LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 15th, 2013) – With the momentum of three podium finishes in the first-three UARA-STARS Late Model Stock events of 2013, 16-year-old Ben Rhodes is heading to Dillon Motor Speedway in South Carolina on Saturday, May 18th, with his Hawk-McCall Motorsports team to compete in the fourth stop on the tour. The Louisville, Kentucky, native is looking to wheel the No. 41 Alpha Energy Solutions Ford to another strong finish, and hopes to possibly break into victory lane for his first-career Late Model Stock win.
Rhodes opened the 2013 UARA-STARS season with a third-place finish at Southern National Motorsports Park (NC) in March, and followed that up a few weeks later with another third at Hickory Motor Speedway (NC). In April, he drove to a second-place finish at Rockingham Speedway (NC), tying his best-career finish in the series and putting him second in the series point standings.
“We have been so close to winning this year, but just haven’t been able to land the Alpha Energy Solutions Ford in victory lane,” said Rhodes. “Hawk-McCall Motorsports has built some great cars and we have been right there each race. We just need a little racing luck to get on our side and I think we can pull it off.”
Last season, driving for Marcos Ambrose Motorsport, Rhodes started outside the top 10 in his first UARA-STARS stop at Dillon Motor Speedway. After getting spun early, Rhodes was able to work his way back to 10th. This year, he hopes a better starting position and staying out of trouble will keep him up front.
“Last year was just a bad deal all the way around, but we recovered for a 10th. This year we are hoping for a better result, which is why we tested recently in the evening and night so we could get a better understanding of what the car would do in qualifying and race conditions. Lee (McCall, crew chief) and the team figured out a few things with the set-up that we think will help during the race.
“After last year I didn’t list Dillon as one of my favorite tracks to go to, but after our nighttime test I really like it. If we can stay out of trouble I think we will have another solid finish and possibly a win.”
In 2013, Rhodes is sponsored by Alpha Energy Solutions as well as Alliance Comfort Systems, Kentucky National Guard, Refrigerant Rescue, and Park Community Federal Credit Union.
Qualifying for the 150-lap UARA-STARS Late Model Stock race at Dillon Motor Speedway will take place on Saturday, May 18th, at 5pm. A fan meet-and-greet autograph session will take place at 6:40pm with racing starting at 8pm. Rhodes’ race day updates can be found at www.twitter.com/benrhodesinc. For full schedule and ticket information, visit www.uara-stars.com or the track website at www.dillonmotorspeedway.com.
For more information on Ben Rhodes, including media availability, contact Jason “Stix” Buckley of STIX FX Entertainment at (704) 519-5528 or [email protected], and make sure to keep up to date on his racing career at www.benrhodesinc.com, like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/benrhodesinc, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/benrhodesinc.
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