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Sept 15th , 2006 - Darrell Bossard!

This week we got young racer Darrell Bossard to sit down for a few questions. Many of you know Darrell as a talented up and coming driver in the late model ranks but prior to that Darrell spent several years in the stock division where he won multiple track titles and many races. Enjoy!

1. Even though you're still young, you've been behind the wheel for quite some time. Give us a run through of your racing history and tell us a little about yourself.  

I started helping Bobby Powell with his stock car when I was 14 and started racing a stock car when I was 16. We started racing at Raceway 7 and Sportsmans Speedway and then moved to Tricity Speedway when Sportsmans closed, and of course hit the special races along the way. We won a track championship at each track and multiple wins at different tracks before we made the jump to the latemodel a few years ago.

2. Earlier this season you won your first feature in a Late Model at Stateline Speedway. Describe how that race unfolded and what that felt like climbing out of the car when it was over.

That was the longest 25 laps I have ever driven. I knew Barton, Hess, and Urban and everyone else would be coming and they are the people I've looked up to for so long it was kind of intimidating. It was a huge relief when it was finally over and it took about a week before it finally started to sink in. It was definatly a night I won't forget.

3. You had some very successful years in the stock division including track titles and many wins at Raceway 7 and Tri-City. What were those days like and what were some of the biggest adjustments you had to make as a driver moving up into late models?

We had alot of fun racing the stock car but wanted to get out of the rule changes, and complaining that went on in the class. When I started racing the latemodel it was a much bigger jump than I expected. Everything happens so much faster than what it did with the stock car, and the two cars drive completely different. I basically had to learn how to drive a car all over again. I will be the first to admit that I'm still learning as I go.

4. What is the biggest goal for the 22B team heading into into the fall races and where might we see the car show up now that points races are almost over?  

Our teams always goes to the track with winning on the brain, however keeping the car in one piece and a solid top 5 or 10 finish is like a win most of the time to us. We will finish up the year at Stateline for the points, and then most likely you will see us at MCR for the big race and Challenger for Fall Fest. We will look at the schedules and see where else we can go and race, but have to watch the cost of going too far.

5. Give us your three best and three worst memories that have happened in a race car to this point.  

The three best memories would have to be winning the first latemodel race, winning the applefest 100 at tricity, and the great year we had in 2003 winning 2 championships and 16 features.

The three worst memories, I would say the first couple of races in 2005 after my crewchief was killed in an accident the winter before would be the worst. The 2002 Pittsburgh race when the driver messed up and cost a win, and the 2003 Applefest 100 after passing 22 cars in 26 laps and having an electrical problem knock us out of the race.

6. Is there one particular race that means more to you? One that you would love to win?

The competition in the latemodels is so close that any race is special when you win, but if i had to pick 1 race it would be the next Todd Donovan memorial race that is held no matter where it is.

7. Who are some of the drivers that inspired you to get into this and who are the best that you have raced against and why?

Robbie Blair is probably the reason I got into racing, with my dad and uncle helping him when I was younger. My dad used to race but I wasn't around then so I don't remember any of that. I feel that I race with the best every weekend but I really look up to Robbie, Dick Barton, Chub Frank and Rich Gardner. They all have always been there if I needed anything and I remember watching them all when I was kid in the grandstands and now I get to be out there racing beside them.

8. As always, we need to do some word association:

Robbie Blair...Amazing driver and friend, cant thank him enough
Tri-City Speedway...NEED LATMODELS EVERY SUNDAY!
Raceway 7..great place to race every friday night
Myspace.com...It would look great on a quarter panel wouldn't it?
Bossard GM Store...Things sure changed one october night
Maloney Tool..Great sponsor and great guy to be around, Thanks ED!
Stateline..I won my first latemodel race there...gotta love the place!

9. When not focused on racing, what does Darrell Bossard do to keep busy?  

I like hunting, golfing, and going out with my friends whenever I can. However I'm single, don't have a very big pit crew, and pay for everything out of my own pocket so for the most part so I can usually be found under a racecar or at a racetrack 99 percent of the time.

10. Finally, where do you hope to have your racing career down the road? What are your ultimate goals for yourself and your team?  

I just hope I'm able to keep racing. The cost is getting so high and our team is pretty limited financially so we have to be conservative. I would like a chance to show what our team could be capable of if we got the right opportunity to move the program to the next level.

There you have it! Thanks to Darrell for being open to a few questions. We've now completed the Blair-Bossard Trifecta! Darrell doesn't have a website to plug so we'll just wish him the best of luck in the remainder of the 06 season.

As always, if your team would be open to doing a small interview with us, shoot an email to the address at the bottom of the page. Stay tuned for another 10Q to be posted soon.