Mid-Mod Series to Begin as ABC Firms Up Schedule

by Nick Gima

                Ashland, WI, June 17 — The ABC Raceway will go from hosting one big event last Saturday night to a couple more in June, as the historic northern Wisconsin dirt track’s schedule for the 2020 season is starting to take shape.

                On June 20 the first round of the recently-announced Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center Summer Series for the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds will take place on the three-eighths-mile red-clay oval located just south of Ashland. The three-night series will see Mid-Mods racing for $500 to win in each night’s feature, with a bonus of $300 to the driver that has collected the most points at series’ end.

                The opening round will be presented by Zar’s Bar & Banquet Hall of Ashland, and the first 500 paying adults to come through the grandstand gates for Saturday’s show will receive a free “can koozie,” complements of Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center and the ABC Raceway.

                “The folks at Ashland Ford-Chrysler Center have been working with us for a while to put something together,” explained Raceway Board president Eric Erickson recently. “This is going to be a great collaboration that we hope will last for a long time – we get to work with another outstanding local business, and they get an opportunity to support our drivers and fans.”

                Ever since the Mid-Mods came into existence with WISSOTA in 2001, the division has seen steady growth in terms of both car counts and fan enthusiasm, and because of that they became a regular offering at the ABC Raceway in 2008. The cars are basically a “baby brother” to the more powerful WISSOTA Modifieds, with a similar chassis design but less powerful drivetrain. Yet there is no doubt about the popularity of the division, as Mid-Mods have consistently generated the highest car counts in WISSOTA.

                A great example of the excitement that Mid-Mods can provide came in last Saturday’s feature at ABC, when the division’s defending points champ here – George Dalbeck of Wakefield, MI – came from the 19th starting spot on a grid of 20 cars and sifted his way through the field to make a last-lap pass for his 22nd career feature win at Ashland, and his Raceway-record 19th win in the division.

                Over 30 Midwest Mods are expected to compete during the series, which continues on July 18 and concludes on August 8.

                In another scheduling update, the ABC Raceway has announced that it will host WISSOTA Late Models and Northern Renegades traditional (non-winged) sprint cars during its June 27 program. The visiting classes will join the WISSOTA Mods, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods and Hornets in what should be a full night of racing action.

                “The scheduling has been in flux all season so far, due to the coronavirus pandemic,” Erickson stated regarding the addition of the sprints and Late Models. “Fortunately, we’ve been able to get both sponsors and drivers to support many of these eleventh-hour changes.”

                For this Saturday’s show, the pit gates will open at 4:30 pm, the grandstand gates will welcome fans in at 5, hot laps will kick off the on-track action at 6:15, and green-flag racing gets going at 7 pm. Adult grandstand admission tickets are just $11 per person, either at the gate or online via www.myracepass.com, and kids ages 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Ten-race punch passes are also available at the Raceway’s ticket window on race nights, and advance pit passes are also available online.

                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, log on to the track’s website, www.abcraceway.com, or check out the track’s FaceBook page.