2008 ASA Late Model South Series Champion Jimmy Lang is ready to get his 2009 schedule underway. After weeks of uncertainty, Lang will make his 2009 debut at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin, on May 17th. The race is the opening round of the ASA Late Model Challenge Series.
Lang had to play the waiting game, since sponsorship dollars were limited in the early part of the season. What was a full-force Late Model power house team in 2008, quickly turned into a quiet, motionless shop by late winter. Finally, after weeks of waiting, funds are adequate to race with the ASA Late Model Challenge Series. Lang couldn’t be more excited to get back in the car.
(top) Jimmy Lang is ready to race at Milwaukee. (51 Sports Photo) (bottom) With the aid of ASA Late Model photographer Chuck Gonzales, Lang will have this special hood design at the next race. Dennis Gaylord with Gaylord Signs & Graphics also helped with the hood. (CG Photos)
“I think it’s going to be real fun,” said Lang. “I haven’t been in the car for a couple of months. I don’t even remember when the last race was. It’s been a tough time. We wanted to start racing back in March, but money has been real tight and we haven’t been able to do what we wanted to do in 2009.”
The cards do appear to be in Lang’s favor, as he is returning to the highly-competitive ASA Challenge Series. The series has switched from the radial tires to the bias-ply Hoosiers, a combination in which Lang won five races on in the South. They are also retuning to one of Lang’s better tracks in 2008. At The Milwaukee Mile, Lang ran up front most of the day before contact with another car ended his shot at victory.
“We ran great there last year,” explained Lang. “We were second for a while, then we got into another car and that killed the aero dynamics on the right front. That was with the radial tires and now we are going back with the bias-ply tire, which is more of what we are used to.”
This weekend will also be special for Lang, as he salutes fellow competitor Beau Slocumb by having the hood of his racecar decorated with images from Slocumb’s past races. Slocumb is a former winner in the ASA Late Model ranks and has missed the 2009 season so far, as he is currently battling cancer.
“For real, it’s been tough on Beau,” said Lang. “I hope Beau gets better and gets out of there soon. He’s a great driver, and I would really like to see him back at the track. It’s kind of cool with the tribute that we are doing for him. I would love to be able to win the race and dedicate it to him. That would be pretty awesome.”
Jimmy Lang Racing is looking at a three- or four-race schedule with the Challenge Series this year, starting with the “Badgerland 150” at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, May 17th.
For more information on Jimmy Lang, please contact Elgin Traylor at (704) 788-2134 x 4, and be sure to check out his website at www.jimmylang.net
