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| 13 year old to race for TV Commentator Bob Dillner in 2006 | by Zach Drager, Zach Stroupe Racing
CONCORD, N.C. -- First it was go-karts, then Bandoleros and finally Legends Cars. Now, 13-year-old Zach Stroupe is continuing his climb up the racing ladder by competing full-time in the Aaron's Pro Challenge Series in 2006, driving for Motorsports broadcaster and SPEED Channel personality Bob Dillner.
Stroupe will begin his assault at the 2006 championship on February 9th & 10th at Orlando SpeedWorld, the first national points event of the season. The Pro Challenge Series championship will consist of a handful of races, primarily in the Southeastern part of the United States.
"It is really cool," said Stroupe, who will continue driving Legends cars part-time during the 2006 season. "I'm getting to run with a lot of talented drivers like Terry Mathis and a bunch of others. I'm really excited about it. It will be a lot of fun. It will be a challenge, but I feel we can be successful."
"Zach has so much talent at such a very young age," said Bob Dillner, who also operates the popular short track website, Speed51.com. "He comes from a very good racing family; in fact, he reminds me of myself when I was younger. This is BDI's (Bob Dillner Inc.) first venture into a full-time racing series and I know Zach will do a fine job. I would like to help provide for him a platform to prove to other people what I know that he can do and the Pro Challenge Series is the right place to do that."
The Aaron's Pro Challenge Series is one of the hottest series for youngsters in the country. The series utilizes >-scale cars that are powered by ZX 1100cc Kawasaki four-cylinder, water-cooled power plant producing 140 horsepower. The cars weigh just 1,300 pounds. They come with a number of different body styles, including Dodge, Pontiac, Ford and Chevrolet. The series races on a number of ovals all over the country and in Canada, mostly on tracks 3/8- and 1/2-mile long.
"Pro Challenge is really a good series," added Stroupe. "Everyone is extremely nice and very professional. The cars are well put together and they offer a lot of adjustability over comparable cars in other series. I like working on them with my dad (Mike). Overall, the Pro Challenge Series is just a great place to learn and also have a good time while doing it.
"I think we've got a shot at winning a couple of races. I mean, we have to beat some good racers there, but I'm looking forward to racing with all of them."
Stroupe competed in two Pro Challenge Series races at the end of the 2005 season, notching a pole, qualifying in the top-five in both and scoring a best of third at Friendship Motor Speedway (Elkin, NC). At Friendship, Stroupe led 47 laps of the 50 in the event until contact with another car sent him spinning. Stroupe battled back to finish third.
For Zach's complete 2006 racing schedule, visit his website at www.zachstroupe.com.
Watch for 13-year-old Zach Stroupe as he makes a name for himself on short tracks throughout the Southeast and check out the new www.zachstroupe.com. For more information on Zach Stroupe, please contact Zach Drager with DSG at (704) 454-5111.
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