A warm Thursday evening at Lincoln Speedway provided a strong playground for 40 of DIRTcar’s most dedicated weekly racers looking for a tune-up session before the final points weekend of the year in the 28th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals.
After several rounds of Hot Laps, Super Late Model racer McKay Wenger, of Fairbury, IL, topped the charts with a best lap of 12.639 around the 1/4-mile oval. The 2020 Fairbury Speedway track champion – a regular pilot of his self-owned, neon-yellow #42 Rocket Chassis – was instead behind the wheel of a #99 Longhorn Chassis for Moline, IL-based Curless Motorsports.
A regular racer of Rocket Chassis, Wenger said he was looking to give a Longhorn a try. He had positive things to say, and his chart-topping results backed it up.
“The main thing is getting comfortable,” Wenger said. “It’s a completely different deal. I’ve been in my own car for 30 races or so this year, so to hop in something completely different takes me a little bit to get used to. It’s definitely a completely different feel.”
Wenger has long been a keeper of his own equipment, but said he encountered the opportunity to come and drive for team owner Doug Curless through mutual connections in the industry and couldn’t pass it up. He and the team spent several hours in the shop earlier this week preparing for their first Fall Nationals together, and they’re ready to chase a trophy.
“It came together last-minute, but these guys have been super helpful,” Wenger said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for me to run with these guys and the equipment they have. I’m very thankful right now.”
Defending DIRTcar Pro Late Model national champion Jose Parga, of New Berlin, IL, will celebrate his fourth career national championship in his final points race of the year Saturday night. After several laps in practice, he topped his division’s rankings with a best lap of 13.598.
A winner of 19 Features in the 21 races he entered this year, Parga said he’s looking forward to wrapping his epic season up at Lincoln – a track local to him.
“This place is 40 minutes from home, and I’ve got a bunch of family and friends that get to come out and enjoy the whole weekend,” Parga said. “It’s cool to do it at home for, per se, the last race of the year. We don’t get to race here much, so to end the year here – hopefully with a win – you can’t ask for anything more.”
Last year, Parga claimed his first Fall Nationals trophy in the Pro Late Model main event Friday night before watching noted rival Aaron Heck celebrate in Victory Lane on Saturday. This time around, he’s looking to come out on top as the two meet again to compete for year-end bragging rights.
“A lot of people have me and Aaron a little mixed-up – our relationship’s real good,” Parga said. “We race hard and that’s all it is, really. End of the day, we’ll have a beer together.
“I look forward to when he comes. If you can beat Aaron Heck or even Devon… Devon McClean is starting to make a name for himself. If you can beat Aaron, you know you did something right.”
In the midst of a strong fight for the DIRTcar Stock Car national championship, Bobby Beiler partook in the practice sessions Thursday night, looking for any bit of speed to gain before he takes on back-to-back nights of racing in pursuit of his first career national title.
Beiler, of Blue Mound, IL, is competing for national points this year for the first time in his career and remains 15 points behind Jerrad Krick with only two races left. He’ll take on Lincoln Friday night before heading to Charleston Speedway Saturday night, and knows he has to win to have a shot at the title.
“We’re gonna give it all we got tomorrow night and hopefully pick one off, then take that momentum and run to Charleston,” Beiler said. “Hopefully, [we’ll have] a good weekend and see where we end up. Can’t hang our head on the season we’ve had, no doubt.”
Krick is a member of one of the toughest DIRTcar Stock Car teams in the nation, driving for Indiana team owner Mike Alsop. Beiler has been able to keep pace with Krick this year, however, matching his win total of 12, and knows it may take a win or two more to snatch the points lead and the title away over Friday and Saturday.
“They’re the toughest team out there in the [Stock Car] division, no doubt,” Beiler said. “We’ve won 12 Features at seven or eight different tracks this year.
The 28th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals begins racing competition Friday, Sept. 29, with the first night of action for the Super Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Stock Cars and Pro Modifieds. Tickets will be available at the front gate.
If you can’t make it to the track, follow along on DIRTcar’s social media channels, (X aka Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) for updates throughout the program.
DIRTcar Series PR
Going up against a field of 117 drivers from 19 states, the lone driver from Maryland was the one on top when the checkered flag dropped, as Steven Snyder, Jr. captured his 11th victory of the season on Night 1 of the Dirt2Media Deuces Wild Shootout at U.S. 24 Speedway with the Dirt2Media National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Hi-Plains Building Division.
A two-time winner in NOW600 Outlaw competition, Thursday’s win is the first time Snyder has topped NOW600 Stock Non-Wing, where he is the 64th driver to do so.
Taking off from the pole, Snyder was not unchallenged but was untouched as Kale Drake took numerous shots on restarts; the No. 26k pulled even at one point but could not make the advance. Into his groove in the closing laps, Snyder pulled away by 1.467-seconds for the win. Kale Drake in second was followed by Jett Hays from sixth, who slid into third with three laps to go. Greyson Springer ended up fourth, with Gunnar Setser grabbing fifth at the line.
Taking the final lock-in for Saturday’s $ 12,222.22-to-win feature event was Indiana racing legend Russ Gamester.
The Dirt2Media Deuces Wild Shootout at U.S. 24 Speedway with the Dirt2Media National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Hi-Plains Building Division transitions to A-Class on Friday, September 29, with gates opening at 4:00 P.M. and cars on track for Hot Laps at 6:00 P.M. (EDT). Grandstand admission is free.
The 2023 season marks the 11th year of competition for the National Open Wheel 600 Series. Anchored by the Dirt2Media NOW600 National Championship, the NOW600 Series comprises several regional tours and sanctioned racetracks. The NOW600 National Championship features three divisions of 600cc micro sprints at each event: Stock Non-Wing, Winged A-Class, and Restricted 'A' Class.
Live online coverage of NOW600 National competition and select weekly and regional events can be found on http://www.dirt2media.com
To keep up on everything happening with the National Open Wheel 600 Series, from the National Tour to Regional and Weekly racing lineups, log onto http://www.now600series.
Race Results:
Dirt2Media NOW600 Series
U.S. 24 Speedway (Logansport, Ind.)
Thursday, September 28, 2023
NOW600 NON-WING MICROS
Dirt2Media A-Main (30 Laps): 1. 21S-Steven Snyder Jr[1]; 2. 26K-Kale Drake[3]; 3. 83X-Jett Hays[6]; 4. 24G-Greyson Springer[2]; 5. G5-Gunnar Setser[5]; 6. 49G-Russ Gamester[8]; 7. 29C-Chase Cabre[10]; 8. 95X-Braden Chiaramonte[4]; 9. 41C-Brian Carber[14]; 10. 5K-Kris Carroll[9]; 11. 99EE-Eastin Ashbrooke[12]; 12. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[7]; 13. 71-Tim Buckwalter[13]; 14. 14R-Jake Nail[19]; 15. 20Q-Brecken Reese[17]; 16. 21-Mason Beinhower[18]; 17. 5X-Jack Kassik[16]; 18. 1V-Johnny Boland[15]; 19. 74-Sheldon Creed[11]; 20. 3W-Chris Cochran[20]
The Joie of Seating Qualifier 1 (20 Laps): 1. 21S-Steven Snyder Jr[2]; 2. 83X-Jett Hays[1]; 3. 74-Sheldon Creed[3]; 4. 5X-Jack Kassik[4]; 5. 23-Alec Quiggle[5]; 6. 21BB-Beau Brandon[8]; 7. 5W-Reed Whitney[7]; 8. 50X-Megan Cooley[9]; 9. 22-Kole Kirkman[12]; 10. 08J-Jace McIntosh[6]; 11. 83-Brant Woods[20]; 12. 14C-Chris Andrews[13]; 13. 9A-Hunter Hanson[14]; 14. 88-Caleb Moen[16]; 15. 38-Brantley Tjaden[10]; 16. 18-Aidan Leingang[17]; 17. 71T-Ron Dennis[21]; 18. 88L-Billy Lieb[15]; 19. 9X-Brad Sutton[22]; 20. 18X-Shawn Amor[19]; 21. 84J-JT Qualls[24]; 22. 20-Tony Morris[18]; 23. 38R-Riley Osantowski[11]; 24. 29-Ed Cleveland[23]
The Joie of Seating Qualifier 2 (20 Laps): 1. 24G-Greyson Springer[3]; 2. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[1]; 3. 99EE-Eastin Ashbrooke[11]; 4. 20Q-Brecken Reese[4]; 5. 93-Matt Carr[7]; 6. 7MM-Brandon Rose[12]; 7. 88M-Max Crabdree[13]; 8. 16F-Matthew Francis[10]; 9. 59-Brody Mclaughlin[17]; 10. 19-Eddie Hartley[19]; 11. 66C-Caleb Shietze[16]; 12. 33-Cruz Dickerson[8]; 13. 38J-Jimmy Wood[6]; 14. 99-Mason Seubert[14]; 15. 95M-Paige Moss[15]; 16. 55-Caden Ashton[18]; 17. 13-Elijah Gile[21]; 18. J37-Jovi Duffy[23]; 19. 37-Landon Davis[22]; 20. 4Y-Jett Yantis[2]; 21. 15-Alex Ruppert[5]; 22. 57JR-Tyler Hartzell[9]; 23. 39-Russ Disinger[20]; 24. 98J-Jackie Smith[24]
The Joie of Seating Qualifier 3 (20 Laps): 1. 26K-Kale Drake[6]; 2. 49G-Russ Gamester[1]; 3. 71-Tim Buckwalter[5]; 4. 21-Mason Beinhower[8]; 5. 2D-Cole Dewease[2]; 6. 5P-Blake Pence[11]; 7. 43-Parker Perry[16]; 8. 17-Zack Pence[17]; 9. 77-Robbie Smith[4]; 10. 50-Jacob Severn[14]; 11. 07C-Carter Whaley[18]; 12. 68-Landon Ellis[13]; 13. 21B-Jack Hoyer[10]; 14. 16W-Hunter Walker[21]; 15. 88A-AJ Parrish[20]; 16. 3X-AJ Cooley[7]; 17. 9F-Ryan Frandsen[3]; 18. 21K-Keegan Osantowski[15]; 19. 11B-Colton Booten[9]; 20. 25B-Chevy Boyer[12]; 21. 34-Colton Robinson[19]; 22. ES10-Easton Zent[22]; 23. 7S-Kanon Posey[23]
The Joie of Seating Qualifier 4 (20 Laps): 1. 95X-Braden Chiaramonte[2]; 2. 5K-Kris Carroll[6]; 3. 41C-Brian Carber[9]; 4. 14R-Jake Nail[14]; 5. 81-Frank Flud[7]; 6. 53-Brandon Shaw[8]; 7. 2TK-Todd Kirkman[16]; 8. 2B-Garrett Benson[20]; 9. 2V-Stone Sharpe[21]; 10. 95-Hayden McKnight[15]; 11. 96-Jayson Campbell[3]; 12. 9-Bryce Comer[10]; 13. 56-Michael Hubert[22]; 14. 64-Ronnie Dawson[13]; 15. 19J-Justin Robison[23]; 16. 25J-Delaney Jost[19]; 17. 81G-Giancarlo Ramessar[18]; 18. 5H-Bradley Huish[12]; 19. 08-Peter Smith[5]; 20. 07R-Bubba Rains[11]; 21. 37P-Aiden Purdue[1]; 22. 49-Aiden Price[4]; 23. 24M-Bryce Maxson[17]
The Joie of Seating Qualifier 5 (20 Laps): 1. G5-Gunnar Setser[1]; 2. 29C-Chase Cabre[2]; 3. 1V-Johnny Boland[4]; 4. 3W-Chris Cochran[3]; 5. 3-Cole Schroeder[5]; 6. 5-Ryder McCutcheon[6]; 7. 99B-Cole Bodine[9]; 8. 7A-Charlie Allen[11]; 9. 18O-Laine Hite[15]; 10. 78B-Brody Wake[13]; 11. 07-Zak Gorski[22]; 12. 44-Cameron Paul[18]; 13. 78J-Joe Askew[20]; 14. 33W-Seth Whitaker[17]; 15. 16-Garrett Sautter[21]; 16. 52JR-Conner Long[12]; 17. 51-Bill Malicoat[16]; 18. 14-Landon Muehlberger[10]; 19. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[8]; 20. 15N-Neal Allison[14]; 21. 4-Michael Linderman[7]; 22. 74R-Robby Brockman[19]; 23. 99E-Tres Mehler[23]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 49G-Russ Gamester[5]; 2. 08-Peter Smith[3]; 3. 21BB-Beau Brandon[4]; 4. 7A-Charlie Allen[2]; 5. 16F-Matthew Francis[7]; 6. 21B-Jack Hoyer[9]; 7. 43-Parker Perry[8]; 8. 16W-Hunter Walker[1]; 9. 2V-Stone Sharpe[6]; 10. 9X-Brad Sutton[10]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 74-Sheldon Creed[2]; 2. 96-Jayson Campbell[4]; 3. 38-Brantley Tjaden[1]; 4. 5-Ryder McCutcheon[7]; 5. 99EE-Eastin Ashbrooke[6]; 6. 7MM-Brandon Rose[8]; 7. 68-Landon Ellis[10]; 8. 44-Cameron Paul[5]; 9. 29-Ed Cleveland[3]; 10. ES10-Easton Zent[9]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. G5-Gunnar Setser[4]; 2. 5W-Reed Whitney[2]; 3. 3W-Chris Cochran[6]; 4. 41C-Brian Carber[5]; 5. 26K-Kale Drake[10]; 6. 25B-Chevy Boyer[8]; 7. 2TK-Todd Kirkman[7]; 8. 51-Bill Malicoat[9]; 9. 7S-Kanon Posey[1]; 10. 99E-Tres Mehler[3]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 37P-Aiden Purdue[5]; 2. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[8]; 3. 50X-Megan Cooley[2]; 4. 2D-Cole Dewease[10]; 5. 15N-Neal Allison[3]; 6. 18O-Laine Hite[6]; 7. 81G-Giancarlo Ramessar[1]; 8. 34-Colton Robinson[4]; 9. 2B-Garrett Benson[7]; 10. 56-Michael Hubert[9]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 49-Aiden Price[1]; 2. 4Y-Jett Yantis[6]; 3. 33-Cruz Dickerson[4]; 4. 99B-Cole Bodine[5]; 5. 95-Hayden McKnight[2]; 6. 14G-Madelyn Gjerness[10]; 7. 24M-Bryce Maxson[3]; 8. 55-Caden Ashton[7]; 9. 74R-Robby Brockman[9]; 10. J37-Jovi Duffy[8]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 1V-Johnny Boland[1]; 2. 3-Cole Schroeder[3]; 3. 5X-Jack Kassik[6]; 4. 22-Kole Kirkman[2]; 5. 53-Brandon Shaw[8]; 6. 50-Jacob Severn[7]; 7. 88L-Billy Lieb[9]; 8. 25J-Delaney Jost[4]; 9. 16-Garrett Sautter[5]; 10. (DNS) 98J-Jackie Smith
CorvetteParts.net Heat 7 (8 Laps): 1. 23-Alec Quiggle[1]; 2. 93-Matt Carr[2]; 3. 20Q-Brecken Reese[6]; 4. 9F-Ryan Frandsen[9]; 5. 9A-Hunter Hanson[4]; 6. 5H-Bradley Huish[8]; 7. 64-Ronnie Dawson[10]; 8. 18X-Shawn Amor[5]; 9. 78J-Joe Askew[7]; 10. 84J-JT Qualls[3]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 8 (8 Laps): 1. 15-Alex Ruppert[1]; 2. 08J-Jace McIntosh[3]; 3. 57JR-Tyler Hartzell[2]; 4. 95X-Braden Chiaramonte[10]; 5. 5P-Blake Pence[6]; 6. 14R-Jake Nail[7]; 7. 95M-Paige Moss[9]; 8. 20-Tony Morris[8]; 9. 37-Landon Davis[4]; 10. 19J-Justin Robison[5]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 9 (8 Laps): 1. 21S-Steven Snyder Jr[4]; 2. 81-Frank Flud[1]; 3. 77-Robbie Smith[6]; 4. 14-Landon Muehlberger[3]; 5. 5K-Kris Carroll[10]; 6. 52JR-Conner Long[8]; 7. 59-Brody Mclaughlin[5]; 8. 88A-AJ Parrish[2]; 9. 71T-Ron Dennis[7]; 10. 07-Zak Gorski[9]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 10 (8 Laps): 1. 24G-Greyson Springer[2]; 2. 4-Michael Linderman[1]; 3. 21-Mason Beinhower[4]; 4. 38R-Riley Osantowski[3]; 5. 07R-Bubba Rains[6]; 6. 14C-Chris Andrews[8]; 7. 17-Zack Pence[5]; 8. 18-Aidan Leingang[9]; 9. 13-Elijah Gile[7]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 11 (8 Laps): 1. 83X-Jett Hays[8]; 2. 3X-AJ Cooley[2]; 3. 29C-Chase Cabre[7]; 4. 88M-Max Crabdree[1]; 5. 99-Mason Seubert[4]; 6. 88-Caleb Moen[6]; 7. 33W-Seth Whitaker[3]; 8. 19-Eddie Hartley[5]; 9. 83-Brant Woods[9]
CorvetteParts.net Heat 12 (8 Laps): 1. 71-Tim Buckwalter[1]; 2. 38J-Jimmy Wood[3]; 3. 11B-Colton Booten[2]; 4. 9-Bryce Comer[4]; 5. 78B-Brody Wake[5]; 6. 66C-Caleb Shietze[6]; 7. 21K-Keegan Osantowski[9]; 8. 07C-Carter Whaley[7]; 9. 39-Russ Disinger[8]
NOW 600
Taylor Reimer drove to a USAC career-best second place finish to lead Toyota on the first night of the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship’s Driven2SaveLives BC39 at the Dirt Track at IMS, Thursday night. By finishing second in the 30-lap feature, she transfers directly into Saturday’s A Main.
Reimer, who became the first female winner in national midget feature history last year with an Xtreme Outlaw victory at Millbridge Speedway, earned her sixth runner-up finish of 2023 over the three national midget series.
Reimer started from the fourth position, but quickly moved up to second behind leader Thomas Meseraull. The two would continue to pace the race, while most of the action was behind them as Chase McDermand, Buddy Kofoid, Jade Avedisian and Jacob Denney battled for spots in the top five.
As the race wound down, Reimer was closing on Meseraull and on the final lap was able to throw a slider through turns three and four, pulling side-by-side with Meseraull, but would come up just short of her first USAC win.
Denney would pass Kofoid on lap 29 to secure fourth, with Kofoid finishing fifth to give Toyota three of the top five finishers. Three more Toyota-powered drivers would place in the top ten as Avedisian was seventh, Gary Taylor was eighth and Kaylee Bryson came home in tenth.
Night two of the Driven2SaveLives BC 39 will take place on Friday night.
Quotes:
Taylor Reimer, Keith Kunz Motorsports: “I was trying to keep my ground on the restart. I felt we were a little better than Tmez (Meseraull), we just weren’t able to capitalize on his mistakes. I tried to throw a Hail Mary at the end, I just wasn’t close enough to him. This Keith Kunz Motorsports Yahoo Toyota #25 was great all night. It’s just awesome to be racing inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is so cool. We’re doing this in memory of Bryan Clauson and Driven2SaveLives. I think we have a great shot (in the feature).”
Toyota-Powered Drivers USAC Dirt Track at IMS Thursday Feature Results
Taylor Reimer – 2nd
Jacob Denney – 4th
Buddy Kofoid – 5th
Jade Avedisian – 7th
Gary Taylor – 8th
Kaylee Bryson – 9th
Bryant Wiedeman – 12th
Mariah Ede – 15th
Kyle Jones – 17th
Kevin Thomas Jr. – 21st
TRD PR
Winchester 400 History Part No.1 – ASA’s History in the Storied Race
Winchester 400 History Part No.1 – ASA’s History in the Storied Race
The Winchester 400 is one of the most prestigious races in all of short track racing, going back to 1970 when the event was first run at Winchester Speedway.
Today, we look at the first of a three-part series on the history of the Winchester 400.
Part No.1 – ASA History at the Winchester 400
While the ASA National Tour wasn’t officially formed until 1973, founder Rex Robbins was promoting races under the ASA banner going as far back as 1965. The inaugural Dri-Power 400 was contested in 1970 under that banner.
Dave Sorg led 301 laps to become the first-ever Winchester 400 winner over Irv Janey and John Sommerville. The race took 3:10 to complete, with Sorg winning the race by five laps. To compare, the 2022 Winchester 400 took 3:20 to go from green to checkered and five cars finished on the lead lap.
The second Winchester 400 went to Denny Miles by eight laps over Carl Sommers and Les Snow. The 1971 race saw more parity, with both Miles and Ron North leading over 100 laps. One year later, Sorg came back and won his second Winchester 400 over Sommerville and Tom Maier, leading 202 laps and winning by a lap.
The 1973 Winchester 400 was the first under the ASA National Tour banner, as the series was crowning their inaugural champion. The race saw the likes of Tom Reffner and Mike Eddy contest the race, but it would be Vern Shrock taking the win after leading the final 107 laps. Schrock arrived at Winchester without a ride, but would end up in Dave Wall’s machine after the Missouri driver was a no-show. Inaugural Winchester 400 winner Dave Sorg would become the inaugural ASA National Tour champion.
The most dominating stretch in Winchester 400 history would then take place as ASA’s winningest driver Bob Senneker would win the race five years in a row – in his first five starts in the race. He made up five laps in 1974 and took his first ASA win over five-time NASCAR Weekly Racing Series National Champion Larry Phillips, then led 250 laps to win the 1975 race by five laps over Art Sommers and Randy Sweet.
In 1976, he beat brother Terry Senneker Sr. for his third-straight Winchester 400 win, the first of two times a pair of brothers finished first and second. He took the lead from Dave Roahrig with seven to go to win in 1977, the first time more than one driver completed all 400 laps. The next year, he held off race dominator Mike Eddy for his fifth-straight win in the event.
Senneker was on his way to a potential sixth-straight win in 1979, but an accident with 64 to go knocked him out of the race. It would open up the door for Don Gregory, who would go on to win the race over Ray Young and Mike Eddy. Young would finish second again in 1980, as Terry Senneker pulled off the upset and won his only ASA National Tour race in the Winchester 400.
The 1981 race was the first under the Winchester 400 name after 11 races as the Dri-Power 400. After several close calls, “The Polar Bear” Mike Eddy spanked the field, leading 334 laps and beating defending winner Terry Senneker by a lap. He dominated again in 1982, leading 274 laps before an accident with 75 to go ended his race. Future NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace led the final 75 laps and won his only Winchester 400.
Eddy found redemption a year later, leading 287 laps and beating Butch Miller and Jim Sauter for his second win. Bob Senneker won his sixth race in 1984 over Mark Martin and Dick Trickle, as the three and Miller all finished on the lead lap. After his runner-up in ’84, Martin returned in 1985 and led 188 laps for his first of two consecutive Winchester 400 wins over Harold Fair. He won again in 1986 after leading just 63 laps, and was off to NASCAR soon after that.
Butch Miller was on his way to winning the 1987 ASA title when he won the Winchester 400 that year over Bob Senneker and Fair. He led 276 laps from the pole, one of just three driver to lead laps that day. Past NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave led 321 laps and won his first-career ASA race in the 1988 Winchester 400.
Miller would come back and win his second Winchester 400 in three years ahead of defending winner Musgrave and Tony Raines. 16 years after his first win, Bob Senneker would win his seventh and final Winchester 400 in 1990 by less than a second over Scott Hansen and Glenn Allen Jr. One year after his third-place result, Allen came back to Winchester and won the Winchester 400 over Jay Sauter. Allen started 10th and led 163 laps for his second-career ASA win.
The Winchester 400 would be sanctioned by the NASCAR All-Pro Series and CRA for the next eight years before ASA sanctioning returned for a three-year stint starting in 2000. No driver led more than 85 laps in a hotly-contested return to the Winchester 400. Gary St.Amant held off Tim Sauter in the final laps and won his first Winchester 400 and locked up the ASA title in the process.
The 2001 race saw another barnburner in the final laps as Joey Clanton held off three-time race winner Mike Cope by two-tenths of a second to take his only win in the event. Cope and David Stremme both led over 100 laps, but it was Clanton leading the final 68 laps.
ASA’s final appearance to date at the Winchester 400 was as much about the race as it was the championship battle between Gary St.Amant and Joey Clanton. St.Amant won the race while Clanton fell to fourth after a spin with just over 50 laps to go. However, Clanton would be the recipient of the best of fortune, as Kyle Busch fell out of the race with less than ten laps to go after a loose hood pin damaged the left rear wheel of his machine. Clanton got by the future NASCAR Cup Series champion for third and beat St.Amant for the ASA title by one point.
Part two of the history of the Winchester 400 will look into the brief history of the NASCAR All-Pro Series and their sanctioning of the event in the 1990’s.
The ASA STARS National Tour heads to Winchester Speedway on Sunday, October 15 for the Winchester 400 Presented by Vore’s Welding and Steel. The race will also serve as the season finale for the ASA/CRA Super Series. Tickets can be purchased by calling the track office at (765)584-9701 during office hours.
The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Jesse Love is the most recent winner, claiming the victory in Glass City 200 on September 16.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS PR
Race of Champions Management Confirms and Adjusts Announced Dates
Race fans and competitors can mark their calendars for the 2024 season with specific race dates as the 2024 calendar begins to come together.
The Race of Champions family of Series will return to the “high banks” of Holland (N.Y.) Speedway once again in 2024, on a minimum of three (3) occasions.
The Race of Champions family of Series will appear on Saturday, July 6, featuring the Race of Champions Sportsman Modified Series. On Saturday, July 27, the Race of Champions Modified Series will return while the George Decker Memorial and Rick Wylie Classic will return on Saturday, August 24 to the popular southern tier oval.
The dates for the traditional September Race of Champions Weekend have been revised due to a conflicting event. Race of Champions Weekend will take place Friday, September 20, Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22, 2024.
ROC Mods PR
2023 Daytona 500 Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Aims for Another Superspeedway Win With No. 47 Sara Lee® Artesano™ Bread / Country Crock® Camaro
Now that fall is here, cooler temperatures will soon prevail, which means it’s time for warm classic comfort food. Right now, Sara Lee® Artesano™ and Country Crock® are coming together for the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich and are taking advantage of the Kroger Racing program to engage with consumers and drive awareness about special offers online and in-store.
Additionally, Sara Lee Artesano is the primary sponsor of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Camaro ZL1 with co-primary partner Country Crock at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. The race car will have a unique design featuring a sliced loaf of Sara Lee Artesano bread and a delicious grilled cheese sandwich made with Country Crock spread.
“We’re thrilled to partner with JTG Daugherty Racing to cheer on the first ever No. 47 Sara Lee® Artesano™ Bread Camaro ZL1 at Talladega Superspeedway.” said Taylor Burgess, Senior Omnichannel Marketing Manager, “We know that many of the enthusiastic NASCAR Cup Series fans choose Sara Lee® Artesano™ as their preferred bread and we are looking forward to sharing the excitement of this partnership with them.”
“The Country Crock team is thrilled to be a partner of Kroger Racing this year,” said Michelle Svecharny, Senior Brand Manager of Country Crock. “We can’t wait to showcase how JTG Daugherty Racing brought the iconic Country Crock branding to life on the No. 47 Camaro. Thank you to Bimbo Bakeries USA and Artesano Bakery Bread for teaming up with us again to make this race car legendary. We hope the fans are excited to see us at the track and are inspired to make their own grilled cheese with Country Crock and Artesano while they watch the race.”
The Sara Lee Artesano / Country Crock Camaro will also be outfitted with an in-car camera for the race on NBC and will spotlight Sara Lee Artesano. The two brands have selected a good track knowing Stenhouse Jr. has a nice shot at his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory, one of which occurred at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2017.
“We definitely want to go for the win at Talladega with our No. 47 Sara Lee® Artesano / Country Crock Camaro,” said Stenhouse Jr. “We’ll discuss our strategy going into the weekend and determine what we want to do for the race. You look back at the final regular season race at Daytona (International Speedway) and we got to the front. However, while running in the top 6, we got wrecked.”
The team “might” go the conservative route during the 180-lap YellaWood 500 to make certain Stenhouse Jr. is there at the end to go for the win.
“We know stage points are important, but we would rather have the race win,” said Stenhouse Jr. “I think when it comes down to it, we will see how the race plays out, but like I said, we want to win it.”
It’s hard to bet on who will grab the trophy at a superspeedway, but you cannot deny Stenhouse Jr. is a frontrunner based on his credentials. Additionally, his Crew Chief Mike Kelley and the JTG Daugherty Racing team enters Talladega following back-to-back top-10 finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
“The last two weeks we’ve had top-10 finishes,” said Kelley. “The team has shown great resilience after we got bounced out of the Playoffs. No one is rolling over and playing dead. We’re focused on getting as high up in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings as possible. Winning at a superspeedway this year – the iconic Daytona 500 – gives us high hopes going back to another superspeedway. Of course, Ricky’s won at Talladega. We want to keep the momentum going, collect a lot of points and win. We want to finish the season strong and get ready for 2024.”
Live coverage of the YellaWood 500 on Sunday begins at 2 PM ET on NBC, MRN and SIRIUSXM NASCAR Radio. Also, visit kroger.com/f/racing to stay fresh with Kroger and shop fan favorites!
JTG Racing PR
Local Heroes Become Legends at World Short Track Championship
Every division in racing has its “Super Bowl.” But for weekly and regional racers – most with day jobs – the World Short Track Championship is a unique opportunity to be on the biggest stage of their racing career.
More than 200 drivers from around the country will gather at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Oct. 26-28, to compete in one of 10 divisions throughout the three-day event.
Along with racing at one of the most prominent tracks in the country, some divisions will see drivers competing against the superstars of the sport, as well. Former NASCAR star and World Short Track winner David Stremme is already entered to compete in the DIRTcar UMP Modified division.
The DIRTcar Sportsman division will also see the return of World Series Formula V8 driver Nelson Mason.
RELATED: Full entry list on My Race Pass
Same as last year, Thursday night’s action will be highlighted by Championship Features – featuring 2023 track champions – for the DIRTcar Pro (604) Late Models, UMP Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stocks. Friday will be comprised of Heat Races, Last Chance Showdown and the first round of Hornet Features. Then, Saturday will host the remaining Last Chance Showdowns and Feature for all 10 divisions. For the full schedule, click here.
DIVISIONS:
FOX Factory Mid-East Pro (604) Late Models
Chevrolet Performance Mid-East 602 Late Models
Summit Racing Equipment DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
Hoosier Racing Tire Mid-East Pro Modifieds
VP Racing DIRTcar Sportsman
MSD DIRTcar Pro Stocks
COMP Cams (MMSA) Mini Stocks
DIRTVision DIRTcar Hornets
SRI Performance Monster Thunder Bombers
Mid-East Street Stocks
REGISTER: CLICK HERE
Pre-registration is open for all divisions through Wednesday, Oct. 25. Every driver who pre-registers, regardless of division, will receive one additional entry into the drawing for a brand-new Chevy Performance 604 Crate engine at Saturday’s (Oct. 28) drivers meeting.
TICKETS: CLICK HERE
2022 WINNERS:
Thursday, Oct. 27
Pro (604) Late Model Championship Feature: Stephen Pedulla
DIRTcar UMP Modified Championship Feature: Ethan Dotson
DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Feature: David Rogers
DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Feature: Pete Stefanski
Friday, Oct. 28
Hornets Feature #1: Zack Slone
Hornets Feature #2: Newman Presnell
Hornets Feature #3: John Windham
Saturday, Oct. 29
Pro (604) Late Model Feature: Trent Ivey
602 Late Model Feature: Gavin Cowan
DIRTcar UMP Modified Feature: Taylor Cook
DIRTcar Sportsman Feature: Kevin Ridley
DIRTcar Pro Stock Feature: Josh Coonradt
Pro Modified Feature: Ty Norder
Street Stocks: Devon Morgan
Monster Mini-Stocks: Matt Gilbert
Thunder Bombers: Rod Tucker
Hornets Feature #1: John Windham
Hornets Feature #2: Newman Presnell
Hornets Feature #3: Dan Benson
HOW TO WATCH: If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap of the World Short Track Championship live on DIRTVision with a monthly or annual subscription.
DIRTcar Series PR
Buckin’ Dega Presented by RTIC Outdoors will get the party started this weekend as the rodeo returns to Talladega Superspeedway during the NASCAR Playoffs. The rodeo will take place from 7:30-8:45 p.m. Friday, Sep. 29, in the infield. After the rodeo is over, there will be fireworks starting at 9:00 p.m. for fans as well.
RTIC Outdoors joins the Friday night action as the presenting partner of the bull riding and will have a display at the rodeo with bandana giveaways for fans. There will also be in-event giveaways throughout the night from Buckin’ Dega during the rodeo. Buckin’ Dega will be the place to be for fans looking to kickstart their Talladega weekend, with plenty of fun and surprises throughout the evening.
“Bringing Buckin’ Dega back once again to Talladega will hype our fans up for an action-packed weekend of NASCAR Playoffs racing,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Brian Crichton. “We know the racing will be intense, so there’s no better way to kick off the weekend than with some bull riding in the infield on Friday night.”
Buckin’ Dega will put on a spectacular show of bull riding and fans will have the opportunity to participate in numerous games that will get the crowd rowdy during the event. This is the third consecutive year that the rodeo will take place in the Talladega infield and serves as a kickoff to all of the festivities during the weekend. To learn more about Buckin’ Dega Presented by RTIC Outdoors, please visit the link here.
The fall racing action at Talladega kicks off Saturday, September 30, with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Love’s RV Stop 250 during the Round of 8 for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs. Later at 3:30 p.m., the NASCAR Cup Series drivers will battle for the top-starting spot for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 during RTIC Outdoors Qualifying. Then the sun sets and the party starts with concert opener John Morgan in advance of HARDY’s headlining performance for the Saturday Night Concert Presented by Cabo Wabo© Tequila.
Saturday’s excitement continues into Sunday with the return of the YellaWood 500 during the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12, as drivers prepare to tackle the iconic 33-degree banking. Admission to HARDY’s concert is free with purchase of tickets to Sunday’s race.
For ticketing information and more details about upcoming events, including the fall Playoff weekend, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
NASCAR PR
Jeremy Lavoie and Matt Clement Set to Square Off For Limited Late Model Track Title in NAPA Championship Night at Stafford
When the Limited Late Model cars take to the track at Stafford Speedway this Friday, Sept. 29th for NAPA Championship Night, Jeremy Lavoie and Matt Clement will be racing not only for the win, but the championship as well. Lavoie and the #6 Rosati’s team will be looking to make Stafford history as the first team to win 3 championships in the Limited Late Model division while Clement and the #59 Utility Service New England team will be in search of their first championship. Lavoie leads Clement by 16 points or 8 positions on the track in the chase for the championship and Lavoie’s plan is to go about his business as usual while Clement has nothing to lose by going for broke and winning the race.
“We’re going to approach this Friday night the same as we have for the entire year,” said Lavoie. “My personal approach from a driver standpoint will be to go out there and finish all 20 laps. We’ve been able to do that the past few years except for last year when we didn’t finish the final 3 laps. We were a little bummed after last year but we’re going to prepare the car the same and mentally I’ll have the same approach as always and let things play out how they play out.”
“With how consistent Jeremy has been all season, we’re going to need him to have an off night to have a shot at the championship,” said Clement. “My goal is to put ourselves in the best position to win the race and let the points fall wherever they may. I think our car has shown to be the fastest car every week but a confluence of circumstances have kept us from holding the point lead for any amount of time. I’ve been racing with Jeremy for long enough to know that we’re right there with him speed-wise, he’s just had some better finishes than I have. I’ve put myself in a position on a few occasions this year to not have the best points night and we’ve been put in some positions to not have the best points night. We’ll go out there and try to win the race which will force Jeremy to have a good night as well.”
If not for a broken part that left him 3 laps short of clinching the championship last season, Lavoie could be going for his second consecutive and fourth overall championship this Friday night. After the disappointment of missing out on the championship last season, Lavoie is confident that he and his crew will have the #6 car ready to race just as they have all season long that has allowed Lavoie to notch 13 top-5 finishes and a 6th place finish in 14 starts this season.
“Last year the right rear lower control arm bracket broke off the rear end and we didn’t finish the last 3 laps of the race,” said Lavoie. “We’ve definitely dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s and there’s been a lot of determination from the crew to get some redemption from last season. I’m going into the race with a clear mind and I’m going to run my race and let things play out. The key for us this season has been meticulous maintenance in the shop every week and the crew puts in a ton of work into the car to make sure the car is prepared and we’re not chasing anything once we get to the track. We can just show up and know the car is ready to go and now I just have to get behind the wheel and drive the car to its fullest.”
While Clement needs Lavoie to have an off night to have any chance of stealing the championship away, he doesn’t expect Lavoie to encounter any issues out on the track.
“Knowing the Lavoie family and their team, I’m sure they’ve checked over all their welds and suspension pieces,” said Clement. “They’re going to have all their ducks in a row and they’re not going to let something like last year happen to them again. We’ll try to put a whooping on everyone but I’m sure Jeremy and his team will have his car in tip-top shape.”
While Lavoie and Clement are the main protagonists in the fight for the 2023 championship, their paths to this moment could not be more different. Lavoie has 2 career championships and he currently has 23 career wins in the Limited Late Model division, which is second to only Andrew Durand’s 33 career wins. Clement made his first start in 2014 and it took him until 2019 to capture his first feature win. Clement has since won 16 races but has yet to win a championship.
“I’m going to approach it like it’s a normal Friday night and if things play out like I’m hoping they will, we’ll be able to celebrate a championship on Friday night,” said Lavoie. “I’m not going to let anything get to my head or drive the car any differently. We would be ecstatic to win it again. To win one and then two championships and now to possibly have a chance to make it three championships, I’m setting the bar pretty high and we try to do our best and we strive for wins and podium finishes. It would be a huge accomplishment for myself, my crew, and my family who has been on the racing scene for over 45 years now. It’s a true testament of our knowledge we’ve accumulated over the years and having the will power to keep on going every Friday night and preparing a great racecar that I can work with.”
“Winning the championship would mean the world to us,” said Clement. “It was actually nine years ago that I first stepped into my Dad’s car and we rode around at the back for five or six years and I never expected to win a race, let alone challenge for a championship. To put our names into the record books alongside all the other previous Stafford champions would leave me speechless. If we can’t win it all this year, I’m very confident that we have the team, the equipment, and the know how to be in contention for years to come.”
NAPA Championship Night is set for this Friday, September 29th with a rain date of Friday, October 6th and tickets are available now online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and tickets will also be available for purchase at the admission gates. Tickets for the NAPA Championship Night are priced at $20.00 for adult general admission, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult, and reserved seating is priced at $25.00 for all ages. Pit passes are $40.00 with a valid 2023 Stafford Competition License and $45.00 without a Stafford license. If you are unable to attend the event, tune into the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.
For more information, visit staffordspeedway.com, follow Stafford Speedway on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.
Stafford Speedway PR
Toyota Clinches 2023 ARCA Menards Series Manufacturer’s Championship
Toyota captured its eighth overall, and its seventh-consecutive, manufacturer’s championship in the ARCA Menards Series following racing action from Bristol Motor Speedway.
Toyota drivers have won 15 of the 18 races in the 2023 season and come into the race at Indiana’s Salem Speedway having won the last nine consecutive events.
“It was another wildly successful season in the ARCA Menards Series, and we couldn’t be prouder of the efforts from our partners and team members,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “The complete on-track performances we’ve had throughout the year have been impressive and historic. We’re thankful toward each for helping Toyota achieve our seventh-consecutive ARCA manufacturer’s title.”
Toyota supports two ARCA Menards Series teams, Venturini Motorsports (VMS) and Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). The 2023 season’s success was highlighted by Jesse Love’s sensational championship run. The Toyota development driver, who will officially be honored as the champion at the season finale at Toledo Speedway, has had a dominating season with nine wins and 15 top-five finishes. Brent Crews, added another victory for VMS, capturing his first career win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in August, as the 15-year-old impressed with three podium finishes in his three starts this season.
Toyota development driver, William Sawalich, also notched three wins with JGR at Berlin Raceway, the Milwaukee Mile and Bristol Motor Speedway to go along with the ARCA Menards Series East title, while Connor Mosack earned his first victory in the series at Kansas Speedway earlier this month to add to JGR’s victory total. Toyota’s ARCA success also included former ARCA East champion Tyler Ankrum. In his only ARCA Menards start for Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) this season, Ankrum captured a victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Toyota first entered the ARCA Racing Series in 2007 and has captured eight manufacturer’s titles (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) and eight driver’s titles (2009, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023). Toyota now sits at 143 national ARCA Menards Series wins.
TRD PR