BUSY WEEK ON TAP FOR MID-AMERICAN STOCK CAR SERIES

Matt Panure
Mid American Stock Car Series
July 6, 2013

FORT ATKINSON, Wis. (July 6, 2013) – Fifteen days will have elapsed between the Mid-American Stock Car Series last event at Jefferson Speedway and the time when they hit the track at the historic Milwaukee Mile. With just enough time to catch their breath, drivers and teams will be on track three out of four days this week.

On Monday Mid-American will begin a two-day event at the Mile as part of ARCAFest. Practice and qualifying will take place on Monday and the 30-lap feature will take place on Tuesday. Once teams put the wraps on Tuesday’s race they will be on the move to State Park Speedway in Wausau, Wis., Thursday. The tight quarter-mile truly will test the versatility of MASCS teams.

The event at Milwaukee is one that has been circled on many calendars since Mid-American officials announced the addition at the banquet in January. Racing returned in a big way last year with the ARCA Midwest Tour’s Lettow 150. This year Mid-American was invited to join the event.

Sopwith Motorsports will also be in attendance at Milwaukee and will televise a half-hour show on the event at a time to be determined after production.

“Milwaukee has always been a part of the Mid-American tradition,” said MASCS co-owner Doug Strasburg. “Our teams have been anxious to return for over four years now. When we were asked to be a part of the event it was an easy choice. We’re happy to give our teams the opportunity to return to this premier facility.”

Mid-American’s last visit to the Mile was during Governor’s Cup Weekend in August of 2008. Plenty of side-by-side racing highlighted the 40-lap feature event. Ross Zumbach put his name in the Milwaukee Mile history book. By claiming his first Mid-American win at the age of 18, Zumbach became one of the youngest winners at the facility. The win propelled Zumbach to get looks from many top Late Model and Super Late Model teams.

In 2007 Mid-American brought nearly 50 competitors to the Mile. The race again found high drama as Bobby Gutknecht and Lyle Nowak were prepared to settle a friendly dispute up front. However, their battle was cut short when a blown engine caused a massive pile up and an early appearance of the checkered flag. At the facility nearest to his hometown of Oak Creek, Bobby Gutknecht celebrated the biggest win of his nearly 20-year MASCS career.

Five-time MASCS Champion James Swan claimed his win at the Milwaukee Mile in 2006, the first Mid-Am visit to the Mile in the Strasburg era. In an exhibition event the next day, Bill Prietzel won the Dash for Cash – a large win for Prietzel whose business is just down the road from the Mile.

This year’s entry list for the MASCS feature at the Mile is shaping up to be a new-school versus old-school field. After two years off, Bobby Gutknecht will make his return to Mid-Am action. Ron Weyer, Bill Prietzel and Rick Corso will also bring experience into the Mid-Am event. They will face off against current Mid-Am frontrunners Brad Keith (who has a past podium finish at Milwaukee), Lyle Nowak, Jeremy Spoonmore, Danny Gilster and Rick Tackman.

“Fans can expect an exciting event as always,” Strasburg said. “Each of the past three of our races had an incredible storyline develop. With the caliber of drivers entered this year’s race could produce even more drama than those of years past.”

Mid-American’s feature is scheduled to hit the track at approximately 4:30 p.m. according to the Milwaukee Mile’s minute-by-minute schedule. A full schedule is available at www.arcafest.com.

After the feature Mid-Am drivers will be able to cheer on past Alumni in the Lettow 150. Past Mid-Am Champions James Swan, Eddie Hoffman and Jeff Storm are included in the field as well as past MASCS standouts Jonathan Eilen, Jeremy Miller, Austin Luedtke and Gary Lamonte. Once the flag falls, the focus will shift from the big Mile to the quarter-mile at State Park.

“I’m not sure if we could compete at two venues that are as different as Milwaukee and Wausau in one week,” Strasburg said. “This is the kind of week that demonstrates the true spirit of Mid-American teams.”

Separated by about 180 miles, the differences between Milwaukee and Wausau are indeed tremendous. The Mile has long straightaways that allow the racer to accelerate to the max and wide sweeping turns that require heavy braking and precise set ups. On the tight quarter-mile of Wausau teams rarely go full throttle down the straightaways and rely heavily on momentum through the turns.

Set ups will be drastically different between the two venues, making Wednesday and early Thursday perhaps the most crucial period of time in determining who walks away victorious at Wausau.

Last year a win at State Park Speedway propelled Jeremy Spoonmore to a Mid-Am Championship. He had to battle hard to hold off the likes of Nowak, Swan and Tackman, who set fast time for the event.

“Preparation is so important for Mid-American teams,” Strasburg said. “The team that makes the best adjustments between Milwaukee and Wausau, and is best prepared for Thursday will potentially put a pretty good cap on a busy week.”

Qualifying is scheduled for 6:30 at Wausau with racing slated to begin at 7 p.m. For more information on State Park Speedway visit www.stateparkspeedway.com.