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DANE RUDOLPH AND THE OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE CAR RECORD 6TH PLACE IN MAJOR NASCAR LATE MODEL RACE

New South Wales driver, Dane Rudolph, has finished 6th in NASCAR’s Mason Dixon 500 at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway..

South Boston, Virginia. USA. 17/10/09:

Following on from his outstanding 15th at the legendary Martinsville Speedway two weeks earlier, Dane and his Outback Steakhouse sponsored car were in form for the 250 lap Mason Dixon 500. 44 cars tried to qualify for the 36 car grid, including all the usual suspects that make up the cream of NASCAR’s Whelen All American Series.

At a pre-event test held on the previous Tuesday, Rudolph recorded a fantastic best lap time of 15:63 in warm sunny conditions. Rain then set in for the next few days, at one stage threatening a postponement of the event. But the rain didn’t materialise being replaced with an overcast sky and cold conditions with a top of 8 degrees recorded for qualifying day. Having recorded 6 front rows at his previous 6 visits to the track, including 5 poles, expectations were high. However the cold conditions caught out Dane and the team with a best lap time of only 15:78 being recorded. This left a feeling of déjà vu as Dane once again missed the automatic inclusion in the main race by two spots and two one hundredths of a second and would once again see him start a heat race on the pole.

The heat race proved a formality as Dane drove a conservative race to record a second place finish. This would place him 19 on the grid for the main race.

Within 4 laps of the main race start, it was evident that many of the competitors were playing for keeps with a significant shunt at turn 3 involving quite a few cars. Quite a number of caution periods ensued with Dane once again managing to dodge plenty of bullets, and pass quite a few seasoned competitors. The race has a compulsory pit stop at lap 200 enabling teams to refuel, fit two new tyres to the right side of the car and service any other components requiring attention during the 15 minute period. At this stop Dane held position 9. The remaining 50 laps provided some of the closest cut and thrust racing with Dane moving up the order, back down and then back up to finish 6th.

Dane said, “What a race! This was the most intense race I’ve run in the USA. I’d like to thank Outback for their support for these two events. The car was fantastic and a real credit to the team”. Team Owner, H.C. Sellers added, “This performance by Dane shows that Dane is ready to move up. Many good drivers have tried and failed to qualify for this and the Martinsville event. For Dane to not only qualify but finish both events as strongly as he has really shows us that he can make it in NASCAR”.

This was to be Dane’s last Late Model event for 2009, but his strong results may mean a start at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach 400 next month. A decision will be made on this event next week.

Dane and his support team are busy working on his 2010 programme which is dependent on sponsorship support.

 

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