The Scoop
HAESE HUSTLES TO 141 FEATURE FLAG – WEEKEND WRAPUP, REGIONAL DIRT FEATURE TOTALS & MORE
Posted on: Monday April 29, 2024
Greenville’s T.J. Smith captured the opening night grand national feature at Plymouth Dirt Track Saturday, April 27. (JW’s Car and Racing Photos)
While Friday was a washout for the most part across the region, Saturday’s weather at a minimum allowed most of the respective racing programs in.
Plymouth Dirt Track experienced on and off rain showers prevented two of their divisions from hosting A mains (MSA 360 sprints and Wisconsin WingLESS sprint cars. Greenville’s T.J. Smith picked up the opening night win at PDTR in the grand national division.
Smith has committed to not only running weekly at PDTR in the grand national, but also with the MSA 360 sprinters. Smith will be putting himself and whatever pit crew he is able to assemble to the test each Saturday night in Sheboygan County. But if anyone can pull off racing in two divisions the same night and at a high level, it would be Smith.
On Saturday night a little to the north, 141 Speedway once again hit a grand slam. Despite having 186 cars in six classes, the 141 crew pulled off a 34 race show in three and one half hours. Only one caution flag flew during the main events.
De Pere’s Travis Zirbel scored his third straight Unified street stock feature win, while Manitowoc veteran and former track champion Gregg Haese scored the grand national feature flag at 141.
SURPRISE SURPRISE – A surprise entry in the IMCA stock cars at Shawano Speedway Saturday night was longtime pavement super late model standout Mark Eswein. The Wisconsin Rapids racer scored a heat race win and placed a respectable 10th place feature finish in the class dubbed ‘Too Tough To Tame.’
“Truth be told I have always enjoyed watching dirt track racing,” Eswein said. “Some of the fun has disappeared as the pavement super late model takes a huge time commitment. I still have a couple of pavement cars I plan on racing, just cutting back on the pavement a little.”
Eswein said despite running a handful of dirt street stock races in 1994, he didn’t ‘have a clue’ what he was doing at Shawano Saturday. With Eswein’s talent don’t be surprised if he picks up the pace on the dirt much sooner than later.
Speaking of stock cars interest continues to build for the ‘Too-Tough-To-Tame’ series for the IMCA stock cars at Shawano. A four race series, spearheaded by Ed Bertram and K & E Sales and Service, will host four events at the legendary half-mile on the following Saturday nights: May 11, June 8, July 20 and August 10. A healthy point fund of $10,000-plus continues to grow. The four respective feature races on those nights will dole out a $1,200-to-win prize.
Longtime area racing backer Mike Hammond has also stepped up to help generate interest in this event. Drivers interested are urged to reach out to Bertram to sign up to be eligible for the point fund cash and contingencies.
Hometown driver Brett Swedberg copped the late model feature at Shawano. The division fielded just 12 cars. That despite both PDTR and Dirt Kings not hosting shows anywhere else close on the same night. Where were the drivers to support the division? I get opening night may not have served up the best of track conditions. I know some drivers like Lukas Postl, for example, was still sidelined from a Dirt Kings wreck at Beaver Dam Raceway the week prior.
I get it – mechanical woes happen. But for some of these late model teams they may want to consider supporting the division whenever and wherever they can. It’s not even May and only 12 late models showed up? I can see car counts like that when the dog days of summer hit in late July and August. Don’t give a track any more ammunition to possibly curtail the number of nights your division can run or perhaps someday down the road eliminate it altogether. Teams should do their best to try to prevent this from occurring. Because at the end of the day it’s a business.
LOOKING AHEAD – Despite having planned practice sessions canceled due the rain, Outagamie Speedway in Seymour will kick off its 2024 season Friday, May 3 at 6:30 p.m. IMCA modifieds, stock cars, northern sportmods, sport compacts and Unified street stocks will complete weekly at the third-mile, clay oval.
You can check out outagamiespeedway.com for additional information.
Gravity Park USA in Chilton will host the first of two late model specials at the tight, quarter-mile bullring. Friday, May 3. Qualifying will be used in the format. The late models will race for $1,200 to win. The second late model date at Gravity Park USA is set for June 28. Racing begins at 7 p.m.
Luxy Raceway in Luxemburg will attempt again to get it’s 2024 season rolling Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. Modifieds, stock cars, sportmods, Unified street stocks and four cylinders make up the weekly program as Luxemburg returns to Friday night action at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds.
Meanwhile things are heating up in Door County as well. The Hill Raceway in Sturgeon Bay will host its car show followed by a test and tune Saturday, May 4 at John Miles Park. The car show is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Best appearing car awards will be doled out prior to the shakedown session that begins at 3 p.m. Concessions will be available and the practice is free to race fans to watch.
The season opens at the Sturgeon Bay oval May 18 at 6 p.m.
KARTING KORNER – GSR Kartway in Clintonville has set a practice day for May 11 with the season opening race slated for Wednesday, May 15. GSR hosts weekly kart and lawn mower races throughout the summer on Wednesday nights.
Little Buckaroo Jr. Motorsports Park in Cecil will host an open practice session Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kid karters can take to the track during the hour prior from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The season kicks off at the Cecil oval Friday, May 10. The Cecil oval hosts karting action on Friday nights throughout the summer. Once again, the kart racing provides a sneak preview of the often up-and-coming future stock car racers. Kart racing remains one of the best kept secrets in motorsports entertainment in the region.
PAVEMENT PONDERINGS – Former super late model track champion Maxwell Schultz will return to full time action on Thursday nights this season at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna. The second-generation racer from Reedsville has raced sparingly at in recent years.
The Fox River Racing Club, the club that operates the weekly, ‘Thursday Night Thunder’ shows, will host a practice and pre-season session Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. The first FRRC race is scheduled for May 23 with the TUNDRA super late model series kicking off the ’24 season of oval track racing at WIR Saturday, May 11. Joining the TUNDRA super lates will be the Mid American stock cars, WIR quarter-mile late models,Wisconsin sport trucks and Figure 8s.
Qualifying is set for 12:30 with the first green flag flying at 2 p.m.
VAN OUDENHOVEN TO RUN MIS – Appleton’s Jeff Van Oudenhoven is among the early entrants for the Joe Shear Classic 200 at Madison International Speedway Saturday, May 5. The $15,000-to-win super late model race will play host to many heavy hitters in the pavement super late model short track game, including Edgerton’s Casey Johnson, Roscoe, Illinois’ Austin Nason and five time Midwest Tour champion and current NASCAR truck series standout Ty Majeski of Seymour. The Midwest truck series will join the super late models. Time trials commence at 12:45 p.m. with the first green flag scheduled to fly at 2 p.m.
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN REGIONAL DIRT TRACK FEATURE WIN TOTALS 2024 (as of 4/28 )
(Tracks included, but not limited to, include Outagamie Speedway, 141 Speedway, Shawano Speedway, Plymouth Dirt Track, Gravity Park, The Hill Raceway, Beaver Dam Raceway, The ‘Burg & Plymouth Dirt Track. These totals will also reflect any driver feature wins that occur out-of-state or at other ovals in Wisconsin)
LATE MODEL
Mike Mullen 1
Nick Anvelink 1
Brett Swedberg 1
MODIFIED
Benji LaCrosse 1
Shawn Kilgore 1
Lucas Lamberies 1
Marcus Hoeppner 1
Dan Roedel 1
Will Garceau 1
Cole Czarneski 1 (UMP mod win)
Cody Afelbeck 1
Jason Czarapata 1
STOCK CAR
Mitch Meier 2
Cole Czarneski 1
Brandon Schmitt 1
Travis Van Straten 1
Benji LaCrosse 1
Dave Bouche 1
Nick Buckarma 1
Trent Nolan 1
SPORTMOD
Dustin White 1
Elijah Koenig 1
Robert Wittkopf 1
AJ Springborn 1
Nick Kresbach 1
Matt Radtke 1
Cole Thomas 1
Colton See 1
Tommy Rindt 1
STREET STOCK
Travis Zirbel 3
Kenny Richards 1
Courtney Atkinson 1
Mark Hoeppner 1
GRAND NATIONAL
Dustin Weiss 2
Greg Haese 1
Josh Pierce 1
Daniel Schumacher 1
TJ Smith 1
FOUR CYLINDER
James Riske 2
Trevor Cronick 1
James Reese 1
Adam Broehm 1
Dalton Nelson 1