ROCKINGHAM — When Old School Racing hit the supertruck circuit in 2012, the team was in it for the thrill behind the wheel. But another of its top priorities over the past eight seasons has been to extend Richmond County’s notoriety beyond the Sandhills.
As car owner Gurney Chappell, driver Jake Vuncannon and crew chief Patrick Chappell gear up for their ninth season starting in mid-April, following a championship run last fall, that mission remains the same.
Having switched from the supertruck series to the NASCAR late model circuit in 2017, which is the top division of Saturday night short track racing in the country, Old School Racing has carried with it three local sponsors.
The team’s No. 5 white Chevrolet SS is tinged with blue and gold accents and is decaled with its sponsors: the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority, the City of Rockingham and Dieffenbach Chevrolet.
“We couldn’t have the success we’ve had if it wasn’t for our sponsors,” Patrick Chappell said inside the team’s garage in Rockingham. “Part of them being our sponsors is for us to help get the word out about Richmond County and get people to visit.
“The support of Richmond County has also been great,” he added. “People come out and watch us race and are involved in it. This kind of racing is a big deal, and the desire and pulse of racing is still in the county.”
Gurney Chappell is a six-decade veteran of the sport, and his son Patrick Chappell and Vuncannon have made up the current core of Old School Racing since Vuncannon won the team a championship in the lawnmower races at the Ellerbe Lions Club in 2011.
“My dad started working on race cars 60 years ago and that’s the foundation where the racing began,” Patrick Chappell explained. “My brother Brent and I started as kids racing go-karts in Rockingham, and Jake did the same when he was 15.
“Then I talked my dad into buying a late model truck, the rest goes from there,” he continued “We won our first race at Dillon Motor Speedway in 2015, and in 2016 we bought our late model car and have been racing it ever since.”
Old School Racing has competed in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series the past two seasons, with races held twice a month in Dillon, S.C. Vuncannon, who has a certified NASCAR license, has “gotten a lot better with his driving and understanding the technology” over the past two seasons, which run from April to October.
In 2018, the team’s “breakout year,” Old School Racing competed in seven races at the 4/10 of a mile Dillon Motor Speedway, and Vuncannon visited victory lane four times. The seven-month long campaign came to a close with Gurney Chappell’s first season championship as an owner.
“In 2016 and 2017, we started making great jumps,” Vuncannon said. “That’s when we started becoming contenders. And we won the championship last year.”
Old School Racing celebrates its 2018 championship at Dillon Motor Speedway.
With the first race of the 2019 season slated for Saturday, April 13, at Dillon Motor Speedway, the Chappells and Vuncannon are hoping to branch out and also compete at Myrtle Beach Speedway this summer. A half-mile track, racing at Myrtle Beach presents another opportunity for Old School Racing to promote the tourism of Richmond County.
“We started at zero, and over the years a lot of people have helped us,” Patrick Chappell noted. “Kevin Parsons has really helped us understand how much it costs to race, and he gave us a really good foundation. It’s been a work in progress.
“From that, we’ve worked hard and spent a lot of time working on the car,” he added. “Over the years, with our sponsors and people willing to help, we’ve put together a successful program. Gurney loves racing — he’s the spark plug of our team.”
When racing in Dillon, Vuncannon drives in a field of roughly 15 drivers. While the crew is “still working out the details” for Myrtle Beach, the competition will increase to around 25 racers. The goal for the upcoming season is to continue improving as a team, with Chappell noting “we’re battling a 10th of a second every time we go to the track.”
The return of racing to the Rockingham Speedway complex has been heavily discussed over the past month, with Gov. Roy Cooper including $8 million in his proposed budget to be used at the speedway and entertainment complex.
Frank Bloom, the Speedway’s vice president of events, has talked about reopening “The Little Rock”, a half-mile track that sits behind the speedway that is a replica of Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. There still is no official word if NASCAR will return.
For Old School Racing, the possibility of an operating short track returning to Richmond County is something Vuncannon was certain the team would be interested in pursuing.
“We’d like to thank the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority, the City of Rockingham and Dieffenbach for sponsoring us,” Chappell concluded. “Also, Hedgecock Racing and Powerhouse Engines have been a big part of the process.
“And a big ‘thank you’ to all those who have helped us: Marc, Brad, Mark, Jared, HT, Kevin, Brent, Keith, Walker and Dillon Motor Speedway.”
For more information about Old School Racing and the upcoming schedule, visiting its Facebook page.
