The Vault
1998 – SPAULDING WINS THE C, THE B, AND THE A AT CHILTON
Posted on: Monday May 11, 2026
RACIN’ AROUND TITLETOWN COLUMN by Joe Verdegan
(pulled from the Midwest Racing News November 5, 1998)
Green Bay, WI – After watching Travis Spaulding pull off an amazing IMCA-style modified victory during the Chilton Fall Classic Oct. 2 and 3, I am convinced he would make a great ice racer.
The Greenville driver, who earned his way into the 25-lap main the hard way by winning both the C and B mains, stunned a tough, 20-car field by running his Pro chassis smack dam in the middle of a very black, dry slick track and pulling off a last lap win.
“Most guys run way up top or low but our car got grip right in the middle,” said Spaulding. “I had a lot of guys come up and ask me what the trick was. I told them “I’ve been doing this for three years and you guys have raced these (mods) 10 or 12 years so you try and figure it out.”
To show you just how tough the modified field was for the two-day show, 27 of the 38 drivers entered in the division won feature races in 1998.
With eight divisions running, drivers who raced IMCA stock cars had a choice: run for less money and be more competitive with the super stocks or run for more cash and risk being a tick slower than the grand national sportsman cars which are lighter, and run a softer tire.
Kewaunee’s Brian Bruechert joked “Those (grand nationals) don’t scare me.” Bruechert was tough in his heat Friday night but got taken out by another car on the frontstretch.
Algoma’s Tony Bouche was the only IMCA stocker to “double dip,” running in both divisions. Bouche made the show in the supers but came up one spot short in the GNS last chance.
It was good to see Chilton rookie of the year Chad Schlenvogt pick up his first career victory in the sportsman feature. The win came in a tough field of 37 entries, including the return of the Richards family from Montello as well as the LeMay brothers from Hales Corners.
In talking to race fans during the breaks and after the show, a number of them named the limited late model class as their favorite. As in years past, Plymouth regulars comprised a bulk of the field, with only four Shawano Speedway regulars in the mix. WISSOTA late model driver T.M. Miller showed up in his son Rocky’s limited late model and placed fifth in the main, which was won by Fredonia’s Bernie Jessen. “I ran a special here in the early 1980’s and we had about 40 cars,” said Miller. “This is a fun track to race on.”
The hard luck award for the weekend would have to go to Scott Cramer. On both nights, his no. 18 LLM broke a tie rod and smacked the guardrail in turn four. Cramer plans on moving up to the WISSOTA late models full time in 1999.
Of the record 201 cars entered from four states and Canada, Homer, Alaska’s John Averill, a native of Random Lake, towed the furthest to go racing. For a $7 ticket Friday and $8 on Saturday, fans certainly got their money’s worth.
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Our late season travels recently took us to the Dodge County Fairgrounds (Beaver Dam). The half-mile, clay oval runs Saturday nights under the direction of the Beaver Dam Racing Association (BDRA).
IMCA mods are the weekly headliner, as they were for this two-day special. A diverse field of 43 mods showed up. Among the field was WISSOTA mod driver Butch Oertel of Marshfield, along with several regulars from Wilmot and Hales Corners Speedway (Franklin).
United States Modified Series (USMS) regular Mike Mashl made the trip worthwhile as he collected the $1,000 top prize in the 25-lap main event. The real story though was Brian Mullen. The Seymour driver dropped out of the first last chance race and started last in the final last chance event. Mullen charged from the back to the front on convincing fashion to win. Starting in the final row of the 24-car main, Mullen passed cars both low and high to take third. “We had a real bad miss that we got fixed in time for the final last chance,” said Mullen. “The car worked anywhere I wanted it to tonight.”
The track’s open class reminded me a lot of an ARCA race on dirt. Many of the division’s competitors field pavement-type late model bodies that look sharp.
The show moved right along with a “no-possum”-type tolerance from the flagman. If you spin you best get moving. I wish more take this no-nonsense approach to drivers who spin and sit there.
In all, it was a nice trip. The track is just an hour and a half from Green Bay.
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Danny Heinritz is the kind of guy who can climb behind nearly anyone’s car on any given night and be a threat to win.
The Green Bay driver proved just that Sept. 27 during the Budweiser Nationals at Seymour Tri-Oval Raceway, when he jumped into Eric Van Iten’s IMCA stock car and dusted his foes in the feature. It was the first appearance of the year on dirt for the Green Bay driver – a regular on the Cenex Mid-American Super Truck Series.
“It took me a few laps to get used to the dirt again,” confessed Heinritz, who had the power steering go out in his racer just a few laps into the contest. “When I was done my arms felt like rubber. It was real tough to horse the car around the corners.”
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What’s in a name? R.M. Van Pay of Green Bay dedicated his Budweiser Nationals win to his two-week-old son named – what else – Race Matthew (R.M. Jr.). “He’s been doing real well lately and we’ve actually gotten some sleep,” Van Pay quipped. “Van Pay was one of the few drivers who could pass on the high side of the very dry slick surface.”I found just enough bite coming out of (turns) one and two to make her stick.”
***
A Tuesday, May 18, 1999 opening date has been set for the new Sunnyview Speedzone Raceway (Oshkosh) at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds. A three-eighths mile clay oval is currently being laid out. At a recent meeting, more than 200 people turned out to learn more about the weekly Tuesday night program, which will feature IMCA modifieds and street stocks, with a third division to be rotated weekly. “We’ve talked so far with a number of groups including UMP and IRA about bringing in some sprint car and late model specials,” said track promoter Dave Panske. “The bottom line is we have to put on a good show for the fans with adequate car counts. Fans have a lot of race tracks to choose from nowadays, and we have to give them a reason to come to Oshkosh on a Tuesday.”
Also up for discussion as the third class on Tuesday nights could be Badger midgets, 360 sprint cars, and the Beaver Dam open class, and pure stock and IMCA stock car divisions. Panske emphasized that nothing is cast in stone at this point and most everything is up for discussion.