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Gabehart Back behind
The Wheel For The Winchester 400
Salem, IN (October 2, 2008) –
2007 CRA Super Series Champion
Chris Gabehart will climb
back behind the wheel to compete in the 37th Annual
Winchester 400 Presented By Ed Martin Auto
 Group
and Renegade on Sunday, October 12th on the famed High
Banks of Winchester Speedway. Gabehart has played a different role
this season as the Crew Chief and Driver Coach for CRA Super Series K
& N Filters rookie competitor Zach Taylor who drives for the Jim
Mougette owned Great Deals Racing team. Gabehart has also been
traveling around the country helping other drivers including TJ Reaid,
a rookie in the GAS Series with a lot of success and Tommy Cloce out
of northern New York. Gabehart, who is a consultant with Advanced
Racing Suspensions, has also helped CRA competitors Rick Turner, Boris
Jurkovic and Adam Purdy improve upon their results in 2008.
Gabehart came close to winning the
2006 Winchester 400 before a late race accident with Clay Jones while
leading on lap 380. After the two had run several laps side by side,
Jones car broke loose and made contact with Gabehart sending both cars
hard into the outside retaining wall destroying both cars and ending
Gabehart’s chances of winning that event. Last season Gabehart hoped
to end his Championship winning season by claiming a victory in the
Winchester 400, but his day ended on lap 371 with a broken hub.
Gabehart built his current car from
the ground up to hopefully compete in several big late model events at
the end of the 2008 season.
"I am treating this on a race to race
basis and am currently focused 100% on winning the Winchester 400,"
remarked Gabehart. "However, depending on how things turn out at
Winchester, I would like to run the All American event in Nashville
this year as well as the Southern Slam 250 at South Georgia
Motorsports Park and possibly the Snowball Derby."
After being out from behind the wheel
for most of the 2008 season, Gabehart has several reasons for racing
again.
"My reasons for getting behind the
wheel again are many. First and foremost, I love to race and I still
would like to drive for a living if that opportunity presented itself.
However, from a business standpoint, it allows me to continue my
relationships with my many partners in the racing industry while
keeping up with technological changes as a driver. In doing so, I hope
to better my chassis setups for the 2009 season to better serve those
that I work with."
Even though he has not been behind
the wheel yet this season, Gabehart has enjoyed the part he has played
in racing this year.
"I have really enjoyed my role as
Zach's crew chief throughout the year. He has been a great listener
and the family and Great Deals crew have all been enjoyable to work
with. All of my relationships with other drivers and teams, even the
ones on a limited basis, have been a great learning tool for me to
gain perspective on racing from a standpoint other than the drivers
seat. There is no question it has made me better and I look forward to
exercising that in the coming races from the drivers seat."
Gabehart is pretty open on what he
sees in his future as long as it is involved in racing somehow.
"I plan on making a living in racing
for myself. I still would love to drive racecars for a living at the
NASCAR level, but I am aware that I have to work on building a future
now in case that doesn’t happen. I really enjoy working at this level
of short track racing and could see myself continuing the consulting
role that I have been doing and maybe one day owning my own business
doing it, however, I have always seen myself heading to NASCAR to work
in some form or fashion and one day, if the right opportunity
presented itself, I wouldn’t hesitate to do that."
Gabehart has worked closely with
Harley Boeve at Port City Racecars and will be utilizing a Port City
Chassis with a lot of his own input in the suspension of the car.
Gabehart has also received help from McGunegill Engine Performance,
Advanced Racing Suspensions, ARP Bodies, AP Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers
and Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil in his first venture as a car owner.
"Building this car would DEFINITELY
not have been possible for me without the help of many great companies
along the way. First, I have to thank my former car owner Jim Winters
for giving me the shop and assisting me with the equipment to do it
with. I have to thank Harley at Port City for all of his help, I am
very fortunate to work with a company at the very peak of their
performance at this level producing the nicest pavement late model
chassis in the business. I also have to thank Dewaine at McGunegill
Engine Performance, Bobby Blount and most importantly my Dad for all
of his hard work and dedication to making this car what it is for me."
Gabehart had his car on the track
this past Monday at Winchester Speedway in a test session with NASCAR
competitors Kyle Busch and David Stremme who were testing their CRA
Super Series late models for the upcoming Winchester 400. Gabehart
also took part in a press conference with Busch, Stremme and Rick
Turner that day to promote the upcoming Winchester 400.
"Mondays test went very well and
proved valuable in shaking some bugs loose both from myself and the
new car. I feel like we have apiece capable of winning the Winchester
400 this year, all I need is a little good luck, I’ve had plenty of
bad the past two Winchester 400’s!"
The 37th Annual Winchester
400 Weekend Presented By Ed Martin Auto Group and Renegade will be on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 10th, 11th
and 12th with racing action from the Vore's Welding & Steel
CRA FWD Compacts, CRA Street Stocks, Howe CRA Sportsman Series and The
Run For The Gun Shootout for the O’Reilly USA Modified Series in
addition to the famed Winchester 400 with NASCAR stars Kyle Busch and
David Stremme competing against the best late model drivers in the
country. For additional information and to purchase advance tickets go
to
www.winchesterspeedway.com.
More information on the CRA Super
Series is available at www.craracing.net.
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