Maroney and 'Blind Faith' team unstoppable in 2012
NORWALK, Ohio (April 12, 2012)
– As the defending Nitro Jam champion in Fuel Altered, Ron Maroney knew
that a repeat would be especially difficult with a brand new car and a
huge target on his back entering the 2012 season.
After
winning in the famed Nanook car in 2011, Maroney returned to his
personally owned Blind Faith ride this season and so far he hasn't
missed a beat.
Maroney, the defending Fuel Altered champion, has four wins to start the new Nitro Jam season
Through
two events Maroney is a perfect four-for-four with a quartet of brand
new Ironman trophies to add to his collection. He is dominating the
early standings and so far the field can't quite keep up as the Arizona
native gears up for his most daunting task yet – a trip to Baton Rouge
against the toughest field of Fuel Altered's he will see all season.
"I
absolutely love the way the year has started," Maroney said. "We put in
a lot of time in the offseason. We tested a lot, did a lot of prep work
and that hard work is really paying off so far. It all boils down to
hard work and dedication on the part of the crew. People don't really
think about it, but this truly is a team sport. I can't even start the
car myself. Every member of this team has a role and that combined
effort has led to our tremendous start."
Of course, luck has played a tremendous role in Maroney's hot start as well.
Maroney
began the season with a loss in his very first pass of the year, but
when the car that beat him failed to make the call, Maroney was bumped
into the final where he proceeded to defeat Randy Bradford for the win.
Since then, however, it has been all Maroney with seven straight round
wins and three more victories.
During
that stretch Maroney has bested Bradford once more and young rookie
sensation Kyle Hough – driving the same Nanook car Maroney drove to the
championship last year – in the four finals this season.
After winning the title in 2011 driving Nanook, Maroney hasn't missed a beat in his own car
Thanks to that start Maroney has piled up an early 38 point lead over Bradford and the rest of the Fuel Altered gang.
"In
addition to the hard work in the offseason, it is always nice to have a
little luck as well," Maroney said. "We all know that the luck and
streaks won't last forever, so we are trying to enjoy it while it
lasts."
Of
course the biggest enjoyment Maroney has had during his hot start has
been his ability to win in his own car just months after taking another
ride to a championship.
"There
is a big difference in the two cars. My car is built to fit me and
everything is where I want it," Maroney said. "I have put hundreds of
runs on my car and I feel really comfortable in it. That is not to say
that I wasn't comfortable in the other car, it was just setup different
and drove different.
"That
is obvious in the way we started last year. It took me a while to get
comfortable and really feel the car, but once everything clicked we
ended the year pretty well.
"Being
able to win in both cars really, in my mind, cements that I have the
ability to drive these things. And of course I couldn't say any of this
without the support and mentoring of the Hough family. Not only did they
give me a big break driving their car last year, but they have bent
over backwards to help me since I switched over to nitro. I really
couldn't have done it without them."
Maroney will face his toughest challenge yet in Baton Rouge May 4-5
With
the car running its best laps ever, Maroney is now gearing up for the
Mardi Gras Nitro Jam at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge May 4-5, an
event his cousin won last year driving this very same Blind Faith
machine.
"We
had a really good time in Baton Rouge last year and look forward to
trying to repeat," Maroney said. "The fans were great there last year
and we are looking forward to meeting new and old fans there this year."
And
making this event even more exciting – the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam will
feature one of the toughest Fuel Altered fields of the season with
legends such as Hough in Nanook, Tom Padilla in Nasty Benjamin and the
return of Arizona Thunder with driver Mike Hilsebeck.
"I
am really looking forward to the next few races. We have a couple of
different and faster cars coming out," Maroney said. "These cars run the
numbers and will produce much closer racing. Hopefully we will have a
few side-by-side, 230 mile per hour passes. It should be a fantastic
show."
The Mardi Gras Nitro Jam is May 4-5 at State Capitol Raceway. For more information logon to www.nitrojam.com.
