Another great night of weather which made for another great night of racing. It seems like each division takes turns stepping up and stealing the spotlight every week.
Last week we had a massive Coca-Cola Late Model match between Scott Stanchina, Justin Mondeik and Braison Bennett that left fans in suspense.
This week, the 141 Auto Stock Car Division drove an amazing two-row-deep threesome for an amazing 12 laps. One of the things that has made dirt racing so popular over the years is its ability to randomly run three widths on each lap. However, the three-wide only holds a straight or a corner or two, but still gets fans going.
At Norway Speedway on Friday night we had full 3,500 pound cars doing triples for 12 laps. I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere on a paved short route. You see it occasionally on NASCAR’s superspeedways, but it’s very rare on short circuits. The video is on our Facebook page and definitely worth checking out.
In my position, it was extremely stressful because any driver error usually ends in a massive crash, known in NASCAR as “The great.” There was a restart with two laps to go in the race and I thought great it’s going to end conventionally with two cars. But then, in the final round, Aurora’s No. 18 Zach Krans went three wide again and darted briefly forward, only to be edged out at the chessboard by Norway’s Joe Ostermann.
The exciting positive feedback we received from the fans in and around the circuit was really gratifying. The division has come a long way since its inception in 2016. The stock car division is very unique in that it has literally no rules – other than basic safety.
The sport of stock car racing across the country has struggled for many years because each track has different rules that make it difficult for cars to travel.
We have a ground rule. If you do a lap faster than 18 seconds, you go to the end of the field. This has many advantages. In 1991, Superstocks averaged about 35 cars a night, and racing was fun and generally affordable. The track qualifying record was 18 seconds.
With the evolution of racing, current super stocks have all fallen by 16-second times or faster, and the cost of cars has increased dramatically. Our 18 second bracket gave all those old, outdated cars a chance at a new life.
One of our best drivers, Todd Schmidt of Spread Eagle, Wisconsin, drives a car that has been standing for 20 years and is almost 30 years old. Many other cars out there have very similar stories.
For example, the Pankratz Racing Team from Oconto, Wisconsin successfully uses the same car in both divisions. Trever runs it as the Auto Value Super Stock and his brother Graeson runs it as the 141 Auto Stock Car to make the most of his equipment.
Any car from any division with any tire, any damper, any engine can race. There are no technical inspectors or 20-page rule books. If a driver breaks the rule, they have no one to blame but themselves.
What we were trying to do at Norway Speedway was to turn the clock back to 1990, when racing was basically at its peak and people could afford to make it a little easier. I don’t want to say the division is growing because we really don’t want it to grow. The simple fact is that we want people to start with that and gradually move up into the Auto Value Super Stock division or the Coca-Cola Late Model division.
The stock car division is very unique as an entry-level division because you can basically buy a car with any decent engine and run it as a stock car for a year to get your feet wet in the sport and put gear together and then Invest in moving up to the Auto Value Super Stock division and not have the financial burden of having to buy everything at once.
Another big financial benefit for the stock car business is that our country is going through some terrible shortage problems and racing tires are a big problem.
The 141 Auto Stock Car Division is currently not allowing new tires to keep costs down and address supply shortages. Division 141 Auto Stock Car is also for the conventional race car driver who still wants to be involved with the sport but doesn’t want to be married to it. Not that being married is a bad thing. But if you own an Auto Value Super Stock Car or Coca-Cola Late Model, chances are you spend more time working in your car than you do with your wife.
We’ve seen a variety of talented, skilled and colorful riders in the division over the years. I ran the division full time on a modified IMCA Dirt last year and had a blast. The riders were clean and very respectful of their gear and competition.
I would also like to point out that it is very difficult to win a race or even to overtake another car when all the cars are equal because of the 18 second gap. I noticed that Madison International Raceway went into a bracketed division on their track, which I think is a great idea and is definitely on my list of tracks to race.
There are many different ways to reduce the cost of the sport or limit speeds such as: B. Tire caps, smaller engines and carburetors and other lightweight components. But I like the watch because it is the cheapest. As the cost of everything increases, circuit racing is only going to increase in popularity.
Other great things that happened at the speedway last week included MC Signs & Graphics 4-cylinder driver Sophie Hornick winning her first race of her career. Hornick is 14 and had her share of struggles last year like any other young rider but it looks like she’s got the hang of it.
Coca-Cola Late Model veteran Bruce White won the fast run. I’m as happy for White as I am for the rest of the racing world as he is inducted into the Norway Speedway Hall of Fame next week.
Justin Mondeik of Gleason, Wisconsin continued his winning streak, as did Anthony Schiefelbein of Pembine. In the Wisconsin Sport Trucks, Brad Barglind edged out his brother Brent for the win. Trever Cronik of Norway won the MC Signs & Graphics Fab 4 the Agricultural Way in the last lap.
So congratulations to all three teams.
The season continues this Friday evening and the weather is getting hotter – and so are the races. The Island Resort & Casino Stateline Challenge has $5,000 up for grabs in two weeks, starring NASCAR Series Truck Champion Johnny Sauter. It is the largest race in the history of the speedway.
I hope it’s 90 degrees every night for the rest of the summer. See you all at the racetrack!
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