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Rob Partelo looks ahead to the 2008 season beginning with Lakeland and
then a run for the ASALMS Southern Division Championship.Posted January
15th, 2008
After the Crate Late Model Challenge 100 at the USA (FL) International
Speedway, St. Petersburg, Florida driver, Rob Partelo will refocus his effots on
the 2008 ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Championship. (ASALMS
File Photo)
By Matt Prieur-ASA Late Model Series
Lexington, Michigan (01/15/2008): The 2008 racing season within all four
divisions of the ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts
will be here before we know it.
The 2007 ASALMS Awards Banquet and Weekend of Champions is this
weekend and then the weekend afterwards, the cars and stars of the ASALMS
will be right back on the track.
One driver who’s looking to take advantage of the early season start is St.
Petersburg, Florida driver, Rob Partelo! The 2008 season begins for Partelo
and his Suncoast Motorsports Team with the “Non-Points” Crate Late Model
Challenge 100! Part of SpeedFest 2008 on Thursday-Saturday, January 24-
26, 2008 at the USA (FL) International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida.
Once Lakeland is over, Partelo and crew will refocus their efforts on the 2008
ASALMS Southern Division Championship, which begins at site of his lone
ASALMS Feature Win; The 0.375 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval of the
Bronson (FL) Motor Speedway, located West of Gainesville in Bronson,
Florida.
The Sunshine State speed plant is the site for the 2008 ASALMS Southern
Division Season Opener; the Bronson 100, which is set for Friday and
Saturday March 28-29, 2008. Also later in 2008, Partelo also hopes to make
an occasional appearance in the ASALMS Challenge Division during the
season as well.
Recently, Suncoast Motorsports and LA Racing Chasiss, LLC agreed to work
together in the 2008 season. Ron Summers owner of Suncoast Motorsports
for whom Partelo drives for, has teamed up with LA Racing Chasiss owned by
Glenn Woodham.
“I was talking with our local engine builder and friend George Pills when he told
me about this gentleman he had met out of Alabama that was building winning
race cars.” Explained Summers. “Glenn’s cars are winning races and running
up front in other Late Model touring series and at local tracks across the
South.”
Summers then continued; “Glenn has worked with the likes of Billy Hess and
Pete Hamilton just to name of few. We had a phone discussion and decided
that we needed to have a meeting and at the same time shake down one of his
cars. So we decided to met at South Alabama (AL) Speedway in Opp,
Alabama.”
“When Rob came off the track and climbed out of the car with a smile on his
face, I knew we were on the right track.” Added the Owner of Suncoast
Motorsports. “I believe our Crew Chief, Dan Partelo, and Glenn will be able to
hit it off real well and expect good things this year.”
During the 2007 season and despite missing one show altogether (The
second event in Birmingham, Alabama) and crashing during Practice at the I-
70 (MO) Speedway during the North VS South Shootout / World Cup 200,
which forced him to withdraw, Partelo managed a solid 11th place finish in the
ASALMS Southern Division Points Standings as well as a Ninth place in the
Rookie of the Year title chase.
The St. Petersburg, Florida driver picked up One (1) Feature Win, which came
in the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Season Opener; The Camp Boggy
Creek 100 Presented by Pennzoil and Dalton Zehr Racing at the Bronson (FL)
Motor Speedway on March 17, 2007. Partelo’s win was also his lone Top Five
finish to go with Three (3) Top 10 showings.
“Even though we won the opener at Bronson, we struggled at a lot of tracks
after that.” Added the soon to be 37-year-old Partelo. “Our first year in the
ASALMS Southern Division was as tough as it gets as far as the competition
goes. But with our partnership with LA Racing Chassis, I feel very confident we
can achieve the sucsess we are looking for. “ Partelo added.
As for the “Non-Points” race in Lakeland, Florida; Partelo and the entire crew
are ready and look forward to getting back on track. “We will not have a new
car ready in time for the upcoming race in Lakeland, but we’ll be taking the
back-up car that finished Sixth at Hickory in October and we have a lot of
confidence in that car.” Partelo ended.
Partelo and Suncoast Motorsports have been together as owner and driver
since 1994. Partelo drove an open wheeled Modified at Sunshine (FL)
Speedway for half the season that year. In 1995 and armed with a new Dave
Pletcher built Modified, Partelo ran the Southern Automobile Racing
Association (SARA) Modifieds Series and won Three Features en route to the
Rookie of the Year title.
A year later, Partelo won the SARA Series Championships with Seven Feature
wins and Eight Fast Qualifier Awards. In 1998, Suncoast Motorsports
purchased a Super Late Model and ran a few selected races in the Florida Pro
Series.
In 1999, Partelo ran the full schedule in the Florida Pro Series and won Rookie
of the Year and finished second in the championship. They did not run again
until 2002 when they returned to the Modifieds ranks and ran the open
wheeled cars from then until 2006 with the Gulf Coast Modifieds Series.
For the 2008 season, Partelo will be steering a Suncoast Motorsports
Chevrolet Monte Carlo with primary sponsorship from Suncoast Plastering. In
addition, LA Racing Chassis, R.S. Elliott Specialty Supply and Winners Circle
Automotive will also sport decals on the side of Partelo’s machine.
To learn more about Rob Partelo and the Suncoast Motorsports Team and to
inquire about additional sponsorship opportunities for the 2008 racing season,
please e-mail the team at:
Suncoast Motorsports
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