Part of the excitement of opening day is to see what the changes the teams have gone through during the off season.  Some teams come in with a new paint scheme, while others re-work their chassis a bit, looking for that extra tenth of a second.  One team that will have a totally new look to it in 2008 is Double Deuce Racing, as they have gone through a major overhaul, stem to stern.

Last year they were mainly a single car operation, with Michael Barnes behind the wheel.  Maybe the biggest story of the winter was the departure of Barnes from the team.  This year, Double Deuce will not be just a one car shop, but will be bringing two race ready sleek supermodifieds to the track on a weekly basis.

“We’ll have Bobby (Magner) and Pat (Lavery) as our drivers this year, said Bob Hoefer.  “We have a whole new team this year,” Bob continued.  “It’s a new deal for all of us, and we’ll have both cars ready to go when opening day finally gets here.  Both teams are going for the full year.”

“We’re pretty excited to have Bobby on board,” Bob added.  “It’s an entirely different feeling, a new opportunity.  They have been working their tails off on that car.  It’s a special feeling, seeing middle aged guys acting like it’s Christmas morning.  Bobby has always been a good talent, but it’s a good feeling having a driver that has the opportunity for his first win.  It’s great to be part of that.”

The Magner driven 22 is a brand new Hark Chassis for 2008.  “It’s a car that Joey had the frame started,” Bob mentioned.  “He finished this one up, and is a lot like the other ones that are out there now.  It’s not one of the new style Hawk’s.”

“Bobby’s approach to this year is a different kind of excitement to see,” Hoefer added.  “It’s go-go-go.  It’s a new beginning for Bobby, as well as Pat.”

The seat of the 22 opened up late in 2007, as Michael Barnes signed on to drive the Clyde Booth 61 on the ISMA circuit in 2008.  Bob was philosophical about the situation.  “I can’t say I didn’t see it coming,” he said looking back.  “I told Billy last year while we were watching Michael race, that we better enjoy it now, because he wouldn’t be around forever.  It was a shock, but it wasn’t surprising.  He has talent, and you can’t blame him for wanting to showcase that talent.  I don’t blame him one bit.”

The best laid plans were in a state of uncertainty after the East-West Shootout in North Carolina, when Michael and the 22 took a vicious hit in the wall.  Michael is still recovering, while the car was a basket case.  “We didn’t now where we stood after North Carolina,” Hoefer said.  “The car was destroyed, and everything was up in the air.  Johnny Nicotra came through for us.  I don’t know where we would be if it wasn’t for him.  We were lucky to get the car from him.  We couldn’t have pulled all of this off without him.  John is in it like we are. We all grew up and want to see Oswego Speedway thrive.  We’re all in this together.  The car we got from John is the car he had for Davey Hamilton last year.”

Also like Nicotra, Hoefer finds his mind thinking about how to help the speedway as much as he does about how to make his own team more successful.  “I have a passion for the speedway,” he said.  “It’s a special place for us, and we do anything we can to help out.  We all want to see it successful”

Longtime speedway favorite Pat Lavery now has what could be called his best opportunity to reach victory lane, with his new set of wheels for 2008.  The formulation of this team, strangely enough, came in just a casual conversation at an out of town show.  Hoefer picks up the story from there.  “We were out in Sandusky for the wing show after Classic, and Pat came up and asked at Sandusky, ’Hey, how about me driving your car next year.’ I thought he was joking, and told him let’s just get through this year.  He kept hounding me, then North Carolina happened.  After that, we had no idea where we were going.”

“He put the deal together,” Bob said about Lavery’s ride.  “Pat did it.  He has the car Davey drove last year, and they are working on it now.  It’s not that long until we get going, and we all want to be ready to go.  Danny Connors will be his crew chief, and our crews surely will work together.  There’s a lot of excitement in the garage, as we are working hard getting everything set.”

While the team has a pair of new drivers, Bob’s partner on the Double Deuce team is a tried and true veteran of the supermodified wars, and a guy that flies under the radar a lot of the time.  “Billy (Samuels) brings so much to the table, it’s tremendous,” Bob added proudly.  “He’s been around it his whole life too, and knows these cars as well as anyone.  He’s so meticulous.  He’s worked on supers, and on Indy cars, and is a knowledgeable guy. He is a quality person and is a hard worker.  He worked with Steve Gioia for over 20 years, and we all know how successful the Gioia 9 race team was.”

“We both dreamed of this for a long time,” Bob reflected.  “Back when Billy was on Steve’s team, and I was a fan, we would talk and say that we wanted to do this.  We dreamed of winning the Classic.  We have put ourselves in a position three times now, with no luck to show for it yet.”

For still a relatively new team, the Double Deuce guys bring a professional approach to the track each week.  “We try to do the best we can with everything,” Hoefer said of their game plan.  “We use all the resources available, and do what we have to do to have the best operation we can.”

“It’s a challenge to do two cars,” Hoefer said.  “We’re excited for the opportunity, and are working hard.  We have a lot of good people working with us, and our goal is to get back to victory lane. We just can’t wait to get going!”

Lighthouse Lanes, Compass Federal Credit Union, Magee Trailer Sales, Monster Energy Drink, RE Davis & Son, Chris Nelson @ State Farm Insurance, The Comic Shop, Bush Auto, Miano Landscaping, Bentley’s Saloon and Fingerlakes Auto Machine are main sponsors of the two car operation.

Fans look forward to opening day, as new paint jobs, new machines and new faces are all part of the excitement.  The Double Deuce Race Team has had a major overhaul during the off season, and are working hard to be race ready May 4.  They have two different cars and two different drivers, but are looking to continue the success the team has enjoyed the past couple of seasons.