MID-AMERICAN "SWEET SIXTEEN" SEASON PREVIEW

Matt Panure
Mid American Stock Car Series
March 30, 2008

(Fort Atkinson, WI), March 30 -- The Mid-American Stock Car Series continued to build on its new era success in 2007 with one of the most competitive campaigns in recent history. Eighty-eight drivers and teams entered a Mid-American event last season, with an average of 30 per race and a season high 49 participants at the Milwaukee Mile. Through the twelve events, there were ten different winners, including three drivers who made their first ever trips to victory lane.

The “Sweet Sixteen” season for Mid-American will begin at one of the venues which hosted a first time winner in Dave Obermeyer, the Rockford Speedway in Love’s Park, IL. Along with the Sunday, April 13th Spring Opener , the series will storm into Rockford on Sunday, September 28th as part of the 43rd Annual National Short Track Championships.

Since Rockford has been one of the cornerstone tracks of Mid-American, drivers express great interest in having a successful run at the high banked quarter-mile oval. “I really want to win at Rockford. I've been there so many times and come so close,” said long time Mid-American ace Bobby Gutknecht.

Gutknecht had a break-out season in 2007. Halfway through the season, Gutknecht charged to the top of the series standings with a fourth place finish at the Dells Raceway Park and a win the following week at Wisconsin International Raceway. He followed up the win at WIR with a win in the non-points event at the Milwaukee Mile a month later.

The win at Milwaukee would have given Gutknecht a cushion to absorb the points hit he took in the next two races at the 141 Speedway and Marshfield Super Speedway, but the event was a non-points race in 2007. That will change as drivers will be awarded points for their efforts at Milwaukee in 2008. “I think its a year too late,” joked Gutknecht.

Some drivers, however, do not need any extra incentive to head to the legendary Mile. “Milwaukee was probably the highlight of my racing career,” said Lyle Nowak, who finished fifth in 2007 standings. “To have the opportunity to go there is a dream. To run second, for us, was almost like winning the Daytona 500 for someone else,” he added. A pretty bold statement for a driver who can boast sixteen track championships, but is too modest to do so.

Many of Lyle’s competitors will keep their eyes peeled for the Sprecher Brewery/AGRA Industries sponsored Monte Carlo this season. “I know Lyle did a lot of work this winter. He's going to be tough,” expressed Gutknecht. There will be two tracks, in particular, where fans and competitors would be wise to pay attention to Nowak. They are in Lyle’s backyard at the Golden Sands Speedway and Marshfield. Nowak won the race at Golden Sands last spring and finished a strong fourth at Marshfield in the fall. “We're really happy that the series is coming close to our stomping grounds. We were really good at Marshfield, we just missed the set up a little bit. We look forward to trying again this year,” explained Nowak.

A track, surprisingly, that Nowak has yet to see is Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, IA. Nowak, as well as many other drivers who are new to Mid-American, will get an education as the series heads to Hawkeye Downs in the fall. Gutknecht was happy to see a return trip to Hawkeye Downs in the plan for 2008, as that was the last victory lane he saw before breaking his three year dry spell at WIR. "I can't wait to get there,” said Gutknecht. “I have a lot of laps there and not too many guys in the series do. I'll enjoy that. I think once guys get there for the first time they'll really like the track.”

One of the drivers who is not at all unfamiliar with Hawkeye Downs is 2007 runner-up Bill Prietzel. Prietzel has been to the facility in both a car and a truck and possesses an incredible amount of experience at each and every stop on the 2008 Mid-American schedule. With championships in 2000, 2003 and 2005, Prietzel will aim to be the first four-time champion of the series. “If everything falls into place, it could happen,” Prietzel stated.

Last year, Prietzel came up just shy of that fourth championship as he was beat out by another three-time champion, James Swan. Swan and Prietzel were engaged in a similar battle in 2001. Perhaps, in 2008 the third time is the charm for Prietzel to beat out Swan. “James is the guy. (He and his team) have a good thing going there. Is he beatable? Absolutely, everyone is,” Prietzel predicted. “Hopefully we'll be a little better this year. If James stumbles once or twice like he did last year, we could be on top.”

Swan and his Berge Racing crew are ready to take on all challengers in 2008. Swan got off to a tough start last season after his second place run at Rockford in the spring. In fact it took Swan until September 21st at Marshfield to pick up his first feature win of 2007. The drought included a snake bitten run at Madison. Swan was in the lead halfway through the feature event on his way to a clean sweep when the engine expired on his Hankscraft Impala. “I think Madison owes us one,” he said. According to Swan, he will not have to wait until the fall to visit victory lane this year. “I plan on winning at Rockford. We need to do better in the spring race, its easier to pass then because there is less rubber on the track and less grip in the top lane.”

Should Swan complete the three-peat, he would be the first driver to win three championships in a row and the first to four. “I can't really comprehend it, we are really excited for the opportunity,” exclaimed Swan. “We're going to wear tuxes to the banquet if it happens.”

Prietzel, Nowak and Gutknecht will certainly try to prevent some revenue from flowing into the tuxedo rental businesses come next January, but it is possible that some drivers outside of the top five could present just as big of a challenge. One of the drivers looking to step into the limelight will be 2007 Mid-American Rookie of the Year, Kyle Shear.

Shear, who won his first Mid-American event at Dells Raceway Park, had a tremendous freshman campaign. "I wouldn’t say he’s really a dark horse. I think Kyle Shear could be a factor in how all of this turns out as well,” said Nowak of Shear. Along with his older brother Troy Jr., Shear expects to step up his efforts in 2008. “(A championship) may be a little farfetched. If I can finish in the top five I'll feel pretty successful, hopefully we'll bring home a win or two,” said Kyle.

Bill Prietzel offered an even more open ended interpretation of who could take the Sixteenth Season of Mid-American, “Maybe someone who we don't even know will come in and put us all to shame.”

The 2008 season will be a challenging affair for drivers with increased competition at famed Midwestern venues. At the end of the year, the driver who is atop the standings will be able to look back with a great sense of accomplishment for conquering Mid-American’s “Sweet Sixteen” season. For more information about the Mid-American Series including the final 2007 standings, the 2008 schedule and driver info visit www.midamericanracing.com. For more information on the April 13th Spring Opener at Rockford Speedway please visit www.rockfordspeedway.com.