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Hometown Hero
Hemphill Hopes to Contend For Win at Jennerstown's Pennsylvania 300
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Apollo, PA (Aug. 24, 2001) - Ryan Hemphill is a "Hometown Hero"
to the people of western Pennsylvania. At the tender age of
nineteen, Hemphill is already a rising star in NASCAR's touring
ranks and the ASA ACDelco Series. This weekend, Hemphill will
compete at his home track - Jennerstown Speedway - in the ASA
ACDelco Series Pennsylvania 300. Coming off of a 6th place
finish in his last ASA race at Chicago Motor Speedway and a 4th
place result in his very first RE/MAX Challenge, NASCAR Touring
event, he has momentum and luck on his side.
Hemphill began his full-size stock car racing career in 1999 at
the Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway and Motordrome Speedway in
Smithton, Pa. Capturing the rookie of the year title at both
tracks in the late model division, he also finished sixth in
late model points at the Laurel Highlands oval. A former winner
of Jennerstown's Blue-Grey Shootout, Hemphill is a good
candidate to pick for a strong showing in Sunday's event. Two
recent tests at the facility have given the young driver a shot
of confidence that has his morale high for the event.
"I'm very excited about it. If we ever have a chance to do good
somewhere, it's gonna be Jennerstown," Hemphill exclaimed.
"We've been testing there as of late getting on top of the car
and the track. We are all really looking forward to this race
because we have a really good car to work with. To have a good
car and have something mechanical go wrong or get caught up in
an accident early, that'd be a bad weekend, a very bad weekend."
This event is very important to the Hemphill Racing team. Even
though the event is at their home track, there are other factors
that make this event pivotal for their program. Coming off two
top ten finishes in touring series events, and a win in the NAPA
Auto Parts 200 at the Motordrome Speedway the first Friday in
August, a large amount of momentum is going in their favor.
Additionally, this race will set the tone for the team for the
rest of the year.
"For us, this race is really important. Unlike most of the
teams, we only have a couple of races left, and we want to make
each and every race count and give it our best shot no matter
what happens," explained the current Penn State (New Kensington)
sophomore. "We're not going to give up and keep working and try
to come out of each race the best that we possibly can to finish
off the year. We're trying to maintain this momentum we have and
not be stupid or crazy and just be smart and keep doing what
we've been doing. We're really looking for some good finishes
near the end of this year."
Switching from car to car from weekend to weekend has helped the
team gel even closer to one another and work on their chemistry.
So far, things seem to be paying off.
"It seems like when we switch from car to car, everything goes
so smoothly," Hemphill explained. "It seems like we're
concentrating on one car all the time. When we can do that, that
builds our confidence and my confidence. That's good because
we've been moving from car to car and having such good luck
lately.
"Good communication between everyone (is key). My crew deserves
a lot of credit," he continued. "If it weren't for them, we
might not be here. They've helped me with the finishes I've been
having. There's definitely good communication between my father
and I. He's been giving me good cars to work with, and that's
easy for a driver. Other than that, luck has been the key for
us."
Luck was not on the team's side a year ago. After winning two
races at the Motordrome Speedway in late models, the
organization decided to make their ASA debut at Jennerstown.
While testing for the event in a Port City chassis, a shock
mount broke and caused Hemphill to hit the wall hard. The car
was destroyed. Some might feel the track owes the team a good
run, but Hemphill argues otherwise.
"That was a good thing that happened," Hemphill, now driving a
Lefthander chassis, said. "It gave us a chance to explore
different cars because we weren't happy with the Port City. What
happened was just a racing deal that can happen anywhere you go.
So, no, I don't think the track owes us one."
Luck or no luck, Hemphill will be having fun this weekend. As if
weekly experience at the track was not enough, Hemphill will
also have a "home crowd" advantage, much like other sports teams
do when playing in their own stadiums and arenas. In fact, it
actually lightens the load on his shoulders.
"There's no pressure at all. If anything, it should be less
pressure. It's another race that should hopefully be a fun
race," responded the driver of the unsponsored No. 02 Vortec-Powered
Chevrolet. "A lot of people from Motordrome and around here are
coming. That's definitely a confidence builder, to have a lot of
people on your side pulling for you."
"(If I were to win), that would be the most excitement and
relief I would ever feel in my life," he added. "To be able to
get out of that car knowing that I just did what I did, that
would be the biggest relief."
dreams are a good thing for anyone, especially racecar drivers,
to have. Hemphill's deream could come true this weekend, but
realistically, he knows his goals for the race.
"I look to have a consistent race. 300 laps is a long race,"
Hemphill stated. "My main goal is to drive consistent race for
all 300 laps. Hopefully my car can stay pretty good on the long
runs and we'll be able to come out of there with a good finish
like a top five. That'd be pretty good."
Hemphill Racing is searching for primary sponsorship and
marketing partners for both the ASA ACDelco Series and the
Gatorade All-Pro Series, NASCAR touring events they will be
running the rest of this year in Indianapolis, Memphis, and
Nashville. More information about Hemphill Racing and Ryan
Hemphill can be obtained from the team's official website at
http://www.ryanhemphill.net.
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