For the second year in a row, Chuck Hossfeld and the DeLange Racing Team won the season opening Coca-Cola Queen City Clash at Lancaster Raceway Park in Lancaster, NY on Saturday May 1, 2004.  Unable to make either of the practice sessions at Lancaster due to other racing obligations, Chuck and the crew unloaded the car Saturday a bit uncertain, although optimist of how good the car would be.  Any questions were laid to rest during the first practice session when the Chuck went out and ran some competitive laps in the #22 DeLange Racing modified. 

After a few minor tweaks and another successful practice session, the team threw on a new set of tires and sent Chuck out for heat.  Chuck started fourth in the first heat but after getting caught up behind other cars, settled for sixth place.  With the top 5 finishers qualifying for the redraw, Chuck was a little disappointed when he returned to the pits.  However one of our competitors failed the post-heat inspection and therefore Hossfeld was now qualified and drew 7th position for the start of the feature.  

After intermittent rain showers, the modified feature race got under way.  Ironically, even after the rains the feature still began earlier than normal.  This was due in part to few cautions in the feature races of the other classes, and in an effort to get the racing in before the rains, post-race victory lane interviews and photographs were held after all of the features were run.   

At the drop of the green, the Hot Shoe wasted no time in moving towards the front.  At the completion of the first lap, Chuck had already gained two positions and was now running fifth.  The race was red flagged briefly when during the second lap, the car of Buck Catalano (40) came unglued off of turn two and sent him hard into the wall on the backstretch, collecting Eddie Murray (37) and Sege Fidanza (77) as they had no place else to go.  Thankfully all drivers were uninjured and the race went back green. 

Over the next ten laps, Chuck battled with Dave Wollaber (5), Brett Scherrer (8), and Rich Littlefield (3) in the front of the pack.  After unsuccessful attempts to find a hole to the front, the Hot Shoe went to his patented move by running the outside into turn one.  Able to find traction where no one else could, he rocketed by cars on the outside and by lap 17 was in the lead.  Wollaber would get by Littlefield a couple of a laps later to move into second.  After each of a few subsequent restarts, Hossfeld was able to stretch the lead to a few car lengths ahead of Wollaber, and soared into victory relatively unchallenged. 

The win marks the fourth victory for Chuck as car owner, and for primary sponsors Dave and Laura DeLange of DeLange Racing.  It also sets the tone for things to come this year from the DeLange Racing Team, and caps off an upbeat weekend for Chuck who drove the #47 Wisk-Clorox SK Modified to a second place finish Friday April 30, 2004 in Stafford, CT.

Chuck will be back at the Stafford Motor Speedway this coming Friday for in the #47 SK Modified, then back to Lancaster again on Saturday for the second race of the year for the DeLange Racing Team.

Click here for more results from the Coca-Cola Queen City Clash at Lancaster Raceway Park.