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There are a couple of things you always hear at any race track, whether it’s a national series or a local track: it’s always expensive to race competitively and you need to have the latest equipment to have a chance to win.
That theory could be true in certain situations, but not every situation is alike. Some have proven that it’s more about knowledge than equipment to get to victory lane. Two races that I have covered in 2016 are prime examples of talent rising to the top without having a driver or team having the latest equipment. Back on May 7th, Ty Majeski and crew chief Toby Nuttleman decided to take an “old reliable” car to compete in the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series season opener at Wisconsin International Raceway in Buchanan, Wisconsin. Majeski would win the 50-lap feature event and celebrate in victory lane, despite starting 12th in the field. During his post-race interview, Majeski mentioned they brought a race car with a 13-year-old chassis and motor that was built eight years ago. “We brought a car here that we didn’t know what we would have, this is an old Randercar chassis that Charlie Menard and Steve Carlson drove along with an old B&B motor that hasn’t been refreshed in five years,” Majeski said. “We came out and it was pretty good right out of the trailer.” Fast forward to this past Sunday’s Falloween 150 at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Casey Johnson inherited the lead after Majeski and Andrew Morrissey spun while battling for the lead on the last lap. Johnson held off Natalie Decker in a green-white-checker finish to win in a car prepared by Jason Schuler. During the race, Todd Kluever, a former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie of the Year driver, kept saying: “You wouldn’t believe what is in that car.” Johnson, who had to race his way into the main event after qualifying 15th, just missed making the show by one spot as the top 14 were locked in. Johnson, who finished second in his qualifier race, quietly drove this car to the front of the field. In the final laps, Johnson sat behind Majeski and Morrissey hoping for something to happen, and it did on the last lap. Johnson jokingly said that everything went according to his plan to get the victory. In victory lane, Johnson discussed how his deal to drive the car occurred seven days prior to the event when he stopped in to pick up parts at Pathfinder Chassis. Schuler, who co-owns Pathfinder Chassis with Joe Wood, was in shock that his car was in victory lane let alone be in a podium finish. “I knew we were going to be a third-place car because both Majeski and Morrissey were the class of the field and were all night,” Schuler said. “I was just glad we were there to take advantage of it, a win is a win and we will take it.” Schuler even said to Johnson on their way to the track on Saturday, that if it’s not up to speed, he wouldn’t be upset if they just put it back on the trailer and went home. Schuler relayed that Johnson said he doesn’t quit that easily. So what was in that car that made this victory more interesting? Schuler wasn’t afraid to share what was in there; in fact, he’s proud of what he put together. For starters, the chassis was basically a bunch of different chassis pieces lying around that he started putting together last fall. Some of it had rust that he had to burn off. The motor was a Tesar 9:1 that Schuler bought for $2,500. The engine was sitting under Gene Coleman’s work bench for about ten years and was last used by Kevin Cywinski in the mid 90’s during the ARTGO portion of his career. Coleman even gave him the clutch. The motor had a unique bolt pattern that Schuler needed to find a specific header and exhaust, so he went to a Midwest Racer’s Auction and found one that matched for $15. Schuler put the motor in the car, started up right away, and admitted that he hadn’t taken the valve covers off the motor prior to the race. He also said the car has a spool in the rear end and Penske Reds for shocks. The body is a bunch of used panels with a fresh coat of paint and decals. As far as the other parts for the car, he basically said he just cleared off the shelf of parts just sitting around. What is new on the car? He bought one hub, because he had three used ones. A new steering wheel because Casey preferred a smaller one versus what he had in the car along with new gauges and seatbelts. The winner of the Falloween 150 picked up a check for $3,000. Schuler told Johnson that was all for him, but asked to be reimbursed for fuel and pit passes. Johnson’s normal sponsor, Hougan Farms, picked up the tire bill for the weekend. On Sunday night, a driver and an owner were sitting around complimenting each other. The driver talked about how the owner can build a car out of anything and make it a winner. The owner discussed how that driver is a wheelman, and can drive anything at any track. “I was going to bring the car here and race it myself and he wasn’t going to have time to fix his car from Rockford and I said ‘Well just take my car,’ “ said Schuler, who offered the ride to Johnson. “I was going to take it anyways and get a chance to learn something, and learned that he is a hell of a driver. No kidding, he is pretty damn good, not going to lie. It’s pretty amazing stuff out there today and it was kind of crazy.” But, both happily admit they didn’t have a winning car, and would have been tickled to death heading home with a third place finish. On that night, the racing gods wanted to reward them for each of their efforts. So the question continues to linger around the racing pits and garages: Is always having the latest and greatest equipment that will get you the victory? Or is it always going to be the knowledge, and sometimes luck, to head home with a trophy and a “Happy Gilmore” check? These are questions that might ever be answered simply because auto racing has such a wide variety of competitors. There are some who race on a tight budget of used parts competing against those with new parts on the same track for the same purse and prizes. As long as they’re competitive, allow a driver to show their talent and put on a show for the fans…that is what really matters.
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Casey Johnson didn’t have plans to compete at the Falloween 150 at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. Those plans changed seven days prior when Jason Schuler offered him a chance to drive his car.
Johnson was looking at a solid podium finish as he was running third behind Ty Majeski and Andrew Morrissey were in front of him in a classic short track side-by-side battle for the lead on the last lap. As the leaders went into turn one, there was contact between Majeski and Morrissey causing both to spin, allowing Johnson to take over the lead and hold off Natalie Decker in a green, white, checkered finish to pick up a $3,000 payday. “I knew they were mixing it up quite a bit and we had a decent car, nothing to match those two, so I was going to let them beat and bang a little bit and kind of see if they were going to do what they did,” a smiling Johnson said in victory lane. “Everything went to plan and everything worked out well.” Morrissey and Majeski would fall to the tail of the field and finish 10th and 12th respectively. After the race, both had their side of what happened on the final lap. “I raced him as clean as I could the whole race and he tried blocking me once and I got into him. I don’t know if he was mad at me or what, but he ran into me three times to get by me. I was inside of him on the last lap that we went into one and he cranked the wheel to the left and hit me so hard that it knocked my car totally sideways and spun out, there was nothing I could do,” Morrisey said. “It should have been a clean battle to the finish. We ran side-by-side for five laps and going down the frontstretch he cranked it to the left and hit me in the right front and spun me out.” Majeski had a different view of what happened. “We came out of turn four, and I was on the outside of him. I should not have been in the first place. There were a lot of cautions in this race. I just made one little mistake on the restart and in turn four he got underneath me and coming out of turn four, he was using me pretty good the last few laps, which I didn’t have a problem with, and we made contact coming down the straightaway and I know I gave him plenty of room going into one,” Majeski recalled. “I don’t know if he was loose in, but I was trying to hold him as tight as I could but knew there was enough room for him. I don’t know if he got loose in and got on my door and I didn’t think I was 100% at fault so I didn’t tap out.” Dells Raceway Park does have a tap out rule where if two cars are involved and one of the drivers wants to take responsibility for the caution, they can simply tap the roof of their car allowing the other car to get their spot back, while they re-join the field at the rear. Majeski didn’t feel he was responsible to do this. “I think it was 50/50,” Majeski said. “I mean it was hard racing with two laps to go, and I don’t think he was more at fault then I was and I don’t think I was any more than he was. We were racing hard at the end and trying to win the race” Decker recorded her best finish at Dells Raceway Park and was satisfied coming home second, especially with the action happening in front of her at the end of the race. “I was like oh I am going to get second and my spotter said no it’s a green, white, checker,” Decker said. “Casey was really fast and I just wanted to get a podium finish.” Bobby Kendall finished third with Travis Dassow in fourth. Jason Weinkauf rounded out the top five. For Casey Johnson, he went from a week of planning not to race to getting in a car prepared by Jason Schuler, co-owner of Pathfinder Chassis. All of this came about just by Johnson stopping by to pick up parts. “Jason Schuler was nice enough to ask me to run her,” Johsnon recalled. “I was at Pathfinder Chassis buying some parts the other day he asked me what I was running up at the Falloween race and I told him I didn’t have a ride. So he said you better drive my car then, and that was on Monday as I was getting parts. Monday night, I went over to see if I could fit in his seat, which is tight, but we got in there.” Schuler was pleasantly surprised in victory lane. “I knew we were going to be a third place car cause both Majeski and Morrissey were the class of the field and were all night,” Schuler said. “I was just glad we were there to take advantage of it, a win is a win and we will take it.” It may be considered a classic case of taking advantage of an opportunity for Schuler. “I was going to bring the car here and race it myself and he wasn’t going to have time to fix his car from Rockford and I said well just take my car,” Schuler said when he offered the ride to Johnson. “I was going to take it anyways and get a chance to learn something, and learned that he is a hell of a driver. No kidding, he is pretty damn good, not going to lie. It’s pretty amazing stuff out there today and it was kind of crazy.” A total of 44 cars qualified for the Falloween 150. Erik Darnell won the “Scarecrow 40” B-Main feature over Lowell Bennett and M.G. Gajewski.
If you are over 40, you will probably understand part of this, but if you are under 40, this may be something that you may not be familiar with in short track racing.
Growing up, this blogger’s first experience with auto racing started at the short tracks. The drivers who competed at those tracks became household names than the Darrell Waltrip’s, Bobby Allison’s and Richard Petty’s back in the early 80’s. Those short track drivers were on the same level as those names. Those short track drivers were not 16-18 year old drivers hoping to make it to the big time, they were veterans who competed at those tracks for ten years or more. Nobody really knew what they did during the week, but on a weekend night or afternoon, they were the big names in racing. Those drivers would come back year after year. Many would have the same paint scheme and actually the same car. If someone changed the color scheme slightly, the fans recognized it right away. Promoters would make his regulars their local stars. They would put the racers' names in the ads as if they were the show and why you had to come out and see them race. Regional touring series would see the same thing. Series officials would have their share of drivers who traveled around and it became a visitor versus local hero event. In the Midwest, it was a battle of the local hero owning his/her turf against the likes of Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Larry Detjens, Mike Miller, Tom Reffner and more. I think the word used a lot back then was “rivalry.” But now, the number of weekly competitors is less and the new stars don’t hang around. They justifiably go and try their skills at the higher levels of racing. Oh yes, it was the same with the local and regional stars back when many would just find a ride for the Daytona 500 and then come back and race their home area throughout the year. But, if they didn’t get a full-time ride, they didn’t quit…they returned home and became a local hero. They became the teachers and mentors for the next generation of drivers. Today’s short track racing landscape is different. Promoters are afraid to advertise their weekly racers with the fear that they may be gone by next week and not sticking around. Egos are not just shining with the drivers but also with track announcers, public relations/writers, officials and others who also think that their work there is just a quick step to getting into the higher levels of the sport. They are more worried about how they look rather than who they talk or write about in their jobs. Like the great Ken Squier once said, we need to make these drivers the local heroes. We need to announce what they do and where they are from causing fans to perk up and go hey he is from my hometown, we should root for him. Writers need to help tell driver stories, give the fans something to relate with who they see race every week. Not go on social media and use the platform and talk about “me.” We are also begging drivers, who try to make it in the higher levels and touring series, if it doesn’t work, don’t sit and wait for the phone to ring. Find a way to get back to your home track and compete every weekend. There is absolutely no shame in doing that; in fact, the local racing community will respect it. Be friendly, hang around after the race to meet them, and most of all thank them. Yes, the money won’t be there like it is on the higher level. But you are participating in something you enjoy doing and can show your talents. Even Tony Stewart once said that if given a choice, he would rather race locally then where he is today. He may be retiring from the Cup level, but never said retiring overall. The track promoters need to start promoting those dedicated weekly drivers. Announcers need to introduce them as a big part of the show like the ringmaster introduces an act in the circus, with enthusiasm and excitement. Writers need to stop worrying on what the next bad story that needs to be reported will be and focus more on the good side like the human interest side of tracks, fans, drivers, crew, sponsors, etc. Most of all, paint that picture of what they missed in race reports to cause someone to say we need to go and see this ourselves. Agree or disagree, the job you select is helping to promote this sport. If you want to argue that as a reporter, it is not your job to do that, then why are you even writing about it? It is because you are writing to an audience who reads your story with the interest in auto racing and at the same time, creating interest with a new audience who skims across your article. Ultimately, it is promotion…negative or positive. Short tracks are hurting because there is more competition for the almighty entertainment dollar in a tough economy. We can compete and be successful. All we need to do is change our attitudes and focus on the goal. There is a lot more good than negative in short track racing. It’s time for the good to speak louder than the negative. For Some…Short Track Racing is a Business10/14/2016
About five years ago, this writer wrote a column for Circle Track magazine (CLICK HERE) discussing that for many involved in short track racing, this is a recreational sport. Many who race weekly at short tracks compete because they enjoy the sport and participate in it like a runner who competes in road races, a bowler in a local bowling league or someone who enjoys fishing.
Some who participate in sports or recreational activities do spend a good amount of their hard earned money to have the best and latest equipment in order to get the maximum satisfaction out of their favorite activity. Ironman triathlons are another good proof of this where participants spend thousands of dollars on lightweight bikes and other equipment like clothing, wetsuits and shoes in order to get their best personal finish. They pay a high registration fee to participate and their reward isn’t cash, but achieving a personal goal. Another side of sports and recreational activities is where people can find a niche within and turn it into a profitable business. Someone who enjoys fishing could operate a guide service on a popular lake. A sailor could provide romantic sunset cruises for a couple. A bowler could have its own pro shop. In auto racing, especially short track racing, there are some teams who provide a full service team operation for a driver. A few days ago, one of those race teams disclosed the cost of their services in a press release looking for a driver in 2017. Almost immediately, people went on social media commenting about the prices and resorting to name calling as well. After talking to some within the industry, this is just a reality that really hasn’t been out publicly before this press release was sent out. It’s a truth within the sport and it’s nothing new, it just hasn’t been in the spotlight. One person estimated that probably over a dozen teams that competed at the Snowball Derby last year were on a program like this team. This is not a new trend, it has been around for a long time and it is not just in Super Late Model racing but in all forms of auto racing. Someone will own a team that will prepare cars then either hire drivers or rent them out. One of the biggest criticisms was the cost to compete per event. Many have said that a team’s cost is within the range that this team stated in their press release. Some would even charge more. Comments from people on social media stating they could do it for a third of the cost, etc. are valid comments, especially if they are building and setting up their own cars. But, one thing people need to consider is besides the cost of parts, engines, and everything else is payroll. Just take a few minutes to think about this. If you ran a team full-time building cars to compete, one could guess that the successful teams probably have a staff of three to five people, at a minimum, working full-time all year long? Another guess is their salary would probably be anywhere around $30,000-$50,000 per person, meaning that the team’s annual salary could range from $60,000 to $250,000 annually. Also factor in travel costs, hotels, tires, meals, and more. At the end of the day, if you are a parent looking for a quality ride for your talented child driver to showcase their skills with the hope of moving up to higher levels of racing, signing on with a team like this may be a sound investment rather than trying to do everything yourself. Today, we live in a society where it is easy to provide a quick knee-jerk reaction on social media or a message board. But sometimes, it helps to take a step back, think things over, talk to others involved in the business and really think things out before providing a comment. Yes, some will say this kind of operation is going to hurt short track racing, but this wasn’t born yesterday. It has been around for decades; yet short track racing is still here. Also, one can also argue their place within short track racing. While some will say that these kinds of operations are hurting the sport, another side could give a valid argument that they are helping the sport. Especially, if they have a good track record of bringing up development drivers and getting them to the next level. Some forget that a cool thing about short track racing is we can see stars before they become bigger stars. What is cooler is that when they do become bigger stars, many like to come back and race with the short track stars. Going back to that column written five years ago, one thing noted is that short track racing has something more in common like with many other sports, you can participate at any level, with any budget, and still enjoy it…and be successful. It’s the free enterprise system that this country was founded on, some were smart enough to see an opportunity and jumped on it. 
It has been a couple days since this writer worked his ninth Oktoberfest Race Weekend writing their stories and releases. There is always something unique and different happening every year, which is why many of us return year after year.
Here are some thoughts and observations from the four days. 28 Drivers – There are 28 driver names on the list of Oktoberfest main event winners in the four-year history. Ty Majeski became the 28th driver last Sunday. Joe Shear tops the list with five victories (1972, 1989, 1994, 1995, and 1996) with Dan Fredrickson (2007, 2008, 2010, and 2015) and Travis Sauter (2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014) with four each. Eddie Hoffman (1998, 1999, and 2001) and Tom Reffner (1970, 1975, and 1983) each have three victories. Five drivers have two victories (Dick Trickle, Larry Detjens, Tom Carlson, Brian Hoppe, and Tim Schendel). Ty Majeski – Was this the last time that we have seen Majeski race like he did the last two years at Fest? If the right people are keeping an eye on him and his success, we may see him more on television then at our local short tracks in 2017. His win in the Oktoberfest 200 on Sunday put an exclamation mark on his success at Fest in the last two years. He may be our next star from Wisconsin racing in the higher tiers of racing. Over the four days, he won the La Crosse Late Models feature on Thursday, Big 8 Series on Saturday, and the JMcK 63 also on Sunday. Dan Fredrickson – While he was trying to tie Joe Shear with the most Oktoberfest main event wins on Sunday, he did make an addendum to his record that he owns in the Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons as he became the first three-time winner of the Friday night event. In fact, he is still the only driver to win the event more than once in the nine-year history. Steve Carlson – He is always a popular driver at Oktoberfest and this past Thursday, he picked up his fourth straight Late Model track championship at La Crosse. He finished third on in the La Crosse Late Model feature while trying to chase down two young hot shoes, Ty Majeski and his son Mike Carlson. Car Counts – If anyone says that short track racing is struggling have them take a look at the car counts at Oktoberfest. 60 Super Late Models attempted to qualify for the Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons while 45 made a qualifying run on Thursday’s Futures race. 37 cars qualified for Thursday’s Sportsmen division. 46 recorded a qualifying time in Saturday’s Big 8 Series season finale while 35 cars qualified for the ARCA Midwest Tour’s Oktoberfest 200. Fans – Once again, no matter the temperature or weather, the fans came out in high numbers each day for Oktoberfest. The La Crosse Tribune reported that the attendance over the four days was over 15,000. The campground was also full with people coming in as early as Monday before the first race on Thursday. In fact, the fans consumed so many pork chop sandwiches that there weren’t any available on Sunday. The track officials deserve a high five for getting the show in before showers came over the track on Thursday night. Rolling Along – One thing that needs to be applauded every year is the work that the staff and the race teams do to keep the show rolling along each night. A lot of times the field for the next two races were already lined up, drivers strapped in ready to go. This really helps to keep the show rolling along, especially with the high car count. Everyone appreciates your efforts and a lot of times this goes unheralded, but it is something fans notice and it makes a big impact on fans decisions to come to future Oktoberfest Race Weekends. Thank you!!! Stat of the Weekend – With a total of 17 divisions competing over the weekend, only once did a call come up to the tower from the tech officials that a driver failed a post-race tech inspection. That happened to be when Ty Majeski was too light on the scales after the first segment of the Dick Trickle 99. Many say that he would have easily won his second Trickle 99 in a row if that didn’t happen. View from the Tower – Overall, the 47th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend is one that will be remembered for emotions. The emotion seeing Toby Nuttleman finally winning the big race after trying for over 30 years as a crew chief, as his young driver tries to add something special to his racing resume. The emotion of Dan Fredrickson who said after the race that he had a perfect car, but an issue with the rear end of the car cut short a history making weekend in two events, but promising that he isn’t giving up and watch out for him in 2017. The sadness that many felt on Sunday after learning the news of the sudden passing of Joe Rinartz during the early hours of Sunday morning at Oktoberfest after racing in the Thunderstox and Outlawz divisions on Thursday night. There is a GoFundMe page established to assist the family. Please CLICK HERE and feel free to give a donation. Finally, the overall joy of catching up with friends, shaking hands, and feeling heartfelt hugs throughout the weekend. The racing community is one big family who all enjoy at least one thing together…auto racing. As each year goes by, we learn that there is more in common than just racing and it is for those reasons that people are already planning for 2017 and beyond. Some of us have new friend requests on Facebook, along with new followers on Twitter and Instagram after this weekend. These plus many other reasons explains why the hashtag #FestIsBest was trending last weekend. Upcoming Oktoberfest Race Weekend Dates 2017 October 5-6-7-8 2018 October 4-5-6-7 2019 October 3-4-5-6 2020 October 8-9-10-11
The race that the fans saw on the track at Sunday’s 47th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend was intense with a green-white-checkered finish at the end of 200 laps of respectable racing. After the race, the emotions from the top two showed that this was not just another race, but something that each want to put on their career resume.
When you look at Ty Majeski’s run at Oktoberfest over the past few years, he has won every event he has participated in, except for the finale on Sunday. He won the La Crosse Late Model feature on Thursday night, won the Dick Trickle 99 in 2015, won the Big 8 Series event on Saturday, and the JMcK 63 on Sunday. But that 200-lap finale would have probably happened last year, until a vapor lock on a restart halted that opportunity. Before coming into the weekend, that ARCA Midwest Tour 200-lap finale was something that was on Majeski’s mind. In fact, it was his main focus. Well, not just his main focus, but also the main focus of his entire team, especially crew chief Toby Nuttleman. Nuttleman has been coming to Oktoberfest for over 30 years as a crew chief and never won the main event. He came close several times and even had weekends like what Majeski experienced the last two years with Charlie Menard a little over ten years ago. Just like the demon that the late Dale Earnhardt experienced every year at the Daytona 500 or Susan Lucci winning best daytime actress Emmy, Nuttleman would leave Sunday at Fest doing the would’ve, could’ve, should’ve thoughts in his head. While Majeski was beating Dan Fredrickson on those final restarts, both Majeski and Nuttleman were worried that seeing the checkered flag first was going to wait another year. The fear that came to fruition last year, almost reared its ugly head in 2016. “Leading this race with ten laps to go, we went down a cylinder,” Majeski revealed after the race. “Must have been a plug wire or something, it would go away and come back then go away and come back. Once the caution came out, I thought we were done. I was just doing everything I could to get a good restart.” All he had to do was just hold off Fredrickson for two laps, and for him and Nuttleman, that demon was exorcised in their respective careers. “Toby has been trying for this for so many years now,” Majeski explained. “I think we had the car to beat in 2014, but we wrecked in a heat race. Last year, I thought we had it won until a caution came out and we had a vapor lock. Finally, it worked out this year, and it feels good.” Watching from near the start/finish line in those closing laps, you could see Nuttleman just doing his usual pacing while looking down on the ground. His other crew members were also pacing around the infield, a few almost looking like they were praying. Majeski would come off of turn four and take Tom White’s checkered flag, Majeski’s team swarmed over Nuttleman for one giant hug while Majeski did a few burnouts on the frontstretch. Majeski parked his car and tried to unbuckle as fast as he could, almost like the car was on fire and he had to get out of it right away. He exited his car, put his hand in the air giving his famous iRacing pose and jumped on the ground where he immediately ran over to Nuttleman for an emotional hug. Nuttleman was smiling and trying to hold back his emotions of what just happened. “It’s an incredible feeling, I am usually not this emotional, I don’t know what to say,” Nuttleman said. “Ty did an incredible job, like he always does. I just can’t thank everyone on the team for everything they have done. It’s an incredible day. Probably the best day of my life since my kids were born. I may sleep for a week now.” Nuttleman was just taking it all in, smiling ear to ear watching Majeski stand up on stage not only with this Oktoberfest 200 trophy, but along with his third straight ARCA Midwest Tour championship trophy. The first driver in the nine-year history of the tour to accomplish that goal. While there was happiness, there was disappointment. Some would say that Dan Fredrickson is always overlooked as one of the best drivers in the Midwest in the modern era of racing. Many would also agree that his name belongs up in the ranks of legends like Trickle, Shear, Detjens, Carlson and others. Even though he has won the Oktoberfest four times, a fifth win would put him as an equal to the late Joe Shear. That opportunity will have to wait one more year. “Something broke in the rear end and was putting grease down on the racetrack and I was sliding around in my own oil,” Fredrickson said. “I am not happy with the runner up trophy, but the car was handling excellent. I pitted early because I wanted the car to be perfect and drove back through the field. I don’t know what happened with the rear end.” Fredrickson gets respect because he tells it like it is and is not afraid to share it through his emotions. He is very respectable and thoughtful in defeat. When he was asked about coming back to get that fifth win, just the look on his face showed that he also had some unfinished business. On Sunday, 30 drivers started that race with one goal in mind…only one accomplished that goal. For the rest, it’s back to the drawing board and have one year to prepare to try again in 2017. The 47th Annual Oktoberfest Race Weekend is coming up this weekend (October 6-9) at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, Wisconsin.
For those returning of coming for the first time, here are some tips and ideas to help make it a fun weekend. Tip #1: Get the multi-day wristband. If you are sitting in the stands or want to hang out in the pits all four days, getting the multi-day wristband will save you time in line and a few dollars as well. Tip #2: Don’t leave your blankets in the stands after the races each night thinking they will be there the next day. Why? Cause they won’t be there. The track will not allow you to save your seats for the entire four days. But, each morning when the grandstands officially opens, you can join in the famous “Running of the Blankets” to mark your seats for the racing action later that day. Tip #3: Grab an official event guide and check out the activities that fans can do throughout the weekend. Some things include: Dean’s Satellite Camper Challenge, Pet Costume Parade, Memorabilia show, and pumpkin coloring contest. Tip #4: Buy a 50/50 raffle ticket. You are helping the ag society, who in turn helps make continuous improvements to the track/facility. Winners have gone home with some good coin. Tip #5: For those staying in the campground or come early to the track, there is always a hot breakfast for sale along the midway each morning. Sunday will have the famous charity pancake breakfast in the exhibition hall. Tip #6: Keep your eye out for two special food items are well known at Oktoberfest. Those are the pork chop sandwiches and the Queen’s Anne apple. The pork chop sandwich is an open butterfly, boneless sandwich cooked on an open grill. The Queen’s Anne apple is a sliced apple topped with caramel and whipped cream. Tip #7: Understand how the Dick Trickle 99 presented by JE Pistons works. It is three 33-lap segments. After each session, each driver will receive points. One point for first, two points for second, three for third, etc. The driver with the least amount of points at the end of the three segments is the winner, not necessarily the first car that crosses the line after three segments. The lineup for each segment will vary. First segment, the field will start straight up by their qualifying times. Second and third segment, lead lap cars with an invert of ten plus a draw. Look for scoring sheets around the concession areas. Tip #8: Hang around for the famous after race parties afterwards with live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Best opportunity to talk with your famous drivers and other race fans. Tip #9: Check out the 8th Annual Champion’s Re-Union on Sunday before the race at the hospitality chalet down near turns one and two. You never know who will show up, it may be someone you cheered for growing up. Tip #10: Follow and use @RaceOktoberfest on Twitter and Oktoberfest Race Weekend on Facebook. Get the latest news from the weekend and all year long leading up to next year’s event. Bonus Tip: Have fun and make new friends. Hope to see you this weekend. See me in the tower…look up and wave! (With all five fingers please.)
With the recent chatter about a reporter being denied credentials for a short track event, many people had a different reaction and thoughts about the situation. For this person, it was an opportunity to look back and reflect how a reporter gets to where they are today.
First, let’s look at where it all begins. Auto racing writers and reporters get involved coming from different avenues. Some went to college, received a journalism degree and got assigned to cover NASCAR or a local short track event. While others grew up in the sport and he or she found a position to write stories and press releases for a local racetrack or race team. This writer’s path started in 1992 working in the concession stands at Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wisconsin. After two years of flipping burgers and brats, an opportunity came to become part of a pit crew for a driver named Wayne Whitford. What is someone, who really isn’t knowledgeable about the ins and outs of an engine, doesn’t get how to set up a car and take forever to change a tire, supposed to do on a team? The natural thing is to be in charge of lap times, writing down tire temps, tire pressures and sizes. Our team had a smooth operation when Wayne would come in from being on the track. We were almost like a Cup pit crew; heck we could do all of that within two minutes. Going to school for a marketing degree came in handy for the team. School projects turned into marketing portfolios, newsletters for sponsors, and writing press releases benefited each side, team and education. 20 years ago, we won the track championship at Madison, a feeling that still feels like it happened yesterday. After that, the driver and team basically went their own ways and the next thing to come along was to work in the tower as a hand scorer at Madison and Jefferson Speedway. If anyone wants to learn how to focus and multitask, try hand scoring a race on a quarter-mile track. In 2002, the public relations position opened up at Madison and was encouraged to take over the spot. If you want to talk about being thrown into the wolves, working for a track that goes into foreclosure at the start of the season is a good way to learn how to work as the go between the promoters and the media. The track was able to work its way through the season and was sold in 2003. The new owner hired Roy Kenseth to promote the track and Roy asked me to stay on doing the public relation duties. What kind of luck would a guy have to work under someone during a racing season and see their boss’s son become the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup champion? One could guess that it could be close to winning the lottery. The opportunities to work with various people within the auto racing industry provides a different perspective than those who come out of college or have their own path to where they are today. Not many can say they helped work with a series in its infancy to what is now a very successful Midwest racing series. Not many can say they worked under the tutelage of someone who helped build the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from the beginning to being a part of the first ever American style stock car race in South Africa. Not many can say that they worked and learned with someone who has been involved on the television side of auto racing that created their own racing news website because there was a void to fill in the early days of the internet. From these opportunities, that person has met a lot of people and built rapport and relationships with many in the industry. It is from working under those people that you learn that those opportunities are an honor and a privilege to be involved in auto racing in any capacity. Those people have shown this writer that respect comes from all sides. That respect leads to understanding and appreciating that each promoter has their own way of doing business. While one may scratch their head at a decision made within the sport, it is up to us to be fair and allow them the opportunity to explain why in their own voice, not someone else speaking for them, and allowing both sides equal time. Someone recently said that short track racing is in a decline. Well, if that is solely based on what someone reads on social media, message boards, and certain individuals, let’s remember that many times negativity gets more attention than positive stories and comments. For this writer, the job is to share those stories and pass along any news that comes across the desk. To be fair to both sides, and dare I say be transparent with the subjects in the story. A person will respect you more when they know what you are putting in your story, positive or negative. It is a respectful thing to do. There isn’t a battle between media and those who work at tracks, series, teams, etc. There is more camaraderie than one would guess. Honestly, both sides are actually on the same page. They would like the coverage and we like to provide that coverage. This website is privately owned and updated by me. Any donations would be greatly appreciated to help maintain and make improvements. Thank you.
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July 2024
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