Casey Roderick Grabs 13th In ARCA Debut For Randy Hill Racing

Casey Roderick Grabs 13th In ARCA Debut For Randy Hill Racing

Topics: Casey Roderick, Prairie Meadows 200

Casey Roderick Grabs 13th In ARCA Debut For Randy Hill Racing

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Randy Hill Racing
July 20, 2011

NEWTON, Iowa (July 20, 2011) - - It would have been easily told that if not for a flat right front tire just before the halfway mark of the Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway, Casey Roderick in the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Chevrolet Impala SS easily would have notched their first top-10 together. Sometimes in racing though, things don’t go as planned. Despite the unplanned setback, the team was able to rally through the emotions and remain focused through the remainder of the event to grab a respectable 13th place finish in his second start at the .875-mile oval.

Randy Hill Racing, a new Motorsports entity owned by Texan Randy Hill headed into the 11th race of the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season with some steam after recently announcing a partnership with the potent Spraker Racing Enterprises (SRE) out of Mooresville, North Carolina.

With a talent like Roderick at the wheel and a Motorsports veteran of 30 plus years in Jeff Spraker calling the shots, many looked at the RHR to be a serious factor in their inaugural start.

The weekend started off with plenty of smiles after Roderick, a Late Model veteran maneuvered the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Chevrolet Impala SS to the second fastest practice time on Friday afternoon. Backing that performance up with a solid ninth quickest lap in final practice, the team was overall pleased with their first day of on-track activity together.

Normal adjustments were made to the team’s Chevrolet bowtie entering Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session. With a late draw on deck, Roderick hustled his automobile around the speed plant to claim the 10th fastest position overall.

With a heat index of 125 degrees leading up to the start of the Prairie Meadows 200, Roderick was prepared for a battle within a battle. Trying to negotiate his Randy Hill Racing entry into the ninth position at the start of the race would be contested after Milka Duno went for a spin in turn three.

Green flag racing resumed on lap six with Roderick holding steady inside the top-10 but maneuvering some very quick lap times. Climbing into eighth as the field settled into a long racing run, Roderick showed extreme patience until a lap 49 caution.

The second yellow flag of the day offered the prime opportunity for Roderick to bring his machine to the attention of Spraker and his team. During the stop, the team bolted on four new tires, added fuel and made a routine chassis adjustment. Excellent work by the crew soared the RHR pilot into the top-five.

Back to racing, Roderick found himself in a torrid battle with many of the ARCA regulars which saw the No. 08 flop between fifth and eighth. Beginning to find his niche and reel in his competitors, trouble would ensue for Roderick on lap 83 when the right front tire went flat forcing the Lawrenceville, Georgia native to bring his machine to pit road under racing conditions where the team changed tires and made a track bar adjustment.

Returning to the race track, Roderick found himself solidly in the top-20 but two laps down to the lead pack. Despite turning faster laps than the leaders, Roderick’s position on track and the heavy traffic around him would keep him at bay.

To add insult to injury, a few laps later, Roderick keyed the radio and informed the team that his gear shift had broken off.

Through the halfway point, Roderick continued to muscle his way through the running order. While the team knew that they were out of contention for a win, they also knew that they had a car and driver capable of delivering a strong performance.

Making a pit stop on lap 112, Roderick’s team threw a flashback to the Blockbuster hit Days of Thunder as they had to physically give their driver a boost leaving his pit stall by pushing the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing entry giving their pilot enough momentum to release the clutch and engage horsepower.

Staying out of trouble and hitting his marks proved to be pivotal for Roderick as he was able to solider on through the remaining laps of the race to take the checkered flag in the 13th position.

“First, let me say, we had a really good race car,” sounded Roderick. “I have to thank Jeff (Spraker), his team and the entire Randy Hill Racing group for the opportunity to race at Iowa Speedway. We made some great strides throughout the weekend and if not for the tire issue, I know we would have found ourselves easily in the top-10.”

He added, “I’ve done a lot of racing in a lot of different states, but the race was incredibly hot. I don’t know how all of us did the job we did by putting on a good show for the fans at Iowa. I guess it just shows you the determination by us all that despite adversity we appreciate everyone that supports us.”

Randy Hill, a Texas entrepreneur with experience in agribusiness and real estate commented on Saturday’s race. “I could not be more pleased with the way that everything went,” he said. “Everyone did a fabulous job through some incredible heat. We showed that we can be fast and contenders. Even though we didn’t get the finish we necessarily wanted, I’m still happy with the finish, all things considered.”

As for Spraker, his first race working with Roderick was filled with nothing but praises and appreciation. “I see why everyone has been watching him,” Spraker said. “The kid is extremely fast and showed some great patience. He didn’t get flustered when the tire went down and he did a more impressive job keeping the car out of the fence. He was able to keep his composure and we were able to finish the race with a pretty commendable finish.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a welcomed trip back to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, formally known as O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) for the running of the Ansell Protective Gloves 200 set for Thursday, July 28th. The iconic short track event will be aired live on SPEED beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing.

PHOTO CAPTION: The No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Chevrolet Impala in alignment with Spraker Racing Enterprises (SRE) driven by Casey Roderick in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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