Kody Hartlaub To Drive Trone Outdoors’ No. 39, Beginning Friday Night, At Williams Grove
News Director 
Story By: A2DPR / KODY HARTLAUB RACING – PORT ROYAL, PA – Kody Hartlaub has shown a ton of potential in his young 410 sprint car career.
He has some impressive stats but so far this year the combination of inexperience and being in the wrong place at the wrong time on a few occasions have prevented him from truly cashing in on the speed his Ninety Five Motorsports team has had.
Last week Hartlaub was collected in a hard crash at the start of his heat race that left him banged up physically and in terms of equipment.
Just when it looked like Hartlaub would be sidelined for a couple of weeks, the storyline changed. Five days after the crash, he’s still sore but improving.
Then came the text from Steve Siegel that brought the East Berlin, PA driver to a meeting with John Trone and Kevin Frey on Tuesday night.
HISTORY OF THE 39
Just one week ago, Williams Grove Speedway presented the John Trone Tribute race. That might be all you need to know about the impact of the longtime car owner on Central Pennsylvania sprint car racing.
Trone has owned and entered the No.39 in events since 2007, with well-known drivers such as Greg Hodnett, Keith Kauffman, and Doug Esh among others piloting his car to successful seasons. Over the years, his team has won championships and big races and raced up front with the best of the best at Knoxville.
The roots of it all run back to John’s father, Ray, who first fielded the No.39 in 1955. For 17 years he had success with names like Dubendorf, Zirkle, Spriggle, Hersh, and Leppo behind the wheel. When Ray retired from the sport in 1972, the dust settled until John resurrected the family’s ties to the sport by sponsoring TJ Stutts. That evolved into ownership and the rest is history as they say.
THE PLAN
The outcome of Tuesday night’s meeting is that Hartlaub will pilot the Trone No.39 for a few weeks initially. After that, a decision will be made about continuing the partnership for more races together.
Communication will be a big key during the trial. Siegel is close friends with Frye and Hartlaub, mentoring the latter in recent years, so his involvement and input will be valuable.
“I’m excited to even have the opportunity to drive such an iconic car in the Central PA area. I’ve always said that history and experience is one thing that can not be replaced and that is one thing the 39 car has plenty of. If everything goes the best it can over then next few weeks I think that is a win in everyone’s book.”, Hartlaub said.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Trone’s team certainly has the resources to be successful. In recent years a handful of drivers have filled the seat of his car but success has been limited. In racing, things ‘need to click’ as they say. Sometimes they just don’t.
When the right people, resources, and partners do click, great things can happen.
Kody’s partners will join him in the Trone camp. Brewer Home Improvements, J Fuels, MooseBlocks.com, Bigham Appraisal, Griffith Plumbing Services, T and N Solutions, and other long-time supporters of Hartlaub will appear on the car.
“I cannot thank my sponsors enough for allowing me to do this and John for doing whatever it takes to accommodate them.”, an appreciative Hartlaub added.
Hartlaub built his 358 program the right way but did so in a short span of time over the last few years. He and partner Pat Brewer launched a 410 sprint car team last season for a few races as well.
Hartlaub’s success drew the attention of Bill Rose, who put Hartlaub in his seat for a few World of Outlaw races late last year.
Hartlaub entered this season as a full-time 410 driver in his own car with a goal of building it to a championship-caliber team just like he did with his 358 program. That said, he knows the realities of what it will take to be good enough to be competitive week in and week out in Pennsylvania. It will take time and experience.
This new pairing with Trone brings together a lot of knowledge, experience, resources, and ability. That equals a lot of potential for all involved.
UP NEXT
The new Trone / Hartlaub combination will debut this Friday night, May 31st, at Williams Grove Speedway at the legendary oval’s $8,000-to-win Diamond Series event.
