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Four Races – Four Finishes - Two Wins – One Monster Energy Truck – Keith Steele

Madison, WI (June 26, 2009) – Keith Steele went to Crandon to race the unthinkable, take his SRT Limited Truck and compete in its own division as well as the PRO-2WD class of the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL. The performance of the weekend saw the Steele Off-Road Team sweep the weekend in the SRT Limited Truck (formerly known as Super Truck) and then take the same truck and finish extremely well in both PRO-2WD rounds of competition. This amazing feat almost didn’t happen, but with just one week before the race, Monster Energy came on board to get the 2008 Driver of the Year to compete at “The Big House,” Crandon International Off-Road Raceway.

Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL

SRT Limited Truck Rounds 1 & 2
Keith Steele and his #229 Monster Energy Chevy lined up against some familiar foes as well as a couple rookies to the class, including Luke Johnson, son of Ricky Johnson. Both days, the land rush start had Keith coming out of Turn One in second place. By the end of the opening lap, each day, Keith put the Wolverine Engine and J & H transmission to good use, as he made his move into the lead and never looked back. Winning both rounds of racing is a repeat of a similar performance from the Crandon fall event of last year.

“The competition is always tough in this division,” remarked Keith Steele. “This Monster Energy truck needed everything our Wolverine engine and J & H transmission could give us.”

PRO 2WD Rounds 5 & 6
The SRT Limited Truck and PRO-2WD division are very similar in design. The main difference is horsepower and tire design. The PRO-2WD trucks have a larger engine developing more power. The Limited Truck engine develops 625 horsepower, while the PRO-2WD powerplant approaches 900 horsepower. The other difference is tire design; the PRO-2WD division allows you to run larger specifically designed race tires, while the Limited Truck must use smaller DOT tires that can be purchased at retail outlets.

Needles to say, Steele Off-Road did not have the time or manpower to switch engines between races, but did make a partnership with Kumho Tires to use their off-road racing designed Project tires for both PRO-2WD rounds of racing.

The #29 Monster Energy Kumho Tire Chevy lined up in the second row of the land rush start both days. The eighteen truck field had some of the best off-road racers in the country. Even though the black #29 was giving up some horsepower to the competition, he was hoping his driving ability could make up some of that difference.

To Keith Steele’s credit that is exactly what happened. In Saturday’s Round 5, Keith stayed clear of most of the mayhem and brought the Monster Energy Chevy across the finish in sixth place. In Sunday’s Round 6, his efforts brought him a ninth place finish. The results brought a big smile to Keith and his entire team.

“To come to Crandon and accomplish what we did this weekend is incredible,” exclaimed Keith Steele. “I knew our Limited Truck finishes were a legitimate possibility, but to be as competitive as we were in PRO-2WD, especially at fast track like Crandon, wow! My crew chief and brother JJ, really keeps this truck at its best no matter what; Izzy, my wife keeps us all organized and following the same page, my entire family and all our friends made this weekend possible. If it were not also for the support of Monster Energy, our team would have watched instead of raced this weekend. Thanks again to Monster Energy.”

The next race on the 2009 Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL is July 10-11, in Bark River Wisconsin.

Keith Steele would like to thank all its product supporters, including:
J & H Transmission, Yank Torque Converters, K & N Filters, Howe Performance, Cash Coatings, Wolverine Performance, and Phil’s Inc..

Keith Steele and his Steele Off-Road Race Team still have marketing opportunities available for the 2009 Traxxas Off-Road Championship Series presented by AMSOIL. Interested parties can email Izzy Steele: info@steeleoffroad.com

- Mike Reusche, MTG

 

2008 Year End Review