News
Beaver County's Bolland opens big!
04.22.2011 Filed in: Press
By DJ Johnson
Kevin Bolland's 52nd win in a Big-Block Modified a week ago at Lernerville might be the biggest win of his career.
The come-from-behind win on opening night at Lernerville for this Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer ranks up there with Bolland's DIRT Modified Series win at the Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., in 2003.
Bolland was in fourth with two laps to go and used the whole track, including the opposite slope on the back straightaway, to challenge race leaders Dave Murdick and Jeremiah Shingledecker.
On the green-white-checkered flag restart, Bolland came from the outside of the second row to rocket himself around the leaders for the win.
"We just found some bite [moisture] up around the top," Bolland said. "The guy in the second row always has a better view and we were able to capitalize on that."
You don't usually see door-to-door racing on opening night. Most openers are filled with bumping and banging, drivers knocking the rust off skills they haven't used in more than six months.
It was more than just the start of another race season for the defending Big-Block champion at Lernerville, it was a new beginning.
Like others in the field, Bolland showcased a new sponsor on his modified.
Bolland doesn't have as much equipment and money behind him as people might think, his team just makes it look that way.
Uniforms, the organized pit vehicle, all of this makes the Bolland team stand out when it comes to fans and causal observers.
"The crew just does their homework in the garage and it pays off at the track, it's a combination of everything" he said.
Boundary Systems, a distributor of PTC Pro Engineering Software from Cleveland apparently liked the combination enough to have sought out the team for sponsorship for a new product, CREO.
"[Boundary Systems] sought us out, we didn't seek them," he said.
"Your character, your look, your team building skills, your image, those are what sell. People pay attention to organizations. This isn't the first time that we've been told that we have a nice looking car, look like a team, act like a team and present a professional image."
Don't think that landing a sponsor changes everything.
"Having a sponsor helps lessen our losses," he said. "As unfortunate as it is, we have one car and we are trying to win three championships this year. We just have to finish races and have a good dependable car to get us there."
"We have to keep doing the same thing we've been doing since 1999. We just keep working within our means. I don't know if it can be done but we are going to try," he said.
If the result at Lernerville's opener is any indication, Bolland is off to a good start.
Rockets at Lernerville
Fans will be admitted free to the grandstands Tuesday and May 31 as Rocket Chassis plays host to two practice sessions at Lernerville Speedway for local and regional late model drivers.
Lugnuts
Lernerville Speedway is in action at 7 p.m. today with four divisions in action. ... Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown begins its season at 7:30 p.m. today, featuring five divisions. ... Barry Awtey won the Super Late Model 50-lap event at Motordrome Speedway. The NASCAR weekly racing series is in action with all five divisions at 7:30 today at the paved oval in Smithton. ... Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway has "Cadet Frenzoid" at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Monster Half-Mile dirt oval near Imperial. Cadet division drivers will battle for 25 laps in their biggest feature of the year with the winner taking home $500. ... Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex opens for the season at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. The dirt oval near Markleysburg, Fayette County, features six divisions every Saturday. ... Mercer Raceway Park puts six divisions on the track at 7 p.m. Saturday. ... Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria looks to open the season at 9 a.m. Saturday with a test-and-tune session along with a swap meet.
DJ Johnson can be reached at J1360rpm@aol.com">DJ1360rpm@aol.com.
First published on April 22, 2011 at 12:17 am
Kevin Bolland's 52nd win in a Big-Block Modified a week ago at Lernerville might be the biggest win of his career.
The come-from-behind win on opening night at Lernerville for this Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer ranks up there with Bolland's DIRT Modified Series win at the Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., in 2003.
Bolland was in fourth with two laps to go and used the whole track, including the opposite slope on the back straightaway, to challenge race leaders Dave Murdick and Jeremiah Shingledecker.
On the green-white-checkered flag restart, Bolland came from the outside of the second row to rocket himself around the leaders for the win.
"We just found some bite [moisture] up around the top," Bolland said. "The guy in the second row always has a better view and we were able to capitalize on that."
You don't usually see door-to-door racing on opening night. Most openers are filled with bumping and banging, drivers knocking the rust off skills they haven't used in more than six months.
It was more than just the start of another race season for the defending Big-Block champion at Lernerville, it was a new beginning.
Like others in the field, Bolland showcased a new sponsor on his modified.
Bolland doesn't have as much equipment and money behind him as people might think, his team just makes it look that way.
Uniforms, the organized pit vehicle, all of this makes the Bolland team stand out when it comes to fans and causal observers.
"The crew just does their homework in the garage and it pays off at the track, it's a combination of everything" he said.
Boundary Systems, a distributor of PTC Pro Engineering Software from Cleveland apparently liked the combination enough to have sought out the team for sponsorship for a new product, CREO.
"[Boundary Systems] sought us out, we didn't seek them," he said.
"Your character, your look, your team building skills, your image, those are what sell. People pay attention to organizations. This isn't the first time that we've been told that we have a nice looking car, look like a team, act like a team and present a professional image."
Don't think that landing a sponsor changes everything.
"Having a sponsor helps lessen our losses," he said. "As unfortunate as it is, we have one car and we are trying to win three championships this year. We just have to finish races and have a good dependable car to get us there."
"We have to keep doing the same thing we've been doing since 1999. We just keep working within our means. I don't know if it can be done but we are going to try," he said.
If the result at Lernerville's opener is any indication, Bolland is off to a good start.
Rockets at Lernerville
Fans will be admitted free to the grandstands Tuesday and May 31 as Rocket Chassis plays host to two practice sessions at Lernerville Speedway for local and regional late model drivers.
Lugnuts
Lernerville Speedway is in action at 7 p.m. today with four divisions in action. ... Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown begins its season at 7:30 p.m. today, featuring five divisions. ... Barry Awtey won the Super Late Model 50-lap event at Motordrome Speedway. The NASCAR weekly racing series is in action with all five divisions at 7:30 today at the paved oval in Smithton. ... Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway has "Cadet Frenzoid" at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Monster Half-Mile dirt oval near Imperial. Cadet division drivers will battle for 25 laps in their biggest feature of the year with the winner taking home $500. ... Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex opens for the season at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. The dirt oval near Markleysburg, Fayette County, features six divisions every Saturday. ... Mercer Raceway Park puts six divisions on the track at 7 p.m. Saturday. ... Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria looks to open the season at 9 a.m. Saturday with a test-and-tune session along with a swap meet.
DJ Johnson can be reached at J1360rpm@aol.com">DJ1360rpm@aol.com.
First published on April 22, 2011 at 12:17 am