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| Through The Esses - Russ Oasis Has Been #1 Before |
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Car shot courtesy of Grand-Am
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01/09/08 © Andrew S. Hartwell
Being one of sportscar racing's biggest challenges, the Rolex 24 at Daytona is a magnet for those who crave success achieved through competition. They come to prove their mettle, in a contest that pits them against like-minded individuals and against a force of nature over which no man can achieve infinite victory; time. Time will always be ahead of even the fastest of racers.
But for one weekend each year, hundreds of men - and women - will try to outlast the minutes and hours that spin around the face of the clock and seek at least a temporary victory against time.
In a race that can see 80 cars going 150 miles per hour (or more) for 24 non-stop hours, the victory here isn't only achieved by the one who finishes first, but by all who finish, period. Just to finish this grueling fight for supremacy over fatigue, mechanical failure, and erroneous judgment delivered through exhaustion, is to have conquered and won. It is an incredible accomplishment to have survived the long day that opens with a heartily waved green flag, then takes you through the dead of night, then all the way through a new dawn into afternoon, and then on to the heartily welcomed unfurling of the black and white pennant, that waves the struggle complete, at last.
The struggle to stay in action against the perils of time is what attracts so many to this contest.
The Rolex 24 traditionally appeals to a large contingent of competitors who bring to this grueling event a myriad of racing experiences. That is, of the literally hundreds of drivers who take a turn at the wheel in an attempt to vent their competitive urges in pursuit of victory, some will have more experience, while others will have less. When mixed together, there's potential for disaster.
For the 2008 edition of this vaunted exercise in time-travel, a number of cars will be piloted by well known and seasoned veterans of racing series, from IndyCar to NASCAR. And then there is everyone else. But what the rest may lack in top-flight experience, can often times be off-set by their intense desire to prove themselves capable of both keeping pace and keeping out of trouble.
This year, Kevin Buckler's The Racers Group (TRG) will be fielding a record seven car effort in the GT class. Among those entries will be a Porsche GT3 Cup car, #65, piloted by several racers who don't quite carry the same cache as say a Max Papis or Scott Pruett. These are men who indeed do have real racing experience but found their ultimate success in other fields. One of these men made his fortune in radio. His name is Russ Oasis and he is the subject of this column. On Jan. 26th, he will be joined in the #65 Porsche by Tom Atherton, Jim Stout, Tommy Archer, and Jason Daskalos.
Oasis currently owns four radio stations - three in Fort Wayne, Indiana and another in Indianapolis. - and he comes to the Rolex 24 with one prior Rolex race to his credit. In 2006 he teamed with Leighton Reese, Tommy Archer and others, in the #06 Banner Racing Corvette. Today, Oasis will be looking to apply that experience, along with years of racing in the Viper Racing League, to the task of coming across the finish line at the end of 24 hours.
Oasis has tasted success before in a world where time moves at a more sedentary pace than in racing. But that's not to say he hasn't burned some rubber along the way.
I grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut and I have always been a car junkie. On my 12th birthday my brother asked me what I wanted as a present. I said I want to drive your MGA'. So he let me! Back then I lived for go-karts and mini-bikes and scooters. My folks would never let me compete, as they thought motorsports were too dangerous.
My first car was an Alfa Romeo Guiletta Veloce Spyder and that is where I learned how to heel and toe and double-clutch. Most of it was self taught and I hung around guys who were older than me, and they had been on the track at L
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