MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Freddie Rahmer is ready to rip into the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 sprint car schedule at Williams Grove Speedway when the track opens for the season on March 17.
Rahmer, now 28 years old, wrapped up his third career track title at Williams Grove last season and plans on gunning for a fourth when action begins in the Sunday lidlifter.
The title was a first for Rahmer’s No. 8 car owner, Rich Eichelberger.
“It’s important to my family and Rich and the team so we’re gonna’ try to,” said Rahmer of his intentions to try to repeat and get back-to-back Grove titles. “We are gonna be there every week and try and win as many races so that’s one of the goals of course.”
Rahmer and the Eichelberger team have been keeping busy during the offseason preparing their program to compete at the highest levels this year.
“Pretty much everything you try to make a little better,” Rahmer said. “We just try to get our motors running better and a I have worked on a couple of things I can do better in attacking the track better, just trying to do a better job and get as prepared as you can for the season.”
Rahmer says his team is stocked and ready to go with Maxim Chassis and Don Ott Racing Engines.
“We run one car on Friday and one on Saturday,” Rahmer said. “It’s easier to track laps on the car and motor that way. It works out well for us but we’re prepared. Rich has good equipment.
“This time of year you always wanna think you’re in better shape than before but I think maybe we’re the best we’ve ever been.” Rahmer continued. “We definitely feel good about where we are at with everything. And hopefully some of the changes we’ve made will help us qualify better.
“We got a lot better with that last year, real good at some points. So hopefully we can step up even better this year.”
Rahmer says part of the team’s focus in recent months has indeed been on learning how to avoid digging a hole early in the night in time trial events that they then have to race out of later.
He say’s he feels like collectively the team is gaining on the issue.
“I’d say some of it is the way we’ve maybe had our car,” Rahmer said. “And just a couple little things we’ve now learned over the years, we’ve gotten better at it. “You can race as good as you want but if you don’t position yourself, your chances (at winning) are out the window.
“And everything’s so close so we’ve been trying to get the best we can on that.”
Rahmer expects some of his top competitors for wins at any give time this season at Williams Grove will come in the form of Anthony Macri, Brent Marks and Troy Wagaman Jr.
“And you never know, any night someone could show up and be the guy to beat,” Rahmer said of the competition he’ll face when the season begins in two weeks.
The No. 8 team scored a pair of wins at the oval on the way to the track title.