Everything a race fan could ask for, the smell of burning rubber, the squeal of tires rounding the track, a beautiful Arizona night perfect for road racing at the Main track at Firebird International Raceway. Victor is ready and looking forward to the racing action.
The main track has a long straightaway where the car builds an incredible amount of speed. At the end of the straightaway the braking system is relied upon heavily to do its job. The main track also features giant sweeping curves and chicanes (A chicane is a series of tight curves in a road race used to slow cars.), one of the places where Victor typically shows his talent on the race track. Further along the course is the impressive tower turn and the only place on the track with a wall as the outer boundary.
The practice session went smoothly. A tire from a different manufacturer has Victor and his crew adjusting the car for maximum performance. All is looking good and Victor is thrilled to be able to race again. The qualifying race is next and Victor is lined up to start in fourth place. The racing has started and the first four cars pull away from the rest of the field of racers. Victor passes the third place car in the chicanes. The fourth place car now passes him back. It is into the chicanes again and Victor passes back to third. Victor’s lap times are getting faster and all is looking good. The second place car is coming within Victor’s grasp and car owner and crew feel the adrenaline rush that comes when Victor is one with his racing.
Alas it is not to be Victor’s night. The car overheats and the cab fills with smoke. The only option is to bring the car to the pits and try to diagnose the problem. However any time he gets to race and have fun doing what he enjoys is a good night and next race will be better.
A special thanks to car owner Shirl Dickey. Victor’s next race will take place at Firebird International Raceway, June 5th and 6th morning only.
Phoenix-Area Racecar Driver Donates Time to Charity Golf Event
Mooresville, NC
November 6, 2009
2007 ASA Speed Truck Champion and NASCAR hopeful Victor Pfluger will take time away from the racetrack this weekend to attend a charity golf tournament benefiting the Arizona Myeloma Network.
Pfluger is bringing his No. 80 Super Late Model racecar to the McCormick Ranch Golf Course on Saturday, November 7, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., for the 5th Annual Arizona Myeloma Network Charity Golf Tournament.
The 18-year-old racing standout will meet with tournament participants on the greens at the Black Bear Diner hole to sign autographs and take photos in support of the charity event.
The Arizona Myeloma Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, strives to promote awareness, education and advocacy for improved treatment and quality of life for multiple myeloma patients. The disease, which strikes 20,000 new patients annually, is treatable, but there is no cure.
“It’s a privilege to lend my time to support an organization like the Arizona Myeloma Network in its battle against this debilitating form of cancer,” said Pfluger. “I know the golf tournament will be a fun event and it is also an opportunity for me to meet with fans and supporters of my racing career.”
Pfluger, an Arizona native, has been winning titles and setting records since he first got behind the wheel of a racecar at age 10. His long list of accomplishments includes being the youngest driver in the history of the ASA Speed Truck Challenge to win a feature race and finish the season in the top 5 in points. At age 16, Pfluger won the championship in that series, another youngest-ever accomplishment.
“It’s been a great ride to this point, but I am actively seeking new partners to help take my career to the next level,” Pfluger said. “Motorsports is an amazing marketing tool for any business wanting to create an immediate and long-lasting buzz. There’s nothing like seeing your car in Victory Lane with your logo or message on the hood.”
The 5th Annual Arizona Myeloma Network Charity Golf Tournament is sponsored by the United Association of Pipefitters and Plumbers with well-known celebrity Ray Romano serving as Honorary Chairman. The festive event also includes a continental breakfast, barbecue lunch, awards ceremony and silent auction.
For more information on the Arizona Myeloma Network, visit www.AZMyeloma.org.
What you need to know:
Who: Arizona Racecar Driver Victor Pfluger supporting the Arizona Myeloma Network
What: Driver appearance at the 5th Annual Arizona Myeloma Network Charity Golf Tournament
When: Saturday, November 7, 2009, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: McCormick Ranch Golf Club, 7505 McCormick Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Why: Meet-and-greet and autograph session in support of the Arizona Myeloma Network.
17 year old Victor Pfluger – ASA Speed Truck Champion, has attracted the attention of Scott Reuschenberg of Arizona. Reuschenberg is a prominent business man in Arizona, owning Desert Mountain Medical. He is also a racing enthusiast and owns a number of top ranked cars. Reuschenberg has offered one of this cars to Pluger to run in a number of ASA races.
This couldn’t have come at a better time. We are chomping a the bit to get back to racing after being sidelined by the sport’s economic problems that seem to be plaguing everyone these days.” Said Art Pfluger, team owner and father of Victor.
“We are also incredibly lucky to be able to bring along with us our top-notch crew.” Continued Pfluger.
Long-time crewchief Chuck Lahorgue will be at the helm of the crew who will included Brad and Carlton Peterson as well as Kyle O’Brien who now works for Eddie Sharp Racing. Victor and Matt Wolfe left Arizona last Wednesday to take the car to an ASA Race at the I-70 Speedway in Mo.
There they assisted Reuschenberg and his people and have stayed with the team to assist in car prep. After that the race in MO, they will be taking the car to Wisconsin after the race then picking up a trailer for the team and returning to AZ.
At Victor’s scheduled event there will be some big names. Racers at the Concord Motorpsorts Park will include Landon Cassil from the Nationwide Series, Trent Synder – 07 ASA North div champ, 07 South Division Champion is to be there, as well as Jimmy Lang who has won the first 3 races in the South schedule. Pre entry for the race has 27 cars and that number is likely to grow.
by Dave Grayson
March 10, 2008
The ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series,(ASA-STC), teams arrived in Lake Havasu City-Arizona to officially open their 2008 season with a March 8th 100 lap feature at the Havasu 95 Speedway. But before they officially kicked off their 12th season they had a some business to take care of from last year. It was their annual awards banquet, held at the Quality Inn and Suites, where a packed room gathered to pay tribute to their 2007 champion: Morristown-Arizona’s Victor Pfluger.
The gathering brought back a lot of memories of exactly how Pfluger won that championship this past October at the Havasu 95 Speedway. It was a race that many series participants and fans are still talking about. Going into that final race Pfluger was two points behind two time series champion Darren Young. Everyone watching was prepared for literally anything that night. It was a race that was being billed as “the duel in the desert.” Pfluger set the fast time in qualifying that night and that earned him the highly coveted five bonus points. He also won the trophy dash. The stage was now set for “the duel.”
On the initial green flag Young jumped into the lead. Pfluger stayed close to his tailgate. The two potential champions ran nose to tail for over 40 laps. All of sudden Young slowed and pulled into the pits. He was the victim of a cut tire. Young returned to the race and charged his way back to fifth before the laps ran out. Pfluger became the new ASA-STC champion. At age 16 he was also the youngest champion in series history. Pfluger and his family owned and operated racing team finished the 2007 season with three wins, 11 top five finishes, 12 top tens in 13 starts. He also was the fastest qualifier five times and won four trophy dashes.
Pfluger displayed a great deal of class at the awards banquet. Anyone who has ever met him should not be surprised. Victor Pfluger is a very classy, very well raised, young man. After being presented with his champion’s ring and jacket, Pfluger dedicated the champion’s trophy to his parents and thanked them for the years of support and the sacrifices that they made to help him achieve his dream. He also had high praise for crew chief, and truck builder, Chuck Lahorgue and told them that this championship could not have happened without his effort. Pfluger awarded LaHorgue with a Champions ring and jacket. Pfluger was also pleased to acknowledge Jim Parker, the owner of Parker Farms, who has been his long time primary sponsor. There were also the appropriate thank you to his list of associate sponsors that included Copperstate Tire, Alpine Stars, Maxima Racing Oil, NGK Spark Plugs, Mondello Tech, Pimp Hammer Clothing and Holley Carb.
Anyone who closely follows the ASA-STC already knows that Victor Pfluger will be moving on the new racing opportunities in 2008 and will not be defending his title. He plans to campaign a super late model stock car in NASCAR’s Whelen All American Series and plans to seek the NASCAR Arizona State Championship. Home base for Pfluger Racing this year will be Tuscon Raceway Park where he’s already scored top five finishes in two starts. Chuck Lahorgue is busy building the team a new car. In the mean time they are using a car loaned to them by Jerry Blaco.While the details are still being finalized, there are also plans for the team to compete in selected NASCAR Camping World West Series events this year.
Also appropriately honored at the awards banquet was Darren Young. Always a class act off of the track, Young saluted Pfluger Racing for a job well done under the highly competitive circumstances that they both dealt with. The Gilbert-Arizona native also had high praise for his team, United Nissan Racing, and the tireless effort they put out that put him in a position to make that championship run last year.Young finished the 2007 season with an excellent record that included four wins, 10 top five and 10 top ten finishes in 13 starts.
Also making the honor roll at the ASA-STC’s awards banquet were the drivers who finished third through tenth in the final 2007 standings. They included: Andy Allen, Randel King, Bear Rzesnowiecky, Jim Putman, Austin Murphy, Shawn Steele, Tim Allen and Jeff Catlin.
While 2007 was another banner year for the series, the prospects of 2008 are even brighter. And for the eighth year in a row there will be a national television package which is a huge benefit for both the series and the individual teams in terms of acquiring sponsorships. It has also been announced that the ASA-STC’s televised races this year will be aired on a Saturday afternoon time slot which is a big improvement. There is also an influx to 20 plus new teams who will be racing with them this year.
After completing their first race of the year at the Havasu 95 Speedway, it appears that the competitive edge for the ASA-STC is going to be as sharp as ever. That season opener saw Jason Black get his first ever series win with Dallas Colodny right behind him in a very exciting green-white-checker finish. After that race Jay Rutherford, series President and CEO, was all smiles about the outcome of the race and said “somebody asked me earlier if I had two picks for the 2008 championship and I gave them two picks. Come to find out they were first and second in qualifying and one of them won the trophy dash and the other won the main event.” That would be Dallas Colodny and Jason Black.
Under the hot Arizona desert this past Saturday there was a shootout brewing between points leader Darren Young and sixteen year old Victor Pfluger. The two ASA Speed Truck drivers have been the class of the field all year and heading into the final battle the veteran Young held only a two point lead. Both drivers and their teams knew anything could happen during the race, and until the checkered flag drops their fates had not been sealed. The championship could come down to the last race, possibly last lap, maybe even the last corner.
In this Speed Truck battle and be likened to the biblical struggle of David and Goliath; Victor Pfluger as David making his stand against Darren Young as Goliath. Young has years of experience, two Speed Truck Championships already on his resume and drives for a well-funded race team. Victor, only 16 years old, with just 2 seasons on the Speed Truck circuit, runs on a shoestring budget yet has proven that the underdog can be the winner.
There were two scenarios that would need to unfold for Pfluger to win the championship.
First, Victor needed to have a top qualifying time and the luck of the draw to start within one spot of Young. And second, Victor would need to win the race.
Here’s how the night went down.
Qualifying:
Victor qualified on the pole. Darren, second. Step one: done!
After a week of non-stop preparation Victor’s trucks were ready for race day. Crew chief Chuck Lahorgue, Victor and the team had spent the night before making last minute changes to the truck to match the conditions of the track. Saturday morning Victor did a short session to scuff the tires and clicked off some very impressive lap times. All the hard work had paid off and Victor set Fast Time with a blistering 15.725 second lap – just edging out Young’s best time.
The Trophy Dash:
The next step was the Trophy Dash. By virtue of his qualifying time Victor was on the pole and Young to his right. With a glimpse of things to come Victor pulled to the lead from the drop of the green flag and dominated till the checkered flew. With the proverbial roll of the dice Victor is slated for front row outside – right next to Young. This is huge! The drivers who have been the fighting for this championship all year long are starting on the front row together. This is going to be exciting!
The Main Event:
The crowd knew that the battle was on. The two drivers at the front of the 18 truck pack had been praised earlier in the week by the series director, Jay Rutherford. “I am particularly proud of both of these drivers,” commented Rutherford. “I really couldn’t pick a winner at this point. I always hate to see the season come to an end, but this final 2007 race at Havasu 95 Speedway will be one for the record books. I wish them both the best in this ‘Duel in the Desert.’”
As the green flag dropped Young powered to the lead position with Pfluger tucked in close to his rear bumper. The first 44 circuits saw Darren leading and Victor glued to his tail pull away from the field. After two yellows and a red flag full stop the restart on lap 45 saw Young go into turn one hard, Pfluger turned under Darren to make the pass when Young’s teammate Bear Rzesnowiecky turned under Victor making it a 3 wide charge coming off the corner. In an instant Young’s truck slowed dramatically and pulled off the track with a cut tire and Victor’s truck flew past looking like it had been shot out of a cannon. From there Victor never looked back. Despite two valiant charges through the field, even making it up to the 5th spot, Young’s evening and championship contention ended with a collision while gunning for the 4th spot. Victor cruised to the win and entered the history book as the youngest ASA Speed Truck champion in the series history.
After the Race:
After saluting the fans, Victor climbed from his truck with his helmet still on, raised his arms and celebrated with his team, family and sponsors who had gathered on the front stretch. “I can’t believe we won this race, it is amazing!” Shouted Pfluger. I want to thank Jim Parker from Parker Farms for all his help and for coming out to see this race. He has supported us all year long, we couldn’t have done any of this without him.” Victor went on to thank Chuck Lahorgue, “I can’t thank Chuck enough for sticking with us through the past two years. This win and the championship is a testament to his expertise with these trucks. I also want to thank Lou Martin with Pimp Hammer who came down from Vegas for this event. I would also like to thank Diane at the Hampton Inn at Lake Havasu for making my crew comfortable this weekend. Of course I owe everything to my Mom, Dad who have supported my dream and have sacrificed so much to get me here tonight. I don’t want to leave anyone out ! – Big “thank you’s” to Brad Peterson, Matt Wolfe, Bud Harvey and everybody who had helped through the years: including Copperstate Tire, Alpinestars, Maxima racing oil, NGK spark plugs, Mondello, the great people at Ranchero de los Caballeros, and Mothers Wax. This is just amazing. It has not sunk in yet but it will in a few days. This is cool! I can‘t believe we won this race.”
This was a spectacular season for the young driver. Strong, consistent showings overshadowed early season unfounded controversy and a couple of rough nights of racing. However, among the most admirable notes for the year was the fact that all three of Victor’s feature events were “Triple Crown” nights – in which he took Fast Time honors, the Trophy Dash win and the Feature Event wins.
When you’re on, you’re on!
Victor Pfluger – King of all Media -
TV, Radio and Now the Movies !
On August 14th, 2007 Victor Pfluger was invited to be a guest on radio station KBSZ – the interviewer asked some great questions and Victor, whose maturity and poise belies his young age, gave smooth and educated answers. You can listen to the interview, courtesy of KBSZ by Clicking Here (MP3 File).And now a major motion picture …
A taste of Hollywood has hit Victor Pfluger Racing! Victor and the entire team was invited to participate in the filming of a major motion picture. In the movie you will see the famous number 80 ASA Speed Truck normally driven by Victor, flashing around the movie screen. Only the movie gods will know how much footage will actually make it through the editing process, but we are hoping to see a lot of great shots. Victor had a lot of fun and met a lot of people and maybe next time we can get him cast as the leading man!
Honestly, this was our first experience seeing how a motion picture was made, and we have to admit, it was very impressive. Victor met professional actors, Sam Page, Dan Lauria and famous stuntmen working on the project. In particular, we met stuntman Rob King who ended up driving our truck in the different scenes. Mr. King was a very gracious man and treated our truck with a tremendous amount of respect. All of you can understand that we were a bit nervous and didn’t want to see anything happen to our Championship contending hot rod!
We are extremely excited to have been a part of the movie as this was a great opportunity for all of our marketing partners. We have no control over whose logo will make the show, but I can tell you that we did our best. The movie, “Finish Line”, Click Here is being made for release on the Spike Channel. It will be internationally released to both the United States and Europe.
As always, we thank all of you for your support and we can’t wait to let you know how our next race at Irwindale Speedway goes in our journey to become the next champions of the ASA Speed Truck Challenge.