YORK, Pa. -- Rick Eckert, of York, Pennsylvania, picked up his second win of the 2005 campaign last Saturday night at the Allegany County Speedway in Cumberland, MD. Rick was able to pass race leader Gary Stuhler on the high side of turn two on the tenth lap and held the lead for the final thirty circuits to bring home the $3,000 payday. The driver of the Raye Vest / J&J Steel #24 Rocket / Cornett Ford Taurus stretched the lead out to as much as four seconds until a late race caution bunched the field up. Rick felt good about his victory and his chances when the Stacker2 World of Outlaws Late Model Series visits “The Rock” on April 8.

“It was a good win for us and gives us a lot of confidence heading into the World of Outlaws event at Cumberland on April 8,” stated Eckert via telephone on Monday. “There will be quite a few more cars and the competition will be fiercer for the Outlaw event, but hopefully we can have a car like we did on Saturday night. (Gary) Stuhler got out and led the first ten laps the other night, but once we got by him, I could pull away a little bit. I just have to thank all of my sponsors and supporters that are behind me this year.”

After Rick’s victory at Cumberland, the team headed to the Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, MD on Sunday. Rick had planned on attending the ‘Spring Fest’ at the Challenger (PA) Raceway, but that event was again postponed due to unfavorable weather. The #24 machine would cross the finish line in the second position on Sunday afternoon after starting in the sixth spot. Although Rick could not pull off the victory, the second place effort did not disappoint the popular Pennsylvania driver.

“It wasn’t a bad run for us, but I would have liked to win of course,” said Rick. “There were several restarts that gave us a chance to pass (eventual winner Jeremy) Miller, but I just couldn’t get by him. It was a day race and like all day races, it was hard to pass out there. I tried everything, but just couldn’t do anything with him.”

The Raye Vest Racing team is scheduled to take the Easter holiday weekend off. Rick’s next event is slated to be the ‘Spring Thaw’ at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN. A $3,000 payday is on the line on Friday, April 1, with a $10,000 to win feature event on tap the following night. The events at Bulls Gap will be run in conjunction with the NASCAR weekend at the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway in nearby Bristol, TN. For more information on this event, log onto the Volunteer Speedway website at www.volunteerspeedway.com.

In other news, Rick has introduced several new apparel items that are for sale on his website. Several new t-shirt and long sleeve shirts are now available, as well as new hats and ladies’ apparel. Check out all the latest in Rick Eckert apparel by visiting www.rickeckertracing.com.

Rick would like to thank the following sponsors for their commitment to his race team: Raye Vest, J&J Steel, Inc., Rocket Chassis, Cornett Thunder, Eckert Trucking, S&S Mobile Power Wash, Diesel Pro, AFCO Racing Products, Arizona Sport Shirts, AT Lubricants, ATL Fuel Cells, Baker Carburetion, Bell Helmets, Bert Transmissions, Cizmar, Delph Communications, Driver X Gloves, Fastner Special Motorsports, DH Competition Decals, Hoosier Tire, Jay-Dee Supply, Jones Racing Products, Karcher, Kochel Equipment Co., Mahle, Mason Racin', Motul Lubricants, Out Pace Racing Products, Oval Craft, Penn Kleen, Performance Friction, Petersen Aluminum, Peterson Fluid Systems, Scott Performance Wire, Tim Fitez Painting, Sunoco, Trick Race Parts, US Brake, Performance Bodies, and Weld Wheels.

The latest dirt on “Scrub” Rick Eckert can be found online at his official website, located at www.rickeckertracing.com.