The Scoop
LUKAS POSTL – KEEPING M.J. MCBRIDE’S NUMBER ‘5’ ALIVE
Posted on: Wednesday April 14, 2021
Lukas Postl’s 2021 dirt late model. Postl will compete Saturday nights at Shawano Speedway and also in the Dirt Kings Tour. (Postl Racing photo)
For Lukas Postl the number 5 is close to his heart for many reasons.
As a three-sport athlete for the Shawano Hawks in football, baseball and basketball Postl sported the number 5 on his jersey for all three sports seasons. In fact, Postl was the starting quarterback for the Hawks his junior and senior years.
Now, the 26-year-old wheels a dirt late model Saturday nights at Shawano Speedway and on the Dirt Kings tour.
Postl grew up around Shawano’s most famous racer ever – M.J. McBride. Lukas’ father Tom Postl was a long-time friend and pit crew member of McBride’s dating back to the 1970s. “2021 will be my fifth year wheeling a late model,” Postl said. “And I wouldn’t even consider running any other number than 5.”
Lukas Postl sported the number 5 on his jerseys as a three sport athlete for the Shawano Hawks. (Total Image photo)
Rewind to 2016. Labor Day weekend. The Shawano County Fair races. “Up until that weekend I had raced go karts for 12 years and winged sprint karts,” Postl recalled. “I had helped out Brett Swedberg with his late model. Butch Laska asked me if I wanted to jump into Brett’s backup late model on fair night at Shawano. I did and the rest is history as they say. Once I got into that late model there was no going back.”
All the years racing karts and winged junior sprints Postl had sported the number 5 in honor of M.J., who had passed away in 2016. “My dad and I wanted to keep running the number 5 in honor of M.J. but we needed Marilyn’s (Mcbride) blessing first to continue running that number on the late model.”
Ironically one day while Tom Postl was working at Buss Chevrolet in Shawano Marilyn stopped in to visit after returning from Florida. “Dad asked her if her ears were ringing,” Postl said. “Marilyn said she heard a rumor that I was going to run a late model. That’s when dad asked her if it would be ok if I ran the number 5 in honor of M.J. Marilyn was in full support of us continuing to run the number 5. If I didn’t have her permission to run number 5, I would have left it alone.”
Outside of Tom Postl being a longtime friend and crew member of McBride’s there is also a sponsor connection there as well. Tom Postl’s parents Dick and Seiko Postl owned Dick & Seiko’s bar, which was a familiar sponsor on McBride’s racers for many seasons. “I realized that was a big-time traditional sponsor with M.J.’s racing program,” Lukas Postl said. “I remember bits and pieces of that bar itself, but I was eight or nine years old when they sold it. My grandparents had that bar for more than 32 years.”
“When Tom and Lukas approached me it seemed like a nice, fitting tribute for Lucas to keep running the number 5,” Marilyn McBride said. “Tom and Lukas were around and worked side-by-side with M.J. for many years. Dick and Seiko were good friends and traveled with M.J.’s parents as well.”
Postl’s route of hopping right into the late model division is vastly different than many of the other Shawano area youngsters – many of whom jumped from the karts into either the IMCA northern sportmod, stock car or even four cylinder divisions. “I guess for us anyways a move to the late model just made sense with dad pitting on M.J.’s late model all those years,” Postl said. “When I jumped into Brett’s backup car that first night it was a whole different feeling. I had never driven anything like that before. In a dirt late model you get on the gas and the tail of the car lifts up and the nose goes down. It’s totally different than a streetcar.”
Postl is quick to point out the car expenses versus prize money ratio compared to fielding an IMCA modified. “What I hear what some guys are spending on these modifieds some are spending as much as I am and even more so in some cases,” Postl said. “And for what the payout is we do get a better return for the weekly payout when you don’t wreck. It would help the late models keep growing if we could draw some new blood there.”
With only Shawano Speedway and Plymouth Dirt Track hosting weekly dirt late model races on the eastern half of Wisconsin the Dirt Kings series provides a much-needed option for late model racers to get some additional shows in. “I think Jason (Shultz, Dirt Kings series promoter) has 15 races scheduled this year,” Postl said. “That’s huge. The lowest paying race I think is $1500 to win. For us I think the weekly racing is a little more profitable in terms of costs when you factor in traveling to some of the shows further away. But you learn so much traveling on the road and that’s huge too.”
Among Postl’s favorite tracks on the Dirt Kings tour is Outagamie Speedway in Seymour and Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City in western Wisconsin. “Last year we tried to follow the whole series and missed just one race,” said Postl, who’s best touring series finish in ’20 was a 6th at Gravity Park USA in Chilton. “I really love the track at MTS. It’s a high-banked, big speed track. You can race there four or five wide and if you lift at all you’re likely going to get passed.”
While Postl loves his home track half-mile he supports the concept of shortening the track down the road to a three-eighths oval. “I think if they shortened it I think the fans would have some better racing in all of the divisions,” Postl explained. “Sometimes the cars can get strung out if it runs green to checkered. It would keep the cars more together.”
Entering the 2021 season Postl’s best feature finish is a 2nd place at Shawano. Postl’s racer is a 2018 Rocket XR 1. “It had maybe 30 nights on it when we bought it,” Postl said. “My mom Jennifer Postl owns the car and we’ve been fortunate enough to keep it straight. I am still looking for even a heat win but I’m confident we’ll get some checkered flags this year.”
When he’s not racing Postl works as a mechanic and is part owner with Hydraulic Repair Specialists, which is also one of his sponsors. “We work on skid steers, excavators, railroad tools, wood splitters, everything hydraulic in nature,” Post said. “I enjoy fishing and used to play baseball up until this year. The focus is more on racing. I enjoy the time we spend out in the racing shop working on the cars.”
Postl’s team of sponsors includes Lighthouse Bar & Grill, Charlie’s County Market, Positive Electrics, 715 Graphics, Exquisite Windows & Doors, Northwoods Fire Protection and Magnum Motors all of Shawano. Postl also gets support from Seubert Calf Ranches of Dorchester and Terry’s Highway 29 Auto Sales of Bonduel.
Pit crew members include dad Tom Postl, uncle Brian DeMarb and Dylan Yorton. “We also get a lot of help from the Swedberg team as well,” Postl pointed out.
“What I remember most about M.J. McBride when I was just a little tyke running around was that he always had a smile on his face no matter what,” Postl said. “He always seemed to be happy. And I think because M.J. was always smiling and happy that he was always able to have a pretty big pit crew. They made racing fun. And that’s how we approach this racing thing too. You’ve got to have fun doing it.”
DIRT KINGS OPENER – Postl will join between 25 to 30 late model racers in the series opener at Shawano’s legendary half-mile Saturday, April 17.
The defending track champions at Shawano are Shawano’s Troy Springborn (late model), Clintonville’s Lucas Lamberies (IMCA modified), Shiocton’s Travis Van Straten (IMCA stock car), Seymour’s Jayden Schmidt (IMCA northern sportmod) and Clintonville’s Tanner Westphal (4 cylinder). The defending Dirt Kings champion is New London’s Justin Ritchie. Racing gets underway at 6 p.m.
141 LID LIFTER – 141 Speedway in Francis Creek kicks off it’s 2021 season Saturday are Algoma’s Todd Dart (IMCA modified), Kewaunee’s Luke Lemmens (IMCA stock car), Darboy’s Terry Van Roy, (grand national) Beaver Dam’s Jesse Krahn, (Unified street stock), Sturgeon Bay’s Randy LeMieux Jr., (IMCA northern sportmod) and Little Chute’s Ethan Beattie, (IMCA sport compact).
Racing at the quarter-mile, clay oval begins at 6 p.m.
NEW RACING BOOK – A new book detailing the 70 year racing history at Plymouth Dirt Track will be for sale at the third-mile, clay oval this year.
The book, published through Pedal Down Promotions, is titled “70 Years of Plymouth Dirt Track Racing – Covering the 1950 through 2020 Seasons” was penned by Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Racing Historian Dennis Darovich and Plymouth Dirt Track historian George Baumann.
You can visit www.pedaldownpromo.com to learn more.