Author: Chris Murphy

By MIKE MALLETT

Erick Rudolph should have left Oswego Speedway with two top five finishes. A possible podium finish in the Bud Lite 200 and maybe even a win in the Riccelli Northern Salute the Troops 150. Instead the Ransomville, N.Y., driver ended the weekend with two disappointing finishes not reflective of the strong cars he had. He finished 17th in both events. Mechanical issues sidelined him in both races.

“Everyone was having lots of problems keeping their cars together, especially in the big-block race,” stated Rudolph. “We ended up throwing the driveshaft out of the car. Then, in the small-block race, we were going for the lead there and our right rear tire blew up.”

It was tough conclusion for Rudolph at Super DIRT Week XLV as he had cars capable of getting the job done only to have issues arise that took him out of the events.

“I was disappointed, but I was still really proud of the team and the way the cars ran,” said Rudolph. “It wasn’t for lack of effort or lack of preparation. It is just one of them things. The tire blew out and you can’t anticipate that happening. The deal with the big-block, everyone was having the same sort of problems. We just fell victim to the track.”

Rudolph lost the tire on his No. 62 going for the lead. He was working the inside lane of the speedway while race leader Tim Fuller was running the outside as was second place running Stewart Friesen.

“With the big-block car, had we finished the race I feel like we could have been second or third,” cited Rudolph. “I don’t think we had anything for Stewy (Friesen) that day. In the small-block I felt like we had a chance at a win.”

By virtue of competing on Sunday, Rudolph was forced to forgo a shot at the Short Track Super Series North Region championship. The Short Track Supernationals was postponed from Saturday to Sunday by weather which put Rudolph in a position to choose between a shot at the title or running the high dollar races at Oswego.

“We would have liked to do both but we would have given up two races to go to I-88 (Speedway),” commented Rudolph. “It’s a shame people in the positions of power can’t, especially for a big event like this, find a way to not run against each other. When you run a series there is always going to be conflicts. That is the nature of it, but it would be nice if they could see eye to eye on premier events like that.”

Going forward Rudolph plans to be in action this coming weekend at the Brockville Ontario Speedway before heading to the Outlaw Speedway the following weekend.

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/SDWLIVE2/?p=1211

By MIKE MALLETT

Erick Rudolph got Super DIRT Week XLV started on the right note as he finally killed the gorilla that’s been on his back at the Weedsport Speedway. The Ransomville, N.Y., driver was close to getting a win at the facility earlier in the season before losing it late to Gary Tomkins. Wednesday he left no doubt in winning the 75-lap DIRTcar 358-Modified Series event.

“This means a lot,” said Rudolph afterwards. “We had a lot of strong runs here. Even last year we were good here, but to finally be able to finish a race the way we wanted to was great. I’m really proud of the car and proud of the whole team. It’s a big win for us. It’s the first win for whole team here at Weedsport. This carries a lot of momentum for the weekend.”

Rudolph admitted that winning early in the week is important to any team because it sets the tone for the rest of the week. It gets the toughest week in Modified racing off on the right foot.

“To get it early definitely sets things off on the right foot,” mentioned Rudolph. “Everyone won’t have a hard time getting up to work on the cars tomorrow. Everyone is pumped up. We got a lot of racing to look forward to. We are excited about it.”

Rudolph used the bottom throughout the race. He did the best he could to not get off the inner lane of the speedway. Even is traffic he only moved to the top of the race track if it was absolutely necessary.

“The car was hooked up on the bottom,” commented Rudolph. “Even when I got to lapped traffic I had a hard time passing anyone on the outside. I just really wanted to be right on the bottom. I don’t know if that was the preferred line for everyone or what.”

Rudolph’s week is only going to get busier as it progresses. His Saturday will be especially hectic as he will compete in the Salute the Troops 150 before heading to the Short Track Super Series Short Track Supernationals at I-88 Speedway. It’s the north region finale. He’s currently chasing Andy Bachetti in point standings and going into the final event he trails by just five points.

“The plan is to race at Oswego then leave right after,” he said. “We’ll have a car waiting there. We aren’t leading the points anymore, but we still got a shot at it. We definitely want to be down there. It’s the last race of the year so we’ll see how it goes.”

It will be a challenge for Rudolph, but he does have some experience running multiple races in the same night. He did it several times when he ran on the pavement.

“I haven’t done it at different tracks before,” stated Rudolph. “I ran Sportsman and Modified when I ran asphalt all the time. To jump out of the car and go to a different track is new to me. Today we were at Oswego, here tonight, so I guess it won’t be too different, but Saturday will be a lot of laps for sure.”

Regardless of what happens for Rudolph, he’s got a good feeling heading into the rest of the week.

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/SDWLIVE2/?p=768