Adam Chase back in the Saddle!

Red-hot Coopersville driver tearing it up after a 10-year absence; looks to extend winning streak tonight

By Steve Kaminski Skaminsk@mlive.com

MARNE – NASCAR’s Kyle Busch stole the show when he returned to Berlin Raceway Tuesday night and won the Rowdy 251.

Lost in Busch’s smoky burnout, though, was Adam Chase’s performance during the 51-lap Modified feature race held prior to the main event.

Chase, of Coopersville, won his second feature race of the season, and what made it especially noteworthy is that Chase had raced only once at Berlin during the past decade before landing a full-time ride with the West Olive-based Gruppen Racing team during the off-season.

“Previous to this year, I ran one race the weekend after Lee Anderson died (in July of 2007),” Chase said. “I ran a Late Model race, and since then, I haven’t been in a car, and prior to that, it had been five years. So I have run one race in 10 years.

“(Car owner) Steve Gruppen called me this winter and asked me to drive his car, and we talked about it. We came to a deal, and here we are in Victory Lane.”

Chase has won the past two features in the No. 66 Modfiied, including the June 2 race, and he will try to keep his streak going tonight. The Modifieds will join Berlin’s Super Stocks, Sportsman and 4 Cylinder cars at 7 p.m.

Gruppen Racing already featured driver Ryan Gruppen. The team decided to add a second car this year, and that’s when Chase got a call.

This season marks Chase’s first time in a Modified car, and he is making the transition to Berlin’s only open wheel class appear easy. The TopSpeed Modified Series rolled into Marne to compete with the Berlin regulars, which meant the main offered 22 cars.Chase started fourth and grabbed the lead on lap four. He led the rest of the way, holding off Trevor Berry and Kevin DeGood.

“This is totally different,” Chase said of the Modified. “It took me a couple of weeks to get used to the speeds of these cars. These are a little slower than the Late Models I used to drive out here. But it’s a little more out of control, and I like that with my dirt background. It fits my driving style a little better.

“It’s a great class, but we just need to get some new cars. We put a good show on, I think, especially (Tuesday) when we had 22 cars and all the fans here.”

Chase is a 2001 Coopersville High School graduate, and he played linebacker for the Broncos. He was on the 2000 team that advanced to the Division 4 state championship game, where the Broncos lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 26-14. He started racing at area tracks when he was still in high school.

“Yes and no,” Chase said when asked if he missed racing. “I found a lot of other things to do during the summers, but I did miss the driving. I’m glad I’m back. I don’t know for how long, but I think I hope to stick around awhile. I have a good thing going on. I like the guys I work for. They are great.”

RACING NOTESGrand Rapids’ Johnny Benson Jr. will make his Kalamazoo Speedway season debut today at 7 p.m. Benson will be racing his brand new Outlaw Late Model, which he built in his North Carolina-based shop.