Colodny strong in ASA series

Much has been made in recent years about the "Young Guns" in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. But right here in northern Nevada we have our own set of "Young Guns," and they are moving steadily up the racing ranks. Watch for great things from them.

Most of our local young racers on the move got their start in karting, and Dallas Colodny is no exception. He started as a 13-year-old seventh grader racing a Box Stock Outlaw Kart in the infield at the now-defunct Champion Speedway in Carson City.

His dad Brian was a long-time stock car racer at the track, known as "The Racing CPA." Dallas soon started racing farther afield, traveling to tracks in Red Bluff and Chico in California, searching for more intense competition. In 2004 he moved up to the Legends division, choosing to make the long tow to the Bullring at Las Vegas, where the competition was fierce. After destroying his Legend car in a wild, multiple-flip accident, he moved into the ASA Speed Truck Challenge mid-season in 2007, and has been with this traveling series ever since.

Colodny won the Stagger Pro Hard Charger award in 2007, and so far in 2008 he is running at the head of the field after four races, first in the points chase. At the season opener in Lake Havasu, Ariz., he qualified second, won the trophy dash, and finished second in the main.

At Tucson he again qualified second, was runner-up in the dash, and took third in the main. He qualified third and finished third by less than a tenth of a second in the main at Irwindale, Calif., then moved into the points lead with a solid second place at Blythe, Calif., last weekend. Colodny plans to run for the championship, campaigning all 13 or 14 races (depending on when the new Kern County track in Bakersfield, Calif., is completed), also running at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, Calif., the Bullring at Las Vegas, and on the road course at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix.

The competition in the ASA Speed Trucks is fierce. It is considered one of the feeder series for NASCAR, and drivers under development by teams like Penske, Roush Fenway, and others use it as a rung on the ladder to the big show. The trucks are pure racing machines, a purpose-built tube chassis on a 108 inch wheelbase, powered by a 375 horsepower V8 engine. They reach 100 miles per hour on the Irwindale half-mile oval, and 140 on the straightaway at the Firebird road course.

When he's not racing, the 19-year-old Colodny attends classes as a freshman at the University of Nevada. He initially thought about a mechanical engineering degree, but now wants to try his hand at a possible journalism or business major. But if he got the right breaks, he'd jump at a racing career.

"Oh, yeah! I'd do it in a heartbeat," he said when asked if he would consider making his living at racing.

Colodny is quick to credit his success to new crew chief Chuck LaHorgue, who prepared the car that won the 2007 championship. He is also planning a few outings this season in a LaHorgue-prepared Late Model, at either Roseville, Calif., or Madera, Calif. The Late Model is just another way to get experience while waiting for the call to the big time.

Colodny has definitely impressed officials of the ASA Speed Truck organization with his performance last year and especially his strong start in 2008. Series President Jay Rutherford said,

"In the last 12 years watching drivers come and go in my series, I have taken particular interest in examining Dallas Colodny since his coming to race with us in 2007. He has truly proven himself to be one of our most outstanding competitors, both on and off the track; Dallas continues to show himself as a winner."

As is always the case, Colodny is continually in search of sponsors to continue his racing effort. Currently his primary sponsor is RAMAC Industries in Minden. He also has associate sponsorship from Pepsi Bottling Company of Reno and Kohn Colodny CPAs.