Chad Ogle
Some believe that the solution for making a race car go faster is to simply throw more money at it. The more the owner spends the faster the ride is a common mindset in the racing community. However, driver Chad Ogle and his team debunked that notion last Saturday night at the Volunteer Speedway when their No. 10 car parked in Victory Lane after the Carolina Clash feature race had taken the checkered flag.
Ogle won a race sanctioned by the same organization on the same track a year ago and believes this race and this time of the season is when and where his team is most suited for success. But he also adds that any such success by a team working on a limited budger would not be possible without the help of fellow racers such as former Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Jimmy Owens.
“It’s just a good early year race,” the Sevierville, Tenn. native explained. “We’ve been fast already this year, like that first race up here in the Ray Cook(Spring Nationals) deal. We qualified second fastest overall but we were second in my group behind Chris Madden. We’ve had a pretty good piece up here lately and then we had a fast car at Tazewell for the Lucas race, but I just let Jimmy out qualify me. It’s been a good year so far but I’ve got a tired motor and I’m a little worried so we’ll see.”
The $4,000 payout Ogle received for the Carolina Clash victory will help him carry on throughout the 2016 season. But at the same time, he would love to have additional support from someone looking to get into the sport with an established driver.
“It might get me a down payment, I guess,” Ogle explained of the check he picked up in Bulls Gap. “I really wish I could find a sponsor that wanted to go racing. Those tires on the car tonight came from Jimmy. I go up there and buy some $30 tires that are already cut up. I buy a few fresh ones when I think I need it, maybe at the first of the year. That tire that’s on the left rear right now ran fifty laps at Tazewell in that feature. I just buff them up or re-cut them, whatever I think I can do and it be an okay tire.”
For someone racing without a major backer, winning races can make the difference between continuing on or dropping by the wayside.
“The money definitely helps us go on,” Ogle declared in an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “We’re just paycheck racers from week to week. If we tear up and don’t get our entry fee back it may be a struggle to get back the next week so I need a few of these to keep me going throughout the year.”
The key to keeping up the momentum gained from a win such as this can be elusive according to the veteran driver.
Chad Ogle on his way to victory at Volunteer Speedway
“Luck, that’s all racing is, just luck,” Ogle explained. “You prepare and prepare but if you don’t have a few things fall your way then by the end of the night you’ve either got a tore up hot rod or you weren’t very good to begin with. You’ve got to have luck in racing. We know we’ve got a good piece, we’ve just got to keep up with it.”
In comparison to bigger operations, Ogle operates with a surprisingly small budget. He and his team make the most of what they have and have even been able ‘slay the giants’ on a few occasions.
“People would be really tore up if they knew how much I’ve spent this year. I’ve probably spent maybe a thousand dollars and five-hundred of that was a drum of fuel. Last week up at Tazewell, I ran an LM40(tire) I bought off of Jimmy for $30. I qualified on the same tires that I qualified last year in that Lucas Oil race. I think I could go in and help a team that’s spending two or three thousand a weekend. But what we do works for us and it may not work for anybody else. I know every inch of the race car. I’ve got people who help me, but it’s my job to keep it up and it’s my fault if it don’t perform.”
Ogle hopes that he and his crew get more chances to celebrate in Victory Lane
