Chuck Schutz of Pottstown in the winner's circle at Grandview Speedway

Story and Photos by Tammy Auman
for The Pottstown Post

POTTSTOWN PA – NASCAR Latemodel race car driver and Pottstown resident Chuck Schutz, who earned his first championship win in the division during 1999 at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville PA, clinched his fifth NASCAR Latemodel title there Saturday (Sept. 10, 2011) and found himself tied with another local racing legend, Jon Kellner Sr., for the most Latemodel points championships at the track.

Schutz is the driver of the Ty Zeigler-owned, BPG Racing/Jesse Baro Trucking-sponsored ONE (1) Latemodel entry. He earned his first championship in the division 12 years ago and has since been a weekly top contender to beat at the track. He also won the title in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

His NASCAR Latemodel "1" is often the car to beat

Schutz also earned the sixth-place ranking on the all-time wins list for the Latemodels at Grandview, with a total of 24 wins.  He scored five of those wins this year alone. Sitting above him on that list is Kellner Sr., with 58 wins; Randy Stoudt of Pottstown, still an active driver, 54; Dave Posavec, 39; Ron Schnable, 33; and Ron Kline, who also won five times this year and finished third in points, with 25.

This year’s championship sets an additional record: it marks the third time that both Schutz and Bechtelsville native Jeff Strunk, the 2011 NASCAR 358 Modifieds points champion, have been track champions during the same year. They shared similar honors in 2004 and 2008.

The Latemodels are scheduled to run once more this year – on Sept. 24 (Saturday) – as long as the weekend’s activities are not rained out.

Meanwhile, many local racers in the NASCAR 358 Modified’s division will compete this Saturday (Sept. 17) for their chance to win more than $20,000 in the 40th annual running of the Freedom 76 Modified Classic. BPG Racing is this year’s primary sponsor.

Editor’s Note: Pottstown area resident, motocross racing champion, volunteer firefighter and mother-of-two Tammy Auman provides field coverage and photography for Garage Talk Live, a local auto racing show that airs Mondays from 8-9 p.m. on WNJC-AM 1360.