Ronald Renfrow is hoping Sunday will be the day he scores his first Late Model victory at Southern National Motorsports Park.
The 38-year-old from Kenly, North Carolina has won a Charger division race, but victory in a Limited Late Model has eluded him. When he unloaded at the Spooktacular, when the race was originally scheduled to be run on October 7th before the rain came, he had a fast car and anticipated visiting victory lane. Those expectations have not changed two weeks later.
“I do feel we have a very good shot at reaching victory lane on Sunday,” Renfrow said. “We have a very good piece up under us and a strong power plant in the ole girl. The car has been really consistent.”
Last year, Renfrow was in contention to win races on multiple occasions only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. One of those races was in last year’s running of the Spooktacular when he found himself with a shot at winning until a late race caution proved to be his undoing.
“We let three or four wins slip away last year,” Renfrow commented. “We led 35 laps or so in the Spooktacular with a shot to win only for a late race caution with seven or eight laps to go. We took the outside and got shuffled back in fifth.”
This year, Renfrow will be running with the car Bradley McCaskill piloted to victory lane in 2015 when he led every single lap in the Spooktacular.
“Can’t say enough about the guys I have around me and helping me,” Renfrow remarked. “I know we dropped back this year and ran some Charger races and won some, just really had to get back to enjoying it and having fun.”
Having run at Southern National for years, through the good and the bad, a victory on Sunday would mean the world for Renfrow. A win would not just be for him, but also for Donate Life – an organization Renfrow hopes to raise awareness for after donating a kidney in 2015 to his friend, Brent Pope.
“A win Sunday would mean a lot,” Renfrow stated. “It would just the knowledge that has been put into the car and me this year. Plus, what better way to showcase and put awareness out there for Donate Life. Bradley McCaskill really has the car dialed in and I can’t thank Robert Arch enough for his dedication he has shown and for being an amazing spotter.”
While his focus right now is on winning the Spooktacular, he is already looking ahead to next season.
“I would really love to see Southern National have a true Late Model class next year and a true Limited class,” Renfrow explained. “Most of the Charger cars are Limiteds. I would love to commit to run a full season at a championship in Limited. Not really interested in Late Model Stock, just don’t have the time and commitment it takes to run for a Late Model title. However, I do feel we have a top-three or top-five Late Model.”
Along with racing, Renfrow is a Kenly, North Carolina business owner and a supporter of the track in more ways than just racing there. Renfrow Heating & Air, the business Renfrow operates, is Southern National Motorsports Park’s victory lane sponsor.
“I can’t begin to express how blessed I have been,” Renfrow said. “My faith is a big part of who I am and the good Lord tells us when we are blessed, we too shall bless. What better way than to support Southern National and I think more business on a local level should get involved.”
For his part, Renfrow hopes to see the track grow and relive the glory days of the late 1990s.
“I have been to other tracks and I personally don’t think I’ve seen another track capable of what Southern National done or is able to do,” Renfrow explained. “No matter where you go, most drivers will tell you they prefer Southern National over any other track. Can’t beat the track or its location and I believe, with some tweaking, it could be the track that it was in the late 90s and early 2000s. That’s the reason I support the track.
“I’m just glad I’ve been blessed to be able to contribute what I have and been able to do what I do.”
Renfrow will compete in his traditional no. 07 Limited Late Model on Sunday, facing off with track regulars as well as an invasion from out of town drivers such as J.D. Eversole, Daryn Cockram and many others.
The 100-lap Limited Late Model race and the twin 75-lap races for the Fast Five Pro Late Model Series will headline Sunday’s Spooktacular. The event will also feature racing for Mini Stocks, Legends, Bandoleros and Any Cars.”
For more information about the Spooktacular, visit the event page at http://www.snmpark.com/spooktacular.
