January 2012
ERIK RENNINGER READY TO GO SPORTSMAN RACING AT GRANDVIEW
by Randy Kane Area Auto Racing News
After bouncing around from track to track the past four seasons, while trying to get his racing program together, 36-year-old Erik Renninger figured all of the stars were, finally, lining up just right for him when Grandview Speedway announced the Sportsman division was being added as a weekly division for the 2012 racing season at the high-banked third mile dirt track in Bechtelsville, PA. After growing up in the Allentown, PA area and watching his father, Wayne Renninger, race at the old Dorney Park, Speedway, plus at Nazareth, Grandvìew, Bridgeport, Susquehanna and the former Reading Fairgrounds half-mile raceway, steering a self-financed small block ride, Erik just loved the idea of racing at home, for a change, on a weekly basis, in front of his family and friends.Renninger, who now lives in Bridgewater, NJ, began his racing career in 1981, at the age of 5 at the old Lehigh Valley Quarter-Midget Club track, after his father bought a Quarter-Midget for his young son to try out. With sports like baseball and football Erik’s interests in school, racing had to be put on the back burner, instead. Wayne stayed away from racing for some 17-years, but he purchased a Bicknell chassis from former racer, Mike Kelly, in 1999 with some hope his Sons just might be interested enough to give racing a try, this time around. Chad, an older brother to Erik gave it a try, but he didn’t have the desire, after racing a few races at Grandview. Erik strapped in and headed to Susquehanna, but they had a motor blow up after Erik got into the feature, one night, putting it on hold, once more. Work out of the area and a very limited racing budget pulled Erik away until 2007, when the new father and son racing effort could return to racing, one again.
The Renninger’s finished out that 2007 campaign with older equipment, running at Grandview, but the 2008 season was declared by Erik as his official Rookie campaign. A newer Bicknell chassis was purchased and Erik began his career at Bridgeport in the Rookie division.
The torch had been passed, with Erik the driver and Wayne the crew, it was an all-out effort to learn all they could about racing, Erik won a feature event at Bridgeport and, quickly, advanced into the Crate Sportsman ranks. Erik ran at Bridgeport throughout 2008 and 2009, but the rules changed and Erik moved, for 2010, on to New Egypt, plus scattered events at Big Diamond.
“That first season I had to learn how the car was supposed to feel out on the track and try to figure out what changes might do to the car,” Renninger said the other day. “My dad was away from racing and I was green, but we figured a lot out on our own, we made some friendships, we had an older chassis and had a motor that didn’t have the power we needed. We didn’t have a lot of dollars available to put into racing, plus I had to learn all I could about driving a car, too.
“Bridgeport was a lot of clean racing and we had to take our lumps, the first couple of years. Once we switched to New Egypt, I had to learn how to race on a track the produced close racing. There was bumping, banging, rubbing and it certainly was different. It was like starting over because it was a different style but the experience, certainly, was worth it. My biggest problem was an every other week schedule, honestly. You’d run a race and have the next event rained out. You’d finally race a month later, but the track was different and you’d never learn anything. With the weeks off, we went to Big Diamond, but I just never got going up there.
“In 2010 and 2011 we raced at Grandview in several Thunder on The Hill races, plus a Race of Champions show or two. We, certainly, did not set the world on fire, but I learned to love the banking and it was slice and dice racing, you bang and touch, but it wasn’t pedal to the metal competition. Grandview was a fun place to race, but we needed more to be truly competitive, there. Running at New Egypt, I think, I ran 7 or 8 races, all season. In 2012, at Grandview, running weekly we can triple that and only get better,” Renninger suggested.
These days, the Renninger family racing effort comes better equipped, for one thing. In 2008, they started things as a 5-year plan to get where they needed to be. Step by step and year after year brought Renninger to 2012 and running at Grandview, with all the puzzle pieces, finally, starting to fall in place.
“We, finally, have a good car,” Renninger noted. “Our Bicknell car from 2011, that’s our car for 2012 to start the season. We developed a friendship with a motor builder from New Jersey, known as Atlantic Crankshaft, and, since, I’ve had the power I’ve needed and it’s dependable stuff. I’ve now got 4 years out on the track, when you talk about driving experience, plus I’ve got guys that help out on our crew. I’ve built a decent shop near my home in New Jersey and the travel is not a problem for us. We traveled weekly to Bridgeport, plus towed over an hour to race at New Egypt. It is like the starts lining up for us, now.
“If I qualify and just get some decent finishes and race a lot at Grandview I think it will be a successful season. I know we’ve still got room to grow, as a racing team. My dad still lives in the Allentown, PA area and he’ll be very involved in our racing half-hour down the road at Grandview. Last year, dad became a grandfather when my son, Jake, was born and dad will get to see Jake every week we go racing. Like I said, it might take a few weeks to get things acclimated, but I see nothing but good things coming to us as a result of our opportunity to race weekly at Grandview. I can’t wait to get the year started and see how everything unfolds.” announced Renninger, who works in sales as a full-time position.
Aboard the family-funded No.51 Sportsman car, Erik will keep a family racing tradition alive, following his Uncle, Hal Renninger, who was a solid racer at Grandview and Dorney Park before that and, of course, Wayne, his dad. Just an opportunity to run weekly at Grandview has Erik smiling, this winter.
“I learned a lot of things, good and bad, in my limited events at Grandview,” offered Renninger. “I just need to get some seat time to be competitive. Much of the time we have been underpowered or racing outdated equipment and it has been a struggle, sure. We’ve bounced around and it can only benefit us there, finally having a home track and racing often. We’ve got a parts inventory now that’s been built up and, all things considered, we can only get better, from here on. An added bonus is Grandview has racing on local television, too. RCN TV will get us out there in full view of local fans who cannot go to races at Grandview and you can’t beat that,” commented Renninger.
