Keselowski wins top speed award with 261 mph pass

Episode 330

September 6, 2020

Keselowski wins Bill Warner Top Speed honors at Loring Speed Trials

Smoking the tires on his Dodge Charger, Bob Keselowski lead all competitors with a 261 mph pass. The Dodge NASCAR engine was fed by a single carburetor. (HTF Motorsports photo)

Sixty-nine year old Bob Keselowski achieved a couple of his goals at the Loring Timing Association land speed races this past week. One goal was to up his previous speed of 252 mph in 2018 which he eclipsed with a 261 mph run Thursday.

The second goal was to win the Bill Warner Top Speed Race Event award. After the dust had settled, Keselowski’s 261 mph speed held up for the fastest speed posted during the 2020 season.

Keselowski, the father of NASCAR Cup driver Brad Keselowski, mentioned that he once again utilized his 358 cid Dodge old school NASCAR engine with one carb, however, nitrous was added to the package this season. Keep in mind that Keselowski has gone 271.8 at Bonneville in 2018 without nitrous on the five mile course.

He jokingly noted, “With nitrous one might expect a 10 mph increase at Loring.” He did not want to guess what the top speed might be due to the stress on the engine.

Saturday a sticking nitrous solenoid forced him to use only the carburetor which yielded a speed in the 240 range. After that run the Keselowski Brothers packed up their two race cars and began the trek back to North Carolina. Both said they hope to return in 2021.

Sporting his new Bill Warner Fastest Speed cap, Bob Keselowski prepares for the trip back to North Carolina. His 261 mph speed netted him the top speed award. (HTF Motorsports photo)

What could have been a top speed shootout between Jason White’s Corvette on left and Bob Keselowski’s Dodge. The race did not materialize since a severely slipping clutch in the White Corvette limited him to 232 mph. Kelowski took the title from White who held the honor with a 269 mph pass in 2019.  (HTF Motorsports photo)

Ron Keselowski, brother of Bob Keselowski, smokes his tires at the start on his Corvette Sting Ray at the Loring Timing Association Harvest Event. He set a personal best, however, I am unable to post that speed as of publishing. (HTF Motorsports photo)

Marcia gets her 200 MPH Club hat

Flying Seven’s Marcia Buck Barker LTA 200 MPH Club hat earned at the 2020 Harvest Event. (Flying Seven photo)

At the 200 MPH Club ceremony at the LTA Harvest Event, club member Mark Maybury right,  awards Flying Seven Racing Marcia Buck Barker her hat and certificate. Barker went 202.192 in Mark Gobeil Shelby Daytona Coupe kit car. (Flying Seven photo)

Flying Seven Racing driver Marcia Buck Barker is pushed to the start line aboard the Robert Gobeil Daytona Coupe kit car. Barker earned her Loring Timing Association (LTA) 200 MPH Club lifetime membership with a 202 mph pass. Barker remarked, “It was like a Sunday drive”.(HTF Motorsports photo)

80 Year old racer hits 141 mph in lakester

John “Jack” Gifford from the Finger Lakes area of New York raced this well prepared lakester to 14i mph. Gifford is a Pontiac enthusiast. (HTF Motorsports photo)

Pontiac aficionado, Jack Gifford,handbuilt this four cylinder Pontiac engine converting it to a double overhead cam engine with fuel injection. He did this with his old style (non computerized) machine tools. (HTF Motorsports photo)

Jack Gifford’s 1959 GMC pickup with Pontiac big block power. Gifford towed his lakester from the Finger Lakes region of New York about 800 miles. The trip was his first of that distance. Prior he had only driven 150 miles maximum. (HTF Motorsports photo)

Sting Ray wins a triple header at Indy

The Road to Indy Pro 2000 points race tightened up considerably last Thursday and Friday when Sting Ray Robb in his Juncos Racing car won all three races held on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. By sweeping the triple-header, Sting Ray becomes the first driver in the Pro 2000 series to win three races in a row.

Sting Ray Robb leading the field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Robb took two pole positions and three wins at the famed track. He hopes to someday race INDYCAR at the speedway. Robb said, “Giving God the glory, today was a big WIN . P1 finish and on the podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – THAT was a great 19th birthday celebration!! #JuncosRacing had the car dialed in and after battling back from 5th after a restart – we powered to the front. So grateful that #BradenEaves seems to be ok after that pretty horrific crash. Grateful for the safety gear & equipment doing its job. Qualifying & two races tomorrow. Keep prayers & cheers coming!: (Road to Indy photo)

Sting Ray Robb ceremoniously kissing the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after sweeping all three races on the infield road course. The first race on Thursday was worth a double celebration since it was his 19th birthday. With 10 of the 17 races completed Sting Ray leads Devlin DeFrancesco by 16 points. Juncos Racing leads the team championship. The winner of the Pro 2000 Championship gets a $600,000 scholarship to compete in the next step of the Road to Indy ladder, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tire. (Road to Indy photo)

With a hat trick at Indy, Sting Ray Robb carries his momentum into next week’s doubleheader at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio. The Pro 2000 Series will be part of the NTT INDYCAR Series events postponed earlier this season. Robb commented about Friday’s twin wins saying,“These two races were my fourth and fifth time starting on pole and luckily I wasn’t hit from behind like I have been before. The guys kept it clean behind me, at least against me. I got a good jump and cleared the draft in both races and was able to stay out in front.
But it’s still all going through my head right now, figuring out what I need to feel. I feel like I’m back in my karting days, when we were able to run up at the front every weekend and started winning – hopefully we’re getting back into that position where I can be challenging for wins every weekend. As (voice of the Road to Indy) Rob Howden said back at Mid-Ohio, hopefully that was the floodgates opening! Huge thank you to the team; they gave me a great car all week.”(Road to Indy photo)

Ashton Tucker wins two in a row ReMax 250 at Speedway 660

Ashton Tucker, center, driving for  Brad Silliker Racing, wins the ReMax 250 at Speedway 660 , Geary Woods, New Brunswick. Tucker netted a grand total of $20,850.00 PLUS the Modern Electric Halfway Challenge of $1000.00 (Mike Francis photo)

Massachusetts native, Bobby Santos III wins Little 500

Franklin, Massachusetts’  Bobby Santos III wins his first Little 500 at the 1/4 mile Anderson Speedway, Anderson, Indiana. This was Santos seventh attempt. He has led the race in each of his seven attempts with second place finishes in 2017 and 2019. Kody Swanson was on the pole, however his bid for Little 500 win number 4 came up short on lap 424 when he had engine problems. His Nolen racing team-mate Shane Hollingsworth finished second with Tyler Roahrig in third. (Chris Gardner photo)

Let’s go racing,

Tom Hale

Soli Deo Gloria (Matthew 5:16)

 

 

 

 

Tom Hale

About Tom Hale

Tom wrote 14 years as freelancer for the Bangor Daily Sports covering motorsports in Maine. Now blogging and concentrating on human interest stories about people and places in racing. He races Champ Karts and owns HTF Motorsports in remote Westmanland, Maine