Selinsgrove's A.J. Stroup chasing his namesake

July 05, 2008 12:09 am

— SELINSGROVE -- Chances are if someone told you that "A.J. won again," you would probably think of former Indycar great A.J. Foyt, who retired from racing years ago.
Selinsgrove Speedway has not one but two "A.J.s," and both compete in the pro stock division. A.J. Stroup and A.J. Hoffman race against each other every week at the speedway.
In the case of Stroup, the point leader of the division, he was named after Foyt.
According to Stroup, "A.J. stands for Anthony Joe, what A.J. Foyt's initials stand for too, and yes, I was named after him. My dad, Rick, is a big race fan, and A.J. Foyt was always one of his favorite drivers, so he named me after him.
"My brother, Curtis, is named after Curtis Turner (a former NASCAR star), and that is where the family No. 26 came from. That was Curtis Turner's number," Stroup added. I wanted to be number 14, A.J. Foyt's number, but there were already two No. 14s at the time, so I stuck with 26."
The 26-year-old resident of Cocolamus started racing in a go-kart when he was 10.
"After competing in go-karts from 1991 to 93, I returned to racing in 2002, starting in the pro stock division at Port Royal Speedway," Stroup said. "We only raced the second half that year.
"In 03, we started racing pro stocks at Selinsgrove, and have been there ever since. Currently, I'm in my seventh year of racing in the pro stock division."
If you think you've heard the name "Stroup" around the racing game before, you have.
His father, Rick, raced semi-late models at Selinsgrove in the 1990s, cousin Rod vies in the 410 sprint division at Port Royal, and brother Curtis raced limited late models at Port Royal before switching to the 410 sprints. Stroup said he found the hardest thing to learn about a pro stock was "setting up the car to keep up with the ever-changing track, and learning your competitors' habits and your own limits."
The pro stock division is quite competitive at Selinsgrove, leading Stroup to say, "It's very tough. On any given night, there are eight to 10 of us out there on the track that could win."
A laborer at Cherry Hill Hardwoods Inc., Evendale, he and his wife, Heidi, are the parents of a daughter, Olivia, born May 16.
Beyond the pro stocks, Stroup said he would love to race late models or sprints "if the right opportunity would arise. My wife would prefer that I stay out of the sprint car division. She has a preference for late models because her dad, Dale Kerstetter, raced in that division."
Kerstetter, who has retired from racing, is a two-time late model champion at Selinsgrove.
While he's come close, Stroup has yet to win a championship.
"It seems like it's always right there, but we just can't seem to get it," he said. "We have finished third or second in points four years in a row now."
Sponsors on Stroup's yellow No. 26 are Shade Mountain Inn, Middleburg; Rebecca L. Kerstetter Nationwide Insurance Agency, Beaver Springs and Port Royal; M&T Bank, Beaver Springs; Snyder County Times, Middleburg; and Shirk's Lumber, Liverpool.
Crew members include Steve Stroup, Chris Shirk, Levi Neimond, Adam Davis, Nate Stroup, Carry Stroup and Tyler Neimond.
Stroup credits his father and Steve Zeiders, a former semi-late model racer at Selinsgrove, with giving him the most advice when it comes to racing.
He said his goals for this season are "to be consistent, keep the car straight and have a shot at the championship."
Away from racing, Stroup said he enjoys hunting and hanging out with his friends and family.
"But, I'm always thinking racing and how we can get better," he added.
The many improvements made by promoter Charlie Paige at Selinsgrove haven't gone unnoticed by Stroup.
"I think Charlie is doing a good job in keeping the track conditions one of the best in the area," he said. "It makes you wonder if any other promoter would make all the improvements to their speedway as he did."
With a few breaks here and there, maybe this will be the year everything falls into place and A.J. Stroup can join his namesake as a champion.

Photos