A necessary pit stop
BUFFALO TWP — Simply put, Brian Ellenberger needed a timeout.
Struggling to gain consistency in his second full season on the World of Outlaws Sprint car circuit, the Butler driver of the No. 22 opted to race at Lernerville Speedway last Friday instead of at a three-race Outlaws event in Canada.
Ellenberger, 44, also missed the July 25 Outlaws race at Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York.
"We need to figure out what's going on with the car," Ellenberger said. "We haven't been competitive and that's not much fun.
"We've got a chassis issue and there's other things going on," he added. "Basically, we're (at Lernerville) to test out a few things and see how they go."
Ellenberger started his heat race in the front row — alongside Lernerville all-time Sprint victory leader Ed Lynch Jr. — and finished second to Lynch. He began the feature next to Lynch in the front row again and finished fourth.
When Ellenberger didn't stop to have his care weighed after the feature, he forfeited that fourth-place spot and was credited with 18th — the last car on the lead lap.
But he and his crew weren't worried about where the car finished. They're just concerned about the car.
"We're tinkering with the frame, shocks — all sorts of stuff," said Ellenberger crew chief Todd Hutchison. "Being competitive in that (Outlaws) series is extremely difficult. We're just not there right now. But by no means, we're not giving up."
Ellenberger earned Outlaws Rookie of the Year honors in 2009, finishing as high as third in a feature. He's had only two Top 10 finishes this season. Ellenberger's best finish in 2010 has been eighth at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., July 10.
"I lost my Platinum Member status (travel-related perks for full-time series members) by missing these races, but this is more important to me, to find out where I'm at," Ellenberger said.
Ellenberger was expected to return to the Outlaws series Tuesday at Fulton Speedway in New York.
He has yet to commit to the series in 2011.
"Don't get me wrong. I still love the challenge and the travel, getting on all those tracks across the country," Ellenberger said. "But it is taxing and it's rough on family life."
Ellenberger has a wife and two children.
"They join me on the road on occasion, but they can't be there all the time," he said. "This is a long season."
This year's Outlaws Sprint schedule runs from Feb. 5 through Nov. 6.
"This series can beat you up mentally, both the driver and crew," Hutchison said. "You're up against guys like Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Donny Schatz night after night after night. ... You feel beaten down after a while."
Hutchison said the Ellenberger race team has put "100 hours a week" into working on the car in the garage.
"Sometimes you do have to take a step back to take a couple of steps forward," Ellenberger said. "That's what this (break) is all about."
