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Chris Raabe Continues to Hold a Hot Hand in DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Racing
By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications
His race team has branded him with the handle ‘Teenage Tornado’, but Napanee, Ontario’s Chris Raabe might be better known as ‘Mo’. The 17 year-old DIRTcar sportsman modified driver has been enjoying a tremendous amount of success throughout the 2008 season and carried that ‘Mo’-mentum into a Lucas Oil Sportsman Series event Friday, July 18th at Brighton Speedway Park.
Competing at the track where he’d watched his father run, Raabe won his qualifying heat race and started on the pole for the 35 lap main event. Having won a similar show Saturday, July 5th at Can Am Speedway, he was hoping to take advantage of recent hot streak. It turned out to be a perfectly executed plan, as the youngster led from start-to-finish, collecting an $800 payday for his efforts. Brandon Sweet and Tyler Rand completed the top 3. The next events in the 4 race tour are Friday, August 1st at Thunder Alley Speed Park and Saturday, August 2nd at Brockville Speedway. Chris Raabe is a regular at each facility and should have a home-track advantage.
The next night – Saturday, July 19th – Brockville Ontario Speedway was scheduled to have a pair of DIRTcar sportsman modified features on the program The first was held-over from Saturday, July 12th – a show that was delayed by rain. Chris Raabe finished 4th in the opening main event, but did not escape unscathed. His #01 TEO Pro Car was collected in a turn 3 and 4 melee that involved more than 6 cars. Some quick work by the crew got their driver back in the hunt in a race that started 24 cars, but had only 15 finish.
In the second feature event, Raabe was scheduled to start 11th, but the crew discovered some problems with their primary car and began prepping the back-up – a 2008 TEO – just in case. Just as the teams were lining-up for the 25 lap tilt, the crew decided to give their faithful piece a chance, instead of giving-up their original starting spot and switching to the other car. The race was slowed early, as 2007 track champion Randy Earl spun in turn 3 on the 5th lap. By that time, Chris was already up to 5th. With 10 laps in the books, he was 4th and when the caution was displayed for debris on lap 14, he was 3rd. The race was slowed for single car spins on laps 16 and 21 – then stopped, after Roger Varacalli’s flip on lap 22.
With just 3 laps remaining, the #01 set-off in pursuit of leader Cole Dingwall, who had also won the opening event. With both cars hugging the extreme inside of Brockville’s tight, 3/8th mile layout, close was as close as Chris Raabe would get. He finished 2nd to Dingwall, with Chris Herbison, Zeke McKeown and Luke Whitteker on his tail. His 4th and 2nd place finishes allowed the driver of the Scott Industrial Services/Tyroute Communications-Telus/Kingston Hyundai/Kingston RV Centre/Waste Management/Canadian Tire/Brunet Plumbing/Kwik Load Products/McColman Media/Len Corcoran Excavating TEO to move into the top spot in Brockville’s sportsman division points.
Photo attachment (by Jim Clarke): Chris Raabe powers into turns 3 and 4 at Brighton Speedway Park.
Lucas Oil Sportsman Series Winner Chris Raabe with Brighton Speedway Park promoters Mark and Angela Rinaldi.
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