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Happy
Holidays From Chris Raabe and the 01 Race Team Chris
Raabe and the 01 race team want to take this opportunity to wish all race fans a
very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year. As
2011 comes to an end we can look back and say that this year has been a
tremendous year of new frontiers for Chris and the team. Moving
to the very competitive 358 division was a smooth transition for Chris, but did
provide for a learning curve after moving up from the Sportsman division. The
car set ups had to be changed to reflect the added horsepower and weight. Then
Chris had to adjust his driving style on tracks that he had dominated on in
Sportsman because of the different chassis set-ups. “I
would like to say we just picked up from the year before when moving to 358”,
said Chris, “but Dad, Greg (Hale) and Chris (Hale) had to work harder in the
shop this year to adjust the car to numbers that we needed for a beginning point
each night. Generally as the season progressed, we got better by feature time
and improved from our starting position each night. That was our goal all year
to finish the night better than we started”. The
end result was six feature wins, the track championship at Mohawk International
Raceway and Rookie of the Year in the 358 Modified Mr. DIRTcar series.
That makes 14 Championships in the past 5 years in DIRTcar racing
including 2 Mr. DIRTcar titles. Also
this past season, Chris and the 01 team had another steep learning curve to
grasp after switching to pavement for the final 3 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
(NCTS) races. It was another huge
adjustment for Chris and the team. “We
decided to take the same team with us for the NCTS races as they certainly had
earned the right to get the opportunity. As it turned out, once again they all
came up big and seasoned veterans from the series were coming up to us by race 3
and congratulating the team on our performances”, said Raabe.
“Dad learned a lot about chassis, Greg and Chris took on the car
preparation details and Dave Brunet took over our tire program.
Of course, having Scott Steckly prepare the car for us with Tyler Case as
our crew chief, and some of the experienced crew members from Dave Connolly’s
crew, we all learned from the very best in the series”. The
NASCAR experience for Chris and the team ended up with very impressive results.
Finishing 10th in the very first race at the difficult Barrie raceway
raised a lot of eyebrows. Then a 9th at Riverside in Nova Scotia
added to the talk of pit road that this “rookie” was one to be watched. The
final race in Peterborough was a disappointment with a 23rd place
finish. However, Chris had moved the car from 15th to 8th
in the first 30 laps before a broken wheel sidelined the car for 25 laps for
repairs. The good news was that for the final 100 laps of the 300 lap race, the
01 car was running 7th fastest laps consistently. All
in all, 2011 will go down in the Raabe history books as the “year of
transition”. What will 2012 bring for the 01 boys? Well,
they are all set for another year in the 358 Modified division and another run
at the Mohawk International Raceway and Cornwall Motor Speedway track titles,
leaving Saturday night open for possibly a pavement ride. On
the NCTS front, the team is talking to a couple of teams about a full season in
2012. A sponsorship program for Chris is in the negotiation stage as
this is being written. Stay tuned
to www.chrisraabe.com over the
off-season for more details regarding Chris Raabe and the 01 team and their
plans for the coming season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. See you at the track in 2012! ________________________________________________________________ Raabe
Wins 358 DIRTcar Series Rookie of The Year; NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Car on
Display This Weekend at Canadian Tire Cataraqui Store
Chris
acknowledges that he didn't compete in all the 358 events this past summer. "With
our other race commitments I had this past year we couldn't compete in the
series the way I would have liked to" stated Raabe. "Getting
the opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series after Labor day
when most of the events took place was a higher priority for the team". That
took Raabe out of the points title race as it took the month of September to
test, tune and run the final three races in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Team
manager Garry McColman says the final race at Syracuse was the final event
planned for the Raabe race team this year. "With
Chris back at university and everyone tired from a very busy racing season that
started in April, we saw no reason to run the final race weekend of the year.
Chris had already won the rookie award in the series and there was no
time to get the car ready to go".
_________________________________________________________ Raabe has Long Day at Kawartha in NASCAR Season Finale; Three Race Run is Still a Huge Success for the 01 Team By Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design - September 27, 2011
The day
started with a one-hour practice session, and Raabe and the 01 team worked hard,
trying to get the car dialed in. At the end of the session Raabe had posted the
11th fastest speed out of the 26 cars registered for the event.
Time trials were the next order of business, and Raabe’s lap put him 15th
fastest of the charts, and put him on the inside of the eighth row to start the
Kawartha 250. At the drop of
the green flag, Raabe began moving forward, and by lap 30 he was up to 12th
place. The day soon took a turn for the worse though as Raabe
reported a potential problem on his car. “We have a
vibration in the right rear”, says Raabe over the radio to his team as he
circled the track under yellow. When
pit road opened, the crew added fuel to the car and had a look at the right
rear. The damage was significant,
and Raabe spent the next 20 laps on pit road, taking him out of contention at
Kawartha. The rest of the day was spent running laps, and getting seat
time in the car, and they continued to keep an eye on the right rear.
Around lap 200, Raabe excited the track, and was unable to finish the
event. “It was a
pretty frustrating day for us today”, says Raabe after the race.
“I felt like we had a good car, but after the problems developed in the
right rear, that was pretty much the end of our day.
I really have to thank all of our sponsors, and the crew and everyone
that supported us these last three races, and hopefully we will be back here
next year”. Chris Raabe
and the 01 team would like to thank Canadian Tire, MotoMaster, Sylvania and our
local sponsors that include Hughson Barriers, Len Corcoran Excavating, Krown
Undercoatings, McColman Media Inc., Kingston Landscaping Depot, Canadian Tire
Cataraqui, Scott Industrial Services, Kids for Kids and Kingston RV Centre. Raabe will be
back on the DIRTcar scene next week, as plans for Super DIRT Week XL will be
announced shortly. For more information on Chris Raabe and the 01 team, and for up to date news and schedule information, please visit our website, www.chrisraabe.com. _________________________________________________________ Raabe
on the Right Track By
Mike Koreen - The Whig-Standard
Far from it, in fact. Raabe, who bowed out of the NASCAR
Canadian Tire Series Kawartha 250 with mechanical woes just over halfway into
the race in Fraserville on Saturday, raised eyebrows by finishing in the top 10
in the previous two races in Barrie and Antigonish, N.S. A 10th in Barrie and a
ninth out east made Raabe the top rookie in consecutive races. Assuming he can find the money,
Raabe, 20, seems like a good bet to be back in the series next year. "I think a lot of him, that's
for sure," said series champion Scott Steckly, who rented one of his shop's
cars to Raabe's team for three races. "He has a great future in the
sport and he's a down-to-earth kid. He doesn't overdrive the race-car and he
asks (a lot of) questions. He wants to learn.. ... He proved to a lot of people
the talent that he has." Also impressed was Canadian
road-racing legend Ron Fellows, who was an advisor in the deal that saw Canadian
Tire co-sponsor Raabe for three races. (Sylvania and Raabe's Kingston-based team
also helped pay the bills). "He acquitted himself very
well," said Fellows, who also is a part-owner of Mosport International
Raceway in Bowmanville. "On short tracks in oval racing, it's tough to stay
out of trouble. In his first two races, he had a couple of top-10s and
essentially kept his nose clean. He was running fine on Saturday (before the
mechanical issues)." Even Saturday, Raabe did some good
things. Some lug nuts broke on one of his wheels early in the race. The Queen's
University engineering student quickly noticed the vibration and got the car
back to the pits in a hurry. Bad brakes eventually knocked
Raabe out of the race. "In every cloud, there's a
silver lining," said Garry McColman, who runs Raabe's Kingston-based team. "An owner
always looks at the cost of doing business. To have a driver and team save a
race car ... after what happened to us on Saturday is a huge positive. A lot of
young people with two races under their belt would have driven it until it
wrecked." In many ways, racing is the easy
part for Raabe. The real work sort of starts now. Next week, McColman said he has
meetings scheduled with "some very prominent people." The hope is to
run a full schedule in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series next year. It's not cheap. The budget for
three races this year was $100,000 for Raabe. This year, the series featured 12
races. "I would love to have him
(back) on my team," Steckly said. "But it really depends on
sponsorship for him. I'm not in a position to do it myself." Fellows, a Windsor native, speaks
from experience when he is asked about the challenges of going racing with the
big boys. "It's just so difficult when
you don't come from a lot of money to get an opportunity to make a living at
it," he said. "It worked for me. My father was an Anglican minister
and my mother was a school-teacher. There was not a lot of extra money going
around. Looking back on some of the things (he had to do like) borrowing money,
I shudder to think what if (the results had been worse on the track)." If a top driver is lucky enough to
have a proper budget, there is no time to relax. In his karting program in previous
years, Fellows gave simple instructions to the top prospects — like current
Formula One reserve driver Robert Wickens of Toronto. "The first year, you try to
be rookie of the year and win a race," Fellows said. "The next year,
you have to dominate and then move up. That's the way it has to be. You can't
spend a lot of time (in one series) or else you end up stuck there." The ultimate goal for any
stock-car driver is a spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Raabe's desired path, in Fellows'
mind, should be two years in the Canadian Tire Series and then a jump to
something like the NASCAR Nationwide Series, sort of the triple-A of Sprint Cup. However, it's easier said than
done. Mile-long ovals, or longer, do not exist in Canada. In the United States,
big ovals are the destinations for the majority of Sprint Cup races. "It's kind of like starting
all over again (when a driver heads south)," Fellows said. "It's a tough road,"
Fellows continued. "Can it be done? Yes. Is it a difficult one? Absolutely,
at this stage. It's probably more difficult for a young man to pursue NASCAR
than open-wheel (racing at the highest level)." The good news, Fellows said, is
that more companies and executives understand what auto racing is all about
these days. There is money to be had — though an economic turnaround certainly
would help — for promising drivers. The NASCAR dream, most
importantly, is alive and well after Raabe's smooth transition to pavement from
dirt. "I'm very optimistic (Raabe will be in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series next year)," McColman said. "A couple of high-profile owners approached us with very positive inquiries (over the past three weeks)." _________________________________________________________ Raabe Gets Second Straight NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Top Ten Finish By Garry McColman - September 19, 2011
After
the early morning team meeting to set the days schedule and car set up, Scott
Steckly came and had a chat with Chris and crew chief Tyler Case. Scott has been a fantastic mentor for Chris and our race team
at both of the events and has given the 01 team a great car to race with. Both
Scott and Mark Dilley deserve a huge amount of credit for the positive results
of both races. Saturday
morning started with Chris setting third fastest practice time going into the
final minutes and ended up with the fifth fastest time. For
qualifying we were final car to qualify and the track was getting slick with
rubber and the hot sun. Another solid two laps put Chris 9th. The
race produced another great team effort. The first pit stop for fuel put Chris
out ahead of two other cars. The
next caution came just 5 laps later at lap 125 and crew chief Tyler Case called
for left side tires hoping for another caution later in the race for right side
tires. With fresh left side tires
Chris was able to move the 01 car into seventh for another 100 laps or so, but
as fate would have it, no other cautions happened and the race stayed green the
rest of the way. With no new right
side rubber, Chris had to finish on tires with 300 laps on them and finished in
9th place but a full lap ahead of the 10th place car. Once
again Chris picks up the “top rookie award” for the race and the Canadian
Tire/Motomaster/Sylvania Dodge came out of the race without a mark on it. Raabe
and the 01 team will now move on to Kawartha Speedway for the final NASCAR
Canadian Tire Series event of the year this Saturday. We hope to improve again
this weekend as we conclude our agreement with Scott Steckly’s 22 Race team
and Canadian Tire and Sylvania. Our hope is that Chris and the team have proven
to everyone that Chris belongs in this series and we can strike a deal for all
of next year. Our thanks to Canadian Tire and Sylvania as our primary sponsors
and to our Kingston group who have made this all possible. Len
Corcoran Excavating, Hughson Barriers, McColman Media, Kingston RV Centre, Scott
Industrial Services, Kingston Landscaping, Kids for Kids and Canadian Tire
Cataraqui. Get
you tickets early for Saturday as they expect a huge crowd in Peterborough. Make
sure you come on the track for the driver autograph session and say hi to Chris
and the team. A
special thanks goes out to the Steckly race team for all their assistance and
encouragement. How could Chris have
ever had a better teammate and mentor than the team that is on the verge of
winning their second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship. WE
ARE CHEERING FOR YOU SCOTT! A
Special thanks to Paula… (We love you Paula). For More information on Chris Raabe and the 01 team please visit our website, www.chrisraabe.com. Photo courtesy of Jay Fredericks _________________________________________________________ Raabe Scores Top Ten Finish in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Debut By Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design - September 13, 2011
The first on
track action of the day was a one hour practice session, and Raabe was eager to
get behind the wheel and get a feel for his car.
He turned the 17th fastest time out of the 22 cars entered,
and the team made several adjustments to the car before time trials began.
In the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, teams are not able to make major
adjustments to the car after time trials are complete, so it was important for
Raabe and the team to make adjustments that would not only make it better for
qualifying, but also taking into consideration of how the car would handle
during the course of the race. “We were very
tight in practice, but the guys are making several adjustment to the car to make
it better before we go out and run time trials”, says Raabe.
“We are the first car out for qualifying, so that should make it
interesting”. By virtue of a
draw, Raabe was the first car on the track for time trials. He put down a solid lap, and despite the disadvantage of
being the first car on the track, he improved his position from practice and
posted the 15th fastest time, which is where he would start in the
Wild Wing 300. “Our goal for
the race is to go out and learn as much as we can and run all the laps”, says
Raabe. “Barrie is a tough race
track, and a lot can happen here, so if we can just finish the race with the car
in one piece it will give everyone something to build on for the next race”. As the race
began to unfold, Raabe became more and more comfortable in the car. “The car is pretty good”, he says to his crew over the
radio. “It is just really hard to
pass”. By lap 80, Raabe
made his way into the top ten for the first time, and advised the crew that the
car was still really good, but just a little loose off the exit of the corner.
Just a few laps later Raabe made his first NASCAR pit stop under yellow
as the team added some fuel to the car to get them through the remainder of the
race. He continued to move forward,
and by lap 100 he was in eighth position. For
the next 20 laps Raabe did a great job maintaining eighth place, but contact
from another car pushed him up out of the preferred bottom groove and he lost
several spots. The caution came out shortly after, and the 01 crew went to
work, changing left side tires. After
a solid pit stop, Raabe returned to the track, on the lead lap in 13th.
For the next several laps, and through several caution periods Raabe
maintained his position, and made what they had hoped to be their final pit stop
on lap 172. They entered the pits
running in 13th and after a lightning quick stop by the 01 crew,
Raabe was back on the track running in ninth place.
Shortly after, Raabe was involved in a minor incident after contract from
another car, and had to restart the race from 13th as the last car on
the lead lap. Raabe began to
move up once again though, and at lap 204 he described how the car was handling
to the crew. “We are just a
little to tight on the top”, but other then that, the car is pretty good”. Just two laps
later Raabe was caught up in a wreck on the backstretch and came out with a left
rear flat tire. After a lengthy
delay to clean up the wreck, Raabe made a pit stop under caution and lost a lap
on pit road as they tried to get the tire changed.
At lap 232 the caution was out again, and Raabe was able to get back on
the lead lap as the “Lucky Dog”, which goes to the first car on every
caution that is a lap down to the leaders.
Raabe was now back on the lead lap and restarted the race from the tail
of the field in 13th place. Raabe
had a fast car though, and began to move up, and when the next caution was
displayed on lap 245, Raabe was back into the top ten. "We get
better the more laps we go”, says Raabe.
“We need a long green run here and we will be in real good shape". The long green
flag run didn’t happen though, but Raabe still began to move up, and when the
next yellow came out on lap 263, Raabe was closing in on the top five.
Through the next several laps Chris was battling for seventh, and with
just two laps to go, contact from behind sent his car spinning, bringing out the
final caution of the race. Raabe
lost a lap to the leaders in the process, but still was running in tenth place
at the finish. “It was a
little disappointing that the last couple laps went the way it did, but overall
we are really happy with our performance”, says Raabe, who was named top
rookie of the event. “I am really looking forward to the next race now that we
have the first one under our belt”. The next race
that Raabe is referring to is this coming weekend at Riverside International
Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The
following weekend is the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series finale on September 24th
at Kawartha Speedway, located in Fraserville, Ontario. Chris Raabe
and the 01 team would like to thank Canadian Tire, MotoMaster, Sylvania and our
local sponsors that include Hughson Barriers, Len Corcoran Excavating, Krown
Undercoatings, McColman Media Inc., Kingston Landscaping Depot, Canadian Tire
Cataraqui, Scott Industrial Services, Kids for Kids and Kingston RV Centre. For more information on Chris Raabe and the 01 team, and for up to date news and schedule information, please visit our website, www.chrisraabe.com. _________________________________________________________ NAPANEE
DRIVER ROCKETS TO TOP 10 By
The Whig-Standard
The
Queen's University engineering student, 20, finished 10th in the 22-car grid at
the Wild Wing 300, the best result among six rookies in the race. For
finishing as top rookie, Raabe received a $500 bonus from the purse. "It
was definitely a good race to start the series off," Raabe said. "You
go to a place like Barrie, it's so tight that anything can happen. To be around
for the finish is a good thing." Raabe,
a top DIRTcar racer, was starting a three-race deal in Canada's top stock-car
series, funded by Canadian Tire, Sylvania and his Kingston-based DIRTcar team. Before
the race, Raabe said his primary goal was to run as many laps as possible. He
completed all but one of the 310 circuits of the .333-mile oval, finishing a lap
down of the leaders. Raabe
finished 17th in practice and 15th in qualifying before moving his way closer to
the front. He managed that despite having what he called a "pretty tight
race car," resulting in some handling issues. Barrie
native Mark Dilley won the race. "Mark
Dilley phoned Chris (on Sunday) and said 'Welcome to the bigs, you're going to
be here a long time,'" said Garry McColman, who runs Raabe's local team. Raabe's
next NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race is this coming Saturday at Riverside
International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S. McColman said the Barrie results
raise expectations for the team. "I'm
definitely going to be a little more confident going in," Raabe said.
"Now that we've got a test run under our belt, we'll be a little more
prepared next race and hopefully be even better." Before that, however, it's back to reality for a week. Class at Queen's starts Monday morning at 8:30.
_________________________________________________________
RAABE TO MAKE NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES DEBUT THIS WEEKEND
By Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design - September 8, 2011
The very accomplished 20-year-old out of Napanee, Ont., got his start in racing at the age of six in go-karts in which he compiled 231 victories and 23 championships in various levels and regions. Once he moved on to the dirt track, the success continued. At 14, he became the youngest feature winner in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division followed by a track championship at Brockville (Ont.) Speedway at the age of 15 – another division record. He was practically unbeatable in 2008 and 2009 as he collected back-to-back Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Modified titles. While it is not his first time in a full-bodied stock car on asphalt, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is a place he has been looking forward to in which to compete. “I’ve been trying to get to this level for years,” he said. “So this is very exciting for me and to be able to ride alongside other drivers of this caliber is a great opportunity for me to learn and up my game.” This opportunity comes from former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion and 2011 points leader Scott Steckly and the 22 Racing Team. Raabe appreciates the chance and recognizes the importance of developing young racing talent as he learns from Steckly and teammate Mark Dilley, also a series veteran. “Development programs like this are the best way to grow young talent,” said Raabe. “I’m a lucky guy to be able to work with two great mentors and learn from their experience. The best thing for me to have the chance to get out there, learn and improve.” When he climbs behind the wheel of his No. 01 Canadian Tire/MotoMaster/Sylvania Dodge at Barrie Speedway, Raabe will be ready to compete and is confident in the practice time he has spent in the car. “It’s got four wheels and a steering wheel so I got comfortable quickly,” he said. “My goal is to run as many laps as I can and come out with the best time I can.” Photo courtesy of Greg Hale _________________________________________________________
Raabe Closing in on Mohawk Raceway Modified Championship; Seeking 100th Career Win in Open Wheel Modified Competition
By Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design - August 24, 2011
When the green
flag dropped for the first time this season, it didn’t take Raabe long to
silence hit critics, finishing in the top five in his season debut at Can Am
Motorsports Park, and then going on to win his next three races, which included
two in a row at Can Am and one at Mohawk Raceway on opening night.
Raabe also added another win at Mohawk before the end of May.
While going winless for the month of June, Raabe made a statement to
start the month of July winning back to back events at Mohawk Raceway bringing
his career win total to 99 in open wheel Modified racing. “Our season
got off to a great start with a few wins back in May.
We have run well on many nights, but ever since we got to 99 wins, we
just haven’t had any luck at all”, says Raabe.
With only two
weeks left in the season at Mohawk Raceway, Raabe currently leads the standings
by 61 points. A good run this
coming Friday night will secure the 2011 title a week before the season
officially ends. He also leads the
Frenchie’s Chevrolet American Revolution Series.
This is a three race series, and Raabe has won the first two events.
The final race will take place on Thursday, September 1st. “We will
continue to work hard and hopefully in these final two weeks at Mohawk Raceway
we can finally get that 100th win, and claim the championships as
well”, Raabe adds. “It has been
a little frustrating trying to get that elusive win, but we are confident, and
we know that we have a great team to get the job done.
I really have to thank John and Perry Francis of C&B Enterprises,
Erin & Buggo, and everyone that supports the 01 team”. Through the
highs and lows of the season, Raabe has certainly proved that he can win in the
358 Modified division. While the
second half of the year hasn’t gone as expected, it is easy to lose sight of
the fact that he is a rookie, and at the young age of 20, the future is bright
for Chris Raabe. The schedule for Chris Raabe and the 01 racing team is still unclear after the season ends at Mohawk Raceway. For up to date news and schedule information, please visit our website, www.chrisraabe.com.
_________________________________________________________
Raabe Still Hunting for 100th Career Open Wheel Modified Victory
By Harvey Hubb - July 26, 2011
“I
have got close in the past three weeks to do it, but either lady luck has not
smiled kindly on us, or we have missed the set up for the night and just can’t
get it done”, said Chris Raabe this week after another second place finish at
Cornwall speedway on Sunday night. “I
really thought we could get it done tonight with two shots at it”, says Chris
referring to the rained out feature from a week ago and the regular feature for
this past Sunday night. “Starting
on the pole in the first feature I expected to have a really good chance to win,
but on lap two I felt the car get way too lose coming into number four and knew
I had a tire going down. In the
second feature my car was fantastic the first ten laps up in the high grove and
then the grove went away and the 46 slipped by me and we had to settle for
second”. The
team however was upbeat after the night and thinks Chris will get it done soon. Father
and crew chief Mike Raabe takes some of the heat for the mini drought. “Well we have missed the set up lately since the tracks have
dried up, but not by much mind you and we are learning that in modified
sportsman we could be off the mark a little bit and still get the job done
mainly because of our driver but here in 358 we have to give Chris a perfect car
as the competition is quite a bit different. Our
adjustments have been in the right direction each night, just not enough.
Chris will get there”. Raabe
holds down the point lead at Mohawk International Speedway and is leading the
Frenchie’s Chevrolet American Revolution Series after winning both series
events so far. The final race in
the Frenchie’s series will take place on Thursday, September 1st.
He is sixth in points at Cornwall Speedway. This Friday night Chris will again be at Mohawk and then Sunday back to Cornwall Speedway.
Raabe
Rolls Into 358-Modified Series Opener Monday At Merrittville Speedway Back-to-back feature wins at Can-Am provide plenty of momentum for Small-Block standout
By Tom Skibinski - May 18, 2011
2011
also marks the first season as a 358-Mod tour regular for rookie Chris Raabe,
and the rising Small-Block star from Napanee, Ont. couldn’t be more excited
about bringing a two-race win streak into the Niagara Frontier on Monday
evening. “What
those wins really show is that our program is getting better each week,”
remarked Raabe, 20, after parking the C&B
Enterprises no. 01 Erin & Buggo-Sunrise Racing/TEO entry in victory lane the
past two Fridays at “I’m
looking forward to running against a high caliber group of drivers. There’s so
much to learn and it should be a lot of fun running against some of the same
guys that were my idols starting out,” said Raabe, himself a favorite among
aspiring open-wheel pilots after capturing consecutive Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman
titles (2008-09) and claiming a career record eight track crowns. He closed out
the 2010 campaign by establishing a new single-season standard of 31 Sportsman
feature wins. Veteran
Danny Johnson from Rochester, N.Y. is the reigning overall Mr. DIRTcar 358-Mod
points king while Sussex, N.J. chauffeur Maybe
more significant for the Queen's University sophomore than his own 81
career first-place trophies racked up on the DIRTcar circuit are the eight
extra-distance victories posted during Sportsman Series competition. Of the
eight 358 series sites currently dotting the 2011 agenda, Raabe has already won
at “Despite
running well there in the past, Merrittville is a tough track with the locals
having such an advantage when it gets slick,” figured Raabe, who finished 2nd
and 4th the past two Septembers in 50-lap Sportsman Series stops at
the storied “With
a couple wins under our belt already I’d like to say we’ll be going after a
win on Monday. But I’m expecting a big field for the opener and without
holding any guaranteed status it will be tough just making the show, so
qualifying will be the first priority. After that we’ll just focus on making
the necessary adjustments, be patient and see how far that takes us,” noted
Raabe, whose only other 358 Series start came last October on the Syracuse Mile.
He did cop the special ‘Futures’ race in flag-to-flag fashion on Thursday
before suffering engine problems in Saturday’s
‘Salute to the Troops 150’ main event to wind up 29th with 89
laps complete. More
than 300 laps of feature race activity await Team Raabe in the extended four-day
weekend directly ahead. It all starts with twin 20s at Mohawk Int’l Raceway on
Friday and follows with 100-lap season-openers at Autodrome Drummond (Sat.) and Learn
all about Chris and find out the latest breaking news from Raabe Racing by
visiting http://www.chrisraabe.com
during the season ahead. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact team manager
Garry McColman during the week via e-mail Garry.McColman@rci.rogers.com
or phone 613/536-8093. Raabe
Racing: Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Schedule *All
events subject to change. DAY-DATE
TRACK-LOCATION Mon-May
23
Merrittville Speedway-Thorold,ONT
Sun-Jul
31
Sun-Sep
4
Fri-Sep
9
Autodrome Drummond-Drummondville,QUE Fri-Sep
16
Mohawk International Wed-Oct
5
Cayuga Thr-Oct
6
Rolling Wheels Raceway Park-Elbridge,NY
Sat-Oct
8
Sat-Oct
15
Raabe
Racing is proud to receive sponsorship support from several partners, including
C&B Enterprises, Sunrise Racing, AC Raabe Plumbing & Heating, Erin &
Buggo, Genesis Racing Shocks www.genesisshocks.com,
Aaron’s www.shopaarons.ca, Scott
Environmental Group www.scottindustrialservices.com,
Telus TyRoute Communications Inc. www.ringwireless.ca,
Hyperco www.hypercoils.com, Canadian
Tire Catarqui-Kingston www.canadiantire.ca,
Kingston Hyundai-Subaru www.kingstonhyundai.com,
Big G’s Recycled Sports www.biggrecycledsports.com,
Red Beard’s Sports www.redbeardssports.com,
Len Corcoran Excavating Lt., Finish Line Web Design www.finishlinewebdesign.ca
and King Donnie Graphics.
_________________________________________________________
358-Modified
Rookie Raabe Opens 2011 DIRTcar Racing Season With A Flair 2-Time
Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Champ begins month of May with Can-Am win,
By Tom Skibinski - May 11, 2011
The
Napanee, Ont. speedster now turns his attention to the weekend ahead on both
sides of the border, with stops scheduled at Mohawk Int’l Raceway in Akwesasne
and The
biggest difference in his first full-time assault on the Small-Block circuit
will be the level of experience that many of his counterparts have in navigating
around some of the most demanding short-tracks on the DIRTcar circuit today. “We’ll
definitely have our work cut out but we’re confident we’ll learn fast,
especially after picking up a win right off the bat at Can-Am,” remarked
Raabe, who officially traded in his popular ‘Teenage Tornado’ moniker after
turning 20 in March. He remains an
honor student at Queen's University in “We
started 10th in our first race at Can-Am (April 30) and got up to
fifth before it was over. It was a fast tacky track and we took advantage of an
8th-place starting spot to a win the second time out,” noted Raabe,
who strapped himself into the potent C&B Enterprises no. 01 Erin &
Buggo-Sunrise Racing/TEO ride on both nights and will bring it back out for a
special practice session this Saturday at Mohawk and enter it in Cornwall’s
exciting season-opening Twin 25s on Sunday. In
2009 Raabe steered the no.
01 Scott’s Industrial Services-TyRoute Communication/TEO machine to his second
career Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman title --- becoming only the third repeat champion
in 20 years of DIRTcar Sportsman racing and just the second to wear back-to-back
crowns--- closing out the campaign leading the DIRTcar Sportsman ranks with 19
feature wins while claiming track high-point crowns at Can-Am
Motorsports Park and Thunder
Alley Speedpark in the north country. The
year prior, Raabe became the first driver from north of the border to claim the
coveted Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship since the touring format was
established in 1990, adding track titles at Brockville Ontario Speedway, Thunder
Alley and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park while once again collecting a DIRTcar
NE-best 19 feature wins on the Sportsman circuit. Although
dropping to third in the final Mr. DIRTcar point standings last autumn, Raabe added
a pair of series wins to improve his single-season division record to 31, while
whetting his appetite with a trio of year-ending small-block appearances at
Mohawk and the Syracuse Mile in October when he copped his first 358-Mod
checkered flag in the fairgrounds ‘Futures’ race. “I’m
so happy with the new Teo Chassis sway-bar car, it responded to our adjustments
just like it should,” Raabe added. “Our Lafrance engine is also performing
very well and I feel we have lots of power there for sure. Right now we’re
preparing a second car for the series and expect to be as competitive at this
level as we were in the Sportsman class.” Despite
topping the current Can-Am points chart after two weeks of activity, Raabe plans
to focus his weekly efforts on Mohawk (Fri.) and Raabe
Resume -First
14 year-old to win a DIRTcar Modified (Sportsman) feature, -Youngest
DIRTcar Track Champion (Sportsman) at age 15, -Youngest
Mr. DIRTcar Champion (Sportsman) at age 17, -Youngest
back-to-back Mr. DIRTcar Champion (Sportsman) at age 18, -DIRTcar
Sportsman single-season record of 31 feature wins in 2010, -All-time
career leader with 8 DIRTcar Sportsman point titles at 6 tracks, -2nd all-time with 81 career DIRTcar Sportsman wins at 9 tracks. Learn
all about Chris and find out the latest breaking news from Raabe Racing by
visiting http://www.chrisraabe.com
during the season ahead. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact team manager
Garry McColman during the week via e-mail Garry.McColman@rci.rogers.com
or phone 613-536-8093. Raabe
Racing is proud to receive sponsorship support from several partners, including
C&B Enterprises, Sunrise Racing, AC Raabe Plumbing & Heating, Erin &
Buggo, Genesis Racing Shocks www.genesisshocks.com,
Aaron’s www.shopaarons.ca, Scott
Environmental Group www.scottindustrialservices.com,
Telus TyRoute Communications Inc. www.ringwireless.ca,
Hyperco www.hypercoils.com, Canadian
Tire Catarqui-Kingston www.canadiantire.ca,
Kingston Hyundai-Subaru www.kingstonhyundai.com,
Big G’s Recycled Sports www.biggrecycledsports.com,
Red Beard’s Sports www.redbeardssports.com,
Len Corcoran Excavating Lt., Finish Line Web Design www.finishlinewebdesign.ca
and King Donnie Graphics. ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Chris Raabe accepts his award as the 2010 Cornwall Sportsman Champion with Car Owners John and Perry Francis.
Raabe with his championship winning team at the Cornwall Awards Banquet. ___________________________________________________________
Raabe honored as 2010 Sportsman Champions at MIR Awards Banquet. |
|
||||
If
you were to tell Chris Raabe and the 01 team just three weeks ago that they
would have two top ten finishes and win top rookie of the race awards in their
three starts in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series it would have far exceeded their
expectations going into a brand new series, in a car that Raabe is not used to,
on tracks that he had never even seen before.
When
Chris Raabe began the 2011 racing season, expectations were high.
Napanee,
ONT – May 18, 2011 – 
