The 2017 Thursday Night Thunder season at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway was quite the whirlwind season for Chris Case, a Junior Varsity Beetle Bug competitor.
Entering the season, Chris Case had never celebrated a podium finish in the division, let alone a victory. His best finish on record was a fourth place finish in 2016. Little did he know, he would go on to score five victories over the course of the 8-week season.
Coming into the season, Chris had one simple goal in mind: to win a trophy. “My hope going into the season was to be relevant. I’ve had a great time racing at Beech Ridge, but I had yet to be relevant,” he shares. This all changed on night one, where he exceeded his expectations by scoring his first career victory. “To get that win was something I had dreamed about since I was very young. Then, to back it up week two from the back was a great accomplishment also,” he says. Chris’ hot streak right off the bat continued on over the span of the racing season, but not without some help and guidance from other experienced drivers.
Chris lends thanks to his Crew Chief and fellow driver, Ben Krauter. He praises Ben’s knowledge for racing and the ability to make the correct adjustments to the car that helped land the #45 car in Victory Lane time and time again and Greg Peters, who lent him wisdom along the way. He also thanks David Luce, who he originally purchased the car from. “There is so much to be learned from people that have done this for a while. Without the experience around me, I simply would not have been as successful as I was last season,” he says. Even with all of the wonderful support surrounding him and the #45 team, Chris couldn’t control the treacherous fate of his 2017 season.
The week leading up to Championship Night was a nightmare for Chris. He was set to sail away with the 2017 Championship until the ill hand of fate stepped in to tear that possibility right out from underneath him. The week prior to Championship Night, Chris began to feel ill. What started as a headache turned into a bigger problem, with Chris experiencing dizzy spells, sickness and extreme sensitivity to lights and sounds. On the morning of Championship night, he was admitted into Maine Medical Center for a serious spinal fluid infection. He was crushed knowing his dream of winning a championship was slipping out of his hands and even wanted to get fluids and return to the track to contend for the championship, but his health held precedence over track activities.
Although he was devastated for not being able to attend Championship Night, fellow competitor (and friend) Brandon Lizotte kept Chris in the loop all night. Chris was proud of Alex Dargi for capturing his first feature win and proud of Brandon for fighting tooth and nail for the championship, for which he sadly came up short. He was also proud of his friend and fellow competitor, Darryl Quinlan, for winning the Street Devils championship and finishing third in their division.
“As much as I wished that I was there for myself to win that championship, I was just as disappointed to not be able to give those guys hugs and high fives for their successes,” he shares. After dominating the 2017 season, Chris ultimately wound up fourth place in the official point standings.
After receiving IV treatments for days after being released from the hospital, Chris decided to return to the track after the season concluded for the track’s PASS Midweek Classic.
Even though he still felt ill, he went on to win both the heat and the main feature, defeating fellow competitors like Cam Childs, Dave Stone, Jr., Wade Worster and Jeff Walker. “It was great to race with those guys. To win it was really something. Its my favorite trophy…so far anyway,” he laughs. After battling serious health issues at the conclusion of lat season, Chris is focused on becoming a healthier person and a more well-rounded driver.
Chris is focused on becoming stronger and eating healthier, regularly attending the gym. As far as goals go for the 2018 season? Chris wants to win the championship that he was so close to winning last season. “I also want to be able to keep with the things that have gotten me to where I am. I’m all about driving hard, yet driving clean. Doing it the right way is what it’s all about. I’m going to be focused on getting everything that I can out of the car every single night,” he says. Although he’s focused on the checkered flag in 2018, Chris’ road to success hasn’t been easy.
Chris’ daily struggles include living life as a Type 1 diabetic, which he was diagnosed with at just four years old. In 2014, he was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and struggled with severe vision issues that nearly left him blind. After having several surgeries on his eyes to correct his vision, Chris is now free of surgeries and looking toward the future.
After facing a severe health scare, Chris decided to take life by the horns and start working on accomplishing his bucket list. What was one of the biggest items on the bucket list? Well, one was to drive a race car. So, he sold his boat and did just that. “I was 34 before I drove a race car for the first time, roughly three decades after falling in love with the sport,” he shares. To Chris, racing is about so much more than just driving around a track. He believes that its all about being a good driver and a good person both on and off the track.
Chris likes to call his #45 car the “Dream Machine”, a play on words for one of the organizations on his car, the Dream Factory of Maine. The organization is an all-volunteer organization that grants “dreams” for children that have chronic diseases. As a chronic disease survivor himself, the organization is very near and dear to his heart.
Chris also advocates for Safe Kids Maine, which is another non-profit organization that organizes free car seat checks throughout Maine and provides child seat education. “I’m very lucky to have sponsors that are not only willing to share advertising space with these non-profits, but that also participate in events to help them raise money,” he says. Working with these organizations both on and off the track is thoroughly rewarding for Chris, who was able to use his racing resources to help grant a racing wish for a Dream Factory dream recipient this year.
A dream was submitted to the Dream Factory where a young girl living with Type 1 Diabetes had the dream to go to Talladega and meet her favorite NASCAR driver, Kyle Busch. She wrote a letter to the organization, sharing her dream and writing about what racing meant to her. “I could totally relate. So, I brought the car to her, surprised her with a first place trophy from last year and was able to send her to Talladega in April. That was very rewarding for me,” he shares. Not only was she able to visit Talladega, she also was able to meet Kyle Busch. Being able to help make other’s dreams come true means everything to Chris, but so does raising his son, Joseph.
Being a father is the most important thing in Chris’ life. His young son, Joseph, likes to help his Daddy work on the race car, sitting on his lap when he works on the car and providing him with warm hugs each and every day. “He’s an amazing kid and can name more under a hood than most adults!,” he laughs. Chris is excited to share more racing memories with his son and family in 2018.
Chris would like to thank his primary sponsor, Modern Woodmen of America. He calls Scott McDonald a “finance and insurance genius” and recommends that anyone in need of advice in either of those departments should give Scott a call.
His parents’ company, The Maine Sales Company, also lends huge support to Chris and the #45 team. Not only are his parents at the track each and every week, they have also been on the car since day one. “They are an eCommerce selling company selling Maine-made craft items online. Whose Mom doesn’t want a balsam filled draft stopper? Am I right?,” he asks.
He’d also like to thank Heidi’s Daycare, Advantage Pest Control and both the Dream Factory and Safe Kids Maine, who all attend races throughout the summer to support Chris and his #45 dream machine.
The Alzheimer’s Association of Maine is also on the car and used for tribute and to raise awareness for the awful disease. The logo is on the car in the memory of Chris’ wife Amanda’s Grandfather, Bruce Turgeon. Bruce was always a big supporter of Chris and his racing dreams.
He also dedicates his car to his former co-worker Rusty Teague, who passed away from cancer last year. Rusty was a big race fan that always stuck his neck out for other people. Chris put Rusty’s name in front of where he sits in the car, “So he’s beating me to the line every lap in memory and honor of a great man we lost,” he shares.
Chris is looking forward to being on the track in 2018 and attending a few local events to promote all of the non-profit organizations riding along with him. He will be bringing his car to the local day care that sponsors him, as well as to various Safe Kids and Dream Factory events. This year will also mark his third appearance at Haven’s Candies‘ Dream Factory Fundraiser in November. His first upcoming event for the season is the Scarborough Rotary Touch-A-Truck event on June 2nd.
As a new season lies ahead just around the corner, Chris is keeping his eyes on the championship and fighting to keep the dream alive in 2018.
Catch Chris on the track at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for Thursday Night Thunder, which begins on June 14th at 7:00 pm. See you there!
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