Joe Gibbs Driven

Randy toured the nation with his rocket car setting track records that still stand today. The car was a radical version of the Outlaw Late Models popular in the Midwest. During a 1985 stop at Kalamazoo Speedway Sweet clicked off a 10.746, which had stood for 23 years as the Worlds Fastest lap, recorded on a 3/8’s mile oval track. In 2007, Kalamazoo promoter Gary Howe added a new racing event and named it the “Call of the Wild”. Part of the event were five lap consecutive runs by anyone who wished to break Sweet’s record. No one could break it in 2007 and all takers would have to wait another year.

The 2008 Call of the Wild would bring a different story. 82 cars were on hand for this years race of the “radicals” and only three announced they would attempt a run at Sweet’s two decade old record. Curt Spalding, Andy Bozell, and Jeff Ganus signed to attempt to put their cars into the ten second bracket. Bozell and Ganus showed up with cars similar to the original Sweet Rocket with fighter jet noses and extended rear deck. Spaldings car is a UMP Dirt Late Model with the roof panel removed and a large lexan sideboard added. Ganus couldn’t quite get his car to hook up and settled for times just short of the ten second barrier. Bozell and Spalding took turns flirting in the 10.80’s and the crowd went nuts as Bozell peeled off a 10.73 to break Randy’s 23 year old mark. Less than two minutes later after the Spalding crew had made some minor adjustments Curt broke Andy’s mark with a 10.715 and the crowd was now at the fences in hysterics. Bozell made another attempt but he had motor problems and settled for second place this night.

It was a last minute decision to even go to the event as Curt stated, “we didn’t even start getting ready until Thursday night and thought we would just go have a little fun. We’re always up to something different but had no idea we would go this fast. Unbelievable!” Curt goes into the record books with the fastest recorded lap in the world on a 3/8’s mile track.

Car specifications on the #111 “World’s Fastest Late model”

Chassis-MasterSbilt
Engine- Jay Dickens Race Engines
Schoenfeld Headers
Bert Transmission
Bilstein Shocks
Hyperco Springs
Hoosier Tires
Weld Wheels
Performance Friction Pads and Rotors
Sweet Steering
Seat safety equipment-Butlerbuilt /LaJoie
Impact Belts
Allstar Performance Gauges and suspension components
Quartermaster Bellhousing
OIL - JOE GIBBS DRIVEN XP1 RACING OIL!