Dirt Empire Magazine - Issue 06-2021 by dirtempiremagazine

Issue 06 - 2021

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RACE-BRED AND TRACK-PROVEN

SINCE 1958

Bobby Pierce Photo: Josh James

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POLE POSITION Y E S T E R D AY ’ S

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COVER PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS: DOMINIC SCELZI: DEVIN MAYO JONATHAN DAVENPORT: JOSH JAMES

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

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ISSUE 06 2021 $8 US/$10.25 CAN

WORLD

100s

REVIEW

PICTURES

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

Issue 06 • 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 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, Josh James, 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 06 - 2021

Right Foot Performance Products

CONTENTS

Issue 06 - 2021

One World 100 is amazing. Two World 100’s is...out of... this... (sigh) just turn to page 50 to see for yourself.

Photo: Josh James

FEATURES

7 Fore Word – Adam Cornell 8 From the Editor – Justin Zoch 26 ASK THE DRIVER – SCOTTY THIEL While he might not be on the national radar of sprint car fans just yet, Scotty Thiel is 10 News and Notes building a brand around his home state of Wisconsin and he’s constantly expanding 12 Lighter Side of Dirt his reach and tackling new experiences. We let you pose the questions to the “Big 13 Moving Pics Wheel”. 14 Graphic Language 16 Beauty of Racing 32 CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ 18 In Memorium Dominic Scelzi gave the impression that following several years on the road, he 19 In My Experience was headed back to the Golden State to settle into family life and learn the family business. However, instead of driving a forklifts, he’s been driving his competitors on 22 Ask The Driver – Scotty Thiel 26 Action Capture the west coast crazy by winning 20 plus shows and having a dream season. 28 Short Track Stars – Beau Begnaud 38 CHASING CHAMPIONSHIPS 32 Dominic Scelzi We introduce you to a kid from southern Missouri who helps on the family farm and 38 Dillon McCowan chases championships in his family-owned USRA modified with help from his teenage 44 RJ Otto and Taylor Cook crew chief brother. Meet Dillon McCowan. 58 Review in Photos – World 100(s) 60 Where Are They Now? 44 A TALE OF TWO DRIVERS – John Vandenberg Doug Kennedy weaves the story of two Ohio transplants to North Carolina – RJ Otto 62 Guest Mic Drop - Ashley Zimmerman and Taylor Cook - who continue to chase their dreams behind the wheels of modifieds while immersing themselves in the racing community in any way possible in service of 64 Shooter at Large – Dan Demarco those dreams. 68 Shifting Gears – Alex Gilhart 70 Action Capture 50 REVIEW IN PICTURES – WORLD 100(s) 72 Universal Tech – Alcohol Fuels Part II Worlds collided in Rossburg, Ohio, and America’s most ambitious promotional team 74 The Dirt Chronicles took on the task of running two World 100 races in four days. At the end, Brandon 76 Yesterday’s Dirt Overton continued his Eldora heist in the first edition while Jonathan Davenport continued his odd-year mastery for his fourth title in the second World 100 of the 78 New & Featured Products weekend. 79 Pit Stop 80 Advertiser’s Index VISIT DIRTEMPIREMAGAZINE.COM FOR MORE STORIES 82 That’s A Wrap DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Salon at Studio B

THE SHOW MUST GO ON! THE TRADE SHOW SEASON is upon us. There are several regional shows all across the country that will bring local drivers and fans together, but the big show for the dirt track racing industry has to be the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis, Indiana. The PRI show takes place December 9-11 this year, and yes, Dirt Empire Magazine will be there. We’ll be at booth 410. Stop by and say hello. I have been attending and exhibiting at trade shows across several industries for over two decades now. Each industry and each show has its own personality. The furniture show in Las Vegas was a party atmosphere. The housewares show in Chicago was all business, as most of the privately owned companies had owners who had started back in the 1950s when the newest housewares shown on I Love Lucy could be ordered from the Sears & Roebuck catalog in time for the holidays. The toy show in New York City was an eye opener. To

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to: M Pho ey

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quote Obi-Wan Kenobi, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” If you like skullduggery and back-stabbing, get involved in the toy industry. Yikes! Then we come to PRI, which is part party atmosphere, part business. It’s a nice mix of both. There’s always excitement at the shows, but back in 2019 the aisles were packed and the atmosphere was electric. Then the dark times came. When PRI opens its doors in December of this year, it will be two years since we were all together. Quite a bit has changed since then. I’ve launched a new magazine. I almost died from Covid. Many a company struggled to survive. Some didn’t make it. Still others were gobbled up by a larger corporate entity, never to be quite the same as they once were. Part of the trade show experience is seeing what’s new and different. Part of the experience is about seeing all the old friends. I learned a few tricks of the trade for surviving a trade show. I thought maybe I’d share those with you, if you plan on attending. First, take a different pair of comfortable walking shoes for each day you plan on attending. Every pair of shoes wears differently and puts different points of pressure on your feet. Switching up shoes can be a life saver over the course of three days. Secondly, bring a little extra cash. There is always something you didn’t realize you absolutely needed until you see it. There are always show specials to be had. You can sometimes save hundreds if not thousands of dollars by taking advantage of show specials. Thirdly, bring a nice rugged,

fore WORD

By Adam Cornell comfortable-to-carry bag for all of the catalogs, brochures and business cards you’ll collect (not to mention stickers!). Some shows no longer allow pull behind roller bags, so a comfortable backpack may be the best choice. Fourthly, bring YOUR business cards. Maybe this should be tip number one, but I figured if I put it last, you would more than likely remember it better. So many times attendees want to exchange info and the business card still rules, but alas, they were forgotten back at the office. Granted, you can airdrop your contact info these days, so if you’re particularly tech-savvy, you can go that route. All things being equal, the business card is still one of the easiest, most effective ways to hand over your info. If you don’t want to carry them around, take a picture of your business card with your smart phone. It’s an easy alternative to sharing your contact info and it works across all platforms. Personally, I am really looking forward to the show. I enjoy talking with people in this industry and I cannot wait to hear what people think of our new publication which didn’t even exist when the last PRI show was held. It’s been a crazy year and a half, and I hope the PRI show signals something of a return to normalcy for the dirt track racing industry. Hope to see you there!

Adam Cornell Owner/Publisher Dirt Empire Magazine

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

from the EDITOR

By Justin Zoch REMEMBER 2020? Or have you been able to successfully forget it yet – if so, congratulations. It was without a doubt the strangest and worst year ever in this country, filled with COVID deaths and restrictions, an ugly campaign and election, civil unrest and upheaval and, of course, the usual fires and natural disasters. It wasn’t good. In our little corner of the universe, racers struggled to keep their careers afloat and racetracks searched to find ways to keep their doors open. Schedules for touring series were in constant flux and some tracks were forced to run for reduced crowds or even without any inessential people in the grandstands or on the grounds. So, here we are, on the cusp of 2022 and as we look back on another racing season in the books, there was a lot more joy to catalog this year than the previous one. Here is a just a partial list of the things that made 2021 one of the best racing seasons in years. I never in my life thought I’d be worried about buying a pit pass to the Knoxville Nationals but with all the hubbub over the 60th edition and the quality of the field and the pure joy of just being back after a year of the One and Only, that was exactly the case. The grandstands sold out early and there was talk that pit passes would be limited as a safety precaution. Crowds all year were fantastic for special events and touring series and the hunger to return to normal activities was palpable. The amount of money that Brandon Overton won in just one season of late model racing tells us that our sport is

REASONS TO SMILE back to being in a healthy spot where competitors can earn a living and fans are willing to shell out to see it, either in person or from one of the various streaming services. It seems that there are huge money races every weekend now and the fact that one guy - Overton - scored six wins that paid more than $50,000 tells me that there is a lot of good going on in the sport. The prevalence of throwback or fun schemes seems here to stay. With merchandising so crucial to bottom lines, I love that teams are embracing fun schemes like Bobby Pierce’s Mystery Machine or heartfelt ones like Justin Peck’s Kramer Williamson Tribute Car. Bringing back the fun or tying in the history of the sport was awesome at the 50th World 100 and the 60th Knoxville Nationals and I hope that continues past the anniversary races. Heck, Kyle Bronson even ran a throwback pavement sprint scheme on his late model for the World 100. That’s cross promotion! The amount of young talent should give us all reason to be excited, particularly in the open wheel world. Losing guys like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell as full-time competitors could have been a real blow but the talent pool is so deep right now with teens like Corey Day and Ryan Timms winning impressively. Timms’ resume, in particular, brings great joy as he won in POWRi Midgets, ASCS 360s, had four 410 feature wins and won a feature at the Trophy Cup. That’s star power early in a career. There seems to be one thing that we can all agree on in this country – Kyle Larson is having one of the finest – I’d probably say the finest – seasons in the history of motorsports. I never thought I’d live to see the day a NASCAR racer could

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

challenge for that championship, win on road courses and the Coca-Cola 600 and also win the Knoxville Nationals. It just didn’t seem possible, even with guys like Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart – they never had what felt like a legitimate shot to win the Nationals. Add in the fact that Larson also won a huge late model race at the Prairie Dirt Classic and the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, the Front Row Challenge, late model races all over and it is almost staggering the season he has had. After a self-inflicted mistake nearly ruined Larson’s career in 2020, his rebound in 2021 on and off the track should give us all hope in humanity and the power of redemption. Can 2022 be even better?

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Summit Racing Equipment

news

NOTES

& New York on the front stretch and Pennsylvania on the back stretch wall! Photos: Paul Arch

NEW STATELINE SPEEDWAY ON MARKET WHY BUY A HOUSE when a racetrack is available? The New Stateline Speedway, which is very near the New York/ Pennsylvania border in Busti, New York, is looking for new ownership. The track was built in 1956 and last changed hands in 2015. According to the real estate listing “It isn’t every day that an engine revving opportunity like this comes along, and this is most certainly not an ordinary piece of real estate! It is a Busti, NY landmark, a part of the Chautauqua Lake community, and a place where

families and motor car enthusiasts come to enjoy thrilling action on the weekend. To get a sense of the rich history of the Stateline Speedway, visit the website

statelinelegacy.org. This website hosts an extensive archive of photographs and media dating back to the early days of the race track.”

Earl Pearson taking the final checkered flag of the final Colossal in 2009.

COLOSSAL RETURNS TO CHARLOTTE IT’S BACK! After a decade plus, one of Dirt Late Models biggest events will return to the Dirt Track at Charlotte in May of 2022 with the return of the Colossal 100. The race was contested from 2006-2009 and saw Scott Bloomquist sweep the first two before Steve Francis and Earl Pearson Jr. won in 2008 and 2009. According to the release, “Officials from Charlotte Motor Speedway and XR Events have reached an agreement to revive the Colossal 100 and support it with a showcase of local grassroots classes, headlined by the Super Late Models, with a format similar to the XR Events promoted Bristol Dirt Nationals, Texas Dirt Nationals and the Duel in the Desert. Complete details of the Colossal 100V will be released at a later date at www.racexr.com.”

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Photo: Tony Hammett

DECEMBER 9 - 11, 2021 Photos Provided by PRI.

THE PERFORMANCE RACING INDUSTRY (PRI) is preparing for 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-overmonth revenue growth. Dirt Empire Magazine will be exhibiting at booth 410. See you there!

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

T&D Machine Products

the lighter side of

DIRT

ROOSTER MAN When’s the last time you had as much fun at the track as this fan did at Port Royal Speedway for the Lucas Oil Late Models? To top it off, Rooster Man could truly crow as his guy, Tim McCreadie, won the feature. Photo: Dan Demarco

STEP RIGHT UP! The English Creek Speedway kart track just south of Knoxville, Iowa, might just have the coolest flagstand in the whole land as they repurposed a sprint car frame for their flagger’s perch. There’s a lot of old sprint car parts in this part of the world and no shortage of imagination of how to use them. Photo: Paul Arch

PUSH HERE TO DISAPPEAR! Just like that, he was gone! Jack Hesson stood on the gas after getting off track at Fremont Speedway and promptly disappeared into a cloud of mid-summer dust! Photos: Rick Sherer

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

moving

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.

PICS

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 JIMMY OWENS BUMPER CAM - ALL-TECH SPEEDWAY

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

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. WINNER #98 JIMMY JOHNSON - STOCK 8 - 10-23-21 TOCCOA RACEWAY IN-CAR CAMERA

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

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

the lighter side of

DIRT

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.

Austin Kirkpatrick had an embedded reflective globe holograph in his car number at the World 100. If you look really closely, you can see it even included a tiny Eldora logo in Ohio on the globe, truly the center of the universe the second weekend in September. Photo: Paul Arch

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

If you’re a weekend warrior, you can’t take yourself too seriously and no one can accuse Badger Midget’s Jim Fuerst of doing that as he straps into “The Field Filler Special” every Sunday night at Angell Park Speedway. Photo: Paul Arch

Two Wings – Two Different Messages. A pair of midwest-based sprint car racers used the underside of their wing with varying purposes. McKenna Hasse chose to be inspirational with her never quit message while the IRA’s Russel Borland went with an aggressive stay back approach! Photos: Paul Arch

Ryan King used his UMP modified at Eldora to spotlight a cause dear to him and signal awareness of PTSD and in particular the death of Joseph Barnes from nearby Lima, Ohio. Photo: Paul Arch

The Minnesota Mafia, a group of race fans who pool their money to promote the sport, have long supported Kaleb Johnson, son of Jackson Motoplex general manager Doug Johnson, but maybe not as long as they’ve supported the five labels their avatars are holding on this wing. Photo: Paul Arch

Zoinks! Look out Scoob, someone stole the Mystery Machine and took it to the World 100 – it’s that Meddling Kid Bobby Pierce! Mystery solved. Photo: Paul Arch DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

the beauty of

DIRT Photo: Mike Musslin

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

THE SUN is about to go down as a long night of racing commences with the USRA Stock Cars at Lucas Oil Speedway’s USRA Nationals in October. DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

in memorium

TWO NATIONAL SPRINT CAR HALL OF FAMERS PASS DOUG AULD – JOURNALIST – CLASS OF 2017

Photo: Paul Arch

Doug Auld, aged 59, was the longtime editor of Open Wheel Magazine and the founder of Sprint Car & Midget Magazine. He passed away after a brief illness in early October. Auld was a 2017 inductee into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, the recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award and was a tireless promoter of the sport of open wheel racing. Auld was born in New York but made a name for himself as an auto racing journalist after moving to Florida. He tirelessly guided the legendary Open Wheel Magazine for many years before it finally succumbed to corporate magazine politics. Rather than move on, Auld dug in and found partners to create his own magazine – Sprint Car & Midget. He founded the magazine in 2001 and remained the editor even throughout a

RAY LEE GOODWIN – DRIVER – CLASS OF 1999 Ray Lee Goodwin, the 1968 Knoxville Nationals champion, passed away on September 11 in his hometown of Sedalia, Missouri. Goodwin was an absolute beast over a 15-year period from 1960 through 1975 when he was forced to retire following a couple of grinding crashes. His career peak was winning the Nationals in 1968 but Goodwin’s Hall of Fame career also included a stint as the 1972 IMCA National champion. Aside from these two triumphs, he won various track titles in multiple states, including Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, including a track title at Knoxville Raceway. Goodwin was a lifelong race fan and supporter and enjoyed farming, his family and high school sports until his recent passing. His racing resume and dedication earned him induction into five separate Halls of Fame during his lifetime.

Photo: Leroy Byers

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

sale of the brand until his recent death. Auld was a passionate fan first but was always in pursuit of a good story for the pages of his magazine and had stories aplenty of the legendary (and not so legendary!) racers that graced the pages of his magazines over the years. Auld cultivated lasting relationships with racers, advertisers, promoters, fans, readers and particularly with his devoted writers and photographers. Auld was a sprint car racer himself, a long-time supporter of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and former Board Member, and an innovative businessman. He was a lifelong lover and performer of music and is survived by his mother, his brother and his wife of 39 years, Chelsea, and his two daughters Shawna and Kayla.

DEVON ROUSE in my

EXPERIENCE (As Told To Ashley Zimmerman)

It was recently announced that the NASCAR trucks will be returning to Knoxville for a second race in 2022. We cornered Devon Rouse, one of many drivers with dirt track experience, to tell us just what it was like to drive a NASCAR truck around the Sprint Car Capitol of the World. MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS when hitting the track is I struggled because I was trying to drive it like a sprint car, and that didn’t work out well whatsoever. So, it took a lot of keeping an open mind and not only getting to know the truck on the dirt but also the track. It was a definitely a completely different driving style than what I am used to. It didn’t drive anything like a sprint car but the more and more it rubbered down during the main the more and more it got like a pavement race. There were no similarities from the sprint car to this other than the feeling off the corner or having forward drive and bite coming off the corner - that was it. It meant everything to me and it was the largest race of my career. I can’t wait to continue to keep building that resume with these large races. I completely outdid my expectations, my goal was to just finish the race, but to come through all the mess, and stay alive. 39th to 18th was mind blowing, and I knew we had more but it was all about patience and perseverance!

Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

Photo: Dennis Krieger

Photo: Ryan Northcote

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

action

CAPTURE Tyler Ross rides out a tough tumble at BAPS Motor Speedway during All Star action in late August.

Photo: Dan DeMarco 20

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Pitt Stop Motorsports

ask the

DRIVER:

SCOTTY THIEL

Photo: Casey Bollig

DRIVER

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!

AS A FAN, if you’ve spent any time following or attending Midwestern sprint car tracks, Scotty Thiel requires no introduction. Thiel’s flashy driving ability and comfort ability with high speeds has made “The Big Wheel” a known contender on any given night regardless of the track and fan favorite underdog when series like the World of Outlaws and All Star Circuit of Champions make their Midwestern swings. With creative marketing genius, sprint car racing isn’t just about being behind the wheel for Thiel these days; it’s blended with sponsors, graphic design, and the brand Scotty Thiel. All while pairing racing with having a family with a young child, Thiel’s ability to balance has been honed and fine-tuned to stay competitive during

rather intense racing schedules. Dirt Empire sat down for a round of fan submitted questions made to fit perfectly with Wisconsin’s Scotty Thiel. DIRT EMPIRE: Where does the nickname “Big Wheel” come from? Did you embrace it when it started? SCOTTY THIEL: Some announcer in Minnesota started calling me it and it just kind of stuck from there. Other announcers followed suit. I created a logo for it and used it for marketing purposes, et cetera. DE: How does racing on a competitive level affect having a day job, being married, and raising a child? ST: It’s very difficult to say the least. I’ve been pretty fortunate to be in “day job” careers that are somewhat flexible and I’ve been able to race a lot but not on a full time level. Being married and having a child makes things a little difficult when traveling. Just takes planning accordingly, but also I can’t just jump on every opportunity that comes available. You have to put their [my wife and child] best

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

interests in mind as well and make sure everything makes logical sense. DE: What is your favorite moment of the 2021 race season? ST: Finally cracking off a win on July 31st with my new team along with breaking the winless streak that was previously back to August 24, 2019. Along with that, having a solid weekend run with the All Star Circuit of Champions in Indiana. DE: What is your proudest moment as a sprint car driver? ST: Seeing the smiles on my crew’s faces after winning. Seeing kids and fans light up when meeting a “driver”; I use to be that kid and now I’m able to be the driver to sign something for them, so regardless of how the night went, kids and fans can make it all worth it. DE: If you could summarize your racing career – how would you? How does that summary compare to how you dreamed it would be going by now? ST: It’s been a wild ride. I never thought I would be racing with the best of the

“RACING IS A HUMBLING SPORT. YOU CAN BE ON TOP AND IT FEELS AMAZING AND THEN JUST GET INTO A HOLE THAT YOU CAN’T CLIMB OUT OF.” - SCOTTY THIEL

Photo: Ryan Northcote

best at times and being competitive with them. DE: If you could name one thing that has held you back from achieving your racing dreams, what would it be? How has it affected your career? ST: Big time financial support or sponsors. We’ve been blessed with great partners and have been able to do a ton of racing over the years, but we were never able to breakout into a full time basis and that’s what I have always wanted to try and accomplish. DE: When you hit low spots in your racing career and feel you are really struggling, how do you mentally get through this? ST: I’ve quit basically every sport I tried besides racing, and [I] have been kicked down harder in racing than any other sport by a long shot. Racing is a humbling sport. You can be on top and

it feels amazing and then just get into a hole that you can’t climb out of. It’s more of a mental game honestly. We struggled in the beginning of 2021 and honestly most of 2020 as well. We had so much speed and were fast out of out the gate, but by feature time we struggled so bad it wasn’t even funny. I lined up sixth at an Outlaw show in Pevely [Missouri] and by lap 10; I was like 18th and getting lapped. It sucked, but I have a fantastic team behind me and we all went to work to figure out our issues and we did [that]. We came back stronger and finally put everything together in late July and got a win.

DE: Considering that racing can be a very up and down rollercoaster ride of emotions and struggles, what moments in racing keep you motivated and inspired as a driver? ST: Winning helps for sure, and I think having successes in times when you think you are the underdog as well. I set quick time with the World of Outlaws in 2020 and that was a really cool feeling. We just went quick time amongst full time professionals and a field of over 50 cars at a high profile event. [It is great] knowing that we’ve built our program to have equipment good enough to be fast and compete.

DE: Sticking with the philosophical theme we have going on here, what has been the most difficult thing for you to overcome in your racing career? ST: Anger or a bad attitude.

DE: Often fans will hear about drivers and moments in their career that stand out the most, or that a mistake on their part might have cost them a big win, what racing moment lives in your head rent free? Good or bad and why?

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

JJ Motorsports

Photo: Casey Bollig

DE: Earlier you spoke about getting to be the driver now when you once were the fan, let’s touch on the fans a little more in depth when it comes to racing. How much of a role do you believe fan engagement, social media, and being seen as a brand, affects your ability to race? As a competitor on a smaller scale, and not in a national touring series, do you believe these things make it easier to be seen and obtain sponsors? ST: It all depends on the level you are racing at. Regardless, social media and fan engagement is huge these days whether you are a local Saturday night driver or a full time professional. Does it make it easier to obtain sponsors? Maybe; it goes back to followers and your involvement. I think a lot of companies have utilized the power of social media lately to certain aspects. If you are a Saturday night driver with 25,000 plus followers [on social media], yeah you probably will get noticed better by a sponsor because of your presence. But you are popular online then not just in a local scene, so does racing really affect that much? Or is it just your ability to

reach people online? I’ve seen plenty of bigger named drivers who don’t do much on social media and are doing just fine, but they are maybe with a team who does it all for them or the team has the financial backing so it doesn’t affect them much. I think at the end of the day, it really depends on your sponsors - if they find it beneficial to being big on social media. For some companies, they want to know that you have a big following base and may sponsor you because of that but for others that may not matter to them as much.

DE: Lastly, if the opportunity was given to you to design your bucket list race schedule, what would Scotty Thiel want to do when it’s a limitation free moment? ST: Running either a “Full Time” schedule or following the World of Outlaws. I’d love to race out west and check that out, too.

DE: You’ve talked about how you enjoy being the driver that gives back to the fan, but what about the

Thiel, in the family 64, at an Eldora NRA show in 2013.

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Photos: Paul Arch

ST: I used to let losses bother me a lot. They maybe do yet for a day, but you just try to forget about that and work harder to win next time out and eliminate mistakes. You always have some wins that stand out and have a story associated with them.

driver that helps aspiring drivers? If a younger driver approached you for racing advice, how do you help them in a way that is understandable and translated easily for them to use? ST: Drivers have driver lingo that most people may not understand. I’ve always tried to just put real life scenarios in place for them to understand, meaning if they are trying to understand their car physics, I try to explain things that a human struggles with. So, if you are running and someone is pulling down on your left arm, then this is kind of how the car would react.

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Alex Yankowski leads the field during heat race action for the Short Track Super Series’ ‘Richie Evans Remembered 61’ at the Utica-Rome Speedway. DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

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STARS

BEAU BEGNAUD ONE LAST MOUNTAIN

Photo: Ron Skinner

Spring, Texas

By Ashley Zimmerman

IT’S NO SECRET that grassroots racing takes a village behind the scenes to get to the track each weekend. Deep in Texas where some of the nearest tracks for drivers are a three hour commute, the commitment and dedication by teams runs deep through their village. For young Beau Begnaud, it’s taken balancing not just work but at times school, family support from sacrifices to becoming crew members, and a lot of willingness for mentorship and improvement. Begnaud has never backed down from the challenges, and while he’s young in his late model career, consistency has begun to pay off and he’s climbing yet another mountain through another division. DIRT EMPIRE: Let’s start from the beginning. How did you get your start? What was the evolution of cars that got you to the point of running a late model? If you had to do it over again, is there something you would do differently? BEAU BEGNAUD: I believe we did everything the right way. I started in karts, and then my parents moved me into a four cylinder rear wheel drive class, mini stocks, then stock cars, and after

that on to modifieds and from there to the late model. I went through the ranks and I feel like that was the best way to do it. I was around ten when I started in gokarts. I had a really good start, and I’m really thankful for that. DE: Many grassroots drivers are faced with having to balance a day job and racing. For you, you’ve also had to balance school, a job, and racing. What has that been like for you? BB: I graduated from school last year, but while in school I worked a part time job at Smiley’s, our local race shop. It wasn’t too hard to balance in high school. I was a dual credit student, so a lot of my stuff was through the college, and I could make my own schedule and plan around it. Now, I work at a custom trailer manufacturer and work Monday through Friday. My boss is nice enough to let me off at noon on Fridays so we can go race Friday and Saturday night. Then Sunday is our wash day and then we do it all over again. DE: Did having a job in a race shop like Smiley’s help you learn anything?

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BB: It definitely helped me meet a lot of people in the industry; it led to some sponsorship, some big and some small. My boss now is also into motorsports, so he’s great at listening and helping me out in any way he can. DE: With having just graduated, what kind of long term goals do you have? Do you want to attend college? Do you see yourself with a job in motorsports? BB: I’m kind of in an in-between phase

Begnaud ran karts, four cylinders, mini stocks before jumping up to stock cars. He eventually went to modifieds and now late models.

Photo: Carey Akin

right now. I’m feeling out the job that I’m in now. I would like to go to college, since I was a dual credit student in high school; I’m about halfway done with my degree, so I would like to get the rest of it done and get my college degree. I’d love to spend my time in motorsports; there are great athletes here and I like all of the people. One of my favorite things about racing is meeting all of the great people along the way.

always open to listen to me and what I’m fighting with to help me fix my problem. DE: What has been some of the best advice that has been given to you? BB: To form a relationship with your car and not listen to too many people.

DE: If there was advice that you could offer to someone, what would it be? BB: Figure out the mechanics of the car by yourself, learn what does what, don’t just listen to everyone because they say you need to do this or that. Do what you need to do to achieve your driving style

DE: What about late models attracted you to wanting to drive them? BB: When I was a kid, I remember when the super late models would come to town that was the place to be. I always enjoyed going to watch them and looked up to a lot of the people driving them. DE: How would you describe yourself as a competitor? BB: I’m still working on getting a relationship with my car and learning what does what. I believe that I can keep the nose of the car clean and run smooth. One of the biggest things I focus on is consistency rather than anything else. DE: What would you say is the biggest thing that has helped to develop you as a driver? BB: Definitely listening to some of the veterans in our area that have given me advice. There have been some pretty big names that we’ve raced with in the crate late model class, and they’re DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Brinn Inc.

Photo: Carey Akin

and figure it out for yourself. DE: Many younger drivers have teams and other drivers that they look up to for mentorship, is there anyone that you follow and watch? BB: One of our friends, James Ward, raced the World of Outlaws a little bit when I was a kid. I always looked up to him, he made a lot from a little and I really idolized him for that. They didn’t really have much, so I always liked that they turned what little they did have into a successful racing program. It’s really hard to do these days. DE: If you could pick the brain of any driver, who would it be and why? BB: It would be Kyle Larson. I believe he can race any car, it’s like he’s just got it. My second would be Kevin Rumley, he’s such an intelligent man. DE: What would you say has been your biggest struggle as a grassroots team? BB: Being too conservative in trying not to tear up the car. As a driver, it was coming from a modified to a late model;

it was learning to drive the car harder. You have to drive a late model so much harder than a modified, they take a lot more. DE: To date, what would you say has been the most memorable moment in your racing career? BB: Being able to race against my dad. I was able to race against my dad for a year when I was going from the modified to a late model. I look back and really enjoyed that. My dad doesn’t race now; he gave it up so I could start racing a late model. He and my mom are my crew every weekend, I look up to my dad a lot, I couldn’t ask for a better crew chief. DE: As the season ends, how do you evaluate the season and whether you’ve achieved your goals? BB: We look at each season individually, and just try to improve each night. Our main goal is to improve every night until we’re on top. We want to end every season on a positive note, keep the car in one piece. Our biggest goal through the year is to stay in the top ten each night.

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Ride shotgun with Beau Begnaud on a fun day at Battleground Speedway in his Factory Stock from 2017.

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Beau Begnaud races his number 32 Late Model at the 171 Speedway in early April of the 2021 season.

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SPRINTS

DOMINIC SCELZI CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

Photo: Paul Arch

By Alex Nieten

WHEN IT WAS FIRST announced during the off-season that Dominic Scelzi would be scaling back his racing to the west coast, many assumed this meant he would be taking his foot off the gas. With the news of his first child on the way and an elevated role in his family business, the sprint car would take a backseat. Paychecks and diapers would have to be priority over winner’s checks and trophies, right? Well, not exactly. While balancing these added responsibilities, the 24 year old has still managed to have a career-year, and he doesn’t plan on slowing down. Scelzi’s 2021 campaign kicked off in January’s Wild Wing Shootout at Arizona Speedway. While the team didn’t earn a win at the three-night show, a trio of top-10s including a runner-up in the finale announced the beginnings of what has been a dominant season. The 41 car has since tallied 21 victories, all in California or Washington. Scelzi credits his extensive experience with racing across the country and the team’s addition of crew chief Jimmy Carr for shaping this year’s performance.

“This is my tenth year driving a sprint car,” Scelzi said. “I’ve been racing sprint cars for such a long time. I know what to expect and I know what’s expected of me. I know how the races turn out. I’m not a young kid anymore. In a lot of ways, I’m a veteran. I’ve got an understanding of how these races unfold and I’ve got an understanding of what it takes to win. And then you throw on top of it, which I think is more important than anything else, is the fact that the guy I’m working with has won everything there is to win in sprint car racing. When you got a guy like Jimmy Carr in your corner who has had so much success with so many different drivers at Roth Motorsports and Tony Stewart Racing and all of these places, how do you not grow success?” While the bulk of his recent racing that has conditioned him as a driver has been nationwide, this Fresno native’s heart lies with the west coast racing circuit. Scelzi carries an appreciation for the history of his home region and holds personal ties to many of the prestigious events on the left coast. The connection has made a few

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Photo: Paul Arch

Scelzi spent several years on the road roaming the country in pursuit of sprint car stardom like in this shot from Lincoln in Pennsylvania in 2019 - before returning home to California in 2021 to work the family business and dominate the Golden State racing scene.

Photo: Paul Arch

of his triumphs this year some of the most special moments of his career. FRIENDSHIP WITH MURPHY COMES FULL CIRCLE The first major win of 2021 came in the Peter Murphy Classic. The event is promoted by Murphy himself and has become one of the most anticipated events of the NARC-KWS calendar. Scelzi and Murphy have a close bond that began in racing with friendly banter, grew with pain and struggle and has been cemented in healing. “When I moved up to the sprint car classes, racing with the NARC series and racing Hanford, we basically were at the same place Peter was all the time,” said Scelzi. “We immediately had a really good, close friendship. Peter would always give the peace sign before the races when I would drive by his trailer or he would drive by mine and I would always flip him off.” On a grim night at Antioch in 2013, the two changed roles with their usual salutes on a night when the course of Murphy’s life also changed. “The night he got hurt, he was getting ready to get in his car as I was pushing up to staging,” Scelzi reflected. “He flipped me off. It caught me off guard, and I thought it was funny, so I gave him the peace sign. And then obviously that night he goes on to have a career ending injury. I was so torn up by it because he was a good friend

of mine and somebody I just thoroughly enjoyed being around.” Following the accident, Scelzi and his father, Gary, came to Murphy’s side the first moment they could to offer comfort and encouragement with a gesture any racer would want: a way to be involved in racing, even if in just the smallest of paths. “When he was able to get out of the hospital,” Scelzi said. “My dad and I were some of the first people that came to his work. We brought him a couple front wings and said, ‘take us much time as you need, take as long as you need and just practice putting the stickers on’ because he had a very long road to recovery.” The following year, Scelzi worked at Murphy’s shop while struggling with his own racing operation. Murphy teamed with Scelzi to be his crew chief in his first racing role since the injury, eventually guiding Scelzi to a revitalizing NARC win at Stockton and a late season point lead with the premier west coast series in 2015. In an unfortunate turn, Scelzi’s bid for the championship ended with a broken back at none other than the second edition of the Peter Murphy Classic. While to a lesser degree, Scelzi found himself staring down a road to recovery like he had seen his friend Peter Murphy forced to face. The young racer’s spirits were tested, but Scelzi not only recovered he went on to expand his racing to a national level beginning in 2016.

Fast forward more than five years later to a mid-May weekend in 2021 when Scelzi put the bow on the tale of their friendship. Scelzi not only won the NARC-KWS $11,000 to win portion of the Peter Murphy Classic, but he swept the entire two-night four-feature event. After claiming the NARC portion, Scelzi climbed from his car and was first met with a hug by a teary-eyed Murphy. “The NARC race at Tulare, that to me is the Peter Murphy Classic. That’s what it’s all about,” Scelzi said. “It’s the race I’d wanted to win as bad as anything. To go Friday night and win the 360 and 410 portions was incredible. And then double it back up the next night with the 360 and 410 portions again and winning legitimately everything. We were quick time, we won the heat race, we won the dash and we won the main event… To win all four was emotionally beyond special.” THE BRADWAY & THE DIRT CUP The next prestigious event claimed by the 41 was the 30th running of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial in June. The race honoring one of the west coast’s most talented drivers of the ‘80s has been around longer than Scelzi has been alive. Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway had hosted the Bradway until this year when it relocated to Placerville. Ironically, Scelzi wasn’t a fan of the move, but was excited about a potential victory in the Durica

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“We immediately had a really good, close friendship. Peter would always give the peace sign before the races when I would drive by his trailer or he would drive by mine and I would always flip him off.” - Dominic Scelzi on his relationship with Peter Murphy.

Photo: Devin Mayo

family’s last year of involvement. “I was probably one of the most upset that it moved to Placerville,” Scelzi admits. “I felt like I run really good at Chico. I don’t run very good at Placerville. The Durica family has put that race on and helped support that race for a long time, and it being their last year I thought it would be so cool to be able to win.” While the Bradway doesn’t provide as personal of a connection as the Peter Murphy Classic, the historical element made for another memorable night for Scelzi once he took the checkered flag. “It was so special to put my name on that race,” Scelzi said. “There’s so many incredible guys that just win it once. To put my name on it once with so many amazing drivers is something I will never forget.” Just two weeks after Placerville, Scelzi tacked on another historical west coast race to the win list that tied into his Bradway triumph, adding yet another layer to this dream season. He and his team made a last minute decision to venture up to Washington for the 49th annual Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway. Scelzi nearly mirrored his Peter Murphy Classic performance, missing a sweep of the three-night show by only one spot. The tie-in to the Bradway Memorial? The Dirt Cup is the event that Bradway Jr. sadly lost his life competing in. Scelzi not only won an established race honoring a legend, but he also turned around two weeks later and won a coveted staple of the Pacific Northwest that Bradway himself used to chase before Scelzi was born. “What’s so weird is the timing,” Scelzi said. “Bradway lost his life at Skagit at the Dirt Cup, so it was a little weird… Just

a couple weeks later we go up and win the 49th running of the Dirt Cup. We ran second on Thursday, won on Friday and won on Saturday… I’d never even been to a Dirt Cup before. I’d only ever dreamed of it and only ever watched old videos.” WHAT’S SO SPECIAL? So, what exactly is it about these events out west that warrant such appreciation and importance to local drivers and fans? Obviously, Scelzi has the deep personal connection to the Peter Murphy Classic, but even the drivers who don’t hold the same ties value the event. This year’s was only the seventh edition, and it has already blossomed into one of the most anticipated and significant races of the CA calendar. There are many others, too. The three

events previously mentioned are only a small portion of the many major dates on the left coast racing circuit. The Pombo-Sargent Classic, Howard Kaeding Classic, the Tribute to Gary Patterson are a few more, and they still leave a handful unmentioned. Why is the west coast such a fertile location capable of cultivating so many of these annual races into something that has Scelzi feeling like he’s living a dream by winning just a few of them? “There’s a lot of these races that really hold a lot of weight,” Scelzi explained. “The money always gets brought up. It may not be one hundred thousand to win, but it’s five thousand to win, ten thousand to win or a race that pays a little bit more. Then it’s the prestige. These are legends of the sprint car world we’re racing for, Dave

Number one on the scoreboard - Must be Quick-Time!

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Photo: Devin Mayo

Bradway, Peter Murphy and Howard Kaeding. These people shaped how racing in the sprint car world is. I’ve always felt like the west coast guys have always done it better than anywhere else in the sense of really making memorial races special… The prestige of winning these races out here is really driven home because the fans get into it, and the drivers know how much it means to put their names on these races.” ICING ON THE CAKE? The accomplishment that could potentially be the final page of Scelzi’s storybook 2021 isn’t any single event. It would be his first NARC-KWS championship. NARC has been the premier sprint car sanctioning body in California since 1960. The best drivers the west has ever seen fill the list of champions. Along with the historical significance, Scelzi has some added motivation to earn the title. He’s had two chances where he may have been the fastest car on the tour but didn’t win the championship for one reason or another. His injury in the 2015 Peter Murphy Classic while leading the point and, in 2019, he won a series high five of the nineteen events but a pair of worse than 20th place finishes dropped him to third in the final standings. Finishing 2021 atop the standings would not only redeem the previous misfortune, but it would also cap the dream year. He’s currently locked in a tight battle at press time with Tim Kaeding that will come down to the final event – the Tribute to GP, an ode to another California legend Gary Patterson. “I think it would be incredible,” Scelzi said of a potential NARC title. “We’re really doing something special right now, something that not many people are able to do in a career, let alone a single season. So, to be able to put my name on a NARC championship is something that I truly, one hundred percent believe would one of the greatest accomplishments that a driver of the west coast can accomplish. There’s a lot of amazing guys that have been able to put their names on those trophies that I’ve always admired or think of very highly in the racing community.”

“The prestige of winning these races out here is really driven home because the fans get into it, and the drivers know how much it means to put their names on these races.” - Dominic Scelzi Photo: Paul Arch DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Kinsler

Photo: Devin Mayo

Regardless of how the remainder of the season goes, Scelzi and the 41 team have already had a career year that they will never forget. A California kid collecting so many trophies on the west coast including some of the biggest annual events in one year might feel like a mere dream for some, but Scelzi continues to make it a reality. “I feel like its surreal, the stuff we’re doing right now,” Scelzi said. “I wake up sometimes and I pinch myself.”

THE DOM FILE GET TO KNOW DOMINIC SCELZI By Ashley Zimmerman

Date and Place of Birth - May 2nd, 1997 in Fresno, California. Earliest Racing Memory - Believe it or not, the World of Outlaws in Sedalia, Missouri. I think I was five years old. Favorite Music Artist - I love Chris Cornell but I’m kind of all over the place when it comes to music. I’ll go from Tupac to Conway Twitty back to Sound Garden, and I may even have some Dubstep in there. Best Way to Spend a Saturday Night Away From A Racetrack - Having a good dinner or something, but anymore, it’s just hanging out at home with my daughter, my fiancé, and my dogs. I have such an awesome family. I’m very close with my parents, and my brother. Bucket List Races Still Remaining To Run

- My two goals left are to win a World of Outlaw race and to win the Trophy Cup total points. Those two deals they’re really big. Sports Team You’ll Pay Money To Watch - I have a really good time going to watch the San Jose Sharks play hockey. I love watching baseball, like, watching the Giants, I’m actually a Yankee fan, but I’ve never been able to see them play. I’m a Colts fan with football. I’m a very casual sports fan, but I’ll go to games all over the country. What is the one drag race event you’d recommend to a first timer - To be honest with you, any of them are incredible, but the US Nationals in Indianapolis is just like Knoxville only a drag race. What does Gio (his brother) do better than you do - Flip side to that what do you do better than Gio - besides grow a beard! Gio is my best friend, [he laughs}, I would say he is definitely a better mechanic than me in the racing world… I’m pretty good at having a good time! I would say honestly, it’s probably my best talent, is just being able to have a good time anywhere and everywhere. We complement each other really well. What was your highlight of announcing for DV - I think my highlight was not dropping an F-bomb. It’s so much fun doing it, but I was so nervous. When I talk normally, I curse and I rant and rave. I was so proud of myself for not cursing. Who should we be following on Twitter Danny Dietrich and Justin Grant for sure.

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Lasting impressions on being the Taco King - I thought it was so funny, one drunken tweet turned into so much. I mean, we sold countless t-shirts, and now I’m stuck with it as the taco king. It’s so funny because if you ask anybody, they know that I’m more of a pasta freak than a taco guy, but you know, I love being known and being loved for something that’s not just “yeah, he’s a really good racer.” I like being more than that. Best accomplishment of 2021 - First and foremost, becoming a dad. That’s my greatest accomplishment and a trophy that I’m going to be able to hang out with for a very long time and I’m loving that. Then I would say the Peter Murphy Classic, that weekend was incredible. This is just the beginning – for more on Dominic Scelzi, head to dirtempiremagazine.com for exclusive online only content with more expansive answers to these questions and more questions, including his thoughts on his dustup with Devon Borden at the Trophy Cup and how to make a perfect taco.

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DILLON MCCOWAN Words and Pictures by Greg Stanek

IT WAS A LONG CAMPAIGN and it came down to the very last few races of the USRA season to determine whether Dillon McCowan would achieve his ultimate goal – USRA champion. Regardless of that outcome, McCowan had a truly breakout season in which the youngster from tiny Urbana, Missouri, (pop: 414) was a dominant force in the USRA A-mod division this year and reached double digit wins during a season-long battle with Minnesota’s Dustin Sorenson. Dillon is your typical kid growing up in the Midwest. He loves to hunt, fish and ride four wheelers on the family cattle farm. During the week he attends school and works the farm. From feeding to baling hay, he stays very busy. Mom and dad may provide the ride, but he works very hard to earn that right to have and drive a race car.

Week nights, after school and work on the farm is done, he works in the shop on his race cars along with his dad, and little brother Devin who is known as “The crew chief” and family friend Ryan Lewis. Dillon gets his interest and love of racing from his grandpa, who owned several cars during his lifetime. “His grandpa got this whole mess started,” Charlie McCowan said. “Mom and I were like No....No....but we just took up with the deal and rolled with it.” On weekends you will find Dillon at one of several local dirt tracks running door handle to door handle with some of the best modified drivers in the country. At just 17 years old, this young man has put together quite a resume in a very short period of time. Racing against some of the best drivers in the nation like Kris Jackson, J.C. Morton, Andy Bryant, Ryan Gillmore,

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Dillon has earned the respect of veteran drivers across the country. “Dillon comes from a good family and is extremely well mannered and that follows him out on the race track,” said two-time USRA B-Mod National Champion Kris Jackson. “ He is easy to race with. He doesn’t come out here to beat your sides off, he just wants to go fast and race.... he is just a really good kid and I am glad to race with him every week.” Some of that “well mannered” racing

style can be credited to Charlie. When Dillon first got into a big car at 12 years old, his dad had him start in the back of the pack so he could learn how to pass clean and how to hold his line. “He has always been good at holding his line which I think goes back to his kart racing days and he is very good at looking down the track. That is something I beat into his head from early on.” said Charlie. “He has always drove clean and anytime he would get into

someone I made him go apologize for getting into them but I believe his best attribute as a driver is his ability to hold his line and always be looking down the track. It is just a good opportunity for him to race in this class and be able to learn from some of the best drivers in the country.” Dillon started racing at the age of six in 2009 running KTM dirt bikes before he moved on to karts at Lebanon Midway Speedway, where he won the track

championship in his division in 2011 and again in 2012. After the 2012 season, Lebanon dropped the karts and Dillon found himself with no place to race. He sat out for a couple of years before he started racing an S-10 mini-stock in 2016 at the age of 12. He stayed in that class until he moved up to the Midwest Mod class for the last two months of the season. He spent the entire 2017 season in a Midwest Mod and had eight top-

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five finishes and become the youngest feature winner in the series history at that time, when he took the checkers at Springfield Raceway. He started the 2018 season in a Midwest Mod but made the transition over to a B-mod halfway through the season. It was in that division where things started to come together for the young driver. “I knew the competition would be a lot stronger in the B-mod class, but I also knew it would make me a better driver in the long run.” Although he did not pick up a feature win in 2018, Dillon still had a very successful first season running with the USRA B-Mods. He had seven top fives and 25 top tens in 50 starts as well as finishing sixth in points at Lebanon Midway Speedway and 19th in points at Lucas Oil Speedway. However, the real highlight of his 2018 season provided a glimpse into what the future may hold for this young driver came at I-35 Speedway in Winston Missouri at the USRA Nationals. “I feel going to the USRA Nationals taught me a lot that year. It was a big accomplishment to have two top fives and a top ten finish and two heat race wins. I started making my own calls on the car set up late in the year and have really learned how the car works,” The next year saw more success for young McCowan, picking up where he left off. On a Friday Night at Lebanon Midway Speedway, he got his first feature win

Dillon hitches a ride with his father Charlie through a busy pit area. with defending USRA National Champion Kris Jackson in hot pursuit. “Kris is hard to beat there; I didn’t think I would be able to win there because he is so good, but we finally got it pulled off. It’s been a long time coming.... we have been needing it, the whole team has. It was just a lot of fun.” He got two more wins and the track title in the USRA B-Mod’s at Lebanon Midway Speedway. When the 2020 season finally got rolling after the whole COVID-19 shutdown, he came out of the gate on fire. He finished the year with 17 USRA B-Mod Feature wins along with an IMCA A-mod win. He picked up up his second

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track championship at Lebanon Midway Speedway as well as being the USRA B-Mod Central Region Champion and finished fourth overall in the USRA B-Mod National points. Starting out the 2021 season, Dillon was driving the USRA B-mod and also had purchased a USRA A-mod with plans of running both cars all year. A month into the season, he decided it would be best to concentrate on one car and decided to go A-mod racing full time and sell the B-mod. He immediately got right into the season-long point chase. Being a young driver, most would think he shows up to the track and drives the

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car and is done with it until the next race. That is not the case at all. Dillon is very hands on and very involved in the day to day operations of the team. His father told him “if we are going to do this racing deal, he was not going to be one of those drivers who just shows up at the track with his helmet and drives, he was going to learn how to work on the car and do everything that needs to be done on it.” Dillon has done just that. He has gone from helping Charlie and the crew work on the car to being the only person sometimes working on the car. When we caught up with Dillon for this story he was in the shop, by himself, putting a new motor in his A-mod that had just arrived. Dillon has also started making his own bodies for the race car as well as making bodies for a few other local racers “He knows every nut and bolt on that car. Ryan and I are there to help but he does all of his own maintenance on the car himself. He needs to learn what that car does and if he doesn’t, he is not going to make a good driver.” said Charlie. “We spend a lot of time together in the shop or at the races and Devin is a big part of this team and helps out whenever we need it but at the end of the day Dillon is the one who does most of the work on his car.” Dillon is a very humble young man and takes nothing he has for granted. “I feel very honored to be able to race with some of the best drivers in the nation. Jackson, Gillmore, Bryant and Morton

just to name a few. Some of them have given me great advice and helped me throughout my career... I look up to all of these guys. They have raced me hard and not cut me any slack and that has made me a better driver.” Dillon said. “I just go out and try to be consistent and win some races and have fun. I could not do this without my mom, dad and my little brother, grandpa and Ryan Lewis. I really appreciate everything they do.” When prodded on what he would change looking back over the last several years of racing, Charlie McGowan had this to say, “I’m thankful we did it. It’s taught him a lot. He has way more mechanical ability at his age than I do at mine. He gets to race and learn from

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some of the best driver’s in the nation on a weekly basis. I’m proud of him.... very proud of him. It’s a very humbling deal, which anyone who races knows. It’s got highs and lows but it’s been great. Mom is even 100% behind it now. It’s nerve racking when you send your kid out there at 12 when he first started or anytime.... but I have learned to enjoy it more. I can breathe a little more now watching him than when he started. It’s been fun.” We never know what the future holds but it is safe to say that Dillon McCowan’s is primed for success. He is a great young man with a supportive family and a ton of talent behind the wheel of a race car. Stay tuned. This kid is going to be one to watch.

Wild West Shootout

Photo: Joseph Swan

a main FEATURE

MODIFIED

RJ OTTO & TAYLOR COOK A TALE OF TWO RACERS

Photo: Joseph Swan

By Doug Kennedy

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Taylor Cook getting after it at the Bristol Bash early in the 2021 season. Photo: Ryan Roberts

THIS IS A STORY about two racers, grass root racers if you will. Both have been transplanted from their birthplace in Ohio to their present homes in North Carolina. Both have experienced success but struggles have certainly prevailed as well. Both families are rich in racing tradition with ties to NASCAR. Both of these drivers have also or continue to work with NASCAR teams. The patriarchs of both families have raced against each other as have their sons. Meet dirt modified racers RJ Otto and Taylor Cook. “One thing people wouldn’t know about me is the low number of races I actually run. Before the 18 races a year I ran in 2017, I was doing a dozen or less races a year. There were drivers who ran more races in one season than I have done in my career.” Those were the words of 29 year old RJ (Ronald) Otto. Part of this story is about a driver who hasn’t experienced a high level of success or even a modicum of success, but one in which the individual has struggled to race including going through extended periods where all the racing equipment that he had was sold, which prevented him from racing at all. One word that can describe the Cook family of Denver, North Carolina via Toledo, Ohio is lineage. Taylor Cook is the son of Jerry Cook, the nephew of Terry Cook, and the grandson of Harold Cook all very accomplished racers during their careers. Back in 2019, Cook took a brand new car to Florida. The car count that

night was an amazing 105 cars. “I was nervous during the drive down, and with all those cars, it just added to my nervousness,” Cook said. “The anticipation was a lot and then when we won, it was a relief.” Otto was born in Columbus, Ohio, but his family moved to Mooresville, North Carolina, when he was two years old. He began his racing career in a kart when he was six years old and continued through the age of 14, winning better than 100 features but no championships. The lack of championships was by design. For the next five years following his kart days, Otto raced a dirt pro-late model. His first win came on his 15th birthday at 311 Speedway located in Pine Hall, North Carolina. RJ (Ron, Jr.) ended up getting a job

Photo: Joseph Swan

with JTG Daugherty Racing and driver Cale Conley. The team was racing the K&N Pro Series where RJ served as the tire specialist. The opportunity then came along for RJ to drive Kyle Strickler’s backup IMCA Modified at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina. “The first time in a modified, I qualified on the pole and broke the track record,” Otto proudly said. “After that I fell in love with the modified. The modified is much more challenging because you have to be up on the wheel, plus it’s a little more economical.” Cook has been racing since 2009, also beginning in a kart. He won a track championship at Millbridge Speedway in Mooresville, North Carolina, and had a handful of feature wins to his credit. After three years, he moved into a modified

The Ohio transplant, RJ Otto, is constantly looking for ways to get into the racing business in his native North Carolina. DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Photo: Joseph Swan

RJ Otto is a picture of persistence and has jumped many hurdles in his pursuit of fast laps.

and has been there ever since with 5060 wins under his belt. As stated earlier, the lineage of the Cook racing family is very impressive. Harold Cook raced an asphalt super late model in the 1970s to mid-1980s. Jerry raced from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, also in an asphalt super late model. Dad and son mainly raced at Flat Rock Speedway in Michigan and Toledo Speedway, the tracks that Jerry won a number of championships. During his racing career, he accumulated around 50 career feature wins. Uncle Terry competed in the NASCAR Truck Series, winning six races over a 14 year span. He also dabbled in the Busch Series and a few Cup races, too. Terry, who was the driver, and Jerry, who served as the crew chief, were the original members of NASCAR’s Truck Series for SealMaster Racing (now ThorSport Racing). That lasted for about three years before Jerry started his association with the NASCAR Cup Series. Terry raced competitively with the trucks until 2010 and then became a spotter for John Wes Townley and then Cody Coughlin until 2018. The racing lineage in the Otto family is also quite impressive. RJ’s grandfather, Ron (Clarence) raced asphalt short tracks around Columbus. He was also the first to ever race a quarter midget in the state of Ohio. Ron started racing in 1985. He continued until 1993 which also included a limited ARCA schedule.

He never won a race but finished in the top-five, leading the most laps in one of those seasons. He also raced a late model around Columbus in the late 1980s. With both his grandfather and dad being pavement racers, RJ became the family’s first generation dirt racer. Ron was the crew chief for Tommy Baldwin back in 2006. He also did work for Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield and was the crew chief for Ted Musgrave, Kenny Wallace and David Stremme while doing work for Corey LaJoie in the K&N Series. One of his more impressive jobs was his work as the interior specialist and rear tire changer for Dale Earnhardt, Sr. The job lasted for a little more than a year and ended when Earnhardt was tragically killed at Daytona. From there, he continued to work for RCR (Richard Childress Racing) hooking up with Michael Waltrip as the team’s car chief, a job he continued until Waltrip retired. Overall, he spent one year with Rick Hendrick and six more with RCR as well as doing some work for Fitz/Bradshaw. “I do race consulting (Otto Motor Sports Consulting and Fabrication) mainly for the K&N and ARCA Series,” dad Ron said. “I usually work with the smaller teams, who hire me to guide them in the right direction with regards to set-ups and crew chiefing. We also build cars, which has included ones for a road course and a truck. I’ve been in racing for 26 plus years so I am just a racer.”

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RJ’s stepfather, Mike Searce, served as the crew chief for Ryan Sieg in the Xfinity Series last season and worked with David Gilliland Racing as head of assembly and the truck chief. The Cook name also has a very strong tie with NASCAR with dad Jerry serving as a car chief for a variety of drivers. He currently is the car chief for Eric Almirola. Prior to that, Jerry also served as car chief for Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Tony Stewart. Prior to becoming a car chief, Jerry worked at Joe Gibbs Racing for nine years and also did some work with Jason Leffler before moving to his current position. In 2019, RJ took a job maintaining an Asphalt Super Late Model for GMS Racing (Gallagher Motorsports) where he helped maintain their driver development department for Late Models. “I comanaged and was the crew chief for driver Bronson Butcher,” Otto said. Then the revolving door started when on July 20th of 2020, RJ got a job with ChaLew Performance, a company based out of Mooresville. His job entailed selling racing parts to various NASCAR teams. The company sold both new and used parts that helped the lower budget teams. After a few months, he left that job to take one with MSI Defense, also out of Mooresville. The company builds vehicles for the military. During the summer of last season, RJ’s plan was to start racing regularly,

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but things never quite materialized as he ended up running one race last season, that one coming at Charlotte in November where he finished 14th. That job with MSI Defense also become short-lived as he accepted a position with Longhorn by Loenbro and company general manager and driver, Steve Arpin. This all came together on March 1, 2021. His duties included assembling Longhorn Modified Chassis. The shop is located in China Grove, North Carolina. He hopes that he can secure a Longhorn Chassis and get out for a few races in 2021, however, he realizes that the customer comes first and will get first dibs on getting a new chassis. Taylor also has some NASCAR ties as he continues to work as an electrician for Joe Gibbs Racing. “I’ve been doing that full-time since 2014,” Cook said. “We service all four team cars.” His role is to maintain all the electrical equipment as well as building harnesses for them. When he’s racing, the Otto Race Team is a three-man operation: RJ, his dad, and his Uncle Kenny. “My uncle will travel from Ohio to wherever my race is,” Otto said. Taylor also has a rarity when it comes to his crew and that is because it is comprised of two females, his mom, Lee, and his wife, Chelsie. His dad will also try to be at his races, but it is tough for Jerry to be there all the time because of his NASCAR schedule. Most of the time his pit crew is comprised of Taylor, his mom

and his wife, and his one racecar. Chelsie takes care of Taylor’s social media and keeps up with updating the Cook Racing Team’s Facebook page. “At the track it’s just his mom and myself,” Chelsie said. “We both help him with the tires and during the race, I will spot for him and hand him tools for whatever he needs.” Lee is responsible for the team’s finances and for driving the hauler. “Taylor has a tendency to fall asleep while driving anything other than his race car,” Chelsie laughed. Lee also keeps up with the tire pressures and wheel covers and makes sure that all his equipment, including his helmet is ready to go. Between the two of them, they try to keep Taylor on track with his scheduling, sponsorships, and just making sure he eats. “I wasn’t into racing until I moved down here to work at Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Chelsie said. “I was working in the operations department at the Speedway for five years before I started three years ago at zMAX, a subsidiary of Speedway Motor Sports, the company that owns the speedway.” Chelsie now serves as the sales coordinator. As for his plans to run a handful of races, RJ Otto had this to say, “We’re aiming small, but dreaming big.” “I’m very proud of what RJ’s been able to do with a limited schedule,” said his dad, Ron. “Most people my age in racing are assumed to be catalog racers-shop for

Cook is a former track champion at the famous Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina, which continues to crank out top notch talent.

Photo: Joseph Swan

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

cars through on-line sources, buy one, and race it,” Taylor Cook said. “I do a lot of my own fabrication and machine work. Anywhere I have the opportunity to save money, I will do it”. As far 2021 and those 20 to 25 races he plans to run, Cook said, “We are not starving to go racing, but we try to do the best with what we have. We’re just trying to make the most of our situation.” RJ Otto has a different look with regards to his 2021 racing schedule. “I was hoping to do some races this year, but nothing is set in concrete. There’s a lot of potential, but nothing solid enough. Either way, I’m really happy and excited to be with this group of guys.” Otto says that 90% of the UMP Modified races he runs, Taylor Cook has been in those races as well. “He’s a very calculated and solid driver who doesn’t make mistakes on the racetrack,” Otto said of Cook. Cook countered by saying, “He’s (RJ) kind of on the same program as we are, trying to make the best with what little we have. When he’s on the racetrack, he’s a very fair and clean racer.” So, for those of you who think that racing is a money making profession, think again. Or just ask two grass root drivers who know what the pitfalls that come with racing are and what needs to be done to get themselves on the track whenever they can.

Bernheisel Lazer Chassis

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review in PICTURES Photo: Mike Campbell

WORLDS COLLIDE AT ELDORA SPEEDWAY ELDORA SPEEDWAY continued its most dramatic season ever with the true capper on a crazy year of once in a lifetime promotions – twin World 100s. The 51st edition of the race went off on Wednesday and Thursday while the official 50th edition took place on Friday and Saturday. In the first show, Brandon Overton continued his mastery of Eldora following his double Dream wins in June with his first ever World 100 victory and another $54,000 score. In the finale on Saturday, Jonathan Davenport padded his resume and his pocketbook to the tune of $53,000 as he grabbed his fourth World 100 victory and continued his pattern of wining in odd years – 2015, 2017, 2019 and now 2021! Photo: Paul Arch

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Photo: Tyler Carr Photo: Tyler Carr

Photo: Tyler Carr

BRANDON OVERTON 51st WORLD 100 WINNER

Photo: Tyler Carr DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Photo: Tyler Carr Photo: Tyler Carr

JONATHAN DAVENPORT 50th WORLD 100 WINNER 52

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Another heat goes green on a very well prepared racing surface. Photo: Josh James

This kid has clearly got it all figured out and rides around the Big E in style.

Photo: Josh James DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Photo: Josh James Photo: Paul Arch

Josh Richards searching for elusive speed - he didn’t find it. He scored a 13th and a DNS at Eldora.

Photo: Josh James

Brandon Overton left his mark on the world... by putting his name on a globe an artistic fan brought to the autograph session and by racing on the track.

Kyle Larson was only able to compete in the first of two World 100s on the weekend and only mustered a 13th place run before leaving for NASCAR duties.

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Dominator Race Products

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Because it happened in the pits, most of the crowd was completely unaware that Max Blair was also a winner at the World 100s...winner of the staring contest. It’s like he can see our very souls.

Photo: Josh James

Under-appreciated, but oh so necessary: the tire prepper in action. Majestic.

Photo: Josh James

Races don’t happen without race officials. And race officials need mustaches... magnificient mustaches.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Photo: Josh James

Tyler Erb (Terbo) getting in the zone with that thousand-mile stare. It’s go time.

Dale McDowell - Combined World Finishes - 10

Chris Ferguson - Combined World Finishes - 12

Photo: Tyler Carr Photo: Mike Campbell Photo: Mike Ruefer

Tim McCreadie - Combined World Finishes - 6

Photo: Josh James

Jonathan Davenport - Combined World Finishes - 6

Photo: Josh James

Brandon Overton - Combined World Finishes - 4

ON TOP OF THE WORLD(s) IN A REGULAR SEASON, drivers spend a lot of energy and money getting prepped for the World 100. Now, imagine getting prepped for two Worlds in three days. We combined the finishes of all drivers that made one of the A-mains to see who did it best. 17 drivers qualified for both A-feature events and those drivers that didn’t make a start were given 29 points regardless of how where they finished in the preliminaries. Looking at the top of the list, there were clearly five dominant racers that weekend, none more so than Brandon Overton. Lowest number wins! 1. Brandon Overton 1 & 3 = 4 2. Tim McCreadie 2 & 4 = 6 2. Jonathan Davenport 5 & 1 = 6 4. Dale McDowell 3 & 7 = 10 5. Chris Ferguson 7 & 5 = 12 6. Chris Madden 15 & 8 = 23 7. Brandon Sheppard 18 & 6 = 24 8. Kyle Strickler 10 & 15 = 25 9. Devin Moran 6 & 21 = 27 10. Ricky Thornton Jr 8 & 20 = 30 11. Mike Marlar DNS (29) & 2 = 31 12. Frank Heckenast Jr. 22 & 10 = 32 13. Hudson O’Neal 4 & DNS (29) = 33 13. Scott Bloomquist 17 & 16 = 33 15. Gregg Satterlee 9 & 25 = 34 16. Darrell Lanigan 14 & 23 = 37 16. Kyle Bronson 28 & 9 = 37 18. Jimmy Owens 11 & DNS (29) = 40 18. Nick Hoffman 12 & 28 = 40 18. Chad Simpson DNS (29) & 11 = 40 21. Rick Eckert DNS (29) & 12 = 41 22. Josh Richards DNS (29) & 13 = 42 22. Kyle Larson 13 & DNS (29) = 42 24. Ashton Winger 16 & 27 = 43 24. Bobby Pierce DNS (29) & 14 = 43 26. John Blankenship DNS (29) & 17 = 46 27. Johnny Scott DNS (29) & 18 = 47 28. Austin Kirkpatrick DNS (29) & 19 = 48 28. Shane Clanton 19 & DNS (29) = 48 30. Tyler Erb 20 & DNS (29) = 49 31. Joseph Joiner 21 & DNS (29) = 50 32. Ricky Weiss DNS (29) & 22 = 51 33. Michael Chilton 23 & DNS (29) = 52 34. Ryan King 24 & DNS (29) = 53 34. Spencer Hughes DNS (29) & 24 = 53 36. Brian Shirley 25 & DNS (29) = 54 37. Mason Zeigler 26 & DNS (29) = 55 37. Mike Norris DNS (29) & 26 = 55 39. Ryan Gustin 27 & DNS (29) = 56 DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

action

CAPTURE

In this beautiful shot, things are going sideways in a hurry for Josh Richards in the 14 while everyone else tries to avoid.

Photo: Josh James

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

where are they

Photo: Mike Ruefer

Photo: Dave Hill

NOW

JOHN VANDENBERG By Eric Arnold

KYLE LARSON HAS set the world on fire with winning sprint car AND late model races. Soon thereafter social media was on fire that this feat had never been done before. One of the few drivers who had success in both disciplines – outside Donny Schatz - was John Vandenberg, a driver who has qualified for the A Main of the Knoxville Nationals (2004) and twice in the Late Model Knoxville Nationals (2004-2005). Vandenberg has not been behind the wheel of a race car since 2010. Born and raised in Pella, Iowa, he was a one-of-akind talent who didn’t have the funds to make it big. So, what exactly has the Flying Dutchman been up to over the last decade. DIRT EMPIRE: Did you see or hear your name being tossed around on social media with Kyle Larson? JOHN VANDENBERG: I’m not big on social media, but I did hear about it through some family and friends. Terry McCarl messaged me and let me know that I was being talked about and I thought that was pretty cool!

DE: So how does a kid from Pella become a race car driver? JV: My father (Jim) and grandfather (Jerry) took me to Knoxville every Saturday night. In fact, they were at the first race ever at Knoxville in 1954. We would park across the highway from the track when the Bingley Sale Barn was there, so late 1970s probably. From an early age I always wanted to get into a sprint car. We didn’t have the extra money to race, so Dad told me if you want to race, you’re going to have to figure it out on your own. Some friends of ours - Johnny Menninga and Dean Whitten - had a two-car go-kart team and at age 15 Dean gave me my first ride. So that’s how it all started. Then later I got a chance to race at Oskaloosa in a stock car and a modified. DE: How do you get to sprint cars? JV: The first sprint car I drove was one of Bill McCroskey’s cars at the Front Row Challenge. With Terry McCarl and Bill promoting the event, they were trying to get a local driver in it. That was a great introduction to race on a track I already had a lot of laps on. Then I bought a used

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Schnee chassis from Troy Renfro and we figured out how to get an engine. Somehow we made it Knoxville to race. DE: The 2004 Knoxville Nationals you make the Knoxville Nationals A-Main. You start thirteenth and finish tenth, ahead of a young Donny Schatz. What can you tell me about that race? JV: Yeah, that was a good year. We finally had a motor that was comparable to everyone else and we could keep up. My friend Clyde Nagel bought a Wesmar and man that thing ran well. We had an experimental wing that Lynton Jeffrey gave us as well. I remember in the A-Main that Steve Kinser was behind me and there was a yellow. He come up beside me trying to intimidate me a little I suppose and swerved at me. But I thought, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain so I swerved right back at him! DE: How do you get into late models? JV: I was still racing modifieds and somewhere I ran into Billy Moyer and asked him to let me drive one of his Late Models

sometime. A week or two goes by and he calls me and says come get this car I have in Des Moines. So, we brought it back to the shop and got to work. The first time out we go up to South Dakota to run against the World of Outlaws Late Models and ran top ten. It just seemed like a natural fit. I had the experience of speed with a sprint car and a modified that is heavier and handles similar, so it was comfortable right away. I just wanted to race. I won in karts, stock cars, modifieds, USMTS, whatever was available to me I wanted race. DE: How much do you help your kids with their racing careers? JV: My sons have been able to race the past several years in IMCA modifieds and done well. My daughter Jori is going to college at UNI. I’m really proud of them. I’ve tried to help the boys with setups and what I can. But financially they are in the same boat as me. My oldest boy, Carter, won the Boone Super Nationals for Sport Mods in 2013. My youngest boy, Jarrett, has been racing as well. It’s too expensive for them and hard to spend the money when you start having a family. There aren’t many car owners out there today. And the owners out there don’t always hire drivers on their ability as much anymore, they are hired by how much money they bring with them. It was happening some when I was racing too but it’s really tough today. DE: So, what is John Vandenberg doing today? JV: Well, I’m driving a UPS truck for a living, so I guess I’m still a hired driver! DE: How fast will the truck go? JV: (Laughing) Mine will go 73 before the rev limiter kicks in.

DE: Is there a UPS Driving School or do you need a CDL? JV: You have to have a Class B license and they do send you to a school for a week. DE: What can you tell me about the specs of the truck, engine size, etc. JV: We check all the oils, fluids, lights, tires, all those sorts of things. They vary on engine sizes. They are not very powerful. DE: How many uniforms do you own? JV: I have ten pairs of UPS socks, five pairs of jeans, five long sleeve shirts, five short sleeve shirts and five pairs of shorts. The only thing you have to buy are your shoes. DE: I have read that UPS drivers are discouraged from making left turns on their routes for efficiency? That seems ironic for a race car driver like yourself not making left turns. JV: (Laughs) I know, that is ironic right! Well, they want you to make right hand turns and you always deliver off the righthand side of the truck. It’s a safety thing. But that has changed some with as busy as we are now with delivering Amazon packages to residential areas. DE: What are some of the oddest items you have had to deliver? JV: A dead cat that was packed in dry ice. It was for a science class where they were dissecting it. I have delivered live bees, a live snake; it’s pretty wild at times!

DE: Ever been attacked by a dog? JV: Several times! I have been bitten by one. But you get to know your route and where they are. I carry treats so after a while most of them are good. DE: If John Vandenberg wins the Powerball what are you doing with the money? JV: I will probably get a late model and a sprint car! DE: You still have the itch to race then? JV: Oh yeah, that will not ever go away. I don’t go to many racing events anymore. If I hang out there, I start getting hopes of getting back in it. Even a 305 sprint car is an expensive toy these days. I go when my boys’ race and still go to Knoxville once a year but I try to stay away. I have a lot of friends there still and its great to see them but I still get the itch to get behind the wheel. Update: John hasn’t won the Powerball and is still driving the UPS Truck. Over the years we see a lot of names come and go. Some of those names have a lot of talent and didn’t get the break they needed. John falls into that category. I’ve seen his boys race their modifieds several times and you can see talent there as well. Congratulations to his son Carter and wife McKenzie who had their second daughter recently. You can tell that John is loving being a grandfather. If you run into John someday, buy the man a beer and I guarantee he will tell you some stories!

DE: Are there GPS tracking sensors on trucks? JV: Oh yeah. They know where we are at all times. They know how many times we back up, if our seat belt is on, if a door is open, everything. They do time studies, and only allow so much time at certain spots, that’s how they know to create your route by looking at stops versus pieces. DE: Do the trucks have air conditioning? JV: No air conditioning. That is why you see the driver doors open in the summer. If you go in the back of the truck on really hot days, it can be 100-110 there. It is a big aluminum box, no insulation, so it can get really cold in the winter.

Photo: Tony Bokhoven

Photo: Dave Hill

DE: Does your boss understand that you used to be a race car driver? JV: Oh yeah! The truck can get sideways in winter driving conditions so maybe having race car driver on my resume was a good thing!

John and his friend Ruth enjoying a recent football game.

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guest

MIC DROP

By Ashley Zimmerman THERE ARE SO MANY social movements to normalize this or that but when are we going to normalize grassroots racetracks being safe for our drivers? This is a question I ask myself every time I visit a new dirt track and is a question I have asked myself multiple times following a Sprint Invaders race earlier this year. There is a point during each night in the pits that a person will end up sitting in the pit grandstands, and after sitting there for hot laps last Wednesday, I’d never felt more in the path of danger. I’m a farm kid, I’ve seen 1200 pound horses run through fence and bulls bulldoze barbed wire; I have a solid understanding of the force fencing can endure. Before me was a chain link fence not higher than the pit grandstands, and a few wire cattle panels affixed where the bottom of the fencing had large gaps with rusty fencing wire. I understand that grassroots race tracks are the life blood of our sport and I’m here to support them when racing at them doesn’t endanger the lives of spectators OR drivers. Yet, we still settle to race at these locations in a desperate attempt for local laps, or series points, or whatever excuse we can make, instead of standing up for the safety of ourselves and the ones we love. It is not okay to allow our safety to be compromised just to keep one more racetrack alive. Safety needs to be the priority, why do we lose sight of this until someone has been killed or greatly injured? A

few years ago, I was at another track, where the car caught fire and no one was around in the infield with an extinguisher. Yeah, fire equipment is expensive so maybe you end your year a bit earlier so you can purchase equipment? Or maybe you have a fundraiser for track improvements? It is frustrating that we have reached some pivotal point in the future of grassroots racetracks where we settle for track time over the future of our lives in the seat. We’ve lost so many so what is it going to take? It took no time for myself to decide I wasn’t sitting in those pit grandstands. I moved to the main grandstands on the opposite side of the track, and wouldn’t you know it, during the feature a driver flipped right into that “catch fence” in front of where I had been sitting. The more astonishing part to this is a flipped sprint car was still peaking over the top of that fence and had he had just a little more momentum, the situation would have been far worse than just the driver’s concussion. This track raced again the next week, as if nothing even happened without a second look. Why? Well, the fence held, no one was severely injured, why should they take a look? [I hope you sensed the sarcasm in that last sentence.] Yes, grassroots racetracks are the lifeblood of our sport, the ones who work diligently to ensure the safety of their competitors; sacrificing a little purse money, putting work into fundraisers, and diligently seeking sponsors to ensure not just a safe racing surface but

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environment. THOSE are the tracks we need to be focused on - this should be the norm! But, here we are, drivers being trapped in cars for several minutes with the car on fire because of the lack of safety equipment and training, to merely say the race team should have invested in an in car fire suppression system. I feel like sometimes we’re in a completely different universe, what about accountability of the tracks? Why is this not the norm? We hear excuses like they don’t have the money but you think grassroots teams have the money to continually make safety equipment purchases to offset the dangerous racetracks they are compromising themselves for to race on? I’m not being too critical here; I’m looking at the future of racing and questioning why we aren’t trying to ensure their safety when wrecks are inevitable? We normalize so much in our world, on and off the racetrack, so why have we not normalized safety at the very level we all start at? Why is there a pass for the tracks your career could end at just as quickly as it began? There needs to be accountability, not sacrifice, for these tracks that just try to make it by, simply hoping nothing terrible happens. Crossing your fingers and hoping nothing goes wrong has never saved anyone. Ashley Zimmerman is a senior editorial contributor and sales executive for Dirt Empire Magazine. To reach Ashley, email: ashley@dirtempiremagazine.com.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

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DAN DEMARCO The eye watering Salute to Greg Hodnett with five famous rides.

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.

It’s hard to think about composition when a race car is flipping but Demarco exquisitely nailed it on this shot of Chris Windom flying at Bloomsburg Fair Raceway.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Zach Rhodes proves small cars on small tracks can still find big trouble in this shot from PA’s Action Track USA.

A calm, quiet moment before the storm at Port Royal Speedway. Demarco shows what all this horsepower looks like on the track if you turn the page.

Hometown: Reading, Pennsylvania Age: 68 Year Started: 1975 First Published Photo: Area Auto Racing News Favorite Track To Shoot: Port Royal Favorite Division to Shoot: Sprint Cars Remaining Bucket List Race: Turkey Night at Ventura, California Favorite Thing About Racing Photography: The challenges and the level of difficulty along with the pure excitement and unpredictability. Outside of Race Cars, What Do I like To Shoot: Ice Hockey, Baseball and Portraits. Camera Equipment: All Canon. Cross screen filters and a fisheye lens is about as nerdy as I get - I’m old school!

GET TO KNOW DAN DEMARCO DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

One wheel wonder. Isaac Chapple gets into a truly gnarly pose for Demarco at Grandview Speedway during USAC’s Eastern Storm.

A beautiful shot from turn one of the venerable Port Royal Speedway as the mods get dirty in the daytime.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

shooter at Right spot, right time as Dan Demarco caught Kyle Denmeyer getting serious elevation against an inky sky at Lincoln Speedway.

LARGE

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

shifting

GEARS

ALEX GILHART – BEST SUMMER JOB EVER! Words and Pictures by Bill Blumer Jr. WE’VE ALL SEEN kids at our favorite dirt track waving a flag. It is usually of the checkered variety and likely purchased from the souvenir stand. Normally, they’re being flung indiscriminately during the race, blocking our view of the awesome pass that just happened in turn one. Once in a while, we see a kid sitting in the lower seats with a full set of flags. This junior flagger means business. They have the right flags at the right time and they’ve got the twirl down, following what the pro in the flagstand is doing. They know when to roll the flag for “one to go” and will display the crossed flags with the requisite twisting motion to let the drivers know they are at the half-way point of the race. After watching the same pint-sized official for years at your favorite track, you show up for opening day one year and they are gone. You begin to wonder where they went. Alex Gilhart was one of those kids and a lot of promoters in Wisconsin still know exactly where he is on race day. Just 19, Gilhart hails from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. It’s a city that is situated within an hour and a half of around ten race tracks - some dirt, some pavement. He’s a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, working on his Communications Studies degree. He’ll flag nearly 75 races in 2021, his fifth season in the crow’s nest. It’s the only summer job he’s ever had. His services are so in demand that he has an open invitation to work a second track on Friday nights if by chance his normal gig was rained out.

It all started with his dad, Kurt, who is an avid race fan. He’d take his son to local short tracks twice a week on average, starting when the boy was about two. Early on, a flag to wave at the races was simply a way to keep the kid occupied. By the time he was five, he got a very small set of souvenir flags, with sticks probably no more than six inches long. That set got the youngster into the habit of flagging the races along with the pro in the flagstand. Eventually, Alex got a bigger set of rags that allowed him to actually twirl like the pros. It was not unusual for Alex to unofficially flag 60 races in a summer. People started to notice his work in the grandstands. When he was ten, two veteran flagmen, Greg Oliver and the late Tom Powell, told him to keep honing his skills and maybe he’d make it to their stand one day. Midwest promoter Gregg McKarns went one step further and told Alex that when he turned 14, McKarns would have a job for him within his GA Promotions, LLC, family of racing ventures (which were all paved raceways at the time). In 2017, at 15 years old, Alex and Kurt approached McKarns and as promised, Alex was hired. It was at Madison International Speedway near Oregon, Wisconsin, that Alex made his debut under the watchful eye of the regular flagman Arne Thompson. To start, he flagged practice, qualifying and some of the undercards. During this time, Tom White, another veteran flagman who was working a McKarns touring series, took Gilhart under his wing, too. Because of

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

those two great tutors and Gilhart’s level of maturity, McKarns had no reservations about putting the kid in the stand. A year later he did his first dirt show, alone in the stand, with the Dirt Kings Late Models at the Outagamie County Speedway in Seymour. It was White who hooked Gilhart up with Dirt King principal Jason Schultz. “From the start of his very first race with us, we could tell he had the skill and confidence to command and control the race. Alexander’s age has never been a determining factor in his ability to do the job, to the contrary it’s been a remarkable element of his success,” noted Schultz. Gilhart estimates that today his work is about evenly split between dirt and pavement. He notes one big difference between the two genres. Dirt tracks use Raceceivers and officials get the

pertinent information right to the driver. Line ups are set and racing resumes quickly after a caution flag, keeping him on his toes. On pavement, there’s a delay as info goes from the officials to each driver’s spotter, who in turn must relay the details to the driver, sometimes slowing the show down. Last season, on dirt, he worked at Angell Park Speedway (a McKarns track), in Sun Prairie and the Plymouth Dirt Track regularly. Specials at Beaver Dam Raceway, including the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and the Dirt Kings Late Model Tour round out the bulk of his dirt schedule. Every new stick and ball season we hear about the dearth of young people willing to work as referees for youth sports. Officials are retiring with no backfill. Parents, fans, players and coaches, with their poor and sometimes over the top reactions to calls, all play a role in the inability to recruit new zebras. The flagging profession is no different. Asked if he’s had any bad experiences as a race official, Gilhart just laughed.

While he won’t divulge the track, he says, “I get yelled at a lot, at one particular track. The fans are ruthless to me for some reason. The funny thing is that the race director is making the calls I’m just doing what he says. I don’t have many problems otherwise with work… it’s all good. My job is awesome and I have the best summer job a guy can have.” Fans, usually much older than the teen, are very comfortable approaching him and commenting on how young he is. They will also go on to tell him it’s good to see a young guy carrying on the tradition. “ALEX DID A GREAT JOB, DIDN’T MAKE ANY MISTAKES, IS FLUENT IN HIS MOTIONS AND LISTENS WELL. I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO WORK WITH ALEX AGAIN.” ~ WORLD OF OUTLAWS RACE DIRECTOR MIKE HESS ON ALEX’S DEBUT FLAGGING THE SERIES AT BEAVER DAM RACEWAY. Being a flagman full-time for a national touring series is his immediate goal.

Ultimately he’d love to be a track owner/ promoter like McKarns. “I hear all the time how racing is dying. I don’t really think that is true. This past week we had 5,000 fans at Wisconsin International Raceway for a regular show and Angell Park Speedway was packed! I think a lot of the time it comes down to poor promotion that turns fans and drivers away. With the experience and knowledge that I have and continue to gain, it makes me want to become a promoter.” McKarns already figures he won’t hang on to Gilhart forever. As to the respect he has for his flagman and the future he notes, “We look forward to seeing where his career takes him. When he got to flag the WoO event a couple of weeks back, we shared it with the drivers the night before at MIS to a loud ovation. It is fun seeing this young man achieve some of his goals and we look forward to him accomplishing more. He knows how to be a showman while still paying attention to the job at hand.”

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

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Photo: Armin Krueger 70

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Let’s go back to 1942 as Chet Mortris and George Osten battle going into turn one at Angell Park Speedway in Wisconsin. Note the safety barriers consist of hay bales every ten feet and a snow fence! Um, no thanks!

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021 Photo: Dave Pratt

universal

TECH Photos & Text by Vahok Hill

UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL FUELS PART II In issue number five of Dirt Empire Magazine, Vahok Hill introduced the subject of why alcohol is a popular racing fuel. In this concluding section, he looks at some of the particular properties of alcohol fuels and the potential for new ways of producing alcohol fuels in the future. IT IS OFTEN THOUGHT that alcohol makes power because it has a greater amount of energy. This is not completely true; in fact, the types of alcohols that are commonly used in racing have less heat energy than gasoline based on the volume. There are in fact four types of alcohols, but only methanol and ethanol are currently used as fuels in the racing world. The other two types of alcohols, propanol and butanal, are not used commonly used as fuel. Propanol has more uses as an industrial solvent than as a fuel. Butanol, however, has some unique characteristics; it is the one alcohol that most closely mimics gasoline from an energy density perspective. That is one of the reasons that the Stochiometric air fuel ratio is the closest to gasoline.

Butanol due to its chemical makeup is not as corrosive as methanol or ethanol. While all of this sounds really great, as with most things there are some issues that prevent butanol to be a viable racing fuel at this point in time. First is that it has a fairly high melting point and at cooler room temperatures more closely resembles light grease or jell, than a liquid fuel. However, it does mix well with gasoline and that has some real positives for the passenger car world; however, it is not a real boon to the racing world, yet. For those reasons, we will still focus our attention on methanol and ethanol. From a race car handling perspective, alcohol will cause the racer a bit more problems. Since alcohol contains less heat energy than gasoline, you will be required to run more of it, that means more weight at the start of the race and due to the higher consumption rate the car will become lighter more quickly as the race progresses. Why is this a bad thing? Because it will change your weight and balance to a greater degree than you would have with gasoline, as the fuel burns off, yes gasoline burns off and the car will get lighter as well, it is just that

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

with alcohol it will happen at a greater rate, and not only will you have to deal with the ever-changing track conditions you will have to develop a set up that will not go away as the car gets lighter. Or you can develop a setup that favors the car later in the race. The point is that the use of alcohol will not only mandate fuel system changes it will also mandate a different setup than gasoline. This is just one more problem for the chassis guy to chase / solve, as if their job is not difficult enough. So, just why does alcohol make more power than gasoline if it has less energy per pound than gasoline? Good Question. Obviously, you will have to run more of the alcohol-based fuels to get the same power, how much more will depend on the type of alcohol you are running. With methanol and ethanol, it is about 40% more than gasoline. Let me espouse some of the good characteristics that alcohol brings to the table. First, when you burn alcohol, one of the byproducts of combustion is oxygen. This helps propagate the combustion process and is a power adder. Another is the cooling effect of alcohol as it “vaporizes” in the inlet track. This helps create denser air as the fuel/air enters the engine, another positive. The cooling effect also helps to cool the engine, at least on the inlet side of the equation. Remember producing horsepower is all about creating and controlling heat. Another positive feature about alcohol that is seldom discussed but is a very key reason that more power is generated with alcohol, is that the incoming fuel charge, the mixture of air and alcohol, is easier to compress

than a mixture of gasoline and air. The alcohol does not vaporize as well or completely as gasoline as it comes out of the carburetor or the injector. While gasoline forms a more complete vapor, alcohol forms a “vapor” made up of many very small droplets of fuel suspended in the incoming air/fuel stream entering the engine. Then during the compression stroke, the heat of simply compressing the incoming fuel air mixture completes the vaporization process. So, from a mechanical perspective, your engine uses a smaller percentage of the power it is making to sustain continued operation. This can be a significant power adder. Long story short an alcohol mixture takes less energy to compress than a gasoline mixture. And, as an added bonus the last vaporization step also helps to further cool the mixture. Remember cool, in this case is a relative term as compared to a gasoline mixture. Additionally, an engine that is burning Methanol or Ethanol can support a much higher compression ratio. It is not uncommon to see alcohol engines using as high as 13 or 15 to 1 compression rations with little or no fuel caused problems; destructive detonation comes to mind. Of course, high compression engines have other mechanical issues that are not related to fuel. That said alcohol can support some very high compression engines without the fuel causing detonation issues that can happen if the wrong grade of gasoline is used in the engine. This allows the engine builder to adjust the components and the state of tune of the engine, to maximize the power output due to the positive features of alcohol fuel. Currently the majority of alcohol products are manufactured from petroleum products, in this case natural gas, more specifically the methane that is a component of natural gas. It can also be manufactured from the pyrolysis of wood, wood is used a general term, (it would be better to say cellulose). A process that utilizes pressure, high temperature and an absence of oxygen, one of the byproducts is methanol another is charcoal. The term wood alcohol is derived from this process. There are other methods of manufacturing alcohol, the use of agricultural products like corn or beets or sugar cane. But this, manufacturing alcohol from food or feed stocks derived from human food products is not the panacea that the main line media and the political pundits / AgraIndustry Lobbyist, would have us believe. In fact, we, the public, have been

bombarded by the mainstream media and this media has been pandering to the various agricultural lobbyists to use various domestically produced grains, like some types of corn and or wheat to make alcohol. This has also caused a huge spike in the price of many of the agro crops that has contributed in the spike in prices that you are seeing at the checkout lines at the local supermarket. While this is a highly popular story in the agricultural parts of the country, it is not a very efficient method to produce alcohol, in this case ethanol. This would, they say, “release our country from the grips of the oil producing nations of the world”. And, “minimize or eliminate our country’s dependencies on foreign oil producers”. While on the surface this may sound good and is a very popular sentiment it is far from true. It is more of what “we” would like to hear rather than being wholly true. Remove the Government incentives and tax benefits and the fuel generated from grain using the current technologies for production would yield a fuel with a very high cost, much greater than the current prices that many racers are now paying for alcohol. To make ethanol from this type of agricultural product seems energy negative, i.e., it would take more energy to plant, fertilize, harvest and move the raw materials to the distillation facility to make the ethanol than the finished product can produce. Don’t forget to add on the cost of the subsidies. It seems much more economic to use feed stocks that are lower in cost or essentially free and that we already have in our hands, than to grow or divert new feed stocks to produce the ethanol. Products that are byproduct of other processes that generate a product that would be considered a waste, for example; whey is a waste product from milk when it is processed into other products, cheese for example. For the most part the whey is seen as a byproduct with little or no value. Many times, the remaining whey is simply dumped on fields. But there are still sugars remaining in the whey that can be turned into ethanol. It seems infinitely smarter to use this waste, or free, feedstock product or products and get all the value possible out of this resource. Rather than spending time, effort and other valuable resources to make fuel from grain that would place the grain in a tug of war for fuel or food. Currently there are farms in other countries that are exploring increasing the amount of corn they are planting as they will be able to get more dollars for the corn as a raw stock for the production of

alcohol than as a food product for humans and animals. Not really helping with our dependence on foreign governments for energy. As far as the racer is concerned, the more demand for alcohol fuel products the more technology will be devoted to improving the product and creating better and hopefully more economical methods for creating alcohol from waste products or easily renewable and obtainable agricultural products, that are not in competition for food producing crops or lands. The future does look promising in this field of developing new methodologies for creating fuel from alternative sources. Fuel, or biofuel, was developed using Camelina. Camelina is an agro crop that does not compete in the food chain and is used as a rotational crop in wheat farming. Another benefit is that Camelina can be grown on farm land that is considered marginal and not have to compete with crops that require the best land for production. While this is currently not an alcohol-based product, it does showcase some very sound American technology that will have effects on how we develop new technologies for creating new fuel feed stocks and this will have implications in how alcohol products are developed as new feed stocks are discovered and put into productions. It may not be too far off into the future that we see alcohol-based fuels that are created from algae feed stocks or cellulous waste products. The idea that we could take garbage and turn it into the feed stocks that are used to develop fuel is not just a pipe dream, it may become a reality. Who knows landfills may be the next American energy fields? Who knows garbage may be the next black gold? Moving forward, it will not only be the general consumer that will benefit from this type of new technology development but racers as well. The future does indeed look very bright and the light may be blue. Vahok has spent 30 plus years writing technical articles exploring the ins and outs of mechanical processes as applied to race cars. He has traveled the world looking at mechanical and machining processes. He has been actively involved in racing for 40 plus years in off road racing, kart racing a variety of short track racing from cars to motorcycles to sprint cars. He was involved with the introduction of computers to race cars when that form of data acquisition was still something that was not the accepted norm. He lives and breathes all things mechanical.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

dirt

CHRONICLES

INDY LEGENDS ON DIRT

By: Bob Mays

The Brickyard may be paved, but at one time the only way to get there was on a dirt road. Four-time winner A.J. Foyt is a great example. He started in midgets, progressed to sprinters and won his first Indy as a confirmed dirt tracker. Here, he is saving the left front at Williams Grove in 1961. (Walt Imlay photo)

The Unser Brothers were both brought up on dirt. Bobby (92) has a small advantage over Al (56) at Pueblo, Colorado during a combo sprint/supermodified show in 1962. The two of them account for seven Indy wins. (Leroy Byers photo)

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Future three-time Indy 500 winner, Johnny Rutherford, plows the Terre Haute Action Track in the Wally Meskowski sprinter during his USAC championship title run in 1965. (Ken Coles photo)

The dirt highway leading to the Indy 500 was just about to be paved when Al Unser Jr. (Lyle Dill 71) used it one last time. Little Al is hiking the left front at Knoxville, Iowa in 1980, shortly before heading east to the big track. (Bob Mays photo) DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

yesterday’s

DIRT Photos: Dan DeMarco

Hall of Famer and Super Dirt Week champion Kenny Brightbill in the 19 on the grid at Syracuse beside the Mustang ll of another Hall of Famer and Super Dirt Week champion Dick “Toby” Tobias.

A DIRT TRACK LEGEND: THE FORD PINTO In the Shooter At Large portion of this issue, we feature the work of Dan Demarco, a Pennsylvania-based photographer that has been shooting race cars since 1975. Demarco fell in love with racing watching the modifieds in the early 1970s in his home state as the division transitioned from coupe and coach style

bodies into the popular models of the day like Mustangs, Corvairs, Camaros, Vegas or the most popular – the Gremlin. Another popular choice of the modifieds of the day was the Ford Pinto. The Pinto is a car that forever lives on in infamy as the butt of jokes but no one was laughing at these Pintos!

One of the top midget drivers of the era, Jimmy Kirk, behind the wheel of the number 1 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

Freddy Adam running his famous number 8 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

Two-time Eastern States 200 champion and current small block driver Frank Cozze 44 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

Former modified and sprint car champion Bobby Gerhart (father of multi-time ARCA Daytona Speedweek winner Bobby Gerhart Jr.) in the Weikert 29 at the Reading Fairgrounds.

Langhorne Race of Champions winner Bob Malzahn 99.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

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Dirt Empire Magazine 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

Bill Blumer Jr. - 24jgfans@gmail.com Bob Mays - catsracin@yahoo.com Carey Akin - cmakin@att.net Casey Bollig - caseybolligphotography@gmail.com Dan Demarco - deacon39@me.com Dave Hill - dshill@mchsi.com Greg Stanek - greg_cubs23@yahoo.com Joseph Swann - swannracing066@gmail.com Josh James – joshjamesphotos@gmail.com Michael Boggs - michaelboggsphotography@gmail.com Mike Campbell - mikecampbellphotos@gmail.com Mike Musslin – dirtnut777@gmail.com Mike Ruefer - mikerueferphotos@gmail.com Paul Arch - peanumber10@comcast.net Quentin Young - quentinyoungphoto@yahoo.com Rick Sherer - ricksherer@outlook.com Ron Skinner - ronskinnerphotos@yahoo.com Ryan Northcote - ryannorthcote@gmail.com Ryan Roberts - jryanroberts@ymail.com Tony Hammett - tony.hammett@charter.net Tyler Carr - tcarr95vc@gmail.com Vahok Hill – vahok.hill@cox.net

that’s a

WRAP Words & Pictures: Greg Stanek No better way to finish an issue than with a great wrap. That’s a wrap! AIR FORCE VETERAN Wesley Briggs, a regular at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland Mo in the B-Mod class decided he wanted to do a special wrap for the USRA Nationals and the end result was a beautiful race car commemorating the 13 soldiers we lost earlier this year in Kabul, Afghanistan.* Briggs served in the United States Air Force from 1993-2002. “It means everything to me,” Briggs said of his time in the Air Force. “I’m glad I served. Those people - they’re way underpaid for what they do and hours they put in. It’s 365 days a year, 24 hours a day on-call.” Briggs was overseas most of his military career, including stints in Guam, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Among his most vivid memories are serving in the desert heat as a transportation specialist and working the aftermath of a 220 mile-per-hour typhoon in Guam Briggs would most likely have made the Air Force his career but a visit to the doctor in 2000 changed his life forever. A diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis would lead to a medical discharge 2 years later. “When I was diagnosed back in 2000, they didn’t know a lot about MS,” Briggs said. “He said, ’Look, I don’t want to diagnose you. You’re 27 years old and you’re gonna be in a wheelchair in five years and dead in 10.’ I was like, ‘OK, cool.’ I walked out of his office and it didn’t really even hit me.” Briggs returned home after his discharge and got into racing in 2006 as a way to remain physically active. He bought a mini-stock and raced a little at Lebanon Midway Speedway. He joked that “I was getting lapped on cautions.” Then Briggs bought a Crate Late

Model and ran at several area tracks, even taking a shot against better, morepowerful cars in the Show-Me Racing Series. Making features, even as a provisional starter and earning $325, was big for him. Briggs took a few years off from racing, moving to the Kansas City area where he met and married (Lisa Briggs) in 2011. Upon moving back to Lebanon a couple of years ago to help care for his parents - who have since passed away he got back into racing with the B-mods. As for his MS, Briggs has far surpassed that initial diagnosis from the Air Force doctor 21 years ago. That’s his biggest win. “I’m doing good,” Briggs said. “I still have my days. I have pain and tingling, my body feels hot on the inside. I get tired a lot. “A win for me is making the feature, loading the car in one piece and not being in a wheelchair. Victory for me is having fun and I love talking to people.”

*The print edition incorrectly listed Kuwait rather than Kabul, Afghanistan. We apologize for the error.

DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 06 - 2021

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Dirt Empire Magazine - Issue 06-2021

Articles inside

Advertiser’s Index

New & Featured Products

Yesterday’s Dirt

The Dirt Chronicles

Universal Tech – Alcohol Fuels Part II

Guest Mic Drop - Ashley Zimmerman

Where Are They Now? – John Vandenberg

Review in Photos – World 100(s

Shooter at Large – Dan Demarco

RJ Otto and Taylor Cook

Dillon McCowan

Dominic Scelzi

Short Track Stars – Beau Begnaud

In Memorium

Beauty of Racing

Graphic Language

Lighter Side of Dirt

Moving Pics

News and Notes

From the Editor – Justin Zoch

Action Capture