"Action Traction" Highlights Del and Rougeux Motorsports!!

Del Rougeux -- Getting Back On Track Wednesday, 28 March 2007 (By: Eric J. Westendorf) -- Some people make it look so easy. Some drivers rise to the top of the sport and stay there for years, some even decades. See: Ed Lynch, Jr., Lynn Geisler, Brian Swartzlander, Bob Wearing, Sr. and Lou Blaney. And it’s not as easy as it looks for those local racing legends, but it sure looks that way some nights. Del Rougeux (pronounced Roozhee, not Roozh-O) has been on the local racing scene for many years. He started racing at age 20 in a small-block modified at the Hidden Valley Speedway near Clearfield. Though he’s been at it for a while now, Del will be the first to tell you, it’s never easy. 2006 was a rough season for Rougeux Motorsports. The purchase of a new, but different chassis ended up backfiring, as they were never able to get a feel for it. It got so bad that they ended up parking the newer car and brought out an older Bicknell chassis to finish the season. Reflecting on the experience, Del stated, “We felt we had everything working properly again, just too late into the season.” As bad as 2006 was, 2007 offers a fresh start. Learning from the failed experiment with the different chassis last year, Rougeux Motorsports enters 2007 with a brand-new Bicknell chassis and completely freshened 04 and 03 Bicknells on reserve. Del has set his goals high for 2007, “The main goal is to go out and win races, staying consistent, that is what wins championships.” In pursuit of these goals, Del will run the weekly schedules at Lernerville, Sharon, and Tri-City Speedways. He also plans to run the complete BRP Tour and hit selected Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT series events. If time permits he would like to race some unsanctioned events at some New York tracks, where local Modified racing may be the best in the country. In order to have a bad year like 2006, you must have had some good years before that. Del Rougeux’s racing career hit a pinnacle in 2003. Looking back on his banner season, Del recalled, “Their is a lot of good memories about the whole 2003 season; winning my first race at Lernerville, winning the first ever BRP Tour race at Central PA Speedway; and winning the Track Championship at Tri-City Speedway.” Reminiscing about this BRP Tour win, Del stated, “Racing at CPS is the only time I get to race in my hometown. That one was great! As I took the checkered flag around the track you could hear the people cheering over the engine and in the hillside parking area everyone was blowing their horns and flashing their cars headlights. It might not have been the highest paying race, but the excitement from the crowd made it unforgettable!” Del credits one of his racing heroes for helping propel him during the 2003 season. Among his racing heroes, Del named Fred Rahmer and Lance DeWease of PA Posse fame, but also a lesser-known name in Charlie Deangelis. “Charlie was crew chief for Brett Hearn, Jimmy Horton, and Danny Johnson. The man was a wealth of knowledge and would do anything to help.” He went on to say, “But the biggest thing was that Charlie was a great friend. Tragically, we lost him due to a heart attack the same Sunday night in August of 2003 when we took the points lead at Tri-City Speedway after winning the feature that night. We went on to win the Track Championship in his honor.” Del also gives a lot of credit to his father for his success, both on the track and off. “My family is just my father and I.” He went on to say, “He's been beside me through everything I've done in my life. Outside of racing my father and myself own a heating, air conditioning, refrigeration repair company. Other than that it’s all racing! When business is done its off to the garage to start working on the cars for the upcoming weekend. During winter time you tear them down and rebuild everything, you have to work at this fulltime if you’re going to be successful.” In racing, family goes way beyond parents and blood relatives. Del spoke about his racing family by stating, “My crew and friends are my closest family. You meet some of the greatest people in racing!” For example, “One night after a race at Sharon I got hit after the checkered flag. Dean Pearson, along his wife Mary Ellen and their crew, helped me change rear ends and make some major repairs to my car.” He continued, “We worked into the night and the next day. He left his car sit to help get mine ready. The biggest thing about that whole situation, it was their wedding anniversary! I went on to win that night at Tri-City and dedicated it to them!” Del also wished to thank the following people and sponsors; “The Phantom Stewart, my crew of Kevin, Cheryl, Jason, Glen; Gary and Nicki of Vinyl Graphics Unlimited; Maloney Tool and Mold; Primetime Limo; K&N Filters; F.K. Rod Ends; Behrent's Speed Center has joined Rougeux Motorsports as our primary parts supplier; all my associate sponsors; and everyone who's stuck by me through all we've been through.” Finally, Del wished to express that “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world doing what I do, and having the support of the people around me.” And if you ask those guys mentioned above that make racing look easy, they will most assuredly tell you that no matter how good you are, how much experience you have, or how good your equipment is, some nights you just need to be a little bit lucky to pull into Victory Lane!