News

2009-06-23:Elwood, IL: After a last minute decision to race Saturday at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, IN, Dave Gentile Jr. had a few skeptics. With the ASA Midwest Tour Series making its inaugural stop at the track, many said his 2009 Chevrolet crate motor wouldn’t stand a chance against their bigger motors. He went out with one important goal in mind: prove them all wrong.

Gentile qualified 14th in a field of 28 and started the Elmer Musgrave Memorial 100 inside of the 7th row. Seventy-five caution-free laps later, the competition yellow displayed to bunch the field back together, and move the lapped cars to the tail. Gentile made the move to tenth in the closing laps, passing local racing legend Larry Schuler to get his first Top Ten finish in his first ever start with the ASA Midwest Tour series.

When asked why he chose to do this race, Gentile commented, “I was considering racing there on Saturday anyway, but when I found out the Midwest Tour was going to be there, that helped me make up my mind. The series and the drivers really are a class act. The officials were great to work with, and I would definitely consider racing with those guys again.”

2009-06-19:Elwood, IL: Dave Gentile and crew had an impressive race weekend in Indianapolis, IN. The Goodwin Motorsports team qualified 20th for the Gleaners 200, the last qualifier on time, putting Gentile in the 10th row for the race. At the start, Gentile looked very good, passing cars with ease. After a caution came out with just a handful of laps to go in the first segment, Gentile complained about a serious vibration problem, making the car very difficult to drive. Thinking he had a tire going down, he dropped back and rode the tail of the field until the competition caution came out at lap 100.

As the second segment commenced, the #6 Chevrolet Impala looked to be moving forward again. As the laps ticked away, and after some heated battles with other cars, the 32 year-old Illinois driver was happy to see the checked flag. Though he finished 1 lap down, barely getting passed by the leader on the last lap, Gentile ran consistently throughout his longest race to date.

“It wasn’t as good as we expected it to be, but I’m happy with the strong finish. The competition in this division is intense, and we are really glad to know we can compete with the best,” stated Gentile.

Gentile and crew will be making a detour in their ASA Late Models Series tour, and will be at Illiana Motor Speedway this Saturday to participate in the Elmer Musgrave Memorial 100 in the ASA Midwest Touring division.

“We thought long and hard about doing this race,” Gentile explained. “I think my crate motor will stand a good chance against these Super Late models. We’ve tested at Illiana a few times, and even came out a couple of weeks ago to compete, and ended up qualifying 3rd and finishing 5th in the feature.”

2009-06-10:Elwood, IL: ASA Late Model Series North driver Dave Gentile Jr. and team will try their hand against the best in the Midwest this weekend, June 12-13 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in nearby Indianapolis, IN.

In the three ASA North starts in 2009, Gentile has finished 16th twice and 10th once, slowly working his way up to a podium finish. Bad luck and mechanical issues may have plagued this team early in the season, but don’t expect that to continue on.

“We don’t go to races expecting to finish in the back. We go to races to win. Even though we have had a slow start, I think we have a very good chance of finally pulling off a win this weekend,” stated the driver of the #6 Chevrolet Impala.

Gentile and crew have had a great success at this nearly 5/8 mile progressively banked oval. In 2008, Gentile won his first USPRO race here. He went on to finish midway through the pack in the ASA North Gunbroker.com 100, ending up 19th of 26.

“My team and I know we are good at this track. It’s a great place to run side-by-side. With this caliber of competition, we may have our work cut out for us, but I’m confident we can go out there and be the best,” says Gentile.

2009-05-28:Elwood, IL: After a two week break from racing, Dave Gentile Jr. & his crew at Goodwin Motorsports are happy with their performance from Sunday night’s main event at Grundy County Speedway, the George Appleton Memorial 125.

Gentile had great times in both practice sessions, never looking outside of the top ten. When it came time to qualify, the team got the #6 car to turn quite well, though Gentile qualified 10th. Starting outside of the fifth row, Gentile quickly moved up the field. On the restart around lap 15, the Chevy Impala got away from Gentile, causing him to spin out. After coming to a stop on the back stretch, Gentile was moved to the back of the field for causing the caution, but that didn’t stop the Prairie State driver.

At the restart, Gentile moved swiftly through the field, putting himself right back into contention for that coveted trophy. He would move to his highest position of the race, 5th, before tangling with the #29 of Joey King, sending Gentile to the back of the field for a second time. After restarting about 15th with just 9 laps to go, Gentile made one last charge to the front. As the final laps clicked away, Gentile was able to finish his great run in 10th place, his highest finish so far this season.

“My team and I had a lot of eyes watching us tonight. We had a huge cheering section, with sponsors and friends & family. We wanted to give them a good show, and coming from the back twice, I think they didn’t go home disappointed,” said Gentile in a post-race interview. “I want to personally thank everyone that came out tonight to watch. I can’t express how much I appreciate the sponsors I have this year.

“The car was pretty good today! My crew did a fantastic job getting this car back to where it was at the beginning of the season. Since the wreck in Toledo, the car just has not been the same. But tonight, we were able to get it right back to where it was,” Gentile continued. “We are still up in the air about what races we are going to be running, but I know now that I have a great car that is fast and definitely competitive. Even though we didn’t finish first, I’m satisfied because we have a quality car back.”

2009-05-19:Elwood, IL: This coming Sunday, May 24th, Dave Gentile Jr. and crew will be back in action at Grundy County Speedway. Hopefully the bad luck and unfortunate circumstances are gone says Gentile. He and his team at Goodwin Motorsports have been working diligently since their last North Series race just two weeks ago. Currently 13th in overall points, Gentile has finished 16th at both Toledo Speedway and Illiana Motor Speedway so far this season.

“After the problems we had at Illiana, we decided to do some extensive testing at Grundy. We want to make sure we found the problem and that we put on a great show for all of our friends, family, fans and sponsors who plan to come out Sunday night,” Gentile stated. With two dismal finishes in the first two races of the season, Gentile is confident that he has what it takes to run in the front Sunday night. “We are pretty happy with the car,” he admits. “There is always room for improvement, but I feel like it’s our time to win a race. We will have some stiff competition, but nothing we haven’t seen before.”

Considered his home track, Gentile has had some great success at the Morris, IL track. In 2004, Gentile won the Mid-American division track Championship, and after moving up to the late model division, won Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. As for his #6 ASA North Chevrolet, he has finished 4th twice in the last three attempts. He also finished in the runner-up position in 2008 with his USPRO Cup Series entry on his way to winning the Championship.

The 10th Annual George Appleton Memorial 125 will get started under the lights on the 1/3 mile at the Grundy County Speedway on the Grundy County Fairgrounds, just north of I-80 on Rte 47. Gates open at 4 pm, qualifying at 5 pm and racing starts at 7 pm.

2009-05-06:Elwood, IL: Good days and bad days; every team has them. Unfortunately, some more than others; Dave Gentile Jr. and crew can certainly attest to that. After starting the season out on a positive note in Toledo – running in the top 5 during all practices, even topping the practice sheets during one session – that first race weekend ended on a sour note, with Gentile wrecking his Chevrolet Impala around lap 79.

The next week, after putting the car back together, Gentile and crew were excited to be at a track they were well familiar with. However, that feeling would not last long at Illiana Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 2nd. After running in the middle of the pack during both practices, Gentile and his team at Goodwin Motorsports decided to trade their ill-handling car with their backup car, hoping to qualify better than they practiced. With a car that had not seen the track all day, Gentile went out and qualified just 20th for the “Run for the Roses 100”. After starting the race at the back of the field due to changes he had to make before the race started, Gentile finished the two-caution race just outside the top 15, in the 16th position.

“We were disappointed with our performance at Illiana, but nothing can be done about it now,” Gentile said in a post-race interview. “Our bad luck streak that started with the power steering in Toledo followed us to Illiana. We are hoping with left whatever bad luck omen in Indiana, so it doesn’t follow us around all season,” jokes Gentile.

Gentile and his crew will take the next two weeks to work out the bugs and get the car ready for the next stop on the ASA Late Model Series North tour: Grundy County Speedway, Gentile’s home track. Gentile, looking a bit more positive, said, “We are really looking forward to Grundy’s race the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. We have had some success there in the past, so hopefully we can get out of our slump and get a win.”

2009-04-26:Elwood, IL: Dave Gentile Jr. and crew went into Saturday’s race at Toledo Speedway with high hopes, and for good reasons. Gentile was the fastest car in the second practice session on Friday, and had the second fastest time of the day, just behind 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Landon Cassill. “The car was perfect,” said Gentile. “This car was probably the best car I’ve ever had.”

Gentile qualified fifth on Saturday in his Chicagoland Regional Council of Carpenters/Swift Springs/ARP Bodies Chevrolet. After the invert draw, Gentile had a great starting spot on the outside of the front row. At the drop of the green, Gentile pulled in front of pole sitter Griffin McGrath. As the laps wore on, Gentile pulled farther and farther from the pack, getting about 10 car lengths ahead of second place at one point. When asked if he could have changed anything, Gentile said, “I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. During qualifying the sun was out and made the track very hot. Then the clouds rolled in about an hour before the race started, and that’s exactly what my car needed. Everything was falling into place.”

After the first caution came out around lap 20, Gentile had no problem restarting the field and eventually pulling away again. Unfortunately, that’s when the problem happened. Gentile lost his power steering, making the car too difficult to drive. As he dropped back further into the pack, he was able to muscle the car until about lap 70. “The car just snapped loose,” said Gentile. “I was so close to saving it. I at least got it stopped on the back stretch, and avoided hitting the wall.” The caution didn’t come out right away; causing three cars to hit Gentile’s #6. Gentile was all right, but the same could not be said for the car.

The Goodwin Motorsports crew was able to pull off the battered pieces and get the car back out to finish a respectable 16th. “I want to thank my guys for all of their hard work this weekend. Even though we didn’t finish where we expected to, my guys worked their butts off,” Gentile said appreciatively.

Still, Gentile and crew can’t dwell too long on their mishaps in the Buckeye state. With a week to prepare a broken car, they are relieved to know their next race, this Saturday at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, IN, is a short drive from home. A track he is very familiar with, Gentile nabbed the Rookie of the Year honors for the Mid-American division at Illiana back in 2002, and is looking forward to making a comeback after the terrible end to what was a promising weekend.

2009-04-20:Elwood, IL: Dave Gentile Jr. and his crew at Goodwin Motorsports planned to be one race into their 2009 campaign, but the weather had them singing a different tune four weeks ago. The team cancelled their trip less than a day before they were to leave for the Short Track Nationals Georgia 100 at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, GA. Just as they were loading up for the race, they did one last check of the weather. Good thing they did: the area wound up getting over 6 inches of rain in a 48 hour timeframe! GMS owner Brandon Goodwin said, “I left the final decision up to Dave, but we were 99% sure we weren’t going to try to make the haul down there and take our chances with having the race rain out. Even though the race had gotten pushed back to Sunday, that would have added an extra day onto our trip, and our guys needed to get back home for work on Monday.”

The outlook for Toledo, however, is looking very bright. “No rain in the forecast, only sunny skies,” Gentile Jr. states. “We are anxious about finally getting the season under way! We spent 2 weeks practicing at Illiana, and we feel we’ve got a good handle on the car.” Gentile Jr. is looking for another good finish after a respectable 5th place at Toledo Speedway last year, and nearly winning the US Pro race, finishing 2nd. “We want to start this year off on the right foot. Last year in the first race at ORP we had an ignition failure due to a battery issue. The crew and I have made sure to pay extra attention to detail so we won’t have the same problem this year.”

Goodwin Motorsports wants to thank the continued support of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, Swift Springs, Gas City, Sign-a-Rama, J.L. Adler Roofing, ARP Bodies, Appleton Rack & Pinion, Airgas, BullFrog Sunblock, Heroes West Sports Grill, Hedman Headers, Lincoln Electric, Oval Engineering and the Dream Factory. Without these sponsors, racing wouldn’t be possible.

2009-03-26:Elwood, IL: Due to the inclement weather approaching the Cecil, GA area, Dave Gentile Jr. and his team at Goodwin Motorsports have cancelled their plans to race in the Short Track Nationals South Georgia 100. “To travel the 15 hours down to Georgia with a 70-85% chance of rain on race day just doesn’t make sense,” team owner, Brandon Goodwin, states. The team is based out of Elwood, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. He continues, “While we really wanted to start the season out early, we unfortunately had to make the decision to cancel the trip.” Goodwin Motorsports will now look to their first ASA Late Model North Series race, April 25th at Toledo Speedway in Toledo, OH.

2009-03-23:Elwood, IL: With the 2009 ASA Late Models North Division opening race fast approaching, Dave Gentile Jr. & his Goodwin Motorsports crew are all ready to go. The team has decided to make the 15 hour trip to Cecil, GA, home of South Georgia Motorsports Park. “When we heard about the ASA Late Model South Series race in Southern Georgia, and read about the track stats, we figured it would be a great place to start the season,” says Gentile Jr. He continued, “We have a lot of racing to do this year, so we are all really excited.” Gentile Jr. and team plan on racing the all 10 ASA Late Model Series North races, as well as half of the Challenge Series races, as long as funding is available. “It seems everyone is cutting back due to the economy. It’s affecting the racing community pretty hard, but we are hopeful things will start to turn around soon. Until it does, we are looking to catch the attention of a few more potential sponsors by running up front and winning some races.”

Though Gentile Jr. logged just one win, in the US Pro division, at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN, he walked away with the Championship in that division, as well as finishing fifth in the standings in the ASA Late Model North Division. Overall, Gentile Jr. & crew also had 8 top 5s and 12 top 10 finishes. As Goodwin Motorsports starts its sophomore year in the Series, they are looking to be a front runner in the North division, as well as the Challenge Series.

Gentile Jr. added, “We learned a lot from the tracks we traveled to last year and spent extra hours in the shop on the off season, so it’s fair to say we are at the top of our game, and just look to reflect that on the track. I would also like to say a special thank all of the guys at WMC, Inc. for all of their help in preparing the cars for the 2009 season.”

“We really appreciate the sponsors that have continued to support us, especially Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, WMC Inc, Oval Engineering, Sign-A-Rama of Joliet, Airgas, Lincoln Electric, Appleton Rack and Pinion Heroes West, ARP Bodies, Gas City, Swift Springs, Bull Frog Sunblock, Adler Roofing and Sheet Metal, and Hedman Headers,” states Goodwin Motorsports team owner, Brandon Goodwin. “Without their support, we wouldn’t be racing this year. We thank them all, and we hope to bring home a few checkered flags for them this year!”

2009-02-01:Chicago, IL: The 2008 racing season was a very busy year for Dave Gentile Jr., and the Goodwin Motorsports Team as they ran both schedules in the ASA Late Model Series Northern Division and the USPRO Cup Series.

The Elwood, Illinois driver proved that he was a solid contender in both Lexington, Michigan based series’ as he captured the 2008 USPRO Cup Series Championship while also finishing a solid fifth in the final ASALMS Northern Division title chase.

It was in USPRO where Gentile Jr., scored his first career feature win in an ASALMS sanctioned race. That feature victory came at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis back on April 26, 2008 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 50. During the six-race USPRO season, Gentile Jr., never finished outside of the top five all year long!
“The whole season went really well in both divisions to start the season off with a win at ORP was just what our team needed after the long winter of building three new cars,” the 31-year-old stated as he thought back to his 2008 campaign.

“The USPRO Championship was an added bonus! We were not sure we were going to run the whole USPRO season or not, but the first three races were with the ASALMS Northern Division and we finished all three USPRO races in the top two, so that helped us make up our mind,” he explained.

In ASALMS North competition, Gentile Jr., cracked the top five in the final points thanks to his three top five finishes including two fourth place finishes which came at Rockford Speedw
ay on July 26th and again at I-70 Speedway on September 20th. Overall, Gentile Jr., recorded six top 10s and eight top 15 showings in 11 North starts.

“All of this would not have been possible without the generous help and support from Brandon and LeeAnne Goodwin, I want to thank them for everything they did for me.” The Prairie State driver added, “I want to say a special thanks to all of my sponsors for their continued support as well.”

“I especially want to say thanks to my entire crew; Dan, Doug, my Dad, Mickey, Jay, Geoff, Joey, Joseph, and Gary for there countless hours spent in the shop and at the track,” he continued. “I also want to thank Ashley for her hard work and support. This championship is just as much theirs as it is mine.”

“Last but certainly not least I want to say thanks to my entire family, the family of my crew members and to all of there wives and girlfriends for their continued support and encouragement year after year,” the appreciative driver stated.

With the 2009 racing season just around the corner, Gentile Jr., already has his plans intact. “We are looking forward to 2009. Our plans are to run the full ASALMS North schedule again and if we can create more marketing partners we will run the Challenge Division too.”

“We are looking forward to another successful year; we learned a lot about the new cars in 2008 and plan to do even better in 2009.” He ended.

Gentile Jr.’s familiar Blue and White #6 Chevrolet Impala carried sponsorship during the 2008 season from WMC Inc, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, ARP Bodies / Aluminum Racing Products, Bull Frog Sun Block, Swift Springs, Hedman Husler Headers, Airgas, Lincoln Electric, Oval Engineering, Modern Carriage Werks, Heroes West Sports Grill, Advanced Compressor Technology, Gas City, Adler Roofing, Joliet Tent, Shorewood Home & Auto, Sign a Rama Joliet, Fast Printing, Dream Factory, Appleton Rack and Pinion, Race Car Help.com, Bassett Racing Wheels, and Wix Filters.

 

2008-08-20:Milwaukee, WI: Dave Gentile Jr. Ready for the challenge of the Milwaukee Mile after wining USPRO Championship. ASA Results

 

2008-08-19:Charlotte, NC: Dave Gentile Jr. Captures his first series championship - USPRO at DIXIE Speedway! Hess-Tech

 

2008-08-12:Birch Run, MI: Dave Gentile Jr. Ready for double duty racing in the USPRO and ASA North at DIXIE Speedway". ASA Results 2008-08-01: Goodwin Motor Sports would like to introduce it's newest team member- Nicholas Scott Miller Joined on 2:03AM on August 1st 2008 8lbs 2oz and almost as tall as Dave. Nicholas plans on assuming the driving duties for the 2023 season if his mother Ashley (Goodwin) will let him.

 
 

2008 Goodwin Motorsports news archive.