CHAD REITZ HELPS EXPAND FORD’S DIRT TRACK HOPES
by Brian Spaid

May 28, 2004 

   Ford Motor Company has always maintained a presence in motorsports. From the early 1900s when company founder Henry Ford raced his own cars to Matt Kenseth’s NASCAR Winston Cup championship in 2003, the manufacturer’s influence spans over a century. Nowadays, in addition to NASCAR competition, the blue oval is the sole engine manufacturer on the Champ Car World Series. On the international level, Ford’s Jaguar brand is one of 10 Formula One teams.

   On the dirt tracks of America, however, Ford is dwarfed by Chevrolet. Over the years, a few drivers and teams have tried to run the brand. Yet, their success has been limited.

   This season, DIRT Modified rookie Chad Reitz of Dempseytown is taking on the challenge in an effort to revolutionize Ford’s lack of success in dirt track racing.

   The effort started last season when Reitz’s father, Les, met with representatives of Eliminator Performance Products at a trade show. The elder Reitz’s interest in Ford big block engines was peaked as he talked to the Michigan-based company. Reitz and Eliminator combined their knowledge with McGunegill Engine Performance of Muncie, Ind., in order to design the engine and cylinder heads.

   “Eliminator casts their own engine blocks, cylinder heads and intake manifolds,” said Reitz, who works as a parts accumulator for General Electric in Grove City. “They have all of their machine work done at Roush Machining, which is associated with NASCAR car owner Jack Roush.”

   Eliminator was already involved in modified truck pulls, and wanted to expand their efforts into big block modified racing. Several years ago, Ford developed a successful small block modified engine, which eventually priced itself out of the market in upstate New York. This time, Eliminator wanted to continue the success of that original effort with a cost-effective powerplant designed and manufactured by top names in the business.

   “Dad and I really believe we can make the Ford big block engine work. We’re still working a few bugs out. But, last Sunday, set us back a lot.”

   While racing for tenth during the 20-lap DIRT Modified feature on May 23, Reitz’s efforts suffered a setback.

    “The temperature gauge didn’t read any different, but the oil temperature skyrocketed,” said Reitz, 26. “We later learned that the bolts broke on the intake manifold. That allowed water to drain out of the engine.”

   Without water to cool the engine, the oil heated to a disastrous level.

   “Sometimes when you blow an engine, a rod may break and destroy it. It can even put a hole in the side of the block. This time, the hot oil literally cooked it. Now, we have to ship the engine back to Indiana for repairs that could cost as much as $8,000.”

   Although he is still loyal to the Ford effort, the loss of the engine was a devastating blow.

   “This puts out team behind for the rest of the year financially and in the point chase,” said Reitz, whose sister, Chanda, is a fan favorite at Tri-City. “I’m still having some growing pains with the big block. The engine has the power, but none of my old small block modified setups work with more horsepower. We made a lot of adjustments after the first two weeks. Last Sunday was the best the car ran all year. Now, we won’t have this engine back for about two to three weeks.”

   Reitz started his career in 1994 racing Micro Sprints. He captured 11 feature wins and the 2001 track title at Sharon Speedway. In 2002, he moved into the Sportsman Modified division. He captured 10 wins in that class, including the 2002 Mod Madness Sportsman Modified special at Tri-City. This is his first season racing full-time in the DIRT Modifieds.

   “I love the big blocks,” said Reitz. “They’re harder to drive than the Sportsman Modifieds because they have more straightaway speed. You have to make some huge adjustments.”

   The competition is also more intense.

   “The DIRT Modifieds at Tri-City is the toughest field around. On Sunday, I was racing for tenth place with guys like Brian Swartzlander and Andy Priest. One night, we figured out that I raced in a 24-car feature and there were 17 different drivers on the track with feature wins, and 10 of them were track champions at one time or another in the region. That is a tough group of drivers.”

   Despite the setback of losing his best engine, Reitz is excited about his future prospects.

   “I’m glad I made the move up to this class. I’m a little bummed out right now because I thought I’d do better than I have, but that’s the downfall of running an engine that is different from the rest. We have to rely on ourselves for research and development, and live and learn on our own. I want to move on to bigger and better things in this class. Maybe even the Super DIRT Modified Series.”

   This Sunday, Reitz intends to bolt his small block Ford into his car for the first BRP Modified Tour event of 2004. The 30-lap event is the inaugural Dick Rankin Memorial. Run in honor of the DIRT Modified legend, who died in a non-racing accident in 2003, the race has special meaning to all of the drivers, including Reitz.

   “I was a Dick Rankin fan growing up. He was one of the hardest drivers on the track, and a true gentleman. We’ll be down a little on power this week, but I really hope to run well in his memory.”

   Reitz’s Bicknell No. 9 is sponsored by Schwab’s Ford and Blue Ox Timber Co. of Titusville, World of Wheels of Seneca, Subway, Lowry Auto Body, Sehman Tire and Venango Glass of Franklin, Oakland Products, Action Grafx and Randy’s Auto Sales of Dempseytown, Pennewell Sandblasting & Painting of Oil City, and racing oriented companies such as McGunegill Engine Performance, Eliminator Performance Products, Mike Kraft Racing Products and Kevco Oil Pans.