In what started out with just an engine has grown into one of the strongest teams currently racing in the supermodified division at Oswego Speedway.  Bill Samuels and Bob Hoefer started out their team by purchasing a motor from Otto Sitterly, and with just that motor, no car, no driver, just a couple of dreams, built Double Deuce Racing.

“Hoef and I talked about it for a while,” Billy thought back.  “Bob and I have been friends for many years.  I worked for Steve Gioia, Jr., and Bob was his #1 fan forever.  We talked and joked about doing something like this for a long time, and here we are.”

They took their motor, and found a car for that motor to slide into.  One of the Furlong 72’s was available, sitting in the garage.  Once they had the car, a phone call was placed to none other than Bentley Warren.  Billy and Bob told Bentley their story, and Ben was in as their driver.

“The 2 was taken, so we went with two 2’s” he continued.  “Then, it went from 22 to the Double Deuce, and it continued on from there,” Bill explained.

The team found immediate success right out of the box.  “Bentley finished sixth in the Classic for us, our very first race,” he reminisced.  “The next year, we still had the Furlong car, and Bentley couldn’t race every week.  With Bentley, you know that can happen.  He was with his motorcycle stuff, and we had a car sitting there. Mike Murphy got a hold of us, and talked to us about putting Michael Barnes in the car.  We ran it by Bentley, he Okayed it, and the ride was Michael’s”

“It was a third place car, but right out of the box, he won,” Bill said as his voice picked up.  In only his third ever start, in a regular 45 lapper. Michael Barnes joined Mike McLaughlin and Dave Trytek as the only rookie to ever win an Oswego supermodified feature race.  “Bentley ran it in the Classic and had a hub break.  Michael ran it in a couple of out of town shows, and did well.  He impressed us, as he was aggressive, but careful.”

Opportunity for the Double Deuce guys came knocking once again from the Otto Sitterly garage.  Bill picked it up from there, “Otto was selling his Hawk.  Bentley was going in another direction, with Ed LaPrade, and we had to decide what to do.  We put Michael in that car.  It was the best car I ever wrenched on, but that didn’t last long.  That car got destroyed in an accident in Concord, and sits in my back yard in pieces.”

One constant in racing is change.  No matter what form of racing, change happens. Change came to the Double Deuce guys again in the driver department, as at the end of the year, Michael Barnes left the team to drive for Clyde Booth.  “It was time to make another decision, and we interviewed a bunch of guys.  We decided on Bobby Magner.”

“We made the right decision, and we couldn’t have been happier with Bobby,” they added.  Then another curveball came for the team, one they didn’t see coming.  Pat Lavery came on board, as the chemistry needed just wasn’t there with the 99.  He talked to Bob about driving.  Bob and Pat bought the car from Otto, and came to me and said they bought it.”

Anyone involved in racing will tell you two cars are a lot of work.  But, despite the workload, it’s worked out well for the team.  “Things went well with Bobby, but they fell apart.  We became friends with David (Gruel), and actually started to watch him in the SBS races.”

“We were impressed with how he could handle a car, and when the seat came open after Bobby left, David was the guy for the job.  It’s worked out well, and we couldn’t be happier, other than finding the engine problem sooner this year.”

Just as Michael Barnes did, Dave Gruel added his name to the Oswego record books becoming only the fourth rookie to win an Oswego supermodified feature.  Double Deuce knows how to find young talent, as Barnes and gruel each wheeled a Double Deuce team car to wins in their rookie seasons.

Cohesiveness in a team is important, and the Double Deuce guys have that.  “Pat and David work well together, as do the teams,: he added. “They help with both cars, and they exchange info.  If Pat is set and happy with his car, he’ll help David get set.  It’s hard with two cars, but these guys work well.  They spend a lot of time in the garage too, which helps immensely.”

Coming to Classic Weekend, two cars must seem like three times the work.  “We don’t do anything different for Classic,” Bill added.  “We don’t do anything drastically different.  We do things all the time, change things at a certain time, and if it’s time to change it, Classic or not, we change it.  If a part can possibly fail, it gets changed. It is just another race, a longer race, but you have to think of it as just another race.”

Classic Weekend has been known to play head games with some teams.  Inexperienced teams can get too involved, and forget the task at hand.  These guys have been through the supermodifieds warts, and know how to handle the Labor Day spectacular. “You can easily psyche yourself out,” Samuels added.  “You just take it as a race, and make sure you get good fuel mileage.”

“I really have to thank everyone, the guys on the crew, the drivers, the sponsors, all the wives, and everyone involved,” he said with more than a touch of gratitude. “I can’t thank the crew guys and their families enough.  This takes a lot of time, time they could be spending with their families.  Everyone that comes up and supports us, we appreciate it.  Whether it’s cheering for us, coming up after the races and saying hi, taking the good with the bad. My wife has been great through all this.  She has supported this her whole life, and is as into it as much as we are.

Bob, what can I say about Bob?  We enjoy it so much, if it wasn’t for him I probably would be retired. He's learned so much over the past few years, he knows more than he thought he would.  He's a very knowledgeable guy.  When he gets into something, he goes full force.” said Samuels.

The hard working Double Deuce crew includes, Sean LaBlanc, Steve Reynolds, Don Gioia, Mike Ceterski, Len Lagoe, Dave Gruel Sr., Bill Abold Sr., Joe Scanlon, Bob Lowrey, Kathy Hoefer, and Jim Izyk.  Sponsors for the team are Lighthouse Lanes, Great Lakes Performance, Big Dipper Ice Cream Shop, Lavery Welding, Chris Nelson Insurance, The Comic Shop, Bush Auto Sales, A&P Auto, U-Pull-U-Save Auto Parts, Miano Landscaping and Mowing, Milennuim Music, Lorenzo Wholesale Foods, R.E. Davis and Son, Inkspot, Great Lakes Performance, and Performance Harley Davidson.

They started out just talking about a dream or two.  First was getting an engine, then a chassis.  Next, they enlisted a track legend, and now are one of the top teams at Oswego Speedway.  Double Deuce Racing has a top-flight supermodified operation, and is a two-time threat to take Classic gold this weekend.