Darrell Lake Racing

The team did a lot of work over the week off to try and get us back up to speed with the fast guys once again. The car felt good in practice, relatively stable. There was no outside line however, so it would be a race to get to the bottom. In the heat race it was exactly that. As the cars shuffled out, I found myself in 4th behind the 9 car and despite being faster, didn't have enough to get under him. After single file racing for a while, I became bored and thought I would try the outside as I got a great run off turn 2.  It did not pay off however and I slid back to 7th within 2 laps.

We started third row outside in the feature and actually made pretty good headway as the whole outside line cleared the lower one out of turn 2. The car was actually working well and I settled into third for the majority of the race, trying hard to get under the 76 and work my way towards the 24 car. Unfortunately I was unable to get under him enough and while lapping the 74, the driver overdrove the turn driving into the side of 76 and collecting me in the mess, damaging our steering and suspension, not to mention a solid guaranteed third place finish. I gathered the car up before hitting the wall and since there was no caution, I felt the car out for a couple laps. Other than the steering being way off, it felt ok and salvaged a 7th place finish out of it all. Congrats to the 24 team for their long deserved win.

Take a look at Hilary's new makeover.

Welcome:

    This is your opportunity as fans, sponsors and general racing enthusiasts to view the friday night races through my eyes as the driver. I am a 22 year old student and have been a part of racing since the age of just 9 years old. Some of our older pictures can be viewed at (www.sparky.on.ca/racing/dlake/index.htm).  In the spring of 2004, at the age of 18 I moved up to the then named Street Stock division at Delaware Speedway located just 5 minutes west of London, Ontario, CANADA. The division has now progressed to the Super Stock class as the cars have evolved into faster, less street like vehicles. We finished the 2008 season with a very strong run, staying competitive all year finishing second in points and feel like we can improve upon those results for this upcoming 2009 season, keep an eye out for the 77 Super Stock team, we'll try to make the race interesting to watch.

Thanks for visiting and check out the weekly results during the racing season for much of my updates. As well I would really appreciate to hear from the fans and their thoughts on the race in the "Tell me what you think" section. Hope to hear from all of you soon!!

Darrell Lake

I can't even think of where to start with my experiences with Dave. All the things he's done for us, done for me, would take almost as long to explain as the amount of time I've known him. So I suppose I’ll start from the very beginning. When I was just 15 or 16, I had taken one of the BT racing’s cars out at their sponsor day and got a little gutsy with it, but never had Dave been worried, even allowing me to take out the car again later that year. And despite my complete and utter failure with the vehicle by putting the car into the wall coming out of turn two, before a single tiny thought of the car came into mind, Dave’s first worry was my own safety, making sure I was okay.

            After a few more years had passed and I got a little older and matured, Dave went out of his way to help us find a car for getting into the street stock division. After searching car after car, we had finally found one sitting in the BT racing shop. Dave had done everything he could, and worked hard with Vic to get the car ready all winter long, and make sure we would be race ready for the start of the season.  After being out there working on the car with Dave and Vic and the rest of the BT racing team, leave it up to Dave to give me the nickname that has stuck with me to this day, “Hollywood”.  Being as great a guy as Dave was, he made sure that our car was set up and ready to be competitive in the street stock division right from the get go. Something I will never forget is after only a few weeks of being in the series and being a consistent top ten car, Dave had said to me, “You know, I think you’re ready for a different spring, which will allow you to have a better faster car.” For a man of his experience, to notice my driving ability like that and tell me, meant all the world.  Dave would act like much of a mentor, a role model for me, something I could aspire to become, a leader, a champion. Even in my first year Dave would push me, even making a deal with me that if I could beat him out on the track, I could have the hoist for the week, mind ya the rules sort of changed time and again, but he kept true to his word when we beat him in the final race of the year and got the hoist for a week.

            There were a great number of things Dave would like to bring up to joke around with me some and make me feel more welcomed into the BT racing shop. The Wendy’s girls had been a particular favorite of his, that never really ever slipped his mind. Or how the bright orange decaling brings in all the chicks, but I mean, if you look at his car, he caught onto the trend and has his number on the front headlight in bright orange.

            If it were not for Dave, I know it would never be possible for the Traction team to become as strong and competitive as what we have been. It would not have been possible for me to grow and learn as much as I feel I have. If it were not for Dave’s time he would take to sit down with me and ask me, what’s the car doing, or why did you do this in the race, and then explain to me why the car is doing that, or why what I had done in the race was wrong and would inform me of what I should do differently, I could never be the driver I am today, the person I am today. Dave has influenced me both on and off the track, and no words could ever say enough thanks to him for this.

            All the times out at the race car shop, I was privileged enough to get to know Dave on a slightly more personal level also, outside of the racing world. He had to have been the most quick witted, intelligent, by far best story teller I personally have ever known, and probably ever will know.  There was so much that could be learned from Dave by just merely being around him for a few minutes. He was an amazing man, in aspects of racing, business, friendships, and family.

            My sympathy is with the family, with Heather, Kris and Joe. And also, with his family outside his blood relatives, with Vic, Sandy, Duane, Dan Monaghan and all the BT racing family. The loss is as great a loss to the Delaware Speedway community as what the loss of Dale Earnhardt had been to the NASCAR community. Dave Lawrence was a man of great patience, integrity, intelligence, selflessness and so much more. I know we will all miss him more then words can describe.

 Darrell Lake.