BILL KLUCK JR. ON PATH TO TRI-CITY STARDOM IN THUNDERCARS
by Brian Spaid

June 23, 2006 

   For Oil City driver Bill Kluck Jr., auto racing was a mere dream until late last summer. Co-worker Chad Myers invited Kluck to check out the racing action at Tri-City Speedway. After all, Myers was the hottest driver around in the Thundercar division. Kluck heard about Myers’ exploits, but was unfamiliar with Tri-City.

   “I only ever raced a go kart one time in my life,” said Kluck, who is a machinist at Precision Tool in Oil City. “I hadn’t paid much attention to Tri-City, and I thought it would be neat to go out there with Chad.”

   That night, Kluck was hooked. He was so excited about his experience that he purchased his first race car about two months later. It was Myers’ championship winning racer.

   “Chad raced it as a Buick, and we decided to put a Chevy body on it,” said Kluck.

   The 25-year-old then assembled a pit crew led by Rick Henry of Plumer. Henry worked with Pro Stock driver Jeff Lockhart of Seneca in 2005. Friends with Kluck, Henry was also excited about this new venture.

   “Rick studies the car night after night,” said Kluck. “He and another crew member, Norm Griffin of Oil City, they both do their homework. We’re really into it and probably do more than any other Thundercar crew. We take tire temperatures and even play with the weight distribution on the car.”

   Kluck and his crew were ready. They appeared at the Cranberry Mall Show with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo No. 27, and the sharp racer attracted a lot of attention. Then, the raw rookie opened eyes early in the season at Mercer Raceway Park.

   On his third night in the car, Kluck won a heat race at one-third mile oval. He also led the Strictly Stock feature until eventual winner Carl Ealy passed him with four laps to go. Kluck finished second. An amazing feat for a man that was only a curious spectator less than a year ago.

   “I truly believe that I have the best crew in the Thundercar division, and that’s the reason why we’re having such a good year.”

   In addition to Henry and Griffin, Doug O’Neil, Marsha Henry, and Kluck’s parents, Bill Kluck Sr. and Diane Rankin, are big helpers and supporters of his entire team along with many sponsors.

   “I got into this not knowing what to really expect. I watched racing on television and always thought it would be a lot of fun to race. It takes a lot of sacrifice and time. But, I really enjoy it, and so does the entire team. I like to say that I gave up fishing to go racing.”

   When the season opened at Tri-City, Kluck was looking forward to competing at his home track. He went in with expectations of learning the track and setups. He never expected to win a feature.

   “I always thought this would be a learning year. We just wanted to make progress throughout the season.”

   Then, on May 21, in his third night of competition at the Venango County half-mile dirt track, Kluck accomplished the near impossible. Looking like a veteran racer, Kluck dueled with Curt Bish Sr. of Dempseytown for the victory in the 12-lap Thundercar feature. In a race for the ages, Kluck used a daring outside-to-inside pass in turns one and two to take the lead and the win from Bish. Kluck and his crew were on cloud nine.

   “Winning that race was great for our entire team. Just as important though, I really like hanging out in the pit area during the races and getting to know the other drivers and crews. It’s such a blast. There are a lot of good drivers and teams in our division, and we have a lot of fun.”

   Since that win, Kluck has experienced some tough luck. A couple of crashes have affected his performance, but that one victory set a goal for his team.

   “Winning that race so early in my career makes us hungry for more. We’re struggling right now, but we have to learn that there are times when racing is tough. We want to win another feature. That felt so good to win. When we do it again, we’ll appreciate it even more.”

   There is no doubt that Kluck is in motorsports for the long haul. Although he would not disclose his future plans just yet, bigger and better things may be in the works for him and his team.

   “We’re talking about a lot of different options for next year. Right now though, we want to get some experience and learn more about these cars and the racing game.”

   And there will likely be a few more victories along the way too.

   Sponsors on Kluck’s machine include Precision Tool, Grandview Auto Body and Rick & Ray’s Towing of Oil City, Wild Cat Hollow Salve of Titusville, SAR Gas of Kennerdell, Tank T’s and Rotten Ink of Franklin, and Dave and Peg Winger Auto Parts.