By Dino Oberto.. "Keeping Track"
At the world center of speed, Daytona International Speedway, drivers from around the globe have been converging for the annual Speed Weeks, which began last weekend with the Rolex 24 and continues with the pinnacle event, the Daytona 500 on February 17.
Of the races that will be taking to the track, the ARCA 200 has been a tradition and in this year's classic there will be some local flare added as 19-year old Kory Rabenold of Slatington will be attempting to make the grid for the 45th running of the race.
Rabenold is best known to area race fans for his accomplishments at Lehighton's Mahoning Valley Speedway where he has a division championship with the Pro4 Late Models and then emerged as an immediate star when he switched to the Modifieds. His success with that class included a number of high profile wins at the paved 1/4 mile. He also took his talents to Mountain Speedway in St. Johns as well as the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour.
Last year Rabenold had the opportunity to take a step up in his career by entering in the ARCA races at Pocono Raceway as well as a few others. It was a great experience for the talent-laden teen and from those few appearances the Rabenold Racing Team put the wheels in motion to be as much a part of the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series as possible, starting with the biggest race of the year, the Daytona ARCA 200.
"I feel really confident. I know we got a good motor under the hood and I can’t wait to get down there and try to get some more laps," said Rabenold who had been to the track in December for a three day test session.
For a driver who had cut his eyeteeth on the tight confines of Mahoning Valley Speedway, it was easy to understand how much in awe he and the team were when they made their first visit to the spaciousness of Daytona.
"When my dad and I and a couple of the guys first pulled onto pit road and we were looking up at the banking and we saying how unbelievable it looked. The track itself is actually pretty bumpy but it's really fast," said Rabenold.
"The first couple of laps it felt totally different than anything I ever felt before. I had to get use to everything just flying by you. But by my second and third time out during the testing you didn’t even take notice to how fast you were going."
Although Pocono and Daytona are the same in length, the contrast varies, especially in speed. Yet Rabenold was able to put some of his lessons from Long Pond to use.
"I think I learned a lot as far as tucking in behind other cars. At Pocono you don’t feel the speed nearly as much as you do at Daytona with the draft but you still have that little bit down the front stretch were cars are pushing you. So there have been some comparisons."
Rabenold tried to get as much out of his test as possible and for a first-timer he did a good job too, posting a top speed of 174.849 which was 49th quickest out of a record 69 cars that tested.
One benefit to finding the edge at Daytona has come from Bobby and Billy Gerhardt from Lebanon. Bobby has won the past three ARCA 200s and owns a record five Daytona ARCA victories. All of his winning rides have been prepared by his crew chief brother Billy. They have been helping the Rabenold's in most every step of the way since joining ARCA.
Rabenold even bought a former Gerhart car to race at Daytona. A 2005 Chevy that was originally a DEI car and had been driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Noted engine specialist Scott Ritter of RPM Precision in Lehighton is behind the horsepower.
Billy Gerhardt has been the biggest communicator in preparation of the car and engine set-ups. Bobby Gerhart, in the meantime has been passing on his expertise of Daytona.
"As far as them guys (Gerhardt's) they've been a huge help. When we tested they weren’t there but we were constantly back-and-forth on the phone. It's been great having both of them helping us through all of this,” said Rabenold.
"We’ve been working almost four and five days a week getting everything ready. We've also been working with the Gerhardt's and learning from them. There's still a lot of stuff we have to get down before we head out."
This will no doubt be a huge undertaking and for any driver who has raced on the local level, just getting the opportunity to take a car out at Daytona is realizing a dream and it’s been no different for Rabenold.
"When I first rolled out onto the track on the first day of the test session and when I came back in, I thought of everybody that helped me throughout my career. My spotter then came over and said, You just made your first laps at Daytona, how does it feel?"
"I remember saying to him that it was unbelievable. I couldn't believe I had made it this far. It's all thanks to the support of my family, my whole crew and everyone who’s behind me 100%. It's hard to think that I can draw all these people out and I really appreciate it."
Getting into the race will be a task not just for Rabenold but virtually all entrants as a record 74 drivers will be trying to make the 43-car starting grid. That includes last year's Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, in a Ganassi Racing Dodge. Other teams will be from Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Roush/Fenway and Rusty Wallace, Inc. to name a few.
"My guys are all pumped up about going but I've been telling them that there are 74 other teams that are going to be there. I feel confident that we'll make the race. But on the other hand I know that they’ve put a lot of time into all this especially just being volunteers and if we don’t make the race then don’t feel bad. At least we went down there and we gave it the best shot and they all understand that," said Rabenold.
"If we make the race we’re just going to try and finish it. We want to finish good obviously but I think realistically an accomplishment would be just to finish that race because this is one of the biggest races of the season."
The Rabenold team will be hauling down the coast to Daytona on Monday. Tuesday will be sign-in and inspection. Wednesday is more tech inspection and Thursday it's time to hit the track. Friday is qualifying day. The race will get the green flag at 4:15 pm on Saturday and will be broadcast live on SPEED-TV.
As for now the game plan is to run the first five ARCA races, which include Salem, Iowa, Kansas and Rockingham Speedways. Afterwards they'll see where they stand from that point. Both Pocono races are definite. They feel they can attend as many a dozen races total or more if the right funding comes along.
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