From Inside Line Promotions
Lawrenceburg, IN — (May 28, 2013) — A busy week of action was highlighted by a top 10 for Bill Rose, who said he has struggled to adapt to the new Hoosier tires after missing most of the start of the season because of a broken arm.
“I’ve still got some learning to do to get back into the swing of things,” he said. “We’re bouncing back and forth with some shocks just trying to get me comfortable. When you think about how many people have struggled this year, the only one who has been consistent all year long is Daryn Pittman. I’m still trying to get the feel for these tires.”
While the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series has completed more than two dozen events this season, Rose is only a handful into his return. A 10 th-place finish at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., on Friday showcased his four-race schedule last week.
“Our car was good and everything,” he said. “The later you qualified the better it got. We qualified good considering when we went out. We just kept getting better and better. I did some different stuff to the car and it worked.”
Rose qualified 14th quickest and locked into the feature by finishing sixth in his heat race. He then charged from 15th to 10 th in the feature on the challenging track.
“When it’s all said and done I should have moved up on the race track,” he said. “As good as my car was I think I could have moved corners better and got around there. I should have raced mid-track in (turns) one and two and stayed on the bottom in (turns) three and four.”
Rose struggled with the setup in the other three races, beginning a week ago Monday, May 20, at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. He qualified 22nd and was only able to gain one position in the feature on the narrow track.
Rose continued to experiment with the setup on Tuesday at New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, N.J., where he missed locking into the feature by one position in the heat races and then finished seventh in the Last Chance Showdown.
Following his top 10 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Rose was doomed when the power steering pump came loose on the car during hot laps on Monday at Lawrenceburg Speedway. He wasn’t able to complete hot laps or watch qualifying before his turn.
“We were just behind the eight ball because the power steering pump came loose,” he said. “All night long I just could never get it right.”
Rose qualified 29th, forcing him to the back of his heat race and the Last Chance Showdown. He was unable to advance to the feature through either.
Bill Rose Racing driver David Gravel recorded four top 20s during the week, highlighted by a drive from 19th to eighth at Lawrenceburg Speedway to earn the KSE Hard Charger Award.
Rose, Gravel and the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series will compete on Friday at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, and Saturday at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown.
BILL ROSE RACING QUICK RESULTS –
ROSE:
May 20 – Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. – Qualifying: 22; Heat race: 8 (8); Feature: 21 (22).
May 21 – New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, N.J. – Qualifying: 24; Heat race: 6 (6); B Main: 7 (5).
May 24 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. – Qualifying: 14; Heat race: 6 (5); Feature: 10 (15).
May 27 – Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Ind. – Qualifying: 29; Heat race: 9 (8); B Main: 11 (10).
GRAVEL:
May 20 – Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. – Qualifying: 17; Heat race: 7 (6); Feature: 19 (17).
May 21 – New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, N.J. – Qualifying: 23; Heat race: 5 (6); Feature: 16 (23).
May 24 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. – Qualifying: 18; Heat race: 6 (6); Feature: 13 (17).
May 27 – Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Ind. – Qualifying: 19; Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 8 (19).
BILL ROSE RACING SEASON STATS –
36 races, 0 wins, 4 tops fives, 11 top 10s, 18 top 15s, 26 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, and Saturday at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., for the NAPA Auto Parts Outlaw Showdown with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
VIDEO –
Here is a great video by LTD Productions featuring Bill Rose Racing driver David Gravel at Tri-State Speedway on April 20: http://youtu.be/rF2OxGW_ZQ0