WOODWARD, OK | Oct. 24, 2013 - 2014 is shaping up to be an historic and game-changing year for Woodward, Okla.’s Bryan Rowland and Rowland Racing.
A multi-faceted makeover has taken shape and the team is preparing itself to compete on the biggest stages in both dirt late model and dirt modified racing.
The first domino fell into place at the USMTS Featherlite Fall Jamboree with the hiring of Joey “Joe Bob” Ciechanowski.
Formerly the crew chief for Gressel Racing and Ryan Gustin, Ciechanowski oversaw Gustin’s rise to the forefront of the USMTS and dirt modified racing before stepping away from travelling this season.
In his new role, Ciechanowski will oversee the Rowland Racing program in a General Manager capacity.
The task at hand is monumental with 2010 USMTS national champion Jason Hughes set to compete for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Rookie of the Year title and Stormy Scott rejoining the fold, gunning for his first USMTS national championship.
Hughes recently ended one of his most successful seasons behind the wheel of his USMTS Modified.
A late-season surge saw him capture not only the World Modified Dirt Track Championship but also the finale of the Featherlite Fall Jamboree.
Over the weekend, Hughes debuted with Rowland Racing in the 34th Annual Spooker at the Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla.,, finishing the event with a second-place run on Sunday.
“This opportunity is something I have been waiting to do,” said Hughes. “We’ll have the opportunity to run with some of the best in the business, and when you have those chances you have to take advantage of it. Bryan wanted to run nationally and I think we’ll be alright once we get a few laps in.”
Prior to joining Eagle Motorsports for the World Modified Dirt Track Championship this past July, Scott raced for just over a year with Rowland Racing. The team made news over the winter with their switch to an LG2 Chassis, built by three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Jimmy Owens.
“This is going to be a big, big team for sure,” stated Scott. “We have high expectations and need to get that USMTS national championship taken care of right off the bat. Joe Bob and I think this will be a potent combination. This team is much more organized this time around. It will be much better for me just having to drive the car.”
Late this season, Rowland Racing welcomed Zack VanderBeek into the fold.
VanderBeek competed in three marquee USMTS events with a best finish of seventh in the Sunflower Showdown at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.
For the coming 2014 season, VanderBeek will take back control of his racing program, but will be supplied with an LG2 Chassis as Rowland Racing has also become the primary dealer for the LG2 Chassis.
“This was kind of a mutual decision,” said VanderBeek. “We’ve built a good team over the years, and my dad and I weren’t ready to give it up. We’ll run our own engines and have our own sponsors, but Bryan will keep us in cars. This arrangement will just work better for us and we couldn’t be happier.”
To pull of this transformation, several key individuals have been hired. The first is former USMTS Rookie of the Year Brad McEwan.
Before spending the past season with Tommy Weder Jr., McEwan was with Rowland and will now oversee the team’s late model program.
USMTS standout Corey Dripps is also expected to help on at least a part-time basis, which could turn into a full-time role.
Ciechanowski is planning on travelling close to full-time with the USMTS team as he looks to add another USMTS national title to his résumé and bring Rowland Racing its first. The team is evaluating additional candidates to assist with the USMTS team.
While Woodward, Okla., is Rowland’s hometown and base of operations for his successful Road Runner Trucking business, it’s not exactly the epicenter of the dirt racing world.
To accommodate the teams, a brand new shop is in the process of being erected in Ciechanowski and McEwan’s hometown of Alta, Iowa. This shop will house the entire program and is expected to be completed in May.
“Bryan wants to accomplish big things, obviously,” said Ciechanowsi. “He wants national championships and also longevity with all of the people involved with the team. He knew logistically a change needed to be made to accomplish what he wanted. For the USMTS tour, our location in Iowa is perfect. To run the late model program, we’re a lot closer than Woodward too.”
On the USMTS side, a national championship is clearly the goal. Long term, they are hopeful to have Hughes race as long as he wants, and then fill the late model seat with Scott.
“It’s a bit overwhelming,” commented Ciechanowski. “However, with the people Bryan has allowed us to put in place, I think we will be able to shorten the learning curve. We know teams aren’t built in a year, and we’ll be preparing Stormy just like we did Ryan Gustin when we were with Gressel Racing.
“We are comparing this to how Terry Phillips runs his operation. His ability to run a modified and late model team out of his shop—and to do it seamlessly—is just incredible. I know we’ll have two drivers, but [Phillips] has set the bar on how to run two operations successfully.”
The eyes of Texas and all of the dirt modified world will be on the sport’s elite as the United States Modified Touring Series looks toward the Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14-16, for the 7th Annual Lecolift Texas Winter Nationals presented by 4s Motorsports.
The season-ending event for the USMTS Modifieds routinely draws nearly 100 of the top names from at least a dozen states, with all of them converging on the state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval looking for their share of more than $50,000 in prize money.
A possible $9,000 to win is up for grabs over three days. Thursday’s winner will take home $2,000 while Friday’s first-place finisher pockets $3,000. Saturday’s finale will carry a $4,000 top prize.
USRA Limited Mods will also be on the racing card each night with drivers battling for $500, $600 and $700 to win, respectively, plus several bonus cash awards up for grabs and a fantastic payoff throughout the field.
The Royal Purple Raceway is a state-of-the-art 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval with a main grandstand seating capacity of 7,500 which includes fourteen VIP luxury suites and boasts a modern Musco Lighting system suitable for television productions.
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