Dellinger rejoins Williams to face RUSH competition
By Mike Donald
Sweeney Chevrolet RUSH Series
Alan Dellinger
The dawning of a new racing season often brings forth new drivers, new sponsors and new paint schemes. For Bob Williams and Alan Dellinger, however, it brings forth the reunification of an owner-driver combination who will be attempting to recapture some old glory.
Williams owned the No. 8 Rocket chassis that Dellinger piloted to a 2007 Fastrak Northeast tour title in the first year of Crate Late Model racing in the region. From 2006 until 2011, this duo claimed 10 victories at tracks, including Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio, Dog Hollow Speedway in Strongstown, Pa., and Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.
The two travelled separate paths during the last two racing seasons, but the desire to find victory lane, once again, has brought the two back together.
"We have stayed friends, and I asked to reunite with him," said Williams of Canfield, Ohio.
"It is good to be back with Bob, and I think we can be competitive," said Dellinger, the Niles, Ohio, native who now calls Hermitage, Pa., home.
The team will field an unsponsored No. 8 Rocket chassis for the 2014 season. With plans to run weekly events at Sharon Speedway and plans to compete in some of the Sweeney Chevrolet RUSH tour events, the duo believes they can resume the previous success.
"We wouldn't do this unless we thought we could win," Williams said. His son Jeff, along with friends Bob Jones and Paul Moore, will provide crew assistance as the team dials back its budget. The team plans to use Bilstein’s sealed shocks ($135 apiece, a shock mandated for RUSH’s sportsman modified division) and use E-85 Ethanol gasoline.
"I see other teams come into the pit area with their $400,000 haulers, their $2,500 set of shocks and their high-priced racing fuel, well, when we won our 2007 championship we did it on pump gasoline," Williams said. "Alan believes we can be competitive; we can make it work. I am not a believer in those trick shocks and other things some teams do.”
Williams and Dellinger are deeply rooted with long-term racing success. Williams competed in the ARCA Series from 1991-1994. In his 1994 campaign, he finished 12th at Daytona in a car that Ernie Irvan had previously raced to a Daytona 500 victory. Following his stint in the ARCA ranks, he competed on dirt in E-mod competition for the next 10 years, earning nearly 40 victories.
Likewise, Dellinger — who has raced under the moniker Jim Dandy Jr. — has garnered notoriety as a driver. He has about 400 career victories and owns more than 10 track championships. At Sharon Speedway, Dellinger has 160 victories alone including a track-best 87 in the E-mod division, a track-best 65 in stock cars, five in big-block modifieds, two in econo mods and one in Crate Late Models. His track titles came at Sharon, Mercer (Pa.) Raceway Park and Raceway 7.
These two racing personalities have raced with and against each other. And it wasn't always a bed of roses.
"Alan and I were bitter rivals at one time," Williams said. They were E-mod competitors for many years. In 2004, an off-track car accident slowed Williams's on-track efforts, and he needed a driver. "My son suggested that I should put my big nemesis in the car. Now we are good friends," Williams said of Dellinger. "It is remarkable how much with think alike, especially when it comes to chassis setup.”
So after driving for separate E-mod teams the last two years, Williams and Dellinger will reunite and forge ahead in 2014 looking for success.
"We can be competitive … and I will be giving 100 percent," said Dellinger, a 50-year-old father of four.
The team's car this year will sport black and blue colors. "Yeah, we are going to put a hurting on people," Williams said with a laugh.
