2001 Racing Archives

Racing Report Archive:
SILVER SPRINGS SPEEDWAY -- 10/20/01
After a careful week of preparation, Duke Racing Inc. loaded up the Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis and headed for the biggest karting race in the Northeast, the annual Fall Classis at the Silver Springs Speedway. It was a beautiful fall day as 498 karts from 8 different states graced the speedway grounds. With 65 entries in the Stock Light division, a premium was placed on qualifying which was in the form of a trio of 22 car heat races where only the top 10 would transfer. In the first round of practice, Duke Racing Inc. hit the fast 3/8 mile oval and were turning respectable lap speeds with Burris tires. In the next round, Duke Racing Inc. tried to experiment with the Firestone tire compound to no success as the Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis was noticeably slower. For the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. team engineers resorted back to the Burris rubber and made a 2 percent cross adjustment. Lining up on the inside of row 4 for the 22-car heat race, Duke Racing Inc. quickly made there was into the top 5 as the green flag waived. After a few more laps, Duke Racing Inc. was settled in the third position. Knowingly having a feature transfer position, Duke Racing Inc. drove conservatively for the final few circuits coming home in the fourth position, therefore transferring to the main event. After a long day of racing, the sun had set and it was time for the feature events. Lining up in 11th position in the 36-car field, Duke Racing Inc. started to go to work as the green flag fell. Duke Racing Inc. quickly got in the draft and started working traffic sometimes 3 and 4 wide. With a track full of cars that resembled New York City at Rush hour, Duke Racing Inc. slowly drafted though the pack. With a caution filled race, there was little time to build momentum to pass and when the checkered flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. narrowly lost the sixth position by inches. Overall, a very good finish for Duke Racing Inc. in a field of 65 karts with the new Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis.

PENNS CREEK RACEWAY -- 10/21/01
Sunday brought warm temperatures and sunny skies as Duke Racing Inc. headed to the season finally at Penns Creek Raceway National Open. On the final competition of the season, Duke Racing Inc. would enter the Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis in the stock medium and 350-pound division, which paid 200 dollars to win. After the team guessed at a setup for the soft track conditions on the new chassis, the team hit the track for practice setting new track speeds on the quick Snyder County tri-oval. No changes were made for the qualifying events. Duke Racing Inc. lined up fourth in the medium qualifying event and moved into third as the green flag dropped and took the lead in turn two and never looked back. After stretching the lead, Duke Racing Inc. finally took the checkered flag earning the pole position for the medium class feature. Very happy with the karts performance, Duke Racing Inc. made no changes and lined up on the outside of row four for the 350 pound qualifying event. With a field of heavy hitters, Duke Racing Inc. found the going a little tougher in this event. As the green flag waived, Duke Racing Inc. patiently moved through the pack and slide into the fourth position at the halfway point. The Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis chipped away at the leaders and moved into the third position with two laps to go. Coming off turn four heading for the white flag, Duke Racing Inc. blasted into the second position and set their sites on the leader, but were unable to mount a challenge as the checkered flag fell on the event. Still pleased with the karts performance, Duke Racing Inc. only made a gear change for the feature events. In the Stock Medium race paying 50 dollars to win, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position, known to many as the place to be, and dropped the hammer as the green flag waived and dominated the event bring home season win number 29, and number 2 on the new Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis. The final event of the evening and final event of the season was next on tap. The Penns Creek International Raceway National Open paying 200 dollars to win. Lining up on the outside of row 1, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer on the Duke Power Racing Engine as the green flag fell and was able to slide in front of the pole sitter when the pack of karts hit turn one. Duke Racing Inc. then survived a series of caution flags and heavy pressure from the second place kart to lead wire-to-wire picking up an unprecedented 30th win of the 2001 racing season. After the race, the Duke Power Racing Engine was inspected thoroughly, and nothing was found askew.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 10/12/01
Friday night, Duke Racing Inc. traveled to the Greenwood Speedway for the first night of their 2-day fall nationals. This night would also mark the unveiling of the brand new 2002 Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis. Duke Racing Inc. would use this night as a testing session for the new chassis. After favorable results in the practice session, Duke Racing Inc. made a slight wedge adjustment for the heat race. After a brief watering session, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the sixth position for the start of the heat race and battled with the leaders to eventually finish fourth. With the Ultramax Blaze experiencing a tight condition, several adjustments were made to free up the new chassis. Duke Racing Inc. engineers went a little too far in their adjustments, as during the feature event, the kart grew looser as the race went on and Duke Racing Inc. had to settle for a fifth place finish.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 10/13/01
After a long day in the shop, Duke Racing Inc. decided with a limited amount of knowledge about the new Blaze, to pull out the 2 Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis for the Fall Nationals at the Greenwood Speedway which paid 250 dollars to win. During the practice session for the evenings events, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis were glued to the racetrack. The first event on tap was the qualifying event for the Stock light division. Lining up shotgun on the 13-car field, Duke Racing Inc. started marching through the field. By mid-race, Duke Racing Inc. was up to the sixth position and engaged in a torrid 3-car battle for the 4th position. As the laps wound down, the 5th place driver began to deploy its usual blocking techniques and Duke Racing Inc. was unable to advance further than the 6th position. The next event would be the qualifying event for the 350-pound class, which was also paying a generous payout for every driver in the class. Unfortunately, the power plant on the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis started to sputter and Duke Racing Inc. was forced to exit the racing surface to try to find the problem. After returning to the pit area, a motor change was executed. After no major adjustments on the Light kart, Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway and lined up in the 6th position for the start of the 25-lap Fall National paying 250 dollars to the winner. At the drop of the green flag, Duke Racing Inc. settled into the sixth position. As the laps counted down, Duke Racing Inc. slowly climbed through the field. At the midway point in the event, the race was halted for a fuel stop, and Duke Racing Inc. was sitting in the third position. When the race resumed, Duke Racing Inc. began another spirited duel for the second position and with five laps to go, was able to claim the position and set their sights on the leader. As time was starting to run out, Duke Racing Inc. reeled in the leader and began applying heavy pressure. With three laps to go, Duke Racing Inc. got position and pulled to the inside of the leader. The two would race hard, side-by-side for two solid laps before Duke Racing Inc. slide into the lead in turn one as the white flag waived and held on to win one of the most exciting races in Duke Racing Inc. history for the biggest payday of their career. After a jubilant celebration, Duke Racing Inc. went back to work as they made a three-tire change on the other Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis and lined up shotgun on the field for the 350-pound class feature event. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. charged from the back to take the lead after lap 1. From there it became a 4 car street fight with karts slicing and dicing all over the track with some amazing display of driving for the lead until the second and third place karts got together causing the third place kart to spin and retire from the event. After the caution flag, Duke Racing Inc. sat in the third position and watched as the two leaders battled. With two laps to go, Duke Racing Inc. pulled the trigger and joined the lead battle. As the white flag waived, Duke Racing Inc. tried to make a move on the leader, but this time, the leader was able to fend off the challenge and Duke Racing Inc. had to settle for second.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 10/14/01
Morning came rather quickly, as Duke Racing Inc. headed to the Selinsgrove Raceway Park for the speedways National Open event. With the new Ultramax Blaze Chassis, Duke Racing Inc. engineers went in a slightly different direction in chassis setup after counseling with Team Ultramax engineers from all over the country. With three practice sessions, Duke Racing Inc. was able to tweak and tune on the new chassis with mild success. After deciding to use the softer tire compound for qualifying via time trial, Duke Racing Inc. soon found out that was a bad choice as the team qualified 12th for the 350-pound class and 5th in the Stock Medium class. Upon return to the pit area, a four-tire change was made along with a slight camber and cross adjustment. The first feature event would be the 350 pound class where Duke Racing Inc. lined up way back on the outside of row 6. When the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. started dicing through the field and made their way to the 7th position. With the leaders breaking away from the pack and no cautions to bunch up the field, this was as far as Duke Racing Inc. was able to advance when the checkered flag fell. Upon return to the pits, Duke Racing Inc. made an air pressure adjustment and a gear change for the Stock medium event. Lining up 5th, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer as the green flag waived. After several laps, Duke Racing Inc. was able to move into the third position and made a move to the inside to slide into the runner up position. As the laps wound down, Duke Racing Inc. began to run down the leader who had broke away from the pack. A late race caution put Duke Racing Inc. on the bumper of the leader and when the race resumed, Duke Racing Inc. applied pressure to the leader with the New Ultramax Blaze Racing Chassis and made a move off turn two, down the backstretch and blasted into the lead in turn four as the white flag waived and recorded the teams first career victory at the Selinsgrove Raceway Park and continued to increase their season win record to 28.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 10/5/01
Duke Racing Inc. ventured to the Greenwood Speedway for the final point race of the season Friday night. Going into the evening with a 59-point lead in the Stock Light class, barring disaster, Duke Racing Inc. would claim the teams second speedway title. This night also presented the opportunity to be historic in nature as Duke Racing Inc. were running two classes in attempt to break their own team single season win record which they are currently tied with 24 feature wins this season. The evening started off without a hitch as the Duke Racing Inc. cruised around the Juniata County 1/8th mile oval in practice. After only making a slight left rear chassis adjustment, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the fifth position for the light race qualifying event. As the green flag started the event, Duke Racing Inc. drove the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis into the second position, direct behind their closest title contender. After applying severe pressure to the leader for several laps, the leader inevitably slipped off turn two with two laps remaining, and Duke Racing Inc. blasted into the lead down the backstretch only to have the former leader try to save his slim title hopes by attempting a, what the hell is he thinking???, bonsai move through turns three and four, slamming into the left rear of Duke Racing Inc. causing the kart to spin. Unfortunately for the other driver, his kart also became involved the wreck and was never again a contender. Duke Racing Inc. had to then rally from the rear as the green flag waived, however with only two laps remaining, could only muster a fifth place finish. In the stock medium event, Duke Racing Inc. lined up 7th in the field. When the green flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer and immediately sliced their way into a 4-car freight train for the lead. After a caution flag slowed the pace, the green flag flew as Duke Racing Inc. drafted with the third place kart on the restart into the first and second positions. Two laps later, Duke Racing Inc. pulled the trigger and launched the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis into the lead and never looked back taking the heat race victory. During the brief intermission, no changes were made in the Duke Racing camp as both karts were on a rail all evening. The next event would be the Stock light feature event which would decide the 2001 Greenwood Speedway track champion. Lining up fifth in the field, Duke Racing Inc. quickly moved up to third after the green flag waived, and began to engage in a three-car dogfight for the lead. As the two leaders beat and banged on each other for the lead, Duke Racing Inc. sat back and watched patiently, careful not to engage in any conduct that would ruin the teams title hopes. After a mid race red flag where track personnel decided to water the track for no apparent reason, drivers were able to heavily protest and overturn that decision and the race resumed. Again Duke Racing Inc. sat in the third position, patiently waiting until with three laps to go, the second place driver ran over the back of the leader spinning himself out. This put Duke Racing Inc. directly behind the leader. When the green flag waived, Duke Racing Inc. decided it was time to turn it up a notch and began applying the pressure. Coming towards the white flag, in classic Duke Racing fashion, Duke Racing Inc. pulled the trigger and rocketed by the leader to take lead and win a record breaking 25th feature event of 2001. In the next event, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position by virtue of their medium heat race victory and led wire to wire increasing their single season win record to 26.

PENNS CREEK RACEWAY -- 10/7/01
On a blustery Sunday afternoon, Duke Racing Inc. decided for some unknown reason to travel to the Penns Creek Raceway. With terrible track conditions on what is normally a well-prepared racetrack, Duke Racing Inc. was slow out of the box. Lining up 7th in the 8-car field for the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. slowly made their way up to the third position. Then after a standing start on the backstretch, Duke Racing Inc. was hung to the outside as spun in the mountain of dust in turn 2. After going to the rear, Duke Racing Inc. again slowly made their way through the field to finish a distant second place. With a perfectly handling kart, Duke Racing Inc. engineers were scratching their head to find the necessary speed. After a gear and a exhaust header change on the Duke Racing power plant, the driver refocused and lined up on the outside of the front row. On the start the inevitable happened and Duke Racing Inc. was punted into the mountain of dust in turn two however was able to make the save but lost many positions and fell to fifth. Duke Racing Inc. attempted to move up, but with the terrible track conditions dictating a one-groove racetrack, no advancement was made as the field ran single file, nose-to-tail, for the entire race, snapping a 3-year winning streak at the Creek

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 9/28/01
On Friday night, Duke Racing Inc. ventured to the Greenwood Speedway where the team was looking to lock up the 2001 speedway championship. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas and postponed the event to the following Friday night.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 9/30/01
Sunday, Duke Racing Inc. made the westward jaunt the ever popular, Path Valley Speedway for the final round of the Pennsylvania Dirt Karting Championship Series. On this day, Duke Racing Inc. would once again team up with Midnight Power Racing Engines and Illusion Racing Chassis to try to make an impact on the PA karting scene. As the team hit the track for practice during the cold and blustery morning, respectable lap times raised the confidence of Duke Racing Inc. throughout the morning. For the second round of practice, Only a slight air pressure adjustment was made on the Illusion Racing Chassis, and a cross adjustment was made on the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis in the Controlled Stock Class. Faster lap times in the second round of practice had the team poised for a monumental day at the speedway which has plagued the team terribly in the past. Before qualifying, Duke Racing Inc. team engineers decided to make a left rear chassis adjustment on the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis and the results were simply amazing. As Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer for qualifying in the Controlled Stock Medium class, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis toured the speedway in an amazing time of 13.22 seconds, second fastest overall of the day including 2-cycle classes, earning the team their first PDKA pole position of the season. (By the way, this chassis is for sale.) Ecstatic will the run, Duke Racing Inc. began prepping the Illusion Racing Chassis for its qualifying run. Deciding on no major changes, Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway and toured the facility in the Stock Light Class in a time of 13.56 seconds which resulted in a fourth place effort where the pole speed was a time of 13.52 seconds. Pleased with their qualifying effort, Duke Racing Inc. team engineers called a emergency meeting to figure out where to find more speed. After a lengthy debate, it was decided that no major changes would be made to either chassis for the feature events. The first event on tap would be the Controlled Stock Medium feature race. Lining up on the pole position, also known as the place to be, Duke Racing Inc. led the field to the green flag where the outside pole sitter got the jump and Duke Racing Inc. fell in behind the leader. After dogging the leader for several laps, Duke Racing Inc. could not make the pass and distanced themselves from the rest of the pack and when the checkered flag replaced the green, Duke Racing Inc. tied their best PDKA finish of the season with a second place. The Midnight Power Racing Engine was tore down in tech and nothing was found askew except for the discovery of a blown head gasket on the motor which certainly must have robbed horsepower, therefore the team was very pleased with a second place finish with a motor that had a blown head gasket. The last event of the day would be the Stock Light feature race. Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the outside of row 2, and as the sun began to drop in the sky, cooler temperatures prevailed and when the green flag dropped, the tires on the Illusion Racing Chassis did not grip the speedway as well as they had earlier in the day. Duke Racing Inc. slipped back to fifth on the start, but regained the fourth position on lap 4. After losing a few kart lengths to the leaders, late in the race the tires began to come up to temperature and mounted a late race charge to the front making a last lap bid for the third position off turn four, however, the team fell short and had to settle for fourth in the 20 kart field to round out a very satisfying day considering this years prior PDKA performance and the teams history at the Path Valley Speedway. With 4 top 5s in the last 2 events, Duke Racing Inc. feels like they finally have things turned around. Too bad the season is almost over.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 9/21/01
After a long evening in the Duke Racing Inc. shop on Thursday night preparing the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis for competition, the team headed out to the Greenwood Speedway for the only event scheduled for this weekend. With a brand new setup in the ProForce Racing Chassis developed by team engineers, Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway for practice. The team was very pleased with the results as Duke Racing Inc. returned to the pit area. It was decided that no changes were going to be necessary for the qualifying event. Lining up on the outside of the front row for the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer immediately as the green flag fell and took command of the evening by dominating the qualifying event until the checkered flag fell. Upon return to the pit area, Duke Racing Inc. team engineers decided that only a gear change would be made to the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis. Lining up on the pole position, also known as the place to be, also a place Duke Racing Inc. has not visited in a long time, Duke Racing Inc. took command as the green flag dropped and lead wire to wire, capturing a record tying 24th victory of the season.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 9/14/01
Friday night brought the weekly trip to the Greenwood Speedway. After many changes during the week to the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis at the shop of Duke Racing Inc., the team was ready to take another stab at the track where they won the fist 9 consecutive races of the season, but have gone winless since. During the practice session, Duke Racing Engineers looked to be in for a long night as the kart seemed to have a tremendous push in the front end through the corners. For the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. changes 3 tires and made a left rear chassis adjustment to try to solve the problem. Lining up fourth for the qualifying event, Duke Racing Inc. jumped into the lead on lap 1, however the handling difficulties continued as the kart pushed up the race track and the filed went by on the inside. A poor sixth place qualifying effort was the result. During the intermission, Duke Racing Inc. went to work on the ill-handling kart, changing everything but the kitchen sink. This included a tire, track-width, wedge, air pressure, caster, VCG, and camber change. Duke Racing Inc. then lined up o9n the outside of row three and when the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer. Settling into the sixth position, the kart drove much freely around the racetrack than previously. By lap 2, Duke Racing Inc. slipped up to the fourth position. As the tires began to hook to the racing surface, Duke Racing Inc. stormed through the field into the second position, however the leader had already built an insurmountable lead as Duke Racing Inc. tried to close in, however time expired and the checkered flag fell as Duke Racing Inc. was able to rebound from a dismal evening with a second place finish.

SHIPPENSBURG SPEEDWAY -- 9/16/01
After a day of preparation, Duke Racing Inc. made the early morning journey to round five of the Pennsylvania Karting Series to compete with the best competition the state has to offer at the Famed Shippensburg Speedway. In a twist of events leading up to the race, Duke Racing Inc. made their debut in a new ride for the Stock Light division. Courtesy of Midnight Power Racing Engines, Duke Racing Inc. would compete in the Stock Light division with an Illusion Racing Chassis. During the practice session for the Light Division, the Illusion racing chassis seemed to be quick out of the box as Duke Racing Inc. was setting impressive lap times with a slightly loose condition. In the Controlled Stock practice, the teams Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis seemed to continue to have the dreaded push that have been plaguing the team in the latter part of this season. In the second round of practice for the Light division, with no major changes, the Illusion Racing Chassis seemed to be blistering the racing surface until disaster struck. Entering turn 2, a kart spun sideways blocking most of the racetrack, Duke Racing Inc. started to slow on the speedway and headed to the bottom to avoid the spinning kart when traffic from behind punted the Illusion Racing Chassis up and over the spun kart resulting in a series of violent flips and collisions between several karts. After a brief moment of silence, the driver of Duke Racing Inc. emerged from underneath the wreckage fully alert and functional, amazingly sustaining no major injuries. Upon return to the pit area it was discovered besides a lot of cosmetic body damage and a bent wheel, no other major damage was done to the kart. However, the number one motor of Duke Racing Inc. must have taken a direct blow in the carnage and was severely damaged with a cracked block and the reserve engine had to be mounted and prepared for action. After a concentrated effort to prepare the damage, Duke Racing Inc. was ready to attempt qualifying. After the light qualifying attempt that saw the team earn the eighth starting position, it was found the right front wheel must have slightly bent in the earlier collision, which was now rubbing the spindle robbing the kart of speed. After a 4 tire change on the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis, the team picked up speed and made a fifth position qualifying effort in the Controlled Stock Medium Class. After a brief intermission, Duke Racing Inc. made a left rear tire change on the Illusion chassis, and hit the speedway for the Stock Light feature event. Lining up in the eighth position, Duke Racing Inc. took off when the green flag flew and settle in line. After quickly disposing of a couple karts, Duke Racing Inc. drove in the sixth position. As the tires began to react to the speedway surface, Duke Racing Inc. pulled the trigger off turn two and blasted down the backstretch through turns 3 and 4 and into the runner up position. As the race wore on, Duke Racing Inc. began to close on the leader ever so slightly however could never get close enough to mount a serious battle, but the result was the team rebounding from a nasty second round practice accident for teams best PDKA Series finish of the season. The last event on the day was the Controlled Stock Medium event where the team qualified 5th in the field. As the green flag dropped, the field made their way single file and Duke Racing Inc. was not able to gain any ground on the leaders and finished the race where they started for their second top 5 finish of the day.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 9/7/01
Friday evening brought the usual Friday night trip to the Greenwood Speedway for a special 100% payback event for both the Light and Medium classes. After a week of hard work in the Duke Racing Inc. shop, team engineers discovered a new setup that was going to be tested for the first time at the Greenwood Speedway. During the practice sessions, Duke Racing Inc. knew they were headed in the right direction as lap times were as good as they have been in weeks. Lining up in the 4th position in the Stock Light heat race, the green flag dropped in a race where a fellow competitor decided that their own ride was not sufficient and tried on multiple occasions to drive the Duke Racing Inc. Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis by driving their kart on top of Duke Racing Inc. This irresponsible, erratic behavior caused Duke Racing Inc. not to advance any further in the field and ended up qualifying fourth. The next event was the qualifying race for the Stock Medium class. Lining up third on the grid, the green flag waived with Duke Racing Inc. falling into the third position. As the tires began to heat up, Duke Racing Inc. began marching to the front, taking the lead on lap 5. Once assuming the lead position, Duke Racing Inc. never looked back, winning the qualifying event. Impressed with the last run of the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis, it was decided no major changes were going to be made for the feature events. Lining up on the outside of row two for the Stock Light feature event, Duke Racing Inc. settled into the fifth position when the green flag fell. In no time flat, Duke Racing Inc. cleared some of the slower karts to join the 3 car race for the lead. After a late race caution, Duke Racing Inc. began a heated duel with the second place kart which allowed the leader to sneak away from the pack. Once assuming second, Duke Racing Inc. began to slowly close on the leader, however time ran out as the checkered flag replaced the green. Upon return to the pits, only a slight air pressure adjustment was made for the Medium feature event, which would be an incredible 40 laps long with a break at the 20-lap mark. Lining up on the pole by virtue of their heat race victory, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer when the green flag fell only to settle in the second position on the bumper of fellow Ultramax driver, and Greenwood hot shoe, Adam Dimm. Duke Racing Inc. hounded the leader never falling more than 6 inches off the leaders bumper. At the halfway point of the first 20 lap segment, the tires on the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis finally built enough heat to gain traction on the slick track surface, and Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer and took the lead. Pulling away from the pack, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis handled flawlessly to the completion of the first segment. Upon return to the pit area for a 5-minute break, team engineers discovered the kart was so hooked that it completely blistered the brand new right rear tire on the kart. The decision was made not to put a new one on the kart for the final segment. Upon return to the speedway, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer and bolted once again into the lead pulling away from the pack. With about 10 laps to go, Duke Racing Inc. began to slip as their was nothing left of the right rear tire. Receiving no traction, the kart began to loosen up dramatically. With flawless driving, Duke Racing Inc. was able to maintain enough of a lead that the team could hold on until the end, however it was not meant to be as a late race caution flag flew erasing the advantage Duke Racing Inc. held on the rest of the field. With near zero traction left on the right rear tire, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer as the green flag waived, only to experience a very loose condition as the kart headed through turns one and two which allowed second place Dimm to capitalize and steal the lead from Duke Racing Inc. Duke Racing Inc. tried to mount a comeback on the leader, however could not make a move in the closing laps and was forced to settle for second place after a dominate evening.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 9/8/01
Saturday, Duke Racing Inc. headed to the Path Valley Speedway for double-duty paying 300 dollars to win per class. Duke Racing Inc. team engineers struggled all day to find the setup for the tricky quarter mile. When the dust settled and the day was through, Duke Racing Inc. managed a sixth place finish in the stock light class, and an eighth place finish in the Stock Medium class. This track remains the least favorite of Duke Racing Inc for obvious reasons.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 8/24/01
Friday evening brought the usual trip to the Greenwood Speedway for another double-duty effort by Duke Racing Inc. as they bolted on the lead to try to go after the money as the track promoter had yet another 250 dollar to win race in the stock heavy class. As the team hit the track for practice, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis seemed to be dialed in for an optimistic evening. With no major changes, Duke Racing Inc. hit the track for the Light division heat race and as the green flag dropped, the Ultramax ProForce started to experience a slight push. Despite the handling flaw, Duke Racing Inc. was able to manage a second place qualifying effort. Lining up deep in the heavy field for the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. took off as the green flag waived and was ran over by the kart starting to the inside. This dropped Duke Racing Inc. to the tail of the field and recovered for a fifth place qualifying effort as the handling flaw became more severe. During the intermission, the new staff of engineers decided on several major chassis adjustments to try to relieve the tight condition of the kart. Lining up on the outside of the front row for the Stock Light feature event, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer as the green flag fell and drove deep into turn one to take the lead. After leading several laps, it became apparent the pushing condition of the chassis was replace with an extremely loose condition. After struggling to hang on, Duke Racing Inc. eventually had to surrender the lead and slip to finish in the third position. Further adjustments were made to tighten up the kart slightly for the heavy feature event. Lining up deep in the field of heavy hitters, Duke Racing Inc. had their work cut out for them. After slicing and dicing with most of the field, Duke Racing Inc. settled for the fifth position raising many questions for the team about the karts handling characteristics which no immediate answers were known.

PENNS CREEK RACEWAY -- 9/2/01
After a weeks vacation, then a Friday night rain out, Duke Racing Inc. decided to take Saturday off to go over the two Ultramax Racing Chassis with some much needed tender loving care. The result was the correction of many settings, which could have led to the handling difficulties the team has been facing. The team then packed up and headed to Penns Creek Raceway Sunday afternoon to try to turn around their recent luck. With a new experimental setup, Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway for practice with inconclusive results. After finishing second in both qualifying events, Duke Racing Inc. engineers decided to revert back to a more conventional PCI setup. The results were staggering, as Duke Racing Inc. cruised to feature victories in both classes, raising their season win total to 21. This marks the fourth consecutive season in which Duke Racing Inc. has scored over 20 victories in a single year.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 9/3/01
The Labor Day holiday was a treat for racing fans as Duke Racing Inc. competed in 3 events at two different race tracks. The first was the holiday spectacular at the Selinsgrove Raceway Park. With 21 entries in the class full of top-notch drivers, this race resembled more of a PDKA race. With extremely hard track conditions, the team opted for the Firestone/Dunlop combination for practice. The kart seemed hooked to the racing surface, but no speed was to be found. After returning to the pits and a caster change, the team hit the track again for practice and was very pleased with the results. Lining up third in the second heat race, Duke Racing Inc. got boxed behind a slower kart on the start and fell to the fifth position. It only took a lap to extinguish the kart and started marching towards the front. In a few laps Duke Racing Inc. was running second and running down the leader, but in the short 8-lap heat race, time ran out before Duke Racing Inc. could make any move for the lead. With only a gear change and a slight tire pressure adjustment, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the outside of row 2 for the feature event. This caution riddled event saw the likes of several central PA top-notch drivers go at it tooth and nail for 20 laps with much controversy, drama, and excitement. When the dust finally settled on the Snyder county oval, Duke Racing Inc. was sitting in the second position with one lap to go after a late race caution. One lap was not enough time for Duke Racing Inc. to make a charge, and the team had to settle for second place, but it was a strong run by Duke Racing Inc. nevertheless, as the team is starting to once again become more competitive.

PENNS CREEK RACEWAY -- 9/3/01
After a hard working afternoon at Selinsgrove, the team headed back to the shop to prepare for the evening events at Penns Creek Raceway. The featured event this night was a race for a brand new Briggs and Stratton Racing Engine. Duke Racing Inc. also decided to enter the medium division as well. Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the fourth position as the green flag fell on the qualifying event for the Motor Race division. The Ultramax ProForce Chassis once again experienced the mysterious tight condition as the team struggled to finish in the fifth position. As soon as the kart returned to the pits, Team Ultramax engineers began to feverishly work on the chassis to try to find the handle. Major changes were made as the team lined up in the fifth position for the medium race event. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. bolted into the second position and began to hound the leader. After several laps of pressuring the leader, Duke Racing Inc. was able to take command in turn four and cruise to the heat race win. During the intermission, only a slight air pressure adjustment was made, and Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the inside of row 3 for the Motor Race event. As the green flag dropped, it appeared the kart was working better as Duke Racing Inc. was able to move up to third after lap 2. While joining the three-kart race for the lead, the two leaders got together and Duke Racing Inc. slipped into the lead and never looked back as Duke Racing Inc. became the home of a new Briggs and Stratton racing engine. After the Motor Race victory, Duke Racing Inc. prepared for the Medium race feature which the team started on the pole and led every lap to finish out a very successful weekend of 4 feature wins and one second place finish in five races which leaves the team one win shy of their season high win record of 24 set in 1998

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 8/17/01
Friday night brought a much-anticipated return to the Greenwood Speedway, as Duke Racing Inc. would be doing double duty as the speedway was paying a generous 250 dollars to win in the Stock Medium class. The evening started out on a good note as after several adjustments during the practice session, Duke Racing Inc. had their Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis up to speed on the high-banked Juniata County oval. Lining up on the outside of the front row for the Stock Light heat race, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer as the green flag dropped and the kart performed flawlessly as Duke Racing Inc. drove to a convincing win. With confidence high, Duke Racing Inc. made no major changes to the kart as they lined up sixth in a field of stacked medium competitors. As the green flag dropped, a yellow kart drove directly in the side of Duke Racing Inc. sending them to the rear of the field. As the race wore on, Duke Racing Inc. stormed back through the field however, time ran out and Duke Racing Inc. was only able to manage a fourth place finish. Upon return to the pit area, Duke Racing Inc. found that their power plant had suffered a massive overheating during the last qualifying event. A major effort was made by Duke Racing Inc. crew chief and Midnight Power Chief engineer to correct the problem. Meanwhile, Duke Racing Inc. engineers were working on a solution to find more speed from the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis. A caster and tire pressure change was decided on before the Light class feature event. Lining up on the pole position, Duke Racing Inc. exploded out of the gate to take command. Unfortunately, the changes suggested by Duke Racing Inc. engineers did not work in the teams favor as the kart experienced a loose condition throughout the race and eventually lost the lead and settled for a second place finish. After the loss, Duke Racing Inc. engineers were frantic as to what to do to the chassis for a better performance in the Stock Medium race. Against better judgment and as a little bit of desperation, Duke Racing Inc. decided on a right rear tire change for the medium feature event, along with a caster and air pressure adjustment. Duke Racing Inc. was then ready to line up in the seventh position in the 16-kart field. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. began moving through the field and began a torrid duel for the fifth position when the other kart decided he would try to eliminate Duke Racing Inc. from competition by driving them directly into the second turn wall. As Duke Racing checked up to avoid hitting the wall, another kart tagged Duke Racing Inc. from behind and turn them around sitting the wrong way on the back straight. As the caution flag flew, Duke Racing Inc. rejoined the field at the rear, however the tire change to the kart was not the proper solution as Duke Racing Inc. could only muster an 8th place finish. After the races were complete, Duke Racing Inc. went back to their original setup and tested for a few laps on the speedway surface only to turn laps just as fast as the eventual winner of the stock medium race. Upon return to the pit, several Duke Racing Inc. engineers were put on probation.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 8/19/01
After a day in the shop preparing, the team was ready for round 4 of the Pennsylvania Dirt Karting Series at the Path Valley Speedway. The first round of practice was not very productive, as Duke Racing Inc. could not seem to muster any speed on the quarter mile. Lap times in the mid 14 second range would not be beneficial on this day. Several changes were made to each of the Duke racing Inc. entries by Duke Racing Inc. engineers before the teams second round of practice. This showed dramatic improvement as lap times fell to the 13.9 second bracket for Stock Lights and, 13.5 for Controlled Stock Medium. Happy with the results, only a gear change and slight air pressure adjustment was made on the karts for qualifying. In the Controlled Stock class, a lap of 13.19 was made which resulted in a sixth place effort with the pole position being 13.12. In the Stock light class, a lap of 13.26 was made which resulted in a season best fourth place qualifying effort with the pole speed being a lap of 13.23. Before the feature events, Duke Racing Inc. decided on a left front tire change for the Controlled Stock kart and a major air pressure adjustment for the Stock light kart. Duke Racing Inc lined up on the outside of the third row for the Controlled Stock feature event and as the green flag dropped made a bold move for the third position and lost position as another kart decided to make it three wide in the corner and Duke Racing Inc. was hung out to dry on the outside as the freight train went by. As the harder tires began to come in, Duke Racing Inc. wrestled their way back towards the front of the field and as time ran out, the checkered flag fell, and Duke Racing Inc. settled for the sixth position. The next event was the Stock Light event which the team had high hopes after their near perfect qualifying effort. Lining up on the outside of the second row, the green flag waived and as the field entered turn one, contact between the front row caused the second place started to spin and the pack collected him resulting in a kart flipping and a driver being transported to the hospital for a back injury. When the race resumed after the lengthy red flag, Duke Racing Inc. lined up single file in the third position. On the restart, the air pressure adjustment suggested by Duke Racing Inc. engineers failed as the kart pushed dramatically entering the corners, which opened the door for the freight train to roll through, dropping Duke Racing Inc. into the depths of midpack. As the laps began to wear on the tires, they finally gained traction and Duke Racing Inc. took off through the pack like a rocket, however a late race caution is not what Duke Racing Inc. needed as the tires cooled and when the race resumed, traction was again no where to be found. Duke Racing Inc. finished the event in the seventh position.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 8/10/01
Friday night brought the usual trip to the Greenwood Speedway. With an experimental setup underneath the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis, Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway turning respectable lap times, but not up to Duke Racing Inc. standards. A caster and air pressure adjustment was made for the heat race where Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the inside of the second row for the qualifying event. As the green flag waived, a logjam at the front of the pack cause Duke Racing Inc. to slip back to the fifth position. As the race wore on, Duke Racing Inc. slowly worked their way through the field and with few laps remaining, slipped into the runner up position. With too few laps left to catch the leader, Duke Racing Inc. settled for runner up honors. During the intermission, Duke Racing Engineers consulted and made several changes to the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis. For the feature event, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the outside of the first row and dropped the hammer as the green flag waived. Hung on the outside lane, the field roared by on the inside in turns one and two. As Duke Racing Inc. tried to regain composure, a backmarker kart decided to run over the Duke Racing Inc. entry which for the second time in 3 weeks folded the left rear side panel against the left rear tire. This acted like a brake as Duke Racing Inc. struggled to maintain a competitive speed. Somehow, a disappointing fifth place finish was managed to keep Duke Racing Inc. in the Speedway title chase.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 8/03/01
Friday night brought the usual trip to the Greenwood Speedway. Under threatening skies, Duke Racing Inc. hit the track for practice. Dry and harder track conditions made several chassis adjustments necessary, however after the Duke Racing Inc. engineers were finished, Duke Racing Inc. were setting near record speed laps around the 1/8th mile oval. Unfortunately Mother Nature decided to throw a kink in the night as a 45-minute rain shower dampened the speedway. With track conditions now being opposite from what they were in practice, Duke Racing Inc. scrambled to make the necessary changes to the kart. Lining up on the outside of the front row for the qualifying event, Duke Racing Inc. took off only to experience a massive push in the first corner as the field rolled by. Also experiencing an engine problem, which robbed the kart of horsepower down the straightaway, Duke Racing Inc. struggled to finish in the seventh position. After a brief intermission, which Duke Racing Inc. thrashed to prepare the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis for the slimy track conditions. Proper repairs to the JC Specialty power plant were made and Duke Racing Inc. lined up for the feature event. Starting in the seventh position, Duke Racing Inc. slowly made their way through the field. Still experiencing a severe push condition due to the slick track conditions, Duke Racing Inc. managed to wage a five-kart war for the second position. When the dust settled, Duke Racing Inc. was forced to settle for fourth place on this night.

SNYDERSVILLE SPEEDWAY -- 8/04/01
Saturday, Duke Racing Inc. decided to make a trip to the Snydersville Speedway off Interstate 80 near the Poconos. Duke Racing Inc. has made trips to other tracks near this area, which have not been pleasurable experiences, so Duke Racing Inc. was not sure exactly what to expect on this night. Practice on the small, flat track surface started out with Duke Racing Inc. turning fair speeds, however the Duke Power Racing Engine did not seem to be running up to speed. After a clutch change, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the fourth position for the lightweight heat race event. Duke Racing Inc. quickly moved into the second position dogging the leader throughout the race finally pulling the trigger on the white flag lap to take the win. The medium division, paying 200 dollars to win, with 24 entries, Duke Racing Inc. lined up deep in the field in the 19th position. When the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. charged methodically through the field and reached the fifth position when the checkered flag fell on the field. After deciding no adjustments were necessary, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position for the lightweight feature and dropped the hammer. After leading every lap, Duke Racing Inc. earned the feature victory to the dismay of the local drivers and track officials. Next up was the main attraction of the evening, and it pitted the unwelcome outsider, Duke Racing Inc. against local kart shop and track hot-shoe, Lester whats his name. Lining up in the 5th position Duke Racing Inc. slid into fourth when the green flag dropped. With some fancy driving in turn two, Duke Racing Inc. blasted down the backstretch and into second directly behind whats his name. After trailing the leader for a few laps, Duke Racing Inc. decided to take the driver to school in turn four and took the lead. After surviving numerous caution flags, restarts, and track officials even going as far as moving tires onto the racing surface to try to screw up the awesome performance of Duke Racing Inc., the checkered flag finally fell on Duke Racing Inc. giving them their 19th victory of the season.

Following the race, track promoters were still determined to strip the victory by Duke Racing Inc. Duke Racing Inc. was impounded in the tech area until the conclusion of the night. At the end of the evening, they were informed that the entire engine would have to come apart. As Duke Racing Inc. head crew chief disassembled the racing engine, the tech official decided to take apart the carburetor on his own. Amazingly enough, he found the spring that operated the fuel pump of the carburetor was missing therefore deeming the engine illegal and stripped Duke Racing Inc. of the win. After some testing and consultation of other engine builders, it has been determined that a missing spring would cause a severe loss of horsepower rather than enhance performance. Therefore the engine run by Duke Racing Inc., which sliced through the field twice at Shellhammers Speedway the week before and smoked 19 medium-weight competitors on this night was severely lacking horsepower. Duke Racing Inc. thinks NOT! If that was indeed the case, just imagine how many times Duke Racing Inc. would have lapped the field if the motor were up to legal standards. It is our speculation, race officials were so determined not to let Duke Racing Inc. visit victory lane that night, that tech officials STOLE the carburetor spring during tech inspection or while the kart was impounded. Duke Racing Inc. is planning a return visit in the very near future. Beat us on the track, not in tech. Especially when the best you can come up with is a power robbing infraction, as opposed to enhancing. Until next time.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 7/27/01
Friday evening brought another trip to the fastest 1/8-mile oval in Juniata County, Greenwood Speedway. This evening would prove tougher than most thus far this season, as the competition seems to be picking up the pace. Duke Racing Inc. hit the track for the qualifying event and lined up on the outside of the second row. When the green flag dropped, hung out in the outside lane, not known as the place to be, was forced to drop back into the fifth slot. As the cars began to race single file, Duke Racing Inc. started making their move through the field. With two laps remaining in the qualifying event, Duke Racing Inc. positioned themselves in the tire tracks of the leader. With the leader deploying heavy blocking techniques, Duke Racing Inc. patiently waited until the last corner of the last lap to pull the trigger, however it was too late as Duke Racing Inc. lost the heat race my mere inches. Confident in the ability of the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis, Duke Racing Inc. only made a caster change and slight air pressure adjustment for the feature event. Lining up on the outside of the front row, Duke Racing Inc. was forced to drop back to the third position at the start of the feature event. They quickly disposed of the second place kart and began reeling in the leader. With two laps remaining, the caution flag flew. During the caution flag period, Duke Racing Inc. drove up beside the leader, just so he knew who would be on his bumper for the restart. The tactic worked. As the green flag flew for the restart, the leader started driving all over the racing surface to try to block the inevitable passing attempt by Duke Racing Inc. As the white flag waived, the leader was now driving all the way at the bottom of the track down the backstraight. Duke Racing Inc. swung to the outside of the racing surface and as the leader was forced to push to the outside of the track coming off the corner due to his low entry, and Duke Racing Inc. swept underneath the leader and perfectly executed the pass to steal the victory in a thing of beauty to record the win number 17 of the season.

SHELLHAMMERS SPEEDWAY -- 7/28/01
Saturday brought a first ever visit to the Shellhammers Speedway in Leesport, PA. With the Urban Legend surrounding the mystique of the speedway, Duke Racing Inc. was not sure exactly what to expect on this trip. A little to the teams surprise, they were well received with a courteous and friendly atmosphere, clean driving, and a perfect racing surface for karting. With no prior experience on the speedway, Duke Racing Inc. engineers made their best guess for gear and tires. As practice started, Duke Racing Inc. was turning laps at a quick pace immediately out of the box. Unsure of the changing track conditions, Duke Racing Inc. decided to stay with the tires they used in practice. Lining up shotgun on the 12-car field by virtue of never racing there before tonight, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer immediately and started storming through the field. However, even for Duke Racing Inc. passing 12 karts in 8 laps is a very tall feat and Duke Racing Inc. was only able to reach the second position. However, after this performance the team was in good spirits. As the night went on, the racetrack began to build up a tremendous amount of rubber and it became evident that a tire change would be required. Duke Racing Inc. engineers pondered over which brand and compound to pick for the feature event. After a Team Ultramax meeting, and a generous donation by the Dimm Racing Team, a tire selection was made. Again, as a result of never visiting the racetrack, Duke Racing Inc. had to once again line up shotgun on the 12-car field. With the track getting much faster, passing became more of a chore this time around, but Duke Racing Inc. was up to the challenge. The Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis was set up to perfection and Duke Racing Inc. sliced through the field like a hot knife through butter gaining positions on every lap and with a caution flag with one lap remaining, Duke Racing Inc. was sitting in the third position. When the green flag waived for the final lap, the Duke Power Racing Engine blasted by a Ron Moon Power Motor for the runner up position as the checkered flag fell on the field. Speedway officials, local kart shops, and fellow racers congratulated Duke Racing Inc. for their strong performance during their first visit to the speedway.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 7/20/01
Friday evening, Duke Racing Inc. made their usual trip to the Juniata County 1/8th mile oval known as Greenwood Speedway. The evening brought high hopes for a return trip to victory lane, as the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis performed flawlessly with a new experimental setup under the chassis. By the luck of the draw, Duke Racing Inc. started the qualifying event from the front row and let the field sit until a late race caution. As the race resumed with a lap to go, a kart made a effort to pass for the lead and did so briefly, until the ace pilot of Duke Racing Inc. regained the lead in the next corner and winning the qualifying event. With drier track conditions for the feature event, Duke Racing Inc. made no changes to their Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis. Lining up on the pole position, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer from the get go as they left the field in the dust. Unfortunately it must have been Friday the 13th a week late for Duke Racing Inc. as the left side panel inexplicitly folded down under the left rear tire causing the kart to slow considerably eventually eliminating it from competition. Lady luck was definitely not with Duke Racing Inc. on this evening as the team scored their second straight DNF of the season.

GREENWOOD VALLEY ACTION TRACK -- 7/21/01
Saturday evening, Duke Racing Inc. made a rare appearance at their former stomping ground, the Greenwood Valley Action Track. Lining up shotgun on the field for the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. slowly made their way towards the front of the field on the one-lane racing surface. After the checkered flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. found themselves in the second position earning a front row starting spot for the feature event. After several major changes for the feature race, Duke Racing Inc. hit the track and by virtue of starting in the outside lane, dropped back to the third position at the drop of the green. Duke Racing Inc. worked their way into the second position by the mid-point of the event and began their assault on the top-spot. The field was then slowed with a caution flag with 5 laps to go in the event. This gave Duke Racing Inc the break they needed because as the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. won the drag race to the corner and asserted themselves into the lead. Flawless driving enabled Duke Racing Inc. to hold off all challenges and earn their 16th victory of the season.

SHIPPENSBURG SPEEDWAY -- 7/16/01
Sunday morning, as the morning dew began to dissipate, Duke Racing Inc. rolled into the Famed Shippensburg Speedway for the third round of the PDKA State Series. With sunny skies upon the speedway, and the best teams in the tri-state area in attendance, Duke Racing Inc. finished up the pre-race rituals and hit the speedway for practice. In the first round of practice, the Duke Racing Inc. chassis setup seemed to have been applying too much grip to the high-speed racetrack. For the second round of practice a 4-tire change and major air pressure adjustment was implemented in the Lightweight kart while a gear change was made on both Duke Racing Inc. entries. The second round of practice yielded better results in the Controlled Stock class, turning laps in 13.2 second around the quarter mile. However, the Stock Light kart was still not up to speed. As the team prepared for qualifying, several minor adjustments were made to try to improve the speeds and earn a starting position towards the front of the field. In the Controlled Stock class, Duke Racing Inc. was able to muster enough speed to earn a staring spot in the second row. With an identical setup for the Stock light class, the speeds were not as impressive as Duke Racing Inc. could only manage a 15th place qualifying effort. Disturbed by the outcome, Duke Racing Inc. team engineers deliberated for an hour trying to determine the cause of the lack of speed. After a header pipe change, gear and clutch change and air pressure and crossweight change on the Light entry, Duke Racing Inc. was ready to race. The first feature of the day was the Controlled Stock Medium class. Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the outside of the second row and when the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer on the outside of turns one and two and slide into the runner up position. With track conditions growing slicker towards the end of the day, Duke Racing Inc. hit the low side of the speedway and pulled the trigger to take the lead. Duke Racing Inc. then preceded to extent their lead to as much as six kart lengths by the halfway point. Knowing that the teams first PDKA victory was now clearly in sight, it was too good to be true. With a few laps remaining, the Burris Racing tires started to lose traction with the slick racing surface. As Duke Racing Inc. took the 2 laps to go sign from the race official, Duke Racing Inc. headed into turn three with a duo of teammate karts on their bumper as they performed their rendition of the bump and run, hanging Duke Racing Inc. on the outside and stealing the victory. Duke Racing Inc. hung on to finish in the third position with the best PDKA effort for the team thus far this season with mixed emotions. The team was happy to finally once again be in contention to win these prestigious events, however still disappointed that victory still eludes them. After being impounded in the tech area, Duke Racing Inc. returned to the track for the Stock Light event. With a new experimental setup for this event, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the 15th position. Which proved to NOT be the place to be, as after several attempts to get the race started, the team was caught up in a multicar accident in turn two eliminating them from competition to record their first DNF of the season. Overall, Duke Racing Inc. feels they have improved greatly since the first race of the series and will be back to conclude the series in September after taking the August race off to travel to Junction City, Kentucky to compete in a race offering 10,000 to the winner.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 7/6/01
After a week off from the Greenwood Speedway, Duke Racing Inc. returned Friday night for the Summer Championship event paying to win and a race for a brand new Briggs & Stratton racing engine. With new clay on the speedway, cooler than normal temperatures, and a set of tires that were destroyed at Selinsgrove Raceway Park earlier in the week, Duke Racing Inc. hit the track for practice. Struggling to get up to speed, Duke Racing Inc. engineers made several chassis adjustments before the qualifying events. With a front row starting position for the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. jumped into the lead only to have the freight train roar by which delegated Duke Racing Inc. to the third position by the time the checkered was waived. Disappointed with their effort thus far, Duke Racing Inc. made a major air pressure adjustment before the start of the qualifying event for the Motor Race. Starting deep in the field of heavy hitters, Duke Racing Inc. slowly worked through the field finishing the qualifying event in the second position. During the intermission, Duke Racing Inc. called a conference with Snyder Racing Ent. Together they discussed the new track surface and what adjustments needed to be made. They came up with a solution that Duke Racing Inc. put into effect for the first segment of the Motor Race. Lining up on the outside of the front row along side fellow ace Ultramax Pilot of the Famed Dimm Race Team, Duke Racing Inc. settled into the second position at the drop of the green. As the laps wore on, the Duke Racing Inc. Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis became stable enough take the lead and pull away from the field as they went on to win the first segment of the motor race. In the second segment, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position and when the green flag dropped, the third place starter decided upon himself to drive straight over the front row and into the lead. After a torrid duel for the second position, Duke Racing Inc. set sail for the leader only to work their way into striking distance with three laps to go and have the caution slow the pace. On the restart, Duke Racing Inc. dove to the bottom of the track to get a run on the leader only to have the third place kart dive even further to the bottom of the track and Duke Racing Inc. was the odd man out in a three wide sandwich in turns one and two dropping them to fourth in line, much to the crowds delight. With only 2 laps to go, Duke Racing Inc. was able to recover for the third position and earned a shiny new Burris wheel and tire for their efforts. In the Stock Light feature event, a cash prize awaited the winner. As a result of their poor heat race effort, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the sixth position. It only took 3 laps after the green flag waived before Duke Racing Inc. blasted to the front of the pack and pulled away only to have a late race caution bunch the field. However, Duke Racing Inc. was able to hold off the late race challengers with flawless driving and earn their biggest payday of their career.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 7/8/01
(Motor Race Conclusion)
Sunday morning, Duke Racing Inc. returned to the Selinsgrove Raceway Park for the conclusion of the Holiday Motor Race postponed by rain on Tuesday evening. In the practice session, Duke Racing Inc. was turning fair times in practice but the hot weather and hard race track made it necessary to choose a different tire compound for the feature. With no heat race, the race teams only had one guess to get it right as the feature became a craps shoot. With no Firestone tires in inventory, Duke Racing Inc. decided upon the DXA tire compound for the right side. Lining up ninth as a result of the inversion, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer and stormed to the front of the field to take the lead on lap 2. After leading for several laps, Duke Racing Inc. began to fade into the sunset as tire choice caused the kart to slow and a in the later stages of the race. Duke Racing Inc. eventually faded to the fifth position and finished the Motor race with a combined score of 8 for the two segments averaging to the fourth position overall.

PENNS CREEK SPEEDWAY -- 7/8/01
After concluding the program at Selinsgrove Raceway Park, Duke Racing Inc. packed up and headed to the Penns Creek International Speedway. After a hectic racing weekend thus far, the relaxing and calm atmosphere at the Creek was a welcome change. Duke Racing Inc. used the practice sessions to scuff in a brand new set of tires. In the light heat race, Duke Racing Inc. started shotgun on the field and blasted into the lead on lap 2 and won convincingly. In the medium heat race, Duke Racing Inc. lined up 3rd in the 7 kart field and shot into the lead on lap one to win the qualifier convincingly. As the green flag dropped on the feature event for the light karts, Duke Racing Inc. took the lead and never looked back maintaining the teams undefeated win streak at the Creek. In the medium race, Duke Racing Inc. again shot into the lead at the drop of the green and despite the presence of Selinsgrove Raceway Park hot shoe, Kirk Ritter, drove away to dominate the event to earn a payday ending a fairly successful weekend for Duke Racing Inc. with 3 wins, 5 top 5s in five events and earning and a new wheel, tire, and kart cover this holiday week.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 7/3/01
Tuesday brought the first race in a series of events that make up the Fourth of July racing week. With 158 entries for this nights racing events at the All New Selinsgrove Raceway Park, the action was sure to be abundant. Duke Racing Inc., coming off a lackadaisical fourth place effort last Friday night, was hoping to return to victory lane this evening and capture that first victory at the new speedway. As the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis hit the track for the lightweight practice session, the kart seemed to be up to running up to speed and Duke Racing Inc. felt good about their chances this evening. Next was the practice session for the 350-pound Motor Race class. This class boasting 27 entries proved it would be the toughest of the night as speed was nowhere around when the kart for this class hit the track. Before qualifying, no major changes were made to the lightweight kart as they lined up on the outside of the front row. After attempting the start of the race, the pole-sitter forgot to put their crack pipe away as they decided to inexplicitly run over the side of the Duke Racing Inc. entry and rip off the left-side bodywork. Unfazed, Duke Racing Inc. resumed their outside front row position, and when the green flag dropped, bolted away from the field, easily winning the qualifying event. After many adjustments to the kart, the 350-pound Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis was ready to start shotgun on the field for the second qualifier for the Motor Race. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. began to methodically slice through traffic on their way towards the front of the pack. With 3 laps to go, Duke Racing Inc. found their selves in the second position, hounding the leader, but as the checkered flag waived, was unable to make a bid for the lead. As Duke Racing Inc. engineers worked to make the karts faster, Speedway management decided to cut the work session short and directed all Motor Race entries to the speedway for the start of the twin 15 lap feature event. Lining up on the outside of the second row, Duke Racing Inc. pulled the trigger on as the green flag dropped to slide into the third position. However, that is where the team remained for the duration of the first segment due to the lack of the new Firestone tires in the teams inventory, which accompanied the first two finishing teams. As the team engineers considered their limited options for the second segment, the team hit the speedway for the lightweight main event. Lining up on the outside of row one by virtue of their heat race win, Duke Racing Inc. bolted into the lead at the drop of the green. After a few laps, it became apparent the gear change made earlier by the team, was not working in the favor of Duke Racing Inc. as the second place kart hounded the Ultramax ProForce Chassis throughout the race upon exiting turn four. Duke Racing Inc. was able to fend off the challenges through flawless driving until when the white flag unfolded for the last lap, the Selinsgrove regular decided he could not make the pass cleanly and made contact entering the last corner, sending Duke Racing Inc. up the track into the dust where traction was not possible and barely beat Duke Racing Inc. to the start finish line, stealing the victory. Congratulations to the Glass Racing team, but as the old saying goes, what comes around goes around. After the frustrating finish to that event, Duke Racing Inc. turned their focus on the conclusion of the Motor Race event where the inversion was drawn to place Duke Racing Inc. in the ninth position for the start of the final segment. However, Mother Nature had different ideas as like every time Duke Racing Inc. seems to visit this speedway, the rain began to fall postponing the conclusion of the racing events until Sunday morning, so stay tuned for the exciting conclusion

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 6/29/01
Friday night, Duke Racing Inc. took a break from the Greenwood Speedway to visit their archrival, Selinsgrove Raceway Park in preparation for the Tuesday night holiday spectacular, which is destined to draw the top names in the karting business. As the team arrived on the speedway grounds, they noticed an extreme improvement to the speedway surface. During the practice session, the Duke Racing Inc. Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis was on a rail. With no major changes planned for the qualifying event, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the inside of the last row of the loaded 14 kart field. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. started slowly working their way through traffic. As the race approached the checkered, a serious horsepower loss was noticed as Duke Racing Inc. faded to the seventh position over the closing laps. Upon return to the pit area, the Duke Racing Inc. Race Team sprung into action to try to correct the problem. A carburetor full of dust was discovered as being the culprit. Back at full power, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the seventh position for the feature event. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. started to set sail and sliced their way into the fourth position. At the halfway point, it was apparent that Lady Luck was not on the side of Duke Racing Inc. on this evening as the teams usually smooth and calculating driver made an unfortunate error overdriving the kart into turns one and two while trying to overtake the third position. This error cost the team serious track position and several positions. The driver quickly regrouped and began marching back towards the front of the pack, making up a straightaway on the lead trio before laps ran out and the checked flag unfolded for the first non-win for the team since the month of May. All good things must come to an end, and the eight-race winning streak has finally ended. Look for Duke Racing Inc. to try to start another streak this Tuesday night as they return to the Selinsgrove Raceway Park as the best karters in the area will be competing in this holiday spectacular.

PENNS CREEK RACEWAY -- 6/24/01
After a monsoon like conditions for the better part of the weekend, race officials choose to cancel this weeks PDKA State Series event at the Path Valley Speedway. Upon hearing the news, Duke Racing Inc. immediately started preparing their Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis for Penns Creek International Raceway. With a near record kart count and perfect track conditions, you could feel the excitement in the air. Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway for practice, pacing the speedway at a blistering pace. For the Stock Light event, which was offering a very generous fifty-dollar bill to the winner, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position via the luck of the draw. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. set sail, never to return as they cruised to the heat race victory. For the next event, the Stock Medium heat race, Duke Racing Inc. engineers decided on a two-tire change. Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the outside of the second row as the green flag dropped. After a few laps, Duke Racing Inc. worked their way into the lead and survived a late race challenge from the Hoffman Motorsports team to earn another heat race victory. During the intermission, Duke Racing Inc. engineers discussed the effectiveness of the two tire change applied during the medium heat race. As the sun began to set and the temperature began to drop, Duke Racing Inc. decided to revert back to their original setup. As Duke Racing Inc. lined up for the feature event on the pole position by virtue of their heat race victory, tensions were high as Duke Racing Inc. attempted to record a historic 100th career victory. As the green flag dropped, the driver picked it up a notch and started turning record speed laps around the Snyder County Tri-oval. After building a half lap advantage by the time the checkered flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. won number 100. There was little time for celebration however, as Duke Racing Inc. prepared for the Medium feature event. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. checked out as he entered a different zip code like lightning in a thunderstorm as the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis took the checkered flag nearly three-quarters of a lap ahead of the field for victory number 12 of the year.

Duke Racing Inc. would like to take this time to thank the founding father of Duke Racing Inc., Ken Duke Sr. Without his hard work and dedication, none of the 101 wins would have been possible.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 6/15/01
Friday evening, Duke Racing Inc. made the trip to the fastest eighth-mile track on the east coast, Greenwood Speedway. With the threat of a shower passing through the area prior to practice, the speedway was prepared to perfection for Friday night action. With hard and dry track conditions, Duke Racing Inc. had high hopes of extending their undefeated winning streak at this track. After setting out for practice, the Duke Power Racing Ultramax ProForce Chassis demonstrated a slight push through the corners. Air pressure adjustments were made to correct the problem for the heat race. As the skies began to clear, Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the seventh position for the start of the heat race. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. took off like he had lightning in his hip pocket, cutting though the field like a hot knife through butter, taking the lead at the conclusion of lap 2 as Duke Racing Inc. cruised to another heat race victory. During the intermission, Duke Racing Inc. engineers contemplated changes to make the kart even faster. A gear change was decided upon to generate the necessary speed to make the race a lock. After earning the pole position through the heat race victory, Duke Racing Inc. lined up for the feature event and left the field behind as the team scored their sixth straight feature win for victory number 10 of the season

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 6/8/01
Friday evening brought sunny skies and beautiful weather conditions for a change at the Greenwood Speedway where Duke Racing Inc. looked to continue their undefeated streak at the 1/8th mile oval. Building on information learned the previous week at the Creek, Duke Racing Inc. set out in practice with a new tire setup for the evening. Abnormally rough and damp track conditions met the team as they were turning fair laps in practice, but seemed to have left the lightening carried in their hip pocket on previous visits in the trailer and with a stacked field of competition, Duke Racing Inc. would have their work cut out for them tonight. After a slight air pressure adjustment, Duke Racing Inc. lined up for the qualifying event on the tail end of the field. As the green flag dropped, with poise and precision, Duke Racing Inc. sliced and diced their way through the field like a hot knife through butter, moving into the third position halfway through the event. With two laps to go, Duke Racing Inc. moved their Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis into the runner up position and began applying pressure to the leader. As the white flag dropped, the Duke Power Racing Engined kart blasted into the lead and stole the checkered flag. As the evening wore on and cool track temperatures became an issue, Duke Racing Inc. focused their attention on their Burris Racing tires. Soon it was time for the main event as Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position via their heat race victory. With a field of ton notch karters on their bumper, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer as the green flag waived for the feature event. Duke Racing Inc. led a freight train of karters around the speedway until with four laps to go, a slow lapped car impeded the progress of Duke Racing Inc. causing a backlog of karters as suddenly it became a three wide race for the lead. Contact was made between the three karts in turn two casing one to spin and then the freight train was derailed as a mealey of karts scattered the backstretch bringing out a red flag stopping the event. After the carnage was cleaned up, Duke Racing Inc. was then reverted to the lead position. As the race restarted, plenty of pressure was put on Duke Racing Inc. for the lead, but the ice cold driver refused to crack and determined to win, successfully held off a hard charging pack of karts for their 9th victory of the season and inched closer to the century mark with career win 98.

GREENWOOD VALLEY ACTION TRACK -- 6/2/01
After Mother Nature washed out a return trip to the Greenwood Speedway Friday evening, Duke Racing Inc. decided to load up on Saturday and make an unannounced visit to the Greenwood Valley Action Track. Upon arriving, the team was met with a new track surface and configuration. The practice session yielded favorable results that lead team engineers to make a few subtle chassis adjustments for the heat race. Lining up last in a stellar 11-car field of heavy hitters, Duke Racing Inc. wasted no time slicing through the pack. Halfway through the race, the Duke Racing Powered, Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis moved into the third position hounding the leaders when contact between the second and first place karts spun the leader directly into the path of Duke Racing Inc. allowing the fourth place kart to take the lead. After a quick recovery, Duke Racing Inc. closed the gap on the leader and the two would take turns at the point several times with Duke Racing Inc. leading by a kart length when the checkered flag fell. Before the feature, a left rear chassis adjustment was made to the kart and Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position for the feature event. As the green flag dropped, a torrid battle began to shape up between a trio of local track all-stars. Kyle Glass, Tom Tice, and Duke Racing Inc. traded the lead several times until the white flag waved with Glass leading and Tice pressuring for the lead and Duke Racing Inc. looking for and daylight in third as the karts approached the final corner. Contact was made between Glass and Tice as the Glass kart spun giving Duke Racing Inc. the opening they were hoping for as they pulled along side the Tice machine as the two headed towards the checkered flag with Duke Racing Inc. carrying the checkered flag for a victory lap after a photo finish.

PENNS CREEK SPEEDWAY -- 6/3/01
Cool and breezy conditions met the team as the rolled into the Mecca of Motor Racing, Penns Creek International Speedway. Today the speedway would boast an unprecedented to win feature event in the Medium division. On a well-prepared racetrack, Duke Racing Inc. started the day with mediocre results in practice. A gear change was then ordered for the heat race, which saw Duke Racing Inc. line up in the third starting position. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. bolted into the lead with drafting help from fellow Ultramax pilot, Adam Dimm. The Duke Racing Inc. Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis then slipped in corners one and two and Dimm drove into the lead as another purple kart drove into the side of the Duke Racing entry forcing them into the dust and fell to third. After regrouping, Duke Racing Inc. easily recovered the second position and began running down the leader. The checkered flag fell with Duke Racing settling for second while applying pressure to the leaders back bumper at the finish. After a brief discussion, it was decided that only a slight air pressure adjustment would be made for the feature even which saw Team Ultramax drivers Dimm and Duke on the front row as the crowd gathered to watch the spectacle. As the green flag dropped, the front row drag raced down the front stretch with Duke Racing Inc. settling into the second position. Patiently, Duke Racing Inc. trailed the leader until pulling the trigger in turn two down the backstretch to take the lead. Duke Racing Inc. then began touring the speedway flawlessly and pulled away to a healthy lead by the time the checkered flag fell to earn the team their 8th feature win of the season, and 97th of their career as they inch closer to the 100 win milestone.

PENNS CREEK SPEEDWAY -- 5/28/01
5:45 AM - Wake up in Charlotte, NC.
5:55 AM - Start packing up car from a weeks worth of camping
6:40 AM - Depart Charlotte, NC
10:45 AM - Stopped for fuel and lunch at a Mickey Ds in Virginia
2:55 PM - Arrive in Selinsgrove, PA
3:05 PM - Arrive at Duke Racing Inc. headquarters for kart preparation
3:30 PM - Depart for Penns Creek International Raceway
3:58 PM - Arrive at Speedway

Okay, so it is no Tony Stewart, but Duke Racing Inc. made a long awaited return to the track simply known as THE PLACE TO BE, Penns Creek Speedway. With 100% payback money on the line, Duke Racing Inc. was not going to miss the opportunity to earn some cold, hard cash. With sunny skies and a pit area full of racecars, it looked like the trip would be well worth the effort. With a beautifully prepared racing surface, Duke Racing Inc. hit the speedway for practice. After turning fair laps at best on the challenging tri-oval, many adjustments were made before the heat race. The first race on tap was the stock lite heat race. The luck of the draw put Duke Racing Inc. on the pole position for the heat race. Leading wire-to-wire, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis cruised to victory. Things would not be as simple in the Stock Medium class as Duke Racing Inc. started their second Ultramax ProForce Chassis shotgun on the field of heavy hitting drivers. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. moved quietly through the field ending the qualifying event in the second position. A slight air pressure adjustment was the only change to the Duke Racing Inc. karts as they lined up for the Stock light feature event. From the drop of the green flag, the new Duke Racing power plant was singing in key as they bolted away from the field to victory. After the race the kart was then impounded as the Duke Racing power plant was inspected for legality. Of course nothing was found a stray and Duke Racing Inc. was credited for the win. The Stock Medium event would prove to be the most exciting race of the evening as Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the outside of the front row. As the field drove into the first and second corner, Duke Racing Inc. found theirselves on the outside, NOT the place to be, and slipped into the fourth position. As the race wore on, Duke Racing Inc. methodically marched though the field into the second position. As the race wore on, Duke Racing Inc. could not seem to make up any ground lost as they trailed by 4-5 kart lengths. Seeming to settle for the second position, the white flag waived, and then Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer. Running wide open through the first and second corner, never lifting, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis closed within striking distance. Down the backstretch, Duke Racing Inc. pulled even and with an amazing last lap pass in turn four, Duke Racing inc. stole the checkered flag for their 6th win of the season

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 5/18/01
Friday evening, Duke Racing Inc. arrived at the Greenwood Speedway with a confident attitude as the team has pealed off back-to-back wins at the speedway. This caused several people at the speedway to threaten a motor tear down if the team would repeat their previous two efforts. With another loaded field of competitors, Duke Racing Inc. had their Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis rocketing around the smooth oval in record fashion. Appearing to have the field covered, no adjustments were made for the heat race. Lining up on the outside of the front row for the heat race, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer, but had to fall in behind the pole sitter after the first corner. Applying pressure to the rear of the pace setter, Duke Racing Inc. intimidated the competitor into slipping off turn two and drove into the lead and another heat race victory. After several discussions, it was decided that no adjustments would be made for the feature event. Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position and never looked back to earn the teams fourth win of the season. (sidenote:there was no engine tear-down)

Shippensburg Speedway -- 05/19/01
Sunday brought dismal skies to the Shippensburg Speedway for the second round of the PDKA State Series. The racing action for Duke Racing Inc. would match the weather as they continued to struggle on the new series spec tire. With a poorer than poor qualifying attempt after the Ultramax driver incorrectly diagnosed the handling problem with the chassis, Ultramax Racing Chassis engineers were consulted to correct the poor handling chassis. After many adjustments, the team was ready to line up and head back toward the front of the field. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different ideas. The gray skies finally broke open and the feature events were rained out forcing the final results to be the qualifying order, leaving Duke Racing Inc. to swallow their career worst ever PDKA finishes and leaving the team buried in the state series rankings with four races remaining.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 5/11/01
Friday night, Duke Racing Inc. made a return trip to Greenwood Speedway to prove their victory last week was no fluke. The team was met with excellent track conditions as they took to the speedway for practice. The Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis was experiencing slight handling troubles, however, Duke Racing Inc. was still able to pass nearly everyone on the speedway. After a slight air pressure adjustment, Duke Racing Inc. was ready for the qualifying event. Lining up on the inside of the second row, Duke Racing Inc. dropped the hammer and wasted no time by rocketing into the lead by the first corner of the speedway. The Duke Racing Inc. power plant was up to full song as the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis pulled away from the field for the heat race victory. After a careful evaluation, Duke Racing engineers decided on a few subtle changes for the feature event. The main event turned into a snoozer, as Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position and blasted into the lead at the drop of the green flag and headed for a pretty healthy payday as they record their second victory of the season.

GREENWOOD VALLEY ACTION TRACK -- 05/12/01
Saturday night brought a rare trip back to the birthplace of Duke Racing Inc., the Greenwood Valley Action Track. The trip brought soggy conditions as scattered showers were in the forecast. Duke Racing Inc. left the practice session with the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis not receiving the optimum grip that was required on the slick-racing surface. After a few adjustments, Duke Racing once again lined up on the inside of the second row for the qualifying event. With an awesome Duke Racing power plant on board, the ProForce Racing Chassis blasted into the lead and never looked back for another heat race victory. After a few passing showers, track management decided to have the micro sprint division pack the racing surface and the result was the best track conditions seen thus far this year at any speedway. Not a bump was to be found as Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the pole position for the feature event and cruised to the second victory of the weekend, and 92nd career, lapping all but the second place competitor.

GREENWOOD SPEEDWAY -- 5/4/01
After licking their wounds from the PDKA race last weekend, Duke Racing Inc. made a last minute decision to travel to the metropolis of Richfield, PA to visit the New and Improved Greenwood Speedway. With many renovations over the winter, Greenwood Speedway is turning into a first class facility. The major change was the widening of the racing surface allowing for the first time in track history, the ability to pass without having to use a bump-and-run technique. As the night began, Duke Racing Inc. was turning decent laps as the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis was locked to the dry track conditions. An air pressure adjustment was made to try to unlock the chassis from the racing surface. Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the 8th position for the heat race, and when the green flag dropped, Duke Racing Inc. methodically marched patiently to the front of the field, taking the lead with 2 laps to go, and never looked back. As the feature drew closer, fireworks lit up the sky, as the lightweight karts prepared for their main event. A wedge and gear ratio adjustment were all that it took as Duke Racing Inc. started from the pole position and the Duke Racing power plant rocketed away from the field as the chassis was locked to perfection to a half lap advantage when the checkered flag fell for the first win of the season and career milestone win number 90 for Duke Racing Inc.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 05/05/01
After an exhilarating victory Friday evening, the team was pumped up to return to the track that has given them so many problems this season, Path Valley Speedway. As the team started practice, trying to use what they learned the previous night, the team was turning respectable times, but nothing fantastic. The second practice session yielded slightly better results after a left rear tire change. For the heat race another left side tire change was made along with a wedge adjustment. Duke Racing Inc. then lined up in the fifth position for the lightweight heat race. As the green flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. fell in single-file position until the tires started adhering to the racing surface at the half-way point, and Duke Racing Inc. made their move. After a death-defying pass on the outside of the speedway for the fourth position, the checkered flag waived. Next Duke Racing Inc. made a slight air pressure adjustment in attempt to make the tires grip the track more quickly. Lining up shotgun on the field of medium drivers, Duke Racing Inc. began their march to the front barely being edged out of the third position when the checkered flag fell. After careful evaluation, the team decided on a right rear tire change for the feature events. Lining up 8th in a pack of karts that resembled a PDKA race, Duke Racing Inc. quickly took off creeping up through the pack until contact was made with the fifth place kart sending Duke Racing Inc. to the back of the pack and started a chain of events that would leave Duke Racing Inc. in the eye of the hurricane. With karts running all over the racetrack, Duke Racing Inc. would make up some positions only to be bounced to the rear again. After the dust settled, Duke Racing Inc. came home in the seventh position and was in bad need of repairs to the Ultramax Racing Chassis. The team then sprung into action, repairing the badly beaten kart in time for the Stock medium race. In the most competitive class of the day, Duke Racing Inc. again lined up on the outside of the fourth row as the green flag fell. Teaming up with another kart, Duke Racing Inc. drafted their way into the top five when all hell broke loose again. Contact between the third and fourth place karts spun the third place Hoffman Motorsports entry directly into the path of Duke Racing Inc. sending both karts to the back of the 18-kart pack. The duo then teamed up as they sliced their way back towards the front. With two laps to go, Duke Racing saw themselves in seventh place gaining rapidly on the leaders. The hard-charging driver, never knowing when to quit, made a last lap, death-defying move which ended up with Duke Racing Inc. in the middle of a five kart wide photo finish for third place. After further review, it was decided that Duke Racing Inc. finished in the fifth position.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY-- 04/28/01
Under clear skies and beautiful conditions, Duke Racing Inc. pulled into the site of the first in a six race series that will determine the karting champions from the state of Pennsylvania. Duke Racing Inc. unloaded for the two-day marathon, and prepared with confidence. After the first round of practice, Duke Racing Inc. was touring the quarter mile clay oval at pole speed pace. Being fairly happy with the handling of both karts, Duke Racing made a few minor adjustments for the second round. After the second round, the Controlled Stock kart began to loose the handle so the crew went to work to improve that karts handling with the ever-changing track conditions. After the three rounds of practice were concluded, Duke Racing Inc. was turning their slowest times of the day. A Team Ultramax meeting was then called as the teams contemplated what changes to make for qualifying. The result had Duke Racing Inc. qualifying in the fifth position for the Controlled Stock class, and the ninth position for the Stock Lite class. With starting positions near the front of the field in each class, the team felt confident going into the next day.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 04/30/01
As practice began early Sunday morning, Duke Racing Inc. implemented the changes to the Ultramax Racing Chassis determined the night before. The results were not favorable as the kart picked up a severe push in the Controlled stock class, and the Stock Lite practice was cut short due to an unbalanced right front tire. A left rear tire change on the Controlled Stock kart and a right front tire change along with a new experimental gear ratio were implemented on the Stock Lite kart, and Duke Racing Inc. was ready for Happy Hour. The final practice session brought a calm over the team as the karts from Duke Racing Inc. were pacing the high-banked oval at speeds faster than those of the pole sitter the day before. Once again regaining their confidence, Duke Racing Inc. was ready for the feature events.

Lining up on the inside of the third row, Duke Racing Inc. rocketed into the third position at the drop of the green, only to have the caution flag wave negating the start. What would follow would be comparable to a scene from Days of Thunder. As the green flag dropped, one driver in particular decided it would be best to drive directly into the rear of the Duke Racing prepared kart entering the corner lap after lap after lap rooting the teams kart out of the way to pass only to get their side panels blown off in the next corner by Duke Racing Inc. Realizing that Duke Racing Inc. was obviously faster, the competitor (well know for their on-track driving tactics) decided to continuously run into the back of Duke Racing Inc. entering the corner. After finally fighting off the juvenile driving tactics displayed by the driver, Duke Racing Inc. was finally free to set sail and started running down the leaders only to have time run out. As the checkered flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. finished in the sixth position. After a confrontation with the before mentioned driver, again displaying their own immaturity, Duke Racing Inc. regrouped and prepared for the Stock Lite feature. After numerous restarts, and a red flag for a flip in turn two, the feature finally got under way with Duke Racing Inc. making a move and reached the sixth position before finding themselves in the wrong line falling to the twelfth position. The race featured three and four wide racing as positions were traded on every lap. When the checkered flag fell, Duke Racing Inc. finished a very disappointing ninth place.

The new tire brought to the series this year has raised many questions to many teams. Duke Racing Inc. has struggled in finding the answer to the fast setup that once carried the team to the front. You can bet the team will go back to work and try to find an answer, as the next race will take the series to the Shippensburg Speedway in less than three weeks. Look for Duke Racing to return to the Path Valley Speedway this Saturday afternoon for the money race postponed from a week ago as they try to get that monkey off their back that has plagued the team so far this season.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 04/20/01
Friday evening brought cloudy skies and cold temperatures to the Susquehanna Valley. As the moisture began to fall ever so slightly, Duke Racing Inc. took to the track during the practice session. The team was not satisfied with the amount of bite the tires were getting on the slick racing surface and several chassis adjustments were made as Duke Racing Inc. lined up deep in the field for the qualifying heat race. As the green flag dropped, the Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis saw passing at a premium as the heavy race traffic and left Duke Racing Inc. with no where to go in the early stages. As the field stretched out, Duke Racing Inc. teamed up with Greenwood Valley legend Nip Loss as they began slicing thier way through the field. With a few laps remaining the duo ran down the front runners as the checkered flag waived. Mother Nature decided that is was time to open up and the rains came, therefore cancelling the remainder of the program. Track managememnt then decided that the heat race results would stand as the offical race results for the evening giving Duke Racing Inc. another fifth place finish.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 04/21/01
Saturday afternoon the team made thier way to the site of first PDKA race to be held in one week, Path Valley Speedway. After consulting many top Ultramax ProForce engineers and drivers across the country, Duke Racing Inc. brought a setup that they would hope would solve all their problems. After and open session of practice, Duke Racing saw that the kart handling had improved, but was not optimum. The team then went to work making several chassis and tire changes during the free practice session until they came up with a combination they felt good about. Unfortunately, they would never get the opportunity to try the new found setup as once again, the rains came postponing the money event for two weeks.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 4/13/01
Friday evening brought a huge crowd to the New Selinsgrove Raceway Park for their first night racing event. With a field of 126 karts in the pits, the atmosphere was filled with excitement as Duke Racing Inc. set out to avenge the loss suffered last time the team took to the track at the hands of JC Specialty driver Kirk Ritter. As the team set out onto the track for the first practice session, Duke Racing Inc. soon realized that the new experimental set-up the team put in the kart to combat a season long push had adjusted the kart too much as the talented driver could not keep the rear of the kart under him in the corner. The engineering department then advised several chassis adjustments to tighten up the kart for the heat race. Starting on the inside of the second row, Duke Racing Inc. blasted their Ultramax ProForce racing chassis into the second position through turns one and two, then pulled to the inside in turns three and four and rocketed into the lead, leaving the rest of the pack of karts to battle it out for second as Duke Racing Inc. pulled away to a straightaway advantage to win their first heat race of the year. The evening would then take a dramatic turn worthy of a movie-of-the-week. The decision was made to run the qualifying events for the micro sprint cars before the kart features. This left many questions to the track conditions that were going to be waiting for the karts for the feature events. After a lengthy conference among fellow Ultramax ProForce drivers, a decision was made to lower the front camber, move the left rear tire, along with an air pressure adjustment in all four tires. At approximately 1AM, Duke Racing Inc. lined up on the front row inside archrival Kirk Ritter. As the green flag flew, the Duke Racing Inc. powered engine provided the horsepower to blast into the lead. As the karts went down the backstretch, Kirk Ritter must have lost his brakes as he walloped the rear end of the Ultramax ProForce chassis sending it up the racetrack and into second position. Duke Racing Inc. followed in pursuit of the leader, applying tremendous pressure. The two exchanged the lead on several occasions and rocketed away from the rest of the pack as heavy lapped traffic once again played a part in the outcome as a lapped car decided to make a left hand turn directly into the path of Duke Racing Inc. allowing the leader to open up a few karts length of daylight with a lap to go. Duke Racing had to again settle for the second position in the feature event.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 04/14/01
Saturday afternoon the team made the trek to the site of the PDKA race in two short weeks, Path Valley Speedway. There the team met incredibly tumultuous track conditions, resembling that of a cornfield. After pulling off the track in practice, track crews decided they should do something about the racetrack. (You think???) After a few hours of grading and watering the track was marginally better as the team took to the track for the heat race. Lining up in the sixth position, Duke Racing Inc. appeared to have the handle back as the ever-patient driver worked his way into the second position. However as the laps clicked away, the tires on the ProForce chassis went away as the pushing problems continued, dropping Duke Racing Inc. to third place at the checkered flag. In the pits, Duke Racing Inc. engineers were thoroughly confused as to what might be the source of the problem. After careful deliberation, the team decided to change right side tires. As Duke Racing Inc. lined up in the sixth position for the feature event, it appeared as if the changes paid off as Duke Racing climbed to the fourth position and started working on the leaders. However, as the race wore on, the tires started to once again loose traction with Duke Racing Inc. getting pinned on the outside groove, not the place to be, was shuffled out of the draft and finished a very disappointing sixth position. Duke Racing Inc. did gain one spot in post race inspection as the third place finisher weighted in two pounds light, giving them an official fifth place finish.

PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY -- 03/31/01
This weekend brought dreary weather and cold temps to the Central PA area, but that was not enough to keep Duke Racing Inc. from seeing some action this weekend. Saturday the team participated in the opening day festivities at the Path Valley Speedway. Tumultuous track conditions met the team as they went out for their first practice session. During this session, Duke Racing Inc. fought poor handling and lack of horsepower as they could not even muster enough speed to pass a Junior Restricted kart. This was the first indication that this was going to be a long day. Duke Racing Inc. made several adjustments and gear changes before they lined up shotgun on the Stock Lite heat race. Duke Racing Inc. muddled their ProForce racing chassis through the field and after punching a softball size hole in the nose of the kart, limped home to a fifth place finish. During feature preparation, Duke Racing Inc. discovered a major flaw in kart preparation for this race. The Clutch was one tooth to big, robbing the Duke Racing Inc. power plant of horsepower. The proper gear was put in place and a confident Duke Racing Inc. team lined up for the feature event. However, all was for not, as the team could only rally for their third straight fifth place finish of the season.

SELINSGROVE RACEWAY PARK -- 04/01/01
After a night of restless sleep due to the sub-par performance thus far this season for Duke Racing Inc., the team woke up Sunday morning, more determined than ever to turn things around. After careful preparation the team made the journey south for the inaugural race at the all-new Selinsgrove Raceway Park. As practice began, Duke Racing Inc. began to show signs of old, as the team rocketed around the D-shaped oval. As moisture began to fall from the sky, Duke Racing Inc. lined up for the first of two divisions of heat racing. As the green flag fell in the stock Lite heat race, track conditions became extremely slick and smooth throttle response was key as Duke Racing held their line and earned a decent starting spot for the feature with a fourth place finish. That is also where Duke Racing Inc. lined up their Ultramax ProForce racing chassis for the Medium class heat race. As the green flag dropped, Duke Racing immediate grabbed the lead on the extremely treacherous racing surface. After being railroaded off what is becoming infamous turn-two of the new speedway, Duke Racing Inc. settled into second place and held the line to earn a front row starting position for the feature event. During the intermission, the Micro Sprint cars were sent out to dry off the racing surface and Duke Racing made numerous adjustments to attempt to tighten up the kart for the slick-racing surface. As the light feature started, Duke Racing got the unwanted benifit of starting on the outside and fell back to the fifth position. As the rain stopped and the track surface became ultra-tacky, Duke Racing Inc. discovered that they may have tightened up the kart a little too much, but were able to work their way through the field and salvage their first top three of the year with a third place finish. Before the Medium feature, an air-pressure adjustment was made and the Ultramax ProForce racing chassis was on a rail as local hot-shoe Kirk Ritter and Duke Racing Inc. ran nose to tail though heavy lapped traffic. With one lap to go, Duke Racing Inc. tried a prove their bravery by attempting a pass on the outside of turn two for a run at the leader and slipped off the edge of the racing surface. However, every other car in the field was a lap down to the leaders and they did not lose any positions and scored a season high second place finish.

Shippensburg Speedway -- 03/10/01
Saturday brought the highly anticipated 2001 season opener at the Famed Shippensburg Speedway. Duke Racing Inc. must take this time to commend all track workers at the speedway for the excellent racing surface, especially considering there was a snowstorm earlier in the week, leaving 8 inches of snow on the speedway surface. The chilly conditions of this day, however, left Duke Racing Inc. searching hot setup all day. During the practice sessions, the Ultramax ProForce racing chassis was suffering from having too much bite in the corners, causing a slight push on entry. A caster adjustment was then made and Duke Racing was ready to line up for the Stock Light heat race. (**Editors Note: the snowstorm which cover the state of PA early in the week caused Duke Racing Inc. to not have their equipment prepared up to Duke Racing standards before the race because there was no way Duke Racing thought the speedway would ever race this week.) After lining up third in the top quality field of Light drivers, Duke Racing Inc. sank to 5th, after the Norem Racing clutch ran in the previous weeks practice session did not quite cut it on the starts. Duke Racing was able to rebound back to the third position by the races end, but still had a significant push on entry to the corner. A two-tire change was in order for the next race.
After drawing the pole for the Stock Medium heat race, Duke Racing was at an unsuspecting disadvantage, as the track watering crew decided to water the racing surface and not run it in. As the green flag flew, Duke Racing powered into the lead, only to hit the water that laid in the first corner, slid up the track and was then punted to the rear of the field as karts started flying everywhere. Suffering minimal damage, Duke Racing went to the rear of the field and slowly worked their way up to the 9th position as the push upon entry into the corner still had Duke Racing Inc. scratching their heads.
Upon a lack-luster performance in the heat race by Duke Racing standards, the crew decided to remove the Duke Racing Inc. experimental motor and replaced it with another motor developed by Duke Racing Inc., tested by the Hoffman Race Team at the World Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida. Also Duke Racing rolled the dice and made a drastic gear clutch and change and bolted on 4 Maxxis racing tires for the features.
After lining up third for the Stock Light feature, it became apparent that the Maxxis tires were not receiving optimum grip as Duke Racing fell to the 7th position. However, after 3 laps of competition, the tire began to grip the racing surface and the push was gone as Duke Racing started closing rapidly on the leaders. Just as Duke Racing was making a move for the fourth position, the yellow came out. This force the tires to cool a bit and when the green came out, it once again took Duke Racing a few laps to build heat unfortunately there seemed to be a caution every 3-4 laps not allowing enough time for Duke Racing to make there move and finished the race in the fifth position. The medium race went much of the same and after making a three wide slingshot pass of a trio of PDKA hot shoes, Duke Racing came home in a respectful fifth position.
With temperatures predicted to be in the 50's next weekend, Duke Racing promises their legions of fans that they will go to work in the shop this week and promises a much better effort next week as the team will revisit the Shippensburg Speedway and participate in the inaugural race at the Brand New Selinsgrove Raceway Park.

Shippensburg Speedway Test Session -- 03/03/01
Saturday, Duke Racing Inc. unloaded two Ultramax Racing chassis for the early Spring testing session at the Shippensburg Speedway. As testing began on the winter green race track, Duke Racing Inc. were not setting any new track records on the chassis made famous last season. After a misleading tach reading on a new experimental motor assembled within the confines of Duke Racing Inc., a motor change was made. As the track grew harder, Duke Racing Inc. made a 2 tire change and unveiled a brand new Ultramax ProForce Racing Chassis. Sporting another brand new experimental Duke Racing Inc. engine, the driver was told to "take it easy",until the motor was broke in. After a lap under green, it became apperent that the New ProForce chassis was hooked to perfection, and never being one to "take it easy", Duke Racing Inc. decided it was time to "DROP THE HAMMER". After passing nearly every kart on the track and coming up to lap those passed in the first few laps, Duke Racing Inc.decided that the experiment was successful and determined the test session was a complete success and after a few confirmation runs, packed it in for the day. Duke Racing Inc. will be putting the many things learned during this test session in use in the next two weeks as the season officially gets under way this Saturday at the Shippensburg Speedway. Hope to see everyone there!

Daytona Municiple Stadium -- 12/30/00
Duke Racing Inc. suffered a couple of near misses during the Karting World Championships in Daytona Beach, FL. On Day 1, the team battled handling problems with the ProForce racing chassis, improving throughout the day resulting in a 38th place out of 98 qualifying effort in the Controlled Stock Medium class.
As Day 2 was a wash out, Day 3 brought new promise as Duke Racing Inc. teamed up with Answer Karts in attempt to put a new prototype chassis in the Controlled Stock Heavy field. The day was indicative of the number on the kart. (Lucky 13) A flat left front tire in the first round of practice and a spin into the fourth turn wall in the second round nullified any practice time on the new chassis. In the first round of qualifying, the kart was glued to the bottom of the racing surface, however a motor problem developed during the timed laps, relugating the team to a second round qualifying attempt. After an engine change, gear change, cross and caster adjustment, second round qualifying was underway, however the kart just missed the field by one tenth of a second.
Thanks to all the fine people at Ultramax Racing and Answer Karts for all of thier help, making the trip a very enjoyable and educational experience.