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February, 2010

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The Iniside DirtChili Bowl

Page 2February, 2010

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Dan Plan

The MidwestRACINGRACINGRACINGRACINGRACING

ConnectionDecember, 2009

P.O. Box 22111St. Paul MN, 55122

651-451-4036www.theracingconnection.com

PublisherDan Plan

Contributing WritersJordan BianchiDale P. DanielskiStan MeissnerPaul PittmanCharlie Spry

PhotographersJim Ambruoso (815-623-3200)Rick Blewett (507-398-9483)D's Racing Imagery (608-448-2288)Martin DeFries (651-457-7719)Joe Gibbs (612-860-6622)Doug Hornickel (920-563-0993)Ken Johnson (218-590-5820)Mark Melchiori (414-463-0131)Stan Meissner (651-428-4717)Mary Schill/Forte DesignJerry Zimmer (715-792-2174)

The Midwest Racing Connection is published tentimes during the summer racing season by The PlanCompany, Inc. All material is copyrighted 2009 andmay not be reprinted without permission.Subscriptions are $20 for ten issues and are mailedout first class. Call 651-451-4036.

Cover photos by: Tom Johnson, Stan Meissner,Paul Pittman and Dan Plan.

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to Plan

Publisher's Note

Publishers Note continued on page 4

Winter timehighlights

P.J. Wanderscheid leads Dustin Wahl into the first turn during the WSA event at Raceway ParkTom Johnson photo

Welcome to the first issue of the 2010 season. Whilethere typically isn’t much going on in the form ofoval track racing in the upper-Midwest during thewinter months, we were able to find something to fillour need for racing. The WSA Snowmobile groupput on a two-day show at Raceway Park inShakopee, MN. The last time I went to an oval tracksnowmobile race was sometime in the 1970’s.

I was pretty young for my first race and don’t recallmuch. I do remember that it was at the MinnesotaState Fairgrounds race track, and Dick Trickle wasracing. Thirty-some years later, the sleds are much

more radical, put down some darn quick laps andfeatured some great battles for the lead. My onlywish would have been to have more peopleexperience the event. There were plenty of sleds onhand, along with ATV’s and motorcycles to put ongood show. I think some of the local race fans missedout on a good time.

Three-time Eagle River champion P.J. Wanderscheidwas on hand, but came up short to Dustin Wahl in themain event on Sunday. Wahl also picked up a mainevent win during the Saturday afternoon show, whileJuan Pablo Lebens dominated the Lawn Mowerraces. The layout of Raceway made a great venuefor the snowmobile racers, and I truly hope thisbecomes an annual event.

The SnoCross at Canterbury is another event that wehaven’t been able to attend for a few years.Watching these guys fly through the air really issomething to see. It looks so smooth and graceful onTV or from inside. Even though I’m not a fan of thecold weather, you really have to be outside for a fewraces to get the full effect. The sleds and drivers suresound like they’re taking a beating when you areoutside and up close. Special thanks to the HentgesRacing Team and Craig Heitkamp of Pirtek foraccess to the clubhouse seats for the night.

Misc. News and Notes:

RobBob for GovernorThe esteemed founder of this publication, Rob Hahn,

officially announced his entry into the race forthe Governor’s role for the state of Minnesota.We wish Rob the best, and if he’s successful inhis bid, we will encourage Mr. Hahn to keep inmind the needs of racers, race tracks and fans.

Mid Am Stock CarsWe recently ran into 2009 Mid American StockCar Series champion Paul Neisius. Paul is set todefend his title and had a gleam in his eye whentalking about the Mid Am event scheduled on thedirt at Beaver Dam, Wisc. Hat’s off the Mid Amgroup for having some diversity to their schedulewith one road-course and a dirt track event. Paulhas quite a bit of seat time on the dirt from hisearly racing days. My early season predictionhas Neisius and “The Franklin Flyer” as the toptwo for the Mid Am dirt show.

Page 4February, 2010

continued from page 3

We are also pleased to see the group is working toschedule a show in our home state of Minnesota. It’sbeen a while since the group made their way overhere, and even a longer time since they ventured toRaceway Park in Shakopee.

Book ReviewsAlso in this issue is a book review of the latest workby Father Dale Grubba. I’ve always enjoyed the workof the Good Father, and his latest creation did notdisappoint.

Cedar Lake Speedway,UMP and WoOCedar Lake Speedwayannounced some changesfor their annual Mastersand USA Nationalsevents. The Masters willnow kick off UMP’sSummer Nationals, alsoknown as the “HellTour”. This is the shot inthe arm the Mastersneeded to gain stature,and many of the UMPdrivers haven’t ventured

this far North since their days of sanctioning theGopher 50 at Owatonna. The USA Nationals will alsohave involvement from the World of Outlaws. It isimportant to note, the WoO group will be involved inthe event, but CLS officials will still keep theirunsanctioned format and race procedures.

Dirt Trackin’ at ElkoElko Speedway will feature 3 weekends (six nights)of dirt track racing this summer. Midwest Modifieddrivers are on the card for all six shows, and 2010 willfeature dirt Late Models in addition to the open wheelaction. Also announced was a change for theirmotocross track. The actual motocross racing will bemoved from the area behind the grandstand into asemi-permanent layout in the infield of the track. Forfans of two-wheeled action, this should be a greatchance to see the entire course at one time. Sixevents are currently scheduled for the 2010 season.

New Start Time for Raceway ParkRaceway Park announced an early start time forevents held during Apil/May and September. TheSunday night action will start at 5:00pm while schoolis in session, giving those of us with school agechildren an opportunity to be home well beforebedtime.

UMSS BanquetStan Meissner will have more detail in his column onthe highlights from the UMSS banquet, but we wereon hand as well and enjoyed the opportunity to watchdrivers from a first year series be recognized for theiraccomplishments. The UMSS has practically doubledthe schedule for the 2010 season, and series founder,Ron Bernhagen, mentioned they had more requestsfor dates than they could handle. Not a bad problemto have. Look for the UMSS and IMCA to finalizedetails between their partnership before the racingseason starts.

Changes at Kopellah SpeedwaySince our last issue in December, NASCAR issued apress release stating Kopellah Speedway in St. CroixFalls, Wisconsin will switch sanctioning bodies startingwith the 2010 season. While some people havepredicted doom and gloom for local tracks makingchanges, things really haven’t changed that much.I’ve had several conversations the past few yearswith Joe Hinkemeyer of Rapid Performance, andthink back to a comment he made a while back whilediscussing some of the changes tracks have made.Joe’s comment was “competition is good.” I couldn’tagree more. Sometimes a change is needed to getthings moving in a direction that benefits all partiesinvolved. While there’s no argument that Wissota hasdone a tremendous amount to stabilize dirt trackracing in the area, I can’t help but think the short livedDTRA, followed by the change to NASCAR forCedar Lake and Superior have lead to some of theimprovements made by the big “W”.

Time will tell how things progress for Kopellah in the2010 season. Making their Midwest Modified divisionthe premier class will give a driver with this type ofcar an opportunity to win point fund money theypotentially may not have an opportunity at in the past.Here’s to hoping everyone (regardless of sanctioningbody) has a successful season in 2010.

Paul Neisius is no stranger to dir-track racing, asshown in this shot during the 1992 Thunderbid

Open at Kasson Speedway

SnoCross action from Cantebury ParkDan Plan photo

Page 5 February, 2010

www.racingonline.com

Rock and Race

Paul Pittman January 20, 2010: Now that the Chili Bowl is amemory, it is time to reflect on the experience andwhat it means. As we get set to start in a newdirection of “The Infield”, I think it is best to perhapsstart the year off with one of the year’s biggest races.As in the past, I will ask you once again to rememberthat the opinions expressed in my columns are justthat: Opinions. They are my feelings; the way I viewthings and if you don’t agree with them, that isentirely your prerogative. You do not have to readthis. You do not have to agree with them. Just keepan open mind and maybe see things through someoneelse’s vantage point.

To say that the Chili Bowl wasn’t an experiencewould be an outright lie. I was asked if I would liketo accompany a team to the Chili Bowl to compete.Not doing much except sitting around and watchingthe thermometer sleep through the winter months, Ifigured it would be a good experience and if I couldhelp along the way, even better. Besides, theweather in Oklahoma had to be better than it was inWisconsin, right?

Having spent the 2009 racing season on a selfimposed sabbatical, just getting back to a track, anytrack, was a feeling of relief and anxiousness at thesame time. Compounding the emotions were the factthat my background is in sprints, not midgets. Just asthere are two type of sprint car fans (winged andnon-winged), there are two types of open wheeledfans when it comes to midgets: Those who see themidget as a smaller version of a sprint car, and thosewho see the sprint cars as bigger versions of midgets.I admit, I was the former.As I soon learned, they aretheir own monsters in theirown right. To me, the sprintcar is a as basic even yet asit gets in racing. Whilemany will argue saying thatthere are so manyintricacies in successfulrace teams that they cannotpossibly be that simple, Iwill remind you that theyare the teams going out andspending the money toshave that half ounce of un-sprung weight off the car.The ones who do push theenvelope week in and weekout. Great! I have no

problem with that. They are the ones who continue tomake the sport what it has become. They are theones who carry on the legacy of those who made thesport what it has become today. I, however, amtalking about the sprint car that about sixty percent ofthe nation is running though. Pushing off to have anevening of fun at the track with the hope that theymight get lucky enough one night and find themselvesin victory lane. Those are the teams I am fondlyreferring to. A solid chassis, a sound motor thatruns as well as can be expected and as many bolt onextras as the racing budget will allow with enoughmoney left over for a few drinks to share with friendsafter the night is over. Nothing fancy. Just a way torelax with good friends.

As I said, I am new to this midget thing so right off

The Chili Bowl ExperienceThe Chili Bowl ExperienceThe Chili Bowl ExperienceThe Chili Bowl ExperienceThe Chili Bowl Experience

Midgets can be a complicated piece of machineryMartin Defries file photo

Continued on page 6

Page 6February, 2010

the bat, I was introduced to a very sophisticatedracing machine that, while it may look similar to itsrelative, the sprint car, is truly very different in manyways, except for the cost that is. That, unfortunately,still makes doing this a dream of many and reality forfew. Well, maybe not a few as this year’s version ofthe Chili Bowl drew over 250 entrants from all overthe country and a few different countries, all vying fora starting spot in Saturday night’s A Main. Do themath: That means you have to be in the top tenpercent of the world in order to make the A Main.Even making the cut for the C-Main means that youstill scored over a 75% grade. That might be passingin most schools, but in racing, you can go hungryquick like that real quick. Trying to coax as muchhorsepower as possible out of the motor is also trueas in most motor sports, but that is as far as it goes.The Chili Bowl brings out every form and shape oftrickery and gadgetry known in an effort to gain theedge. In sprint car racing, something different on acar catches everyone’s eyes and draws attention. Inthe midget ranks, it just means that you are fallingbehind and need to update your program.Programmable MSD boxes (try doing that at yourlocal sprint car track), cockpit adjustable everything!If there is a gimmick for something, you could find iton the floor somewhere. And it is the accepted norm.Now, before you get your dander in an uproar, I amnot knocking it. Hey, it is what it is and as long as itIS accepted, then there is no complaint. From me oranyone else. It is just a matter of trying to wrap mymind around all this and still keep hearing the chant ofcutting costs in racing.

I guess my problem is simply from a cost standpoint.Every year we go through this whole ordeal

concerning rising costs in the sport andeveryone has a different idea of how to cutthem. This will save “X” number ofdollars on tires and that will save so muchmoney on engines. Over the years it hasbecome a joke. Unfortunately, no one islaughing anymore. The amount of moneythat was thrown at these cars for a singlerace was unbelievable. I asked a couplecar owners if they felt it was worth it.While I got no real yes or no answers, themost common answer was “It wasbecause it’s the Chili Bowl and we tried”.Now ask yourself how many of the 250+teams that competed will still be aroundcome the start of the actual 2010 racingseason? Then factor into that the numberof teams that fielded a specific team with arace specific driver for just this event only.Maybe I am just missing the boat here anddoing nothing more than being blind to thewhole concept. Maybe I am stating theobvious. Maybe I am the only one whofeels this way. All I know is that an awful lot ofmoney was changing hands over the week. I knewwhat the week was going to be like when a hotdogand soda ran $7.50. And methanol was $4.00 pergallon and you had to run it because of the dye.Yeah, as many as possible were making sure theywere getting their slice of the pie.

Years ago, I was chastised for being critical ofpromoters and their efforts to draw shows out invarious ways in order to try and minimize risk. Wakeup! This is racing and that is what it is all about. Sonow that risk involved is how to minimize the lossexpected over the downward turn in the economysince it has now really sunk in to realization: AverageJoe is hurting for money and may not be able to take

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the family out to the races this year. Uh-Oh! It nolonger is a matter of trying to persuade a would befan to come to the race track or go bowling. Now itis how to survive. According to government reports,the economy has turned the corner and is starting torebound. Tell that to teams who are losing sponsorsor better yet, to teams that just plain cannot getsponsorship help. Tell that to tracks already trying tofigure out how to bounce back from a slow seasonand find ways to increase attendance. Tell that tofamilies that always looked forward to race night butnow have to settle for family “game” night becausetheir budget doesn’t allow for the night out any longer.

Enough of the clouds of doom and gloom. The ChiliBowl was a learning experience and overall, one thatI am now glad to be able to say that I did experience.I just cannot help but look toward the upcomingseason and see visions of packed grandstands,promoters with smiling faces and race teams pickingmoney off of the proverbial money tree. Believewhat you want but for me, the chili could havepossibly been better left in the bowl.

Count us in if you can get the whole car for $50.00 to $100.00Paul Pittman photo

Continued from page 5

Page 7 February, 2010

Over the holiday season, our good friends at Coastal 181Publishing (www.coastal181.com) sent us a copy of thelatest book by Father Dale Grubba – Alan Kulwicki,NASCAR Champion; Against all Odds

I’ve heard rumor of this book for some time, reallyenjoyed sitting down on some of the cold Minnesotawinters reading this book. I always remembered Alan as atop competitor in this area of the country. He may nothave been a champion with Artgo or ASA, but winningtrack championships at WIR and Slinger is no small feat,even to this day.

A lot of the items mentioned in the book brought backsome memories that I had a feeling of being a part of. No,I wasn’t on Alan’s crew, nor did I ever meet him inperson, but he was the first person from the UpperMidwest to win a NASCAR Cup championship, and thatgave me a sense of pride back in the early 1990’s. Somememories were good, such as Alan winning his first raceat Phoenix, and some memories were bad, like beingwrongfully accused of Larry Detjens fatal accident.

The book also reveals sides of Alan, that most of usprobably weren’t aware of. Once Alan made it to Cup, hewas often portrayed as stubborn or tough to work for, butthere are some tall tales of the short track days whenthere may have been some late night shenanigans thatAlan coordinated.

My favorite quote that Alan lived by was originally madefamous by Vince Lombardi; “Obstacles are what you seewhen you take your eyes off the goal.” Something we allshould remind ourselves of from time-to-time.

If you’re a fan of short track racing, this is must have itemto add to the bookshelf.

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Page 8February, 2010

Stan Meissner

The Inside Dirt

Continued on page 9

The continent of Australia was inhabited for thousandsof years by indigenous Australians that comprisedapproximately 250 nations. Australia’s eastern half wasclaimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled byEngland’s deported convicted criminals. The arrival ofthose “outlaws” at Port Jackson in January of 1788 (nowAustralia Day) is considered the founding event in thehistory of Sydney and modern Australia. In the traditionof those early “outlaw” origins the best Outlaw SprintCar drivers from the United States converge on Australiaeach year during our winter to race in the land downunder.

Australia is approximately the same size as the UnitedStates but has one tenth the population and is notblessed with an interstate highway system like the onewe take for granted. Travel takes place on two-laneroads with treacherous shoulders and “road train” truckspulling multiple trailers. Race cars are transported ontrucks that use specially outfitted boxes to protect theracing equipment from filling rattling potholes. Despitethese rugged travel conditions teams log as many as25,000 miles racing at local venues or in the case of thewell funded teams following the World Series Sprintcarsfrom November to February. This season Americandrivers with local ties racing down under includedDonnie Schatz and Craig Dollansky along withAustralian native and part time Twin Cities area residentBrooke Tatnell and his brother-in-law Jerry Richert Jr.who made his first trip to Australia. Local Sprint Car fanand Richert sponsor Doug Poppens made the trip withhis wife Nancy providing Sonny with a cheering section.I’d like to say that Richert made a huge impact on the tripbut aside from leading one of his Heat races beforefalling to second behind Max Dumesny. No doubt with alittle more experience the long time veteran would havemastered his new surroundings but a four race schedulewasn’t enough to get things sorted out to his liking.

The Warrnambool Classic is considered the Australianequivalent to the Knoxville Nationals and Tatnell cameinto the 2010 version as defending champion. This yearShane Stewart of Indianapolis staged a race long duelwith Tatnell to take the top spot with Brooke finishingsecond. Other familiar drivers that made the A Maininclude Danny Smith (5th), Kerry Madsen (6th), JasonJohnson (7th), Craig Dollansky (9th), Terry McCarl (11th)and Jason Sides (12th). Jerry Richert Jr. finished fifth inhis first Heat, seventh in his second Heat (each drivercompetes in two Heat races), fourth in the D Main and

did not transfer out of the C Main. The Classic boasted afield of over 80 cars. In addition to his second place finishin the Warrnambool Classic Tatnell won the 29th running ofthe Avenlon President’s Cup to record his thirdconsecutive win of that prestigious event. At the time ofthis writing Brooke had won three World Series SprintcarFeatures with two other upper Midwest based drivers,Craig Dollansky and Donnie Schatz, both scoring oneFeature win each. Tatnell is currently leading the WSSpoints in an effort to win an unprecedented eighth WSSchampionship. Brooke will remain in Australia to finish outtheir season before returning to the United States where hewill be driving the #59 car that Erin Crocker Evernhamdrove last season.

There is a saying about history repeating itself that says“what goes around comes around.” This summer JerryRichert Jr. and his fellow UMSS drivers will race under thesame acronym that made his late father famous. The UMSSseries held their banquet at Pro Kart Indoors in Burnsvilleon January 23 and announced that the UMSS is now anIMCA sanctioned series. Arlington promoter Bob Allenwas on hand to explain that the IMCA has dropped theirhead claim rule and will allow wing sliders bringing therules together for the two series. By combining resourceswith IMCA the UMSS drivers will be able to benefit fromIMCA supplemental insurance coverage and end-of-season contingency awards. Bob will no longer bepromoting the Redwood Speedway and stated that tourraces would no longer be sponsored by Jackpot Junction.The UMSS announced a preliminary 21 race schedule thatincludes ten nights at Kopellah, Two shows at Cedar lakethree appearances at North Central, four combined showswith the Arlington cars at Elko and two at Arlington. Thecombined shows are series races that will replace the formerJJ series with sponsor details to be announced at a laterdate. The UMSS has been in talks with the management ofOgilvie Raceway and hopes to have the honor of being theseries that will participate in the first Sprint Car show at thenew track. Ogilvie recently raised some eyebrows bybooking a World of Outlaws Late Model race on SundayJuly 11, the same night that Cedar Lake hosts their annualWorld of Outlaws Sprint Car race. Fans of both forms ofracing were left scratching their heads wondering whyOutlaw officials would book both series on the same night85 miles apart. I don’t think having both forms of racing inclose proximity will have a huge impact, the majority ofSprint Car and Late Model fans come from a different fanbase. Rather than a liability I consider it icing on the cake,a little something for everybody right here in our back yardduring the peak time of the season.

The UMSS banquet saw a surprise visitor competing withthe Sprint Car drivers in the Kart races that took place afterthe awards ceremony. Modified driver Andy Jones willdebut a former Stevie Smith Sprint Car with the UMSS andwill be competing in select events in addition to driving aModified this season. One of the goals of the UMSS is toattract new participants to Sprint Car racing and Andy is anexample of what the club hopes to accomplish. Jones willbe joined by several other rookie drivers who wereencouraged by the success of UMSS Rookie of the YearCody Hahn. In addition to winning ROY honors Hahnfinished third in the UMSS points standings. Tocompliment the influx of new drivers coming from theModified and Stock Car ranks the UMSS announced thatthey will be forming an alliance with a local Micro Sprintgroup as a feeder series. The plan is to add the MicroSprints to as many as six UMSS shows during the 2010season. This demographic shift towards Sprint Car racingonly makes sense to me. Drivers that have sat behind thewheel of a variety of dirt track machines say there isnothing that compares to driving a Sprint Car. Years ago

Late Model standout Jim Bruggeman who also wheeled aSprint Car told me something along the lines of “if theyonly knew how fun it is they’d never go back to StockCars.” Bruggeman has been spotted several times inKevin Nickel’s pit helping with setup.

Although he wasn’t a Sprint Car driver the late J.W. Huntaka the “strawberry King” was a strawberry farmer fromFlorida who gained fame as a generous contributor to thesport. When Hunt would show up at a race he wouldoften add excitement by sweetening the purse. Long timeSprint fans will recall the J.W. Hunt strawberry decaldisplayed by Jack Hewitt. Thought not a strawberryfarmer GRP aka Greg Parent has earned a reputation as agenerous supporter of racing in the upper Midwest. Inaddition to supplying trophies for the UMSS banquet theannual GRP dirt track racing trivia contest will have seenthe checkered flag wave on its 11th season by the timeyou read this column. GRP came up with the idea of atrivia contest and approached me about hosting it ongotomn.com in 1999. This year the “race” was once againheld at the mythical MDTR (Minnesota Dirt TrackRacing) Speedway with yours truly as “flagman.” Greggives contest updates throughout the week on areamessage boards and winners receive cash prizes. Younever know who you’re going to see pull through theback gate at the MDTR Speedway. This year Greg hadthis to say in his Friday update:

“When the big yellow and black hauler with SouthDakota plates rolled through the pit entrance, MDTR fanswere buzzing with excitement. Making her contest debutin the Wolfweld #1AW, it was our first female competitorat MDTR in 2010. Yes fans, Allie Wolfgang had arrivedwith her crew chief, none other than Doug Wolfganghimself along with her brother Robby Wolfgang. Thisfamous South Dakota racing family needs nointroduction, but Todd Narveson kept the fans clued inon the action in the Wolfgang pit area. Soon it was timefor the bright yellow “Lone Wolf” entry to hit the track.Allie was smooth and consistent right from the drop ofthe green flag. Soon she was in the lead pack andcontending for a top spot. A couple of tricky corners hereand there kept her just behind Todd Boots and Michael P.The lead trio brought the crowd to their feet on numerousoccasions, just as the real sprint cars do on many a racenight at your favorite track. In the end, Allie whistledunder Stan’s checkered flag with a fine 35 point tally onher first try. Needless to say, the Wolfgang pit area wascrammed with fans following the races.”

When she submitted her entry Allie explained to GRP thather dad, who has a great appreciation for the history ofthe sport, helped provide some of the more difficultanswers. It’s a thrill to see GRP’s contest get that kind ofrecognition and some of the participants can boast aboutthe time they out guessed Doug Wolfgang on “setup” atMDTR Speedway. Allie’s brother Robby helped out withher contest entry as well. Last year Robby participated inseveral UMSS events but that probably won’t be the casethis season as Robby will be racing the Phillips floors 7kin the 410 division at the Knoxville Raceway. In additionto running for points at Knoxville the team will be runningselect 360 races whenever possible. It remains to be seenhow much Robby will be racing in our area. Watchrobbywolfgang.com for 2010 schedule information.

Another frequent UMSS and IRA competitor who will beexpanding his horizons this season is Scott Winters. GuyForbrook will be Scott’s new crew chief and they will kickoff their season in Las Vegas on February 26 with the

Page 9 February, 2010

Jimmy Mussinophoto collection

World of Outlaws. No schedule has been posted onscottwintersracing.com to date but I expect to see the 23wat select events in our area. Kent Winters had greatsuccess racing at Cedar Lake back when the WISSOTASprints were running there weekly and loves to race uphere whenever possible. It remains to be seen if we will seeScott in a 360 during the 2010 racing season.

In the last issue of MRC online I mentioned that I woulddebut my preliminary 2010 schedule in this issue. Before Iget into schedule specifics I should mention that I had theopportunity to attend the Cedar Lake banquet at GrandCasino Hinckley on January 9. I was honored to see manyof my 2009 photos used in the banquet Power Pointpresentation and to visit with friends from the Modifiedand Stock Car ranks. Congratulations to Rick Egersdorf forwinning the 2009 Cedar Lake NASCAR Late Modelchampionship. My sources tell me that this was Rick’s 13th

championship that he has won in various divisions sincehe began racing in the mid 70’s at the Cedar LakeSpeedway.

The reason I’m mentioning the Cedar Lake banquet in thecontext of my schedule is that weekly racing at Cedar Lakewill no longer be a part of my schedule in 2010. 1999, theyear I started writing for MRC, coincided with Cedar Lakedropping the Sprint Car class. To be quite honest thatlineup change made my decision as to whether or not Iwould join the MRC staff a difficult one. After giving itsome thought I decided that some type of dirt track racingwas better than none. I’ll admit to not being much of a LateModel or Modified fan at the outset but I have come toenjoy them and made many friends in those divisions.

Nevertheless, with the addition of 20 UMSS showscombined with the existing IRA and WoO dates and a fewvisits to Jackson and Arlington I found that I could attend30 Sprint Car races with a minimum of travel. Since myannual racing schedule comes in at around 30 races I foundmyself having to make a decision not unlike the one I facedin 1999. After much thought I came to the conclusion thatracing is supposed to be fun and I have the most funwatching Sprint Cars. Seeing as my racing travels aresupported by the family budget it no longer made sense forme to try to do it all. With that being said here is a roughdraft of my 2010 all Sprint Cars schedule:

Ten nights of UMSS racing at Kopellah, two UMSS showsat Cedar Lake, four at Elko, one at North Central and one ortwo Saturday nights at Arlington. See the umsprints.comwebsite for specific dates. I plan on attending the JacksonSpring Sprint Spectacular and possibly the Friday of theJackson Nationals, see jacksonspeedway.com for moreinformation. My IRA schedule will consist of the Masters(an opportunity to see some Late Model racing), Elko andback to CLS for the Jerry Richert Memorial. Additionaltentative IRA dates include Deer Creek in June, EagleValley in July and Rice Lake in August. Details regardingthe IRA schedule can be found at irasprints.com. I’ll beheading out to see the “Greatest Show on Dirt” with Worldof Outlaws dates at Cedar Lake, North Central and DeerCreek. The World of Outlaws websites for both Sprint Carsand Late Models can be found at worldofoutlaws.com.

They say that regardless of how old we are or where ourpath in life has taken us we never forget our first love. Forme that first love in racing is Sprint Cars. I don’t regretspending over a decade covering all types of local dirt trackracing but in recent years I have been spread too thin andfinally came to a crossroad after last season. I won’t ruleout some last minute visits to Cedar Lake, Ogilvie orKopellah for weekly shows but for the most part I will becovering Sprint Car racingexclusively in my column.

I’d like to take thisopportunity to welcomePaul Pittman to the pagesof MRC. Paul brings withhim many years ofexperience as a writer,announcer, photographerand webmaster for theIRA. Sprint Car racing hasbeen relegated to thestatus of a red headedstepchild here in Stock Carand Modified country soMRC’s expandedcoverage of open wheelracing is a breath of freshair. I’m looking forward toworking with Paul todeliver a one two punch in

MRC and visiting with him when he makes his trips “outwest” during the coming season.

My new website midwestracingtalk.com debuted withvideo coverage of the UMSS banquet and an audiointerview by MRC Editor Dan Plan. MWRT will not belimited to Sprint Cars and will include cover both dirt andasphalt. Video was provided by Vance offrypanproductions.com with Dan and myself doing theaudio interviews. Vance does the video work for Kopellahand Ogilvie on a weekly basis but I hope to talk him intoexpanding his horizons a few times this season. Videoproductions will include both racing footage as well as myfirst attempts at interviews since 2003’s Race Show.

In the next issue of MRC I will review early season racing inFlorida and take a closer look at what we can expect duringthe 2010 season in our area. At the time of this writingDanny Lasoski won the 2010 All Stars season opener at theOcala Speedway on January 29.

Thanks for reading and we’ll see you at the races!

Modified ace, Andy Jones, is set to make his Sprint Cardebut in 2010.

Stan Meissner file photo

Continued from page 8

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Page 10February, 2010

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Page 11 February, 2010

In The Drivers SeatIn The Drivers Seat

Brian Johnson is one of the veteran asphalt racers inthe area that hung up the helmet several years ago,but recently decided to give racing a try once again.To listen to the full audio version of the interview,check out www.midwestracingtalk.com.

It sounds like you will be back out racing again thisyear. How did this come about?Well, I think mainly we just couldn’t findanything to really entertain ourselves after, Ibelieve, twenty-six years of racing. Everythingseems to come back to Elko Speedway with myfamily.

Whose car will you be driving?I’ll be driving Joey Miller’s car.

How long has it been since you raced?’05 was the last season that I raced, so it will befive years.

What made you decided to come back out and raceagain?I helped Adam Royle for the last few years, and

we had a lot of fun with that. After I quit, Ibought a ’65 Chevelle, and found out I haven’tgrown up much as far as driving that on theroad. We went from that to a boat. The boatwas pretty fun. It was pretty crazy at thelandings, pretty crazy on the lake, but for themost part it was relaxing. It seemed like onmost Saturday nights, we found ourselves backat the race track. I guess that’s what a racingfamily does – they race.

You were part of Adam Royle’s team the last fewyears. Were you able to learn some things that willhelp your program in the coming year?Technology and everything changes so muchthat it probably kept me in tune with racing alittle bit.

You spent some time racing in Wisconsin earlier inyour career when there was a wide range of rules forasphalt Late Models. Would you agree that thingsare much more consistent these days for asphaltracers?

Yeah, most definitely. You can build a car forElko and go multiple different tracks and bepretty competitive, versus back in the day. Youdidn’t know if you were taking a knife to a gunfight.

How does your family help you out when racing?My wife does all of the books and everythinglike that. Things will probably change with mydaughters being five years different. It will beinteresting to see what part they play.

Have you set any goals yet for this year?Yep, my main goal is to have a good time.

Page 12February, 2010

By Dale P. Danielski

Auto Racing Facts,Auto Racing Facts,Auto Racing Facts,Auto Racing Facts,Auto Racing Facts,

Observances andObservances andObservances andObservances andObservances and

OpinionsOpinionsOpinionsOpinionsOpinions

continued on page 11

Slowly but surely we are crawling out of our wintercocoon, but before we dive into the latest 2010racing news let’s dig deep once again into thearchives and rediscover racing how it used to be.

With most folks already tired of the winter weatherin the Northland by this time of year, it was notunusual for many race teams and fans to make thepilgrimage to Florida for Speedweeks. New SmyrnaSpeedway of New Smyrna Beach Florida and theirWorld Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing wasgenerally the destination for short track racers andtheir followers, although taking advantage of some“Big Track” activities came into play as well. To saywe witnessed some wild racing during those trips iscertainly an understatement. And to top it off, theonly thing to match the wild racing were the wildtimes that were just as big a part of the trips!

Back in the late 1970s and ‘80s our crew from uphere in Wisconsin seemed to head down to thesunny south every few years. We always drove andnever had it in us to stay overnight on the way down.Drive straight for 21 hours and get the hell out ofcold country! In 1976 we had as usual a nicecontingent of Midwestern representation insouthland. Tom Reffner hot off his great

1975 season claimed to have a better car and moreAMC Horsepower so he decided to make the trip.Three bad wrecks and problems with the newpower plant made his experience less than stellar.Others making the trek included the State ofMichigan’s “Blue Bird”, Bob Senneker, Joe Ruttmanand Henry “Butch” Miller. Senneker had his share ofon track trouble too but did place well in severalevents while there. Joe Ruttman meanwhile, broughtthree cars down to Florida but they spent most oftheir time parked at the Motel he was staying at!

There is something to be said for enjoying the sights,sounds and nice weather while in Florida I guess.Miller faired by far the worst of the group as he blewhis engine, smacked the wall and had his car go up inflames! He was OK, but the car was a write off.One of Chicagoland’s finest Ray Young, Rockford,IL., Speedway star Joe Shear, Indiana perennialwinner Dave Roahrig, Ohio hot shoes in purple teamcars Jack Chambers, Bill Stauder and Marvin Gorealong with Jim Bickerstaff were others in attendance.Young was by no means over powering but wasconsistent every night and placed well in the 6 nightmarathon final points for the Series. Shear neverreally did get untracked but he took his BoyceChassis car home in one piece at least. Roahrigraced every night and stayed clean for the most partas did the Ohio contingent. Another Ohio guy, JohnAnderson who was just beginning to make his markin racing, did win one feature while here. One thingthat was really fun to watch was seeing how yourregion’s favorites stacked up against the others in thefield who arrived from all parts of the Country andCanada. You just never knew who was going toshow up and believe me there were some big time,big track, heavy hitters that usually did. In this year’sedition it was Freddy Fryar, racing a Nova built byDaytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton dominatingaction and taking the overall NSS crown. DonnieAllison in another Nova won but couldn’t catchFryar for the Series title. Jody Ridley, in of all things,a Ford Falcon, was also a winner but not the overallchampion. And, if you think the main competitionended there, how about this for a list of entrantscompeting; Rich Somers, Ray Hendrick, LarrySchuler, Mark and Brad Malcuit, and DarrellWaltrip! Just how many wins do you think theseguys ended up having between them including manyat the National NASCAR level! Throw in superpavement racer at that time Buck Simmons fromGeorgia, he later won many races on dirt, andFlorida stars Dick Anderson,Bobby Gill, Ray Bontrager, GaryBalough, Mike Mc Crary, DaveScarborough, Larry Rogero, andBuddy Griffin and you can seewhat I’m talking aboutcompetition wise. Even coolerwas the fact it was easy to findthese guys spending time at themany Daytona Beach night life hotspots after the races. It wasnothing to bump into Allison orBalough or any number of others,have a couple drinks and somefriendly conversation. This led tothat and needless to say, on morethan one occasion we caught a

great view of the sun coming up over the oceanheading back to the Motel! We always made it backrelatively unscathed though, and I guess it was somuch fun we went back for more.

More as in the 1981 version of Speedweeks. Racingofficials during the New Smyrna Speedway WorldSeries events, to put it mildly were quite liberal inwhat was allowed car specification wise to race.Often times if the car fit into the shed and onto thescales where tech took place you were legal. In1981 many of the cars struggled with even beingable to do that. It was during the time when wingsand spoilers of all proportions were popular andracers pushed the limit to the max. None more sothan Gary Balough. Balough showed up withsomething that looked like it would be betterequipped to head off into space rather than around arace track. His new creation got through the tech line(Officials weren’t going to DQ it with the veryintimidating Balough staring at them) whichimmediately created a mad scramble from the rest ofthe field to try and come up with something evenremotely as aerodynamic. Sheet metal, tin snips andrivet guns were never in higher demand. Canada starJr., Hanley was on hand with a radical looking piecebut nothing like what Balough raced. Ohio speedsterBobby Tinkham had a sleek machine but madeadditional aero changes. Dick Trickle, LarryDetjens, Mike Miller and Mike Eddy showed upwith reasonably “Stock” cars but by the 2nd night ofthe Series, in order to keep up with the Balough’s,had them altered. Eddy even came up with hisversion of a Balough-Mobile which included acanopy that fit neatly around the driver. Needless tosay it was Balough and Hanley doing most of thewinning with Hanley eventually taking the 9 nightSeries crown. Trickle, Detjens, Miller, Eddy and

Looking BLooking BLooking BLooking BLooking Baaaaack ack ack ack ack at Speedt Speedt Speedt Speedt Speedweeksweeksweeksweeksweeks

#31 Jr. Hanley

Page 13 February, 2010

continued from page 10

Tinkham all ran strong but they were no match forthe two space mobiles. Of course the World Seriesevents also featured the Eastern States Modifiedcontingent. Richie Evans, John Blewett, and JimmySpencer were just a few of the hot shoes in thatdivision. And with their partying reputations you’d

expect Trickle and Evans and their crews to gettogether after a nightsworth of racing and theydid. Stories abound ofsmashed bar stools,wrecked rental cars,ocean side rendezvous,crashed go-karts up onthe Boardwalk and manyother late night and earlymorning escapades, andyou know what? You canbelieve what you want.Whatever you do hear, nomatter how outrageous itsounds, it more than likely happened! Oh boy! Here

comes that sun up over the ocean againand we’re still at the bar with Trickle.

By the later ‘80s the dirt set was reallygetting our attention so trips to theJacksonville and Barberville Florida tracksfor racing were in order in addition to

New Smyrna. Theword stock had beenthrown out in 1985 asit was Wedge LateModels all the way.And again, it was justamazing the drivers fromeverywhere that would headSouth to compete. Jeff Purvisduring his dirt heyday, KrisPatterson, “Little” JohnProvenzano, Pete Parker, Black“Jack” Boggs, Leon Plank, BobPierce, Larry Phillips, LarryMoore, just to name a portion ofthe field. Often times these starswouldn’t even make the main so

tough was the competition. The Eastern DirtModified crew brought all kinds of talent South as

well. Guys you’d only read and heard about werehere. Billy Pauch, “Barefoot” Bob McCreadie, Jack Johnson, Doug Hoffman,Kevin Collins, Jimmy Horton…unbelievable the talent and all assembledin one place! New Smyrna was stilldrawing well with guys like Dave Dion,Derrike Cope, DavidRogers, Daniel Keene,Steve Grissom, Trickle,and Shear, all showing up.

But perhaps the craziestscenario heading down toFlorida was the advertised$100,000 to win Endurorace to be held at OrlandoSpeed World in 1987.Yes, $100,000 for anEnduro race! Except thatpay-off didn’t happen. The

race was to feature current model year luxury carsas in brand new Cadillacs, Lincolns, Mercedes,BMWs, that sort of thing. With a $1,000 entry feethe promoter expected to get more than 100 carswhich of course would have paid the winners share.Less than half that showed up so the winning pursewas just $30,000. Still no small chunk of change andof the cars that did race I’ll bet more than a fewsustained that much in damage banging into eachother which had the large crowd on hand, on its feetmuch of the time. Larry Moyer won the event andhis Lincoln showed much damage on the right side

after he blew a tireand ran into thewall. Anyway youlook at it, what afantastic time to befollowing racingand to get a wayfrom the ColdWinter blues. Insome ways thosetrips may haveshortened our lives,but the great fun inexperiencing it all

was well worth it. With that are you ready for someracing 2010 style?

Comments, notes, etc., welcome to Dale P.Danielski, at dale@starmakermultimedia.com 96710th Ave N Ste A, Onalaska, WI 54650 608-783-5827.

Billy Pauch Modified

Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope

Larry Moyer $30,000 enduro winner

Freddy Fryar in Pete Hamilton built car

Mike Miller

Page 14February, 2010

Going in

Circles

By Charlie Spry

On Saturday night, January 16th, we took the tripup to Wausau to attend the State Park Speedwaybanquet put on by the WCAR (Women Concernedfor Auto Racing). Kind of nice to have a little benchracing in the middle of winter to break up the offseason.

Former racer Andy Bartelt handled the mic for thebanquet, using his wit to set the tone for the evening.I don’t think I have ever seen such huge trophiesgiven away at a racing banquet, all the way down theline. Nicely done. First up were the Mini-Mods, withthe top eight receiving very nice hardware.Champion Dale Louze also took home a nice Snap-On tool chest from fellow racer “Snappy” JoeKuehn for his efforts. Phil Malouf took homesecond, with Brad Conant grabbing third.“Grandpa” Robert Dalsky was honored as theoutstanding driver of the year, with Brandon Bendergetting the “HotShot” award. Rookie-Of-The-Yearwas Josh Wilhite, with Joe Kuehn taking home theaward for the best paint and design.

Street Stock champion Wayne Mackesy tookhome the winners hardware, with Jeff Nowakrecording second, and Nick Erickson third. Travis

Volm was named Rookie-Of-The-Year for his fineefforts, which included one feature victory. The Super Late Models had an abbreviatedceremony, as only two were present for the requiredamount of races, with Mark Mackesy taking homethe championship in dominating fashion, and TuckerMiller taking home second.

A couple of other awards were also presented,with Phil Bickley getting the Pioneer award, and Jim“Jimmer” Lietz taking home the “Helping Hand”award. I was honored to be asked to the banquet topresent this award to Jim, as he is a good friend, andreally deserves this award, which goes out to theperson who is always looking for ways of helpingothers. We need more of this kind of thing in racingand life in general.

By the time you read this, the new owners of thetrack, Ron and Scott Wimmer, will have completedrules meeting regarding the 2010 season, so manyquestions should be put to rest. I spoke with TravisVolm, and he was hoping the rules for the streetstocks would stay the same, as he couldn’t afford tospend more money, and would probably then run asa pure stock at Golden Sands. The four cylinderracers are hoping to run a combined point fundbetween SPS and ‘Sands, which should work wellfor them, but many are also concerned with the risingcost of racing.

Super late model champion Mark Mackesy statedthat he planned on doing pretty much the same in2010 as he did in 2009, running the local tracks incentral Wisconsin. As for Tucker Miller, he said “Iwill have all new equipment this year, so I’m excited.I will run the local tracks and also plan on one ASArace.” Best of luck to both in 2010.

Mini-Mod runnerup Phil Malouf has started racingin some enduros in addition to his hectic schedule of

racing his regular racers throughout Wisconsin. Hesays he plans on traveling even more in 2010, maybeto some other states. He ran an enduro in Farley,Iowa in early January in the extreme cold. That’sdedication.

I’ve always been impressed with Mini-Modchampion Dale Louze. He has raced for many yearsin everything from Bomber cars to four cylinder carsto sportsman cars, and even ran a VW KarmannGhia with late models when an early compactdivision was disbanded in the 1970’s. He has racedon pavement, dirt, and even on the ice. I recentlyhad a chance to ride along with Dale while he racedon the ice at a local venue. Even on the ice, he rarelybumps anyone. I don’t believe he touched a carduring the whole time I ran with him. It is impressiveto see people who can race like that, with respectfor their own and others equipment. By the way,Dale let me take his car out for a few laps afterward,and racing on the ice is not as easy as it looks. If itseems like I have a ton of respect for veterandrivers.... I do. The veterans have stuck with it formany years, because they know how to make theracing dollar stretch, and still have fun and win.

On another subject, 2010 might be the year ofthe V-6 racer. Several tracks are adding this type ofcar to their weekly shows in an attempt to takeadvantage of so many of them becoming available aspossible race cars. We shall see how many get builtand how it goes. If it takes off anything like fourcylinder racers did several years ago, there will bemany more race cars around. I believe, once again,the secret will be in keeping the cost down.

Not much else going on right now. Just waiting forSpring. Stay warm!

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Page 15 February, 2010

by Jordan Bianchi

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They’re like the golden ticket of the NASCAR world.Every driver wants one, but yet only a select fewactually get them. What I’m referring to is a ride in acompetitive car with the backing of a big-namesponsor supported by an owner who gives you all theproper tools to be successful.

The caveat however is that with the proverbial goldenticket comes expectations and with expectationscomes pressure. Here is The Racing Geek’s list ofthe drivers who are most under the gun in 2010. Andto be fair, below that, are my five crew chiefs thatundoubtedly will have the spotlight shining thebrightest on them in the coming year.

Drivers

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.When you’re the son of a seven-time Sprint Cupchampion and one of the greatest drivers of all-time,there’s going to be pressure on you regardless ofwhat you do on the track, good or bad. Add in thefact that you drive for the best owner in NASCAR –an owner who’s other three cars finished the year 1-2-3 in the standings – and it’s easy to see why nodriver will have more pressure on him this year thanthe driver of the 88 car.

2. Kevin HarvickKevin Harvick likes to think he’s a big-time driverwho deserves to be mentioned in the same breath asthe Johnson’s, the Stewart’s and the Gordon’s of thesport. The difference being is that all those drivershave won Sprint Cup trophies, not to mention a racein the last two-years. Harvick has done neither. WithHarvick being a free agent at the end of the year,

he’s going to have to do something, like maybe win arace, to show that he’s worthy of a ride with one ofthe premiere teams in NASCAR. Ball’s in your court,Kevin.

3. David RaganWhen Mark Martin left Roush Fenway Racing at theend of the 2006 season, Jack Roush surprisinglypicked David Ragan to fill the seat of his famousnumber 6 Ford. Unfortunately, Ragan has done littleto prove that he deserves that ride. In 110 Cup starts,Ragan has yet to win a race. He’s accumulated inthree full year’s only eight top-fives and 19 top-10s.That’s unacceptable; no matter how off RoushFenway Racing was in 2009. If those stats don’timprove dramatically by the end of 2010, Ragan’sgolden ticket will certainly be taken away.

4. Carl EdwardsCarl Edwards isn’t in danger of losing his ride. ButEdwards will be under a different kind of pressurethis year. He has to prove that he’s the driver whowon nine times in 2008 and who was the consensusfavorite to win the championship last year, and not thedriver who was shutout of victory lane in 2009.

5. Denny HamlinThe spot that Carl Edwards found himself in last yearat this time is the same spot that Denny Hamlin nowfinds himself in. Hamlin has become the trendy pick –and rightfully so – to take down Johnson. WhetherHamlin can handle the expectations and thrive in thatrole, will go a long way in dictating what kind of yearhe will have.

Crew Chiefs

1. Steve LetarteThe numbers don’t lie and the numbers say thatLetarte is a more than capable crew chief with ninewins, since taking over the seat atop the 24 pit box in2006. The numbers also say that Letarte’s driver JeffGordon has a lower winning percentage now than atany point in his career and doesn’t appear to be anycloser to winning his fifth championship. Right orwrong that burden falls at the feet of Letarte.

2. Steve AddingtonMr. Addington has two things to prove this year. Thefirst one is that Kyle Busch’s disappointing 2009

season wasn’t the result of Addington being a poorcrew chief. It had more to do with Kyle Busch beingKyle Busch. The second thing Addington needs toprove is that he is a suitable replacement for PatTryson, who seemingly willed the 2 car into the Chaselast year. If he proves incapable of replacing Tryson,Addington’s reputation will take yet another severehit.

3. Dave RogersBeing the crew chief for Kyle Busch is a double-edged sword. Yeah, you’re working with a driverwho may possess more talent than any other driver inNASCAR and is certainly going to win races. On theother hand, you are working with Kyle Busch.Enough said.

4. Lance McGrewBeing the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a lotlike being an offensive lineman in football. Whenthings go right, you get little to no credit. Howeverwhen things go wrong, the finger almost always getspointed at you. That’s Lance McGrew’s world in2010. Have fun with that.

5. Bob OsborneBob Osborne works for an owner who is notoriousfor having a short leash on his crew chiefs and anowner who has never been shy about replacing them.All of which means if Carl Edwards’s crew chief hasa year like he had last year, in which his team wentwinless and was regarded as one of the biggestdisappointments in NASCAR, Osborne might need tostart updating his résumé.

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Page 16February, 2010

Photo Gallery

Jacobe Goede in Vintage Snowmobile actionMartin Defries photo

Matt Goede in Vintage Snowmobile actionMartin DeFries photo

Cedar Lake Speedway Modified drivers honored at their banquetStan Meissner photo

Cedar Lake Super Late Model top-fiveStan Meissner photo

Martial Law at the MetrodomeJacy Norgaard photo

WSA Action at Raceway ParkTom Johnson photo

Page 17 February, 2010

Photo Gallery

The late Richie Evans at New Smyrna in the 1980'sDale P. Danielski photo

Gary "Hot Shoe" Balough's creation that changed asphalt racingDale P. Danielski photo

Tim Olson and Steve Einhaus with the ASA Midwest Tour top-5Doug Hornickel photo

ASA Midwest Tour Champion - Steve CarlsonDoug Hornickel photo

Raceway Park Figure-8 driversMartin Defries photo

Raceway Park Late Model top-fiveMartin Defries photo