Although most of the key ingredients will remain in place, two significant changes are on the horizon for the R19's 2008 assault on the World of Outlaw's campaign. The team has announced the appointment of veteran Jac Haudenschild as their new driver, efective immediately following the conclusion of this weekend's season-ending action at Charlotte. In addition, the car will now be known as the Owens Corning City Wide Insulation R19. Owens Corning, a leading innovator in fiberglass insulation technology and a Fortune 500 company for 50 plus years, has pledged considerable financial support and their role as our primary sponsor will be a welcome and essential addition to the team's commitment to excellence. The iconic Owens Corning Pink Panther trademark and familiar flames with black and orange color scheme will remain essentially the same, as will the utilization of Maxim chassis and Cappetta power. Leonard Lee will remain in his role as crew chief and reports that the R19 will begin the '08 season with ten new cars and six motors. Marie Lapointe, who wears so many hats it would be impossible to assign her a title, will also continue as the team's multi-tasking unsung hero.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Lee had this to say about their new driver: "It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to work with one of my all-time heroes in the sprint car industry. Jac comes to race every night and I consider him to be one of the premiere racers of the modern era." Haudenschild has over 350 sprint car wins in a career that dates back to 1974. Included among the many highlights of his sterling 34 years in the business are his $100,000 payday at the first ever Historical Big One at Eldora in 1993 and the distinction of having pocketed the largest paycheck in sprint car history when he banked $200,000 at the Mopar Million in '03. Jac and his wife Patty have three children, Justin, Raquel and Sheldon and continue to reside in Wooster, Ohio. When asked about these changes for next year, Jac replied "I am thrilled at the thought of driving for the Owens Corning team and am looking forward to an exciting year".
Lon Carnahan has also announced that Justin Henderson will be the driver behind the wheel of the IDI , BG Automotive, City Wide R19 for the "Outlaws Downunder" event scheduled for January 17-19 of 2008. As you may well know Justin Henderson is no stranger to the Owens Corning R19. Justin did a great job driving for Carnahan Motorsports for 2 years in the Mid-West before launching his own World of Outlaws career. "Knowing that Jac would be unable to attend the event due to scheduling with his son Sheldon's racing, it was an easy choice for me to go with Justin. I wanted the driver for this event to be from South Dakota as he has always been one of the favorites of our Sioux Falls City Wide Insulation location" says Lon Carnahan owner of the R19 machine.
This might also be a good time to clear up a mystery that seems to follow us wherever we go. People often ask, "What is the significance of the car number R19?" In the world of insulation, "R" stands for resistance. The number next to the letter, in this case "19," represents the degree of resistance to heat and moisture. Fittingly, R19 would imply a high degree of resistance and thus, a product of high quality excellence.
A special thanks goes out to Jason Solwold for the wonderful job he has done for the past 4 seasons. Everyone at Carnahan Motorsports wishes him the best of luck in the future.
As always, we'll see you at the races.
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