Keith Steele Takes TORC Limited Truck Championship!
Eight Straight Wins Give Keith Steele & Monster Energy the 2009 TORC Limited Truck Championship Continues PRO-2WD Double Duty with Same Truck Madison, WI (August 11, 2009) ? The incredible season continues for Keith Steele and his #29 Monster Energy Kumho Tire Chevy Limited Truck, as the team clinched the season championship after eight of ten rounds of racing. ?The Man in Black? currently has a 53-point lead on his nearest competitor, and with only a maximum of 50-points available for the remainder of the season, Keith clinched the title after his eighth straight win of the year. In fact, if you go back to 2008, the winning streak is now ten Limited Truck wins in a row! The second visit to Bark River International Off-Road Raceway began with practice on Friday evening. The Bark River Lions Club and the TORC management have worked very closely together to continually improve the 1.2-mile long all terrain track. New additions for the August event was the addition of a six foot tall table top in front of the grandstands and additional banking in a few more of the corners. The changes definitely offered more options for the racers, and really kept the nearly 20,000 fans on their feet. The start, both days, saw Keith Steele get through the land rush start and out of the first turn in second place. Both days, Steele put the Wolverine power plant and J & H transmission to good use as the Kumho Tires powered the Chevy into the lead after a couple of laps. The remainder of the each race saw the Monster Energy Chevy hold the lead all the way to the checkered flag. During Sunday?s podium celebration, the track announcer mentioned that the #29 Kumho Tire Chevy had not yet clinched the Limited Truck Championship. After everything settled down and point standings were reviewed, it was determined that Keith had won the 2009 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL SRT Limited Truck Championship. As the team was closing down their pit area, Keith Steele commented, This is a real team effort. Without my family and friends this would not be possible. My brother JJ is my crew chief and the two of us really work well together. My wife Izzy keeps us organized and headed in the right direction. All the help from family members every week has been incredible. At the beginning of the year, with all the changes that happened over the winter, I didn?t know where we stood with Monster Energy, but they continued their support to get us to the track. Kumho Tires added their support early in the season. Roger Harrison from J & H builds a great transmission and Lee Cooper at Wolverine Performance created a motor that ran great all year long. I have to thank Ricky Johnson, Mitch Covington, Traxxas, and AMSOIL for putting together the TORC series and giving all of us a place to race. On another note, Steele Off-Road Racing entered the same #29 Monster Energy Kumho Tire Chevy Limited Truck, as they have all year, in the PRO-2WD rounds of racing as well. The Black Chevy is at a disadvantage by at least 200 horsepower, but with his eyes set at a serious run in the PRO-2WD division next year, the experience now is very important. Keith Steele finished tenth and thirteenth for the PRO-2WD weekend. The next race for Keith Steele and his Monster Energy Chevy is September 5-6 at the 40th Anniversary Off-Road Racing Celebration in Crandon, Wisconsin. Keith Steele would like to thank all its product supporters, including: Monster Energy, J & H Transmission, Yank Torque Converters, K & N Filters, Howe Performance, Wolverine Performance, and Phil?s Inc. Keith Steele and his Steele Off-Road Race Team still have marketing opportunities available for the 2009 & 2010 Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series presented by AMSOIL. Interested parties can email Izzy Steele: info@steeleoffroad.com - Mike Reusche, MTG ? race report --------------------------------------- - Mike Reusche, MT Graphics "Affordable Website and Marketing Solutions" www.mt-graphics.com www.bumpracer.com mike@mt-graphics.com (847)343-4658