FORESTVILLE — Craig Von Dohren has changed his game plan.
At January’s Motorsports 2015 show, Von Dohren said he would likely race only at Grandview in 2015. He had begun the 2014 season at Big Diamond Speedway, but then left, frustrated with the required Hoosier tires’ performance that he felt limited passing on the Schuylkill County oval.
But much has changed in the offseason, both for Big Diamond and Von Dohren.
The track’s management decided to end its affiliation with DIRTCar and revert to the allowance of American Racer tires on the track
Last week, Von Dohren, the 2012-13 358 modified track champion, decided to return to Big Diamond, this time in a car fielded by Bath’s Steve Searock.
Searock, who has raced a sportsman occasionally at Big Diamond, and his wife Diane will put Von Dohren in a 2004 Troyer 358 modified with No. 26 for Big Diamond’s 2015 season.
“He’s won races in a Troyer, but he
hasn’t raced one since 2006,” Searock said Tuesday. “Craig had a motor built (by Nick Gatto for 2015), but he had lost his sponsorship.”
Searock said he learned about Von Dohren’s status when talking to the chief mechanic of Von Dohren’s Grandview Speedway car, owned by Barry Bashore. Learning from Jason Bashore that Von Dohren had no intention to race Friday nights at Big Diamond, Searock got Von Dohren’s number from Bashore, called Von Dohren, and they met at Searock’s shop and over lunch.
“He didn’t know who I was, and I didn’t know who he was,” Searock said of the initial meeting.
Searock learned Von Dohren is the all-time leading 358 modified winner at Big Diamond with 79 feature victories.
Von Dohren learned Searock had raced sportsman cars for three years, including an occasional stop at Big Diamond and a second-place finish in points at Bridgeport, New Jersey, Speedway last season that convinced him to turn his involvement to racing in other directions.
“It’s enough,” he said of his own racing career. “I had fun, so I’m moving on.”
That includes the racing parts and equipment business that he and Diane founded in January, in addition to Searock’s lawn maintenance business.
As part of the new venture’s development, Searock has established a deal with Big Diamond promoter Jake Smulley to be the official parts supplier for the speedway’s race teams.
Hiring Von Dohren, 51, of Oley, to drive his car is another extension of his business tie to Big Diamond.
“It’s important to have somebody of Craig’s stature,” Searock said of the pairing. “It’s very important to have it.”
But that is not all of Searock’s connections to the speedway.
One of his sportsman engines will be used by Nazareth’s Mike Mammana this season. Another sportsman driver, Steve Desmelyk of Bridgeport, New Jersey will drive another of Searock’s cars at Big Diamond in 2015 after placing third in the rookie points at Bridgeport.
Searock also is a major sponsor of this week’s Dirt Track Heroes Car Show at the Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Mall and will sponsor Thursday’s activities at the show.
All of it adds up to great expense, but he said the enjoyment outweighs the checks written.
“Obviously, it’s racing, so there is no return, so I’m looking just to have fun,” Searock said.
That includes giving new life to Von Dohren’s racing career at Big Diamond.
“I think we will have fun with the guy,” Searock said. “If you’re having fun and you’re successful, there’s nothing better you can do.”