Clay Rogers Lands Back on His
Feet Again With a New Pro Cup Ride
Free Agent Now Looks Ahead to Possibly Tying a Record
By Mike Twist
Have you ever heard of the cat with nine lives who manages to always land on his feet no matter how far he falls or how far he is thrown? Well, the racing equivalent to that cat is named Clay Rogers.
Rogers has won the 2006 Snowball Derby and three Pro Cup championships - while driving for three different race teams. His most recent Pro Cup title came last year, driving for the #54 C&C Boilers teams. Rogers joined that team while they found themselves without a driver at a time when Rogers was a free agent in between rides.
But when that team shut down after their recent championship-winning season, Rogers found himself without a ride and a free agent once more.
Meanwhile, after several years with Bobby Gill as their wheelman, the Lamb and Robinson Pro Cup team were deciding what to do in 2010. Gill and the team parted ways after the holidays and a new driver would need to be found. It didn't take much time for Rogers to be chosen as that driver and the union was announced late last week.
“I'm definitely excited that this came along,” said Rogers. “Things were looking kind of bleak after the winter and then this opportunity came along. It was unfortunate that they parted ways with Bobby Gill, but I was fortunate enough that after that happened, they decided to give me a call. This has been a good team with very good owners. They've been supportive of Pro Cup racing for the last six or eight years and hopefully, we'll be right there in contention for a championship this year together.”
Replacing Gill could have been awkward for Rogers as both men are very close friends. But Rogers told Speed51.com that there are no hard feelings between the former and current driver for the team.
“That decision was independent of me,” said Rogers. “Both sides wanted to make a change and they had already parted ways before we had any discussions. Bob and I are cool. We're friends and Bob has such a good track record with this team that I just hope to carry it on.”
Of course, friendship doesn't mean that Rogers isn't gunning for Gill as far as the record book goes.
“I think that we'll be a championship caliber team. I'm looking forward in trying to get that fourth Pro Cup championship and tie myself with Bob.”
In fact, Gill's teachings have helped make Rogers a multi-time champion.
“He has always been the guy to beat since I was 18 or 19 years old and started racing in Pro Cup. Bob has always been a great fiends and the man for me to beat. He's been like a mentor to me and a lot of what I've done has been modeled after what Bob has done.”
Another thing that has helped Rogers win titles has been his ability to align himself with some great teams.
”I've always had good opportunities. It also helps that I'm around Mooresville and I am able to stay on top of the trends in the industry as far as set-ups and new technology. I think that my driving style is well suited to the radial tires too. I can understand a little bit better on how to set up and drive the car with the radials.”
“I don't necessarily get in there too and work on the car too much. I've been fortunate to have really good people working on the cars. Last year, Kevin Caldwell at the C&C Boilers team did a great job with everything. So I'm not necessarily hands on, but I try to stay on top of what is going on set-up wise and help to contribute. Nobody can do this on their own. You need a good crew chief, good driver and good crew to be successful.”
Rogers will run the entire 2010 Pro Cup schedule, but that doesn't mean that he won't do a little bit of more racing in his free time. Rogers is known to be a very accomplished Super Late Model driver as well and after seeing a potential opportunity to race in December's Snowball Derby fall through, he is hoping to run some big SLM shows this coming season.
“That's still up in the air. I want to run a Super Late Model really, really bad. Not going to the Snowball Derby this year was tough. It was sickening to have to follow along with everything by watching the computer. So I have some plans in the works to put something together. I'd like to run the PASS race at North Wilkesboro and the Winchester 400.”
Considering that Rogers has won multiple Pro Cup races at Winchester, it's not too hard to see why he'd really love to run the big SLM show there this coming fall.
“I'm sure that place is quite a bit different in a Super Late Model. So I don't know how I'd do, but I'd sure like to see how I could stack up against the best of the best there,” said Rogers.
To hear more from Clay Rogers, listen to Tuesday night's Speed 51 Radio show, to be heard on RaceTalkRadio.com starting at 6pm. Rogers will be one of the guests during the show, which is broadcast live from Buffalo Wild Wings in Concord, North Carolina.
Clay Rogers
In 2009, Rogers drove the #54 to multiple Pro Cup victories. In 2010, he'll drive for the L & R Racing team that ran the #06 entry in 2009 and will switch to #16 for this year.
