Archive for category: SLM

After an April of strong performances and consistent top 10 runs, with a win sprinkled in, Lane Snook found a way to turn up the heat on the competition in May. Once again, the team would be tested with weather and having to try and chase races at tracks throughout the state. Race chasing did end up working out pretty well, but the month did start with a few scheduled stops at the Selinsgrove Speedway.

After having a hard charging result in April at the big half-mile, Snook strung together two strong performances and broke the Snook curse at Selinsgrove. Winning on May 2nd from 6th and then again on May 10th from 7th. Both nights, Lane was able to pick his way through the field and find a way through lap traffic. Within two weeks, Snook was able to match his season total in wins (4 total). The speed and winning ways didn’t stop there.

With rain ruining a plan to make a surprise visit to Dog Hollow, the team pivoted and pointed the trailer towards the Bedford Speedway. This was Lane’s “first time at the track,” and what a first time it was. “We started 5th in the feature and drove to 3rd, and with the leaders making contact, I was able to sneak by and get our third win in a row.” A first-time visit, he’ll never forget.

The weekend wasn’t over, however, as the team headed just south of the Mason-Dixon, to Hagerstown Speedway. Speed was again evident, and the big track package seemed to stay consistent. With a stellar heat race, going 10th to 1st, the 23 would have a front row starting spot in the feature. Lane would roll off 2nd, and that would be where he would finish, but the result was not easy to come by. “With contact on the start, we fell to 6th. After some cautions, I was able to drive back to second,” stated Snook. This would add another podium finish to his tally for the season, but end the win streak.

A Memorial Day weekend trip to Port Royal didn’t end with a win, but left the young racer feeling confident with the speed of the car. A 7th place starting spot after the redraw and on the heels of a strong 4th-1st run in his heat gave Lane another chance to add to his strong stat line. “I was able to drive up to 4th with another fast car, but stalled out there to finish the race.” Even with a few winless races, the confidence and belief in what the team was doing with the car were evident.

To round out the month, the team would head to one of Lane’s best tracks, BAPS Motor Speedway. After getting rained out at Selinsgrove and arriving late, the team started at the tail of the field. The team had some help along the way down as Lane’s brother “met us halfway with gears to be able to run.” Starting 27th, finishing the race, and getting some spots would have been a good night, with all the rushing around. But Snook had other ideas. After surviving a first-lap wreck and gaining some spots from that incident, Lane charged towards the front. “With a tough track surface, I was able to pick my way through traffic and watch ahead of me to work my way to the front. With everything going as it needed to, we were able to get the lead with around 5 laps to go and drive off to the win, in the 20-lap feature.” A feat that probably wasn’t at the front of their mind going into the feature. This rounded out a strong month of May, with the win marking the sixth triumph of the season.

And if one on the weekend is good, two must be better. With a Sunday trip lined up at Bedford Speedway, the winning continued. Snook was able to roll from the 8th starting spot and quickly grab 5th. The march to the front continued, and a caution around halfway through the feature gave Lane the chance to pounce for the lead. After passing and driving away with the lead, the 23 car again pulled onto the stage and took home a second checkered flag, in the second visit to the big half mile.

Speed and great results have now become a normality for the Mifflintown driver, but not without hard work. “I think a lot of it (what’s been working) is what I’ve learned in Florida. Some of it is me getting better as a driver,” stated Snook. Really being a student of the game and committing each night to keeping an eye on track conditions and also to what he’s feeling in the car have all been contributing factors to the success of the 23 team. Getting to experience a lot of different tracks has also helped, even with some of the last-second planning. “We definitely ended up racing some places we didn’t plan on this month.” Even with this lack of time to mentally prepare, “with a car that’s very balanced everywhere, we don’t have to change much in between each track.” Snook tries to keep a level head and not let the change in plans ruin the chance to put up strong results.

Strong results have been the name of the game this season. With the team running 16 races in the limited ranks, through June 1st, Snook has been able to finish inside the top 10 in 15 of those races. Podium finishes have also been stacking up, with Snook garnering 13 in three months of racing. And with a winning percentage right around 44%, all stats point towards a strong year, and Snook is hopeful that the team “can keep the momentum rolling.”

June kicked off with a win, and the team hopes to see more of the same in the coming weeks. Schedule plans include a week off for a trip to Eldora for the Dream, but then pick right back up June 12th with a return to Selinsgrove Speedway and Port Royal on the 14th. Selinsgrove is again on the card the following weekend. The 27th is currently to be determined, with the team planning to round out the month on the 28th, at Port Royal. We will see what Mother Nature has in store and if plans shift. Stay connected on Facebook and also on the team website for updates and results.

While April showers tend to bring May flowers, and canceled races, April brought a welcomed string of strong results and the chance to travel to new tracks. Lane Snook had only been on track three times through the first month of the season. And after a couple of weeks of rainouts, April would see the young 16-year-old race on seven occasions, at many different facilities. The first race of the month was actually a first-time visit to the Winchester Speedway in Virginia, after a rainy weekend washed out local competition in PA on Saturday, April 12th.

Winchester proved to be a worthwhile trip for the 23 team. “It wasn’t quite what I’ve seen on video,” stated Snook as the track was fast and rough. Rolling off 5th in the feature, Lane was able to pick off a few spots, as passing was at a premium “on a one lane racetrack” and finished 3rd. This was the first new track the team had ventured to since the trip to Eldora Speedway last season. “I wouldn’t mind going down there to try again and hopefully get a better surface to race on.”

The following day, the team headed to Path Valley Speedway. After a heat win and a 4 pill in the redraw, Snook was able to grab yet another podium finish with a 3rd place finish. After the daytime show was done at Path, the team hauled the car over to the BAPS Motor Speedway for an evening show. With a 10th-place starting spot, after going quick time and pulling the invert, Snook was able to drive up to the 2nd position, closing out a busy week of racing.

Selinsgrove was next on the books on the 18th, and the night started off rough. After a lap one crash in his heat, “the crew got the car back together for the feature, and we started 22nd and with a very fast race car, we were able to finish 3rd.” This hard-charging effort proved a lot to not only the competition, but also to Snook himself. Hard work in the shop followed Friday night’s action, as the team worked on the car until 4:30 in the morning, getting it ready for BAPS.

All the hard work was well worth it, come race time on Saturday. “I was able to pick my way through traffic, one at a time, to pick up our second win of the season.” This was the Mifflintown racer’s 6th straight podium finish dating back to March 29th at Port Royal. “There’s been a lot of hard work over the past month, with multiple nights staying up until 4-5 in the morning to race the next day.” The hard work was paying off, as strong results continued to be produced even with some misfortune.

The final weekend of the month started out with a return to the Selinsgrove Speedway. After starting 9th in the A-Main, misfortune struck again. “I was passing for 4th on the rubbered surface and had a car get loose in front of me and I spun to avoid wrecking us both. I was able to rebound for a 12th-place finish.” Even though the result was not what Snook wanted, a rebound with only 5 laps to go in the feature to still gain some positions was welcomed.

Port Royal Speedway closed out a busy month of racing with a Sunday night show alongside the Lucas Oil Late Models. With a strong heat race run from 9th to 2nd, Snook rolled off 6th in the feature. “We tried something a little different and it didn’t work how I’d like it to, but we still managed to finish 6th.”

This would round out the month and leave the young driver with a monthly average finish of 4th and a season average in the limited division of just under 4. “We’ve had a very fast racecar, and I hope results continue to show.” Although the results have been there, Lane still feels that there is an even better side that the team hasn’t seen yet. “We just need to put an entire night together,” stating that results seemed to be very good early and not strong at the end of the night, or the opposite, and sometimes even regardless of how the car feels. Even with this in mind, Snook is still happy with the speed and results of the 23 car. “I think we’ve found where we need to be now, and I believe we will have some very strong runs coming.” Lane and team look to continue into May with strong performances and hopefully a few more triumphs over the competition.

May will start with trips to Selinsgrove and Port Royal on the 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Clinton County and Selinsgrove will be on the card the next weekend, with Hagerstown to follow on the 17th. The limited late models tag team with High Limit Racing, during the Weikert Memorial over Memorial Day weekend. The team plans to round out the month with a repeat of Clinton County and Selinsgrove. Make sure to keep up with the team on Facebook and on the Lane Snook website throughout the season for updates.