Texas Super Racing Series Late Model Champion Jake Kruger, 16, sums up his season and shares his future plans
November 28, 2009
Jake Kruger, a 16-year-old late-model driver from Bastrop (TX), refuses to acknowledge a championship he won during a four-race season when he raced quarter midgets years ago.
Kruger shows off his hardware in victory lane with TSRS' trophy girl Tiffany Vogel
It’s not surprising, though, that Kruger – the driver for Kruger Motorsports – won’t soon forget his latest trophy; the 2009 Texas Super Racing Series championship.
“I appreciate this championship and will enjoy it a lot,” stated Kruger, the son of Bill and Deb Kruger. “It took 11 years to get here, but I finally got here.”
Surprising words from one so young.
However, consider his father, Bill, was a long-time local short-track racer and Jake grew up around racing. And consider the youngster – who rebounded to win two races in his Rookie of the Year season in 2008 – didn’t even start the ’08 season-opener because Kruger Motorsports had problems with race engines.
This past season, though, there was very little trouble in a TSRS series filled with great drivers.
Kruger took the checkered flag five times in a 10-race season in ’09 as he beat out long-time racing veteran Robert Barker (Boerne, TX) by 50 points (1,687-1,637).
Don’t get it wrong – Kruger, his parents (Bill and Deb), his younger sister (Nikki), his crew chief (Texas short-track veteran John Heil) and the team’s sponsors and crew all worked very hard to claim the ’09 TSRS title.
Kurger in his familiar John Heil prepared #14 TSRS Late Model
“We were originally thinking that five wins in the season wouldn’t be enough,” Kruger stated.
“We wanted to win six and tie Tommy Gural and Chris Schild (the all-time leaders in TSRS features wins with eight apiece). It didn’t hit me at first (that he’d won the championship) until people came up and congratulated me. I enjoyed it; it felt pretty good.”
Even more important, though – a late-model championship at 16 years old.
“That’s what (crew chief) John Heil told me, the importance of a late-model title,” Kruger said.
“He said you need to put a late-model championship on your resume; as the season went on I understood what he was saying – to be 16 and beating everyone else out there.”
“Jake’s championship is exciting; it’s a very big accomplishment for him,” Deb Kruger remarked. “I’ve been overwhelmed by it all; I’m very proud of what everyone has done to get him there.”
“He’s 10 times the driver that I was,” joked Kruger’s father Bill. “The championships I accomplished were minor compared to what he’s done. I’ve never done what he did at his age and it means a lot to me to say he learned from me; he surpassed my level a long time ago.”
“Consistency” was the word that may have best described the team’s success.
“We won consistently throughout the season,” the younger Kruger remarked. “We didn’t win just in the beginning or just the end of the season. Knowing I was stretching my points lead (after each win) gave me more incentive the next race.”
All three major personalities in Kruger Motorsports agreed on one thing – crew chief John Heil was a major factor in the team’s stellar season.
“A driver is just a spacer behind the wheel, if nothing’s working then it’s time to change the spacer,” the younger Kruger said. “But John Heil was the ‘constant’ in our season and success. We didn’t stick with same setup all year; we changed pretty much every race. What he did and suggested worked each and every race. John did everything – that car all year was in a class of its own and John put it there.”
“John Heil – he’s very good at what he does,” Bill Kruger stated. “He’s very meticulous at everything. He goes over everything then double- and triple-checks everything we do. He’s phenomenal in that respect.”
“John and Jake jelled so well together,” Deb Kruger remarked. “They not only became driver/crew chief but also good buddies. I think that meant a lot to Jake. You always look up to parents and others; Jake looks up to John and they were great as a team.
“They hunt together, race together, work together – especially during summer. It’s like a brotherhood with those two.”
Then, thinking about the dedication of Heil, Deb added, “We also want to thank Teresa and Riley Heil for their sacrifices for not having John at home, because he was at the race shop or at the track helping Jake. We really appreciate their sacrifice.”
Along with Heil, Kruger Motorsports was thankful to its crew - Heil, Jamie Fuller, Lance, Brandon and Dillon Gaither, TJ Hopper and John Wasek.
Of course, auto racing at any level wouldn’t happen without sponsors.
“We could not have done this without Steve Turner and Turner Motorsports,” Deb Kruger declared. “They’re our biggest contributor this year as a sponsor. They were always there for us; I would call and ask for help and they’d always come through.
“They’re helping us in a huge way for the (upcoming) Snowflake (Derby race in Florida in December) and we couldn’t have done it without Turner Motorsports as the main sponsor.”
Among the team’s other sponsors: BMF Shocks and Chassis, Gen Tech, Oval Components, Aramendia Motorsports (and Joe Aramendia).
What’s ahead for Kruger? A run in the Pro Late Models, be it regional or over on the East Coast.
Plus…
“A lot of sacrifices,” Deb said. “We don’t have a lot of social time; we don’t go to movies, we don’t do special outings as a family outside of going to the races. We don’t drive big fancy vehicles because we don’t need to do that.
“We’re very comfortable with our lifestyle, we’re not materialistic people. We do what we can to put our resources into Jake’s racing.”
The “driver” of the family is cognizant of his family’s efforts on his behalf.
“My mom and dad and my sister are terrific for what they do so I can race,” Jake exclaimed. “I owe a big thanks to my family. (Simply put), I wouldn’t have done anything I’ve done without them.”
“The fact Jake recognizes and acknowledges (our efforts) means a lot to me,” Bill said. “We never forced this on him; it’s been an understanding in the family. We do what we could to give Jake the best of what we can to race.
“We’d like to thank Mary Ann Naumann (owner/operator of TSRS) and her sacrifices for having the series. We have a lot of respect for Mary Ann and what she’s done for both TSRS and for local racing, period.”
Bill then summed up the upcoming future for his son. “We look forward to the next step; we look forward to the work ahead and hope we can continue to climb the ladder of success.”
By Chuck Licata
Photos by Jeff Garvin
Thunderhill Raceway and Mary Ann Naumann ready to move ahead with racing plans for 2010 and beyond
November 16, 2009
After some uncertainty about the future of its property lease, Thunderhill Raceway (THR) in Kyle (TX) has reached a tentative agreement with the landowner.
“We’ve had several meetings with the landowner, and negotiations have gone well,” said Mary Ann Naumann, THR’s Owner and Promoter. “A proposal has been drafted, and everything is now being processed through our attorneys. We expect to sign the final agreement in the next few days.”
As a result of the agreement, the management of Thunderhill Raceway plans to move full-speed ahead with its plans for the 2010 racing season.
“I’m really excited that this new agreement gives us the opportunity to race next year and hopefully beyond then,” Naumann said. “We’ll continue to provide updates as we move forward with our plans for next year.”
To get ready for the 2010 season, Thunderhill Raceway is planning a drivers’ meeting on Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 2 p.m. In addition to giving the drivers an opportunity to register for next year, the rules for all classes – including Naumann’s Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS) - will be distributed at the meeting.
A pre-season registration discount will be offered to drivers who sign up for next season at the meeting. Drivers will also be given the opportunity to get the discount by registering early on line via Pay Pal (more information to follow).
Prior to the meeting, tentative 2010 schedules for both Thunderhill Raceway and TSRS will be released, hopefully within the next couple of weeks.
“We also want to remind everyone about the 2009 THR/TSRS Awards Banquet that’s scheduled for Saturday, January 16,” added Naumann. “Our drivers, staff, media and sponsors deserve to be recognized, and this banquet will be a great opportunity to honor our champions.”
The awards banquet will be held at the Manchaca Firehall & Community Center at 1310 FM 1626, Manchaca, TX 78748. The banquet will begin with a Social Hour at 5 p.m., followed by an all-you-can-eat catfish dinner at 6 p.m., an awards ceremony at 7 p.m., and live music from 10 p.m.-midnight.”
Thunderhill Raceway is a 3/8-mile, D-shaped asphalt oval track located at 24801 IH-35, on the access road just north of San Marcos (TX) near Yarrington Road (Exit #210). Information on Thunderhill Raceway may be found on the track website at www.thunderhillraceway.com.
by Debbie Williams, THR Media & Public Relations Director
Live Updates from Houston Motorsports Park, 11-14-09
November 14, 2009
Lone Star Speedzone will be bringing you live updates from Houston Motorsports Park this Saturday, 11-14-09, at approximately 5:00 p.m.
Just click on the Logo below to follow all the racing action and add your comments/questions as we go along.
Keep in mind that your comments may not show up right away since I may be busy at the time and not able to approve your post at that time. Just be patient. I’ll get to it!
Nick Holt
I-37 Raceway’s “Thousand Dollar Shootout” to end season on a high note this weekend
November 5, 2009
The final night of championship racing at I-37 Raceway featured a full moon, the second largest crowd of the season (which sang the national anthem after the CD had a glitch), and a hard but clean night of racing that made everyone hungry for more next season.
There is one more event left on the schedule, though, and it’s a big one: the second annual Hill Country Satellite “Thousand Buck Shootout” on Friday and Saturday, November 6-7, 2009. This will be the final race until the 2010 season kicks off in mid-March, and each class will have its own sponsor and the newest class, the already popular with fans and drivers front drive “Front Runner” class, will run two races, a normal race on Friday and an enduro on Saturday that is attracting cars from all over south Texas. The Front Runners will be racing in the “Tator Plumbing Front Runner” feature, backed by the San Antonio company.
Boerne’s Robert Barker, winner of the last Texas Super Racing Series race on the asphalt at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, will try dirt racing for the first time, jumping into fellow Boerne resident (and I-37 Race Director) Eric Knudtson’s Chevrolet Camaro to run the “BPTI Street Stock” race. For the fans, the night’s excitement will include a drawing for a new flat screen television set.
Kerrville’s Moe VanKirk started last season a little late but still managed to win the title. This year he blew away the field and won more than two-thirds of the Limited Late Model races despite having to start nearly every race from the back as the points leader. With no points on the line at the “Shootout,” just money, the Limited Lates will likely let it all hang out in the “C-D Electric Limited Late Model” feature.
San Antonio’s Mark McGahey worked speed and consistency into a formula good enough to win his first IMCA Southern Sports Modified championship at I-37 Raceway. The “Sports Mods” will run the “Manning Safety Services Sports Modified” feature, backed by the suppliers of oil-field safety equipment, and the big Modifieds will be back for the “3-D Landscaping Modified” feature.
The Street Stocks saw a season-long battle among four drivers who should (and probably will) move up in class next year. Though last year’s rookie of the year Wade Jones of Jourdanton had the title locked up early, he also had Floresville’s A. J. Wernette and San Antonio driver Tommy Casey on his tail every week and all year.
They’ll be racing for “BPTI Street Stock” purse with no worries about fixing the car before next season, but they will be dealing with an experienced and high-profile “rookie” in Robert Barker, a former winner at San Antonio Speedway, Thunderhill Raceway and Houston Motorsports Park.. This one is likely to get interesting in a hurry.
The Pure Stock class was a battle among several drivers including former track and class champion Janel Hilla, former track photographer Marc Roy, Sean Terry (forced to miss several races due to his work on an oil rig) and rookie William “Heat” Saunders. It came down to the last night, with Hilla winning her heat race to close to within three points of Roy as they started the feature.
Roy had problems of his own, and was forced to use a car borrowed from his teammate Lynn Hardy for the final two races following damage to his car, while Mike Brown, who hadn’t won a race all year, came through to win on the last night. Roy flashed across the line just behind him with Hilla on his tail, but Roy had the Pure Stock title. Still, Hilla has finished first, third and second in the last three championships and will be back next season.
They’ll be running in the “Douglass Glass Pure Stock” feature, with Dennis “Loco Ocho” Jasik of Douglass Glass probably out there in his number 8 Pure Stock trying to keep some of the money in the company.
Cars are expected from Austin, Houston, Goliad and perhaps Killeen with added cash on the line, Overall title sponsor Hill Country Satellite handles everything from Direct TV to security systems and even supplies racing radios.
Racing will start on Friday at 7:30 pm and on Saturday at 7:00 pm. The full schedule for the special Friday-Saturday event will be posted in advance on the I-37 Raceway web site. (www.i37raceway.com) or call (210) 478-0111.
by TQ Jones
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