DARRELL BOSSARD DOMINATES TRI-CITY PRO STOCKS
by Brian Spaid

May 17, 2003

     Dominance. That word symbolizes the 2003 season for Centerville racer Darrell Bossard. Competing in the Pro Stock division at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio, and Tri-City Speedway, Bossard won the first three races at each track for a string of six consecutive victories to start the season.

     On Sunday night, he tied a record at Tri-City with four Pro Stock wins in a row counting his triumph in the 2002 Applefest 100. The record was set by Gary Norman in 1997.

     In addition, Bossard led 80 of the last 146 feature race laps at Tri-City, including 43 of 101 laps at the 2002 Applefest 100, which went an extra distance due to a late-race caution. In fact, during the last two Pro Stock feature races at Tri-City, he led every lap.

     In 2001 and 2002, Bossard won a total of seven features each season. This season, he is one win away from tying that personal season record, which he will likely surpass before the end of the month.

     Dominance is the word when it comes to Bossard’s performance, but he tries to stay focused on the task at hand.

     “I try not to think about it too much,” said Bossard of his win streak. “The team and I just work hard every week to get the car ready. It doesn’t hurt to start near the front in some of those races either.”

     Bossard, 19, started his racing career helping the likes of Titusville racers Robbie Blair and Bobby Powell. As a crewman, he learned about the hard work that goes into car preparation. With their help, he moved into the cockpit in 2000. He scored four wins and the 2001 track title at Sportsman’s Speedway in Knox. His career win total is now at 20 and climbing.

     “I owe a lot of thanks to everyone that helps me get ready to race each week,” said Bossard, who works in the parts department at Bossard Crawford GM Store in Titusville. “My dad (Bill), my uncle (Brad Bossard), Donnie Kramer and Todd Donovan have been the most influential.”

     Kramer builds Bossard’s engines and managed to crank a bunch of horsepower from a 358 cubic inch powerplant. Operating out his shop in Meadville, Kramer acquired equipment from the motor shop of former Centerville driver Denny Deigelman. He then set out to construct engines for Bossard and Pro Stock racer Russ Kapalin.

     “Most guys run a larger engine,” said Bossard. “There are only about three or four small blocks at Tri-City. By rule, we have to run a smaller engine at Raceway 7, and we are given a weight break at Tri-City to make us more competitive. I like the smaller engine because it’s smoother to race without the bottom-end torque that you find in a bigger engine. Still, we’re turning 7,000 rpm in that engine. Donnie’s done a great job with it.”

     Despite the apparent disadvantage of the engine size, Bossard seems unfazed by the competition, which he considers the strongest ever since he started racing in 2000.

     “Right now, we’re turning three to four second faster than we used to race at Raceway 7 and Tri-City. Some of the cars are actually getting faster than the E Mods. The other cars and drivers are also getting tougher to beat. Bobby Whitling and Gary Norman are running real well this season. Now, other guys like Rod Laskey and Jason Johns are really coming on strong.”

     So far, Bossard is most impressed with Whitling and his newly constructed cars.

     “I’ve watched Bobby and Doug (Iorio Sr.) in those cars Bobby built, and I’m very impressed with them. They are up front everywhere and they are the fastest cars. I watched Bobby at Mercer Raceway Park this season, and I was amazed at how fast he raced through the field. Those cars are going to get tougher to beat as the season goes on.”

     Bossard also touched on the new Thundercar class at Tri-City, which continues to steadily grow.

     “I like the class. The numbers will increase over time. Raceway 7 started a similar class last year with three cars. They started this season with around 15 cars in the class. It’s a great way to learn to drive race cars, and teenagers can get into racing a lot cheaper than before.”

     Bossard’s learning curve will start anew this season because he also acquired a Late Model from Blair. Bossard will race it on a few occasions at Gambler’s Raceway Park in Clearfield. He made his first career Late Model start at that track earlier this season. He intends to get more seat time in the Late Model, including the Aug. 31 race at Tri-City.

     “Our tentative plans for next year are to race both the Late Model and Pro Stock before we go full-time in the Late Models in 2005.”

     With a Late Model racing career on the horizon and continued success in the Pro Stocks, Bossard’s future seems bright. In fact, his fellow Pro Stock racers may want to see him move on faster so they can finally get to victory lane. Before he moves on to Late Models though, Tri-City fans can continue to watch Bossard flourish as one of the top racers at the Venango County oval for another season or two.

     Bossard's Chevrolet Monte Carlo No. 22B is sponsored by Bossard Crawford GM Store, Johnson's Tire Sales, LinVan Lanes and Horn's Custom Painting of Titusville, Maloney Tool & Mold of Meadville, Vancise Lumber and Moody Welding of Centerville, Crawford Tool & Die of Guys Mills, Tanner Lumber Company and Shelby's Tanning & Hair Garage of Townville, and BeeLine Auto Parts of Orlando, Florida.