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For
immediate release
July 25, 2006
Belvidere, IL
Scott Taylor Battles California Heat and the Competition
As Taylor Racing headed to southern California for the
Rumble at the Ranch, the team was looking to get back on
track after a tough outing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Unfortunately, the outcome was not what the former champion
had in mind.
Since the opening rounds of racing in May, the Chula Vista
venue had gone through many changes. The first was the
weather. The weekend at the Otay Ranch was brutally hot. The
temperature both days hovered around 100 degrees.
The track was also redesigned. Turn Two became a 90-degree
turn (previously a high banked 180) that kept the trucks
running at higher speeds and closer to the fans. The jumps
were also made larger to allow for more highflying action.
Turn Three was a slower, slightly off-camber, turn that
played havoc with all the racers throughout the weekend. The
new design added about a tenth of a mile to the length and
added about ten seconds to each lap time.
After the practice sessions, Scott felt confident with his
chances for a podium finish.
Saturday – Round 7
The start saw 15 PRO-2 trucks head for the high banked Turn
One. Scott Taylor and his #8 Skyjacker Suspension BFGoodrich
Tires Ford F-150 grabbed the lead with Renezeder and Evans
right behind. As the rest of the back came down the front
straight, there were two trucks that blocked the track. The
CORR officials immediately red flagged the race and prepared
for a complete restart of Round 7.
The restart saw Scott Taylor apply the Roush Performance
horsepower to the BFGoodrich tires and immediately grabbed
the lead. Once again, Renezeder was right on his bumper. The
two champions battled for the lead, but Taylor never
relented. That is until lap 6. Just as the two competitors
started lap 6, Scott felt the ring and pinion
self-destructing. At that point, Scott brought the #8 into
the pits, ending his day with a twelfth place finish.
The crew immediately went work replacing the differential
and check the rest of the truck. Scott commented,” the truck
was really working great. The rear end failure has not
happen in a long time. I guess we are still fighting the new
truck gremlins. We will be ready for Sunday.”
Sunday – Round 8
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Again the start of the PRO-2 race was red flagged, as the
competitors seem to be racing under some sense of urgency.
Turn Three, once again, challenged the drivers to race clean
or just keep all four wheels on the ground. Scott and his #8
Skyjacker Ford grabbed the lead with Todd LeDuc in second.
On lap 5, Scott and Renezeder were battling, as the two
headed through the whoops. Suddenly, Scott lost his brakes
and drove off the back of Turn 5. To get back on the track,
Scott charged up the embankment. Unfortunately, #80 Mike
Oberg was driving through the corner at the same time and
Scott tagged Oberg’s truck in the left front corner. The
encounter damaged both trucks, but both were able to
continue. The contact also caused CORR officials to issue
Scott a black flag penalty.
After exiting the pits for the penalty, Scott realized his
brakes weren’t working and his steering was damaged. At this
point, Scott ran at a reduced speed, until the checkered
flag. In the end the #8 Skyjacker Suspensions BFGoodrich
Tires Ford F-150 was able to stay on the lead lap and finish
in seventh place.
“Wow what weekend. Hopefully we all will be in better state
of mind when we get back to Bark River. All the bumping and
rubbing and banging got in the way of good racing. I feel
terrible about the hit I gave Mike Oberg,” commented Scott
Taylor.
“Congratulations to him (Mike Oberg) for his first PRO-2
podium. It’s good to see someone move up from the Sportsman
division, to the Pro level, and have success,” remarked
Taylor.
Here are the Lucas Oil CORR PRO-2 Championship standings
after eight of sixteen rounds of racing:
1st Todd LeDuc – 79pts
2nd Carl Renezeder – 78 pts.
3rd Jerry Whelchel – 71 pts.
4th Scott Taylor – 69 pts.
5th Evan Evans – 64 pts.
Thanks to all our supporters including:
Skyjacker Suspension – Jesus Rocks,
BFGoodrich Tires,
Ford Trucks,
Roush Performance,
ATD,
Russ Wernimont Designs,
Justice Brothers,
Miller Electric,
Royal Purple,
MSD Ignition,
Phil's Inc.,
Precision Gear,
Mobil 1,
Auto Meter,
Boatec,
CNC,
K&N Engineering,
Mastercraft,
and Ringer Gloves
Next Race – August 12-13 – Bark River, MI
-Mike Reusche, marketing - MTG
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Photos
from the Rumble at the Ranch, Chula Vista, CA
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Next Race:
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July 22-23 - The Rumble at the Ranch
Chula Vista, CA
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