3/22/02
Season Preview
We are putting another off-season behind us here in the Midwest and the sprinters will be roaring before we know it. The World of Outlaws will be visiting Missouri, March 29 and 30. The first date will find them in Joplin in the far southwest corner of the state, while the group will be traveling just south of St. Louis to the racy track in Pevely the following night. A few Knoxville invaders are expected to attend including Larry Ball Jr. who will be teaming with Illinois native, Bill Stroud, to start the year in the 1s car. He will also be running some 360 shows with his own 5J machine. Many changes are anticipated with drivers and owners alike, as is the norm to start every season. A few random notes and thoughts:
New dad Mark Burch and driver Don Droud Jr. from Lincoln, NE, coming off their most successful season ever in the 1m, are this year teaming with the Vermeer 55 team and have their sights set on the Knoxville crown. They will have to overcome two-time defending champ, Pleasant Hill’s Terry McCarl, who has new sponsorship from an old friend in Country Builders Construction out of California. Terry has had some impressive performances already this year in both Florida and WoO action. Hopefully, he can bounce back from his hell-raising accident with Tyler Walker at the Devil's Bowl. Little Rock AR native, Ricky Logan, has also been getting some seat time this spring and will be back in the 3s. Look for Sydney, Australia’s Skip Jackson to be back, most likely with a new team and owner. Fellow Australian Kerry Madsen, who had an extremely strong run in 2001, will be back with similar equipment this season, as will Grinnell’s Dennis Moore Jr. Oskaloosa’s Jeff Mitrisin won’t be seen as much at Knoxville this summer, as plans are in the works to run the pavement races in USAC Silver Crown Series for car owner Larry Cahill of Cedar Rapids. We may see Jeff a handful of times at Knoxville, however. California, MO pilot Randy Martin ran away with the 360 crown last year, but it will be tougher this year as he moves up to the 410 class. Pleasant Hill’s Larry Pinegar II says he was down on horsepower this winter as he ran in Florida, but he will be ready to go for the season opener. His Eagle is sporting his familiar 11L again. Des Moines driver, Matt Moro, will campaign the Missouri based Smith 86, which was driven last year by Steve Gennetten. Milo’s Leonard Lee also made the trip to Florida and is back in his familiar 16L. Calvin Landis will return to Knoxville again this season. He has been one of the biggest proponents of the weight rule, and flew from his home in Arizona each week last year to compete at Knoxville. Sponsorship from both the Arizona Race Mart and the Searsboro Telephone Company will allow him to mix some more races in with the All Stars bringing his ideal race count to around 50 dates. After a year sabbatical from Knoxville, the former track record holder from Howards Grove, WI, Mike Reinke will return in the Ed Gifford 17. The team made the trip to Oklahoma and Texas in March to shake some things down. Look for them to run some IRA events as well. Also look for San Souci, NSW native Brooke Tatnell as he and car owner Court Grandstaff should be making quite a few of the weekly shows.
The 360 class should be wide open again this year. John Kearney from Ozawkie, KS will return in a new Maxim chassis with Wesmar power. John is going to see how the season starts and then decide whether to run for the points title. Des Moines’s Mike Houseman will be back after a tough crash ended his 2001 season. Mike has the car he wrecked put back together, but needs some sponsorship to get his new Avenger that he won at the banquet up and running. Look for his son, Mike, to possibly try his hand behind the wheel on practice night, April 13. Young Jamie Ferrell will be shooting for rookie of the year honors with a new paint scheme outfitting the Burnham 54. Ferrell got some seat time in a midget this winter, as he ran in Tulsa’s Chili Bowl. Jeff Johnson of Indianola is back in the 360 class this year, after two successful years running trucks, primarily at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. A couple of others to watch are 2001 most improved driver, Newton’s Curtis Thorson, who seems to get the most out of the equipment he runs, and last year’s rookie of the year Doug Wilson from Blackwater, MO.
The paved infield looks great and should help on those rainy Iowa nights. In the past, it’s been a hauler race for the pit gate before the muck in the infield becomes too much to deal with. This has caused some all night affairs for tow vehicles pulling haulers out of the facility. The pavement should help this problem immensely, as well as cutting down on the dust being eaten on a nightly basis in the infield. This is another example of why Knoxville leads the way in dirt track facilities world-wide.
The Knoxville schedule looks like a winner again this year. The WoO will visit April 26 and 27, the NAPA Classic is June 28 and 29, and the Nationals will be August 7-10. The 1200 pound nationals will again occur two weeks before the Nationals on July 26 and 27. If it’s anything like last year’s event, it will be a must see. The 360 Nationals are the best kept racing secret at Knoxville and will be run June 13-15. A quick reminder that the 360 Nationals follows almost the exact same format as the August Nationals, making for some entertaining back to front racing action on Thursday and Friday nights. These are the nights most fans miss despite the low cost of admission. June 1 will find the midgets tackling the big half-mile. This event replaces the USAC Silver Crown visit that was run both last year and in 2000, and should prove to have a HUGE car count with all the biggest names in midget racing and side by side racing action. Series participating in the event are the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association (BMARA), Midwest Auto Racing Association (the might MARA midgets), and the North American Auto Racing Series (NAMARS). The $23,000 purse for the event is a good one. The 410s will also be in action that evening. The Masters Classic for drivers 50 and over will be run the same weekend on Friday. The Interstate Racing Association (IRA) has the most 410 travelers of any organization and will challenge the Knoxville regulars on May 18. This race, combined with the 1200 pound nationals will combine with events on April 13 at Beaver Dam, WI and September 7 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI to form the Knoxville/IRA challenge series. The IRA competitors always put on a great show, with a great mix of up and comers and established veterans. There is a great article by Paul Kuyawa on the IRA in the current issue of Sprintcar and Midget Magazine. Twin Features night will commence on July 6. A special Brodix 360 Tournament of Champions will be run on Sunday, August 4 as part of the eight nights, eight races week at Knoxville and Oskaloosa.
I’m heading for Pevely on March 30; I’ll be back with more info then.
Bill Wright
Bill W's Knoxville News