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History of Buckley Racing
Buckley racing was founded in late 1994. Rob and his Dad, Bob, had been frequenting Spartan Speedway just about every
Friday night that summer to help out in the pits for a former racer of the speedway. The late John Hills was the inspiration
for Rob when he began to really dream of sometime being in a racecar. At the conclusion of the 1994 race season John made
Rob's dream possible. John allowed him to drive one of his old cars for the last race of the 1994 season, the Harvest Race.
This first night of racing was enough for Bob and his young son Rob to become addicted. After all of the races were completed
in that year many cars went up for sale, including the 8-ball car driven by "Neon" Deon Parker. This was the car that Bob
was to buy for $900.00 and then became the first racer of Buckley Racing.
Just two short nights after making their
racing debut, Buckley Racing claimed their first checkered flag. Since that first checker came, they've managed to compile
literally dozens more. Their last three seasons in the street stock division have proved to be their best, racking up more
than three dozen wins! Along with their individual race wins, they also finished consistently on top in the summer points
battles. There was rarely a time when the #43 Chevrolet was out on the racetrack and was not considered a favorite to win.
This is the reputation Buckley Racing has worked very hard to create, and the one that they have strived to keep.
In 2002, Buckley
Racing made the huge leap to the Outlaw Super Late Model division. This first season proved to be a very successful one. At
the end of the year, Rob was crowned "2002 Rookie of the Year" at the Owosso Speedway and also finished 6th in
the seasons points race.
In 2003, Buckley
Racing continued racing in the Outlaw Super Late Model division. Also, a new super late model series had caught the teams
interest. It was the inaugural season of the USPRO Racing Series. The series was created for low budget seeking super late model teams.
Their idea was to control costs and keep racing more competitive using only the teams knowledge of setups on their
cars and the drivers ability. Buckley Racing's major marketing partner,
Lipari Foods, was also attracted to this new series. Hence, the Lipari-sponsored
Old Tyme Deli USPRO Cup car was built mid-season. After competing in the last
6 races of the USPRO Racing series that season, the team was convinced that Buckley Racing was and would continue to be competitive
in that type of series.
The 2004 season
marked the 10th anniversary of Buckley Racing and the team had a silver and red paint scheme to celebrate
this important milestone. The silver came off of the car once again however for the 2005 Championship season.
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