Jeff has four top-10 finishes in six national races in 2005.

OPENING SKIP BARBER WEEKEND AT VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL ‘BEYOND ALL EXPECTATIONS’ (5/16/06)

    In auto racing, nothing is sweeter than having months of off-season preparation pay dividends at the racetrack.  Jeff Castellano spent his winter lobbying for sponsors, going to the gym, and gaining as much seat time as he could afford.  At Virginia International Raceway (VIR), the first race of the 2006 Skip Barber Eastern Regional series, the effort yielded a remarkable run: an invitation to the “championship” class and 5^th and 9^th place finishes.

    After producing competitive times in practice, Skip Barber Pit Lane Coordinator Rob Slonaker invited Jeff to compete in the championship group, rather than the sportsman group.  Sportsman drivers are typically less experienced or “weekend-warrior types,” whereas championship racers are intent on moving on to Skip Barber’s national series.  That Jeff was asked – and excelled – in the championship class in only his second car race speaks volumes.

    “What I was able to accomplish this weekend was way beyond my expectations for the season, let alone the opening weekend,” said Jeff, who had planned to commit to the sportsman class for 2006.  “It was so much fun to be competitive with the championship group.  There is so much talent in that class, it really gives you confidence being able to hold your own, even though I still have a lot to learn.”

    As with five of the seven Eastern Regional races this season, Skip Barber combined the Eastern series and the Midwest series into one race weekend.  The championship groups from both regions were then combined into one race – a total of 21 competitors.  Jeff finished 5^th in Saturday’s race and 9^th in Sunday’s race, out of 13 eastern competitors.  Overall, Jeff was 9^th and 12^th, respectively, out of 21 championship drivers.

    When faced with the decision to move up, Jeff knew he could either stay in sportsman, win a trophy, and be held back, or move up to championship and accelerate his learning curve.  Jeff chose the latter, and the move was justified almost immediately.  His times dropped three seconds a lap from the end of practice on Friday to the end of Saturday’s race, while his driving got smoother and more efficient as the weekend progressed.  Jeff was growing in leaps and bounds before everyone’s eyes, and his competitors noticed.

    Prior to his triumph at VIR, Jeff won Round 1 of Oakland Valley Race Park’s (OVRP) Northeast Divisional Sprint Series by default, as he was the only competitor in either of his classes.  Though devoid of competition, Jeff’s times were competitive, and he is convinced the kart race, along with a Skip Barber Car Control Clinic he attended on April 19, helped eliminate off-season rust.

SKIP BARBER SCHOLARSHIP SHOOT-OUT AN EYE-OPENER (2/3/06)

    Having already completed a Skip Barber race weekend, Jeff Castellano entered the organization’s annual Karting Scholarship Shoot-out Jan. 13-15 cautiously optimistic.  Sixty of North America’s best kart racers were vying for six precious scholarships to compete in Skip Barber in 2006, and Jeff knew the competition would be stout – he just didn’t realize how stout.

    In his first time at Sebring International Raceway, Jeff spent most of the event learning the track – and trying to reacquaint himself with Skip Barber’s RT/2000 racecar.  He approached the weekend knowing he could win scholarship money, but didn’t count on was the level of competition in attendance.  Almost every driver had raced with Skip Barber before, raced a different type of car, or tested a car at Sebring before – putting Jeff at a disadvantage and out of the running for scholarship money.

    “I don’t like using excuses, regardless of the circumstances,” Jeff said, “but I’ve been in racing long enough to know how much experience means.  I wasn’t fast enough, and I know that has a lot to do with my lack of experience relative to my competition.  

    "I need to get better.  If there’s one thing that came out of this competition, though, it’s that I know I can be good at this – all it will take is seat time.”

    Seat time was the second, if not most important, reason Jeff attended the Shoot-out.  With five track sessions over three days, he received that seat time, and he isolated where he needs to improve – footwork in particular.  So while Jeff didn’t win scholarship money, the weekend was productive.  Skip Barber’s instructors were generally pleased with Jeff’s performance, saying that all he needs is more time in a racecar.

    In lieu of that goal, Jeff has continued his search for more financial backing for 2006.  Sponsors Envirowaste, Pennella Site Development and Uno’s Labor-Service have been a integral part of Jeff’s racing success over the past few seasons, and he is working on other arrangements that will give him the opportunity to get on the track as often as possible in his first season of formula car racing.

THE FUTURE IS NOW: JEFF PREPARES FOR FIRST SKIP BARBER SERIES RACE (9/26/05)

    Jeff Castellano is ready to take the most significant step of his racing career to date.  

    A veteran of 10 karting seasons and a Skip Barber 3-Day Racing School graduate, Jeff will be competing in his first Skip Barber Race Weekend on October 13-15 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT – the first of what he hopes is many car races to come. 

    “This is obviously one of the biggest stepping stones in my racing career to this point, and I’m really looking forward to it,” Jeff said.  “I’m ready.  I’ve really enjoyed driving the Skip Barber cars thus far and can’t wait to go out there and compete.” 

    In what he has labeled a “transition year,” Jeff has spent a good part of the season and much of his finances preparing for a move into the Skip Barber Northeast Regional Series for 2006.  Though Jeff’s main priority was being competitive in his kart racing endeavors, the focus is slowly shifting to cars, having completed his 3-Day School in April, his 2-Day Advanced School in June and his first Lapping Day in July.  

    To shake off three months of rust, Jeff’s first race weekend will begin with a Computer Lapping Session on October 13, which will give Jeff some seat time and enable him to analyze his laps using computer data.  Later that day, he will run event practice with his fellow racers, followed by the two days of racing.  

    The first day will begin with a time trial, and drivers will line up for their race based on that qualifying time – the fastest in first, et cetera.  Drivers will start the following day in the position they finished in the first. 

JEFF SCORES CAREER-BEST FINISH AT DOUSMAN, CONTINUES SOLID SUMMER (8/17/05)

    Capping a grueling stretch of three racing trips in six weeks, Jeff Castellano notched the best result of his five-year national racing career at Round 3 of the WKA Horstman/Gold Cup Series in Dousman, WI, placing 7^th in Briggs Light and 9^th in Briggs Medium.  

    The finishes marked his third consecutive top-10 in Light this season and his first-ever top-10 in Medium, which is arguably the most competitive class in the Gold Cup Series. 

    “Progress is a great thing,” said Jeff, whose best-ever finish at a national was 5^th in Briggs Light in 2002 – though it came with only nine karts in the field.  “We’ve been working really hard to close the gap and run up front, and it’s nice to see results.  This really was a breakthrough run for us, one I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

    “I’ve got to thank my Mom, Dad and brother, as well as Envirowaste, Pennella Site Development and Uno’s Labor-Service for their support.  They’re the reason we’ve been able to improve.”

    Jeff has consistently improved with each national event this season.  In Jacksonville, FL, in March, he placed 10^th in Light and 16^th in Medium, respectively, then placed 9^th in Light and 14^th in Medium in Camden, OH, last month.  His finishes at Dousman thus place him 8^th in the Briggs Light standings and 11^th in the Medium standings with the season finale in Charlotte, NC, still remaining in November.

    Making his performance in Dousman even more impressive was that this race marked the first time in three years that Jeff traveled to a national having never raced at the track before; the result, then, is a sign of Jeff’s maturity.  He now has seven top-10 finishes in national competition.

     “A weekend like this certainly does a lot for your confidence, but I wasn’t surprised that we turned in that type of run,” Jeff said. “We’ve been working really hard to get to this point.  I knew it was a matter of time.  We’re not where we want to be yet, but I think we’re showing we can do it.”

    Only one race remains in the Empire State (Regional) Series as well – Round 5 in East Avon, NY, this weekend.  Jeff placed 2^nd in Medium and 3^rd in Light at Round 4 in Oswego, NY, July 30-31.  His finish in Medium put him within striking distance of his second straight regional championship; with a win this weekend at Avon, Jeff would automatically clinch his third regional series championship in two years.

    Winning is a tough assignment, however – most of his competitors are from the Avon area and call the track their “home” facility.  To prepare, Jeff made the six-hour trip to Avon (near Rochester) to test at the track the weekend prior to the regional race. 

    “I’m going to give it my best shot,” Jeff said.  “Winning the regional series again this year would be great, especially since the competition is a lot stiffer this year than last.” 

    While Jeff’s karting season continues through its busiest time, he hasn’t put his move into cars on the back burner.  Jeff completed his “Lapping Day” held by Skip Barber at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT, on July 11.  Senior instructor Bruce MacInnes, working as an associate instructor at this program, called Jeff’s first of two lapping sessions “one of the best he’s ever seen,” since Jeff’s “split times” from one section of the track to another were the most consistent he’s witnessed in over 20 years with the school.  

GEARING UP FOR JACKSONVILLE (3/5/05)

    The competition has grown stronger. Set-ups have become more complex. Technology has evolved. Budgets have continued to climb.

    With 2005 being his final season of WKA Horstman/Gold Cup racing, Jeff plans to meet every challenge head on - starting this weekend at the 103rd Street Complex in Jacksonville, FL.  He now has four years of national racing under his belt, each year better than the one before, setting the scene for a career year in 2005.

    But unlike last year, when he boldly predicted he'd be top-five material, Jeff stopped short of setting lofty expectations.

    "We have what it takes to be competitive," said Jeff, who has four career top-ten finishes in the Gold Cup.  "We made some more minor upgrades this off-season that I think will help, but I think we showed last year that we can run with anyone.  Now we have to figure out how to beat everyone."

    Beating everyone, as Jeff found out last year, is becoming more difficult with each passing year.  In the 2004 season finale in Charlotte, Jeff was a scant half second off the leader's lap time and was no better than a 13th place kart.  The same performance would've netted him a top-five finish in 2003. 

    Chassis, tire and engine technology has come a long way.  With more junior and sportsman champions moving into Briggs Lite and Briggs Medium each year, the number of top-level teams continues to grow, stacking the odds against low-budget independents like Jeff.  Still, the 20-year-old veteran likes his chances as he enters his tenth season of competition.

    "I've learned so much over the past five years, I can't even put it into words," he said.  "I know one of these times we're going to figure it out, and our effort is going to pay dividends."

    Identifying what's missing in his program has been like trying to plug up a dam with multiple holes.  Every time Jeff improves in one area, another need comes up, leaving Jeff perpetually in the middle of the field.  The equipment and experience are there, it's just a matter of putting it all together and making it work.

    The focus this season, it seems, is qualifying.  With the field becoming so close, qualifying a couple tenths quicker can easily mean 5 or 6 spots in the race.  Jeff also hopes to improve his set-up decisions by better applying the knowledge he's learned.

    But one thing is for sure: Jeff doesn't plan to end his national kart-racing career without giving it everything he's got until the very end.  And it all starts in Jacksonville - a track where he's never run well, but has never had the type of equipment he has this weekend.

    "This time around will be different," Jeff said. "We've got much, much better motors, on a motor track, and we've got the right set-up under the kart for the first time ever there.  It should produce a much better result."

GIVING WAY TO A CHAMPION (2/22/05)

    The number 28 has become such a fixture on the side of Jeff's kart, it would be hard to imagine a different set of digits riding around the track with him.  But out of respect for a WKA National Champion that is moving up into Jeff's classes next year, that's exactly what's going to happen.

    Brett Peters, a champion in both the junior classes and sportsman ranks, is moving into the Briggs Lite and Briggs Medium classes in 2005, bringing the #28 with him.  Having reserved the number last season, Jeff had the option of renewing it this year, but instead chose to give way to Peters.

    "I respect what Brett has done in the past, and I felt it was the right thing to do," Jeff said. "I'm sure it wouldn't have been a big deal if I wanted to keep the number, but he has earned the right to keep his number."

    Jeff chose the number 28 because of his affinity for NASCAR's Robert Yates Racing and his drivers, the late Davey Allison and Ernie Irvan, who made a comeback from a near-fatal accident in August 1994.  He has raced with number 28 on his kart for nine seasons - a total of 163 races and 49 feature wins - but will carry a new number for 2005: 68.

    While the reason for Jeff picking number 68 seems obvious - he wanted to keep an eight as the second number - it wasn't necessarily the case.  Jeff's second choice was the number 88, since it is the other number carried by Robert Yates cars.  But that number is reserved for Justin Larson, who is also moving into Briggs Lite and Medium next year.  

    Jeff chose 68 because it was one of Penske Racing's original car numbers, carried by the late Mark Donahue in Trans-Am, the Indianapolis 500, and in his brief stint in Formula 1.  The number 68 made a brief reappearance in the 2001 Indianapolis 500 aboard Helio Castroneves' winning car, but Jeff's main motivation is the professional mentality for which Penske and Donahue are known.

    "They are one of the best examples of how to approach racing, at least in my mind," Jeff said. "Some people go out and just love every minute, and show how much they love it.  But those guys love the sport so deeply that you can't see it.  They are very methodical, very businesslike.  They take their job very seriously, and are a model for any racer and owner."

    Jeff's first race in kart #68 is March 11-13 at the 103rd Street Complex in Jacksonville, FL, the first race of the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup season.

WINS AT BEAVERUN SEAL TITLES; JEFF'S DAD TAKES MECHANIC OF THE YEAR (8/7/04)

    Capping a stellar 2004 Empire State Series run, Jeff won three out of four races in Rounds 4 and 5 at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex to win the championship in both Briggs Lite and Briggs Medium.

    Jeff outran Jim Lipari in both classes on Saturday, then followed that up with a win in the Briggs Medium class on Sunday.  He scored eight wins in all to go along with eight poles and a runaway championship run.  And, as an added bonus, Jeff's dad was awarded Snap-on Mechanic of the Year for the series, thanks in large party to Jeff's significant improvement from past years.

    "It's great to win this series, especially in the fashion we did," said Jeff, who now has six championships to his credit. "We were strong from start to finish.  It's pretty cool."

    Though the Wampum, PA facility has become notorious for wash-outs, rain only consumed half of Saturday and the sun was bright on Sunday, leading to a decent weekend of racing.  The racers actually qualified in wet conditions on Saturday, and Jim won the pole with lightning-quick times.  But when the rain stopped and the track dried, Jeff was the quicker kart, winning both classes.

    Sunday marked the first time ever Jeff has navigated the nine-tenths of a mile circuit with the sun out.  He was able to reach his best ever time at the track, a 1:05.3, during the Lite feature, when Jim won.  The dry track was also a great opportunity to test for the Gold Cup race at BeaveRun in three weeks - Justin Cassity showed up to test in the Briggs Heavy class, and was quicker than both Jim and Jeff most of the day.

    In three seasons on the Empire State Sprint Series, Jeff's best finish in the standings was third.  He finished behind Carlos Ramirez and Jim in 2001 and 2002, then behind Anthony Albanese and Jim in 2003.  But the stars seemed to be aligned in 2004, when Jeff stepped up his game with better equipment and Anthony missed most the races.

    Aside from Jeff's marked improvement, the other reason Jeff's dad was a frontrunner for the MOY was Jeff's durability.  Very rarely does he drop out of races due to mechanical failure, a testament to his dad's effort in maintaining, checking, and meticulously preparing the kart for every run.

    "There's no question that my dad earned this award," Jeff said.  "I'm not bragging, but he has worked really hard and has learned a lot over the past few years, just as I have.  He's a big part of whatever success I have."

JEFF CONTINUES TEAR AT DIVISIONALS; NATIONAL PROGRAM NEEDS WORK (7/15/04)

    Inside of a week, Jeff went from merely mediocre in Camden, OH, to simply sensational in East Avon, NY.  The difference: the former was a national, the latter was a divisional.

    Four years have passed since Jeff started his first year of national and divisional competition, and though logic might tell you that the improvement in each would be in proportion, he has excelled in his divisional endeavors more often than on the national circuit.  Jeff can name some reasons for this, however, he's still trying to find what's missing in his national program.

    "I don't know if it's something in our approach, the difference in the atmosphere in the pits, or what," Jeff said.  "At this point in my career, I go to a national like I would any other race and try to get my kart working as best as I can make it.  And somehow, we just seem to be coming up a little short."

    Two weekends ago, Jeff finished 11th in Briggs Lite and 16th at Briggs Medium in Camden, the second round of the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup Series.  Though it was a vast improvement over Rockingham's troubles, Jeff then came back last weekend and won both classes at Round 3 of the Empire State Sprint Series in East Avon, taking a commanding series lead in the process.

    The contrast was striking; one weekend, he couldn't keep up with Jim Lipari at a national, the next weekend, he's right with Jim at Jim's home track.  Such a scenario has become a trend.

    "Of course, these guys don't always put the same effort into a divisional that they do a national," Jeff said.  "They won't use their best motor, or brand new tires.  But that doesn't mean they aren't trying.  I'm just not sure what we're missing."

    Aside from the elevated standard at nationals, the higher number of competitors usually drives lap times down.  At a divisional, there aren't more than four or five racers taking the green in a class.  At a national, there are usually no less than 20.  There is also more time reserved for practice at nationals, giving competitors more of a chance to improve.

    The track also differs at nationals - more karts means more rubber is being laid down, changing the track considerably more than at a divisional.

    But nevertheless, Jeff continues his career year, putting himself up front at divisionals while putting himself very competitively in the middle of the field at the nationals.  He just thinks it's time to make the next step.

    "We're got to figure a way to get better at these nationals," he said. "We've been racing them long enough that we should be a lot better then mid-pack by now."

JEFF SCORES CONVINCING VICTORY AT OVRP DIVISIONAL (6/22/04)

    From the drop of the green flag, no one could keep up with kart #28.  Try as they may, the black kart with yellow and red trim was simply too strong, too relentless to relinquish the lead.

    In arguably the biggest victory of his career, Jeff won round 2 of the Empire State Series at his home track, Oakland Valley Race Park, in convincing fashion.  He won both Briggs Lite and Briggs Medium, bringing his Divisional win total to three and placing him firmly in the points lead.  Clearly on his game, Jeff set a new track record in the process, eclipsing the decade-old record of 36.5 with a 36.4 in Briggs Medium qualifying and the Briggs Lite feature.

    "It was a great day, obviously," Jeff said. "We really worked hard and put a lot of emphasis on winning this one, because we knew this was one we had to have."

    Of the four tracks on the Divisional schedule, OVRP was Jeff's best chance to win - though he had failed to emerge victorious in his last two Divisional attempts at his home track, in 2001 and 2002.  Both times he was fast enough to win, but didn't have the equipment nor the attitude that he needed to seal the deal.

    Since Jeff quit racing full-time at OVRP at the end of the 2000 season, he has used his home track more as a testing ground than anything else.  Whenever he needed to test a new part, a new set-up, or just play around with different adjustments, he went up to OVRP and gave it a go.

    This race, however, was different.  Jeff used the previous weekend's race to do some serious testing at OVRP, trying to determine the optimum set-up for his new equipment; his best laps previous to this weekend were in his 1994 Coyote with Doug Ferri's motors, a far cry from his 2003 Coyote and Advanced Racing power.  He set his fastest lap of year at OVRP on June 13, a 37.0, encouraging Jeff that he was on to something.

    This year's race was schedule to be run under the lights, in a unique day practice, night race event.  So Jeff left his final adjustments - tire combination, cross-weight - for the race-day practices.  By the time qualifying rolled around, Jeff had set his best lap time in over two years - a 36.7 - without his race motor or new tires.

    The rest was gravy.

    "We just hit it right," Jeff said. "We did what I expected from myself.  We've raced here so many times and turned so many miles, this is what we should've done."

    Jeff cruised to victory in both features, having sat on the pole for both races.  Anthony Albanese was pretty quick, finishing up in second in both classes, but even he couldn't keep up with Jeff for more than a lap.  Jim Lipari, who beat Jeff in 2001, was a distant third.

    "Momentum is certainly on our side now," Jeff said. "It felt great to just be out there on my own in front, the kart was really a pleasure to drive.  Now we've got to go to Camden and do well there."

NEXT STEP ON THE HORIZON (5/15/04)

    For the last few years, Jeff sought after a car racing series that was both affordable and competitive, allowing him to gain experience in an open-wheeled race car without spending a small fortune.  

    It seems his quest is over.

    After meeting with former CART Director of Communications and Iona College alum John Chuhran last Wednesday, Jeff visited the shop of the Formula Race Car Club of America (FRCCA), based in New Rochelle, NY.  The series, which features older model Formula Ford cars running spec'd engines, tires, and bodies, holds about 10 races per season throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast region, and presents one of the best opportunities for Jeff to learn how to drive and race a car at a reasonable budget.

   Though not a nationally-recognized series like the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) or the Formula Ford series, the FRCCA sports three major advantages for the up-and-coming racer: the chance to race a formula car at a fraction of the cost, the increased marketability of a racecar, and an opportunity to build relationships and a resume for a future in auto racing.

    "There's no question the FRCCA presents a formidable option for me as the next step after karts," Jeff said.  "I am very impressed with what the series has to offer.  Having never raced a car before and not knowing much about what it takes to get to the professional level, getting involved with this can't help but be positive for me."

    Operating from the standpoint that racing shouldn't have to break the bank, FRCCA owner A.J. Pugliese created the series in 1980 for those who want to race but don't have tens of thousands of dollars to do it; it is literally a series for racers "who have to go to work on Monday."  By maintaining older chassis and forcing everyone to use the same engines and tires, the FRCCA places the emphasis on the driver and the set-up of the car, rather then how deep each individual racer's pockets go.

    According to Chuhran, a racer could compete in the FRCCA in their first season for less than $12,000 - including the car, a trailer, and entry fees.  Jeff currently spends close to $10,000 for a full season of WKA/Horstman Gold Cup kart racing.

    Pugliese also argued that as an up-and-coming racer, it is an advantage to "race what you can win," an attitude purported by legendary Indycar driver Al Unser, Sr.  Sponsors, he said, look at how many championships a racer has won - and for a low-budget racer, the FRCCA presents the ultimate opportunity to do so in the Northeast.

    For Jeff, learning of the FRCCA couldn't have come at a better time.  Unsure of how to proceed in racing, the experience he will gain at a fraction of the cost of the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series, Formula Fords, or SCCA makes competing in the FRCCA his tentative goal for 2005.

    "There are still details to be worked out, but I think this is going to be a reality for me," Jeff said.  "I've learned a lot from racing karts, but I know it's time to move on.  I feel confident the FRCCA can provide exactly what I need at this point in my career - experience, exposure, and a resume.  I look forward to it."

PRODUCTIVE TEST AT ENGLISHTOWN HAS JEFF EXCITED FOR DIVISIONAL (4/29/04)

    Taking advantage of a loose schedule during the spring months, Jeff spent April 24-25 at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, getting acquainted with the track before the first race of the Empire State Sprint Series May 29.

    With over two months in between Rockingham and Englishtown, Jeff resolved to do significant testing at both Englishtown and OVRP.  With such a large gap between major races, track time is key for Jeff not only in learning more about his new chassis and the WKA's new tire rule, but also with keeping his driving sharp during the lay-off.

    So on April 24 and 25, Jeff made the trek down to Raceway Park for his first career visit to the Englishtown circuit.  Despite no having no information to go on, except for knowledge of a competitive lap time, and no other 4-cycles at the track to compare to, it took Jeff only a few sessions for him to become comfortable on the 6-tenth of a mile track.

    "The hardest part of adjusting to this track is just the fact that you are always busy, except down the straightaway," Jeff said.  "I didn't find it that difficult to find the line, but set-up definitely will definitely be key.  And you have to hang on a little bit as these turns whip you around."

    Though it was Jeff's first time at the track, it was clear that he settled in quickly, setting consistent lap times throughout the day.  The biggest concern, however, was that in the eight sessions he ran, nearly 20 things were changed on the kart, and he didn't reach his goal for best lap time on the day.

    In fact, with only his gear setting noticeably wrong, there was nothing else on the kart that seemed to present itself as an obstacle to reaching the desired time - except a really bad push he was unable to eliminate.

    "I know our gearing isn't quite right, but that wasn't the problem.  The kart was understeering like crazy," Jeff said.  "We've always battled understeer, but this was probably one of the most obvious cases I've ever noticed."

    Still, after gaining valuable track time from practice on Saturday and a rain-shortened race day Sunday, Jeff feels much more comfortable about the Empire State Series Divisional at the end of May.  With a few more races scheduled at OVRP between now and the Divisional, Jeff hopes to have worked out the issues with the push, which he attributed to a combination of learning the new chassis and the new tires, and be ready to challenge for a win.

    WKA's new tire rule for the Briggs Lite and Medium classes requires all competitors to run a combination of Dunlop DBS 5.50X11-6 and 6.00X11-6.  Jeff, who had traditionally run 5.00X11-6 on the front, has had to adapt to the way the kart reacts with more rubber on the front.  This, he believes, is part of what's causing the push, but he's confident he'll have a handle on it soon.

TIRE DOPING CATCHES JEFF "OFF-GUARD" AT THE ROCK (3/26/04)

    Suffice it to say that Jeff's season didn't get start off the way he had hoped.

    After spending nearly $3000 and a few months preparing for the opening race of 2004 in Rockingham, NC, Jeff struggled, as did many of his competitors, to find grip on an abrasive surface at North Carolina Speedway.  While most of his fellow racers turned to tire doping - more delicately referred to as tire "prepping" - Jeff did not possess the means to tire dope and tried hopelessly to find the right set-up with chassis adjustments.

    "It was a difficult weekend, to say the least," said Jeff, who finished 11th in Briggs Lite and 22nd in Briggs Medium. "We performed well below our expectations.  The tire doping really caught us off-guard here, but I don't want to make excuses.  We just weren't fast enough to run up front."

    Attempting to avoid another slow start to a National season, Jeff had spent much of the off-season acquiring the best equipment money could buy, while focusing his efforts on getting the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup Series campaign started on a positive note.  Friday practice produced reasonable results, as Jeff's times were about a half-second off what the frontrunners were turning.  He was fairly confident that a few more adjustments and his race motor would be the difference between a mid-pack run and a top finish.

    Come Saturday, however, things changed dramatically.  Thanks to tire doping, which involves painting and literally baking chemicals into the tires to lower tire softness and improve traction and grip, the field's times - indeed, the majority of each class - dropped about a half second, with Jeff's times remaining where they were from the previous day.  This produced the disappointing 11th in the Briggs Lite class, a race Jeff knew he could've faired a lot better in.

    "We were pretty quick on Friday, only a couple tenths off Jim [Lipari]," he said.  Lipari finished 9th. "But with everyone putting their emphasis on getting their tires prepped, nothing we did with the chassis seemed to matter.  We just lacked grip in both the rights and the lefts."

    Things didn't improve on Sunday, as Jeff once again found himself in the back of a 30-kart Briggs Medium field.  Despite again making several changes to the chassis, including drastic changes to seat position and tire combinations, he simply couldn't get his times down.

    The concept of tire doping in the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup is not new; in fact, the rule prohibiting any tampering with the tires was suspended in late 2002, allowing tire prep from that point on.  Claiming the rule was too difficult to enforce, the WKA opened a Pandora's box with its decision to suspend the rule, as several racers are frustrated that how well tires are doped dictates how well a given driver will fair in the race.  On an especially abrasive racing surface at The Rock, tire doping made-or-broke the weekend for many.

    Criticism has come from several sources following Round 1 of the Series in Rockingham, as racers are annoyed with the extra time and money it takes to dope tires.  Not only is the dope expensive, but the artificially softened tires are nowhere near as durable as they were out of the box, causing racers to go through tires quicker.  There are also different kinds of dope, and it's possible that it will take several tries - and several sets of tires - for a racer to find the what chemical works for them.  Others were concerned with the safety of the chemicals, which are toxic.

    And, of course, tire doping occurs at the expense of the racing.  Ryan Cassity, multiple time champion in Briggs Lite and Medium on the Gold Cup circuit, dominated both races partly as a result of tire doping.

    "Ryan's a great driver, he probably would have won if we weren't allowed to tire dope," Jeff said. "I have nothing against the majority of guys who doped tires.  It's legal, and they needed to do what they needed to do to run up front.  We should've done it, too.

    "But the bottom line is that it really takes away from the other aspects of the set-up.  Everyone was having grip problems down there, and it would've taken the best driver and best chassis set-up to prove who was the best.  But with tire doping, those things were much less important."

    Jeff's engine builder Andy Van Cleef was among those who planned to lodge a formal complaint with the WKA following the event.  The topic has come up at WKA's Board of Trustees meetings since April, but no decision has yet been made.

THREE WEEKS TO GO: JEFF FOCUSES ON STARTING STRONG (2/19/04)

    In each of the last four seasons, Jeff has struggled early, causing him to play a game of catch-up through the remaining races.  This season, however, Jeff knows that finishing in the top 5 in the national standings will require him to be in top form from start to finish.

    In fact, this is exactly where Jeff plans to improve - in his consistency from the first race to the last race, which is critical in the four-race Horstman/Gold Cup Series.

    "Every year, it always seems like we hit our stride during late spring," Jeff said. "We've had really strong second halves almost every season of my career, but the beginning of each season always seems to be our weak point."

    With the 2004 Gold Cup season beginning at the 6-turn, .4-mile road course in Rockingham, NC in three weeks, Jeff is certainly poised to open the year with a strong showing.  With a brand new chassis, three Advanced Racing Engines, and much better preparation and awareness of trends and technology upgrades, Jeff fully expects to finish in the top 10, with an outside chance of finishing in the top 5.

    "I am not planning on waiting until June to be competitive," said Jeff, who is entering his fourth season on the national circuit. "My expectation, with all that my dad and I are putting into it, is that we will finish toward the front in Rockingham and get the season off to a positive start."

    There is perhaps no better example of Jeff's difficulties during the first half of the season as 2003.  The opening races of the season, including Jacksonville, BeaveRun (Divisional), St. Lawrence, and South Bend all produced sub-par results.  In the final half of the season, however, Jeff completed the most competitive series of races in his career, finishing among the top racers at BeaveRun and Charlotte.  This turnaround was chiefly due to upgrades, particularly the Advanced Racing Engines.

    He ultimately finished 10th and 14th in Briggs Lite and Briggs Medium, respectively, but would have finished higher if not for a terrible start, one that he wishes to avoid this year and in future seasons.

    "The first half of the 2003 season was awful compared the second half," said Jeff, who is seeking his first top 10 in the Medium class in Rockingham. "We need to get off to a strong start and sustain it throughout the season."

    Another example of Jeff's slow-starting nature was at OVRP in 2000, his original bid for the Track Championship.  Plagued by equipment failures and some driving errors, Jeff took himself out of the title chase, only to battle his way back to second by winning five of the final seven races.

    Though Jeff does not consider himself a slow starting driver, he does admit that in previous years he was "not as prepared for the beginning of the season as I should be," often taking a "we'll see" approach to how the season starts.  This year, Jeff has changed that, as the 8-year veteran has spent months aggressively preparing for 2004, and at least the last month preparing just for Rockingham, making sure every detail is sorted out and organized.

    "With national racing, there is no margin for error," he said. "If there's one thing I've learned in my three years of Gold Cup racing, it's that you can never be too prepared.  I'm going to do the best I can to make sure I have the kart ready, a game plan ready, and my mentality ready for each and every race this year."

PREPARATION FOR 2004 SEASON WELL UNDERWAY (12/17/03)

    The minute the 2003 season ended in Charlotte, NC, Jeff knew exactly what needed to be done.  Unlike at the conclusion of the dismal 2002 national season, Jeff began planning for 2004 immediately after '03 ended, knowing his sole focus would be a successful Gold Cup campaign.

    By mid-November, only two weeks after the final race of the season, Jeff had already made arrangements to acquire newer, better equipment.  Riding momentum from BeaveRun and Charlotte, Jeff has set his sights on being a legitimate contender in '04, and has acquired a 2003 Coyote Wide Track/LE, another Advanced Racing Engine, a new nose cone, and clutch rebuilds in the hopes of doing so.

    All of the uncertainty that surrounded Jeff after '02 is gone.  Capping off this season with two solid national runs and his OVRP Track Championship, he is truly "full speed ahead" into next year.

    "I don't want to cut any corners or sell myself short on anything," Jeff said.  "I'm tired of letting money beat me.  We finally started to show our potential at the end of last year, and with top-notch equipment, I really think we can challenge for a spot in the top 5 [nationals].

    "My thanks to Pennella Site Development and Uno's Labor-Service for their continued support, they are two of the biggest reasons I can buy what I need to go fast next year."

    Throughout the course of the season, Jeff's 2000 Coyote Wide Track/LE began to show signs of wear.  One of the tell-tale signs of a worn chassis is when the front end of the chassis begins to sag in the middle, throwing the kart's camber off; the kart showed signs of this early in the year and digressed with each race.  The kart also became less consistent from day to day and session to session as the season wore on, making it more difficult to set up.

    These factors, along with Jeff's strong conclusion, constant praise of the '03 model Coyote, and the help of fellow racer Jim Lipari and Coyote Products, convinced him to buy his first ever brand new chassis, an '03 Coyote, for the 2004 season.

    "It's definitely exciting," Jeff said.  "Having a brand new chassis should help us hit the set-ups better at each track.  I'm looking forward to racing a kart that hasn't been raced before."

    Having bought only a bare frame, Jeff decided to purchase a few parts for his new Coyote instead of transferring everything over from his 2000 frame.  Though most of the parts will be transferred, he purchased a new rear bumper, a new floor pan, and, most importantly, a second adjustable rear cassette, which will enable him to adjust both cross weight and lead at the track.

    The chassis, however, is only part of his master plan for 2004.  Jeff left his Advanced Motor with Andy Van Cleef in Charlotte to be rebuilt, and also sent one of his original motors down to Andy to be redone.  Perhaps the biggest motor upgrade, however, was purchasing a second motor from Justin Bonsignore, one he claims is just as good as the one he sold Jeff in July.  With this addition, Jeff is set with three Advanced Racing Engines for '04 - two race motors and one practice motor.

    And, after experiencing more difficulties with his Reaper clutch in Charlotte, Jeff sent it out to Hearn Competition for yet another going-over.  In speaking with Hearn, however, Jeff decided to send his older Horstman 4-spring, perhaps his most consistent clutch, as well.  That particular clutch was never blueprinted, and Hearn convinced Jeff to send it, saying it was one of the best clutches Horstman ever made.

    With all of this new equipment, the offseason has certainly not been boring.  Jeff plans to focus solely on national and divisional races in 2004, running a very limited schedule - mostly testing - at OVRP.  Indecisiveness gone and confidence up, Jeff is excited about his chances as the new season draws nearer.

    "We'll have everything I think we need to be competitive," he said.  "We won't be as far behind everyone as far as equipment goes.  We still won't have as much as the top guys, but there will be no excuses.  It should be a great season.

    "If anyone wondered where I came from at the end of the season, watch out.  The cat's really going to be out of the bag next year."

JEFF WINS TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP, BANQUET NOV. 15 (11/10/03)

    Eight-year kart veteran Jeff Castellano has finally added an OVRP Track Championship to his resume, an honor that was a lot longer coming then he predicted.

    Though Jeff locked up the title with two races to go, the long-awaited championship will not become official until the annual OVRP Awards Banquet Nov. 15.  Still, it is a sweet way to cap off what has been a stellar career at his home track, with 38 wins over the past four seasons, including a career-high 13 this season.

    "It's nice to finally say I was champion," said Jeff, winner of three consecutive "Back to School Series" titles, but never the Track Championship.  "We really should have won in 2000, if it wasn't for some really rotten luck, but it's great to say that I've done it in 2003 nevertheless."

    Jeff has been one of the toughest 4-cycle competitors at OVRP for a number of seasons, but has not been in contention to win the title for most of them because he did not run the full schedule.  Indeed, in both 2001 and 2002, he led the senior 4-cycle class in wins but did not make enough races to be eligible for end-of-year awards.

    In 2003, though, Jeff decided to run the full schedule, for two reasons - one, of course, to have a chance to win the title, but secondly, to have more seat time for Nationals and Divisionals.  The extra track time certainly helped Jeff stay sharp, but he wished there'd have been a little more experienced competition in his title run.  Indeed, Jeff lent a helping hand to each of his competitors throughout the season, trying to help them learn how to go a little faster.

        "It was a great season at OVRP, no question about it," Jeff said.  "I enjoyed racing the guys this year.  But if there were a few more guys in the class with more experience, it would've made the championship that much sweeter."

    This, however, certainly does not diminish what the title means.  Having learned how to drive, race, and win at OVRP, he has literally grown up at the track, and winning the title is very fitting. 

    "I grew up at Oakland Valley," Jeff said.  "Eight years is a long time to call a track home, and it has really taught me about what it is to race.  It's great to be a champion here."

    Jeff's original bid for the Track Championship came in 2000, when he was up against the likes of then-national racer Sean Lamont, 1999 Track Champion Brian Moffit, and Brett Conklin.  He came up short that year, however, when a stretch of bad finishes early in the season eliminated him from the championship hunt.  He did, however, recover to win 5 of the last 7 races and gain 300 points on Lamont, finishing second in the championship overall, demonstrating what might have been if not for bad luck early.

    Starting his kart racing career at OVRP in 1996, Jeff's first goal in racing was to win a race at OVRP.  He accomplished this in September 1999, and then decided that he wanted to compete for the championship in 2000, his first and only full season at OVRP until the 2003 season.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: STRONG RUN IN CHARLOTTE CAPS OFF SOLID YEAR (11/4/03)

    The goal was to bring home two top ten finishes from the fourth and final WKA/Horstman Gold Cup Series race in Charlotte, NC.  After his best national event to date, Jeff came but one position short of reaching this goal.

    After preparing, both mentally and physically, for two months, Jeff came up with his most successful national weekend of his career, finishing 9th out of 26 in Briggs Lite and 11th out of 30 in Briggs Medium.  While both performances were impressive, his finish in Lite was particularly strong, as he was clocking laps as fast as the fifth place runner in the feature race.  It was his second straight 11th place finish in Medium.

    "I knew it was a matter of time before we had a run like this," Jeff said.  "I know that I've had the ability and the experience, it was just a matter of getting everything sorted out and staying out of trouble.  We did that this weekend."

    Demonstrating that his performance in BeaveRun was not a fluke, Jeff qualified 10th in Briggs Light, started 11th in the feature, and finished 9th.  In Medium, literally a "who's who" of past and present National Champions, Jeff qualified 17th, started 16th in the feature, and moved up to 11th by the race's end.  Though Jeff has always considered himself a focused driver, he brought his level of resolve up another notch, and this was on display when he dropped back a few positions at the start of both races and coolly drove back up.

    Jeff also placed added emphasis on setting up the chassis.  He worked with different tire size combinations, checked stagger all weekend, played with camber and caster, weighed the kart incessantly to get weight distribution correct - all making for a very busy weekend.  For the first time in his career, Jeff was fully involved and motivated to finish as high as possible.

    He learned, once and for all, that this is the level of effort being competitive requires.

    "This weekend was a real learning experience for me, mostly because I was ready to learn," Jeff said. "I went to Charlotte with the expectation of doing well, and I knew it would take a more complete effort from me - both with kart set-up and with my driving."

    For Jeff, everything has begun to click into place; one thing is leading to another.  Without top-notch equipment through mid-season, Jeff knew he had little chance of competing for a top 10 spot, but the Advanced Racing engine helped change that.  Knowing that he now goes into every race with a chance, Jeff pushed himself to put in more effort in Charlotte, and the results speak for themselves.  Now, riding momentum into 2004, Jeff plans to acquire even better equipment, namely a new chassis, to establish himself as a contender.

    Charlotte was a thoroughly positive event for Jeff in another way, too.  Running more competitively has given him more credibility among his fellow racers; finally, he feels like he belongs on the national circuit.

    "It was just a great weekend all the way around," Jeff said.  "It was cool getting to know some of the guys better.  I was having so much fun that I really didn't want the weekend to end."

PREPARATION FOR CHARLOTTE COMPLETE (10/23/03)

    Propelled by his performance in BeaveRun, Jeff has worked feverishly to get both he and his kart ready for Round 4 of the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup Series in Charlotte, NC, even while he was wrapping up his first career OVRP Track Championship.  

    Having mathematically clinched the Track Championship after a series of races at OVRP this fall, Jeff continued to focus on the big picture - the final Gold Cup race of the year.  Most of his preparation for Charlotte, however, was not with his equipment, but instead with himself.  His showing in BeaveRun immediately set a positive tone for Charlotte, and Jeff was determined to be make himself as prepared as he could be for competition.

    "BeaveRun really got me excited for Charlotte," Jeff said.  "It was an enjoyable weekend for a change, and I didn't want it to end.  So now I have to make sure all my i's are dotted and t's are crossed so I can go down to Charlotte and have another good run."

    Problems with his Reaper clutch surfaced throughout the fall season, making its repair one of Jeff's top priorities.  In fact, during the last race at OVRP, the clutch was chattering so badly that he lost the lead at the start of both races, so he sent it to Hearn Competition in California to have it redone and ready for Charlotte.

    Additionally, Jeff purchased two new sets of tires for the final race of the season, and plans to mount them after this Sunday's race at OVRP, Jeff's final contest at the track this year in what is only a formality at this point.  He also prepared his Advanced motor and mounted the air dam on the front nose to lower the front clearance, for aerodynamic purposes.

    With only Charlotte remaining, Jeff sits 8th in Briggs Light points and 12th in Briggs Medium points, after the Divisional results were posted.  With a strong run in Charlotte, Jeff hopes to finish in the top 10 in both classes in what has already been a career year.

    "The season didn't really start off the way I wanted it to, but it's been a pretty good year," he said.  "I'll feel a lot better about what we accomplished this season if we end it on a positive note."

ADVANCED MOTOR PROVES TO BE MAJOR STEP (8/12/03)

    After experiencing the power of an Advanced Racing Engine in South Bend, Jeff was determined to come up with the money necessary to have it for the third round of the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup race at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex.  Despite financial woes, Jeff, with the help of sponsor Pennella Site Development, was able to indeed purchase the motor for this weekend's national race - and it paid serious dividends.

    After struggling at 10 different national races over the passed 2 1/2 seasons, Jeff was finished with allowing money to dictate how competitive he could be.  Thanks to sponsorship from Pennella Site Development, Jeff was able to put together enough money to buy the $1300 motor off of Justin Bonsignore for the BeaveRun national race.  On a track where motor means a lot, Jeff was very optimistic that he could, finally, be competitive.

    And it worked.  Jeff finished 6th in the Briggs Light class and a career-best 11th in the Briggs Medium class as a result of the added power.  All of a sudden, Jeff was right up with the top 10 competitors, knocking on the door for a good performance.

    "The motor was a huge step," Jeff said.  "The Advanced Engine is very powerful, and puts us on a level playing field with the rest of the field in the motor department.  The immediate results tell the story - we were tuning the chassis pretty well, just didn't have any power to back it up.  Thanks to Bonsignore Kart Shoppe for the opportunity to pick up the motor at a reasonable price, and thanks especially to Pennella Site Development for supporting this investment."

    Though Jeff missed the top 10 in the Briggs Medium class, it wasn't due to a lack-luster performance.  In a field of 27 karts, Jeff started the race 17th, and moved to 11th by the end of the 6-lap feature race, an average of a position gain per lap.  In fact, Jeff was able to move up a total of 16 positions from where he started each race throughout the weekend, demonstrating that he was definitely a force to be reckoned with.  He also turned the 7th fastest lap in the Briggs Medium feature race, illustrating his speed and competitiveness.

    "It's certainly nice to be running right with these guys," Jeff said.  "For three years, we've run two different chassis, a bunch of different tire combinations, different seats, and different set-ups, and never by dumb luck found a set-up that was quick enough to keep up.  It turns out it was the motor all along."

    After finally getting a solid race under his belt, Jeff is now looking forward to running well at the season-ending race in Charlotte, NC, a double points race for the Gold Cup Series.  It's certainly possible, as Charlotte is another motor-oriented track, and Jeff is looking forward to figuring out how to put himself in the top 10.  For now, though, it's back to OVRP for the fall, as Jeff attempts to win his first track championship at his home track.

MILESTONE WIN COMES AT PERFECT TIME (7/14/03)

    Coming off of a discouraging reality check in South Bend in the midst of an already difficult year, Jeff needed a boost.  He got it Saturday night, as he scored his first career night race win, his first career win in the month of July, and his thirtieth career feature victory to get himself headed in the right direction.

    After tough outings in each of the first two nationals, and only managing to place third in each of the first four divisional races, Jeff has relied on his test time and practice at Oakland Valley to keep his skills sharp and his confidence up.  But even this has proved to be a sore point, as Jeff has struggled this season to turn fast lap times that he is accustomed to at OVRP.  Up until Saturday night, he was running lap times in excess of 1/2 of a second off his previous bests at OVRP, ones that he had duplicated time and again for the past three seasons.

    Saturday night was different.  For the first time since 2000, Jeff turned several laps in the low 40's - topping out at a 40.2 during qualifying - only a few tenths off his career best of a 40.0.  The veteran roared around the half-mile road course all night, winning the pole by eight tenths, then winning both the heat and the feature by an excess of 10 seconds in an eight-kart field, setting his best lap during both races at a 40.6 despite nightfall.  And all of this was accomplished on old tires.

    "The kart was flying," Jeff said, both excited and relieved.  "Tonight was the first time in almost three seasons that the kart felt this good.  It was a pleasure to drive all night; I was able to drive my normal line around here to go fast.  And it felt fast."

    While some of Jeff's competitors wondered where his speed came from, they do not necessarily have the knowledge of his performances three years ago.  The speed was merely hidden by bad set-up choices, such as the standard seat and placing the wheels too wide.  On Saturday, thanks to the stability the new lay-down seat provides, the kart was incredibly balanced after making a few changes during each of the first two practice sessions.

    "There is no question that we turned a significant corner on Saturday," Jeff said.  "This was the best run I've had all season.  Now it's time to get things together for the nationals and divisionals."

JEFF'S BIGGEST OBSTACLE: THE ALMIGHTY BUCK (7/8/03)

    It goes without saying that money is an important factor in the success or failure of a race car driver.  Then why are we saying it?  Because Jeff was beaten by the almighty dollar once again in Round 2 of the WKA Horstman/Gold Cup Series in South Bend, IN.

    Since Jeff first began racing competitively, it became obvious that his finances would be the ultimate factor in how much racing Jeff could do, and essentially how he would perform.  While this is nothing new in racing - indeed, every race team, amateur and professional, faces the money barrier - at no point during Jeff's career has his lack of funding been more apparent with than with his dismal run in South Bend this weekend.

    One of the burning questions for Jeff in recent months was whether or not he lacked the power in his Briggs engine to run with the leaders.  Not that he is dissatisfied with Motion Pro Racing Engines, however, it seems everywhere he goes he simply cannot keep up.  With this in mind, Jeff jumped at the chance to test one of Justin Bonsignore's Advanced Racing Engines (nephew to Frank Bonsignore, Jeff's engine builder) this weekend to see if it had more power.  Bonsignore is getting out of road course kart racing at season's end, and is looking to sell this particular motor to Jeff for $1500, which is decidedly out of Jeff's budget.

    Jeff was convinced, though, after the Advanced motor was a half-second faster than his Motion Pro Motor.

    "That motor is definitely a beast," Jeff said of Bonsignore's motor.  "There's no question that if this is the type of power my competition has that I am at a disadvantage with the motor.

    "But I don't have the money to buy it.  I'm barely able to make ends meet right now, being in debt and such, and I just don't know where the money will come from.  It's a big disappointment knowing that you are getting beat by equipment you can't have simply because you don't have the money."

    The other money concern Jeff encountered this weekend, as he has at most of the national races over the passed two seasons, is that of tire and wheel sizes.  This has constantly been a problem for Jeff, as most of his competitors tune their chassis with bigger tires stretched onto wider rims.  Without the money to spend on 10 different wheel and tire sizes, and not wanting to waste money guessing on the correct size, Jeff sticks with what he has, which was uncompetitive once again in South Bend.

    "I know I need to play with different tire sizes to be competitive," Jeff said.  "I just don't have the means at which to buy all the different combinations until we get the kart right.  I'm not being a penny-pincher, I am simply out of money."

    With all of the above presenting a major barrier between he and the front of the field, Jeff has been faced with three options: drum up more sponsorship dollars, continue to race with what he has, or wrap up his karting career and look to move up via Skip Barber racing schools in 2004/2005.

    "I know I'm at a significant crossroads here.  I want to have an opportunity to do well in karts before moving up, but if that means going beyond what I'm capable of giving it, I'm not really sure about it," he said.  "I want to race, but I'm tired of being uncompetitive.  This weekend definitely made money's role obvious, and it was pretty discouraging not to have it."

JEFF SET TO RETURN TO ST. LAWRENCE (6/9/03)

    Two years ago, Jeff was flying high after running with the leaders at St. Lawrence.  Now, he's looking to be ahead of the leaders as the New York State Divisional Series returns to the St. Lawrence Motorsports Park.

    After a decent run at BeaveRun two weeks ago, Jeff was pleased that the kart ran fairly well, but was still disappointed with falling so far behind winner Anthony Albanese.  With cross weight adjustments in the feature races, however, the kart started going faster, giving Jeff ample motivation to invest in yet another equipment upgrade: the adjustable rear axle cassette.

    Coyote's all-new adjustable cassette is a fairly new kart-tuning tool, as it has just begun to catch on among Jeff's competitors.  Furthering the trend that changing weight distribution to streamline set-up is the way to go fast, the cassette enables racers to adjust the height of the right rear of the axle, thus drastically changing each of the four corner weights.

    After installing the cassette, Jeff did more scaling to determine the range of adjustment by setting the part at its extreme settings.  It was determined that the cassette offers 12 percent of cross weight adjustment, while keeping left side weight almost even.  This should enable Jeff to find the correct weight distribution, and hopefully give him an opportunity to be right up with the leaders, not only at St. Lawrence, but at every other event for the rest of the year.

ANTICIPATION BUILDS AS A RESULT OF RESEARCH AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADES (5/19)

    For Jeff, it has been a difficult beginning to the 2003 season, to say the least.  With a disappointing run at Jacksonville, a rain out in Westhampton, and two grueling tests at OVRP to start the year off, Jeff hopes the worst is behind him.

    And it probably is.  After being rained out in Westhampton, Jeff and his dad took the opportunity to stop by Bonsignore's Kart Shoppe to speak to Frank Bonsignore about the gray motor's lack of production, or how it seems to be sluggish.  Frank agreed to take the motor and rebuild it with his cam for the next divisional race in Wampum, PA, this weekend, which replaced Doug Ferri's older, outdated cam.  He also provided a new header to replace Jeff's outdated, 5-year-old header/muffler, that is significantly better.  Jeff had a very productive conversation that really put him on the same page with his engine builder.

    Furthermore, Jeff's dad once again re-adjusted the seat positioning to where most of the top racers have theirs placed.  With the seat positioned, Jeff then spent hours upon hours scaling the kart, testing what different adjustments did the corner weights.  These tests were just the beginning of a whole sleuth of things he could try, however, it gave them great information about cross weights and left side weights, which should come in handy throughout the rest of the year.

    "I'm excited about doing some testing, finally working some things out," Jeff said.  "I'm tired of using the same old excuses about not having enough money or not having the experience as the other guys in the field.  This is my third national season, and it's time I started finishing at least in the top 10."

    Thus, the second round of the 2003 Empire State Sprint Series at the all-new BeaverRun Motorsports Complex promises to be one of Jeff's most productive races.  Though he does not expect to run right up front from the get-go, he hopes his increased efforts at going fast will pay off by doing just that.

    "Racing is my dream," he said.  "It's what I want to do with my life.  I've had a hard time giving it my all because of other things going on, but it's time that it became a top priority."

    This weekend's divisional is a good place to get back on track for Jeff, who has certainly struggled to get off to the kind of start he has hoped.  With the team's efforts at getting the motor up to par and determining more effective ways to tune the chassis, however, things are bound to turn around.

JEFF TO RUN FULL NATIONAL AND DIVISIONAL SCHEDULE IN 2003 (3/16)

    Though the 2003 season did not get off to the greatest start for Jeff, he still decided that running Nationals and Divisionals is the way to go.

    "Running those circuits give me the best chance to learn," Jeff said.  "I haven't had the type of success I've been looking for when I travel to other tracks, but I hope that this year might see us break through."

    In addition to running the full WKA Horstman/Gold Cup Series and the Empire State Series for his third consecutive season, Jeff also plans on running most of the club races at OVRP this season in order to boost his seat time.

RAIN SPOILS SEASON OPENER AT JACKSONVILLE (3/14)

    After an off-season full of thinking and decision-making, Jeff decided to run the season opening race of the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup Series at Jacksonville, FL.  It was his second trip to the circuit, and unfortunately this weekend was no better than his first. 

    Despite high hopes, the weekend was a disappointment from beginning to end.  As it turned out, weather was the spoiler this time, as rain fell on practice day and then a thunderstorm moved through the area on Sunday.  In fact, the only time Jeff actually saw the sun the whole weekend was on Thursday night when he arrived in Jacksonville.

    With all of this rain, Jeff was only on the track Saturday, for the Briggs Light race day.  Jeff showed up to Jacksonville prepared to race, but unfortunately without any test time, he was well off the pace.

    Thanks to two separate motor problems - one of the header bolts was working its way loose, letting exhaust out, and the other was a small leak in the gas tank - Jeff was unable to get things sorted out in time to be at all competitive.  In fact, because of his motor deficiencies, Jeff never was able to match his best lap time from when he traveled to Jacksonville as a rookie in 2001. He ended up a dismal 20th out of 21.

    "This a very disappointing weekend, from a lot of different standpoints," Jeff said.  "I know we had our work cut out for us coming down here, but the rain on Friday really killed our chances on doing anything.  We pretty much spent all of Saturday practicing, and then we didn't even get to race on Sunday."

    Trying to correct the motor difficulties, and trying to cure what has become a chronic understeer, Jeff and his dad were at the track four hours after racing had concluded, switching motors and lowering the seat to decrease weight transfer.  In doing so, they also switched the carburetors, because their gray motor's carb is considerably better than the yellow motor's. The only concern with the change, however, was that the team was unable to get the newer motor freshened over the off-season do to a lack of time.  Still, with only seven runs on it, they felt it would work better than the crippled gray motor.

    But the rainy Sunday prevented them from trying it.  With thunderstorms in the area throughout the day, the race was cancelled, and the everyone in the field was awarded rain points - the same number of markers.

    It was a tough start to the year, needless to say.

    "This was not the way I wanted to get going this year, but there is nowhere to go but up, I hope," Jeff said. "We have some work to do, though."

DISAPPOINTING OUTING AT THE ROCK HAS JEFF PONDERING 2003 PLANS (12/3/02)

    Despite high hopes for success at the fourth event of the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup Series, the last of 2002, Rockingham proved to be a difficult go-around for Jeff.  Starting off the weekend on a lack-luster note translated into a disappointing two days of racing, which has subsequently has Jeff concerned about his lack of improvement on the national circuit over the past two seasons.

    Jeff's first national race took place in Jacksonville, FL, in March of 2001, where the team struggled with a completely incorrect set-up, finishing 27th and 26th, respectively.  While Jeff has had his moments, on the whole, Jeff has not been able to pose a serious threat to the top 10 runners.  In fact, this weekend, he was once again among the bottom five racers of each class, finishing 13th overall in Briggs Light and 29th (after an accident) in Briggs Medium.  Though those finishes aren't bad, Jeff struggled to find a competitive set-up throughout the weekend.

    "I don't think we are incapable of running with these guys, not by any means," Jeff said after a tough weekend.  "We have struggled to find the correct set-up.  That is definitely where we are lacking - we just can't seem to figure out what the kart needs in order for us to go fast."

    As a result, Jeff is now considering a few possible plans for 2003.  While it seemed as though running the national circuit for a third year was the plan from the beginning of the season, Jeff's set-up woes has left him in a position where he feels he must improve in this area before trying his hand at another full season racing nationals.  And, with Jeff's desire to move into cars sometime in the next two or three years, he feels as though he needs to get a handle on kart set-up before trying sometime bigger.

    One possibility is to run at OVRP for the full season - including money races and any extra series available, maybe even rent a 2-cycle to get added experience in a different machine.  This would give Jeff roughly 30 weekends to learn the ins and outs of chassis set-up, and would give him more confidence going into a national season in 2004.

    Another idea is to only run the Divisional series, while running the club at OVRP, in order to gain added experience.  However, Jeff is still unsure about each of these plans.

    "I'm not really sure what I want to do next year," Jeff said.  "I want to go racing, that's for sure, but I also want to improve in setting up this chassis.  I don't feel I can accomplish any more at national races until I learn to get the kart set-up so that I can drive it as fast as the top guys.  So that's the goal, and whatever I feel will help me achieve that goal is what I will probably end up doing."

DIVISIONAL RESULTS ALTERS STANDINGS (10/18/02)

     The WKA recently updated the 2002 Horstman/Gold Cup Series standings, taking into consideration this year's Divisional Series results.  Thanks to Jeff's decent showing in the Divisional Series this season, Jeff's national standing has jumped to career highs in both his national classes.

    Jeff placed third in Briggs Light this year in the Divisional Series, and placed fourth in Briggs Medium.  These two results, coupled with his decent national showings, has catapulted him into contention for the top 10 in both classes.  Jeff currently sits 5th in Briggs Light points and 16th in Briggs Medium points, demonstrating, if nothing else, Jeff's dedication to the Gold Cup Series this season.

    "It's exciting," Jeff said.  "Last year we didn't have a chance at doing much of anything.  But we keep going back, and our perseverance seems to be paying off.  Hopefully we can run well in Rockingham and end up in the top ten in both classes."

    The reason for Jeff's advancement in the standings can be attributed to him making the effort to attend each race on the schedule.  Jeff's performance during each race this year has not been much improved over last season, but the number of competitors who show up at each race has decreased from 2001, opening the door for drivers like Jeff to put themselves at the top of the standings.  

    Jeff's finishes in Briggs Light are particularly noteworthy - he has a first place from Charlotte (since the race was rained out), a third place from the Divisionals, a fifth from Camden, and a twelfth from Michigan.  With a top 10 finish in Rockingham, Jeff is almost guaranteed that he will remain in the top five.  In Briggs Medium, Jeff currently has a fourth from the Divisionals, a seventeenth from Camden, a twenty-third from Michigan, and a thirtieth from Charlotte.  The Charlotte result is particularly disappointing, as he had a kart capable of finishing in the top 20, which would have helped him tremendously in the tightly-packed Briggs Medium class.  However, Jeff hopes for a solid run in Rockingham that will enable him to move into the top 10 in both classes, making it a career year for the veteran driver.

JEFF WINS HIS 20TH (9/29/02)

     Over the past three seasons, no one has been stronger in the senior 4-cycle class at OVRP than Jeff Castellano.  He has 19 of his 20 career victories over that span, has finished among the top finishers in the club championship, and has won the "Back to School Series" the last two years.  It is obvious that his experience is showing through.

    Though circumstances have caused him to come up short in the club championship, there hasn't been a senior 4-cycle racer at OVRP that has been more successful than Jeff.  He has been a perennial contender, winning nearly all of his races in 2001 and now in 2002.  However, winning is not something he takes for granted, as his years of struggling are still very fresh on his mind.

    "I know that some of my competitors might have trouble picturing me in the back of the field, but I spent a lot of time there early on trying to get things sorted out," Jeff commented.  "Pretty much my first three seasons I was in the back, struggling to be even remotely competitive.  Now it is paying off."

    Jeff's 20th victory took place on the short track, and while it was not his most impressive victory, it once again exhibited his ability to adapt on a track that has continued to change over the years.  He has won on the short track, on the long track, in the rain, and going backwards.  With this victory, he continues his march toward third place in the overall club standings, a feat he looks to accomplish despite making only nine races, and win his third consecutive "Back to School Series" championship.  

    However, Jeff has continued to focus more on his traveling exploits than his domestic ones.  While Jeff is able to go to OVRP to win races, he is more interested in making a dent in a very competitive national field.  As the victories continue at OVRP, he hopes that his experience will eventually lead to top finishes on a broader scale.

BENT RIGHT FRONT SPINDLE FOUND (9/27/02)

     Jeff and his father may have found the reason for their struggles.  While working on the kart for this weekend's race at OVRP, Jeff's dad happened to notice that the two ends of the right front spindle made an angle smaller than that of the left front spindle.  In other words, the right front spindle was bent in ever so slightly, throwing off the geometry of the kart's front end.  

    This pretty much explains why Jeff has consistently described the right front wheel as "digging in," or having a lot of weight on that wheel when turning left.  It also explains why the kart was working so well at Cherry Valley in the right handed turn; since the spindle was bent in, there was naturally more weight on that wheel, so when Jeff turned right, the kart worked great.  But the kart felt horrible in the lefts on every track the team raced at throughout the summer.  The damaged spindle also caused the right front wheel to go down farther when turned (the castor effect) than the left front wheel because it was bent in, furthering the bend's overall effect.

    What is the reason for the spindle being bent?  Amazingly, the incident that most likely caused the damage occurred on the very first day the team ran with the new chassis - practice day in East Avon.  During one of his practice sessions, Jeff came off of the tight hairpin left and hit the Styrofoam that lined the outside wall hard, injuring Jeff's right thumb and forearm, but, at the time, the kart seemed to have escaped without damage.  Without noticing the small difference between the two front spindles, Jeff continued through the rest of the summer races with a front end that prevented him from getting the kart right.

    While Jeff and his dad have struggled at the national races, it is unlikely that they would have had a top 5 kart if the spindle hadn't been broken.  However, it certainly limited the ability of the team to tune the chassis.  So now, after replacing the damaged part for this weekend's race, Jeff is set to finally begin his tenure with the new chassis - for real.

DRIVER CONTINUES SUCCESS IN RAIN (9/18/02)

    Jeff has certainly had his ups and downs on the track over the past three years.  As documented by this site, Jeff has often been inconsistent at the national and divisional level, having one good race and then two bad ones.  However, one thing that has remained constant since mid-2001 is Jeff's rain driving.

    Since the 2000 season, in which two races at OVRP were run in the rain, Jeff has demonstrated that driving "within himself" is exactly what being a good rain driver is all about.  He has consistently showed patience and maturity beyond his years, making sure he runs as fast as he can while not spinning or going for a ride through the grass.  Even in his earliest rain races when he did not have the ideal rain set-up, Jeff would finish higher then his peers simply because he survived the race without a mistake.  Some racers and race fans believe that rain racing demonstrates driving skill better than dry racing, but Jeff does not necessarily buy into that theory.  He simply enjoys racing on a wet track.

    "The racing is evened out," Jeff commented about racing in the rain.  "I wouldn't say that the best drivers always do well in the rain, but it certainly puts the ball in the driver's court a lot more than in the dry.  It's less about the set-up and more about driving precision.  I enjoy it because many times rain racing is the only opportunity I have to show that I can drive as well as or better than the national racers."

    Of course, the best example of this was in Rockingham for the fourth Horstman/Gold Cup race of 2001, where Jeff qualified 12th for the Briggs Medium race, then stormed up to 4th in the heat race on a semi-wet track.  In the process, Jeff turned the second fastest lap, second only by a fraction to Travis Firing.  He has also run well in the 2001 divisional race in Batavia, the day he discovered the correct way to set up the kart in the wet, and during the first WKA Horstman/Gold Cup race of the 2002 season in Charlotte.  And all the while Jeff was racing on a 3-year-old set of rain tires!

    This past weekend was another example of Jeff's skill in the wet.  He finally purchased new rain tires, and the kart was instantly hooked up.  Though OVRP club racing is not as competitive as national racing, Jeff was strong once again, winning by almost a full lap in wet conditions.  

    "The kart was on a rail," Jeff said.  "To be able to go out there and go backwards, in the wet, without practicing, just goes to show how comfortable driving the kart felt to me.  I wish we could get the kart set-up this well to race with the sun shining."

    Indeed.  Jeff needs desperately to improve with chassis set-up if he is to ever become successful in any form of racing.  But while Jeff chases that illusive perfect set-up, he can be sure that things will go his way when the skies open up. 

JEFF STILL SEARCHING AFTER CAMDEN (8/16/02)

    Jeff went to the third WKA/Horstman Gold Cup race in Camden, OH like he did every other time he went to a national race: with the optimism that things could be turned around and that the team would finally put an end to its struggles.  However, just like every other race, Jeff struggled without the proper set-up.

    Sure, he ran fifth in the Briggs Light race on Saturday, but that was a field of only nine karts, by far the smallest field ever in a national race Jeff competed in.  The fact of the matter was that Jeff was off the leader's pace, and by a sizeable margin.  The team attributed this to the absence of an "oval-type" set up, which was the set-up that basically all the front runners were using.  This set-up featured large rear tires and a slightly smaller right front tire for staggering purposes.  Some, like last year, were using their oval chassis, though that proved not to be the fastest way around in 2002.

    Nevertheless, Jeff was off the pace without the best set-up, leaving him toward the back in both classes.  It seemed as though money was once again the main factor in Jeff's tough weekend, though he simply did not know what set-up to use without the proper amount of testing time.

    "We showed up with a set-up that was wrong and ended the weekend with a similar set-up, which was perhaps only a bit better," Jeff said.  "We knew we were off the pace from the first practice session on Friday, but we weren't left enough time to spend a thousand dollars and try a hundred different combinations of tires.

    "It will be nice to finally get some test time in at OVRP when we know that the track is a constant and my driving is a constant."

    Since purchasing a different chassis in mid-June, Jeff has raced only divisional and national races, making it difficult for him to learn how to make the chassis work.  The lack of test time has certainly been a key in Jeff's struggles, though he hopes that with eight races this fall at OVRP, the fourth national in Rockingham will be a much better experience.

    "I know I can be up front in a national, as hard as it may be to believe," Jeff said.  "I have had my moments, especially during rain races when the set-ups don't count as much.  So, driver-wise, I think I can cut it.  It's just my knowledge of how to make the kart handle on different tracks that is lacking.  Hopefully I can gain a much better grasp on this at OVRP this fall."

JEFF FINALLY PURCHASES NEW CHASSIS (6/18/02)

    After two years of being told he needs a new chassis, Jeff finally decided it was time.  After struggling throughout the past two months of competition with a chassis that was literally falling apart, Jeff purchased fellow divisional competitor Tim Potter's kart.  Potter, who got out of racing after 2001, sold Jeff his 2000 Coyote Wide Track LE for $1000, a deal that Jeff felt he could live with.

    "I really ran out of options," Jeff commented.  "It got to the point where it wasn't worth making to effort to go to races with equipment that gave me no hope of being competitive.  We also had to pray each race that the kart wouldn't break.  That was pretty much the last straw."

    Jeff, who has yet to land any financial backing, had to dig deeper to come up with the extra $1000 dollars to make the upgrade.  In fact, Jeff's need for more finances shifted from low gear to high gear with this purchase, as his bank account is now drained and the amount of racing he is able to do for the remainder of the 2002 season is now uncertain.  However, there is no question that this is a step forward for the team, who has been struggling to keep up with Divisional competitors throughout the 2002 season.

    The chassis itself is very similar to the 2002 edition of the Wide Track LE, giving Jeff a kart frame that matches his divisional and national competition for the first time ever.  Equipped with Ackerman steering, new cassettes, a new seat, and the castor/camber adjustments, Jeff hopes to have the kart assembled for the Divisional race at East Avon. 

E-mail: jcracing28@yahoo.com