Jimmy Lang has been super hot in ASA Late Model racing. The last two starts in the ASA South LM Series have resulted in trips to victory lane for the Bluffton, SC driver. Yet, his first start in the ASA Challenge Series in ’08 did not net the triumph that Lang has come accustomed to. Lang started strong 200-lap event at O’Reilly Raceway Park (IN), but ended up coming home 13th.
“We tried to compensate by loosening the car up more so it would be better in the longer run,” said Lang. “I was thinking that the car would come to me more at the end of the run. Then car got really loose and I smacked the wall in the final laps.”
Lang was fast on both Friday and Saturday in practice. At the 100-lap halfway point Lang was running 7th, but that’s where the trouble began. After several adjustments to the car, one thing was clear; Lang was not the only guy with handling issues at ORP.
Jimmy Ran Well Early, But Finished 13th.
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“I though my car was bad, but I watched the three cars in front of me hit the wall coming off turn two as well. We were all chasing our cars.”
Lang is running for the championship in both the Late Model South ranks, as well as the Challenge Series. The effort is to get more laps against better drivers.
“There’s more competition with guys like Eddie Hoffman and Peter Cozzolino. Those boys who run up north are pretty stout and that’s good for us.”
The next event for Lang will be at on Saturday, May 10th at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA. After racing at ORP in Indiana, the Cordele event will be a homecoming of sorts.
“I used to race legends cars there at Cordele; we ran there for like four years in a row. It’s not my home track, but people might call it my home track because we have raced there so much. I think we will run pretty well at Cordele.”
