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November 22, 2003
2003 Season
Wrap-up
The 2003 Season has come to an
end, and it has been another successful year for Chuck and both the DeLange Racing and
Mystic Missile Racing Teams. Chuck finished 2nd in points on the NASCAR Featherlite
Modified Series, a mere 32 points behind 1st place finished #50 Todd Szegedy. In his
sophomore year on the tour driving for Bob Garbarino in the #4 Mystic River Marina Dodge,
Chuck has again showed that he is a top contender in the series. His 2003 highlights
include 3 Wins, 3 Bud Pole Awards, and he tied for the most Top-5 and Top-10 finishes with
11 Top-5's and 15 Top-10's out of the 18 races completed during the season.
The DeLange Racing Team
completed our rain shortened 8 race 2003 season with 3 Wins, 6 Top-5's and 7 Top-10's.
It was Chuck's 2nd year as owner and the first year for primary sponsor DeLange
Racing. DeLange Racing will be remain our primary sponsor in the 2004 season,
and we are looking forward to less rain and to build upon our success in the 2004 season.
There are some additional
things in the works for the Hot Shoe for the 2004 season, so stay tuned to the site and
we'll have updates and announcements as they become available.
Here is a breakdown of the
last few races:
September 7, 2003 -
Sunoco 300 - Thompson International Speedway, Thomson, CT
In a race that saw the top 3 contenders in the points chase all have trouble, Chuck
started 9th and battled back after a blown tire to finish 23rd, yet he actually gained
points when #77 John Blewett finished 29th, and #50 Todd Szegedy (the current points
leader) finished 32nd. With his finished Hossfeld closed the gap to 98 points behind
leader Todd Szegedy. Click here for full results from the Sunoco 300 at Thompson International
Speedway.
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| (Howie Hodge Photo) |
(Howie Hodge Photo) |
September 12, 2003 - New Hampshire 100 - New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon,
NH
Chuck started 4th in his attempt to 3-peat at New Hampshire, with wins in the
Fall 2002 and Spring 2003 races. It wasn't in the cards though as the #4 Mystic
Missile Team fought a hard race and walked away with a 5th place finish. Click here for full results from the New Hampshire 100 at New Hampshire
International Speedway.
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| (Peter Montano Photo) |
(Peter Montano Photo) |
September 20, 2003 - Sunoco Race Of Champions 200 - Oswego Speedway, Oswego, NY
Amidst the uncertainty of the effects of Hurricane Isabel, and with some
schedule modifications, the 53rd Annual Sunoco Race of Champions 200 went off Saturday
September 20, 2003 as planned. Without a guaranteed starting spot, it was up to
Chuck and the #22 DeLange Racing Team to qualify for the race. Chuck started 9th in
the 4th heat, but was unable to make it in to the race through the heat, finishing
6th. Tensions were high, but Chuck did manage to qualify in the consi and would
start the race from the back of the field in 34th spot. The race was moving along
nicely and Chuck was progressing through the field but prior to the halfway point, contact
with another car would send the #22 DeLange Racing modified into the outside wall in turn
2. With severe damage to the right front, Chuck would not be able to continue and
finished 28th in the final standings. Click here for full
results from the 53rd Annual Sunoco Race of Champions.
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| (Peter Montano Photo) |
(Peter Montano Photo) |
October 5, 2003 - Carquest Fall Final 150 - Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford
Spring, CT
Chuck started the race 6th and finished 3rd. He gained several points
in the championship race though, as point leader #50 Todd Szegedy finished 17th.
The margin was now down to 36 points separating 1st and 2nd place. Click here for full results from the Carquest Fall Final 150 at Stafford
Motor Speedway.
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| (Howie Hodge Photo) |
(Howie Hodge Photo) |
(Howie Hodge Photo) |
October 12, 2003 - Coca Cola 150 - Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, MA
After several attempts to get the rain postponed race in, NASCAR Featherlite Modified
Series officials cancelled the event.
October 25, 2003 - XTRAMart World Series 125 - Thompson International Speedway,
Thompson, CT
There was a 3-way battle for the championship coming down to the series finale at Thompson
between #50 Todd Szegedy, #4 Chuck Hossfeld, and #77 John Blewett, III. Chuck
started the race 4th and was running well. Blewett has trouble early when he clipped
the wall, so the points race was now down to Hossfeld and Szegedy. Szegedy took a
withdrawal from the luck bank as he went off track and narrowly missed the inside wall.
Chuck also had a late race spin, but fought back to a 7th place finish, but with
Szegedy nipping at his heels in 8th place, it wasn't enough and would relegate Chuck to
2nd place in the overall points standings. Still an outstanding job for Chuck and
Bob Garbarino's #4 Mystic River Marina Team. Click here for full results from the XTRAMart World Series 125 at Thompson
International Speedway.
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| (Mary Hodge Photo) |
(Howie Hodge Photo) |
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