NASCAR FINALIST PROGRAM; Schutz Back In Contention At Grandview Speedway

For Immediate Release

NASCAR FINALIST PROGRAM: Schutz Back In Contention

Versitile Veteran Chasing Fifth Grandview Late Model Title

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 9, 2011) — Chuck Schutz Jr. has enjoyed a lot of success at one of the most challenging race tracks in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

Schutz, 39, of Pottsville, Pa., is a four-time dirt Late Model season champion at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa. Track officials have designated their full-bodied class of cars as the NASCAR Finalist Division II.

The NASCAR Finalist Program began in 2010 as a way to recognize the accomplishments throughout all of the racing divisions at NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks.

A NASCAR-licensed driver’s best 14 finishes are counted toward their final point total for the year. Points are kept separately for dirt and asphalt tracks.

Schutz leads Grandview’s Late Model point standings. In six starts, he has two wins, five top fives and six top 10s. He’s also ranked second in the dirt track side of the NASCAR Finalist Division II standings.

Dirt track NASCAR Finalist Division leaders include Division II Jim Hendricks Jr., Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. and I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb.; Division III Brad Deery, I-80 Speedway and Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa; Division IV Blaine Petersen, Adams County; and Division V Bill Gibson, Adams County.

NASCAR Finalist Division leaders on pavement include Division II Thomas Neal, Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C. and Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Division III Jim Albert, Houston (Tex.) Motorsports Park and Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Tex.; Division IV Jack Nugent, Colorado National Speedway in Dacono, Colo.; and Division V Andrew Hayes, Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

COMPLETE DIRT STANDINGS | COMPLETE ASPHALT STANDINGS

The NASCAR Finalist program recognizes drivers who compete in support divisions at NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks. With Division I being each track’s top division, the NASCAR Finalist program highlights drivers competing in each track’s Division II, III, IV and V.

Grandview Speedway provides fans with riveting action. The .333-mile clay oval allows for high speed racing. Cars carry a lot of momentum as they broad-slide through the track’s banked turns. In tightly bunched packs, drivers’ racing lines open and close in the blink of an eye.

Schutz was 10 years old when his mom Evelyn took him to his first races at Grandview. His first racing hero there was Late Model driver Bob Green who was a family friend. Schutz’s dad Chuck Sr. was also a regular at the track.

“When I was 13 I told my mom I was going to be a race car driver,” Schutz said. “She told me ‘if that’s what you’re going to do, go for it.’ I started drag racing when I was 16 after I got my driver’s license. I raced at Grandview for the first time after I graduated from high school in 1990.”

Schutz and high school pal Ty Ziegler found an old Late Model rusting in some woods near a friend’s house, The car, complete with engine, had been sitting there for two years.

“We got the car out of the woods, took it to a garage and got it running,” Schutz said. “It was pretty much turn-key, but it needed a good going over. We paid $800 for it.”

He recalls his first night out with a chuckle.

“We were way slow but it was still a lot of fun. We were building our efforts on a shoe-string budget. We didn’t qualify for a feature race our first year.”

In 1991, the duo was given an alcohol fuel-specific carburetor and they converted the engine to run on that fuel instead of gasoline. The experiment promptly burned the engine’s pistons. After a few weeks off to build a new engine pulled from a salvage yard, Schutz qualified for his first feature. He made one lap before the car broke and fell out of the race.

The duo’s racing was sidelined in 1992 by an awful accident away from the track. Participating in a youthful pick-up truck tug-of war, things went wrong. Schutz was terribly injured and nearly lost his legs and his life. He proved to be incredibly resilient as he faced a long and difficult recovery process. After a year in a wheel chair, six months on crutches and six more months of physical therapy, he was able to walk again.

“When I woke up after the emergency surgery I saw my two feet sticking out from the blanket at the other end of the bed. That’s when I said we’d be racing again,” Schutz said.

He returned to the track as a car owner in 1994. He and Zeigler bought their second race car, a Howe chassis, for $1,000. He didn’t drive the car himself until the last two races of the 1996 season.

“Even with no power steering, we qualified for both shows,” Schulz said.

The car was rebuilt for the 1997 season.

“The second week out we won our first feature,” Schulz said. “We passed the leader on the high side with two laps to go. It was exhilarating. We won five features in 1997.”

The following year was even bigger.

“We won our first Late Model championship in 1998 and won the Modified division Rookie of the Year Award,” Schulz said. Hired to drive by a Modified owner, he took to the open-wheeled cars immediately.

“We were good out of the box,” he said. “I adapted to Modifieds immediately. I enjoyed racing in both divisions every week. Moving from car to car kept me fresh all night.

He raced exclusively in Grandview’s dirt Modified division from 1999-2002. A feature win eluded him and his best finish of eighth came in the prestigious Forrest Rogers Memorial race, which honors the founder of the 49 year old track.

With Zeigler rejoining him as car owner in 2003, the duo returned to full-time dirt Late Model racing. They’ve since won three more track championships in 2004, 2006 and 2008. They placed third in points last year and scored their biggest payday ever. They won the Firecracker 40.

In addition to Schutz and Zeigler, team members include Don Garber, Ed Nep and his son Jordan, Jeff and Tina Runkel, Schutz parents, Patty Updegrove to whom Schutz is engaged, and Zeigler’s significant other Michelle Schittler.

Team sponsors include Jesse Barro Trucking, Richards & Knauer Memorial Works, Weigner, Trainer & Floyd Agency/Nationwide Insurance, Jones Racing Products, R&R Auto Body, Lazer Chassis and Chad Sinon’s BPG Racing. Sinon owns Modifieds driven at Grandview by four-time track champion Duane Howard and veteran Kevin Hirthler. Howard won 19 features and was ranked third in the final NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings for 2010.

The top three drivers in each of the four asphalt and four dirt NASCAR Finalist Divisions be recognized at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet. The banquet is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 9, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.

For additional information, contact:

Jason Christley, Integrated Marketing Communications, (386) 310-6094 or

jchristley@nascar.com