After weeks of progress and successful finishes, Ryan Atkins bested a field of 19 cars at Wythe Raceway to claim his first GM Performance Late Model victory.  The Mt. Airy, NC native, who had been making great strides in 2010, vaulted into the lead from the pole position and led flag to flag and took down the second of two features at the famed ½ mile in convincing fashion.

Atkins started from the 7th position in feature number one knowing that his car was much better than his starting position.  “Though we struggled in qualifying, I knew we were capable of running up front”, stated Atkins.  He made significant progress early in the race and vaulted into the top 5 before halfway.  Using a variety  of lines at both ends of the race  track Atkins rode the  bottom of the speedway to maximize his progress and claim a fourth place finish  in event 1 behind eventual  winner  Lance Reynolds.  “The car was really strong in race 1.  However, with another feature still to go, I wanted to keep the car in tack for the second race.”

After a couple of chassis changes and a short intermission, the field lined up for event 2 with Atkins sitting on the pole position.  At the drop of the green, he vaulted into the lead sliding past outside polesitter Scott  Agee.  While the battle for 2nd raged on, Atkins continued to increase his lead.  A late race caution emerged setting up a 6 lap shootout to the finish.  “The car was good from the start.  It continued to get better and better.  The changes we made between races took us from being a good car to a great car”, explained Atkins.  Another solid restart and six consistent laps later, Atkins carried a 15 car length lead to his first career victory.

Atkins elaborated, “It feels good to finally get over the hump and get that first win under my belt.  I want to thank all of the following organizations for standing behind me each and every week:  Hicks Waterstoves & Mechanical, Heintz Performance, Barry Wright Race Cars, FK Rod Ends, VP Fuels, and the Burr For Senate campaign.”

Atkins plans to compete in three more races this month beginning with a visit to Carolina Speedway for the Ray Cook Summer Nationals.   Visits to Wythe Raceway (Wytheville, VA) and historic Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH) are also planned for July.

Dear FK Bearings,

Powercat Motorsports wishes to extend a special thanks to you and all of our gracious 2009-2010 sponsors. Speaking on behalf of the whole team, we greatly appreciate your support this year through donations, products, and services. Without your generosity, this year's racecar, Puma, would still be just an idea.

The completely redesigned racecar competed well in design,  finishing 7th place, a K-State best. Strong finishes in the static and dynamics events put us in position for another top 10 finish going into the last day of races. Unfortunately, a mechanical failure in the first lap of the Endurance race hurt the team's chances for a high finish. The team dropped to 28th overall out of 80 teams but Powercat Motorsports is proud of Puma and especially proud of all the students who dedicated themselves this year.

Design work has already begun on next year's racecar, Panther, and we are very excited to build on the technologies developed this year by our team. The team is currently working with the University on scheduling sponsor visits in Kansas City, Topeka, Salina, and surrounding areas. Once we know more information on travel arrangements, you will be notified on potential dates that we will be able to get the team and Puma out for a visit.  

Once again I cannot thank you enough for your support this year.  Please check out our website, www.PowercatMotorsports.com, as we now have pictures from competition and videos coming soon.

Tim Mourlam
President
Powercat Motorsports
K-State Formula SAE

Rocco Chases Perfection In Connecticut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – If the old adage is “you have to lose one before you can win one,” Keith Rocco is long overdue for a championship.

The 25-year-old Wallingford, Conn., driver has finished in the top five in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points standings in each of the last three years — second (2009), fourth (2008), and fourth (2007). In time, Rocco has spent significant portions of the season atop the points standings, only to watch somebody else walk off the stage at the awards banquet with the big trophy.

Rocco is determined not to let that happen this year.

He won Friday night at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, and then again Saturday night at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl. It gives him 16 wins in 28 starts and further cemented his hold on first place with 786 points.

“We ain’t taking our foot off the pedal until Sept. 19,” said Rocco of the deadline for races to count toward the national championship, as well as U.S. state and Canadian province titles. “There isn’t any slowing down. No cutting the week short in the shop. We’re just making sure we’re well maintained and staying on top of our game.

“As much as races are won on the track, they’re won in the shop, too.”

Craig Preble, of Yutan, Neb., remains second in points with 692, racing his dirt crate Late Model at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., on Saturday and at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb., on Sunday. Preble has 12 wins and 19 top fives in 19 starts.

Justin Johnson of Durham, N.C., is third with 605 points. He has nine wins, 13 top fives and 16 top 10s in 16 starts in the asphalt Late Model divisions at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and Radford, Va.

Bill Leighton Jr. (584 points) and Matt Buller (557), who race against Preble at the two Nebraska tracks, are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the national standings.

Rocco was the only driver in the top five to race this past weekend.

A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals, and the champions are decided on overall points total.

Under the points structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner received two points for every car in the event up to 20. Second place received two fewer points, and so-on through the field. Race winners received an additional five bonus points. For example, if there are 20 cars, the winner received 45 points, second gets 38 and third 36. If there are 15 cars, the winner received 35 points, second gets 28 and third, 26.

Thirteen of Rocco’s 16 wins have come with a maximum 20-car field, leaving him just 24 points shy of a perfect score of 810.

The last drivers to record a similar season under the NASCAR championship format were the late Larry Phillips and current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle in 1995. Phillips and Biffle achieved the maximum points under the system at the time; Phillips won the crown by virtue of more overall wins (32-27).

Rocco has 16 wins, 23 top fives and 27 top 10s in 28 starts. He began this past weekend with his worst finish of the season, a 17th at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, before bouncing back with victories in the asphalt Modified divisions at the other two Connecticut NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks.

Rocco realizes that his racing calendar is a bit of old school scheduling.

Only 13 other drivers have run more races this season than Rocco has won.

For Rocco, it’s the way his father raced in the late 1980s, and it’s what he’s grown up around. Racing three nights a week is the norm for him, and he wears it as a badge of honor.

“To be one of the few that does that, it does feel like I’m a bit of a throwback,” said Rocco.

The biggest reward for the long hours in the shop and the dominance on the race track, though, would come in the form of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship trophy he’s been chasing.

Track, state and provincial champions and the top three finishers in the national standings earn invitations to the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet. The winner of the national championship will also earn a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.