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Racer makes unique presence with presentBy Andy JasnerGazette Sports ReporterSTANLEY - Ralph Keene had a surprise for his nephew, Randy Keene.Randy Keene had been racing at several speedways, most notably Sunset Speedway in Charlotte.Before the season, Uncle Ralph went to work and presented a gift to Randy. It was a truck.“He said he was trying something new but he wouldn’t tell me what,” said Randy Keene, from Stanley. “It was his idea. I wasn’t interested in driving it I thought it was a car.”And now?“Racing on the half-mile (at Sunset Speedway), it handles better,” Randy said. “I’ve raced cars for two years and the truck handles a lot better. On the straightaways, it pulls me.When I get in the turns, I make up what I lose in the straightaways. It handles beautifully.”He has raced at Carolina Speedway, the East Lincoln Speedway and Sunset Speedway and has compiled seven victories in three years in the Modified Four-Cylinder division, including one win with his Toyota truck. He was disqualified on what he said was a minor technicality.He expects to win several races in the future with his truck. Although he races the only truck in the division, it’s perfectly legal. But not everyone agrees.“There have been people talking about it,” Keene said.“A lot of people talk about it There’s a few complaints as far as people not understanding the rules.”The Keenes are currently working on a car, which Randy Keene will run Saturday in the Super Modified Division at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C.Since his uncle surprised him with the truck, the 21-year-old driver has adapted to it. He likes racing the car, he said.But he loves the truck.“After I started accepting it, I started working on it,” saidRandy Keene, whose sponsors are Quality Alloy, M M Autoparts and Peter Birkner, Germany. “After I raced it, I liked it because it runs so good. I kind of got attached to it”
Newspaper Details
The Gaston Gazette
Gastonia, North Carolina, US
Wed, Aug 11, 1993
Page 9
Full Page
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NC, USA 28 Sep 2020
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