TORC: Chad Rayford Crandon season finale summary

Rayford Finishes Strong at Crandon

Appleton, WI (September 20, 2010) - Chad Rayford continues to defy the odds as an independent racer, as he competes against some of the best PRO-Light drivers in the country. The privateer racer from the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin ran a limited schedule, on a very limited budget, and was able to finish in the money in five of the six rounds the #29 Maxxis Tire Independent Off-Road Nissan Frontier was entered. This included a fourth place finish during the final race of the season in Crandon.

The final weekend of the Traxxas TORC Series presented by AMSOIL saw twelve PRO-Light trucks make the trek the 1.7 mile Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. "The Big House" as the facility is known in off-road racing circles, is the fastest track on the circuit. Going into the weekend, most of the competitors believed the V8 powered trucks would dominate the small displacement four cylinder trucks. That thought never entered Chad Rayford's mind.

Round 11

The Saturday round of racing saw the #29 Maxxis Tire Nissan get broadsided by #95 Schultz as the two went through Calamity Corner on the very first lap. The contact caused the black and blue Nissan to roll over stopping on its side. Then a small carburetor fire broke out which saw Chad get out of the truck in a hurry. The safety crews quickly extinguished the fire and rolled the Nissan back on is wheels. Chad quickly jumped back in the cockpit and somehow the engine came to life. Now the Maxxis Nissan was a couple of laps behind the leaders, so the race became a practice session for the Fox Valley native.

"I just wasn't comfortable out on the track today, " remarked Chad Rayford. "Just as I was finding my rhythm, I'd find my way into another mess. The incident one the first lap really set me back. Tomorrow we will have a better finish."

Somehow, the Nissan Frontier came out of Saturday's race with only minimal body damage as the fire only affected the air filter. The final race of the year might be a different story, a "checkers or wreckers" type of race.

Round 12

The land rush start had the Maxxis Tire Nissan grab the sixth position as the field came out of Potawatomi Turn One. Then the motor died coming down the frontstretch.

Fortunately Chad the motor quickly refired allowing the Maxxis Nissan to catch up with the field halfway through the first lap. On the mandatory yellow restart, he was able to get around Luke Johnson for position and a lap later moved around Shawn Morris to take over the fourth position. At the finish, Chad Rayford held on for a hard fought fourth place.

"Coming back to today really shows what this team can do," commented Chad Rayford. "We were able to race today and it showed. Thanks again to the Vanden Heuvels, Independent Off-Road, and Maxxis Tires for all their help on and off the track."

Chad Rayford competed in six rounds of racing in the 2010 TORC PRO-Light Championship. The #29 Maxxis Tire Independent Off-Road Nissan compiled one third place finish and two fourth place finishes.

-source: chad rayford PR