Dave Hess Jr., heads to Florida with another championship on his mind

[CollegeBoy44]

Dave Hess Jr. Tries For Another Speedweeks Title at Volusia Raceway Park.

KMM
Kinder Motorsports Media

January 15, 2011 (Waterford, PA) – as the last rivets get popped in and the graphics are put on the cars there is no doubt about Dave Hess’s intentions going into 2011. “I’m going to Florida hoping to build on last year’s success, said reigning Open Wheel Modified Volusia Speedweeks champ Dave Hess Jr. “I want to win races and another championship, I want to stay out of trouble and have another good year down there, but more than anything I want to win one of the big ones!”
And good years he has had. In 2008 Hess won a feature that yielded the inaugural Alltel-All Star check worth $12,000 and in 2010 Hess battled his way to two wins and the overall Volusia Speedweeks Title. It is no secret what he plans to do down south and he’ll be feeling the heat come February. Not just because he’ll be out of his home town, snow covered Erie, Pa – but also because he’s got a target on his back. “Being the returning Champ is great, but there will be other drivers out there and they’ll all be going for the glory, just like I am, commented Hess. “Winning last year was great, it always adds pressure though, I want to outdo myself and to do that I’ll have to set the bar very high.”
Hess will be fielding, for the first time (in Florida) his Larry Shaw chassis, but will have old faithful, his ClingerBuilt car in tow as well, as the plain white hauler that carries the Hess team and the precious cargo hums along the long path from Erie to Florida.
Hess, an Erie native, will start his quest at the “Clay by the Bay,” East Bay Raceway starting with an open practice session Feb. 2nd and compete there until the 5th where the modified purse will peak at $5,000. From there, the Hess family team will head to Volusia Raceway Park where Hess gained last year’s title. The modified action will take place from February 8th-15th culminating with “The Gator,” Volusia’s $5,000 to win event. “Winning the overall championship was great and I feel great having done that, but this year I would also like to take home one of the big checks, added Hess. “I’ve been close before but this year I really want to win one of the big events, let’s hope everything goes well and I don’t have any unforeseen problems.”
In addition to Hess driving his family owned #44; his back-up car will be fielded by Eriez Speedway Champion, John Boyd. Boyd, who usually drives the #1 in the Northeast Pa region, will make his Florida debut on February 11th for a regular show, one night before qualifying for “The Gator” is to take place. Boyd had this to say about his new endeavor, “It’s really going to be a great experience for me to be racing down there, especially with the help of my Uncle (car owner, Dave Hess Sr.) providing me a car.” I hope to stay out of trouble and make the field for ‘The Gator’, I am grateful for the opportunity and hope to make the best of my time (in Florida). If I can give the team an opportunity to field two cars in the Gator I would feel like I’ve helped. Having my (little) cousin there, Dave Jr., will be a great help considering the laps he already has on a track that is new to me. I really appreciate the opportunity that my Uncle has provided for me, and I hope I deliver some good finishes for him!”
The Hess team will start the action on February 2nd at East Bay. They plan to move north with the modified action February 8th as the open-wheeled mods take to VSP for a week of racing leading up to “The Gator,” the $5,000 finally for the Modifieds to be held on February 14th, On February 15th Hess and Boyd will also compete in the “Triple 25’s” three races paying $700 to win each race.
Dave Hess Jr., drives the Hess Garage and Salvage, Linda’s Notary Service, Beacon Lubricants, Plyler Overhead Door, Matt Teribery Flooring, MWB Graphics, Kinder MotorSports Media, VP Racing Fuels, Bassett Wheel’s, Collision World, Simpson Race Products, Larry Shaw Chassis powered by a Craiger Race engine.
The Hess program is actively seeking new marketing partners for the 2011 season and has not only national but also regional value for possible partners to place a travelling ad on either of the team’s Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds, or both. To find out more about partnering with Hess Racing call Linda Hess at 814-796-4845, or Geoff Kinder at 814-221-9424 to discuss the opportunities that motorsports marketing can bring to a company.

[CrankedUp90]

I wish Hess would put his focus on the late model. I mean he is a hell of a up and coming driver, and he likes to travel, so do in the the late model! Landers is moving on from Mods to run Lucas full time with McDowell. Hopefully Hess follows his footsteps in the future...

[CollegeBoy44]

CrankedUP....

Thank you for the comments on the driver I represent, Hess Jr. You are totally right and I think there are many people that feel the same way. Right now, though, without a "bigger" corporate sponsorship, that would be hard to do. The Hess team is family-funded and they dont want race any race that they are not contenders for winning. It would be great to race the LM and the Open Wheel (in florida), but the LM is too much of a gamble to take along. Having good finishes and turning heads in the Shaw (modified) car will gain him some recognition and hopefully that positive recognition could lead to a corporate sponsor stepping on board.
But for this season, mosly the fans in the NE PA, NW NY, and Ohio valley regions will see Hess in the Late Model division, and once He's done in FLA his attention will turn to the LM as once home, LM racing trumps the mod with the exception of "bigger modified" shows within a 6 hour radius.
Thanks for taking the time to check out hess's plans and you can follow his season at www.davehessjr.com (if you are not from the tri-sate region, you can find dates and merchandise on the site). diecasts (both sizes), t-shirts, crew-shirts, crew-sweat shirts, hats, and even more 2011 designs to come.

[CollegeBoy44]

i forgot to mention one of our biggest product sponsors, Genesis Shocks. A big thanks to Mike Farr for keeping the best shocks bolted on our cars!