Dirt Empire Magazine - Issue 5 - 2021 by dirtempiremagazine

KINGS

R O YA L

REVIEW

PICTURES

L AT E

M O D E L

M O D I F I E D S P R I N T S T O C K &

M O R E

E I D A c E R M C T M TIIM

N A M F F O H K N CK NIIC

Issue 05 - 2021

NS N SIMMO A Y R : S R A SON RACK ST IN SOREN T SHORT T S U D • LLEN IN ROBBIE A REVIEW S L A N TIO S ILLE NA PICTURE + KNOXV TECH:

Eibach

ISSUE 05 2021

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Issue 05 • Volume 01 2021 Advertising Info: email: dirtempiremagazine@gmail.com phone: 912.342.8026 OWNER/PUBLISHER Adam Cornell EDITOR Justin Zoch SUBSCRIPTION COORDINATOR Abigail Cornell WEBSITE COORDINATOR Shaun Cornell WORDS Ashley Allinson, Ashley Zimmerman, Bert Lehman, Bill Blumer Jr., Bob Mays, Brett Swanson, Chad Meyer, Chris Romano, Cyndi Stiffler, Danny Burton, David Sink, Doug Kennedy, Doug Seeger, Elizabeth Madley, Eric Arnold, Gary Costa, Greg Soukup, Jessica Jenkins, Joanne Cram, Joe Duvall, Kelley Carlton, Kevin Oldham, Larry Weeks, Lee Ackerman, Melissa Coker, Mike Spieker, Odell Suttle, Scott Erickson, TJ Buffenbarger, Todd Heintzelman, Vahok Hill

POLE POSITION KINGS

R O YA L

REVIEW

PICTURES

L AT E

COVER PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS: TIM MCCREADIE - MIKE MUSSLIN NICK HOFFMAN - JASON SPENCER

M O D E L

M O D I F I E D S P R I N T S T O C K &

M O R E

TIM TIM McCREADIE

HOFFMAN NI CK NICK

ISSUE 05 2021

NS N SIMMO A R S : R YA RACK ST RENSON SHORT T USTIN SO LLEN • D IN ROBBIE A REVIEW ONALS LE NATI L I TURES V C X I P O + KN TECH:

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FOR SUBMISSION INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT SENIOR EDITOR JUSTIN ZOCH: ZOCH24@HOTMAIL.COM

PICTURES Adam Mollenkopf, Andy Newsome, Bill Miller, Bill Taylor, Bob Mays, Bob Yurko, Brad Plant, Brandon Anderson, Brendon Bauman, Brian Bouder, Bruce Palla, Buck Monson, Buzz Fisher, Carey Fox, Chad Wells, Chris McDill, Chris Pederson, Conrad Nelson, Dan DeMarco, Danny Howk, David Campbell, David Giles, David Hill, David Pratt, Dennis Krieger, Don Laidlaw, Donna Rosenstengel, Doug Burgess, Doug Vandeventer, Glen Starek, Gordy O’Field, Greg Stanek, Greg Teel, Heath Lawson, Jacy Norgaard, Jason Orth, Jason Spencer, Jason Wells, Jeff Bylsma, Jim Collum Jr., Jim DenHamer, Jim Zimmerline, Jimmy Jones, Joe Orth, Joe Secka, John Dadalt, John Lee, John Rothermel, Jon Holliday, Joseph Swann, Ken Kelly, Lee Greenawalt, Leif Tillotson, Mark Funderburk, Mark Sublett, Matt Butcosk, Michael Diers, Michael Moats, Mike Campbell, Mike Damic, Mike Feltenberger, Mike Howard, Mike Musslin, Mike Ruefer, Millie Tanner, Patrick Miller, Paul Arch, Paul Gould, Quentin Young, Rich LaBrier, Richard Barnes, Rick Neff, Rick Sherer, Robert Wing, Rocky Ragusa, Ron Gilson, Ryan Northcote, Scott Swenson, Seth Stone, Steve Walters, Tara Chavez, Terry Page, Tim Aylwin, Tim Hunt, Todd Boyd, Tom Macht, Tony Hammett, Travis Branch, Troy Junkins, Tyler Carr, Tyler Rinkin, Zach Yost, Zakary Kriener

Dirt Empire Magazine is published 8 times annually. Copyright © 2021 Dirt Empire Magazine. Dirt Empire is a registered trademark of Dirt Empire Magazine and cannot be used without prior written authorization. Any unauthorized use of the Dirt Empire Magazine Logo or related icons is strictly prohibited. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Dirt Empire Magazine and its writers and editors are not responsible for typos or clerical errors in advertisements or articles. Postmaster: Send all address changes to: Dirt Empire Magazine, PO Box 919 Brunswick, GA 31521 Subscription rate is $36 US annually. Canadian subscribers add $24 annually. International subscribers add $72 annually.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Brinn Inc.

CONTENTS Issue 05 - 2021

From the Cover: Tim McCreadie has been lighting it up in 2021. Read what lights him up on page 38.

Photo: Mike Musslin

7 Fore Word – Adam Cornell 8 From the Editor – Justin Zoch 10 News and Notes 13 Skull Candy 14 Lighter Side of Dirt 15 Moving Pics 16 Graphic Language 16 Action Capture 18 In Memorium 19 My Favorite Wrap 22 Action Capture 26 Ask The Driver – Nick Hoffman 30 My Top Five - Knoxville 32 Beauty of Racing 34 Short Track Stars – Ryan Simmons 38 Tim McCreadie 48 Shifting Gears - Robbie Allen 50 Review in Pictures – Kings Royal(s) 54 Short Track Stars – Dustin Sorenson 58 Review in Photos – Knoxville Nationals 64 Shooter at Large – Buck Monson 72 Universal Tech 74 Yesterday’s Dirt 76 The Dirt Chronicles 78 New & Featured Products 79 Pit Stop 80 Advertiser’s Index

FEATURES 26 ASK THE DRIVER – NICK HOFFMAN

We solicited questions for the hottest UMP driver in the country and he answered all of them, including his favorite track, his most heartbreaking loss and some of the tips and tricks for not only getting through the Hell Tour but dominating it. 38 CONSISTENCY, BALANCE, PORSCHES AND MIDGETS

We caught up with Tim McCreadie in the middle of one of his most successful seasons in several years and talked to him about his race team, his future and plenty of other topics, including what kind of car he’d really like to race someday. 50 CROWNING TWO KINGS

We sent our some of our best shooters to Eldora to cover the insanity that was two Kings Royal championship races in one day and they rewarded us with excellent shots of King Kyle, King Tyler and everything else that happened on and off the track. 58 IT’S LARSON (OF COURSE IT WAS) AT KNOXVILLE

The 60th edition of the Knoxville Nationals brought a sell out crowd back to small town Iowa to watch the best there is right now hold of 10-time champion Donny Schatz. We’ve got it all covered with our top notch photographers and behind the scenes coverage.

VISIT DIRTEMPIREMAGAZINE.COM FOR MORE STORIES DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Salon at Studio B

HOW COVID NEARLY DESTROYED DIRT EMPIRE I WAS SO EXCITED. I had never been to the Knoxville Nationals and this was the year! Despite the ongoing pandemic, I wasn’t concerned. I’d already had Covid-19 early in 2020 and survived. My doctor said I had a more robust immune response than even getting a vaccine, so I was set and ready to go. Not that I was throwing caution to the wind. I was still cautious, washing hands, wearing a mask where requested, not shaking many hands, and so on. The truck was literally packed up and I was just getting a little more computer work done when I started to feel a little uneasy. I’ve learned to listen to my body over the years, and I could tell something wasn’t quite right. I had an 18-hour drive ahead and a busy week of interacting with the public and watching a phenomenal race. I wasn’t going to let a little icky feeling stop me was I? I recalled a story from the early time of the pandemic. A woman wasn’t feeling good after getting back from a cruise. She was supposed to go to the wedding

a eliss

to: M Pho ey

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of her niece the following week. Despite getting more and more sick, “she wasn’t going to miss this for the world!” She went. Many individuals got sick from that. Several elderly individuals passed away. I’m not saying there weren’t mitigating circumstances, but all the same. I swore to myself I would never do the “Not miss this for the world” thing if I ever started feeling ill during this pandemic. So, on Monday, with the truck packed up and a full tank of gas loaded, I was ready to start heading from Georgia to Iowa. I had to make the heartbreaking decision: “I’m pulling the plug on my trip to Knoxville.” I cancelled my hotel and let my team members, Justin and Ashley, know that I wasn’t coming. I felt bad. I felt like I was letting the team down. It was probably nothing. What a wimp! Within 24 hours I knew it was the right decision. I was sick. I could still finalize this issue of Dirt Empire, however. I could still be functional at least. I struggled on with the work I could do, but I got progressively worse. I did all the things everyone recommended – Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and so on and so on and so on. But it got worse and worse. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t even type two words together and make sense of them. At this point, I had no idea it was Covid. It couldn’t be. I already had it. It was probably summer flu, or maybe just a cold, or maybe something else. Needless to say, after several days it became clear I wasn’t just sick. I was really, very, very, sick. I went to get tested and was told it was a positive Covid test. Go home, get better. That was the instructions. “Go home, get better…next!” I followed orders. But I wasn’t getting better. I couldn’t stay awake. I could barely make it to the restroom. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t drink.

fore WORD

By Adam Cornell If you’re aware of my last column, you know that I am in the process of relocating the family and business from New York State to Southeast Georgia. So, I was alone. My family was all in NY continuing work and their lives up there until the house was finished here in Georgia. My wife recommended I go to the emergency room. I went to the local “small town” emergency room and sat for two hours without being seen. I walked out. I didn’t want to get anyone else sick, and I didn’t see how I was actually going to get help. My wife is smarter than me. It’s one of the main reasons I married her nearly twenty years ago. I knew she would always be there to steer me right. She told me she was getting on a plane and coming to rescue me. Within 24 hours she was in Georgia and we were on our way across the Florida border to Jacksonville to University of Florida Health (UFHealth). I was admitted immediately. My oxygen levels were dangerously low and it got very scary for 24 hours. No wonder I couldn’t think clearly. No wonder I couldn’t remember my name at check in. No wonder all I wanted to do was sleep. It was bad. Through the shroud of weakness and barely-there-consciousness, the responsibilities I had toward this publication weighed heavily on me. We were just a day or so from deadline! It was all falling apart. What would happen? It couldn’t run without me – we have been running lean to keep CONTINUED ON PAGE 81

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

TWO GIANTS LOST Photo: Leroy Byers

from the EDITOR

By Justin Zoch RESPECT, ESPECIALLY IN A professional setting, is such a tricky concept. Respect in one’s day to day life is much easier to sort out with your neighbors, family members, friends and co-workers that you actually get to interact with and relate to personally. Respecting someone you’ve never met gets trickier, in my opinion, but we recently lost two titans in the auto racing media landscape that I would have no trouble saying garnered my full respect. I never met Bob Jenkins or Robin Miller but I certainly respected both of them. In a professional sense, I think we respect the people who do the things we do but in a way that we may never be able to do them. That certainly holds true for this duo, who were born about two years and 60 miles apart in the heart of Indy Car country near the middle of the last century. Both were lost to cancer in the month of August of this past year, Jenkins leaving us on the 9th and Miller following him on the 27th. Dirt Empire doesn’t do a lot of Indy Car coverage, obviously, and these two made their careers primarily by covering the Indy Car scene, the Brickyard or NASCAR and will forever be intrinsically linked to that level of our sport but both of them were also extremely generous when describing their love and passion for American dirt track racing and its importance to them personally and to the sport as a whole. Miller, unlike Jenkins, tried his hand at racing for several years after breaking into the sport by stooging for various Indy Car teams, slowly building a roster of sources inside the Brickyard that would serve him well throughout his life. He eventually realized his lot was with the pen, not the

Robin Miller with his Midget circa 1980. wheel. Never a mechanical whiz, Miller focused on people, racing politics and relationships in his writing and was never afraid to write it like he saw it. Miller wasn’t afraid of taking on the norm, like in his famous feud with Tony George over the IRL that nearly cost him his entire career. He’d be a favorite on some of the Reddit boards hosting Unpopular Opinions (where people list things like “Springsteen only has a few good songs” or “In-N-Out Burgers aren’t anything special”) because he was willing to take a stance and share it and he didn’t much care if you agreed with him. I respect people who can do this because its not something I’m particularly good at – it takes a lot of guts and Miller had them. His courage, his talent and seeming irascible nature were endearing to readers, even if his off track behavior occasionally made him a controversial figure. Miller was the kind of writer we’d all like to think we could become. Jenkins, on the other hand, never courted controversy and his gentlemanly nature and his simple, charming attitude towards race broadcasting made his work on Indy Car and NASCAR so appealing to the ears of race fans. Jenkins was not a screamer. He had a sort of understated enthusiasm that is tough to capture but is what I feel separates the best

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

broadcasters and track announcers. Jenkins handled PA duties at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his voice became synonymous with the Brickyard. Jenkins was a devoted fan of short track open wheel racing and any short track fan that remembers his work on Thursday Night Thunder in the 1990s could see it was clearly a passion project for him. Between those broadcasts and his work on Speedweek during the same era cemented Jenkins in my mind as one of the best in the business. These two men, who left us so suddenly just weeks apart, used their lives to inform, to entertain and to enlighten us on our favorite sport and certainly earned our respect over their long careers.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Summit Racing Equipment

news

NOTES

& Photo: Paul Arch

Photo: Don Holbrook

MIDGETS BACK – ON A SMALLER TRACK! The magic was back – albeit on a smaller track – in Belleville, Kansas, when the Rocky Mountain Midgets returned to the iconic country fairgrounds for the first time since the Belleville High Banks hosted the final Midget Nationals in 2017. The Colorado-based series brought a good field of cars to run on the smaller track inside the high-banked half mile. Even if the little cars never return to the big track, its great to see them firing engines and turning laps in front of one of America’s most historic venues and most diehard audience for the Mighty Midgets.

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RUDEEN, ANDERSON, MURPHY BUY SKAGIT SPEEDWAY After 20 years of promoting the iconic Skagit Speedway owner Steve Beitler will soon turn over the reins. A joint effort by Washington car owners, Kevin Rudeen, and Mike Anderson, along with California Promoter, Peter Murphy, will see their new promotional group, Fifty Five Promotions, take over ownership of the famed speedway for what will be the 68th season at the historic dirt track. “I am quite pleased with the group that will take over Skagit Speedway” said National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Promoter Steve Beitler, “They have incredible business knowledge, a passion for racing and extensive resources to grow Skagit Speedway to a level comparable to Eldora and Knoxville Raceways. I went to work here 55 years ago at the age of 8, selling programs, Speed Sport News and doing clean up after the races. It has been an honor to have served as owner for the past 20 years and provide quality entertainment for our community and loyal fans.” “I really appreciate what Steve Beitler has done for Skagit Speedway and the community for the last 20 years,” Kevin Rudeen added. “I am very excited to have Mike Anderson and Peter Murphy as partners and can’t wait to get going on this new endeavor. I am really looking forward to starting some new projects and promotions as well as adding to the entertainment level that has become the standard at Skagit Speedway, taking what Steve (Beitler) has in place and make it even bigger and better.” With final details in the works, Fifty Five Promotions will take control of the facility at the end of September. Formulating a plan that has the racers and fans in mind for the future direction of the track. “We have some exciting surprises planned for the fans and the racers” stated Rudeen. “Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks and a special announcement at the Knoxville Nationals for Skagit Speedway in the 2022 season and beyond.”

JJ Motorsports

DECEMBER 9 - 11, 2021

PRI IS BACK IN 2021 We all missed an awful lot during the 2021 season and one of things we all missed the most was getting together and talking racing. From Labor Day to your track’s Frostbuster, it can get tough to find regular conversations. One of the best opportunities for offseason bench racing is the PRI show and it’s coming back in this winter. The Performance Racing Industry (PRI) has announced the return of the world’s premier event for motorsports

professionals to the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis on December 9—11, 2021. “The racing industry is resilient and continues to push forward, and PRI very much reflects that spirit,” said PRI President Dr. Jamie Meyer. “Racing businesses have demonstrated remarkable passion and perseverance over the last 12 months. Many have even reported record sales and month-over-month revenue growth. As planning for the Show continues, PRI will introduce a new membership program for motorsports professionals

designed to unite the industry on a number of efforts—legislative advocacy, business resources, career development and more. Exhibitors at this year’s Show, for example, can take advantage of benefits that include discounted booth space, which in most cases covers the cost of membership. Swing by the Dirt Empire booth and grab a copy of our special edition on the magazine racks if you plan to be in Indy for the show. Dirt Empire Magazine will be exhibiting at booth 410. See you there!

Photo: Mike Campbell DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Dominator Race Products

news

NOTES

FINALLY! LM HALL OF FAME INDUCTS 2021 CLASS It was a long wait since October of 2020 but the Late Model Hall of Fame Class of 2021 were formally inducted during the North-South 100 weekend at Florence Speedway in mid-August. Eight new inductees were honored, including five in the driver division. Darrell Lanigan of Kentucky, Iowa’s Bob Shryock and Jeff Aikey, and Georgia natives Wade Knowles and Clint Smith represented drivers while chassis builder Audie Swartz, car owner Bobby Allen and merchandiser Gerald Newton rounded out the contributor category. Cheers to the new immortals!

Photos: Josh James

Darrell Lanigan, second from left, and his entourage at Florence Speedway’s induction ceremony.

PHOTOGRAPHER KRIEGER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS A half century is a long time to do anything but it is an exceptionally long time to slink down into the corners of dirt tracks, track down headshots of racers too busy to smile and risk your life to get the best shot you can. Iowa’s Dennis Krieger is just wrapping up his 50th season doing all of that and more. It’s been a lifetime of chasing race cars coast to coast and living out of a suitcase with many a missed meal. Starting out after his four-year term with the United States Navy, serving off the coast of Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, Krieger raced a couple years at his local track in Burlington with his older brother and then fell in love with motorsports photography after admiring the work of Ken Coles, Tracy Talley and Gene Marderness. Krieger continues to travel and we featured his work on pages 30-31 of this very issue. Congrats on 50 years, DK, and keep shootin’!

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

SKULL CANDY

the lighter side of

DIRT STICKER HEAD Most racetracks give out winner’s decals, either courtesy of the track or the local photographers, and a lot of drivers display them on tail tanks or roof decks but Ohio 305 Sprint Car racer Paul Weaver came up with a great way to decorate his helmet and prove he’s a prolific winner. Photo: Action Photos

If you catch a great brain bucket out there, capture a photo, send it to Dirt Empire Magazine at zoch24@ hotmail.com with a quick quip about why you love it.

THIS ONE’S FOR GRAMPS Missouri’s Tyler Utz knows that he comes from a tremendous racing heritage as his grandfather Bill Utz is enshrined in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and this helmet pays tribute as both a replica of Bill’s lid and a beautiful photographic tribute to him. Photo: John Lee

INITIAL HERE It takes just two letters to describe one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport – A and J. This is the helmet that AJ Foyt wore in the 1989 Indy 500, when he scored his 10th and final top five finish. Photo: Paul Arch DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

the funny side of THE TRACK

SEEMS LIKE A FAIR DEAL

The young daughters of Western PA sprint driver George Hobaugh came up with an enterprising marketing plan to help stir merchandise sales at Sharon Speedway. By the way, Steve is a beautiful husky.

Photo: Paul Arch

Photos: Paul Arch

OPEN WHEELED DOORBANGER?

The ultimate pejorative for a stock car racer to be lobbed from an open wheeled snob is the term doorbanger. Western Pennsylvania sprint racer had a neat hinged door (left-side arm guard) on his 410 sprint car at the Lernerville World of Outlaws race. Paul Arch submitted the photos and allowed that it had been a long time since he’d seen a similar sprin car. “I had not seen this since the Nance Speed Equipment house car had a fully enclosed cockpit at the Syracuse mile with a hinged door,” said Arch.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE continues to strive to make the magazine reading experience as alive and exciting as a night at the races. Utilize your smart phone or tablet with the QR codes below to jump right to the videos. Who would have thought you could watch a video in a magazine? We’re kind of awesome like that, but couldn’t do it without the hardwork of the videographers. WHO IS DIRT DOBBER VIDEO? Located in Tallahassee Florida, John Horne is the owner and operator DirtDobber Video, a professional video and promotion service geared towards the Motorsports Industry. Like his Facebook page and be sure to subscribe to his channel on YouTube. Facebook: @DirtDobberVideo • YouTube: Dirt Dobber Video

moving

PICS

DIRT DOBBER - SOUNDS OF CHARLOTTE!

POINT YOUR SMART CAMERA PHONE AT THE QR CODE ABOVE TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

T&D Machine Products

the lighter side of

DIRT

CHRIS CARPENTER at Ohio Valley Speedway in West Virginia with a bent up “Twisted steel, and sex appeal” Photo: Jason Spencer

ASIDE FROM SPONSORSHIPS, racers use their cars to convey everything from politics to jokes and to express their personalities. Here are some of our favorites from the last couple of months.

NOT THAT ANYONE’S keeping track but it appears IRA racer Scotty Neitzel is up to car number 33. Photo: Paul Arch ISAAC CHAPPLE has a pretty simple rule when he runs the BOSS wingless sprint series. Photo: Jason Spencer

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

ANTHONY MARTIN brings his Sunday morning message to Saturday nights at places like Stateline Speedway. Photo: Paul Arch

MARK BRUCKER has some pretty good advice for himself in his IRA sprint. Photo: Paul Arch

MIKE PROVENZANO gets creative with his #M27 digits. Photo: Paul Arch

HEY, HE WARNED YOU! Gerard McIntyre Jr’s tail tank at Lincoln. Photo: David Giles

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Right Foot Performance Products

action

CAPTURE

Photo: David Campbell

YOU’RE GONNA NEED THAT! Chase Randall sheds a left rear in Monday night action at Texas Motor Speedway in early July.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

xx Photo: David Campbell

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Photo: Beetle Bailey

in memorium

Photo: Dave Pratt

URC SPRINT CAR OWNER BILL GALLAGHER 1953-2021 Bill Gallagher took one of the oldest racing organizations in the country – the URC Sprint Cars – and made it his life’s work to make the series better and help it navigate various crises as its President. Gallagher passed away in early July of 2021. Gallagher was a car owner for nearly 30 seasons and his bright green 5G was a familiar entry with the URC Sprint Cars with drivers like Todd Rittenhouse Sr. and Jr. and current racer Briggs Danner. Gallagher most famously employed URC titlist Curt Michael and the duo were a force for many seasons together. Gallagher was always involved off the track in the sport he loved as a URC President and administrator and even as a promoter of events at Grandview Speedway. Away from the track, Gallagher owned multiple businesses, including GEI Enterprises and Valley Forge Incorporated.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Photo: Facebook Post

Photo: Paul Arch

TIM ALLISON – OHIO’S MR. EXCITEMENT PASSES AT 62 High strung people are often referred to as “on the chip”. There was no chip with Mr. Tim Allison, no rev limiter, it was all-go, all the time. Those that watched him race knew this. Those that knew him away from the track laughed about it. Even at 62 years old, he was still busting cushions, and running the top. At some point during the night, his right rear was likely to kiss the fence. Tim was more than that, though. He was a dedicated husband to Liz, father to Heather and Heidi, and it was as a grandfather that he truly shined brightest. First, there was Cole and then Heather gave him Caleb who has frequented his pit area and tool box as a crew member for years. Tim was crew chief on his kart. Since then, there has been Cooper and Caden with her husband Jason while Heidi and husband Andrew blessed he and Liz with Jade and Jemma. He talked of his family often and to anyone that would listen. The first thing he did every time he got out of the car was to let Liz know how he did. Having his family in the pit area gave him a much bigger smile than usual. The last few years racing had an ever greater family feel with his brother Roy pitting next door as his son Koby has been racing with Tim. While his time on this earth may have taken the checkered, his impact on his family, friends and the racing community have just pushed off for heat in the motor.

THAD DOSHER, 1967 NATIONALS CHAMP, PASSES Forever dubbed the Topeka Charger due to his racing success while hailing from his adopted hometown, Thad Dosher was a Carolina kid true-and-true and both lived in died in his homestate of North Carolina. Dosher came to the Heartland as a member of the military in the early 1950s and fell in love with the racing scene on the Great Plains and throughout the country. His biggest win, and most famous victory, came when he beat Joe Saldana and the infamous Mechanical Rabbit to win the 1967 Knoxville Nationals. While he would never again score the Nationals, he did focus on IMCA in the early 1970s and scored a National title with the group over Gene Gennetten and Bill Utz in 1973. He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2012.

HARVEY FINK BELOVED TRACK PROMOTER, PASSES Harvey Fink was a staple in Central New York as a race promoter, owning Brewerton and Fulton Speedways. He recently passed away at his Ocala, Florida home at the age of 78. In 2008 Fink negotiated with Gypsum Trucking owner, John Wight to buy and operate Fulton and Brewerton Speedways. Wight would go on to upgrade the facilities, continuing their tradition as dirt track racing gems in Central New York. Fink was well known in the Northeast Modified racing scene and was beloved by those who intereacted with him. His impact on racing in Central New York will be felt for years.

Photos and Text by Greg Stanek

my favorite

WRAP CANCER HAS TOUCHED ALL our lives in one way or another, either family, friends or our own personal battle. In the fall of 2020, after several friends and some family members had to deal with this terrible disease, Lucas Oil MLRA driver Mason Oberkramer decided to do a special wrap on his late model. Dr. Seuss was the theme with the saying “I do not like cancer here or there. I do not like cancer anywhere”. Under the saying were a list of names of friends and family along with what form of cancer they suffered from. “We have known a lot of people who have had to deal with cancer and we wanted to give something back to them,” said Oberkramer. “We always wanted to do a Pink car but went with the gold to honor a very close friends’ daughter who had stomach cancer.” Along with the special wrap, they had special T-shirts made and all the proceeds from those sales were donated to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital. They ended up raising over $2500 dollars. To cap off the race weekend they debuted the special wrap, Mason picked up his first career Lucas Oil MLRA feature win. Good things do happen to good people.

JJ Motorsports DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

The Duke Boys have got nothing on these two. A staple of all 1980s TV shows, the two wheel stunt was ubiquitous on any show that featured a car: The Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, that show with that other guy... at any rate, who did it better? Late Model: Brett Schadel Sprint Car: Steven Drevicki

who did it

BETTER

Inside track: Schadel brought it back. Drevicki didn’t. Photos: Dan DeMarco

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

action

CAPTURE

Photo: Joe Shivak

Kyle Offill lays it down hard on the right front in Ocean Speedway’s Taco Bravo Series. Offill has recently hung up the helmet to pursue other career opportunities but the family 88 will continue with Iowa’s Austin McCarl.

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Pitt Stop Motorsports

Kinsler

ask the

DRIVER

DRIVER: NICK HOFFMAN By Ashley Zimmerman

Dirt Empire is taking questions provided by YOU and will seek out your favorite drivers to get you the answers to your long awaited questions! All you have to do to submit your question is just Like Dirt Empire on any social media and include #DEasks with your question. Then watch for the next issue to see if your question is featured!

IF DIRT TRACK FANS didn’t know about Nick Hoffman prior to this summer, the blazing trail of undefeated wins on the Hell Tour has given them ample opportunity to become familiarized with him. They might end up a hater or they might end up loving him for his “on track activities” updates on social media, but he went 15 of 15 on the tour to start and got as many as 17 wins – the fans surely won’t forget about him. With so much talk about Hoffman’s on track activities, we here at Dirt Empire thought it was only fitting we sit down with the ever popular driver and take some of the fan’s pressing questions for answers in another round of #DEAsks. 26

Photo: Paul Arch

Dirt Empire: You ran on the Hell Tour, which offers little to no down time, unlike larger series with Monday – Friday off, there are few days off. Yet you recently flew home to catch up on work at the shop. How do you find balance between the two? Nick Hoffman: It’s for sure tough. I have a couple guys back at the shop that build cars and parts, along with everything else. But UMP kind of threw a curve ball with a suspension component that they wanted us to change. So, obviously, I have 40 or 50 guys out there across UMP right now racing, so we had to build parts for every one of those cars. That was the main reason why I flew home, was to build A frames and get them shipped out to all the customers. Being on the road is tough and trying to run a business, too. Having enough help in the shop is key to being able to do so. DE: What about The Hell Tour schedule do you think challenges you the most?

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NH: Just going to so many different race tracks. I’ve been to most of these places before, but there are a couple of places on there like Knox County [Knoxville, IL] that we don’t have any notes for. So, going to new places is probably the biggest struggle. As far as day to day, it’s not bad as long as you don’t have any issues but when we have to start tearing body panels off and stuff every night, that’s when days get pretty long and tough. DE: At one point you were 15 for 15 on the Hell Tour in wins. This consistency in visiting Victory Lane has brought out a lot of haters across social media platforms. How do you deal with this? Is it easy for you to ignore or block out? NH: I don’t ignore it. I read every one of them. I enjoy it. I feel like any publicity is good, whether it’s people hating on you or being in your favor. So, I read all of it. You know, the hateful side puts you on the fire to be better and make sure that you win every single night. I like it. A lot of my family members get

Photo: Paul Arch

Nick Hoffman at Bristol, where he rolled to a fourth and a seventh in the finales. Photo: Paul Arch

kind of tore up about it, my wife and my mom, people like that. But I don’t, you know, it doesn’t bother me as far. Everyone’s got their favorite driver, so it’s just part of it. It’s what makes the sport go round, you know, rivalries and everything like that. DE: What is a race track that you feel you’ve had the most success at? NH: Spoon River in Illinois - one hundred percent. Just the momentum is fast, the track is always smooth and fast. I feel like that’s probably my best race track in the country. It fits my driving style; it fits the way my cars are built. It fits what we really strive for with corner speed and that’s where races are won at there. [Hoffman won $10,000 there in early September at the Plowboy Nationals.] DE: You return to the Hell Tour every year. What are some things about the tour that you like or enjoy? NH: Obviously racing every single night. I mean this is what I want to do for a living, so racing every single night is really fun. When it does get long

and drawn out, you know, the rain outs aren’t too bad. You end up in a bar somewhere or something; just being able to travel the whole country or this part of the country is fun. Mondays off are nice, we try and get a little bit of maintenance done, then normally you can have a little bit of fun at night. DE: You have quite a few laps under your belt and have run a lot of races. What is your most unique or favorite racing experience? NH: My first, I would call it Crown Jewel win was in 2012 at Volusia when I won the Gator Nationals. That was my break out win and my most memorable win. Then winning the fall nationals at Eldora in 2012 was probably what I would say my biggest one in my career because that’s what ignited the Elite Chassis deal, so I feel like that was probably my biggest one. DE: How do you go about determining your race schedule for the year? NH: Really, besides the Hell Tour, I don’t really know where I’m going to go next. I make a schedule pretty much the week of and just go hit a couple of

shows or whatever makes sense to try and make money; whether it’s going to Ohio or all the way back over here to Illinois. Just whatever makes the most sense to try and make money to make a living. I don’t ever have an actual set schedule of like what I’m going to do throughout the year. There are always those like five or six marquee events that we for sure do every year. DE: Everyone has the one that got away, no matter what they compete in. Is there a race that you would classify as the one that got away? NH: In recent times, just this season, at Lawrenceburg, I feel like that was one that I would’ve won, it was $10,000 to win, and Tyler [Nicely] and I just got into each other and we both ended up crashing. I feel like right now that’s the one that obviously sticks out in my head as the one that got away from me, that I feel like we were going to win $10,000 that night. DE: What would you say is the hardest part about making a living as a driver or working in dirt track racing?

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Hoffman got some good laps in a late model this year, including an appearance at Eldora’s Dream.

Photo: Paul Arch

NH: I wouldn’t even say it’s the racing side, it’s just trying to keep up with the competition, trying to stay on top is the toughest thing. Whether it’s always developing new parts or pieces or always working on yourself to be better. I think that’s the toughest part; if you want to try and stay on top at the elite level. DE: What is one thing you could tell a struggling driver to keep them inspired to keep going? NH: You always have to outwork the next guy. Everyone is obviously putting in pretty close to the same hours or trying to; I’ve always really excelled at out working people. You know obviously there are a lot of haters that would just say we are out spending people, but if they see what kind of shop I work out of and that type of stuff they would learn really quick. The biggest thing is this is what I’ve always done, this is what I do for a living, this is what I love doing, so I’m just working on it every single day.

all through the St. Louis area and then when we moved to North Carolina I was trying to go the asphalt route, like NASCAR and stuff. Obviously, you want to try and make a living racing in something or another. But this really wasn’t the path originally; it just fell into my hands. The chassis deal really fell into my hands, I didn’t go to school for it or anything, and I started the company when I was 19, and it’s just evolved to what it is today. I’ve been able to make a living doing what I wanted to do, which is your ultimate goal. But, as far as racing, I felt like were going to try and go the asphalt

route, and this is where we ended up. DE: If it wasn’t about the money or experience, if you could enter any race in dirt track racing, what would you love to compete in? NH: Well, I’ve gotten to run a lot of stuff; I’ve been able to run the Dream, the World, Late Model Knoxville Nationals, all that type of stuff. I got to run the Chili Bowl this year, which was my first one. I would say, maybe, if they ran the Cup cars at Bristol again, I’d like to do that. I’d like to run some sprint car stuff too down the road but haven’t done that yet.”

Hoffman surrounded by Summit logos at another Hell Tour victory.

DE: When you began your career in racing, and dreaming of it becoming a fulltime gig, is this where you thought you would end up? NH: Not really no; I raced modifieds Photo: Brandon Bauman

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Jones Racing Products

my top

FIVE TOP FIVE BEAUTIES FROM KNOXVILLE By Dennis Krieger

THE KNOXVILLE RACEWAY ALWAYS DECLARES A BEST APPEARING CAR DURING THE KNOXVILLE NATIONALS AND THEY MADE IT TWICE AS HARD THIS YEAR WITH A SPECIAL THROWBACK CONTEST TO COMMEMORATE THE 60TH EDITION. WE SENT DENNIS KRIEGER, A GUY WITH 50 YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE, TO SHOOT THE EVENT FOR US AND ASKED HIM TO USE HIS TRAINED EYE TO GIVE US HIS BEST OF THE WEEK. BRENT MARKS – He has always had the best looking hot rods since he started running with the World of Outlaws. This year is no exception. He brought a killer black with red and some highlighted whites to make it a one two punch to make it my favorite.

CARSON MACEDO – This sprinter just stands out as one of my very favorites. He had a gold car out as well but this one catches the eyes as it has so much contrast and the wheels make it stand out among the rest.

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AYRTON GENNETTEN – This family-owned car has a little bit of everything for the camera with super bright colors and nice eye appeal. It is the little details, like the yellow #3 stickers in the wheels, that make this one of the best put together pieces of the year.

MCKENNA HAASE – She has a super great looking sprinter this year as she continued to dabble in the 410 division during Knoxville’s regular season. This car has nice leading edges with just enough pink and green with the black to lead you right into the designed wrap. Great looking sprinter for a great ambassador for sprint car racing.

BROCK ZEARFOSS – The Pennsylvania Outlaw has one of those cars that seems to be plain and simple yet it has the right amounts of orange and gray with white detail to make it pop out among the best of the nearly 100 cars during the Nationals.

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the beauty of RACING

Photo: John Lee

A stunning rainbow formed over the pits before the Chad McDaniel Memorial for USAC Midgets in Beloit, Kansas, kicked off hot laps.

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The number of races across the country that were cancelled because of weather seemed higher than previous years. The thing about rain is it always eventually stops and you get sights like this. Photo by xx

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short track

STARS Cream Ridge, New Jersey

RYAN SIMMONS UNDERESTIMATED NO MORE Words by Ashley Zimmerman • Photos by David Pratt THERE ARE MANY aspects about the state of New Jersey that result in the world happening inside the state lines to be overlooked and underestimated. It’s not often fans hear about lucrative purses or exciting racing action in the abundant headlines surrounding dirt track racing. Overlooked and underestimated have not only defined the location but also New Jersey driver Ryan Simmons. Coming from a racing family that boasts everything from track promoters to drivers, Simmons wasn’t privy to the flood of sponsorship and opportunities found in more populous dirt track states. Simmons worked his way through the ranks to the seat of his now modified race team, the same way he quietly works through traffic on a Saturday night. It’s this passion and grit for racing that has found him in victory lane on multiple occasions as well as back-to-back at races like the Mr. Crate Classic ran at New Egypt Speedway. Dirt Empire: Let’s start right from the beginning. You started your 34

racing career at 16 – what made you get serious about a career in racing? Ryan Simmons: Well, I’ve always been involved in racing. I grew up at the local tracks and always wanted to get behind the wheel and try different things. I didn’t care what I raced; I just knew that I wanted to. Growing up with no quarter midget or micro sprint experience or anything small car wise, I was just hungry to get behind the wheel. I wanted to do anything; I would have driven a wheelbarrow. I still am that way. I don’t ever get burnt out because growing up as a kid, wanting to do this so badly, it’s stuck in my mind that you just have to do it now, be grateful for the opportunity. DE: You come from a racing family, whose roots run very deep in racing off the track. What has this been like for you on and off the track? Do you feel this brings you any extra pressure? RS: Definitely, I feel a lot of pressure. My grandfather was so well known in the New Jersey racing scene, my dad,

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too. They were so well known for just being friendly, hanging out, making a lot of friends; so now it’s always like “oh you’re Jackson’s grandson” or “John Simmons’ son.” I feel pressure to live up to my family name, everyone knows them, even though my grandfather never raced but my dad did. I want to live up to that name; I want to be the next step that takes the name to the next level. I’ve always put pressure on myself for everything in life; on race day, I go in there and I treat it like it’s a job. I try to remind myself that I’m here for fun, but as soon as I lock in and put the helmet on, it’s go time. I don’t accept anything less. DE: What drew you to wanting to race modifieds? How do you feel a modified challenges your driving style? Do you feel that your future is always going to be in a modified? RS: Modified racing is the biggest thing around here. If you want to get into serious racing, you race a modified. My dad also raced modifieds so it’s

always just been my love. Eventually I would like to maybe see what I can do in a sprint car; I’m getting my foot in the door with a 305 at the end of the year. Maybe we’ll do more racing with that next year. Eventually, I’d love to get into the sprint car world, just because I’d like to go try something a little different. DE: It’s not often the racing world hears a lot about the racing scene in New Jersey or New Jersey drivers as far as dirt track racing goes. What is the competition like for a modified driver? Do you think fans would be shocked to hear how competitive it really is? RS: To be honest with you, I think New Jersey competition is some of the best. There is a lot of money to race for here; there are just not a lot of car owners, which limits the opportunities for drivers. That’s the tough part. DE: While it’s not unheard of it, it is rare – your girlfriend Amanda Buchel also races a modified, and sometimes races against you.

Does this make your on track or even off track life any extra stressful? RS: I really like racing with her but she hates it. [Simmons laughs] I think she thinks about it more and is afraid of what if something happens, what if I’m mad, etc. We don’t talk about it off the track. The nights we do race each other, I’ll go over and give her a kiss, wish her good luck. But, once the helmet goes on, I don’t know her. It is what it is, we’re just competitors. As soon as we’re done, we’re done, once we’re off the track, that’s it, we’re going to go out to eat or get breakfast in the morning, we don’t talk about it, and I think it’s great. I travel a bit more than she does, so when I do, she’ll come to the races and support me, and when we have to race against each other, we just do it and then that’s it. DE: Speaking of your girlfriend, recently you became a little popular over an incident involving her little brother, who also happens to race your back up car. Tell us

a little about that, and why it was important for you to stand up and make a point to the fans. RS: My girlfriend’s little brother is 16 and he runs some micro sprint stuff and also runs my back up car this year in his rookie season. He recently lost his mom to cancer the Monday before the championship race. He’s done really well in my car and won quite a bit, including the weekend prior. When he pulled into victory lane and the announcer began interviewing him and talking about his mom, you could tell he was having a bit of a hard time emotionally with it, and this older gentleman in the stands starts yelling at him – calling him curse words, saying he’s a cheater, that he’s a punk kid. Ya know, first of all, this is my car, it’s been through tech a million times, and I’m not a cheater, neither is he. I don’t care if you’re going to call me a cheater, but you’re not [saying that to] him. You don’t know him, he just lost his mom, you’re not going to sit here and curse him out. I don’t like seeing anyone bullied, but this is our hometown track, and no one deserves

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to be bullied at their home track, especially a 16 year old. So, I went over to the track announcer, who had tried to address the guy yelling but was still yelling, and asked if I could grab the microphone real quick. I think he thought I was going to say something about the win, so he said go ahead, he announced I had something to say. I was running off of adrenaline, and so I addressed it, I said, “I just want you to know who this guy is yelling at; he’s a 16 year old kid who just lost his mom. Do you really feel good about yourself?” The place erupted. I stood up for him not just because he’s my girlfriend’s little brother but because I know what the kid has to go through and some guy who doesn’t even know him doesn’t get to pick him a part and make his reputation out to be that he’s a cheater. No one needs to sit there and do that, there are other ways to have fun. 36

DM: Speaking of reputations, if we were to ask fans or fellow drivers how to describe you as a driver, how do you think they would see you? RS: As a very clean and respectful driver. I started with no money; I knew if I wrecked my car, I wasn’t going to be coming back the next week, so I had to learn to race properly. I had to really learn how to race respectfully and save my equipment. DM: What win or notable racing moment do you think was the pivotal turning point in your career where people really began to take notice and consider you a serious competitor? RS: I think it was in 2018 when I won a race at Bridgeport Speedway. They had a new track there that was an entirely different configuration and it was the first race on that configuration. I had wins at my home track at New Egypt

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but I think once I got off the porch and went somewhere else, people were like; okay it’s not a fluke. So, I’d probably say that win at Bridgeport Speedway. It’s kind of taken off from there, and I’ve gotten a lot cooler opportunities and set myself apart. DM: Looking at the 2021 season, what have been some of your highs and lows? RS: I think the best part about this year is that we’ve been extremely consistent. We’ve been running a lot of different places and we’ve been up front no matter where we go, which I think is really cool to do. We’ve got a little stuck because we haven’t won yet this year but I feel like we’re so close. I have five second place finishes within the last two months, so we’re there. The tough part is being so close but not being able to do it. I think we’ll get one here soon, but the season overall has been really good, I haven’t wrecked anything yet.. knock on wood. I’m excited for the traveling we’ve gotten to do this year and getting to go back to Port Royal at the end of the year - it’s so much fun.

DM: How does preparation for these big money races like Port Royal differ from preparation for a weekend race for you? RS: I think weekend races, even though they are for points, are a little bit more relaxed. When we go to a big money race, it’s on the road, and it’s a little different. To me, the guys going to these are serious competitors and they know they can win and they have the equipment to do so, so you have to lock in even more. You have to make sure your car is on point. I make sure to do my homework, to do the best of my ability. You have to make sure you’re going to be somewhere in the ballpark that the other guys are, even if it is your first time there, you have to go get it. DM: We like to be a little inspiring over here at Dirt Empire, so this last question will hopefully do just that for someone. As you grow as a driver, it is inevitable that you will experience slumps, whether it’s mechanical errors, bad setup choices, or even wrecks. How

do you maintain confidence as a driver and not let the doubt or fear continue to snowball your slump and make it worse? RS: I think it’s just looking at yourself in the mirror and really saying - okay, I just came off a string of top fives, I picked up a win, and now I’ve got two weeks of bad luck and stupid things. Eventually, it subsides. I don’t really let it get to me, you never want to break or

have bad luck, get involved in a wreck, but it happens. It happens to the best of the best, so it’s going to happen. I think you just have to say, “hey well this week it was me that it was going to happen to” and just go onto the next page with the confidence this isn’t going to last. Just put that kind of mindset in your head, and I think you’ll be better off than showing up nervous or hesitant.

Simmons often gets to race his girlfriend Amanda Buchel, here in New Egypt’s victory lane.

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a main FEATURE

LATE MODEL

TIM McCREADIE

Photo: Mike Campbell

ON CONSISTENCY, BALANCE, MIDGETS AND PORSCHES

it’s the biggest sprint car track, but for us to go there and be able to run it like we do for our late model program, it’s pretty cool.

THE LONGEVITY OF RACING careers in dirt track racing is a unique aspect not given in other forms of motorsports. Not only do drivers accumulate experience, but memories and wins that will last long after they’ve moved into retirement. After two decades behind the wheel of modifieds, late models, and even midgets, Tim McCreadie has the memories, experience, and the wins to fill the pages of an entire magazine. For Dirt Empire Magazine, it wasn’t snagging some of McCreadie’s time that posed difficulty for this career encompassing chat but picking the details of an expansive and successful racing career to share with fans. We’re cracking the tip of the iceberg with Tim McCreadie about the who, what, why, when, and maybes of his racing career that still has a lot of gas in the tank.

DE: On your website, you list The Dream as your most wanted win. What has prevented you from winning it? TM: Oh, we’ve been close, and I’ve been able to win The World 100 at Eldora. I guess technically we won the race that replaced The Dream last year. Unfortunately, it just didn’t pay the same and it was different. Probably, it’s just circumstances. we ran second this year to Brandon Overton at The Dream. The reason you obviously want to win it is the money, it’s our biggest show that we race for all year long… It’s just such a big event, and such a big money event, that’s why we really want it. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say it’s been speed all the time, sometimes we just weren’t able to get it done. I thought we had a really good shot of winning it this year, and we got to second and Overton was just better. It’s a tough one to win; they’re

By Ashley Zimmerman

Dirt Empire: Okay, so, we can start anywhere but let’s talk about favorites for a moment. You’ve been known to claim Knoxville Raceway as one of your favorite racetracks. What makes it a good fit for late model racing? Tim McCreadie: Well, I mean, that place along with the most of them, the mix of my favorite stuff is obviously if it can be racy, right? So, you want to be able to run way out by the wall or way out against the infield, be able to be able to not hold people back. Normally, Knoxville when it’s prepped right is very, very good at that. Usually, it doesn’t really matter where you start, and with a 100 lap race, you can just get up through there because the track is wide enough and the way they prep it, it is usually racy on the bottom or the top. That’s kind of why it makes it one of my favorite places. I know that

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Early season action at Volusia Speedway Park started in mid-January, making for a very lengthy 2021 campaign.

Photo: Matt Butcosk

all tough to win, but that one is hard just because everyone shows up for the big money.

get you going. I just get excited when I win. They’re all memorable and they’re all different.

DE: What would you say makes a win or a moment in racing memorable for you? TM: It could be different reasons. It depends. If it’s something you’ve never done; if you’re trying to win a race for years and years - maybe it’s the biggest race your division has and you’re finally able to land it, that’s going to make a huge memory. You’re remembering all of the struggles and how long it took. Then there’s others, like when I won the Chili Bowl. It was the second time I’d ever been in a midget, so I didn’t even realize what I was doing at the time. Its memorable because I went in there and didn’t even really understand what they were trying to accomplish; it was just our weekend. So, there’s many different things for me, like I said, it could be a small race, doesn’t pay much that happens to have a bunch of heavy hitters at it, and we’re dicing through lap traffic in a green to checkered race, that could

DE: You’ve been blessed to have won many big name races and big purses in your career, what do you think continues to keep late model racing exciting for you? TM: Just the competition. You go up and down the road and it gets monotonous and it gets tiring. Rainouts stink. We’ll go two weeks in a row without running because of the weather. What makes it memorable and exciting are the young guys coming up - it’s exciting for me because it gives me a chance to show these guys that they really don’t know every single thing. Hopefully, they’re going to learn, which most of them are, and they’ll learn from older guys like me, just like I did. So, the competition is always changing, because you’re going to have younger kids coming up that are going to be really fast, maybe rough around the edges, and you’re still going to have guys like me that were a little bit rough when we were younger. I’ve

learned what I feel like I need to be successful for major wins. At the end of the day, I just think that’s what keeps me going because it’s never stale. Since you’re going to have guys that are starting to get long in the tooth that are going to retire, maybe you don’t get to race them as hard anymore, as you did when you were younger. Then you get the younger guys that are going to race you that way. That’s the beauty of our sport - it takes all kinds. DE: You’ve been able to travel and compete with both the Lucas Oil series and the World of Outlaws. Do you feel there is a difference in the level of competition between the two? What prompted you to make the switch? TM: I think honestly, when I first went World of Outlaws racing, I wasn’t even a late model guy. I was racing big block modifieds up in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Canada, stuff like that. We had planned to run Volusia and had ran a late model a couple of times with Sweeteners Plus, because we had one, and after the one year,

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Photo: Ryan Roberts

over to Lucas, partly because I felt like we just decided well, after Winter we had gotten a little stale as a race Nationals, well, I should say Volusia team. I mean, we tried to do the same race, let’s try running for Rookie of the thing every year, in the same bunch of Year. We only had one car when we did guys that I knew how to race with. The it. It was great. We chose the Outlaws Lucas Oil Series has really transitioned mainly because we were there; I into getting most of the biggest races thought the way they were going to under their sanctioning, so if you’re do things back then, as far as the going to Florence, or to all of these Dirty Dozen and things like that was big time races that came along like unique. You had to fight your way into a I-80’s race out in Nebraska, that are contract by beating twelve of the best all paying $50,000 plus, it made more in the country to do it, which I thought sense to get on the tire rule that they personally was an awesome challenge; run, because the tire rule was a little especially for somebody like me that different at the time than what we didn’t know anything about these cars were doing with the Outlaws. They also and we were able to accomplish that. have provisionals and other perks, so I thought that was pretty cool, what a I just thought, well let’s go try this, it way to race, if you could be these guys seems pretty tough over here. The next that are considered the twelve best thing you know, most of the guys that guys in the country, you could take a were running the Outlaws ended up contract away. It’s almost like winning over here anyway. I don’t think it got a bigger race, so that’s why I stayed any easier, I just thought at the time for with the Outlaws. I thought for most of what I wanted to race, and I wanted to the years, the talent level was as good win Crown Jewel races, they had more. as you could ask for. The Lucas series is no slouch either. I mainly switched 40 DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

DE: Over the last few race seasons, you have mastered a level of consistency with top fives and top tens on the track. What do you think has played the biggest role in developing this and how important do you think it is for you as a driver? TM: Consistency is like a double edge sword for me. I want to win every race that I go to; if I could trade some of the consistency for more wins, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But, I learned over the years, in some of these points battles you’re trying to win on these tours, especially with the Outlaws; it would be feast or famine. I would either win a bunch of races or have a bunch of DNS. So, as we decided to do this Lucas deal, we also as a team [decided] if we’re going to do this let’s try to get rid of these 15ths. That way you don’t have to win two or three more times to cover it up.

Photo: Brad Plant

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Bernheisel Race Components

Photo: Ryan Roberts

when I controlled my own race team. DE: It is very well known that It freed me up and I’ve had way more family time is important for you, free time. The problem is obviously especially having two kids and a there’s trying to go back and forth, but wife. How do you manage to find I’m sure that’s a problem that a lot of balance and how important is it for people have, but I do cherish my time you to have that kind of balance? being home with my entire family and TM: Well, it has gotten way easier than then trying to do as much as possible what it used to be, partly because when we’re home. It’s not always easy, when I started driving for Donald and we cherish the time, all of us, when Gena Bradsher the last two years, and we’re together. also when we moved into the Longhorn Chassis house car deal; which put the DE: You stated you started in cars in North Carolina, and obviously modifieds, and like many drivers, I’m from New York. For me personally, eventually made the jump to late it was hard just because it’s hard to models. What drew you to make give up all of that everyday control this change and looking back do on the shop of deciding exactly how you wish you would’ve done it everyone is going to do everything – sooner? how we’re going to build bodies, how TM: So, I started around 23-24 years we’re going to do this and to put your old in full sized cars, I was racing gofaith in Justin Labonte and Longhorn. karts and stuff when I was younger, Then obviously Donald and Gena took so I only ran modifieds for maybe over ownership. I’m not the boss or five or six years. The late model deal, anything like I was with Sweetener 42 DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

we just didn’t cross paths, we’d go to Hagerstown and there’d be a late model race or we’d go to Volusia and there’d be a late model race, and you’d see them in the papers, and then we started seeing the money. Honestly, the money is why; I look at what I would say every circle track dirt division, whether that’s sprint cars, UMP modifieds, and late models top to bottom, you can’t find more money than you can in our division as far as week in and week out big money races on these two national tours. So, the money is what attracted me. It’s a business; we’re out here trying to do the best we can to make enough money for my family and the race team, and everyone else. I don’t know if I wish I would have done it earlier, if anything I wish I would have just been smarter with some of the decisions we made as a race team to be better. I, just like anyone else, I

was going to go as high as I possibly could and then I got close to getting some retirement money - where you make millions - but it didn’t work out. The late model deal, I thought if I was going to race professionally, that made the most sense because you have the most money top to bottom every night throughout the country. DE: If you had to rank this season against all of your previous seasons, where would you place it, if the season ended today? TM: Right now, top ten, just because we’ve had a lot of rain outs and issues with weather. I think performance wise; we’re on par kind of how we were last year but without the wall. We’ve been able to stay consistent and still win races, without having a month or two stretch where we were just off. We were off for like a month and a half two months last year, even though we ended up making it up with big wins, it really hurt us in the overall point structure. This year has been better, we’ve been able to carry the spoiler and be the point leader the majority

of the season so far. Unfortunately, the money’s not here yet, because we haven’t been able to race because of the weather. So, it’s probably mid top ten right now with the potential that we could be the best if we can’t get up and going. DE: Earlier you mentioned winning the Chili Bowl and getting your first Golden Driller and you’ve since been back every year. What about the Chili Bowl keeps bringing you back? Is it difficult going from a late model to a midget one week out of the year? TM: Like I said earlier, when I did win it, I didn’t realize it was that big. It was like when I won the World 100, you get out and see all of these people, you’re like wow; it was the same thing with the Chili Bowl, I get out and there’s all these people in the infield that I knew were either late model people or just people that were into it all of a sudden and celebrating about it. I didn’t realize what it meant to win it until Monday when it’s this interviewer or that interviewer calling, and then a week

later I’m getting calls talking to Richard Childress about maybe driving some cars and doing some things like that. Then obviously I go back, I thought oh you know this was nice, I can go back here and when this 2, 3, 4, 5 more times, and I’ve never been able to do it. I feel like I’m back sometimes to square one, and it’s my first time again, just because I don’t drive these cars, it’s definitely not easy. I don’t say it a lot, because I don’t want to sound like that poor me guy, but I think I’ve got only maybe twelve or thirteen races or whatever in one of these cars. I don’t go run them whenever I can, I don’t go testing to get better, we don’t build a car just for me, I just pop in and if the ride is right, we do it. I keep going back because I want to win again; I know it’s getting hard to do just because I think some of the setups and some of the cars are just maybe not my style like they were five years ago. But, I’m going to go, I don’t know when I’m going to quit it, but I’m going to go a little more and give it a shot again and see what I can do. It’s cool to run things that you’re uncomfortable

Tim McCreadie has never missed a Chili Bowl since winning it and has driven some famous rides over the years like the Bondio 47 and here in the Wilke 11.

Photo: Buck Monson DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Photo: Matt Butcosk

with for me, it makes me better at what I’m really good at to make money. DE: You come from a racing family, and your dad was a successful driver himself. How has he influenced your career and helped you as a driver? TM: I started partly only because I’d go to the race shop all of the time. I grew up playing sports and things like that in high school. When I was in junior high, and even when I was a kid, I had a lot of friends that didn’t know anything about races, so we’d go do other things during the day. As I got older, I started helping in the shop, but it wasn’t always twelve hour days, like my dad would do or everyone else. I didn’t really start until I was older and got a job. I don’t know if I thought I was going to do this, but I knew enough about it, and I’d been around it my 44

whole life, going to the grandstands as a kid, and going to the pits when I got older, I thought, well, let’s give it a try. My dad was very helpful when I needed help, but at the beginning, he was like, listen this is a tough business to get into, there’s way more heartbreak every night than there is success, you have a good job, why don’t you just keep your 401k and do that. There’s days that I think maybe he was probably right, then there’s days that I find this was the greatest decision I ever made. I just got older, got a job, and then thought now is the time, and then I was able to make it into a twenty plus year career. It’s rewarding that he’s been there; he’s the guy I call whenever I need almost anything in life. Whether it’s health advice, or racing advice, to this day, he’s the first guy that when I’m struggling at the end of the night and the next morning, I

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need to talk to someone, he’s the guy I call. DE: You’ve been given a lot of opportunities to race just about anything you’d like, from asphalt to dirt. Is there anything you’ve haven’t had the opportunity to drive that given the right offer, you would jump on? TM: Honestly, I’ve never driven a sprint car, and I know I’ve had chances to. As I get older, I come from a unique age perspective I feel like, I got to see Doug Wolfgang, Steve Kinser, Brad Doty, all of these guys when they were younger, and then I got to see Donny Schatz, now obviously the younger guys that are coming along yet, like Kyle Larson. You get to see all of these guys that run these sprint cars that are really good, but also, I got to see them really take a beating. Billy Pauch

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Early season action for McCreadie at East Bay Raceway Park.

Photo: Paul Arch

has told me he’s never been hurt in any car worse than when he ran sprint cars. It’s kind of like, man, do I want to try to reinvent this wheel again, or should I just probably play it smart and see if there’s a pavement late model race that somebody wants to let me run. Not that it’s harder, but I feel like when you hit, you just don’t hit as hard sometimes. Honestly, if anyone called me to drive just about anything, I’d listen; I’ve always been that way. There are just things that pique my interest. If someone called and said, “hey we’re looking for an amateur driver that we need to drive like a Porsche and we decided to call you.” I’d be all over it. Those guys look like they work hard to drive those road cars, they look like they’re a lot of fun at the same time and in chaos because you’ve got some of them going 80 mph faster than the other ones, which in my opinion is right up my alley. I’d love to do it, but I mean, it’s a pipe dream, though you never know, I’m still here, so if they wake up one day and are like “crap, who can we find to run one” – no worries, hopefully they find my number.

Photo: Mike Musslin

T-MAC DOMINATES IN 2021 Tim McCreadie, of Watertown, New York, is a perennial competitor, but in 2021 McCreadie has been on fire. As of printing, McCreadie is atop the Lucas Oil Late Model points standings. The day-glo orange spoiler on the back of his Longhorn Chassis number 39 makes him a target in each and every race. Yet, McCreadie continues to win. He has notched wins at Volusia, Portsmouth, Port Royal, Muskingum County Speedway, The Cowboy Classic at Lucas Oil Speedway, and Hagerstown. He’s also logged multiple top ten and top five finishes in 2021 and he nabbed a Group B Feature victory at the World 100 at Eldora this year. If he continues his winning ways, McCreadie will be the Lucas Oil Late Model Champion.

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Photo: Dan DeMarco

Photo: Ryan Roberts

Tim McCreadie - Syracuse Fairgrounds Speedway (The Moody Mile) - 1994

T-MAC THROWBACK Tim McCreadie got his start racing in northern New York. The Northeast is known for its particular breed of modifieds, often referred to as Northeast Mods. His father, “Barefoot” Bob McCreadie, was one of the winningest drivers in DIRTcar modified history. Tim McCreadie raced at many of the same upstate New York tracks his father did, including the “Moody Mile” at the Syracuse Fairgrounds, as shown above. The last race at that track before it was destroyed and turned into a parking lot and exhibit hall was Columbus Day Weekend in 2015. The McCreadie name has been synonymous with dirt track racing in upstate and Northern New York for parts of six decades.

Tim McCreadie - shootin’ hoops - 2009

Photo: Mike Feltenberger

Photo: Dave Pratt

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shifting

GEARS

ROBBIE ALLEN A BRIGHT SPOT IN THE DESERT

Photo: Ron Gilson

By Vahok Hill

RACE CAR OWNERS ARE a rare breed. It is a thankless avocation. It is not usually a money-making process. More often than not the cash flow is not balanced and it is often biased outward. Even if you are winning, the prize money and sponsorship dollars do not usually always cover the cost of racing. The small dollars are often not small when added up. Even if nothing breaks and you are getting minimal wear and tear, you still, will most likely, be losing money. So, owning a race car team can be a daunting process. Even when the money is removed from the equation, there is travel, the time away from family, performing the maintenance at home or on the road; it is a good bit of work with little reward except for the sense of accomplishment.

Robbie and Gaye Allen look just like a regular hard-working couple with two kids. For the longest time, they owned ABC Body Shop based in Cottonwood, Arizona, which is located between Phoenix and Flagstaff, although it is a bit closer to Flagstaff than Phoenix. Recently the Allens have decided to follow a different path and they have sold the body shop and are looking at doing something different. He would not say what it was but he did have a twinkle in his eye so he is thinking about something. The closest track is 50 or so miles away and tracks in Phoenix are even farther away and they travel to California for an occasional show and they have raced at the Chili Bowl. Robbie and Gale are not afraid of a little travel. They even spent some time in Australia racing so travel is not an issue. They

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have had a good number of drivers pass through the seats of their cars and now Stevie Sussex is occupying the seat and is currently enjoying a good deal of success. Robbie’s cars are very recognizable they are always painted a bright day-glow orange and carry the number 12. There have been a number of different types of sprinters housed in the home-based shop, including winged and non-winged cars, 360 and 410 powered cars. The 410s are a favorite of his and he feels they are really a better engine formula from a cost per lap perspective and he has the documentation to prove this out. There have also been midgets, karts, motorcycles, UTVs and hot rods as well in the shop. Fun on wheels, seems to be a theme at the Allen’s homestead.

They are very family focused with their son and daughter forming the majority of the volunteer crew that maintains and tunes the car under the guidance of Robbie. The cars they take to the races are always ready to race when they arrive at the track and all the time at the track is spent fine tuning the car. Robbie is always very focused while at the track. He is very good at picking up visual clues the car is sending while on track. He is also very good at communication with his drivers and gleaning information that is critical to adjusting the car to suit what the driver needs to improve their performance. When I visited his shop there were two cars on stands being prepared for racing. There is always something that needs attention and Robbie is there to help make it happen. As I looked around the shop there was the requisite number of trophies and oversized checks from past successes, but the real focus was on the next race not past races won. That is what seems to differentiates between real racers and the field fillers - focus. While Allen is off to the next project, the next race will always be the most important one for the Allens.

Photo: Vahok Hill

Photo: Ron Gilson

Allen, third from right, shares another victory lane with the team and driver Stevie Sussex. DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

review in PICTURES

KING KYLE XXXVII Photo: Paul Arch

AT A RACETRACK with a reputation for doing big things, Eldora Speedway may have topped all their former glories when they ran double Kings Royals – each paying $175,000 to win – in one day on July 17. When rain washed out the Royal set for Thursday night, it was moved to Saturday afternoon and was won in dramatic fashion by winged racing upstart Tyler Courtney in his first Kings Royal start. That same night, Kyle Larson nailed down his first Royal in his first attempt by besting Sheldon Haudenschild. It was a wild weekend bookended by victories by Carson Macedo on Wednesday and Sunday. Photo: Mike Campbell Photo: Paul Arch

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Photo: Paul Arch

KING TYLER XXXVIII

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Tyler Courtney (7), James McFadden (9), Brad Sweet (49) and the legendary Jac Haudenschild (22) in his final Kings Royal made up the first four in the parade. Not pictured? Winner Kyle Larson.

Gettin’ dirty in the daytime at the Big E with Aaron Reutzel (83) leading the pack.

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Kraig Kinser’s 11k is proudly sponsored by Kinser Racing Apparel. Photo: Mike Campbell

Smile if you made the Kings Royal in 2021!

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STARS Rochester, Minnesota

DUSTIN SORENSON GEARS OVER GOALS

Words By Bert Lehman • Pictures By Buck Monson AFTER GRADUATING FROM high school, Dustin Sorenson had a decision to make. A self-described pretty good hockey player, he had the opportunity to play college hockey. The only problem was that it would almost certainly interfere with his true love – dirt racing. “Hockey would get in the way (of racing) in the summer,” Sorenson said. “I’d have to go play hockey when I’d want to go racing. I always wanted to race more than I wanted to play hockey. I ended up choosing racing.” It was a decision, though, that Sorenson said didn’t make his dad happy. It’s not surprising that Sorenson chose racing over hockey. After all, his grandpa, who raced mostly late models, and his dad, raced mostly modifieds, but also raced late models occasionally. “I was racing before I even knew if I wanted to or not,” Sorenson said. So far, choosing racing over hockey is looking like a wise decision for Sorenson. The 2020 race season saw him win the highest paying races in his career in both the modified and late model divisions. Sorenson, who started racing a B-modified when he was 12 years old

and moved up to a regular modified when he was 14, has become one of the top modified drivers in the Midwest. With that experience, it wasn’t surprising when the 19-year-old Sorenson won the Karl Fenske Memorial race on July 17, 2020, at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wisconsin. Sorenson collected just more than $6,000 for the win, the most he had ever received for winning a modified race. The win was extra special for the Sorenson family since Dustin’s grandpa raced against Fenske in the past. “My dad and my grandpa were there, and him

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and Karl Fenske used to race against each other,” Sorenson said. “That was pretty cool. [Grandpa] doesn’t get too excited, but I think he was pretty excited [that] night.” Sorenson has a habit of winning big modified races. He has four USMTS feature wins under his belt. Two of those have come at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota, with the other two coming at Mississippi Thunder Speedway and Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisconsin. “I usually race with them (USMTS) when they come around the Midwest,”

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ARGO Manufacturing, Inc.

Getting off the corner well during the 2019 season. Sorenson said. “I’ve been doing more and more each year. A few years ago, I probably only raced 10 races, and the last couple years I’ve been racing 20-30 USMTS races.” “I always like racing against the best competition. It’s a bigger stage and when you win, it’s that much more special. Obviously, there are so many good cars there and the competition is very good around here too. USRA Modifieds in this area are really good. The competition in modifieds around here has always been good since my dad was racing.” With his four USMTS feature wins, Sorenson is just one feature win behind his dad, Mike. With a laugh, Dustin Sorenson said it is his goal to get six USMTS feature wins so he can pass his dad on the list “We talk about that all the time,” said Dustin. In all seriousness, though, Sorenson credits his dad for his success at a young age. “He’s always been who I drive for and he’s always set up the cars and everything,” Sorenson said about his dad. “Now that I’m older, we kind of talk about it more, but when I was younger, it was all him. He would still ask me what

I thought and stuff but it was all him. I work on it though. That’s always been the deal. I have to take care of everything.” With only two years of experience in a B-mod, Sorenson made a deal with his dad, if he won three features during the year, Sorenson would be able to move up to a modified. “I wanted to get an A-Mod because it’s cooler and faster,” Dustin Sorenson said. “That race (Fall

Sorenson getting dirty way back in 2015.

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Jamboree) at the end of the year was the third race we won, so we got one the next year.” Sorenson has been racing a Modified ever since, and in 2018 added a dirt late model to his stable of racecars. “It’s kind of the same deal as going from a B-mod to a modified, it’s the next step up,” Sorenson said. “Bigger races and bigger opportunities.”

He raced the Late Model only three times in 2019 but was behind the wheel of it more in 2020. On July 3 of 2020, Sorenson won a $5,000-to-win Dirt Kings Late Model Tour feature at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. It was his first win in a late model. “That was the most excited I’ve ever been after a race, probably because we struggled so much at the beginning running it,” Sorenson said. “Once I knew that we could be competitive I was really excited.” Sorenson said Jimmy Mars and the entire crew at MB Customs have helped him a lot when it comes to the late model. “Any questions I have or anything, they’re awesome to work with,” Sorenson said. “The late model deal, we really didn’t know much about. Even my dad, like I said, he’s really smart with a modified, but we didn’t know much about the late model deal. They helped me out a lot with that.” He added, “Being young and a rookie in the late models, it’s kind of intimidating, but once you’re out there racing, it’s just like (racing) anybody else.” With both a modified and late model in his racing stable, there are times when Sorenson does double duty, racing in both divisions the same night. He said it isn’t difficult driving, switching from one to the other during a night of racing. The

Not too many leaves on the trees in this early 2021 dirt track pose. difficult part is working on two cars and preparing each of them for each race. “I have a lot of people that come with me,” Sorenson said. The fact that there are plenty of bigpaying modified races in the area, keeps Sorenson behind the wheel of modified. He referenced that Cade Dillard, who is now a regular in the World of Outlaws Dirt Late Model Series, still races a modified from time to time. Even Jimmy Mars dabbles with racing a modified occasionally. “The modifieds are still a lot of fun

and very competitive,” Sorenson said. “In late models, there are more big opportunities. A modified is just kind of fun to race.” Sorenson doesn’t know what his future racing plans are. That depends on a few factors. “It’s all up to getting sponsors and what my dad wants to do,” Sorenson said. Even though it is still early in Sorenson’s racing career, how does he view his choice of racing over hockey. “So far, I still enjoy it (racing), and I’m glad that’s what I chose.”

Getting into a late model early in the 2021 season.

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review in PICTURES Photos: Travis Branch

ONE OF THE MOST HISTORIC seasons anyone has ever put together behind the wheel of a race car (or in the case of Kyle Larson, multiple race cars) got another huge boost when Kyle Larson held off Donny Schatz to score his first Knoxville Nationals in the 60th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All. Larson claimed a record winner’s purse for the event and cashed $176,000 in winnings and lap money for the largest purse of the 2021 season. Schatz was back in prime form and nearly took the lead before the mandatory halfway point and again nearly chased Larson down in the waning laps but settled for second, his best finish since 2018. Brad Sweet, polesitter Gio Scelzi and Logan Schuchart rounded out the top five spots. A year removed from the One and Only in the COVID summer of 2020, the Knoxville Nationals roared back in 2021 with an excellent and quality car count, a sellout crowd on Saturday and a first time winner for the third straight Nationals.

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Jac Haudenschild (22) led them to the green in the Friday Night Hard Knox program in his final Nationals. Photo: Paul Arch

Photo: Paul Arch

The first four to take the green on Saturday night - Gio Scelzi (18), Kyle Larson (57), Brent Marks (19) and Brad Sweet (49).

A bunch of drivers ran the 360 and 410 Nationals like this trio that featured Austin Miller (83), Kyle Reinhardt (91) and Devin Kline (7c) with their 360s. Only Kline didn’t return with the Big Iron.

Photo: Paul Arch DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Parker Price-Miller gets some serious air in turn one while Greg Wilson (97) and Kerry Madsen (14) managed to get by him on a preliminary night A-main. Photo: Paul Arch

Photo: Paul Arch

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Knoxville regular Rob Kubli felt the need for speed and went deep into Top Gun mode with his throwback special and even had the guts to list Maverick on the cowling as the driver’s name.

short track

STARS Rochester, Minnesota

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Kinsler Fuel Injection

Heading into Saturday night, the consensus on the grounds was bet on Kyle Larson or David Gravel, who won the Capitani on Sunday and his prelim on Wednesday before dropping out of the finale.

Photo: Paul Arch

Two absolute legends - Larson and Schatz - battled to the final flag.

Think these kids ever get tired of victory lane?

Photo: Paul Arch

NOS ENERGY DRINK KNOXVILLE NATIONALS HIGHLIGHTS POINT YOUR SMART CAMERA PHONE AT THE QR CODE TO THE RIGHT TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!

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moving

PICS SPEEDWAY CAR CAMS For nearly ten years, Michael Elliot has been placing cameras into the cars for amazing POV shots of what the drivers experience. We’re pretty big fans. Use the provided YouTube links or the QR codes to access the videos. You can visit dirtempiremagazine.com for easy links as well.

#21P DARREN PHILLIPS - USRA STOCK CAR - 8-21-2021 LUCAS OIL SPEEDWAY - FLIP - IN CAR CAMERA

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DIRT TRACK THING BY KENNY MONTGOMERY - REMIX VIDEO BY SPEEDWAY CAR CAMS

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DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

behind the

SCENES

Photo: Paul Arch

HEARTBREAK ABOUNDS AT KNOXVILLE By Larry Weeks

THE FOUR DAYS of the Knoxville Nationals are a beast that tests cars, crews, patience, resolve, and can break your heart in an instant. Every year, several cars fall victim to frustrating “sh*t happens” moments. Parts failures, freak occurrences, and things that “never” happen. It started on Wednesday night. The Vermeer 55 driven by Hunter Schuerenberg would not fire for time trials. When that happens, everyone automatically replaces the ignition “box”. The 55 crew did that but still no luck. Then the magneto was taken out to make sure the drive gear was still attached. It was. That left something inside the magneto itself as the problem. “The bad part was not being able to run our prelim night to be better prepared for Friday. At this place it doesn’t take much to throw you off.” The team came back Friday with a fresh engine and did well enough to start 2nd in Saturday’s “C” main, win it and get up to 17th in the “B” main. But what might have been... Thursday was full of bad moments for several teams. Jeff Swindell, Colby Copeland, Tim Kaeding, Shane Stewart,

and Sammy Swindell all had “ah ‘bleep’” moments. Mike Vanderecken owns the 10V Jeff Swindell was driving. He’s a shoestring budget guy and hasn’t raced in a year and a half. He finally got an engine ready, hired Jeff and was hoping to do all right. A poor, but good-enough time trial put them on the front row of the heat race. Jeff did his job and took the lead and held it. Until the 10V ran out of fuel. Mike took the blame, “I take full responsibility, I made that fuel stick and must have put it in the tank upside down. We only had eleven gallons instead of thirteen or fourteen.” With a resigned tone he finished, “It’s the Nationals.” Jeff told Dirt Empire, “It pisses you off for a few minutes but we weren’t going to make the Saturday A anyhow. It might have kept us out of that big wreck.” After Friday’s Hard Knox program, the team was in Saturday’s “D” main where Jeff finished 15th. The big wreck he’s talking about happened on the second lap of the Thursday “A” main and took out four cars. Two more were damaged but restarted.

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Shane Stewart in the Bernie Stuebgen 71 was another driver with bad luck that kept him out of that “A” main mess. Lining up 11th for Thursday’s “A”, the 71 picked up a huge mud clod that hit the spark plug guard so hard that it drove it into the #1 spark plug and broke it off. Shane felt the engine missing and pulled in. Unable to get the problem fixed before the green, the team took the car back to their pit. Bernie said, “I don’t get down or up. Obviously it sucks, but yesterday’s news is yesterday’s news.” Shane had this to say, “We think everything happens for a reason. If we’d gotten back out there we might have been in that mess. We would have really been behind the eight ball if we had to build a new car!” Coming back Friday they did everything right and finished 3rd in the Hard Knox feature, earning a spot in Saturday’s “A” main where he went forward from 23rd to 14th. Tim Kaeding lost an engine in Thursday’s hot lap session. The 11TK was one of Jason Sides’ team cars. A mad scramble got the 11TK wing, shocks, tires and gears switched over to Wednesday-night-qualified, 7s car

so Tim could time trial. With that, the team parked the 7s, knowing they were headed to Friday’s Hard Knox program. Jason told us, “It’s a huge setback. You prepare yourself all year, and there’s a lot of work to get it ready. All the races are stacked so it makes it really hard to come back.” Tim said, “It’s Knoxville, one little hiccup and it takes you back to starting all over.” They must have cured the hiccups, after Friday the 11TK started fifteenth in Saturday’s “C” and made it to 7th before he ran out of laps. The 5V crew with driver Colby Copeland travelled all the way from California only to have the throttle linkage come apart while lining up on the FRONT row of his Thursday heat race. A tiny jam nut wasn’t tightened and

vibration caused threads to unthread. Owner Jim Van Lare took it in stride and said, “We just have to move on.” Colby ran 2nd in Thursday’s “C”, started near the tail of the twenty-four car “B” and raced his way to fourteenth. That effort earned a twelfth starting spot in Saturday’s “C”. In his forty-sixth, that’s 46, Nationals, Sammy Swindell timed thirty-first in the Pete Grove #70, started outside of the front row of his heat and won it. That put him in fourteenth at the start, right in the lap 2 mess. The 70 was collected, flipped and landed on its wheels. Grove’s crew, and others, put on a new top wing, fixed everything visible and sent Sammy back out to cheers from the crowd. Several laps later, the 70 slowed. The culprit

turned out to be broken spur gears in the quick change rear end. Grove was upset, “That crash jammed the driveline and caused those gears to break. It stems back to young drivers driving out of their asses and causing these wrecks. They ought to sit them out a week when they do stuff like that!” Sammy philosophically told DE, “That’s out of my control, not much I can do about it.” He ended up finishing 20th in Saturday’s “B” main. “Hard Knox” are part of why we love the Nationals so much, there’s no shortage of drama because, “It’s Knoxville”!

Mitchell Dumesny surveys what is left of his Nationals’ dreams in the number 47.

Photo: Dave Pratt

These two photos show the violent crash and fire that ended Paul McMahan’s Nationals and put him out of the cockpit for several months.

Photo: Dave Pratt

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021 Photo: Dave Pratt

shooter at

LARGE

MAYBE YOU’VE NOTICED, but we here at Dirt Empire Magazine love us some racing pictures. This is our opportunity to honor the great photographers of our sport who are on the road throughout the season shooting race cars and drivers and chronicalling history. They are our shooters at large. Lone gunslingers who have choosen to wield a camera as their weapon. Ride on, shooters. Ride on.

BUCK MONSON

Josh Angst with a bit more than a peck on the cheek of Deer Creek’s concrete.

Mike Sorensen, whose son Dustin is featured in this issue, goes for a ride after the leader spun early in feature action at Deer Creek Speedway a dozen years ago.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Christopher Bell autographed the Dome’s racing surface in St. Louis following a victory in his midget in 2018.

Hometown: Albert Lea, Minnesota Age: 47 Year Started Shooting: 2007 First Publication to Print Your Work: Dirt Modified Magazine Favorite Track to Shoot: Boone Speedway, 141 Speedway, Chateau Speedway. Favorite Division to Shoot: Tie between mods and late models. Remaining Bucket List Races: I have a bunch for sure. The World 100, Prairie Dirt Classic, World Finals, any big block modified race and a show at Lucas Oil Speedway and East Bay before it closes. Favorite Thing About Racing Photography: Just the thrills and spills of it all. Meeting new people. I enjoy trying to get better each time out. What Else Do You Shoot: Senior photos. I have shot weddings. I photograph a lot of youth sports like hockey, softball, volleyball, soccer, football, tennis and baseball. I have had the pleasure of shooting the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Timberwolves, too. As I get older, I will dabble a lot more in landscape photography. Camera Equipment: Cameras - Nikon Z6ii, Nikon D750 (2), Nikon D7000 (2). Lenses - Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 FL ED, Nikon 70-200mm (older),Nikon 24-70mm 2.8, Nikon 300mm 4, Nikon 50mm 1.8, Rokinon Fisheye, Nikon TC20 converter. Flashes - NIkon SB900, Godox AD360ii, Godox V860ii (2), Godox TT600, Meike 910 (3).

GET TO KNOW BUCK MONSON DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

If you wait long enough, you can capture any time of race car jacked up on three wheels!

Monson got fancy with his slow shutter speed feature to capture this dynamic image of Darwyn Karau at Deer Creek in 2016.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

shooter at

LARGE

141 Speedway in Wisconsin soaks in nature’s beauty as it waits for the 2015 Cheesehead Triple Crown event.

Dyers Top Rods

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Monson retreated to the rafters to fisheye the Dome in St. Louis in 2017.

A jaw dropping Iowa sunset highlights a trio of USMTS mods at Cedar County Speedway back in May of 2014.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

shooter at

LARGE Rico Abreu leaps into the late Bryan Clauson’s waiting arms after the former scored his first Chili Bowl victory.

Patience was key to nabbing this perfect reflection of Chase Junghans (2) leading Shane Clanton at the Grant Junghans Memorial at Lakeside in 2016. DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

universal

TECH Photos & Text by Vahok Hill

UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL FUELS PART I THE USE OF ALCOHOL as a fuel in race cars, specifically open wheel and in some closed wheel cars, has been the standard for many years. Many of us may not realize or understand why this is the case. When comparing alcohol to gasoline on the surface, it is not obvious why one would select alcohol over gasoline. The common answer is that alcohol makes more power. But gasoline is much denser from an energy content perspective and that makes gasoline on an energy-available perspective a much lighter fuel. It takes less to make the same power. The energy potential versus the weight of the fuel is what makes gasoline lighter and seemingly a more logical choice. It is also easier to ignite gasoline than alcohol fuels. When we talk about alcohol fuels, we are referring to methanol and ethanol-based fuels [there are some significant differences that we will cover later]. Gasoline is available all over the world, the quality and the chemical blending may be different based on local government requirements, but it is available everywhere. Gasoline is also more compatible with the materials that are currently used in the construction of fuel systems in use on the road today, from inside the car and the infrastructure used to move fuels from the producer to the customer that is what is currently utilized. However, gasoline, particularly racing gasoline is not the same all over the world. The fuel used in race cars at the highest levels may be called gasoline but the only similarity between many of these fuels and what the Saturday Night racer calls gasoline is the nomenclature alone. The characteristics, between the gasolines

used in say a NASCAR Cup car and a F1 car are worlds apart. It would be easier to get a date on Saturday night with the latest en vouge movie starlet than to buy 55 gallons of the “gasoline” used in a F1 car. It is pretty much unobtainable to the average racer. That said we are still able to buy racing gasolines that are a far cry from what is available at the pump today. We have available at our fingertips, if we can pay, some of the finest racing fuels that have ever been offered to the racer at any time in history. We are a truly lucky lot. While we pay for this privilege, the cost is very reasonable given the amount of technology and infrastructure it takes to manufacture and deliver these high-quality products. It is instructive to look back to why alcohol was even introduced to the racing community. It boils down to one word, SAFETY. Yes, there are other benefits but the fuel was really legislated into use due to perceived safety benefits. The great things about gasoline and its use in racing engines is also why it is inherently a riskier fuel than alcohol - gasoline will ignite in less-than-ideal conditions, especially outside the engine. And, once it is lit, it is considerably harder to extinguish outside of the controlled burning that is taking place in the combustion chamber of our engines. If you have ever been present when a race car catches fire it is a truly scary event. It is scary regardless of the fuel used. But gasoline is a bit more intense. The bright orange of the fire, the very intense heat and the fact that spraying water on the fire does very little to the fire other than spread it around. I am not suggesting banning gasoline as a fuel for racing; I am

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

just stating a fact. The fact that fires are a very rare occurrence in today’s racing cars is a testament to the safety that is designed into the modern race car’s fuel systems, at all levels of the sport. A condition that was paid for by the fellow racers that perished or were injured in the past in gasoline fires. A car that is fueled by alcohol is no less scary should it catch fire but there are a few critical differences. The fire is much easier to extinguish with waterbased fire extinguishers. In fact, water is the extinguisher medium of choice for alcohol fires. There is less need for special extinguishers to be used outside of the car itself. This goes back into our racing past - in 1964 when there was a crash and a terrible fireball due to a ruptured fuel tank early in the Indy 500 and two prominent Indy car drivers of that time, Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald, perished as a result of that fiery crash. The following year, in 1965, all the cars racing under the USAC banner including the Indy 500 were powered by methanol as the use of gasoline was banned. Some other alcohol facts that make it a bit safer from a fuel perspective, it burns at a much cooler temperature and slower than gasoline. Consequently, this slower burn rate around 18 to 22% slower depending on the conditions, results in an open fire that is a bit less intense and easier to control with easily obtained firefighting equipment. Please do not confuse this as a “safe fire”; any fire that is unintended is a scary and serious matter! But not everything is all roses and honey from a safety perspective. In the light of day, it is almost impossible to see an alcohol flame. While it is easier to extinguish an alcohol fire, first you have to see it to extinguish the fire. Often times you will see the driver or crew reacting to the fire before any pit personnel can see the flames. Their reaction is due to the fact they are being burned. Think back to the Indy 500 when Rick Mears was burned by a fire ignited during a pit stop. This was

the genesis of Indy car teams squirting water on the re-fueling interface, right after it is disconnected from the car as a fire mitigating process. As a fuel, alcohol is to be treated with the same respect as any other fuel. It is dangerous and can cause some serious injuries just like any other combustible liquid. The same level of care should be exercised when dealing with alcohol as you would with gasoline. For the racer, there seems to be as many positives for using alcohol as a fuel; are there any negatives? Yes, there are a plethora of issues that alcohol brings to the party that are not even considerations with gasoline fuels. The first is that alcohol is hydroscopic. It will absorb water out of the air if it is exposed to the environment. This little feature can make a perfectly acceptable jug of fuel not worth using if the water content gets too high. This feature of alky fuels is and has been the bane of many a tuner as they make changes to the fuel system only to find that the fuel was contaminated with water. This is a real problem in areas that have a good bit of humidity in the air. In the Southwest it is not a big issue but it still means that any alcohol that is stored needs to be in containers that are not vented and that the fuel should not be exposed to the environment any longer than possible. While gasoline that is exposed to the environment also loses its potency, as the light bits (from

a molecular level) of the fuel evaporate and it is those lighter compounds of the fuel that differentiate racing blends from pump gas. Another downside is that many of the “rubber” seals that are used in gasoline fueled cars do not hold up when the fuel is changed to alcohol. They do not react well with alcohol fuels, often degrading and no longer offering acceptable performance or even worse they degrade and contaminate the fuel downstream of their location. They can also cause seals to degrade to the point of failure and then the damage is even worse. While this seems like a real issue, it is simply rectified, by using seal materials that are resistant to alcohols, from the tank to the end of the fuel delivery system. The chemical makeup of alcohol is very corrosive to many of the coatings that are typically used on metals in the fuel system. Many of the coatings that are designed to protect the metal components in the fuel system are easily attacked by alcohol. It is not uncommon for metal components to get surface oxidization and pitting as a result of alcohol fuels. This becomes a real issue if the alcohol is allowed to sit in the fuel system between races. The fuel system should be maintained between races to prevent the alcohol in the system from turning into what is a very strong corrosive agent. If the fuel system is not cleaned frequently, preferably after each race day, the corrosive nature

Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

of alcohol will play havoc with the metal and rubber components in the fuel system, especially those components not designed for this type of fuel. This is not a real issue as most racers who are using alcohol fuels are already familiar with the required maintenance. For those not familiar with the maintenance rigors required when using alcohol fuels; education comes quickly and with a vengeance. Failure to properly maintain an alcohol fuel system will find that aside from the corrosion that will occur on many metallic surfaces there will be a grit like substance almost a fine sand type of residue, in the lines and around aluminum parts. This grit is the result of an increased electrical conductivity that alcohol has over gasoline fuels. The grit is from the galvanic corrosion caused by the greater electrical conductivity from the fuel as it interacts with the various different metals in the fuel system. This contamination will migrate throughout the system clogging fuel filters, fuel jets and generally cause havoc within the fuel system. In the next issue of Dirt Empire Magazine, we’ll continue to learn more about the properties of alcohol fuels and learn more about maintenance issues and why it has become the preferred fuel for so many different types of race cars. The author can be reached at: Vahok.Hill@cox.net

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

yesterday’s

DIRT Words: Lee Ackerman Photos: Tony Hammett

The final salute at the final Colossal.

A TRULY COLOSSAL EVENT PART II

In Issue 4 of Dirt Empire Magazine, we detailed the first two Colossal 100 events that were won by Scott Bloomquist and now we revisit the final two events to give a look back at some of the biggest dirt late model events in the first decade of the 21st century. It was just announced the Colossal will return to Charlotte in 2022. 2009 – COLOSSAL III In April 2008, the Colossal 100 returned to the Dirt Track at Charlotte Speedway with the third edition of the event and when the checkered flag waved standing in victory lane was the same driver who had been standing in victory

lane at the Dirt Track the previous fall as the 2007 World of Outlaws Series Champion - “The Kentucky Colonel” Steve Francis. A field of 69 cars were on hand and it was Batesville, Arkansas’ Billy Moyer setting fast time with a lap of 14.672 seconds. Eight heat races were run in an effort to get the feature field set. Moyer took heat one with Jackie Boggs and Earl Pearson, Jr. in tow. Dan Schlieper took the second heat over Tim McCreadie and Francis. Jeep Van Wormer won heat three with Jimmy Mars and Bob Gordon following and Steve Shaver posted the win in heat four with Ray Cook and Dale McDowell following. Josh Richards bested Chris Madden and Darrell Lanigan in heat

Darrel Lanigan works by Steve Shaver (30) and Jeep Van Wormer (55) en route to second in IV.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

five with Chub Frank holding off Scott Bloomquist and Eddie Carrier, Jr. in heat six, Jimmy Owens winning over Ricky Weeks and Randall Chupp in heat seven and John Gill taking honors in heat eight over Jeremy Miller and Brian Birkhofer. Two 25 lap B-features each added four to the field and Brady Smith won the first B-feature with John Blankenship, Doug Horton and Dennis “Rambo” Franklin also moving on. In B feature number two it was Rick Eckert taking home the honors with Mike Marlar, Vick Coffey and Jeff Smith also moving on to the big show. Donnie Moran, Clint Smith and G.R. Smith were also added to the feature as provisionals. Starting on the pole for the 100-lap, $50,000 to win feature, Francis had smooth sailing the whole way as he led wire-to-wire beating runner-up Chris Madden by just over three seconds. “I was so impressed when I drove my car in the corner for the first lap,” said Francis. “I just thought, well, if we can just keep from breaking something, we can win this. Actually, it’s probably the best car I’ve ever had for a 100-lap race. It just never changed a characteristic the whole race.” Darrell Lanigan, Shannon Babb and Chris Madden took shots at Francis, but no one had enough to get by the Kentucky Colonel and take the point. “The car was absolutely phenomenal tonight. We never even had to run a lap hard. We had a lot left if we needed to go.” said Francis. “That is just unbelievable to have a car that good against this kind of competition.

When you get a car that good it just makes your job that much easier.” It was Francis’ first World of Outlaws win of the season and 15th of his career. The win also put an end to Scott Bloomquist’s stranglehold on the event. Bloomquist, who captured the first two Colossal victories, was never a factor in the race. After starting 17th, Bloomquist had trouble early starting with Eddie Carrier Jr.’s lap one spin in turn four. He briefly cracked the top ten before pitting multiple times. Bloomquist night ended in a lap 82 multi-car mishap. Lanigan’s hopes of taking home the big prize ended with ten laps to go when his Lanigan Motorsports/Gotta Race Rocket suffered rear end problems. When Francis saw Lanigan falter, he became concerned for his own fuel situation because of excessive caution laps throughout the event. “It was a race that didn’t want to end,” said Francis. “I’ve led a lot of these caution plagued things and usually something happens to me right at the end, so when I see Darrell coasting down through there, I figured he was out of fuel and I was worried I might be next. The last five laps were the scariest of the race for me because I was watching the fuel pressure gauge rather than what I should’ve been watching at this point.” Following Francis and Madden to the line were Josh Richards, Jimmy Owens, and Dale McDowell. Sixth through tenth went to Shannon Babb, Tim McCreadie, John Blankenship, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Ricky Weeks. 2010 – COLOSSAL IV For two days mother nature was determined to win the Fourth Annual Colossal and in the end “the Hurricane” went to victory lane. Earl Pearson, Jr., the four-time Lucas Oil Series champion held off the hard charging Darrell Lanigan to pick up the win and a check for $50,000. The race was held on Sunday afternoon after rain washed out both Friday and Saturday night. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Pearson. “At the end I saw that Lanigan was coming in a hurry and I was getting worried about that, but I got through lapped traffic good. It’s just a dream come true. My crew worked their butts off. I’m just tickled to death.” Pearson used lap traffic to take the lead on lap nine when he pinned race leader Jonathan Davenport behind the slower car of Clint Smith. From there, Pearson cruised around the surprisingly smooth surface of the Dirt Track at Charlotte and

patiently made his way through lapped traffic with the caution flag waving just three times. The last 47 laps being caution free. Lanigan started sixth and steadily made his way to the front, finally taking the runner-up spot from Josh Richards and set out after Pearson, but the Hurricane was long gone. “We had a great race car, but at the end of the race my car got loose and I was like, “What in the world is going on?” said Pearson. “We came to find out that the right front tire had a great big hole in it. When we got back to the pits it was flat.” “We just fell short again,” said Lanigan after the race. “That was the best race car I have ever had here. We just cut across the center of the corner and pulled guys, but there were a couple of lapped cars that hurt me and cost me too much ground. A couple of more laps would have been nice.” Josh Richards finished third, Steve Francis fourth and early race leader Jonathan Davenport fifth. Sixth through tenth were Chris Madden, Scott Bloomquist, Steve Shaver, Kelly Boen and Jeep Van Wormer. Scott Bloomquist was the fast qualifier of the 64-car field with a lap of 16.962 seconds. He was the only driver under 17 seconds. The 24 cars that qualified for the feature through the heat races redrew for positions one through 24. Four drivers from each of the six heats qualified for the feature. Pearson took heat one with John Anderson, Shannon Babb and Bloomquist also qualifying. Heat two went to Davenport with Jeep Van Wormer, Rick Eckert and Billy Moyer also moving on. Shane Clanton won heat three with Steve Shaver Tommy Kerr and Casey Roberts moving up. Lanigan won heat four bringing along Kelly Boen, Jared Landers and Michael England. The fifth heat saw Steve Francis, Josh Richards, Eddie Carrier, Jr., and Dale McDowell qualify with Ray Cook taking heat six followed by Chris Madden, Dennis Franklin and Austin Hubbard. Chub Frank won the first 20 lap B feature with Tim Fuller, Jimmy Owens and Russ King also making the big show. The “Wisconsin Wildman” Dan Schlieper took the second B bringing along Matt Lux, Donnie Moran and Davey Johnson. Brady Smith, Clint Smith and Ken Schrader were added to the show to make up a 35-car feature field. Unfortunately, there was to be no fifth edition of the Colossal, ending one of the biggest events in dirt late model racing. But, for four years, the Dirt Track

Earl Pearson Jr. takes the checkered flag after leading the final 92 laps at Colossal IV and enjoyed the unique victory lane ceremony (and the $50,000!) in the photo below. at Charlotte provided race fans with some of the best dirt late model racing in the country every spring. That tradition has continued on, however, with the season ending World Finals.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

dirt

CHRONICLES

POSSE WRANGLERS

By: Bob Mays

Lynn Paxton (Shorty Emerich 1) started his racing career in the early 1960s and quickly became a force in Central Pennsylvania. After winning the 1983 National Open at Williams Grove, Lynn climbed out of the cockpit for the last time. Since his retirement, he has become a major force at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing as curator and one of the most outstanding ambassadors the sport of sprint car racing has ever had. (Lloyd King photo)

Jan Opperman (Luke Bogar 99) authored one of the most legendary seasons in sprint car history from his home base in Central Pennsylvania. In 1972, he won 44 features, making Opp the most recognizable short track driver since Jud Larson. (Lloyd King photo)

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

Kenny Weld (Bob Weikert 29) settled in Central Pennsylvania from his home in Kansas City in late1960s and helped revolutionize the sport of sprint car racing. A savvy self-taught engineer, Weld’s mechanical acumen was a counterpoint to Jan Opperman’s natural ability and charisma and natural ability. (Lloyd King photo)

Keith Kauffman (Al Hamilton 77) is a native son on Central Pennsylvania soil with more than 300 career wins. Kauffman won with all the big traveling circuits but it was his time as a Posse member that will always be remembered. (Bob Mays photo) DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

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Dirt Empire is proud to have assembled a crack staff of freelance photographers and writers who blend their passion for the sport with their talent and artistry to make these pages pop. If you see an image that you’d like to own or need a great image for your shop, drop them a line and support them.

PHOTOGRAPHERS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Bob Mays - catsracin@yahoo.com Brendon Bauman - brendonbauman30@gmail.com Buck Monson – buckmonson@gmail.com Dan Demarco - deacon39@me.com David Campbell – www.seemymind.com David Giles – davidgilesphoto@gmail.com David Pratt – dspphotoz@aol.com Dennis Krieger – dkracepics@q.com Don Holbrook – freebirdmotorsports@gmail.com Greg Stanek - greg_cubs23@yahoo.com Jason Spencer – https://motormafiaphotography.zenfolio.com/ Jim Collum Jr. - actionphotos8@gmail.com Joe Shivak - josephshivak@gmail.com John Lee - highfly-n@comcast.net Josh James – joshjamesphotos@gmail.com Matt Butcosk – mbutcosk@gmail.com Mike Campbell - mikecampbellphotos@gmail.com Mike Musslin – dirtnut777@gmail.com Paul Arch - peanumber10@comcast.net Ron Gilson – rongilson@msn.com Ryan Roberts - jryanroberts@ymail.com Tony Hammett - tony.hammett@charter.net Vahok Hill – vahok.hill@cox.net

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

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costs down and put every penny into production. There were no redundancies for the final design and layout. I feel a responsibility to each individual who has entrusted their hard-earned dollars with me to get our publication. The pressure of letting thousands of individuals down by missing that deadline was so heavy. As I gulped for air, all I could think was that they would think I had lied to them. That I was trying to cheat them. My heart was breaking, even as my lungs were trying to live. Within 24 hours the UFHealth team had me stabilized and able to think clearly. I made the executive decision to pause production. I did not know what was about to happen. What if I never recovered? What becomes of Dirt Empire Magazine? Don’t misunderstand my sentiments. My family was foremost in my mind; my wife and my children who I hadn’t seen in person in weeks. But Dirt Empire Magazine is like a child to me. One that is new and fresh. One that I’ve been proudly showing to everyone who will look, and I was failing as a father. Then something amazing started happening. After posting to social media the decision to pause production (without much detail), support started rolling in. Individual subscribers sent kind messages. Advertisers reached out to see how I was doing. (Joel Smith at CRS, in particular, checked up on me through this whole ordeal. Thank you, Joel!) I had competitors reach out to me to offer help and kind words. I had complete strangers offer their support. So many people offered prayers. I wept. It was so humbling. I don’t deserve anything I have. I don’t deserve my wife or my beautiful children. I don’t deserve to be at the helm of a magazine for one of the greatest sports to have ever existed on the face of the Earth. I deserve none of it. It is all a blessing from my Creator above, and I respect that if I remain humble, He will continue to guide me and help me where I need help. To see such a swell of support from this industry was overwhelming. One of the reasons I eschewed the corporate life with all the back-stabbing and skullduggery of the cubicle farms and

the big corner office was because I get to interact with so many genuine people in this industry. Selfless individuals. As my strength slowly returned and my oxygen levels improved and it looked promising that I might only be in the hospital for a week, all I could think about was getting back to finalizing this issue with the team and getting it out to all of you that showed me so much support. It will take weeks and perhaps even months to get myself back to the same level of physical strength, stamina and work performance as I was able to utilize prior to becoming ill, but the doctors have assured me that it looks like that a full recovery is pretty much guaranteed – if there are such things as guarantees in this world we live in. I promise to put all efforts into working hard to give you a great magazine, each and every issue. How do you say thank you to so many individuals who selflessly showed their human support for you? You give them what you can; a note, a call, a small gift. Often all that is necessary is a heartfelt Thank You. To all of you who have been so patient as we’ve launched this publication and have been doubly patient as we worked to get this edition out with all the adversity, I just want to say Thank You. Thank you for giving us your trust. Thank you for being a part of the Empire. Thank you for not giving up on me. If this seems overly dramatic and self-serving, I can understand that. I can understand the skepticism. Our world has become so embittered over so many things. So many other individuals are facing adversity on a daily basis and it’s overwhelming and crushing. It robs us of joy. It robs us of our humanity if we let it. What helps us all get through is our fellow humans. Empathy. Love. Compassion. Self-sacrifice. As I was in the hospital and a string of doctors and nurses came through to help, I could not but appreciate the humanity. None of them knew me. But it didn’t matter. And it was more than just a job. They showed genuine concern. The folks at UFHealth were amazing. I could have written a column about overcoming, about triumphing, about winning! But my heart has been changed by this experience. People mean so much more than things and accomplishments suddenly. It’s like the volume on the

rat-race has been turned down and the beauty of humanity has been turned up. I cannot help but feel blessed by my situation. I have seen the numbers. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost loved ones, family and friends during this tragedy. So many others have fallen ill for other reasons during this pandemic and their lives came to an end alone without those around them who loved them most. I think about them. I think how each one has their own story. How each person undergoing adversity right now feels helpless. During my darkest moments, I had faith in my Creator and the love from other humans to carry me along. Maybe by relating this story I can add just a small level of empathy and humanity into the mix. At the very least, I can show my appreciation for those who bestowed such upon me. I can also work hard to reflect the humanity and empathy that was shown toward me and my family during this ordeal. In this journey of life, as we mature emotionally and learn how to cope, we can share these skills with others to try to make their journey less bumpy. As recovery continues, there are real world impacts from this ordeal. Based on timing and logistics, we may have lost an issue for this calendar year. I assure you that just means your subscription will just stretch out another issue forward. I still plan on being at the PRI show in December in Indianapolis and I’m really looking forward to meeting many of you who have put your trust in us. Every great story requires overcoming adversity. Thank you for being part of our story and helping us overcome. I promise I will continue to work hard to give you a quality publication with each edition. Even Covid can’t stop the Dirt Empire! Let’s go racing! ...and I will see you next year, Knoxville!

Adam Cornell Owner/Publisher Dirt Empire Magazine

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 05 - 2021

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Dirt Empire Magazine - Issue 5 - 2021

Articles inside

IT’S LARSON (OF COURSE IT WAS AT KNOXVILLE