By JOHN BASSETTI

By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBIANA -- For now, his engine is silent.
But, come spring, 20-year-old Ronnie Souders will have the RPMs cranking again.
Souders finished the 2002 season in late September with his biggest victory yet, a 40-lap open-wheel modified event at Columbus Motor Speedway during Main Event XV, a collection of racing series finales.
Souders, a second-year modified competitor, drove into the lead on the start and continued to lead all 40 laps to victory lane.
Drivers from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio were in the 24-car feature race field after 34 attempted to qualify. After starting in the second position, he jumped in front and led every lap. He took home the $1,000 prize.
Lorain home track
Souders, who was 19 at the time, competes regularly in the NASCAR-sanctioned modified division at Lorain County Speedway, his home track.
That's where the 2001 graduate of Columbiana High School had two feature-race wins and seven heat wins during the 2002 season to finish fourth in points.
Next season, Souders will still compete at Lorain, but will be shooting for bigger purses elsewhere, such as Urbana for $6,000 and $10,000 races before going to Indianapolis Raceway Park for the USA Modified Series.
In the meantime, Ron Scott Souders will continue to work at Kleen Rite in Vienna and Skate Zone in Austintown and attend YSU.
Ronnie also races his asphalt modified at Midvale (near New Philadelphia) and Mansfield.
His car has a .358 cubic-inch smallblock engine with about 600 horsepower. The 2,400-pound "bunch of sheetmetal" is a Chevy.
Main sponsors are DiNardo, Metschl, Dwyer Attorneys, Paulis Motorsports in Boardman, Liberty Steel in Hubbard and Q & amp; A Builders from Virginia.
Souders has been racing in some sort of vehicle for 10 years, but this is his second year in a big car.
Before modifieds, He raced legends cars (a little street rod) from ages 15 to 17.
He ran go-karts for five years and won four track championships. Souders was rookie of the year in the legends' northern Ohio division and won the legends state championship.
In addition to two feature wins and seven heat race wins at Lorain, he had one dash race win.
Plans
Although he'll drive the same car in 2003, Souders is looking for bigger races. He and his father, Ron Lee Souders, and J.P. Booth, will try to put something together for the Hooters Pro Cup Series, a Busch Grand National- or Winston Cup-style car which is televised on Speedvision.
Booth is a jackman on Souders' crew as is Booth's wife, Keri, and Ron Johnson.
For his eighth birthday, Souders' parents surprised him by buying tickets to a NASCAR race in Charlotte, N.C.
"I watched and they knew that's what I wanted to do," Ronnie said. "It cemented my desire."
His mother's role in the process didn't hurt, either.
"My mom sang gospel music during Sunday morning church services for NASCAR drivers. She did it for nine years. I got to meet lot of the drivers."
Ronnie Souders belongs to Evangel Baptist Church in Boardman where he is a youth leader.
"That's where I keep my head on straight. That gives me support and direction. You need that. You need to keep calm when you're in a race car."
Three and out
In the 40-lapper at Columbus Motor Speedway, Souders started second against most of the best modified drivers from Ohio and Indiana.
"It was my third feature win and my last race as a teenager."
He turned 20 on October 7.
So, Ronnie could go from a teenager doing 90 to 150 mph over 40 laps with no pit stops, to a twentysomething on the Hooters circuit doing 250 laps with pit stops.
bassetti@vindy.com