The Scoop
WHAT PROMPTED NORWAY SPEEDWAY CHAMP PONTBRIAND TO TOW 18 HOURS TO RACE NEW YEARS BASH
Posted on: Tuesday January 11, 2022
It was a conversation with fellow racer James Swan at Oktoberfest at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in October, 2021 that prompted Joey Pontbriand to make the 2,500 mile round trip excursion from Norway, Michigan to Dillon, South Carolina to race in the New Year’s Bash street stock nationals January 7-9.
“We were standing on the frontstrech down at ‘Fest and James (Swan) asked me if I had anything left in the tank for anymore races,” Pontbriand explained. “I told him I was done for the year. I had run 40 feature races in 2021 and the pit crew and I were worn out.”
Norway, Michigan’s Joey Pontbriand made the 2,500 mile round trip journey to Dillon (SC) Motor Speedway to battle in the New Year’s Bash street stock event January 7-9.
Then Swan explained “when” and “where” this race would take place. “Swan told me about this New Year’s Bash at Dillon Motor Speedway in South Carolina and since 2022 was a new year we decided to give it a go.”
After the 2021 campaign Pontbriand had no one could blame him for traveling 18 hours one way to go race. He had captured the Auto Value super stock track title at his home track Norway (MI) Speedway, where he won seven features along the way. Pontbriand was also one of the top dogs at Dells Raceway Park where he scored four out of eight feature wins. All things considered one helluva season.
“Thing is the track at Dillon is different than anything else I’ve ever run,” Pontbriand explained. “They call it a 4/10 mile. The closest thing would maybe be WIR (Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, Wisconsin) or Marshfield (Marshfield Motor Speedway in Marshfield, Wisconsin). WIR has all different corners and Marshfield is more of a round shaped half-mile. This track was altogether different.”
A consolation prize of sorts was earned by Pontbriand as he was awarded the “Long Haul” award for towing the furthest to compete after pulling through the back gate. “It was $100 and I’m not sure that even covered one tank full of gas with the truck I’ve got,” Pontbriand joked.
Bringing together cars and drivers from several states without one common sanctioning body or concrete set of rules could pose many challenges from the technical side of things. “Truth is we didn’t have to change too much from our car with it’s rules for Norway or the Dells but the tires were different,” Pontbriand explained. “They allowed 10-inch tires while we normally run the skinnier eight-inch tire. So, I had to buy some bigger rims to run this race.”
In lieu of a well-documented tire (production and distribution) shortage across the United States, this event threw an interesting twist into the mix. “You had to run all used tires that you bought right from the track,” Pontbriand explained. “They sold the tires for $30 apiece and if you qualified for the big show you got to buy two additional tires. That part made it affordable because when I’ve run the Snowflake race in Florida before my tire bill was well over $2,000. You were sort of the mercy of the tires you were given but it seemed fair across the board.”
According to Pontbriand the tires, which were stored in a shed, were marked with a “letter grade” of sorts. “They had them marked A, B, C and D with an “A” tire being in the best shape and a “D” tire being the worst,” Pontbriand explained. “They pretty much made sure everybody got one tire with each letter to try and level the playing field. The tires were the F 50 tires – the same ones they ran in the Snowball Derby. It was a harder tire than I was used to racing with at Norway and I’d compare it to the 1070 tires they run at Marshfield, for example.”
Pontbriand had to buy 10 inch rims to make his car legal for this event. At his home track (Norway Speedway shown here) he normally runs an eight inch tire and rim in the Auto Value super stock class. (KOALAZ PIX)
Pontbriand qualified in on time for the big show, timing in sixth out of the 56 cars that took a qualifying lap. “The top 20 in time were locked in so we were ecstatic about that,” Pontbriand said. “I mean the whole field was loaded with talent. We were racing against guys from Maine, Delaware, New Hampshire, the Carolinas, Wisconsin and Georgia. It was cold down there and we were one of the last cars to qualify. Qualifying alone was pretty intense.”
Pontbriand wound up finishing 13th in the 31-car field. The race was littered with cautions, cars bouncing upon one another like pinballs. “That was by far the most yellows I’ve ever seen in a race I’ve run,” Pontbriand admitted. “I mean there was no give and it was all take amongst that field of drivers. Sort of like Daytona. They did say that was the most cars that ever finished on the lead lap with twelve of them.”
Among the pit crew members who lent a hand to Pontbriand were a couple of Wisconsin hotshoes – Dells Raceway Park sportsman standout Dave Trute and Jefferson Speedway champion Jason Thoma. “We kept adjusting through hot laps and it was a little different with the used tires,” Pontbriand said. “Having those two helping me down there was certainly a huge benefit, no doubt.” Other crew members who traveled with Pontbriand included Brian Okler and R.J. Hewlett.
Pontbriand’s racing effort in South Carolina was assisted by his team of sponsors which include ARK.IO, Wendricks Truss, Okler Roofing, Vanderloop Equipment, Pit Stop Bar and Grill, Uptown Lanes, Hewlett Trucking and Rosebud Cannabis Company.
“It was for sure an interesting concept with the used tires,” Pontbriand explained. “And the pit passes were affordable, too. The race paid $2,500 to win and I have no clue of what I’ll get paid for finishing 13th. It obviously worked for a super stock/street stock type special. Would something like that work in Wisconsin or Michigan? I think it’s worth at least looking at. I mean with the tire crisis now the used tire concept is a hard thing for guys to wrap their heads around, especially in late models. Then you’ve got practice tires to consider as well. That’s driven the cost of racing up too.”
As for Pontbriand’s 2022 season? “I do plan on racing the late model a little more this year,” Pontbriand said. As for defending his super stock title at Norway Pontbriand declined comment only to say his car would be “out there.”