Eller Has Rough Time at Chicagoland

Eller Has Rough Time at Chicagoland   Taylorville, IL (July 25, 2012) – After a tough weekend at Crandon, the Dirt Track 2 Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois would normally be a welcome sight for Randy Eller and the #11 Maxxis Tire/Ignite Racing Fuel/Rooster Synthetics Ford Ranger, but it soon became a trip to forget as mechanical issues plagued the team during both nights of racing.   The redesigned .7 mile long TORC course saw more jumps and more turns than previous years, which relied heavily on driver talent and less on engine horsepower, was a perfect track for the seventeen PRO-Light racers. The layout also gave every one of the 8,500 grandstand seats a perfect view of the entire .7 mile long TORC course.   When it came to practice and qualifying, the Maxxis Tire Ford was struggling with a nagging carburetor issue. This put the #11 Ford near the back of the seventeen truck starting grid. Afterwards the crew went to work trying to solve the mechanical issue before the start of Thursday night’s race.   When the green flag was waved, Eller quickly realized the team didn’t solve the carburetion issues. Every time the #11 Maxxis Tire/Ignite Racing Fuel/Rooster Synthetics Ford Ranger drove over the tabletop jump, the engine would cut out and it would take the entire length of the infield straightaway before the engine would refire. The severity of the problem prevented Eller Racing from running a competitive race as the #11 Ford finished thirteenth.   The next morning Randy Eller and his team went back to work rebuilding the carburetor. When the Maxxis Ford went out for the final practice session, the McGunegill equipped Ford Ranger ran perfect. Now it was time to go racing, and somehow fight through the back out the starting grid quick enough to challenge for a podium finish before the end of the fifteen lap race.   Based upon the finishing position from the night before the #11 Maxxis Tire/Ignite Racing Fuel/Rooster Synthetics Ford Ranger started in the seventh row. The opening lap saw Eller take a hard hit from Brad Lovell sending the Maxxis Ford to the tail end of the field. After regaining three positions on the track, the transmission output shaft broke ending the night after three laps of racing.   “We really had a tough time these last two nights,” explained Randy Eller. “The carb problem stemmed from a really hard landing after we broke a spindle in Crandon. We actually bent the floats and some other things inside the carburetor. Tonight even though we started at the back, we believed we would still end up in the money. This was the worst two rounds of racing we’ve ever had. It was really great to race in front of packed set of grandstands. Too bad we didn’t run better.” Next Race:August 11-12, 2012 – Bark River, Michigan - Mike Reusche, words