Erick Rudolph - Alex Bruce Photo
Wilson, NY — September 15, 2009 – By Dave Roberts, Rudolph Racing PR, DRobe72459@aol.com
After shocking Super DIRT Week race fans with a commanding victory in last season’s 30-lap DIRTcar Sportsman Championship feature, teenage racing phenom Erick Rudolph will make a return to the New York State Fairgrounds in October during Super DIRT Week XXXVIII, Oct. 7-11, piloting the H & H Motorsports Troyer-built chassis and attempt to qualify for the Syracuse 150 for DIRTcar 358-Modifieds.
Race rookie Rudolph stunned the Syracuse world last season when he won the Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman title event by a 13-second margin over second-place finisher Matt Hulsizer. It was also Rudolph’s first time ever at the historic racing oval, making the performance all that more spectacular.
“I really didn’t expect to win that race,” remarked Rudolph, 17, who recently embarked on his senior year at Wilson (NY) Central H.S. “I knew that I was looking to have a good time but after we had a chance to practice, we were able to make some changes to the car. That helped us when we went into qualifying. When we started third in the feature, I felt that we had a good chance to win.”
And win he did. It turned a lot of heads, including car owners John Holland and Al Heinke. They saw Erick’s natural talent and placed him in a DIRTcar 358-Modified for the 2009 season at Ransomville (NY) Speedway. His best finish was sixth-place and he did the trick several times.
Erick’s dad, Charlie Rudolph, ran the Syracuse mile several times in his successful career. His best finish was second-place in the 1988 edition of the Rite Aid 200. When the younger Rudolph started the Sportsman 30 last October, it was the first time a Rudolph had run the one-mile Syracuse oval in 20 years.
“I’m really pleased that we are going to Syracuse,” Charlie said. “I know that Erick really wants to go. Things are going to be a lot tougher than last year but we’ll be ready when we get there.”
“I’m not exactly “green” when it comes to driving there,” Erick added. “I’m familiar with the track now.”
Time trials for the DIRTcar 358-Modifieds will be held Thursday afternoon, October 8. Twin-20 qualifying heats go off Friday and the green flag will be thrown for the headline ‘Syracuse 150’ on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Rudolph Racing would like to thank Bob Cordova of Original Pizza Logs, Tom Snyder of Primetyme Motorsports, Tom Brigham Jr of Brigham Concrete and John Holland and Al Heinke of H&H Motorsports for their continued support of the Erick Rudolph Race Team. To learn more about Erick Rudolph, please visit his website at www.erickrudolph.com.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event —Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse— runs October 7-11, 2009 featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.
The Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include Dig Safely New York www.digsafelynewyork.com and the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks www.barsproducts.com, Bert Transmission www.berttransmission.com, Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, Brodix Cylinder Heads www.brodix.com, Ferris Industries www.ferrisindustries.com, Integra Shocks www.integrashocksandsprings.com, Intercomp www.intercomp-racing.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Rislone Oil Stabilizer www.barsproducts.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
