May 2020 Inside
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wwwwww.ther.theracingconnection.comacingconnection.com FastestFastest growinggrowing openopen wheelwheel seriesseries May 2020 Inside... Looking back in time The Return of the Flying FIB May2020 Page 2 Page 3 May 2020 Publisher's Note I'm Ready tea. And on another note, how they can’t seem to Racing According finish virtual race in the allotted time slot on TV is May 2020 beyond me. P.O. Box 22111 to Plan St. Paul MN, 55122 With that said, I’m amazed to admit I really 651-451-4036 haven’t started to miss racing yet. What I do miss is www.theracingconnection.com my friends at the local short tracks. Well, I consider them friends, some of them might say they are just Publisher somebody I know. These are the people I only see on Dan Plan weekends during the racing season. I’m definitely ready to walk around the pits for an hour, stand in the Contributing Writers infield or sit on a wooden bench for several hours on a Dale P. Danielski Dan Margetta Saturday night at a short track. Jacy Norgaard Jacklyn Nuttleman I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the actual Jason Searcy on-track action is just one part of the entertainment Dean Reller factor for me at the short tracks. Talking to people Charlie Spry before, during and after the races is just as entertain- ing. The stories you hear or the things you see are just Photographers plain entertaining. There have been plenty of times at Guy Adams (815-980-0354) the races where not much happened on the track, but Vance Birno (612-308-3572) it was still good. On the other hand, I honestly can’t Jeff Blaser (715-498-7544) think of a night at a short track where something or Martin DeFries (651-346-1199) somebody didn’t make me laugh during the course of TJ Harron (608-301-5258) Dan Plan Doug Hornickel (920-563-0993) the night. Laughing is good, especially these days. I Mark Melchiori (414-463-0131) also really miss the sloppy joe’s at Cedar Lake Speed- Bruce Nuttleman (612-860-6622) way and the hot beef sandwich at LaCrosse Fair- Vince Peterson (612-419-6372) There have been many times in my life where I grounds Speedway. I’m ready to watch short track Jess Riedner (608-334-5329 went about six months without seeing a race in person. racing, have a good time with my friends and eat some Racing in this area used to wrap up early in October, short track food. The Midwest Racing Connection is published by The Plan and the Spring-time weather would keep things shut Company, Inc. All material is copyrighted 2020 and may not be reprinted without permission. Call 651-451-4036. down until the beginning of May. The last several And finally, in previous years the May issue of years, I’ve been lucky enough to get down to The Midwest Racing Connection has typically been Cover photos by: Vince Peterson and Dale P. Speedweeks to break up the Winter off-season and our first print issue of the racing season. Due to the Danielski only go a few months at a time without racing in COVID-19 pandemic, we have no distribution points person. Even with the few months of no racing in available for the print version. We have our fingers person, there’s always been plenty of live racing on crossed to see racing at some point in the near future TV. This year, not so much and I really can’t get into and have everyone’s lives return to normal. Not the watching the iRacing events. I’m sure they are a blast new normal, but the normal we all want to have. to participate in but watching them just isn’t my cup of Hopefully the first print issue will be available in June of 2020. AIRPORT SERVICE - CALL 24 HOURS *Time Calls - Appointments DISCOUNT TAXI FOR TRANSPORTATION May2020 Page 4 Page 5 May 2020 venues. Drivers such as Gordon Johncock, A.J. Foyt, Madison International Speedway’s Gregg Al Unser, Bobby Unser, and stock car regulars Butch McKarns has cancelled racing events at the track until Going in Hartman, The Bowshers, Don White, Ramo Stott and late May at this point as per mandate in the state of so many others all did battle. The icing on the cake Wisconsin. All we can do is wait for things to improve was when Dick Trickle or local driver Steve Arndt and go racing. The new High School division of six- Circles would show up, while later Dave Watson dominated cylinder racers looks to be a good thing and fun to here. I remember the cars being very LOUD, and watch. after leaving the covered grandstand your hearing Speaking of the six cylinders, both Rockford and would be impaired for a bit. Now we know all about Madison had huge increases in car counts in this hearing protection, but we didn’t think about it then. It division this year. Why not? They are cheap to put is a wonder I can still hear today, even though my wife together, fun to race, and the cars are all over the says that I have “selective hearing.” place. I would not want to be a track promoter at this Central Wisconsin four-cylinder racer Christine time. Nobody knows at this point when we can go Schmude will have a new car to race this year, as this racing. How can you make plans that way? Everyone team has purchased the car raced by rookie Riley is kind of in a holding pattern. Zarda last year. Christine says she plans on racing at When we do go racing, Rockford Speedway Golden Sands and possibly some other tracks this Charlie Spry Roadrunner racer Curt Nighswonger will also have a year. sportsman car this year. He doesn’t know too much One of the biggest things that I miss about the about the history of the car, saying only that he knows lack of racing is the people. A good percentage of the Well, by now I would normally have quite a bit of at one point it was raced at Jefferson and had the people I know are involved in racing, and many I do racing to talk about on the local scene. However, due number 37 on it. He has been working on it all year not see during the off season, so it is always fun to re- to circumstances beyond any of our control, I don’t. and is looking forward to turning laps. If the body on connect when the season starts again. Social distanc- So, I guess it will just be a little of this and a little of the car looks a tad bit familiar, it is the old body off of ing is a hard thing for racers. that. Howie Ware’s car. Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, This just could be the first time since World War Sad to hear of the passing of Rockford car Iowa is still planning on running an enduro event there II that racing has been halted. I can’t ever think of owner Les Wagner. Les had many different people on Saturday, May 9th, followed by their regular season another time since. drive the familiar American Short Tracker division car opener the following Friday night, May 15th. Of Going back a bit, one of my favorite memories that he owned. This year it will be veteran racer Nick course, guidelines are constantly changing, and this growing up was when the Wisconsin state fair would Schneider racing the car in memory of Les. He was a depends on pending guidelines regarding social dis- come along. No, I wasn’t particularly interested in the fixture at the track and helped so many people in so tancing and updates from federal, state and local rides. Nor the exhibits, or even the many foods many ways. He will be missed greatly. authorities. available. No, it was the annual Thursday afternoon Rockford Bandit racer Garrett Braden will start Hang in there, racing will hopefully be coming 150-mile USAC stock car race at the Milwaukee Mile out the season racing in the Bandit division again but soon. that I got to attend with my Dad. We went every year hopes to have his newly built Cobalt ready to run in the from 1968 to 1978. It was so much fun in anticipation AST division later in the year. Garrett said that finding to stand behind that fence on the front straight and sponsorships now is pretty difficult, as many people watch those lawn tractors pull the stock cars onto the who support racers are small business owners who track for the start. These were the big league USAC are really feeling the pinch. Let’s all make sure to drivers, the same ones that went to Indy and other support these businesses as soon as we can. May2020 Page 6 The Midwest Racing Connection Directory Page Red Wing, MN RaceFab 1-800-634-9666 3BDJOH1BSUTt$VTUPN.FUBM'BCSJDBUJPO Dundas,MN La Crosse, WI Daniel Navrestad www.wilsonoilcompany.com www.dcaracefab.com Tel: 608.781.3929 612-269-4232 Downtown Shakopee 952-445-9668 Call: (833) TOBY-CAR Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube www.facebook.com/themidwestracingconnection www.twitter.com/MidwestRace www.youtube.com/theracingconnection Page 7 May 2020 through, but I do remember in 1974 when the racing trials.