Archive for category: Late Models

No matter what time of year it is, finding your groove is something special for any race car driver and team. October proved to be the month that Lane Snook and team would find something that made the 23-car unstoppable.

Starting off the final month of the team’s season, BAPS hosted the Creekside Auto Late Models. After an invert put Snook in the 8th starting spot, speed showed as Lane made his way to the point. “We were able to make our way to the lead fairly quick.” Even after a few cautions and even a red flag, Lane picked up yet another BAPS Motor Speedway checkered flag.

Riding the wave of confidence, the Mifflintown-based team headed to the world-famous Eldora Speedway. “We qualified 7th in our group out of 24 cars. That put us starting 4th in the heat…made a mistake on the first lap, but was able to make our way back up to 4th.” A front-row starting spot in the B Main presented a prime opportunity to make the show. That is exactly what Snook did.

Most would think that rolling off towards the rear of the field would make it tough to have a great result. Finding the bottom groove to his liking, Snook advanced all the way up to the 7th position. With a car in the top five coming up lite at the scales, Lane wound up with a 6th place finish. “Half the challenge was just making the show, with so many good cars” stated Snook. “It was definitely cool racing at Eldora with the tough competition.”

Sometimes, finding your groove and something that works for you, can mean making changes to what you are used to. “I did some different stuff with the setup that I was told to do by people who had raced there before.” Not only did these tips help the young racer, Lane’s mindset might have also helped. “Went into the weekend knowing there was nothing to lose.” Sharing the hard charger award, for a track debut, was certainly a huge accomplishment.

Continued success would follow the 23 team to the Path Valley Speedway for the final weekend of the season. With a split program, qualifying took place on Friday night and the car and driver again, were in the groove. Quickest in time trials put the 16-year-old starting 8th in his heat, with the program being about points. 3rd place points in the heat totaled up to be the highest point total out of any driver on Saturday. “With a rubbered-up racetrack, we were able to lead every lap for a very successful last race of the season.”

That win marked Snook’s 5th of the year and was a perfect capstone to a sophomore season in the Limited Late Model ranks. 2024 was a great success and exceeded expectations for not only the team but also the driver. While 2025 still seems far away, it will certainly come quick. Practice over the off-season will come in the form of iRacing for the teenage racer and maybe also with watching races and replays to gain a mental notebook on tracks for 2025.

Lane and team would again like to thank all the great sponsors and friends who helped to make this season so successful. Here’s to 2024 and to an even more stellar 2025!

As the last month of summer break appeared on the calendar, Lane Snook and team had a busy month ahead of them. After the last few months of impressive runs and finishes, and August featuring some big shows, anticipation was high for the young 16-year-old driver.

The month started off with an appearance at the Path Valley Speedway on August 10th. The fifth starting spot would be where the 23 car would roll off from. A few missteps landed the Mifflintown racer back in the 9th position, partway through the feature. However, the high side of the speedway was inviting to Snook, and he took to it, passing back the positions lost, and then some. Lane was able to stand on the podium box, scoring a 3rd place finish.

A week later at the BAPS Motor Speedway, the top step on the podium would be his. A strong heat set the young racer up for a front-row starting spot. Around the halfway mark of the feature, “we were able to pass for the lead” and win a second Limited Late Model event of the season.

Big money was on the line the following Friday, as the rained-out Zimmerman Tribute race was run alongside the Lucas Oil Late Model program, at Port Royal Speedway. A promising start to the night with a strong 2nd place effort in their qualifying group, put them on the pole of a heat race. Bad luck befell the 23 team, as they had “a left rear blow off the bead racing for second.” Luckily, the good time in qualifying allowed them to start on the pole of the B-Main, and Lane was able to win that event. Passing was at a premium in feature, as Snook advanced a few spots, going from 21st-18th.

Switching gears back to short tracks, the now 2-time winner, would break through once more and pick up his third feature win of the season at the Path Valley Speedway. Lane was able to grab the lead, almost right away, and “drove off to the win.” Snook stated that “the confidence is pretty high, especially on the short tracks.” Evidence being that all three of his triumphs this season have come on smaller tracks. Lane also stated there has been “less pressure” when talking about getting more wins, after scoring his first a few months prior.

To round out the month, another small track was on the card, as the team went to Clinton County. The handicap style invert to the feature lineup, put Lane starting 7th. At the end of the feature, another podium finish was added to the resume of the 2nd-year Limited driver, scoring a 3rd place result.

Rain pushed what would have been the final event on the team’s August schedule to a later date, as the Renninger Memorial got moved to a part of Monday’s Labor Day Classic at Port Royal.

As the season starts to wind down, the team and Lane now stand at three wins. “I just wanted to win at least 1 race this year.” While most wins and podium finishes have happened at smaller tracks, “we are finding more speed on the big tracks” said Snook. This is an area the young racer looks to improve upon in the remainder of the season.

The month of September features a few races for the Mifflintown-based team. BAPS is up next for the team on September 14th. The rest of the month is still up in the air, but the team does plan to race a few more times before the month is out. The hope is for August’s momentum to carry into a few strong closing months of the season.