Apr 11: Rod finally has a race under his belt for the 2008 season. After an impressive heat race win in All Star Heat Race #2 at Attica Raceway Park last Saturday, a rough track surface bit Rod in the feature, causing a broken brake rotor, resulting in an 18th place finish.

     Mar 10: RGR will be picking up its 2008 United Trailer this week, and looks to race at William's Grove this weekend. Click HERE, HERE and HERE to see photos of the 2008 Maxim.

     Feb 17: Check out the design of RGR's 2008 Maxim HERE and HERE.

Sprint Car driver receives racing honor

By Thomas Zuck
For the Leader Times
Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Kittanning Sprint Car driver Rod George has always wanted to attend the Motorsports Race Car Show in Atlantic City, N.J., but something always came up to prevent him.

This past weekend, George was compelled to attend the 2008 version of the show at the Atlantic City Convention Center because he was honored as one of the top drivers in the northeast.

"I have wanted to go to the show many times; I just never made it out," George said. "It always seemed to come at the wrong time because of work. This year, though, is different."

George was honored by Area Auto Racing News, one of the top motorsports publications in America, as the Top Northeast Winner in the Open Cockpit category. George won 21 features in 2007.

Motorsports 2008, sponsored by VP Racing Fuels, has over 250 race cars on display and 600 display booths, covering 270,000 square feet. There were also numerous appearances by some of NASCAR's top drivers, including Martin Truex Jr. and Casey Mears, and Sprint Car legend Doug Wolfgang.

George's 2007 season was one of the best in recent memory for a local driver, regardless of the division. George won championships at Tri-City Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park and finished second in Lernerville Speedway's championship race.

George won eight races at both Tri-City and Mercer last season and five at Lernerville. But as amazing as last season was, it almost never happened.

"Last year was such a last-minute thing because we broke the motor the year before and really had no spare," George said. "Then, I talked to Doc (Dr. John Crawford) that first night at Lernerville because we were not even racing. We didn't expect to set the world on fire, but things clicked that first night, we got on the track."

George, 48, completed his 25th season of racing last year, with his wife Jackie and two children, Kelsey and Kyle, at his side. He has seen nearly every kind of pitfall that can strike a driver, in the pits and on the track. Last year, though, things were different, and that's what really made it special.

"There were a couple nights where we had flat tires in Victory Lane," George said. "One night, we broke a rocker and still ran seven laps. If that had been the year before, we wouldn't have made it."

In his career, George has won over 120 races; 48 at Tri-City and 33 at Lernerville. For 2008, Tri-City has dropped the Sprint Car division, so George's schedule will most likely focus on Friday nights at Lernerville and Saturdays at Mercer.

Once George and Crawford hooked up last year, things started to click, and the addition of Suzanne Stivason, Glenn Shick, Ray Bullis and Dr. John Marty made them one of the area's best teams.

"I still consider myself the owner of the car," George said. "But these others who help are not saying that I have to do this or that I have to do that. That is good. One of the troubles when you race for someone is that you try so hard to please them and not just race. I really have a good situation right now."

George's situation as far as equipment and funding is probably the best it has been in his 25-year career, and it has forced him to once again think of Sprint Car racing's ultimate prize, the Knoxville Nationals.

"I have been there twice and it is really something I would like to try again," George said. "If I did go back, it would really have to be this year, because this is the best we have ever been with equipment. I feel we could compete."

After what has been a long career, it is inevitable that George begins to think about possible retirement. On that issue, George is noncommittal.

"Racing has been very good to me," George said. "And racing doesn't owe me a thing. For the last three or four years, people have been asking me what my plans were and how much longer I would race. To be honest, this is the first time that I have not said that I might not be back the next season. That is how much fun last season was. So, we are just going to keep going."