When Irwindale Speedway LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Feb. 12, the same day the track’s management canceled the 2012 racing season, it left many aspring drivers wondering when and where they would race again.
That included Morgan Hill’s Devon Ostheimer. The Sobrato High School senior was coming off a spectacular rookie season on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, in which he placed fourth in Late Models with several top-10 finishes and an exciting win on Sept. 9.
Ostheimer, 18, was flying. He joined Team RBK in January and bought an “awesome” new white No. 5 car shortly after. Now, all the boy wonder needed was a race.
“It was just a scramble,” he said Tuesday. “We still don’t know where we’re going.”
For one balmy afternoon in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Ostheimer’s destination was as clear as the desert sky – victory lane. Ostheimer, making the most of what could be a rare racing opportunity for 2012, went wire to wire to win Saturday’s Late Models main at Havasu 95 Speedway before a standing-room only crowd; most of which had gathered for the evening’s Toyota-Napa Auto Parts 150, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West opener.
“It’s pretty exciting, especially with a new team, a new crew chief and first time in a new car,” Ostheimer said. “That usually doesn’t happen. It’s weird how that worked out, but I’m definitely glad it did.”
Ostheimer led all 50 laps on the paved, quarter-mile oval, beating out 21 drivers who were just as eager to show their mettle. Forty had tried to qualify. The bottom 18 went home – a quicker trip back to uncertainty.
“It was really good, intense competition,” Ostheimer said. “A lot of guys had no place to race, so they all showed up. I was just hoping to make the main, maybe get top five.”
Ostheimer clocked the fourth fastest time in qualifying and caught a break with the inverted start, which placed him ahead of the field. With fresh air in front of him and “lots of wrecks” behind him, Ostheimer stayed composed throughout the race.
“Devon’s an 18-year-old going on 32 in maturity,” says his crew chief and Team RBK owner, Dean Kuhn. “He’s very mature, very methodical. … I’ve trained and worked with a lot of racers. I’m normally having to get them to put their emotions in check. With Devon, that isn’t a problem.”
Written on Team RBK’s website is its unofficial motto, “Our goal is to achieve your goals.” Kuhn was convinced he and Ostheimer could achieve their common goal of winning even before he even saw Ostheimer race.
“He’s very put together; that’s what I like most,” Kuhn said. “He has his head on straight, and he’s not scared.”
Ostheimer, who previously drove for High Point Racing, is optimistic about his future with Team RBK, even if 2012 doesn’t turn out to be the most booming of years. Ostheimer is diligently seeking new sponsors – one of his main ones is MDR Machine of Morgan Hill – and trying to raise funds to race at Stockton 99 Speedway in May, and at Bakersfield’s new Kern County Raceway Park, which is projected to open in October.
“This year, we’re just going to be hit and miss,” Ostheimer said, “but what a way to open it up.”
