VERCAUTEREN MEMORIAL TO BE HELD FRIDAY AT NORWAY

Matt Panure
Mid American Stock Car Series
August 3, 2011

FORT ATKINSON, Wis. (August 3, 2011) – After consultation with the Vercauteren family, The Mid-American Stock Car Series announced Wednesday that the 22nd Vercauteren Memorial will be held this Friday Aug. 5 as part of the Race Ramps Eh Main at Norway (Mich.) Speedway.

Norway Speedway will be the fifth different venue to host the event which honors Mid-American founder Gary Vercauteren and his family.

The Vercauteren Memorial was first run in 1990 at the Calumet Country Raceway in Chilton, Wis. The event was founded to honor Harold and Regina Vercauteren, the parents of Gary Vercauteren. Vercauteren was the public relations director of the venue at the time.

As a momento, Vercauteren presented a five-foot tall trophy to the winner of the event and named the trophy after his late parents. The trophy has since become a traveling trophy and is presented to the winner of each year’s Vercauteren Memorial. It is typically presented by Gary’s family including his brothers Jim and Pete, who was Vice President in the early years of Mid-American, his wife Kay, sons John and Keith, and sister Dianne.

In 1993, when Vercauteren founded Mid-American, he brought the trophy to the asphalt. The event has traditionally been run as one of the three legs of the Red, White and Blue State Championship at Wisconsin International Raceway.

In 2007 and 2009 Mid-American brought the event to 141 Speedway, a venue that Vercauteren was instrumental in helping re-open in 1998 with track owner/promoter and former MASCS racer Matt Rowe.

Last season the event was won by Bill Prietzel at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. If Prietzel is to defend he will have to shake Lyle Nowak, to whom he finished second in the last two trips to Norway Speedway.

Mid-American made its first trip to Norway in 1993 under the ownership of Vercauteren. The event was won by Larry Richards of Montello, Wis. Perhaps the most notable occurrence of that event was a wild wreck in which Jim Duchow’s throttle stuck and he went head on into the tires in turn one and flipped several times. That event and another at WIR earned Duchow the nickname “Flipper” in his tenure with the series.

“We’ve enjoyed our travels to the U.P. over the past two seasons,” said MASCS co-owner Doug Strasburg. “Norway Speedway has provided tremendous competition and a very fun venue. To have one of our most important races of the season at Norway is a great fit.”

The Vercauteren Memorial joins one of Norway’s largest events of the season as the Late Models will compete in the 111-lap Stateline Challenge. Pit Gates open at 2:30 p.m., practice is at 3:30, qualifying at 5:30 and racing starts after opening ceremonies at 6:55.

Norway Speedway is located on the Dickinson County Fairgrounds just off Highway 8 in Norway, Mich. For more information visit www.norwayspeedway.com

Past Vercauteren Memorial Winners (event run at Wisconsin International Raceway unless otherwise noted):

2010 – Bill Prietzel, Richfield, Wis. (Road America)
2009 – Greg Haese, Two Rivers, Wis. (141 Speedway)
2008 – Jake Finney, Sycamore, Ill.
2007 – Kevin Damrow (event was run at 141 Speedway)
2006 – James Swan, Lake Geneva, Wis.
2005 – Brett Piontek, Green Bay, Wis.
2004 – Bill Prietzel
2003 – Jeremy Spoonmore, Somonauk, Ill.
2002 – Peter Hernandez, Minooka, Ill.
2001 – Peter Hernandez
2000 – Mark Pluer, Brookfield, Wis.
1999 – Gregg Haese
1998 – Pat Kelly, Joliet, Ill.
1997 – Bill Prietzel
1996 – Pat Kelly
1995 – Eddie Hoffman. Westchester, Ill.
1994 – Brian Lambie, Black Creek, Wis.
1993 – Eddie Hoffman
1992 – Jerry Wenzel, Two Rivers, Wis. (Calumet County Raceway)
1991 – Larry Richards, Montello, Wis. (Calumet County Raceway)
1990 – Wayne Strand (Calumet County Raceway)