358 sprint car division in 2014 and will be running for the 2015 rookie of the year in the Central PA 358 Point Series presented by Capitol Renegade as well as at both Williams Grove Speedway. Quirk while being young already has over 100 wins in his career which has ranged from Go Carts, to Lengends, so it will be only a matter of time before this kid will be standing in victory lane at our local short tracks.

Central PA Racing Scene - How did you get your start in racing?
CJ Quirk - My dad and I always went to sprint car races when I was a kid. I wanted to race something and I didn't care what it was. So when I was 7 we went to the silver spring flea market in 2005 and he bought my first go kart.

Central PA Racing Scene - You've had a very accomplished career in go carts. How fast did success come to you?
CJ Quirk - Not as fast as I wanted it too. I only won 2 races in my first year out. But my second year I won 23 races and won 2 track championships, one at Hunterstown and the other at Shippensburg

Central PA Racing Scene - Did you & your father have any help getting started or was it a case of learning as you went along?
CJ Quirk - Shawn Lyter from Als kart supply helped us and so did James Kirby from Kirby speed secrets. I'm sure there was more but it was so long ago and I was so young that it's hard to remember. Haha

Central PA Racing Scene - How long did you race carts & how much success did you ultimately have?
CJ Quirk - I raced karts up until 2013 but I raced on and off in 2014 along with the legend car and sprint car. In karts I have a total of 126 feature wins, many pole awards that I will have to get a number for you later, four track championships, 4 PA state championships, 2 runner up Pa state championships, and won the Daytona dirt world championships

Central PA Racing Scene - Wow!!! When running& winning state championships where you racing against drivers your age or where there drivers older then you?
CJ Quirk - The state championships came with drivers that were my age or close to it within 2 or 3 years. But for the Daytona dirt world championships I had just turned 15 and moved up to the senior classes permanently and won against drivers older than me.

Central PA Racing Scene - So at 15 your winning one of the biggest cart races in the country?
CJ Quirk - Yes sir. It was a huge confidence booster for me. I was coming off an eventful year with a team change and chassis change. I also won a state championship that year in the Jr class, so it was one of my prime seasons.

Central PA Racing Scene - So after all that success you made the jump to the legends division. How did you decide that was the next logical step for your career?
CJ Quirk - Kart racing was becoming very expensive for us and we looked to move up to try and save some money. Sounds backwards but that was our intentions. The legends division seemed like a division with low expenses but still compete at a competitive level. We were hoping to get out in front of new people and see if we could get any new opportunities.

 Central PA Racing Scene -So how did it go?
CJ Quirk - We ran great. It was a series rule that you had to start in the back the first three races. In our third race at Susky I started in the back and finished sixth. Then our next race at trail ways I started 15th and made a mistake going for second taking out a heavy hitter in the series. I crossed the line 2nd but they penalized me five spots giving me seventh. Then my sixth race I got my first legend win.

Central PA Racing Scene - How long did you race in the division and how much success did you end up having?
CJ Quirk -  I ran about a total of 9 races I think. We ran into some mechanical problems and had to get them fixed so we were out for awhile. That's when we bought the the sprint car.

Central PA Racing Scene - You mentioned at the beginning that you & your father went to the races together. Where did you go & who where your favorites?
CJ Quirk - We went to mostly Williams Grove I would have to say some of my favorites were Dewease then later Lucas Wolfe.

 Central PA Racing Scene -You made your debut this season in the 358 division. How hard was it to go from legends to the open wheel 358?
CJ Quirk - Not hard at all, it was a no brainer for me. Haha

Central PA Racing Scene - Really?
CJ Quirk - Yeah, the legends just didn't fit my style of racing.

Central PA Racing Scene - Why's that?
CJ Quirk - I was racing too aggressive which they did not like at all. Even though I didn't think it was that aggressive at all. Plus I just got bored on trying to figure out what to do with the car to make it faster since the rules were so tight in what you can and can't do. I had a lot of fun times with some of the other racers but it just wasn't for me. It was very hard for me to move out of karts into the legend though.

 Central PA Racing Scene -Was that because you had so much success in carts or something else?
CJ Quirk - I just enjoyed everything about karts. I loved the way they drove, the competition level was extremely high, the kart racing society was great to be around. I can't really but my finger on why I like karts so much. It's kind of like how Kasey Kahne owns a sprint car team. He is up in NASCAR but he still wants to be apart of sprint cars. That's the closest thing I can relate to why I like kart racing.

Central PA Racing Scene - Going back to the 358s, what kind of expectations did you guys have starting out this summer?
CJ Quirk - I just wanted to finish in the top 10 every time we went out and if we could do that then it would have been a successful handful of races to me. My dad just wanted me to keep it in one piece and it would be a successful handful of races to him. I managed to keep it in one piece but only had two top tens. So I know we have some work to do over the winter.

 Central PA Racing Scene -With 2015 being your first full season in the 358s and the success you've had what kind of expectations do you have compared to what your father has.
CJ Quirk - My expectations are to get a few wins and I think that's what he wants too. With the changes we are making in our program I think it is very likely that we have a chance at getting some wins next year. I learned a lot last year and so did my crew. We can only grow from here.

 Central PA Racing Scene -What are your plans for 2015?
CJ Quirk - We plan to run Williams grove and Lincoln as of now. With Williams grove's small schedule with the 358s, we may have a few appearances at trail ways as well

Central PA Racing Scene -Central PA Racing Scene - Who all helps you as far as sponsors on your car?
CJ Quirk - Right now all the sponsors I have is Christine Kennedy with Jack Gaughen Hower and associates. My dad pays for everything else, Kevin Quirk race wear and Kevin Quirk creative graphics. My crew has bought some miscellaneous stuff for me. My uncle John Quirk, Brian Hamilton, Dave Hess, Rick Schaffer, and Bob Bupp. Todd Berkheimer and Danny Rhome have helped us along with Paul White jr as well

Ok lighting round....

Central PA Racing Scene -Favorite sport other then racing
CJ Quirk - Soccer

Central PA Racing Scene - Favorite team
CJ Quirk -Manchester City

 Central PA Racing Scene -Favorite music

 CJ Quirk -Hip hop, rap

Central PA Racing Scene - Favorite artists
CJ Quirk - Drake, some lincoln park and rise against

Central PA Racing Scene - Favorite tv show
CJ Quirk - The Simpsons

Central PA Racing Scene - Favorite movie
CJ Quirk - Rush or days of thunder

Central PA Racing Scene - Favorite race you've ever won
CJ Quirk - Daytona world championships

Central PA Racing Scene - Favorite driver to race against & why
 CJ Quirk -Ryan Montgomery and Spencer Davis were my favorite racers to run against. Haven't ran against them in years though. They were always fast and would run you hard but never dirty.

Central PA Racing Scene - Anything else you would like to say to the race fans?
CJ Quirk - Thanks to everyone that has supported me!

Thank you to CJ Quirk for taking the time to chat with us. This kid will be one to watch in the up coming 2015 racing season because if history has shown with CJ it will not be long till he is standing in Victory Lane at either Williams Grove or Lincoln Speedway. 

Q&A with Lincoln Speedway 410 Rookie of the Year Austin Hogue

This week I had the pleasure of talking with the 2014 Lincoln Speedway 410 Rookie of the Year Austin Hogue. We talked about his racing career which started on asphalt, and moved to a very successful 3 seasons in the 358 division, where in 2013 he was crowned the Central PA 358 Point Series presented by Capitol Renegade Champion. This season he jumped to the 410 division and won a race at Lincoln as well as had a few 2nd place finishes along the way. Here you can read what Austin though was his best victory ever (Your going to be surprised on this one) and how his family decided to go from asphalt to of all tracks Trail Way Speedway.

Central PA Racing Scene - How did you get your start in racing?

Austin Hogue - I got my start racing watching a relative of mine and now 305 driver Andrew Hake, race go-carts at Hunterstown speedway. My dad asked me if we wanted to give it a try, I said yes and the rest is history.

 

CPARS - How long did you race go Carts and how did youand your family make the decision to jump from them to the Allison Legacy division?

Austin -We raced go carts from 1999-2005 so 6 years, we decided to make the move after a few successful seasons in go-karts, we wanted to make a change to something new and the Allison Legacy looked like a fun challenge and a good place to learn how to drive asphalt cars.

CPARS - . What was it like racing asphalt down south?

Austin - I loved racing the Allison Legacy Series which were a ¾ scale stock car that toured around the south on a variety of old asphalt ovals and roudcourses. They were an extremely difficult car to drive fast and very difficult to win a race in. We were fortunate to be able to meet and race with a lot of great people and drivers, and learn a lot of things that have helped me even in the sprint cars.

CPARS - How much success did you have in the series?

Austin -Our first two years we went totally win less and struggled to learn the way to set up and drive. Towards the end of the second season we started making some progress. In our 3^rd season we picked up our first win at the 3^rd race of the season and after that we ended up with 8 wins and 10 poles out of the 22 races.

CPARS -  Why make the switch from asphalt to dirt sprint cars?

Austin - We made the switch to dirt after we took 2 years off from racing. We were totally burnt out from 3 years of traveling south each and every week. But after two years of spectating we had to try something new, and with my cousin Tim Berkheimer running 358’s at the time we decide to give it a try.

CPARS - Why Trail Way?

Austin - My dad decided that we were going to run Trail Way because he wanted me to be able to drive in traffic and feel comfortable in tight situations. I’m really glad that we made that decision because after running with 24 cars at Trail Way every other track feels like there is so much time to think. It was a great time and it definitely taught me a lot of things you just don’t get to experience at the bigger tracks.

CPARS -  How much different are the two worlds?

Austin - From a drivers perspective they are totally different. Both are very difficult but in different ways. Spint cars with wings are actually a very forgiving racecar in the way that you can get very outta shape and not spin out. They are very overpowered and have a lot of downforce with big wide tires. So all in all to get around the track with decent speed is not horribly difficult. With that said, by no means are sprint cars easy. They demand you to try different things to get around other cars, the dirty air is horrendous and forces you find different lines to make things happen. I love the ability to move around and try things on dirt that is just not possible on asphalt. Asphalt taught me how to run consistent laps and squeak out every little bit speed out of the car by using every inch of the track to your advantage. I appreciate the downforce and grip in a sprint car because you never had that on asphalt; if you went past the limit on asphalt it was very unforgiving.

CPARS- How hard was it to learn to drive sprint cars?

Austin - It was very difficult, I can remember my first race at Trail Way lining up 24^th and thinking what did I get myself into. I couldn’t see a dang thing with all the mud in my face, I ran over the infield so many times it was ridiculous, the steering wheel slipped outta my hands and I about took out half the field. Once I finally got a lap to myself and a second to breath, a friggin red 45 car goes blasting in underneath me and McClelland whips around to the outside, Im like get me off this racetrack. The beginning weeks were definitely not pretty.

 

CPARS - You say the where not pretty yet you won your third time out in a 358 at Trail Way. What was going through your head as you raced under the checker flag that night?

Austin -All I could think was please no lapped traffic. I felt somewhat in control while I was out by myself in the lead but when I would run up on traffic I had no clue what to do. I was totally shocked coming out of turn 4 because I thought there was no way we picked up a win that early in the season. But it was a good confidence booster for us as a team.

CPARS -  Who helped you out the most starting out?

Austin - Hmmm…. Nobody, it’s the same guys we raced with in the Allison Legacy Series. I won’t lie, our team has a trust issue and likes to learn things by ourselves the hard way. Allan Crisamore is my crew chief and he is a genius, without him I don’t know what we would do. It’s a tough thing learning by yourself but nobody can take away the things you learned when you take the time to learn them yourself.

 

CPARS - Explain to everyone what the 2013 racing season felt like?

Austin - The 2013 season was a season where everything just clicked. Never did I ever expect to have the amount of success that we had in 2013, but I did know that once we found what we were looking for we were going to be a very difficult team to beat. I knew what I wanted out of the car and Allan was able to give us good cars all year. 

 

CPARS - You won at 2 different tracks on opening night and the tracks couldn't be farther apart. What was it like to win at both Williams Grove and Trail Way to start the season?

Austin - It was pretty awesome picking up both opening days, winning at Trail Way is just as exciting to me as my win at the grove they are both difficult to make it happen, it was great because it gave me the confidence I needed running the bigger tracks that I don’t have a ton of experience at.

CPARS - Central PA 358 Point Series Champion in your third season. Really?

Austin - Hahah yea, I was as shocked as anyone else, I knew we were capable but never thought it would come that fast. 

 

CPARS - You lead the point searies from April 20th to the end of the season. How much where you looking at the standings and letting it effect you if any, or was it just a case of 1 race at a time and let the points fall where they may?

Austin -I would be lying if I said that I paid no attention to it, but I tried not to as much as possible. I tried to just take it race by race, and I think I did well at not letting it get to me until the last couple races. All I wanted was to get enough of a lead that I could totally disregard the points and just race. I am a driver that has the tendency to stay a little conservative when points are on the line, just to get a solid points finish. So its nice to get a big lead and be able to get up on the wheel and not worry about points.

CPARS - You jumped into 410s this season. Why make the jump after such a successful season or was that planned?

Austin - I would love to say that it was planned and that it was because we won championship, but it was mostly a funding thing. It was nice to be able to leave the 358’s on a high note. But you never know how long the funding will last in this sport so we will ride the wave while it lasts.

CPARS -  Did you think you would stand in Victory Lane so fast?

Austin - No not at all, I figured Lincoln was our best chance and luckily we got one fairly early in the season. It really helps your confidence knowing you can compete with these guys. But mostly my goal for this season was to make laps, get experience and get a feel for the car. So getting a win was icing on the cake.

CPARS - How much different is your driving style in a 410 compared to the 358?

Austin - I don’t feel I have changed my driving style to terribly much. I have been forced to move around and use the cushion more than I did in 358’s, and the 410’s also make you drive a little more aggressive just to complete passes and move forward. But other than that they are very similar cars.

CPARS -You have an interesting hobby, you fly airplanes. Tell everyone what its like to go from racing a 410 sprint car to jumping in an airplane and fly around the area?

Austin - Haha I wish I could fly, I do have a few hours of flying time, but my brother is the pilot. I just tag along in the co-pilots seat and take pictures of racetracks. To be totally honest, flying kinda freaks me out a little bit.

15. Lightning round....

Favorite sport other then racing?

Austin - Ummm…. Nothing stick and ball, but I do like snowboarding

Favorite sports team?

Austin - None

Favorite music?

Austin - Country

Favorite band?

Austin - Zac Brown

Favorite TV show and why?

Austin - Big Bang, Sheldon Cooper is hilarious, and Penny ain’t to bad either.

Favorite movie and why?

Austin - Joe Dirt, I think I can recite every line because I think it was the only movie in our camper on the way to the races down south. I have seen it over 50 times.

Favorite race you have ever won in your career?

Austin - South Boston Speedway, Allison Legacy race, Hardest 50 laps I ever ran without crashing at a really awesome racetrack.

CPARS - Why does that race stand out more then others?

Austin -My win at South Boston stood out to me because I had a lot of my family down to watch and South Boston is such a historic old racetrack. During the race I had to work so hard to stay in the lead. I was more out of control for those 50 laps than any race I can remember. I was being dogged by a kid named Cody Smith. We raced hard the whole race and he was probably faster but we were able to keep him behind and take the win.

Favorite 358 driver to race wheel to wheel with?

Austin - Pat Cannon, even though the wheel to wheel never really happened, he was the one to beat.

Favorite 410 driver to race wheel to wheel with?

Austin - Brian Montieth, he races hard and clean, nobody better at moving through the field at Lincoln.

Name 2 famous people you would like to have dinner with, 1 living and 1 dead, and tell us what you would ask them?

Austin - Carrie Underwood, I’d ask her to marry me. As far as a dead guy, I’m just not sure.

Last question...

Your family runs BAPS Paint Supply yet your first season in the 358 division you had this just plain ugly green sprint car. What was your family thinking with that paint job? LOL

Austin - Hahha That was pretty much the most hideous thing ever. It was some deal we were trying to promote a new style of paint that the body shops have to use. But I don’t think we helped out our cause. lol 

I want to thank Austin for taking the time to sit down and chat with me this week. Austin and his family are some of the nicest people you would ever meet in the pit area. With drivers like Austin racing in Central PA the feature of 410 racing in Central PA looks very bright for years to come. 

Central PA Racing Scene exclusive Q&A with Lincoln Speedway 358 Track Champion Chase Dietz

Today I would like to share with you my exclusive 1 on 1 conversation with one of the rising young stars here in Central PA sprint car country the new driver of the R & R Motorsports 4r and 2014 Lincoln Speedway 358 track champion Chase Dietz. I sat down with Chase and asked him about his start in the 358 division, his great 2014 campaign which saw him win 4 times on his way to his first track championship at Lincoln aboard his family owned 2d, his relationship with his cousin 410 driver Cory Haas, and his expectations and planse for 2015 aboard the 4r.

CPARC - In 2012 you started in the 358 division and not only won the Central PA 358 Point Series Most Popular Driver but also the ROY, then you followed that up this past season by winning the Lincoln Speedway Championship. Did you ever think you would accomplish all of this in your 1st 2 years in the division? 

                      Chase with his 2013 Central PA 358 Point Series Most Popular Driver Award

Chase -  I never would've thought I'd accomplish the things I've done the past two years. To be able to put my name in the record books with guys like my uncle Cory, Jeff Rohrbaugh, Niki, Nouse, and all of the local 410 guys who started out in the 358s makes me realize how amazing it is to have done these things. I definitely had high expectations/goals for myself when I started in 2013, but all drivers have to have those expectations/goals to keep them determined. In my Rookie year, I definitely expected to win at least one race at Lincoln just because I knew I could do it. The thing with me though is that I want to do everything differently than everyone else. In 2013, the tracks got back to the way the should always be with no rubber down racing all the time. Well in those previous years, everybody got their first career wins from the pole position. When I won my first race I passed Rohrbaugh and another racer in the same corner. The fact that that was the way I got my first win made it special to me. We ended up having a great year then at Lincoln and closed out the season with that win at WG where even though I wasn't happy I started on the pole and won, it was still special because I had to hold off one of the best (Nouse) on a one lap shootout. Then 2014 just explained itself. It was just too amazing.

 

CPARC- You come from a strong family background in racing. You father Tim raced sprint cars for years and your cousin is Cory Haas. How has that helped your learning curve as far as your development? 
Chase - Having both my dad and uncle Cory have really helped me progress quickly as a driver, worker, and crew chief at times. Both of them have a bunch of experience as a driver so they know exactly what I need to do and can tell me things to help me. With Cory having so many championships and wins under his belt in the 358, he knows how to drive them, how the cars handle, and what to do. My dad never ran a 358, but ran a 410. Both cars act different, but my dad still helps just as much by telling me what I should do as well. I've also learned how to set up and work on the cars from each of them as well which a huge factor in becoming a great racer. Those two have also led me to meeting many drivers and formers drivers who I can go to for advice as well.

                          Cory Haas cousin of Chase Dietz in his familiar 11c at Lincoln Speedway
 
CPARC -  Has living up to the expectations of both of them hurt you in any way? 
Chase -  I haven't ever felt any pressure when racing when it comes to trying to them. I just do my own thing and keep on learning and trying to accomplish my goals in order to reach my dream.

 
CPARC - Your 1st two times in a 358 where less then fun. You ran 1 lap at Trail Way and blew an engine, then had wing issues at Susquehanna Speedway. How frustrating for you was it to have so many things go wrong when your just starting out? 
Chase - To be honest, I saw those experiences as signs. I think someone thought it just wasn't that time yet for me to really start. I was just excited to be able to get in a sprint car at that point anyway so I didn't have any expectations at that time.

 
CPARC -  In your rookie season you won twice, once at Lincoln and once at Williams Grove. Explain how that must have felt to enjoy that much success right off the bat? 

                                   Chase celebrating his 1st career win at Williams Grove Speedway

Chase - As I had said before, those wins meant a lot to me just from the way I accomplished them. To pass a guy like Jeff Rohrbaugh for my first feature win and then hold him off multiple times is still unbelievable to me. Then at the Grove it was only my 3rd race there and I got to hold off a charging Nouse who had won many races there that year and the championship. That night my uncle Cory hadn't been racing and was able to be there all night for me as well which was awesome too. Just the way everything played out in those races made it special.

 
CPARC -   This year you backed up your strong rookie season by winning 4 races, 1 at Trail Way in the 31 Bat Car in your very first start at the track in a 358, and 3 at Lincoln with two of them back to back. What clicked mid season to make you such a strong team? 

                           Chase celebrating in his 1st career 358 victory at Trail Way Speedway

Chase - From the beginning of the year I thought we were definitely a contender each race we ran. We came out opening day and were god awful in the heat and I wasn't happy. I put that behind me for the feature and I raced for the lead with Young the first half of the race before I jumped the cushion and fell to 5th. That race set the tone for the rest of the year because I knew we were good. The following race I led the entire race till Nouse got me on the last lap when I messed up again in lapped traffic. I think at the beginning of the year I was really confident that I could win, but I tried too hard which showed when I made mistakes. I ended up getting that first win in the middle of the season during that make-up race and then it felt like weight was lifted off my shoulders just because I put too much pressure on myself. From then on we were a top 5 car each week, but seemed to struggle come feature time. Towards the end of the year, after our last week off, I had gotten some rest on vacation and got my mind cleared. I figured a few things out that I had been doing as a driver that made us seem mediocre in features. Well, we came back from vacation and ended up pulling off a win. The following week we came back for the championship race and won again on the final lap. The week after that I spun out and came from the back to finish 3rd and then ended the year at Lincoln with a 16th to 5th. That last stretch of racing showed how tough we were as a team because we figured everything out that we needed and showed we were the best out there. ending the season on that note put an exclamation point on the season.

                                       Chase in Victory Lane at Lincoln Speedway July 26th
 
CPARC - This week it was announced that you where the new driver of the 4r 358 sprinter, A team that not only has won 14 races the past two seasons, but has won back to back championships at Williams Grove Speedway with Kevin Nouse as their driver. How much pressure is there to you to keep that momentum up if there is any? 
Chase - I feel no pressure at all. There are some big shoes to fill, but I feel like the team and I can definitely achieve the same goals, if not exceed those goals. There is a lot of hard work to do and I think it'll all show right from the start of the season. The main goal for the entire team is to just have fun and enjoy the opportunity.
 

CPARC -  Do you have any plans to jump back in your family owned car and run any 410 races in 2015? 
Chase - Actually, our plans are to run the 410 in the 2D at Lincoln and possibly Susquehanna whenever we are not running the 4R. There will be a lot of racing in store for next season.


CPARC -  How much fun was driving the 410 for you at the end of the season this year? 
Chase - Running the 410 was a dream of mine and I had a blast. The main reason I wanted to run the 410 was to be able to learn. I gave up the opportunity to expand on the great 358 year at Lincoln as well as racing at Williams Grove in order to get more experience in the 410. I decided I wanted to be able to learn what I'm planning on driving in the future, I wanted to experience how hard I need to drive in order to compete with the best, I knew that by getting comfortable in the 410 it would help slow down things in the 358 that would allow me to make better/quicker decisions, and I just wanted to find out what it really takes to get to my goal. I'll say that I learned an enormous amount of skills in a short amount of time and I know these skills will definitely show in the 358.

                              Chase in his 410 at Lincoln Speedway during the Dirt Classic
 
CPARC -  Can I get you to make a prediction on how your going to do in 2015? 
Chase - I can't really say what I expect to do just because that's how I am, but I do want to go after both track championships at Lincoln and WG. That all will depend on if we are able to race all of the races based on sponsorship though.

 
CPARC - Now lets try and see what Chase is like away from the race track....

 1. Favorite sport other then racing? 
Chase - Football 

 2. Favorite sport team?
Chase - Colts

 3. Favorite music / Band? 
 Chase - Country

 4.Favorite TV Show 
 Chase - Castle

 5.Favorite all time movie? 
 Chase - Rush

 6. Favorite race you have ever won in your carrer?
Chase - B - Main in my 410

 7.Favorite 358 driver to race against? 
Chase - Jeff Rohrbaugh

 8. If you could have dinner with 2 famous people 1 alive and 1 dead who would they be and what would you talk to them about?
Chase - I'd want to talk to Donny Schatz and my grandpa. I'd like to talk to Schatz because he is my favorite driver and who wouldn't take advantage of talking to a guy with so much knowledge of racing? I'd like to talk to my grandpa (father's dad) to see if he has been watching me all of these years and to see how proud he is of the accomplishments my dad and I have achieved together. I wish he could've been there all of these years with us.

             

Chase and his family in Victory Lane at Williams Grove Speedway. 

CPARC - Anything else you would like to say to your fans?
Chase - Yes, I want to tell them that I appreciate everything they do for me as well as the entire sport. If it wasn't for the fans, sponsors, and my family I wouldn't be where I am today.

Major Thanks to Chase for taking the time to sit down and answer my questions today. If you would like to get in touch with Chase you can follow him on twitter at @ChaseDietz89 or his motorsports team @Dietz2d.

Good luck to Chase in 2015 and Thank you fans for taking the time to check out this exclusive sit down with one of the drivers leading the charge to take sprint car racing in Central PA into the future.