The TKS Motorports team celebrates their $10,000 win Friday at Badlands (Jeff Bylsma Photo)
(Bill W) August 23, 2016 – The TKS Motorsports #2KS team and driver Craig Dollansky turned in a great Gold Cup weekend in their first trip to Badlands Motor Speedway near Brandon, South Dakota. The Elk River, Minnesota driver won the $10,000 prelim and then came home third in Sunday’s finale. This Saturday, the team will be focused on finishing the year strong at Knoxville Raceway and resuming their season with the National Sprint League.
Last weekend’s Gold Cup was the team’s first trip to Badlands. “We were anxious to go up there and see what all Chuck (Brennan) and Tom Savage have done up there,” says TKS Motorsports owner and crew chief, Troy Renfro. “It’s unbelievable what they’ve done compared to what they had there before. In the pits, I really enjoyed the video boards they have on the backstretch. It was easy to track the car in turns one and two up there, when normally you lose the car on certain parts of the track.”
Craig performed well, timing in second quick after coming out fifteenth in the order.
“The racetrack was really good on Friday,” says Troy. “We were able to win our heat, and we started outside row one for the feature. Usually the guy on the pole gets the jump there. The way the banking is there, it’s an advantage. But Craig stayed right with Rico (Abreu) until he cut a tire early in the going. And we went on to win. It ended up being a good night for us.”
The $10,000 score set up a day off on Saturday. “We got things ready to go on Saturday,” says Troy. “Then my wife (Tammy) and I, and Craig and Julie went and had a late lunch. It was just nice to sit and relax and talk. Then we headed over to Chuck’s Pawn Shop, which was a pretty amazing place with a gun range and a restaurant. It was a nice place.”
Saturday night was spent at the track watching the non-wing prelim. “It was enjoyable watching the USAC guys,” says Troy. “I did some of that stuff years ago, and I really enjoy watching it. We enjoyed sitting in the stands. The fan experience for us was really neat. They always have something going on, and they’re always giving away things. It was impressive from a promotional standpoint.”
Sunday’s finale started with a Scramble that determined the starting spots for the $50,000 to win finale. “There wasn’t really enough racing on the track to widen the track before the Scramble,” says Troy. “We drew an eight for that. It was just too heavy and choppy at that time of night to go anywhere, and we finished eighth.”
Troy went to work on the car for the main event. “I felt starting eighth, that we needed to go a little freer with the car,” he says. “It ended up being what we needed to do. We got up to second, but at that point, we started getting a little loose. The racetrack became very nice late in the race. With Rico and some of those guys starting in front of us…that was an advantage for them. But I think we did what we had to do. We ran our HP Engine, and the motor was great all weekend.”
The podium finish was a nice capper to a hard-working weekend for the team. “As a team, we were very happy,” says Troy. “We’ve got a great program and a great team. I can’t say enough about my guys. They’re not paid, and we’re a small team. Brad Parker, my intern, takes off work early. Chad Lander came up Friday as well. Scott Parker, who’s been with me for a long time, joined us for Sunday’s race. He’s the head of the construction project at the Sprint Car Hall of Fame, so he was working Saturday. That’s a five-hour trip, and I can’t say enough about those guys and how they’re helping us achieve our goals.”
Saturday marks not only Knoxville’s Season Championship Night, but the first of seven remaining point races for the National Sprint League. Craig is 82 points behind Danny Lasoski. “We have our focus back on that (NSL) after the Nationals,” says Troy. “I know we have a great team, and we can get that point lead back. We just have to work hard, and everything will be good.”
Partnering with TKS Motorsports
TKS Motorsports is always open to new perspective partners! Whether you’d like to partner with the team for the full season, or put your company’s name on the nose wing for a night of your choice, contact Troy at tsrenfro8725@gmail.com!
TKS Motorsports would like to thank Casey's General Stores, Des Moines Industrial Products (DMIP), Aggressive Hydraulics, 1 Way Technologies, AL Driveline, AO Designs, All Star Performance, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Fibreworks Composites, FK Rod Ends, Hoosier, Indy Race Parts, KSE Racing Products, Mag Tech Ignition, Maxim Racing Chassis, Schoenfeld Headers, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Tony Moro Collision Center, Tony Moro Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Vahlco Wheels, Webb Family Farms, Wilwood, Winters Performance Products and Gail Dielman.
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Photo: The TKS Motorports team celebrates their $10,000 win Friday at Badlands (Jeff Bylsma Photo)
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