34racrs_wife
07-14-2007, 12:10 PM
From the Bureau County Journal:
PRINCETON — The Hornet division has not been around very long at the Bureau County Speedway, but the first four championships have come from the Heartland Autobody In Princeton. One of those four champions was Dave “Pink Panther” Roggy, who is also the owner of Heartland Autobody.
“I take a little pride in the fact that all four championships have come from
Heartland Autobody drivers,” Roggy said. “It’s always good to win the championships, and to have them all come from here is extra special.”
Championship number five for Heartland may not be far off as Roggy is currently the points leader in the Hornet division. “We still have a ways to go before claiming that,” Roggy said. Right now, I’m just having
fun, and at the moment lucky enough to have the points lead.” When out on the track, it is not hard to find Roggy, as he is often at or near the top of
the field. But there is one other reason it’s easy to find him, and it’s also how he got his nickname. “I decided to do something a little different,” Roggy said. “I decided to paint my car in the Hornet division pink. That
led to my wife giving me the name ‘Pink Panther.’ From there, the name just kind of stuck, and now lots of people call me that.”
Roggy has won somewhere between 15-20 races in the seven or eight years he has been racing along with 10 heat victories. He talks about the feeling of visiting victory lane. “It’s an absolutely great feeling,” Roggy said. “When you get out of the car you hear the kids yelling your name and wanting you to sign their flags is really nice. The kids look up to some of the drivers, and if I can put a smile on their faces and sign an autograph, I am happy to do that.”
Another of the highlights for Roggy came in the King of the Hill race held at the Peoria Speedway three years ago. “It’s a special race put on by
the Old Timers Association,” Roggy said. “There were about 20 or so cars, and I was able to get the win, which was really nice.” That eventful night in Peoria was not over with the victory in the Hornet race as an exhibition
race was to follow. “There were five feature races that night,” Roggy said.
“After those five were completed, the five winners came out and raced each other. They lined the cars up in descending order so I was in the front row. I held them off for the first lap, then it got kind of scary as I had two cars
passing me, with one on each side.” While Roggy has raced and had a lot of success on various tracks, he says his favorite track is still right here in his
own back yard.
“I just love the Bureau County Speedway track,” Roggy said. “I think it’s an
extremely fast track, and that’s what I like. The speed just gets your adrenaline pumping, and it’s a blast.”
PRINCETON — The Hornet division has not been around very long at the Bureau County Speedway, but the first four championships have come from the Heartland Autobody In Princeton. One of those four champions was Dave “Pink Panther” Roggy, who is also the owner of Heartland Autobody.
“I take a little pride in the fact that all four championships have come from
Heartland Autobody drivers,” Roggy said. “It’s always good to win the championships, and to have them all come from here is extra special.”
Championship number five for Heartland may not be far off as Roggy is currently the points leader in the Hornet division. “We still have a ways to go before claiming that,” Roggy said. Right now, I’m just having
fun, and at the moment lucky enough to have the points lead.” When out on the track, it is not hard to find Roggy, as he is often at or near the top of
the field. But there is one other reason it’s easy to find him, and it’s also how he got his nickname. “I decided to do something a little different,” Roggy said. “I decided to paint my car in the Hornet division pink. That
led to my wife giving me the name ‘Pink Panther.’ From there, the name just kind of stuck, and now lots of people call me that.”
Roggy has won somewhere between 15-20 races in the seven or eight years he has been racing along with 10 heat victories. He talks about the feeling of visiting victory lane. “It’s an absolutely great feeling,” Roggy said. “When you get out of the car you hear the kids yelling your name and wanting you to sign their flags is really nice. The kids look up to some of the drivers, and if I can put a smile on their faces and sign an autograph, I am happy to do that.”
Another of the highlights for Roggy came in the King of the Hill race held at the Peoria Speedway three years ago. “It’s a special race put on by
the Old Timers Association,” Roggy said. “There were about 20 or so cars, and I was able to get the win, which was really nice.” That eventful night in Peoria was not over with the victory in the Hornet race as an exhibition
race was to follow. “There were five feature races that night,” Roggy said.
“After those five were completed, the five winners came out and raced each other. They lined the cars up in descending order so I was in the front row. I held them off for the first lap, then it got kind of scary as I had two cars
passing me, with one on each side.” While Roggy has raced and had a lot of success on various tracks, he says his favorite track is still right here in his
own back yard.
“I just love the Bureau County Speedway track,” Roggy said. “I think it’s an
extremely fast track, and that’s what I like. The speed just gets your adrenaline pumping, and it’s a blast.”