Wi Dirt Racin

Ashland, WI — During the Summer of 2014, the ABC Raceway’s three-eighths-mile red-clay oval has been particularly fast. Single-lap records have been broken in two of the track’s four electronically-timed divisions during feature races this season.
On Saturday night, fans could get a chance to find out just how fast this track can be.
The Northern State Bank of Ashland will present the fourth annual visit by the Interstate Racing Association’s sprint car series. This Midwestern-based traveling group expects to bring upwards of two dozen drivers to ABC, piloting 1,400-pound winged sprint cars with 410-cubic-inch powerplants that churn out upwards of 900 horsepower, resulting in triple-digit lap speeds.

In addition, FastLane Motorsports & Custom Powdercoating of Ashland will present its ninth annual Super Stock Challenge, offering an enhanced purse for drivers in the WISSOTA Super Stock division.
“This has become one of the most popular shows on our schedule,” stated ABC Raceway president Kurt Beeksma recently. “Add the high-speed excitement of the IRA sprints with the ultra-competitive Super Stocks and you have a recipe for a great race program.”
As he did for each of the first two visits by the IRA sprints to the northern Wisconsin track, Bill Balog of Brookfield brings the series’ points lead with him heading into Saturday’s show, barring anything disasterous happening to him during the tour’s race program at the big half-mile in Antigo on Friday. Balog is the six-time defending IRA champion and had won a series-best five A-mains this season prior to Friday – all consecutive, until his streak was ended in Wilmot last Saturday by nationally-known championship driver Dale Blaney in a match-up of regional touring series, when the IRA took on the All-Star Circuit of Champions sprinters.
Other top drivers to watch, should they make the trip north this weekend, include second-in-points Bill Rose; veteran drivers Scott Neitzel, Mike Reinke, and Scott and Dave Uttech; second-generation stars Philip Mock and Kris Spitz; and last year’s top rookie, Russell Borland.
Just how fast are these sprint cars? The fastest lap set by any of the ABC Raceway’s regular weekly divisions (Pure Stocks are not electronically timed) was posted on July 5 of this year by Ashland’s Steve Stuart in his WISSOTA Modified, when he toured the red-clay oval in a time of 16.218 seconds. That extrapolates out to an average speed of 83.241 mph.
Jake Redetzke of Eau Claire set the track’s all-time speed record for stock cars with a time of 15.855 seconds, or 85.147 mph, on his way to the 2012 Red Clay Classic WISSOTA Late Model feature win.
During the IRA’s 2012 visit to Ashland, Balog torched the track during time trials with a lap of 12.382 seconds – or an average speed of 109.029 mph. That was a mile-and-a-half per hour faster than Reinke’s fast-qualifier lap here the year before.
The IRA usually times its racers during qualifying using a photo-timer system. This year, ABC track officials are toying with the idea of strapping transponders onto the sprint cars. Transponders generate electronic signals that are sent to a computer to keep track of both laps times and a race’s running order. Transponders have been used to score race results for four of ABC’s five regular weekly divisions and every Red Clay Classic since 2008.
The sprint car series’ visit to ABC was cut short by wet weather in 2013, but those who run the IRA itinerary have been looking forward to a return to the Wisconsin northwoods. Saturday’s show will be the middle stop of a three-race weekend that concludes with a Sunday night program at Eagle Valley Speedway in Jim Falls.
For the Super Stocks, the enhanced purse isn’t the only thing on the line. Scott Lawrence of Superior has parlayed a July 5 feature win and subsequent back-to-back runner-up finishes into an 11-point lead on Cory Casari of Montreal, as he looks to lock up an 11th consecutive divisional points title and 14th championship overall here.
Lawrence is also the two-time defending Super Stock Challenge champion and has won four of the eight previous runnings of this event. He should be well-challenged by the likes of last week’s feature winner, Dave Flynn of Superior, as well as Casari, Nick Oreskovich of Mason, Randy Spacek of Phillips and many others.
The Raceway’s Six-Cylinder and Pure Stock divisions will round out the race program with points-paying heats and features. The WISSOTA Modifieds and Midwest Mods will get the night off.
The pit gates will open for the sprint car teams at around 2 pm and for other racers at about 4:30, while the grandstands will open at 5 pm. Adult admission is $20, fans ages 6-12 get in for $5, and kids under age 6 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Hot laps start at 6:15 pm, followed by time-trial qualifying for the IRA sprint cars. The first heat race of the night should start at around 7.
“Race Night” will provide up-to-date track news and weather information live from the track on WBSZ, 93.3 FM, and online at www.wbszfm.com, from 4:30-6 pm on Saturday. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990, or log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com.

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