Round 5

Oshkosh, WI—There was no practice/qualifying session for Friday's racing action as they needed as much time for track preparation as possible after the steady downpours of rain that plagued the Sunnyview Expo Center on Thursday. As a result they drew for starting positions and The Hord Racing #9 started third, in the second row on the inside, of the tight technical track. When the green flag flew and racing was underway, Chad tried to hold his inside line and was pinched off in a tight hairpin corner, followed by some contact pushing him off the track in the next turn, leaving us in the 8th position after the mayhem of lap one.

The BOSS Snowplow, AMSOIL, Kumho Tired machine, began to work its way through the traffic and picked-off Kincaid in lap three and worked his way by Oberg in lap four. Chad was running in sixth, battling Taylor for fifth when the mandatory caution came out. During the caution lap we noticed that the front left tire was starting to go down. On the restart Chad continued to battle with Taylor and finally took over the fifth spot in lap 11. With the tire continuing to fade, Taylor got us back in lap 13 and Oberg passed us with one to go. The Hord Racing #9 was able to hold on and finish in 7th place with a cut tire. Upon further inspection back in the pits the crew also found that the steering rack was broken and the A-arm was bent as a result of all the contact during the race.

Round 6

Starting in the fourth row on the inside, in the seventh position as a result of Friday's finish, Chad and the Hord Racing crew knew they had the truck to get to the front. When the green flag flew, the Kumho tires hooked up and the BOSS Snowplow, AMSOIL #9 worked its way through the field and found themselves running in fourth place.

In lap two we dropped into fifth as McGrath got by us. In lap five the Hord Racing team overtook Oberg for the fourth position. Chad caught up to McGrath who was running in third just before the mandatory yellow laps. On the restart Chad continued to charge and try to overtake McGrath. With each consecutive lap we were closer to making the pass on the inside stick, finally with only three laps to go Chad would get on the inside and win the drag race down the front straight away to make the pass.

With only a lap and a half to go McGrath got his nose into our side and pushed us wide into a turn. As a result of the contact the Hord Racing #9 was up on two wheels. Chad was able to save it but lost the third position. We were able to catch up to McGrath again, but ran out of time to get back our third position before the checkered flag flew.

This was by far the most exciting race of the season for the Hord Racing crew. The truck is definitely improving with each race. Our fastest lap was a 40.781 and the Oakley Bomb Winner for the fastest lap this race was a 40.295. Be on the look out for the Hord Racing team on the podium in Bark River!

^top^

TORC Series Rounds 3 & 4 | Bark River, MI | PHOTOS | NEWSLETTER (PDF) | VIDEO

Hord Takes First Podium in Front of Record Crowd in Bark River, MI

Bark River, MI-The Hord Racing team was ready for racing action in Rounds 3 and 4 on their home track in Bark River, MI. The BOSS Snowplow #9 had a good start as the field of Pro-2WD's charged toward the record breaking crowd into turn one. As the dust settled, Chad was running in second place. On lap two Chad nearly flipped end-over-end coming off of the table top jump at the new finish line. Amazingly he was able to save it, but it cost him his position in the running order.

At the mandatory caution Chad was running in fourth place and held the position on the restart. With a few laps to go the AMSOIL, Kumho Tired machine kept charging forward, pressuring the truck ahead of him. Eventually Chad overtook the third position when the truck ahead of him pulled off with engine problems, as the result of the demanding pace.

Chad settled into third place and maintained his position when the checkered flag flew. This was Chad's first podium in the Pro-2WD class.

Round 4

After making minor adjustments to the truck from the previous round of racing the AMSOIL protected, Kumho Tired #9 took the field in the fifth position for the rolling start.

Chad battled back and forth with the top trucks to finish the race in the fourth position. We currently are sitting fourth place in the points championships standings and are pleased with the truck in its first season.

Following the racing action on Monday Chad and the team stayed in Bark River to further test the truck. With each lap on the track the truck continually runs faster and smoother.

Look forward to the Hord Racing team continually charging toward the front.

^top^

TORC Series Rounds 1 & 2 | Crandon, WI | PHOTOS | NEWSLETTER (PDF) | VIDEO

Hord Team Makes Pro-2WD Debut at the Big House for TORC Season Opener in Crandon, WI

Crandon, WI—The Hord Racing Team has eagerly been awaiting their Pro-2WD debut in the TORC series. After many months of testing, hard work and preparation they were ready to take on the "Big House" in Crandon, WI.

At Saturday morning's qualifying session Chad qualified fifth, with hundredths of seconds separating the qualifiers.

When the green flag flew, Chad charged hard into turn one in the fifth position at speeds in excess of 90mph. He was working hard to battle around the fourth place truck, a seasoned Pro-2WD driver. Battling mechanical issues in the corners it made it difficult for Chad to make the pass. In a hard charge in the Argonne Loop, it looked like Chad was ready to take the position when the mechanical issue caused him to lose control and hook the berm. The truck flipped violently in the air, going over two to three times. Chad was unable to re-enter the race and would have to settle for an 8th place finish.

When the truck returned to the pits the team assessed the damage and immediately got to work.

The engine mount on the block broke so the engine needed to be changed. The driver's side front wheel was destroyed; the front right corner had significant damage to the upper A-arm and tie-rod. The rear bumper and hanger s were bent, a whole new body was mounted and the front and rear shocks were also re-placed.

The crew worked into the morning and were able to take a two hour rest before returning to prep the truck for the Sunday morning practice session.

Round 2

Chad lined up to take the green flag in the eighth position after the violent crash of Round 1. Confident in his truck, and the repairs his crew had made after the practice session earlier that morning, Chad charged into turn one with his BOSS Snowplow, AMSOIL, Kumho tired machine. He had picked off two positions by the time he reached the front straight away in front of the thousands of cheering fans.

At the mandatory caution Chad had made two more passes and was running in the fourth position. On the restart it looked like Chad had a good line and would make an advance, some congestion ahead of him caused him to lose a position. The number 9 Pro-2WD battled on and regained the fourth position.

The Hord Racing Team was pleased with the results and returned to the pits to prep the truck for the upcoming 17th Annual Crandon cup race.

17th Annual Crandon Cup

The Hord Racing team was eager to race their Pro-2WD in one of the Crandon Cup races. Chad has driven for other teams in the past, but this was our first experience running our own truck.

The Pro-2WDs were given a 12 second advantage on the Pro-4WD. Chad had a good start, coming out of turn one in the third position. Putting constant pressure on third place, Chad took over the position by the end of the second lap, when the other truck had mechanical issues.

Running in second, Chad tried to lure in the leader with the Pro-4WDs constantly closing the gap. With just 2 1/2 laps to go the Pro 4WDs started picking their way through the Pro 2WDs. Chad tried to hold them off as long as he could, but they had the advantage in the corners.

The Hord Racing #9 finished the race overall in 5th place and was the 2nd Pro-2WD. The team was very happy with their debut in the cup race and has shown improvement with each round of racing.

Look for the Hord Racing team to be a force to reckon with at the TORC Series' next stop in Bark River, Michigan, July 10th and 11th.