The Scoop
MEET ISAAC BRAY – ISS CREEPY CLASSIC 300 WAUSAU WINNER
Posted on: Monday October 31, 2022
De Pere, Wisconsin’s Isaac Bray poses with crew members David Rehn (left) and brother Wyatt Bray after his Impact Survival Series (ISS) win at State Park Speedway in Wausau, Wisconsin Oct. 29. (QCWilly photo)
For De Pere, Wisconsin’s Isaac Bray the Impact Survival Series (ISS) lets him race without the drama that can often follow the grind of weekly racing.
The 28-year-old transplant from Norway, Michigan scored the Creepy Classic 300 lap ISS enduro at State Park Speedway in Wausau, Wisconsin October 29. Bray, who was the only driver who finished the race on the lead lap, earned $3,750 for his victory over the 74-car field at the quarter-mile, paved oval. The event was the final paved oval track event in Wisconsin in 2022.
The ISS victory was the first of the four-cylinder car series for Bray, who before that had finished in the second position in events at Tomah- Sparta Speedway in Tomah, Wisconsin and Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
And per the longstanding tradition and rules of the ISS the winner got his car “claimed” by series promoter Matt Rowe who after another series race will auction the car off on Ebay.
There is no lack of action in the Impact Survival Series (ISS) events as shown here at State Park Speedway in Wausau, Wisconsin. (QCWilly photo)
The “spirit of the rule” if you will in doing this is to keep the costs down for the cars that take part in the 300 lap contests. “I think it keeps the car counts high and it truly does keep the cost of the cars down,” Bray pointed out. “You’re not going to profit, and you really don’t need to be the fastest car out there. The enduros are not a game of horsepower but more so about keeping your nose out of trouble for 300 laps. I think it’s a fair game how (Matt Rowe) runs that.”
According to Bray he had an estimated $1,000 to $1,400 invested in the winning car he gave up her the ISS rules. “These cars are still pretty much just gutted out four cylinders with very few modifications,” Bray explained. “You’ve essentially got the hoop and three door bars welded in. You knock out the windows, gut all the interior, get a five-point harness, a racing seat, your helmet, window net and you’re pretty much good to go.”
As the name “enduro” implies it’s more of an endurance race than it is one of speed. “The key to these deals really is staying out of trouble,” Bray admitted. “And you need a little bit of luck to win them, too. Sometimes overheating can be an issue. Guys will pit and the crews can pour some water on the radiator to cool it down. One of the toughest deals though is when guys pop tires. That happens all the time. And when that happens you really gotta watch how many laps you go down from the leader because it makes it that much tougher to finish in the money.”
After an incident earlier in the race around lap 80 or so in the Wausau event, Bray was wondering if he’d even be able to go the distance for another 220 laps. “I got caught up in a wreck and when I slammed on the brakes another car smashed into my rear quarter panel,” Bray explained. “That sent me into the inner concrete carrier. It was a hard hit and I thought I broke a hub. As it turned out it just bent the frame rails.”
Bray cut his teeth in the four-cylinder ranks at his home track – Norway Speedway’s paved third-mile. “I was 16 at the time and the class was still called the DQ Dogs back then,” Bray recalled. “At that time, we still had between 35 to 40 4 cylinder cars a lot of nights yet.”
Bray competed weekly in Norway until his move to De Pere in 2017. Since that time, he’s been gainfully employed at Robinson Metals and he and his wife Savanna are the proud parents of their baby boy Emmett. “Savanna is still for me to keep racing and when we can we hit Norway whenever we can,” Bray. “But the enduro series is a perfect fit for me. You get some time in between races, and you don’t have a lot of that weekly drama that seems to follow weekly racing.”
According to Bray most of the ISS enduros payout to the top twenty positions. “There is a core of probably close to 30 drivers who make all of the shows,” Bray said. “And a lot of other drivers sort of hit and miss shows on the rest of the schedule. The fun part is it’s so laid back. If anyone has trouble and must pit you have all of these other members from other teams to chip in. Even if some of those other teams had their days cut short for whatever reason. It just makes for a fun racing experience for everyone.”
Former 141 Speedway promoter Matt Rowe heads up the Impact Survival Series. (Grant Wasgatt photo)
Entry fees for the enduros are $100 if you pre enter. “After a deadline it goes up to $125,” Bray said. “Usually on the Monday before the race Matt (Rowe) will go Facebook Live and do a drawing for the starting lineup. He picks the names randomly out of a bucket. I think it’s a really good way to do it and most of the shows the top twenty finishers get paid.”
The ISS series hosts events primarily on the paved tracks of Wisconsin and Norway, Michigan. “One of my favorite tracks is Jefferson Speedway,” Bray explained. “I like that banking at that place, and you can really get going fast running the topside up there.”
Bray usually brings a pair of pit crew members with him to the enduros which at Wausau included his brother Wyatt Bray and David Rehn. Sponsors who help keep Bray’s enduro machine up-and-running include Five Acre Focus, Robinson Metals and Burkel’s One Block Over.
With his car now gone after the Wausau win, will Bray have another racer ready for the series opening on New Year’s Day at Tomah Sparta Speedway? “I currently don’t have anything in the works, but the plan is to be there with a car,” Bray promised.
You can learn more about the Impact Survival Series by checking out their Facebook page.