Steele Off Road Racing 2011

Steele Has Best Performance of the Year in his Race Team Gear Kumho Chevy

Madison, WI (September 22, 2011) - The three weekend race program for Keith Steele and his #29 Race Team Gear Kumho Tire Chevy PRO-2WD race truck concluded with the midweek race at The Dirt Track @ Chicagoland Speedway in suburban Chicago. Even though this might look like the end of the season to the team, it really is just the beginning. Keith Steele ran a limited schedule on a limited budget and succeeded by competing at the highest level of professional off-road racing. This was especially evident at Chicagoland Speedway.

The Baja-style short course layout was built in and around the facility’s half-mile dirt oval. The seven tenth of a mile long track had single and double jumps throughout the course. It also included a high speed section and two suspension testing mogul fields. It was a textbook TORC stadium style layout that really suited the driving style of Keith Steele.

As in each TORC event this year, rain caused a change in the event schedule. The Wednesday afternoon practice sessions were cancelled due to the rain. Fortunately by early evening the skies cleared and the race track dried allowing for a combined practice and qualifying session for all three PRO classes.
The Wednesday night round of racing was actually considered the make-up round of racing from Red Bud. The seventeen lap race saw Keith start at the tail end of the starting grid, but when the green flag was waved, people took notice of the black #29 Race Team Gear Chevy. After making a couple of heroic moves to avoid the spinning and wrecking trucks on the opening lap, Keith kept pace with the leaders in the race. As the laps were counting down, so were Keith’s lap times. In fact as Keith crossed the finish in fourth place, he recorded the fastest final lap time.

Thursday night would be one the biggest night’s for TORC as all three PRO classes would have Round 11 broadcast live on the SPEED Channel. Keith Steele and his crew made a couple of chassis changes and checked everything twice making sure for a strong run for the live TV cameras.

Round 11 saw the #29 Race Team Gear Kumho Tire Chevy run a very competitive race. After seventeen hard fought laps the black Chevy took the checkered flag in seventh place.

Afterwards Keith Steele commented about the Chicagoland event.
“Tonight we did our best to step up our game, but so did everyone else. Our team has limited resources so we can’t do some of the things other teams can. Throughout our season we made improvements to the truck and we showed some of our potential at Chicagoland. I’m really proud of our team with what we accomplished this year. Thanks again to our marketing partner Race Team Gear, without them we wouldn’t be racing at this level.”

Along with SPEED Channel’s broadcast of the Chicagoland event, you can watch the entire TORC race season unfold, every Wednesday night, on Discovery Channel’s HD Theatre.

Keith would like to thank all his supporters including:
Race Team Gear – Kumho Tire –Wolverine Performance - J & H Transmission – Mellum Construction
King Shocks - Yank Converters – Allstar Performance – Fastenal
R2C Competition Filters – MSD Ignition – Race One Online – Phil’s Inc.

For more information or schedule an interview please contact  Izzy Steele, Administration Coordinator

@ info@steeleoffroad.com

 

-          Mike Reusche, mikereusche@yahoo.com