NOWAK EYES HOT START TO 2008 SEASON |
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Topics: Lyle Nowak
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Matt Panure
Mid American Stock Car Series
April 20, 2008
(Fort Atkinson, WI) April 20 – Mid-American’s Sweet Sixteen season could not be going any better for Lyle Nowak. Nowak, who has one track championship for every year of Mid-American’s existence, won last week’s season opening event at the Rockford Speedway. He will take an incredible amount of momentum back to his home area as the series will make its third New-Era appearance at the Golden Sands Speedway for the Spring Spectacular 40 next Sunday afternoon April 27th.
While Nowak waits anxiously for a better weather forecast for next week’s event, he hopes the result is the same as last Sunday’s. “We didn't qualify too well but the car was very racey,” said the Wausau, WI veteran. “We had a good starting spot, fell back a little bit and then the car came to us,” he added. The win added to Nowak’s already impressive record at Rockford in the past three years. Nowak began with a win in the 2006 Spring Opener. He backed that up with a fourth place finish in the National Short Track Championships and two ninth place finishes in 2007.
An impressive Rockford record pales in comparison to Nowak’s Mid-American history at Golden Sands. The results of the 2006 event at Golden Sands do not tell the whole story of Nowak’s fantastic run. Nowak had reeled in Jeff Tisler in the waning laps of that event and looked as though he would complete the pass and cruise to victory. However, Nowak suffered a flat left front that ended his day with a 14th place finish. Since then, Nowak has yet to lose at Golden Sands.
Later in the evening of the 2006 event, Nowak easily won the shootout between the Golden Sands Super Stocks and Mid-American Stock Cars. A return trip last April saw Nowak hold off three-time Mid-American champion Bill Prietzel in the final laps. Coincidentally, the left front tire on the Sprecher Brewery Monte Carlo began to go flat again. But the Hoosier F75 held on long enough for Nowak to pull into victory lane. “I'm hoping we can keep all of the air in the tires this year,” Nowak joked. “If we can do that we'll give a fair account of what we can do.”
Nowak’s top notch performances at Golden Sands have been partially aided by largely pro-Nowak crowds. There was an incredible uproar when Nowak took the checkered flag in 2007. “To be able to go to Golden Sands and race in front of family and friends at a track that we’re pretty familiar with is always exciting,” he said.
Humble in nature, Nowak recognized that he will not be alone at the front of the pack at the high banked 1/3 mile oval in Plover, WI. “Mid-Am races are tough to win. [I] know that Bill Prietzel, Bobby Gutknecht, James Swan and the gang will all be very fast and competitive. We're going to give it our best shot and race the best that we can. I look forward to the challenge.”
Qualifying for the Golden Sands Spring Spectacular begins at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Pits open at 10 a.m. and racing begins at 2:30. Mid-American will be joined by several of the local GSS classes. For more information on the Golden Sands Speedway please visit www.goldensandsspeedway.com . For more information about the Mid-American Series including results, current 2008 standings, the remaining 2008 schedule and driver info please visit www.midamericanracing.com. The Golden Sands Speedway is located approximately 7 miles west of Plover on Highway 54.