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Racing has always been about surviving the storms, weathering the
highs and the lows of this sport can drive teams crazy. For Rip
Michels, and his Stock Building Supply/Victory Circle/ Chevrolet,
this past Saturday night was one of the highs.
After finishing a disappointing 42nd in the season opener for the
AutoZone Elite Southwest Division at Phoenix International Raceway
back in January, Rip and the team headed for Irwindale Speedway to
compete in the highly competitive Super Late Model division.
The car set the fastest lap time in practice and qualified 4th out
of 35 cars with a time of 17.894. The field drew a 2 for the
inversion, which put Rip on the outside second row for the start
of the race. At the drop of the green flag, Rip was side by side
with leader Todd Southwell for several laps. Rip finally cleared
Todd on lap 22 and never looked back.
“This is such an awesome race car that Victory Circle built us. We
have raced it three times now, it has two-first and a ninth place
finish. This is just a testament to the talented people at Victory
Circle like Les, Junior, Mark and all the guys in the shop,” said
Rip.
Following Rip to the checkered flag, were Todd Southwell, and this
year’s Rookie of the Year participate, and former Ladco Racing
teammate Andrew Phipps. Phipps, the 2003 and 2004 Grand American
Modified Champion, in a car that was built by Rip Michels, was
ecstatic about his third place finish.
“I was really happy to see Andy get a third place finish in his
first Super Late Model race. He will be a force to be reckoned
with all season long,” commented Rip.
“This was a great opportunity to get this team back into the swing
of things. Since all of our crew members are volunteers, and
having such a long hiatus between races, this gives us an
opportunity to get reacquainted with our jobs,” said Team Manager,
Michael Medlin.
“We have a lot of dedicated guys on this team, like Michael
Sprague, who three years ago was just a fan in the grandstands. He
started helping us back in 2003 and has become one of our best
crew members. When our Tire Specialist, Chris Lazalde, left the
team at the end of last season, Michael Sprague volunteered to
become the Tire Specialist. He has done a terrific job for us, and
it is great that we were able to get him his first win as a tire
specialist. A win always gives a person a shot of confidence in
the arm,” commented Medlin.
The Stock Building Supply Racing team’s next race will be on April
9th at the famed half-mile track of Mesa Marin Raceway, located in
Bakersfield, CA. Stock Building Supply will be hosting a Home
Improvement Show that weekend. Look for our upcoming press release
for more details.
Rip Michels will be making a special appearance this weekend at the
Antelope Valley Home and Garden Show at the Antelope Valley
Fairgrounds, located in Lancaster, CA, on Saturday March 19, 2005
from noon to 3:00 p.m. Rip will be there to sign autographs and
the Stock Building Supply Chevrolet will be on display Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday.
Again, thanks to all of our 2005 Sponsors: Victory Circle Chassis,
Ladco Racing, Redline Oil, Wildwood Brakes, Ringers Gloves, Orme
Brothers, Quarter Master, Circle Racing Wheels, Aurora Bearings,
DJ Safety, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Ron's Rear Ends, Apache Rental
Group and Proline Pit Carts.
Source: LRM Sports Marketing |
