New face for ROMCO Series in 2004

[rebelracewriter]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 19, 2004

 

HOUSTON, TX - New driver to hit the track on part time ROMCO schedule

 

By J M Hallas

 

A new face will be showing up in the ROMCO Super Later Model pits during the 2004 season. Racer, turned promoter, turned racer, Todd Parker from Houston is set to get back behind the wheel and run a limited race schedule. Parker, who started his racing career on dirt at Big H Speedway in 1991 will pilot the #55 Truck Nation / Expert Automotive Services / X-Treme Machine & Motorsports ride owned by Robert Garcia of Houston.

 

Parker’s racing highlights include ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors at Big H in the Street Stock division in 1992. Parker moved to the Stock Car class at Battleground in 1993, where he ran until converting to pavement for the 1997 season at Houston Speedway. Parker then built a Late Model Sportsman that he campaigned at Thunder Hill Raceway and San Antonio Speedway for two years.

 

In 2000, he stripped off the slicks and bolted the beadlocks back on to run Houston Raceway Park, taking the first ever Late Model Stock feature win at the track. Parker then made the jump to UMP Modifieds at HRP in 2001, finishing 11th in points against some of East Texas’ toughest modified competition. This was the first year he ever finished out of the top ten in any class he raced.

 

Parker then took over as Director of Speedway Operations at HRP as he tried to get the ship headed in the right direction after racing began to fall off at the track. Giving up a lucrative job to take over at the track to help a sport he truly loved, he initiated free ticket give-aways to schools for local students, special nights honoring those in uniform (Armed Forces, Police, Fire, EMS), produced a weekly local television show for the track and numerous other projects. His efforts went unrewarded and he was released in August 2003.

 

Todd, who I consider a good friend, is certainly one of the nice guys in racing and was someone I could easily talk to and get answers from while he was promoting at HRP. His ROMCO Super Late Model plans for 2004 are to run six races, two shows at Houston Motorsports Park, two at Thunder Hill Raceway and two at San Antonio Speedway. I wish him all the luck in his new ROMCO racing endeavor.