Chad Hackenbracht; CGH Motorsports Ready To Tango In The Dirt

Topics:  Chad Hackenbracht, Allen Crowe 100

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management/CGH Motorsports
August 17, 2011

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (August 17, 2011) - - Chad Hackenbracht has had to embrace a lot of “firsts” as his inaugural full season of ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has marched on. This weekend, the 19-year old and his CGH Motorsports together will take on the Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) for the Allen Crowe 100, kicking off the first of two dirt races this season.

Relatively speaking, Hackenbracht, the New Philadelphia, Ohio native has fared very well on tracks he has never competed at before. Boasting speed and consistency at the tracks of Salem (Ind.) Speedway, Toledo Speedway, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Winchester Speedway, Iowa Speedway and most recently Lucas Oil Raceway Park, the young-gun is looking to take the knowledge and confidence of a new track and apply it to Springfield.

Though, Hackenbracht and his team are easily aware that racing in the dirt may be a whole new battlefield for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team.

“I’m ready to go play in the dirt,” chuckled Hackenbracht, driver of the No. 58 Tastee Apples Chevrolet Impala SS. “I’ve heard drivers talk about the dirt races all season long about how fun and competitive they are. We’re looking forward to experiencing that for ourselves this weekend.”

Looking to post his eighth top-10 finish in the last seven races, the former Legends Series champion enters the 14th race of the season with an open-mind, especially with a very fast-paced schedule.

“I looked at the schedule and I was like wow,” he said. “Boom, boom, boom and we’re all done. No sooner than we get done from practice, we have a quick turn around and we have to qualify and then race a short time after. I like the one day shows for sure, but this quick of a pace will be something new for me but will help me get a jump for the DuQuoin race in a couple weeks too.”

With the 2011 season slowly beginning to come to a close, Hackenbracht would be completely satisfied with leaving the one-mile dirt oval with a top-10 finish. “We’re going to go out there and play our race,” he said. “If we found ourselves contending, that’s more than we expected but if we can tally another top-10 to our season on Sunday, I’d definitely be okay with that too.”

To ease his optimism about his first dirt race, Hackenbracht recently spoke with 2010 ARCA Racing Series champion and defending Springfield winner Patrick Sheltra who offered some advice on what the rising star could expect this weekend.

“I was extremely appreciative to have the opportunity to talk to Patrick,” Hackenbracht mentioned. “Not only is he a champion, but he’s a wheelman, especially when it comes to these dirt races. He told me what to expect, what to do, what not to do and how to control the car as the track conditions change. I know I cannot learn all of that until I experience it for myself, but to get a heads up, especially from someone like Patrick Sheltra really means a lot to me.”

Just six races remain on the calendar in 2011 with the CGH Motorsports team occupying eighth in the championship chase, Hackenbracht in the back of his mind has set a realistic goal for season’s end. “I’m hoping to fight our way into the top-five,” he said. “It can happen with a little luck and some strong finishes.” Entering Springfield, Hackenbracht stands just 115 points from locking the fifth position.

The family-owned CGH Motorsports led by Kevin Reed has elected to bring a new No. 58 Tastee Apples Chevrolet Impala SS once driven by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon to the race track. The former Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway automobile has been specifically transformed to handle the slippery conditions of the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

“I've told Chad to treat it like any other racetrack with his ability and talent behind the wheel a top-five is a realistic goal for Sunday,” said Reed. ”I ran well at both dirt tracks last year not knowing what to expect and look forward to improving this year. At this point in the season we are as prepared as we have been all year with six races remaining we have cars lined up and ready to race, we’re looking forward to the rest of the year!”

It’s The Climb: Continuing to shed a personal angle on Chad Hackenbracht, this week the rising star talks about the quick climb from the INEX Legend Car Series to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Most drivers take different paths as they try and build a racing career. For Hackenbracht, the massive leap that he took is starting to pay its dividends.

Here’s some insight from Hackenbracht, now having a chance to reflect on the jump.

“The level of grip in a legends car compared to an ARCA car is extremely different. When you look at a legends car, they have a ton of power with very little weight making them hard to get any grip down to the ground, but then the legends race on street tires that are treaded and have no grip what so ever,” explained Hackenbracht.

“Then the weight topic comes into play. A legends car weighs 1,300 pounds with the driver in it, whereas an ARCA car weighs 3,400 pounds without a driver. So you go from a car that will stop on a dime and lock up the tires very easily, to a car that will not stop very quickly.

To help with the transition we spent the 2009 ARCA season participating in the open-test sessions before running a limited schedule in 2010. Looking back, the transition was very big and it took those tests to get used to the weigh and grip level in the ARCA car, but I feel like I have it down a little better now than I did at the beginning and it’s showing with our results on the track.”

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 laps / 100 miles) is the 14th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 29th ARCA event held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 21 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag Sunday afternoon shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,326th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

CGH Motorsports still has marketing partnerships available for the remaining 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule. Interested parties can contact Jordan Dahl at Jordan@cghmotorsports.com or 570.234.5449.

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.

To purchase the popular “What’s A Chad Hacken-Something” tee-shirt, please log on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Concord, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team will step up their commitment from a partial schedule and prepare for a hopeful full-season ARCA championship assault beginning in February 2011.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com