Dirt Empire Magazine - Issue 11 - 2022

POLE POSITION

2022

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, Ron Sloan, 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,

16 HIGHWAY TO HELL

The pure scope and logistics of the DIRT Car Summer Nationals – better known as the Hell Tour - can be intimidating for even the most prepared race teams but imagine planning 40 nights of nearly constant racing from the other side of the world. That’s exactly what Paul Stubber and his fellow Australians have done year after year.

20 THE TORCH BEARER OF THE HAUD LINE

There will never be another Jac Haudenschild but race fans have been blessed with the absolute next best thing – his son Sheldon. The Haud Line lives on with Sheldon who embodies the best of his father’s coolness, bravado and generosity as he pursues a first WoO title.

26 THE FAMILY LEGACY BUILDER

The Moran clan is all about racing and Devin is doing the best to follow in his father Donnie’s footsteps as he continues to build on the family legacy of winning, despite losing his brother as he crew chief to start the season.

30 NATIONAL DIRT LATE MODEL HALL OF FAME – CLASS OF 2022

Dirt Empire is again proud to partner with a prominent Hall of Fame as we honor all of the inductees into the 2022 Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Eight men were honored – five racers, two announcers and a promoter –in Florence, Kentucky in early August.

AND BACK

We follow dirt late model racer Bryan Bernheisel as he returns from a violent crash at Williams Grove Speedway and rebuilds his race team, his health and returns to victory lane.

Photo:

fore WORD

DON’T BE THAT GUY

and other unacceptable behavior. One promoter who pulled the plug on the season cited online and phone threats made to his family members as his primary reason for shutting it down for the year.

By Adam Cornell

IN THE LAST ISSUE I talked about how it felt like we were in the golden age of dirt track racing, what with all the access the common fan now has to racing content from all across the country. My article about MyRacePass on page 64 of this issue discusses just one of the fairly new developments in the sport that provides new depth and scope to the racing content now available. And yet, in the last couple of weeks I’ve read about at least four racetracks closing early for the season. Why?

You’d have to be blind to not see the economic inflation going on. That is a major part of the closings. Everything costs more, from the fuel just to get to the track, to the food purchased for the concession stand, to the hourly pay required for all the personnel; running a track used to require a tight budget, now it’s even tighter. If a track has just a few sponsors pull out, and a few nights of bad weather, a promoter suddenly goes from making a few bucks to losing a few bucks. The belief that promoters are raking in tons of money each night is a little off the mark from reality. But it’s not the finances I want to grouse about. No, increased costs aren’t the only reason promoters are quitting the season early.

Several of the tracks that have closed recently cited other factors. One of the major ones mentioned was the increased level of violence shown on the track with fist fights or all-out brawls, or worse, using cars as weapons to get back at another driver. There have been brawls in the pits, verbal threats and attacks against promoters online

I have to admit, fist fights at the track gets the crowd going and garners clicks and views online. They’ve been around pretty much since the sport began. The old journalist idiom “if it bleeds, it leads” has never been more true than today. So, it’s human nature to want to look at the spectacle of the trainwreck as it unfolds.

Usually, after tempers flare, and peace is restored, things calm down and everyone can go back and play nice again. With the addition of social media, however, some of the abuse doesn’t end after a night at the track. It seems like some individuals feel as if they can say and do whatever they want without repercussions, while hiding behind their computer screens or mobile devices. The reality is, that individual may not suffer any personal repercussions, like getting punched in the nose if they said the things they say online right to someone’s face. But there are still repercussions. One of the most frustrating ones is when promoters don’t want to take it anymore and they decide they’ve had enough and they close down the show and chain up the fence. Ta Da! No more racing. I hope you’re proud of yourselves, keyboard warriors.

A lesson that was taught to me a long time ago was “you cannot have civilization without civility.” Part of what allows us all to function in a community is the fact that we moderate our behavior, show self-control, and generally try to do what is best, both for ourselves and our neighbors. When an individual decides that he doesn’t want to follow the rules, then society decides that the individual doesn’t get to enjoy the community anymore. Back in the day, they would banish said individual away from the tribe. Now the individual finds themselves incarcerated or fined or the like. When it comes to the track community, if a person doesn’t want to follow the rules, like paying for the entire group going into the pits, or not getting

into physical altercations, or not verbally abusing track personnel, then they get banished from the track. It’s a simple solution that has been used for millennia. If enough people decide they don’t want to follow the rules, then promoters shrug and close the gates. The unfortunate thing is because of envy and egotism, some of the muckrakers are content with this. “If I can’t race, then nobody can! Hrumph!” Let me just say, that is an infantile response. Grow up.

Each member of the racing community should work to support the community and instill values in the next generation of racers like sportsmanship and community pride. For the most part, all of you are to be commended for doing just that. You work week after week during the season to make this the best sport in the world. Thank you for all that you do for the dirt track racing community. Thank you for the sacrifices you make to organize the races, groom the tracks, flip the burgers and keep the beers chilled. You have provided thousands of hours of enjoyable entertainment and lasting memories. You’ve helped make our lives richer because of your hard work.

But there are still a few people out there who need to get their act together and stop behaving so selfishly.

All golden ages eventually come to an end. We’re in the midst of a fantastic one right now for the sport of dirt track racing. Let’s all continue working to keep it going for as long as we can.

Let’s go racing!

Photo: Melissa Tousley

from the EDITOR

THREE THINGS

By Justin Zoch

DONNY

I was thrilled to see Donny Schatz win this year’s Knoxville Nationals. I wasn’t alone. I knew I’d type that sentence one day but I didn’t think we were quite there yet. It had only been three Nationals since Donny had won it all but when you’ve won 10 of 12 and lose three straight, people start to wonder if the magic is gone.

Schatz rolled into Knoxville this year with just one win on the WoO tour to his name but came with a killer attitude all week and said prior to the A-main on a live mic at the track that he was “done with seconds.” Its hard for a guy that has won so much to regain the crowd’s sentiment but Schatz’s struggles on tour this year, his unique Ford powerplant and the loss of his father in the lead-up to the Nationals made Schatz a sentimental pick to grab the title and it was certainly a popular win for a guy that most fans just simply grew tired of seeing win.

With this score, Schatz is one win behind Steve Kinser for most all-time titles but I think this one could be his most impressive win ever given the personal loss and the level of competition that arrived in Knoxville this year. There was no less than 20 cars capable of winning this year and I cannot recall that ever being the case when Schatz was creating his legacy and piling up Nationals wins.

HIGH LIMIT

Kyle Larson is on to something (or maybe he’s just up to something but

that will have to wait for history to determine) and has partnered with fellow racer – and brother-in-law – Brad Sweet to create a new series for 410 winged sprint cars called the High Limit Sprint Car Series. The NASCAR champ has been moonlighting midweek in just about every kind of car you can imagine over the past few years –midgets, late models, sprints (both dirt and pavement) – and believes that there is a chance for more racers to make money from Monday to Thursday.

“There’s somebody that puts out a Tweet every month or so with the top 12 earners in Late Models and it’s not even close to Sprint Cars. I want to get Sprint Car racers up to what that is. That was kind of the goal of mine. It’s not about me making money. I want guys in Sprint Cars to be able to go race for a million dollars in earnings throughout the year, and I think this is a good start to that.”

The series will feature around a dozen races next year that pay in excess of $20,000-to-win and will rely on Kyle’s sponsor – Flo Racing – to broadcast and create revenue streams. Flo and Larson are a powerful partnership and Kyle’s willingness to challenge the status quo – right or wrong – will be the storyline over the next few seasons. He’s already threatened to skip the Chili Bowl over what he feels is an unfair purse and this kind of activism has to make the sanctions and promoters either very nervous or very anxious to get in line with Larson.

Its early in the game and everyone is saying the right things but the relationship between High Limit/Flo and WoO/DIRTVision is going to be the most intriguing off track drama of the next few years.

DENNIS KRIEGER

I’ve had the pleasure of assembling magazines as an editor for over 20 years through various publications and this is

the first time in over two decades I sent out a newsletter to our amazing group of contributors and photographer Dennis Krieger’s name was not on my list. Krieger passed away on July 1 and will be forever missed in the trenches at racetracks across America.

Krieger was based in Middleton, Iowa, and 34 Raceway in Burlington was forever and always home but he also spent his life traveling the country from Florida to Indiana to Oklahoma and was a visionary shooter and one of the best of best according to his peers. DK was quick to help new photographers and was always full of good gossip and leads for guys like me looking for scoops. Whenever a Krieger image was featured on a magazine, he tracked down an autograph of the subject and got an extra copy for me. I’ll treasure my Dave Darland signed FlatOut even more now. He was a great friend and he chased his favorite sport until the very end. Thanks for sharing all that beautiful art with us, Krieg.

NOTES &

LARSON, SWEET INTRODUCE HIGH LIMIT SPRINT CAR SERIES

KYLE LARSON, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, has partnered with three-time defending World of Outlaws Series Champion Brad Sweet to launch a new sprint car series in 2023. The High Limit Sprint Car Series will feature a 12-race schedule with mid-week races paying as high as $50,000-to-win.

High Limit will feature Larson and other top 410 sprint car drivers from around the world battling for industryleading purses. Of the 12 events, two marquee events are planned to feature a $50,000-to-win and $140,000 total purse. The other ten events will pay

$23,000-to-win and $80,000 in total purse. Plus, the series offers an end of the year points fund totaling $120,000.

“Our mission is to help sprint car racing become bigger and better,” said Larson. “The High Limit Sprint Car Series will not only create more opportunities for sprint car drivers to race mid-week shows for big money, but also give dirt track fans more great racing to attend. They can watch live or on-demand too, thanks to FloRacing. I’m very excited to get it started.”

FloRacing, a premiere live streaming platform for motorsports, will provide live streaming coverage of the High

Limit Sprint Car Series, which will compete at dirt track venues across the United States on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights. FloRacing is part of FloSports, a leading sports streaming and original content platform featuring over 25 vertical sports categories.

While dates and venues for the inaugural 2023 season will be announced at a later date, a special kick-off event – the High Limit Open – took place on Tuesday, August 16 at Lincoln Park Speedway in Indiana. Buddy Kofoid bested a field of 35 entries to take the inaugural event.

TYLER REDDICK has been a hot name on the NASCAR circuit this summer after scoring wins on two of America’s most famous road courses this year. Reddick bested the Cup Series at Road America in Wisconsin and then a few weeks later scored a huge win on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The wins were the first two of his career and has shown him to be quite adept at turning left and right on the pavement. He’s also, however, quite adept at turning left on dirt as evidenced by some photos dug out by Douglas Lane from a fun night at Hagerstown when a 14-year-old kid named Tyler Reddick showed up to race against the World of Outlaws.

Brad Sweet (49) battles Kyle Larson at the high-paying, midweek Brad Doty Classic. This is exactly the kind of show High Limit wants to promote in 2023. Photo: Rick Sherer

DIRT EMPIRE FLASHBACK – TYLER REDDICK

Photos: Douglas Lane

TRACKSIDE SEATS – LERNERVILLE STYLE!

If you want to get close to the action, there’s no better place to do it than at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway. The track has this nifty party trailer that can be used for large corporate

gatherings or to give sponsor groups a special experience at the racetrack. On this night, they were giving rides to dignitaries such as employees of event sponsor Big River Steel, a subsidiary of

IN MEMORIUM

DENNIS KRIEGER, a frequent and valued contributor to Dirt Empire Magazine, passed away on July 1, 2022. Dennis, shown with his wife Leslye, spent his life photographing race cars and making friends throughout the country while he did so. We were fortunate to help Dennis celebrate his 50th anniversary of shooting the sport he loved in Issue 05 of Dirt Empire Magazine last year. His contributions and his presence will certainly be missed. Our deepest sympathies and condolences to Dennis’ family and closest friends. We are thankful we got to work with and know such a good man.

Photo Paul Arch

Pittsburgh legend U.S. Steel. A brilliant, fun way to get new fans more involved in the program and sport.

Photo: Ryan Northcote

the beauty & beast of

DIRT

BEAUTY

Iowa’s Zack VanderBeek gazes out at a splendid scene at Lucas Oil Speedway’s USTMS show, but, alas, there’s work to be done.

Moments of peaceful serenity and catastrophic chaos... all at the track.

Things get messy sometimes at the Big E as Zach Hampton (forefront) tears up equipment simultaneously with McKenna Hasse (55), Danny Dietrich and Noah Gass at Eldora.

Photo: Mike Musslin

Photo: Paul Arch

the lighter side of

DIRT

Tyler Cartier, who runs with the New York-based Empire Super Sprints, has this appropriate message on the inside of his top wing to remind himself that everything is going great right up until it isn’t anymore!

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.

There has been a lot of throwback cartoon cars over the last few years, including Bobby Pierce’s Scooby Doo wrap, and late model driver Darrell Bossard from Centerville, Pennsylvania, keeps it going with this this Flintstones theme on the hood. Let’s find a Jetsons theme car out there next!

Lernerville Speedway veteran driver Gary Lyle from nearby Leechburg, Pennsylvania, looks to be having fun with is droop locator sticker as it is certainly looking a little bit --- droopy.

You gotta know where your bread is buttered? New York hobby stock racer Brennan Fitzgibbons is letting everyone know where you’ll find his race car – hunting those infield tires!

Photos By Paul Arch

Open wheeler Chase Stockon will forever be called Stockton but he is doing his best to correct the frequent misspelling and mispronunciation with this name plate and he has even had shirts made up with the same correction. Way to embrace it Chase.

Bill Balog’s sponsor advises seniors on Medicare health care decisions and supplemental insurance. Bill has a Medicare card on the undersize of his wing with several sly comments on navigating the system while also incorporating his North Pole Nightmare moniker.

a main FEATURE

HIGHWAY TO HELL AUSSIES TACKLE

By Ashley Zimmerman

IT’S WITHOUT A DOUBT public knowledge that the decision to run the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, aptly called the “Hell Tour” is not for the weak. The 2022 schedule throws back to a more traditional format of its early years and has teams chasing 32 races in just 40 days. For most of the tour, that is racing six nights a week while maintaining both maintenance on the car, rigs, travel to and from the tracks, and obviously the best part, racing against some of the best of the best the Midwest has to offer. With drivers like Nick Hoffman and Bobby Pierce making race headlines nightly from being undefeated or coming from the back of the pack to win, it’s quite easy to get caught up in just the headlines and miss the rest of the incredible details that make up just how truly passionate race teams are about committing to surviving a grueling schedule during the hottest days of the Midwestern summer.

After two years, the tour has seen the return of the only Australian race team to compete on the Hell Tour, now finally free from border restrictions to continue with their love of the struggles

THE HELL TOUR

and accomplishment that comes from the Hell Tour commitment. The Bar 31 late model isn’t hard to miss on any pit walk, accompanied by a young crew of Kye Blight, Joe Chalmers, and Jayke Malcom and piloted by veteran driver Paul Stubber, with the unique exception that on nights the team competes with the World of Outlaws (like the Eldora Million) Kye Blight takes the seat. Kye isn’t the only crew member to be familiar with piloting a late model, as Chalmers also races late models back home.

Spending time with the Bar 31 crew pit side will not just have you leaving with a smile from the jokes and personality that seems to ooze from the guys, but you will leave inspired and motivated from simple observation of how this well-oiled machine of men thrives under pressure. We caught up with Paul first and then chatted with crewmembers to get the full experience of planning and doing the Hell Tour as Australians.

DRIVER – PAUL STUBBER

Dirt Empire: You are the reason you’re all here, you are the primary driver for the Hell Tour, so what made you initially want to come to

the states and run the Hell Tour? Paul Stubber: Really just the amount of racing that gets condensed into six weeks.

DE: Do you feel like running the Hell Tour enables you to gain when you race back in Australia?

PS: Yes, plenty. We’ve run the Hell Tour three times, 2017, 2018, 2019, and the improvements that we got out of those years were phenomenal. We probably get to do about 15-20 races per summer back home, while we do 50 when we’re here, so it’s almost like combining three summers of racing when we come to America for four months. We get a phenomenal amount of racing, and when we go home, we’re lots and lots better.

DE: We asked the guys what track they thought was the closest here in the states to back home, but what track do you think is?

PS: To be perfectly honest, this one here [Spoon River]. The surface isn’t the same, but this is the closest to what we call the Perth Motorplex as far as shape goes.

DE: What struggles do you think you’ve had so far? Do you think they’ve been a result of not getting

Photo: David Campbell

to get over here due to COVID?

PS: Yeah, most certainly. We honestly didn’t realize coming back here and just getting adjusted mentally and physically with the car and stuff on the small tracks. Back home, we really only run one track all the time, so you get pretty comfortable with your setup. You get pretty comfortable with how you’re driving it and it’s not a track where you get the car bent or anything like that. That’s been the thing, I tend to keep the car pretty straight in what I do and here we’ve gotta get that thing bent in the few first races. We were just not, I thought I was getting it bent, but the guys said compared to everyone else, not as much.

DE: What are some of your Hell Tour highlights?

PS: Without a doubt, the people that we race with. We are no superstars, and we are amongst some superstars and they treat us with respect on and off the track. We’ve made good friends. It’s just good fun. If the tour and series that DIRTcar puts together wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t come back, we’d just go race around the States anywhere, but this is just so much fun for anyone that hasn’t done it yet. Even if they come

from let’s say Missouri, Georgia, or Pennsylvania, come and do at least one full week of the tour, get a taste for it.

DE: When you first started your Hell Tour experience, what do you think were the most intimidating aspects?

PS: I think the whole concept of racing every night, when we first did it, was like just the Monday night off, we had no concept of that and quite a number of people we knew had said by week three you’ll be dead. You might get through the second week, but you’ll die the third week. These guys here [his crew,] they’ve all been giving hundred percent. The whole concept of it was really quite intimidating, then just getting here, and the intensity of the racing was pretty intimidating, too. But we just rise above it, we race where we can and our whole outlook on this because of where we sort of sit and where our experiences are and the amount of racing we do, our goal is to qualify the best we can, and just transfer from the heats directly into the feature. If we can do that, we’ve had a 100% perfect night.

DE: So what keeps you coming back?

PS: The comaraderie and the intensity of the racing. It was pretty intimidating when we first started but we know what to expect now. I must admit, we didn’t realize we would be struggling, we didn’t even make a feature in the first week, we didn’t think that would be the case. We thought we’d be able to step up and pick up where we stopped but having two years out and all these guys are going a bit faster, we are little bit behind the eight ball. We keep coming back for enjoyment; it’s hard work, but we enjoy it.

THE CREW – KYE BLIGHT & JOE CHALMERS

Dirt Empire: What was it like coming over to the United States and your first few races behind the wheel being Crown Jewels like the Eldora Million and qualifying for the Dream, was it intimidating at all?

Kye Blight: It was humbling, I have a massive ego [the guys laugh], no it was humbling. We ran really well in 2019, and we expected us to pick up right where we left off, and we didn’t.

DE: Do you feel that long period where the borders were closed

Photos: David Campbell

THE DRIVER

and not being able to come over and race stunt your progress and momentum here?

KB: I’ve raced twelve times in two years, and I’ve broken a motor twice. So, it’s been sh@#.

DE: What made all of you want to come over and be a part of the Hell Tour and a few select World of Outlaws races?

KB: Well, Paul’s running the Hell Tour, and it’s really the only opportunity that we have to get over here and get paid to come do what we love. Besides, it’s cold back home.

DE: Obviously there’s a lot of preparation and likely paperwork that goes into you guys getting to come over here, how far out do you have to start planning for Hell Tour and being stateside for so long?

KB: Well, this season, we’ve been planning for two years. We bought the new truck and trailer, the home place in Greencastle [Indiana], we had to organize two new cars, and we had to get all of our motors refreshed. It was a lot of work, and it’s even harder, because you have to do it at midnight or later back home to speak to anyone over in the States.

DE: You’re the only team on the Hell Tour that is not American, do you feel like you’ve been welcomed by the Hell Tour being the only Aussies on the tour?

KB: We’ve met a bunch of good dudes, so definitely.

DE: What do you think you learn the most being on the tour that you can take back to Australia with you and benefit your racing careers there?

KB: Preparation. I mean the tracks back home are so different than over here. Back home it’s just walled up all the time and you can just run wide open the whole time.

DE: Speaking of the tracks back home, what do you think those of us in the US who haven’t experienced racing in Australia would be shocked to know about tracks there?

KB: They hook them [track surface] up all the time, they just love the water truck for whatever reason, they [tracks]

are way too fast. The tire prices are ridiculous, $350 [AUS] a tire [that makes it about $240 a tire American].

DE: But you have more tire options available to you, unlike us, correct?

KB: We don’t have a tire rule at all back home, we can bolt on whatever we like. Plus, over here, you do a lot more racing than back home, if you raced every single night back home, you might race 20 nights.

DE: You’ve all gotten to come over quite a few seasons now, what are some of your favorite things about dirt track racing in America?

KB: The racing level, it’s more cut throat.

Joe Chalmers: If you make one mistake, it’s a sh#@ show.

KB: The ability to race a lot more.

JC: Yeah, Australia needs to adapt this format.

KB: We run a two heat race deal and then use passing points.

DE: What would you say have been some of your struggles on the tour?

KB: We’re not going to put that down in print. [he laughs]

DE: How do you feel that the tour betters you over all as a driver? Even though some of you are crewing, you all race back home in

Australia, so there has to be some benefits regardless.

KB: The repetition; it’s a lot of different tracks.

JC: You’ve got to adapt.

KB: You have to adapt quickly, you have to qualify well, there’s not just getting into the groove, you learn a lot about your race car getting to race 30 times. If you muck it up one night you have to go again the next night.

JC: Back home, you have to wait two weeks to race again.

KB: If you run good one night, that means nothing the next night because you’ve got to qualify all over again.

JC: That’s why I like this format, you have to really be on top of your game.

DE: You’ve all obviously been coming over here for several years now, what makes you want to keep coming back to the Hell Tour?

JC: The repetition really. Yeah, the grind is hard work but it’s still enjoyable.

KB: Yeah, it’s not for the weak. I feel like you achieve something if you go do the whole thing. If you struggle, you have to grind it out, it’s tough.

JC: To make every race and not have your stuff fail is pretty bad ass, too.

KB: You can also earn a lot of money doing this, if you run up front each night, you can make a lot of money.

Photo: David Campbell

THE DRIVER & CREW

THE TORCH BEARER OF THE HAUD LINE

By Ashley Zimmerman

WHILE BRANDISHING the last name Haudenschild could lead to a predicted assumption on performance, Sheldon Haudenschild far exceeds what could have ever been indicated to come from such lineage. Haudenschild’s finesse of the high side of any racetrack has rightfully entitled the young driver to ownership of the Haud line, initially made famous by his rim-riding father Jac. The confidence and skill demonstrated lap after lap makes Haudenschild a fan favorite from seasoned veterans to the newbie puppy racer. This often “on the edge of out of control” driving style has catapulted Haudenschild to just within reach of a coveted World of Outlaws series points championship and is now a must watch driver throughout the season with victories meant only for the record books. He’s at his best at the rim of a short track like Lawrenceburg, Atomic, or Beaver Dam, where he has won WoO races this season or Huset’s Speedway, where he scored $100,000 at the Highbanks Nationals in June.

While Sheldon Haudenschild comes from generations of legends who’ve competed on dirt, it goes without saying that as the youngest competing generation of Haudenschild, Sheldon has more than written his own chapter, perhaps even started a whole new book when it comes to the remarkable maneuvers on dirt that fans have laid witness to while holding tightly to the edge of their seats.

After another strong season that finds him solidly in contention for his first title in mid-summer, Dirt Empire felt it was more than our responsibility

NOTHING MORE FUN THAN RIPPING THE FENCE AT ELDORA.”

to sit down with Sheldon and cover the details that have led him to competing with the “Greatest Show on Dirt.”

Dirt Empire: This year marks your sixth season on the World of Outlaws tour. As a now seasoned veteran, has your off season work

and the way you prepare evolved any from the beginning as a rookie? Sheldon Haudenschild: As a rookie, we owned our own team and the only thing we were worried about was completing the year and doing that to the best of our ability. In 2017, I was managing the team and worrying about

“THERE’S

Photo: Mike Campbell

SHELDON HAUDENSCHILD

the business aspect and now I can focus on my personal responsibilities as a driver.

DE: Being a seasoned vet on tour, are there any places that have become must sees or must stops when you are traveling through

SH: Lake Tahoe and Lake Havasu are two of our “must stops”.

DE: If you had to name one race on the schedule this season that you want to see improvement from last year, which would it be?

SH: Probably Knoxville, I feel it’s a

place we could be good at but have just been a little off.

DE: Fans have seen you be successful on all types of tracks and just about any part of the racing surface, but is there any type of track or part of the track

you actually prefer?

SH: Not necessarily but there’s nothing more fun than ripping the fence at Eldora.

DE: Branching off of that line of thinking - is there a process or way that you assess each track prior to racing or throughout the night that helps you develop a plan?

SH: Just from experience, you kind of have a game plan going in, and then tweak it as the night progresses.

DE: In 2021, we interviewed your dad in regard to his retirement, we asked him about watching you race, and he shared with us that it makes him nervous; what is it about your driving style that you think gets even the Wild Child nervous?

SH: It might have a little to do with my driving style, but perhaps more to do with being his son.

DE: A few times we’ve heard you mention in interviews how your

comfortability of driving up top on the edge or as we all like to call it “the Haud Line” is a result of your experience in motocross. Do you think people overlook how much your motocross history has influenced your racing?

SH: I definitely think people overlook it because they don’t quite understand it. Many of these guys grew up racing ¼ midgets but from age five to sixteen, I rode dirt bikes every week.

DE: In some previous interviews, you’ve shared with fans that the decision to cross over from motocross to sprint cars wasn’t always an easy one, what ultimately helped you make the decision to switch?

SH: The longevity of sprint car racing as a sport. At age 28 now, if had I “made it” on dirt bikes, I would be nearing retirement age.

DE: We’re sure you get asked a lot about many of your favorite

Photo Jeff Bylsma

Photo Paul Arch

Raise a NOS if you’ve just won $100,000 at Huset’s Speedway.

Sheldon and wife Zan share victory lane at Volusia Speedway Park to kick off a successful season.

racing memories in a sprint car, but what are some of your favorite motocross memories?

SH: Growing up racing, even when my dad was on the road I would travel with friends to different events. My favorite races were probably in Florida over Thanksgiving to race Mini Os. Because it was my dad’s off-season, he was always able to be there.

DE: In the last few years you have just been on the outside of winning your first points championship with the World of Outlaws, has this been at all discouraging coming so close, or has it motivated you even more?

SH: I don’t feel it’s discouraging at all. I feel like we have been close, but championships take time, and we’re in it for the long haul.

DE: Currently, the crossover of sprint car drivers to late models is at an explosive rate with the Eldora Million, in a recent MRN interview you hinted that your dad might come out of retirement for a late model but what about you? Do you have the itch to hop in one ever or for just the Million?

SH: Maybe down the road, our rigorous

schedule prevents us from expanding to other divisions.

DE: What about other forms of racing? Have you ever thought about wanting to race anything else?

SH: You always think about it, but I’m pretty happy where I’m at.

DE: Being sponsored by NOS Energy Drink has afforded you many opportunities like driving drift cars blind folded for their YouTube channel. What has been your favorite experience so far? Are there any that you were nervous about beforehand?

SH: Probably competing in various challenges at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas both in the sprint car and in Forsberg’s drift car.

DE: On occasion we’ve heard about your “quirks” such as vacuuming the motorhome frequently, or even your dog Pella. What are some that would likely shock fans? Are there any that you would consider prerace rituals?

SH: I put my left sock on first, left leg into the suit first, left shoe before the right. I don’t know if that qualifies as a

habit since I’m not really superstitious, but that’s how it’s done.

DE: You have an extensive helmet collection. What would you say is your most meaningful one? What one comes with the wildest story? Is there one that remains elusive

Photo Paul Arch

Photo

Paul Arch

Haudenschild at speed at Williams Grove last May.

that you’d love to hunt down?

SH: Many of my dad’s are my favorites, most have cool stories or wins connected with them that are conversation points when people see them. One of them in particular was worn when a nerf bar came off of the car in front of him, and went through his helmet into his mouth, knocking him out. When he woke up, he was kind of pinned in there, and had to pull it out. He ended up going to the hospital. I have very few Pennzoil helmets, so I’ve been trying to track down as many as I can.

DE: What are some of your favorite memories or favorite facts about having some of the most extremely diehard fans in the world of sprint car racing?

SH: Haud Nation is definitely a passionate group of people. There are fans that have shaved my number into their hair, have our logo tattooed on them, or named their dog in reference to myself or the team. They’re a group that is noticeable at the track for their love of the sport and excitement for the team.

DE: Much like your father, you are almost always seen as cool, calm, and collected. Are there any times on or at the track that you aren’t? Are there times when you ever get a little nervous or heated?

SH: I try not to, if I am it’s typically directed at myself when I feel I could have done better.

DE: From your grandfather to your dad, you were born into quite the racing legacy that draws a lot of eyes and likely some expectations

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Paul Arch

Sheldon moving the upper crust of Attica Raceway Park into the pit area in May.

Four-year-old Sheldon with mom and dad after Jac scored the King’s Royal in 1998.

of your performance. From the outside, it is without argument that you lit expectations on fire and surpassed what we could define as living up to the legacy, which let’s be real, on the track there are times that you showcase what Wild Child represents - but in your eyes, how do you view it? Do you feel you’ve lived up to the history books? Have you ever felt the pressure that comes from the family legacy?

SH: I don’t really feel the pressure. What my dad has accomplished has been pretty amazing. In my eyes, my dad is the greatest both on and off the track. He is a good person to model my actions off of and to have in my corner. I have a long lineage of racing on both sides of the family, all come with a long list of accomplishments. I’d like to extend that list, rather than focus on competing with the history of the Sweeney and Haudenschild ranks.

DE: Ideal situation - you get to write exactly how your story in sprint car racing goes - retirement party is tomorrow - What are the highlights?

What do the history books say about Sheldon Haudenschild? How did you impact the sport?

SH: Ideally I have the ability to retire when I’m ready to, having accomplished the everchanging goals I set for myself on a year to year basis. Of course, that list includes Crown Jewel wins and championships. Above all else, making good relationships along the way, and setting a worthy example for fans, sponsors, and competitors alike.

Photo Paul Arch

Subscribe to Sheldon Haudenschild’s YouTube channel and ride along with his career as it unfolds. Use your smart phone camera and point it at the QR code to the left and click on the link.

DEVIN MORAN

THE FAMILY LEGACY BUILDER

By Ashley Zimmerman

IF FAMILY HISTORY begets the bloodlines that gave fuel to talents and destiny, Devin Moran is right where he’s supposed to be. As a second generation late model driver, Moran has missed few opportunities to light the dirt world on fire, from winning with both the World of Outlaws and the Lucas Oil series to checking off Crown Jewel wins like the Prairie Dirt Classic in a still very fresh racing career.

While the 2022 race season brought a major change for Moran with the loss of his brother as his crew chief, he made the most of their remaining races together taking Florida Speedweeks by storm and closing it out with a major win at East Bay. With a new team, a strong set up, bloodlines meant for victory lane, Moran is well prepared to keep the upcoming season rolling with excitement. Never one to miss opportunities to interview the drivers destined for the history books, Dirt Empire managed to negotiate a few

minutes out of Devin Moran’s schedule to review all the things involving dirt and late model racing.

Dirt Empire: With your brother leaving as your crew chief, do you feel that adjusting to someone new is going to pose many challenges?

Devin Moran: Obviously me and Wylie are really close, right? He has been with me full-time since 2014 so there was a lot of stuff that I didn’t have to question him about or go over. This let me focus a bit more on the race car and things like that. I’ve got two really good crew guys now, but they are younger guys, experience is key, and they just don’t have a ton of that yet. I’m hoping we get to that point with them, because like I said, they are good, we just still have to go over things. We’re teaching them stuff every day, and they’re trying to learn, and I feel like if we keep doing that we’ll be really good. It’s a process, and currently we’re at the beginning

part of that process, I hope it just keeps getting better and better.

DE: What did it mean to you to be able to close out your brother’s time as your crew chief with a win?

DM: A lot of people know that we love East Bay. I’ve been going there the last 15, well probably 20 years to be honest. I’ve raced there the last ten years in a row. To go there and win a race with it closing down and everything, and obviously my brother leaving, it was really cool to go over and win the finale. I felt like it was a really good race, and obviously [Brandon] Sheppard was really good all week, so to pass him for the lead and win, with a lot of people from my hometown down there it was bad ass for sure.

DE: You’re obviously very close to your family, how does having such a rigorous schedule affect getting to spend time with them? Is there

Photo Paul Arch

a way that you’ve developed some balance?

DM: I just make ‘em come to the races with me. It’s one of those deals where my dad did it for so long, we all kind of understand how it is. So, you just go to the races, and if they get to come to the races, awesome. If not, we try to have a family game night once a week like on a Sunday, or go play kickball. We try to spend some time together, but like I said, it is what it is, if they get to go then awesome, if not, I’m sure they are going to be watching me on Flo Racing, XR, MAVTV or DIRTVision or something.

DE: In 2021 you racked up 14 wins - what do you attribute this level of success to?

DM: Obviously, Longhorn Chassis are a really, really good race car and we made the change to Bilstein Shocks late May sometime and I felt like that’s when we really started rolling. We clicked off a couple of World of Outlaws wins, we ran really good at a couple Lucas races, and ran well at a couple other races. We went and spent a couple of days at Longhorn, then spent a couple of days at Bilstein, getting stuff figured out. From then on, we’ve just been building our notebook with the setup package we had, and it’s just been getting better and better.

DE: What was the draw for you to return to Bristol this year? Is there anything that you learned last year by winning that you feel gave you any advantage this year?

DM: Obviously it was a little different race this year than last year with it

being a day race, so the track was definitely slicker and slower. I felt like our car was really really good, we just couldn’t qualify which is what killed us so much for the Bristol Dirt Nationals, but we had a good race car. We were just kind of dug in a hole every

Photo Matt Butcosk

Photo Mike Campbell

Devin racing for one of the last times at one of his favorite tracks - East Bay Raceway Park.

Devin and his sister Savanna at the Big E, where she is an Official Spokesmodel of the Speedway.

night. There were some things that transitioned, obviously it’s a different ball game at Bristol than anywhere else in the country that we race. So, we took those notes from last year and expanded on them and tried to run as good as we possibly could.

DE: With drivers like Brandon Overton being able to dominate at Eldora like he has, what will be some of the things you will work to improve for the all the huge races they have there every year?

DM: Just working hard, doing some testing, trying to figure out what we can do to pick up speed. We know it’s probably going to be pretty black and pretty slick by the end of the race, so we’ve really tried to focus on ourselves better in that track condition, we just have to keep progressing forward with it. I always try to go to Eldora for every late model race that they have.

DE: Are there any tracks that are must haves on your schedule every year? What makes them important to you?

DM: So, obviously East Bay, I love East Bay. You’ve got the Dream, the World, and of course the Million this year. I had to miss the World a couple of years ago for my brother’s wedding, but I don’t usually miss Eldora for anything. The Muskingum County Lucas Oil race

in July, that’s one of my all-time favorite events because it’s in my hometown. I obviously run pretty decent there since it’s my home track, a lot of friends, family, and sponsors are there, so that’s always awesome. Other than that, nothing major. I love going to PDC in Fairbury, that’s another one that I’ve run the last six or so years, but other than that, we just kind of rock and roll with whatever is on the schedule.

DE: What tracks continue to challenge you? What makes them this way?

DM: The tracks that I struggle with the most are probably the tracks in Tennessee, the Carolinas, that type of dirt. The only track in Tennessee that I’ve only ever won at is Bristol and I ran decent at Smokey Mountain a time or two, but that area I’ve never really run

great at. The same with the Carolinas, I ran third at Cherokee last year, but other than that, I’ve just never really ran well at those tracks. The biggest reason being that I just don’t race at them often, so it’s one of those deals where I’m just not really used to it. I’d like to go race at those places more, I feel like to be a great racer you have to be able to run anywhere and everywhere. It’s one of those deals where I’d like to go down there and race to make myself better.

DE: What is a race that isn’t a Crown Jewel, that you feel often gets overlooked?

DM: Brownstown is a Crown Jewel for the Jackson 100 but I feel like it’s overlooked. There is a lot going on at that time, you have Knoxville, Eldora, all happening in September. The Jackson

Photo: Ryan Roberts

Devin Moran in action on Flo Racing night at Spoon River trying to fend off Ryan Gustin in the 19.

Photo Paul Arch

Devin and Donnie chatting it out.

100 is one of my favorite races, I love going there, I feel like that place is really, really good. I ran well at that race, so I might be biased, but I really like Brownstown. I think Jim Price and the whole Brownstown crew do a great job. I don’t think that place quite gets the credit it deserves.

DE: If you had to rank your recent wins, what would be at the top of your favorites list?

DM: Bristol was definitely my biggest win last year. It didn’t pay the most, but definitely winning Bristol was pretty special. My whole family was there, everyone was there hanging out.

Davenport was a really big win for me last year too, the whole weekend at Davenport was awesome for me, I ran first, third, and first, that was a really really fun weekend. I’ve never really run well at Volusia until last year so getting Volusia and winning the big gator was pretty badass, too.

Photo Paul Arch

The Moran posse poses at Eldora Speedway prior to this year’s Dream race in June.

a main FEATURE

CLASS OF 2022 STEVE BOLEY

HISTORICALLY, SOME OF the very best names in dirt late model racing have come out of the state of Iowa. The Hall of Fame can certainly vouch for that. This year joining an already impressive array of Hawkeye State racing legends in the Hall will be West Liberty, Iowa’s Steve Boley, a member of the 2022 Class.

Like many other inductees, Steve spent a number of his early years in the world of speed on the two wheel circuit competing in motorcycle racing. In 1985 he made the move to four wheels, campaigning a dirt modified on eastern Iowa speedways such as Davenport, East Moline, and Bluegrass. In 1986, he defeated many of the country’s finest in taking the IMCA Florida Speedweeks Modified Series title.

In 1987, Boley made the jump to late model racing in his homestate at the nearby West Liberty Speedway and at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids. In the 1990s, he began piling up wins in his region in NASCAR Weekly Racing competition. He left his mark in the history books by earning 11 Winston Racing Series track crowns at eastern Iowa strongholds West Liberty, Farley and Dubuque from 1991 through 2005. He won two NASCAR Weekly Regional titles in 1993 and 1996 and was the All-Iowa points champion in 1998.

In 2000, Steve racked up a series leading ten NASCAR O’Reilly All-

Star victories and captured the tour championship. His 23 wins on the All-Star tour is fourth all-time. Steve is also one of a few to have scored back to back Yankee Dirt Classic victories in 1999 and 2000.

For a time Steve also dabbled in big time asphalt racing, running with ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Grand National circuit under the tutelage of NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram.

He mentored several Hawkeye State racers such stars as fellow Class Inductee Brian Birkhofer, along with Chad and Chris Simpson, and countless

others in classes from the hobbies to the modifieds and the late model division.

Today, retired from race competition, Steve operates his own commercial carpet cleaning business back home but continues to assist a number of dirt racers in his former race shop with the building and set-up of race cars.

Collecting loads of championship hardware and over 300 feature checkereds in his career, Steve Boley now joins the greats of the game as a much welcomed addition to the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

Photo Tony Hammett

Photo Tony Hammett

Boley, at right, with Freddy Smith and Earl Baltes.

Boley in Columbus, Mississippi, in 2005.

YEARS AGO, WHEN Michael Despain hanged the nickname “Real Deal” on Don O’Neal, it may have been for rhyming purposes or just to be catchy. But now, after a 30-plus year career and countless victories, the highlyappropriate moniker will accompany the Martinsville, Indiana, life-long resident and favorite son into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. His induction is on the grounds of Florence Speedway, a place where he enjoyed success in major events like the North-South 100 and the Ralph Latham Memorial, winning them two and three times, respectively. However, there can be no dispute that Brownstown Speedway was home for O’Neal and his racing accomplishments. With two track championships, four Jackson 100 wins, five Indiana Icebreaker triumphs and

DON O’NEAL DRIVER

six Hoosier Dirt Classic titles, he is one of the most prolific winners ever there.

Coming from a motorcycle racing background, O’Neal, who joined dirt late model racing relatively late by today’s standards (in his mid-20s) holds the distinction of being a top-five winner in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, including the 2014 points title, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, including the 2004 points championship, and the Northern AllStars series on which he is the all-time wins leader. With a penchant for speed and a like for big racetracks, O’Neal captured two Pittsburghers at PPMS and a Show-Me 100 win at Lucas Oil Speedway. But he also excelled on the bullrings, scoring several wins at East Bay to go with many other marquee wins such as the Dixie Shootout in Woodstock, Georgia.

O’Neal, now 57 years old and officially retired from the sport, operates his own business, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling. He is enjoying life with his wife Anna and five grandchildren who are benefitting from the maybe-not-so-widely-known fact that Don is admittedly a bit of a “softie” when it comes to family, despite being known as an extremely aggressive hard charger on the racetrack.

By Tony Hammett

O’Neal wishes to make known his appreciation for all the support he received during his career serving as house car driver for the late C. J. Rayburn, MasterSbilt and Barry Wright. He also had the pleasure of racing for Larry Moring and Raymond Childress. He enjoyed the thrill of racing with his son Hudson, who is fast becoming a star in the sport, and is happy to be a sponsor on his team. Maybe not as much of a household name as some of the tough competitors he raced and beat often like Moyer, Bloomquist and Owens, O’Neal enjoyed one of the most successful careers ever. His “magical” season of 2011 yielded wins in the Dream at Eldora; the Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80, the Knoxville Nationals and the DTWC at Atomic Speedway. That year alone would be the envy of many.

When asked what the prospects of going into the Hall meant to him, he mentioned the obvious honor, but was hard pressed to put it into words until he has gone through it and experienced the weekend. Well Mr. O’Neal, August will be special, and perhaps it is fitting to just say it is the “Real Deal”.

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Paul Arch

Racing at Eldora in 2019, near the end of his storied career.

FOLLOWING IN THE tire-tracks of his legendary racing father, Bart Hartman is a welcome second-generation addition to the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

Growing up around the racing game, a young Bart Hartman, along with brother Brett, served as integral parts of the racing team of his late father Larry “Butch” Hartman, a 2004 Hall of Fame inductee. Bart’s first experiences came as a teenager racing bikes in motocross competition. His ability earned him numerous titles including the Ohio State Arena Cross Championship but an accident at age 18 canceled the Zanesville, Ohio native’s two wheel aspirations.

In 1990, a Bullitt Chassis, which he earned by helping build a race car for his dad, was prepared and, at 21, Bart started his career in stock car racing. His early indoctrination to late models came on home base Ohio Valley tracks, gaining experience while at times battling head to head with his father.

Eventually, Bart made the decision to travel and hooked up with the rugged Renegade STARS tour, earning the group’s Rookie of the Year honors in 1992. His first win came at Florence, Kentucky, in the preliminary race held the night before the North-South 100. He beat the late great Jack Boggs.

As he continued to climb the ladder, wins began to come his way. In 1995 with STARS, Bart came home third in National points and had major wins in the Conococheague 100 at Hagerstown and the Hillbilly 100 at Pennsboro.

BART HARTMAN DRIVER

He became a force to reckon with on the national trail, scoring wins with STARS, World of Outlaws, Hav-A-Tampa, Lucas Oil, UMP and MACS tours from Florida to Wisconsin and from Maryland to Texas.

In 2004 Hartman was selected as an inaugural member of the celebrated World of Outlaws “Dirty Dozen”, taking down five wins with the group while piloting the Rocket House Car.

A Crown Jewel win is the ambition of every dirt late model racer, and at Pennsboro’s final presentation of the Dirt Track World Championship back in 2001 Bart led all 100 circuits, holding off fellow Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist to score the victory. Come 2009 he rode his familiar yellow numbered 75 to the top of the sport by capturing Eldora’s World 100. He also has late model racings biggest traditions including the North-South 100 at Florence, Kentucky, multiple Pittsburgher 100’s, Winchester, Virginia 200’s, along with the high paying Thunder in the Mountains event at the West Virginia Motor Speedway on his resume.

Now retired from competition, Bartman, as he was called, continues to operate the family-owned business, Hartman Truck Center back home. Bart Hartman’s talents and determination took him to the level of the very best and will now join them as a well-earned inductee in the Hall of Fame.

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Paul Arch

Racing at the World 100 in 2010 as the defending champion.

BRIAN BIRKHOFER DRIVER

THE HALL OF FAME is well represented by an abundance of legendary Iowa dirt racers from the past but a new generation of Hawkeye mudslingers are earning their place among the greats.

As a teenager, Brian Birkhofer broke into the dirt racing game in 1988 competing in the Pro Stock division at the West Liberty Speedway. After kicking around a few years in the support classes, victories began to come and produced a main ingredient needed in any learning curve –confidence.

Soon, Brian’s father Dave, another of those hard charging Iowa dirt stockers, saw it was time to seat his eager son in one of his late models. For a couple of seasons, Brian honed his skills on his home soil, taking feature wins and a pair of track championships at West Liberty.

When the travel bug bit in 1997 Brian opened fan’s eyes on his first visit to Ohio by qualifying an outdated Howe chassis for Eldora’s Dream Race. A victory that same campaign in a UMP Summer Nationals run at Cresco, Iowa, against some of the best in the business also showed his promise.

Soon, while competing on the national scene, big buck wins such as a

pair of checkereds in the Fall Nationals on the Springfield, Illinois Mile, the UMP Eldora Fall Nats, the Jackson 100, the Yankee Dirt Classic, Kentucky Lake’s Commonwealth Cup and the 50 thousand dollar to win Freedom 100 at West Virginia Motor Speedway, began to fall his way.

By this time Brian, known by his huge following as Birky, was ranked among the top stars in the sport, recognized as one of best finesse wheelmen in the business.

Amongst a number of major triumphs in 2002, Birkhofer hit the pinnacle of his career by beating fellow Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist coming out of the final turn of Eldora’s World 100. He pulled off a repeat globe winning performance in dirt late model racing’s biggest event in 2012.

Add to his resume wins in the Firecracker 100, the USA Nationals, the Show-Me 100, the Dirt Track World Championship, the Prairie State Classic and two Knoxville Late Model Nationals. His skills have been displayed with all the top tours, gathering up checkereds with Lucas Oil, the World of Outlaws, Xtreme Dirt Car Series, Dirtcar Summer Nationals, NASCAR All-Star Series and others.

Following his triumph at Knoxville in

2014, Birky shocked the dirt late model world by announcing his retirement from full time racing, citing the need for a change. Since then, he has dabbled on occasion competing in a handful of outings on dirt ovals for car owner Jason Rauen.

With a load of accolades, Brian Birkhofer rode through the ranks to become one of the sport’s biggest stars and has well earned his place among the greats of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame.

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Paul Arch

Birky racing at Lernerville in 2013, one year before announcing his retirement.

THE OLD CLICHÉ, “nice guys finish last”, has absolutely no bearing whatsoever when speaking of long time Hoosier State dirt racing star Mike Jewell,

One of the winningest Kentuckiana region racers in the history of the sport, Mike got his first taste of driving race cars at the Scott County Fairgrounds competing in hobby stocks in the late 1970s. At the time, he was following in the tire tracks of his cousin and mentor Doc Jewell, a veteran racer on the southern Indiana dirt ovals.

In 1983 Mike graduated to modified stocks with great success, knocking down an impressive 22 victories that season in his home state. The following year, it was on to late models for the Scottsburg, Indiana racer, competing at the legendary Brownstown Speedway. It proved to be a tough, yet valuable rookie learning curve, for at the time Brownstown was considered one of America’s most competitive dirt venues.

As he gained experience, he broadened his horizons and towed south to Kentucky and the Taylor County Speedway, where he captured his first feature win and scored three season track titles. Jewell became a headliner at another Kentucky oval, the Richmond Raceway, where he picked up his first big event, the UMP Bluegrass National, defeating fellow Hall of Famers Billy Moyer and

MIKE JEWELL DRIVER

Bob Pierce in the process. Through the years, Richmond was the scene of a number of major victories for the Hoosier pilot, including an unprecedented nine wins in their annual Butterball Wooldridge Memorial event.

Kentucky record books reveal when it came time for special events, Mike’s winning ways were displayed across the entire Bluegrass State. He’s collected hardware for victories from the Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence, the Fall Classic and the Friday Night Rumble at Ponderosa, the Spring Sizzler, Kentuckiana Clash and Stars and Stripes Classic at Bluegrass, along with many more. He was also crowned the 1993 UMP Kentucky State titlist and champion of the Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series in 2005 and 2006.

At Brownstown, he is remembered as a champion and won titles in 1991 and 2011. Mike scored wins there in the Kenny Simpson and Lee Fleetwood Memorial races along with two victories in the Hoosier Dirt Classic.

His popularity with the fans, promoters, and competitors alike brought about by his easy-going, friendly demeanor earned him the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame’s Sportsman Award back in 2007. Mike has also been honored where it all began for him, at the Brownstown Speedway, with induction into their Hall of Fame in 2009.

Now retired from competition, Mike sealed his legacy as one of Indiana’s finest weekend dirt racers, doing it primarily with a self-financed operation while also helping raise a family and managing a full time position as a supervisor for the highway department. Earning over 300 main event triumphs on dirt ovals with very little controversy, nice guy Mike Jewell is a perfect selection for induction to the Hall of Fame.

Photo Tony Hammett

Photo Tony Hammett

Running hard at the 2005 North/South 100.

CONTRIBUTING INDUCTEES in the Hall of Fame are a collection of the many who have through the years gone over and beyond the call of duty to assist in entertaining the ticket paying patrons. The track announcer is a main artery to each and every racing program and this year’s Hall of Fame Class delivers one of the finest microphone masters the sport has ever known - Rick Eshelman.

At an early age, Rick knew he wanted to somehow be involved in auto racing. In 1976, he landed a job as a track official at the Flat Rock Speedway in his native state of Michigan although he had his sights set on a line of work he truly preferred – track announcer. When the position opened in 1979, Eshelman was asked to give it a shot, and evidently he fit like a glove and he continued his role in the booth at the Michigan oval for the next 20 years. During his tenure there, he also took on the duties as co-announcer at the Toledo and Oakshade Speedways in Ohio.

As the new millennium began, Rick switched his attention to announcing weekly dirt racing at Oakshade and the Limaland Motorsports Park. At this time, he was named the house announcer at

ALL ACROSS THE wide world of dirt

Late Model racing there are announcers, and there are announcers - and then there is James Essex. The 59-year-old veteran broadcaster will be taking his place among the best of his trade as a contributing inductee in this year’s Class of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Debuting as a step-in replacement, the Greensburg, Indiana, veteran at the mic has called events for a good portion of his life to become one of the most familiar voices in all of dirt Late Model racing.

It all began tagging along with his parents to watch stock car racing at the old 25th Street Speedway in Columbus, Indiana. In 1969, the Essex family made the move down the road Saturday nights to the popular ¼ mile Brownstown Speedway. At the time, his mother worked as a correspondent sending in race results to the local newspapers and James assisted.

James was a familiar face around and in the press box of the southern Indiana speedway and one night when the regular announcer was a no show, 14-year-old Essex was asked to fill the void. It was a move that laid the foundation for a highly regarded 40-plus year career in entertaining race fans all across America.

RICK ESHELMAN ANNOUNCER

the historic Eldora Speedway.

Rick Eshelman has become renowned throughout the dirt late model racing community. He is highly recognized as the voice of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. During his 43 years on the microphone, he has called events at over 170 different race venues in more than 30 states and Canada.

Throughout his career Rick has had the opportunity to keep fans informed, with

his crowd pleasing distinctive style, of the goings-on of some of the greatest race events in the history of the sport.

In 2012 he proudly received the Tom Carnegie Announcer of the Year Award presented to him at the Michigan Auto Racing Awards Banquet.

Today, Eshelman continues to work as one of the most entertaining announcers in the business.

JAMES ESSEX ANNOUNCER

Essex, with his unique colorful style, handled the announcing chores at his beloved Brownstown while not missing a show for an incredible 15 years.

As the sport grew in popularity, so did James. He called events for the traveling Northern All-Stars in 2001, eventually moving to the Battle of the Bluegrass Series until they were purchased by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. With Lucas, he has been behind the microphone for all but a few of more than 700 series events covering 17 years, including their nationally televised broadcasts. He has also brilliantly called the action for many of Eldora Speedway’s premier events for the last several seasons.

Aside from announcing, James’ devotion to the sport has taken him to various other roles such as publicity director and columnist for a number of national racing trades and local newspapers. During the 1990s, he served as track promoter at both Brownstown and the Twin Cities Speedway in Vernon, Indiana.

In recent years, he has also become

a huge proponent for the Hall of Fame, serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the 22 year old non-profit organization.

Many years back James Essex found his niche in the sport he loved and became one of the finest broadcasters ever and is now a deserving member of the Hall of Fame.

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Paul Arch

DICK BEEBE PROMOTER

THE MEMBERS in the Hall of Fame consist of inductees who have basically devoted their entire lives to the world of auto racing. This year’s contributing class inductee, the late Dick Beebe, fits that role perfectly.

Dick’s involvement in the sport started as a youngster working on his father Paul Sr’s motorcycle racing crew. The young Kalamazoo, Michigan, native also assisted his dad in the construction of several race tracks around the country, including the Galesburg Speedway and the Grand Rapids Speedrome in their home Wolverine State.

At just 12, he began lettering race cars at his home tracks, eventually turning his talents into the long time successful Beebe Sign Company. He also started flagging events, something he continued for many years to come. Aside from his starting duties, he would serve in many other capacities

such as pit steward, scorer, promoter, groundskeeper, reporter and as an official for several organizations including NASCAR and USAC.

Dick also spent time participating as a racer himself, piloting motorcycles, karts and snowmobiles, as well as competing in various other forms of motor racing. One of his final outings behind the wheel saw him ride a dirt late model to victory in a celebrity event in Florence, Kentucky, in the early 1970s.

His passion for the sport saw him, along with his wife Pat, establish the weekly MARC Times Racing News back in 1965. For many years, the popular publication was a thriving entity, well known and admired by racing communities everywhere. On a number of occasions, the earnings from the MARC Times would be donated to the families of racers who were injured or killed in competition.

In 1970, he founded the American Racing Congress which laid out safety

regulations governing speedways across the United States and Canada. Always a strong proponent for driver safety, Dick helped in the development of window nets for stock cars along with improving firesuits, seatbelts, roll cages and much more.

On the promotional side, Beebe presented his successful Dealer’s Choice events at places like the Hartford and Crystal Speedways in Michigan attended by hundreds of race contestants.

In 1995, he was honored for his many contributions to the sport with induction into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Beebe passed away in 2009 at age 76 but will be remembered as a jack of all trades and for his lifelong dedication to motorsports.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

DEWAYNE RAGLAND

Dewayne Ragland dedicated his life to the sport of dirt racing, serving it in various capacities including crew chief, engine builder, shock and spring manufacturer representative. He’s most recently known for his work as an account representative for Motor State Distributing and Allstar Performance. Ragland also founded and owned the American Modified Series. But aside from his work as an account representative, he is remembered as a friend to everyone in the pit area. Ragland would spend his days providing customer service from his offices and then after hours he was an ever-present resource for racers at the racetrack. Often times Ragland would stay on the phone into the wee hours of the morning contacting customers both to learn of their results and to ensure they were awake enough to make it to the next stop on the road. Ragland was beloved by all that knew him and his death has created a huge hole for many a racer which can never be filled.

By Kelley Carlton

ROBERT MARKOS

Robert “Bob” Markos is widely recognized as the leading purveyor of the history of the sport of dirt late model racing. His great knowledge of the sport coupled with his voluminous collection of dirt racing news publications has made him the go-to source for all things history in the sport. Bob brought his love of the sport to the establishment of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame where he has tirelessly volunteered to ensure historical accuracy and deserved recognition of those who are inducted into the Hall. Bob’s efforts have been invaluable in making the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame a credible and prestigious institution for the sport. He has consulted to multiple publications and introduced our sport’s history to multiple generations of fans as a result of his dedication.

EARL BALTES AWARD CJ RAYBURN

Elected as a first ballot inductee to the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame as a chassis builder CJ Rayburn proved to be far more to the sport than just a winning chassis builder and drive. He was a mentor to an untold number of young racers over his lifetime of involvement in dirt racing. Through his unique euphemisms and firm words of advice and encouragement he became a true leader in the sport. For many years he presented Christmas parties which allowed racers the opportunity to network with many in the industry in a more relaxed and less formal environment. He promoted the sport at every opportunity. He encouraged the leaders of the sport to be better. He never met a stranger and he was an ambassador for dirt racing in every sense of the word.

guest MIC DROP

By Kelley Carlton

IN 2004, I was fortunate enough to be appointed as a voting member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame thanks to a nomination from my good friend Tony Hammett. I was so honored by the recommendation and I was quick to agree to the responsibility when Bill Holder called me that day. Little did I know then how much I would fall in love with and become involved with the Hall of Fame. Just a few years ago I was named the Secretary of the Board of the Hall of Fame, a position which would allow me to give my input on the future of the Hall of Fame. Then, 14 years after his nomination I had the privilege to be the officer to induct Tony into the Hall of Fame.

The sitting Board of Directors, which includes President Gerald Newton; Vice President James Essex; Treasurer David Poole; Induction Director Bob Markos; and myself, have developed some very ambitious plans for a new building to house the Hall of Fame. We know that it is a mountain to climb to raise the funds needed to build the building we need to allow for future growth. However, I don’t think any of us expected the fundraising effort to be quite so difficult. We all put in plenty of time and effort, but the largescale donations that we had hoped would come our way have simply not materialized. As a 501-c3 non-profit we have also sought multiple grants to no avail.

In that time, however, even in the midst of the pandemic, our efforts

have certainly yielded some results. Two years ago, the board made the decision to make some upgrades to our current building in an effort to increase and improve our visibility. We have hundreds and hundreds of visitors annually, many of whom donate every time they stop in. We continue to work with tracks around the country doing 50/50 raffles and whatnot to raise funds. We felt we needed to let our visitors see that we are in fact looking to pay proper tribute to all the members of the Hall of Fame. So when you make your way to the Hall of Fame, you will notice some significant changes to the space. We realize that though our current building is not our permanent home, it is for the foreseeable future.

If you haven’t visited in a while, we invite you to come back. You will notice fresh new displays, more walking room, climate control, new video presentations and in general just a more tidy and neat appearance. Board Treasurer David Poole and our amazing group of volunteers led by curator Jim Cliett have done much of the work to the building. And we think they have done a fantastic job with it.

The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is a non-profit entity that was built with and solely survives on donations and fund-raisers. Founder Bill Holder and the board did a remarkable job in building the Hall of Fame building with the very limited amount of funding that they have. The Hall was very fortunate that the King

family stepped up and donated the land on which the Hall of Fame building now sits on at Florence Speedway.

Over the years some have questioned the location of the Hall of Fame. But let’s face it, Florence is really at the true geographical center of Dirt Late Model Racing. When you plot the true strongest regions of Dirt Late Model Racing, Florence is essentially right in the middle. The Hall of Fame stands alone as the only other attraction at the speedway. And let’s face it, over the last five years or so, Florence has laid claim to what most consider one of the most prestigious Dirt Late Model events in the country with the Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100.

So I submit and call upon you today –as a fan of this sport – do what you can to support the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Come and visit it. Make a donation when and if you can. Bring a friend to visit if you can. The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame is not perfect. But what it is, is ours.

What I can tell you with great certainty is that those that are enshrined within its walls are as proud as any other athlete or contributor to other such halls of fame. So take the time to walk around the Hall of Fame. Soak in the photos and video presentations. Check out the cool race cars and artifacts on display. And if you have any love at all for this sport, afford some respect for our Hall of Fame and be proud we have it.

short track STARS

Quilcene, Washington

JJ HICKLE A YEAR IN IOWA

BY JOANNE CRAM

AT AGE 31, JJ Hickle swapped yet another zip code after relocating once again to chase his dreams of full time sprint car racing. He has partnered with Brandon Ikenberry and is currently residing in Des Moines, Iowa to complete a forty to fifty race competition season.

Witty and hilarious, Hickle has quickly made a name for himself as he has turned a lot of heads with his very successful last two seasons with the National ASCS tour. Landing a full time ride at the famed half mile oval of Knoxville Raceway was a huge change in routine for JJ’s insane travel schedule of his previous few seasons and racing full time at one track hasn’t been part of JJ’s routine for several seasons now.

Hickle grew up on the peninsula of

Washington State. For those of you who were glued to the Twilight saga; the teen heart throb books and movies about the vampire diaries of the love story and place just across the forest from JJ’s hometown town of Quilcene. The town is just 70 miles from Elma, which so happened to be the home of Gray’s Harbor Speedway, where Fred Brownfield revived sprint car racing back in the early 1990s, just in time for JJ Hickle to grow up and take to slinging dirt at his local dirt track.

He started in quarter midgets when he was five. He grew up with a dad who raced stock cars on pavement and when he was old enough to get behind the wheel of something with speed, JJ’s dad, Joe, put him in the quarter midget. JJ started at Little Wheels, a track in Puyallup, Washington, initially because it was fairly close and he could get some experience. He then began traveling all over the Pacific Northwest to compete. His dad gave

up his racing to fully support his up and coming driver as JJ was showing quite a bit of promise behind the wheel. They raced all over the Northwest at tracks like Langley, British Columbia; Portland, Oregon; Monroe and Puyallup in Washington. Hickle won The Grand in 1999 in Langley and The Dirt Grand Nationals in Hagerstown in 2004 during his seasons behind the wheel of the quarter midget.

When he was just 14, he skipped over the traditional next classes of cage karts, flat karts, as well as micros and jumped straight into a 360. For him, the choice was simple. He chose a 360 because there was just straight up more racing opportunities in the PNW. There aren’t a lot of tracks in the Northwest, and tracks that do exist are quite spread out making for a lot of windshield time to get to them and gain much needed experience. JJ’s home dirt track was Gray’s Harbor Raceway, where he fell in love with sprint cars and making the transition into a 360 an easier decision.

Hickle knew he wanted to race full

Photo Paul Arch

time for a career from an early age. He had lot of success in his first year on the track with a lot of heat wins but no features. JJ raced his family car and remembered “it was a modest operation. We had one car, an open trailer, no spare parts.” The third through sixth years, Vern Rengen, a very well-known veteran around sprint car racing in the Pacific Northwest, hired JJ to race for him. This was a great boost to JJ’s career as a driver and sprint car mechanic, as he was able to learn a lot from Vern. He picked up his first feature with the 7 car in 2007, racing weekly Elma and traveling with the NST (The Northern Sprint Tour ASCS Division). JJ recalls looking up to Roger Crockett, Jayme Barnes and Jason Solwold as some of the drivers who came before him and made names for themselves coming out of the PNW. Hickle was on his way.

Previous car owners and good friends, Jane and Ivan Worden out of Cotati, California, needed a driver one weekend back in 2019. After a phone call and impromptu visit to California, the team was established and they spent the next two years racing as much as possible, at as many tracks as possible. The Wordens were eager to travel and hit the road racing. However, when Covid struck in 2020, the season plans had to be adjusted.

Originally the plan was to run the ASCS Northwest Tour through the Brownfield Classic, however they scrapped those plans and decided to make as much of a season as possible with whatever racing was available during strange times of shut downs, mask mandates, and inconsistently enforced policies between state lines.

When 2021 rolled around, the team decided to do the full season of the National ASCS Tour, after finding success on the road the previous season. Hickle won the Brownfield Classic, won the race at Hanford against 55 cars in March, swept the ASCS opening weekend Spring Nationals at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, won the Winter Nationals once again at Devil’s Bowl (making that a full season sweep of events at Devil’s Bowl), and won the Jesse Hockett Memorial race in Missouri. When asked about the one race highlight of last season, JJ says the Brownfield Classic is the only race he wanted to win before he was done racing. “I loved Fred (Brownfield). I was a huge fan of him. He took care of me, was always nice to me. He was a supportive promoter and I have always respected what he was doing for sprint car racing”.

JJ Hickle’s future is wide open, just like he races. “I hope to race full time for as long as possible and then own a

successful race team. I would love to run an Outlaw season but not sure if that will work out.”

In JJ’s down time, he is a selfproclaimed food connoisseur and enjoys finding all of the downtown Des Moines fun food finds. Italian restaurants are a favorite, with Mexican as a close P2. He likes to golf, swim, hike, and do anything to stay active. He is also an exceptional scrabble player. Later in the season, he hopes to have his girlfriend, Shaina Barnes and her daughter, Cambria are able to join him for part of the season.

STOP THE PRESSES!

Just as this issue was set to head to the printer, JJ Hickle completely redefined his season as he put on a spectacular show on the Thursday night of the Knoxville Nationals and qualified to start 10th in the main event. Unfortunately, a lap one crash sidelined him but Hickle woke up the country to work he’s done this summer in the cornfields.

Photos David Campbell

the beauty of DIRT

Photo: Mike Musslin

Dalton Imhoff checks out a beautiful Missouri sunset at the perfect time of the night before pushing off at I-70 Speedway.

a main FEATURE

BRYAN BERNHEISEL has been a pillar in the Southern PA late model racing scene for several years now, following in the footsteps of his father, Jim. Besides racing, Bryan works with his father and brother, Brandon, at their facilities in Jonestown, Pennsylvania at Bernheisel Race Components as lead fabricator on Lazer Chassis, the Bernheiselowned chassis building company. In early 2021, Bryan was setting out for another racing campaign, and looking to continue his growing career behind the wheel of a super late model. But life took a hard turn on Friday March 26th, 2021 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Bryan was involved in a bad wreck that would reshape his 2021 season and perhaps his career and life.

“I don’t remember if it rained earlier in the day or not, but the track was blistering fast and there was a hole in the track getting into [turn] one,” Bernheisel recalled. “I never lost consciousness. I mean, I’m sure I had a slight concussion, but I was awake and alert through the whole wreck. I remember everything quite vividly.”

“I was fast time that night, started on the pole in the heat race,” Bernheisel related. “I can’t remember who was second, but they got me off the line and I slid back to fourth by the back stretch. That had me mad right off the bat. Through turns three and four I got back into third and I thought, I’m going to get these guys back. So, I fired it into one, hot. I hit that hole and it bicycled immediately up onto the right side. It didn’t bother me too much, I’ve seen videos of late models up on two wheels, and they turn into it and power out of it. I had a decision to make at that moment. I could either get on the brakes and try not to hit the wall too hard, or keep racing and drive out of

OVER THE EDGE AND BACK: HIS WRECK, RECOVERY AND TRIUMPH!

BY ADAM CORNELL

it. As soon as the wheels came back down, I got back onto the throttle and it immediately popped back up onto two wheels and then it was gone and I couldn’t save it after that. It landed cage down and rolled up and over the outside of the track. I think I just must have gotten on the gas too soon as the car came down and I didn’t let it settle. I think the wheel spun just as I

touched down and it was kind of like a basketball, it bounced it right back up and it was gone.”

A video replay shows Bernheisel’s number 119 seemingly dig into the turn with the right side and tip onto two wheels. When it came back down on all fours, the car jumped back into the air and rolled. The inertia of the vehicle took it into a barrel roll up and

BRYAN BERNHEISEL

over the fence in turn one and down off the edge of the track. In all, the vehicle appeared to completely roll over twice in the air before tumbling down the hill on the other side of the fence coming to rest on all four wheels, out of view of the camera.

“As I was still in the air, and I was seeing dirt, sky, dirt, sky, I felt pain right away in my lower to mid back.

When I came to rest, I immediately popped my belts loose to relieve the pressure. I didn’t lose consciousness, but I was a little rattled. Immediately a track official came over and asked if I was okay, and I said my back hurt. That was their signal to tell me to stay right where I was, they were going to cut me out of the car,” Bernheisel said.

“I mean I was ready to climb out of

the car. I had my gloves off, my helmet off and everything. Knowing what I know now about my neck, I probably shouldn’t have done that, but my neck didn’t hurt. So, they cut me out of the car and took me on a back board to the hospital.”

At this point the seriousness of his injuries weren’t clear. Bryan was joking with the nurses, thinking he was going

Photo Zach Yost

to be sore for a little while, but he’d be back at it soon enough. Besides his back hurting, his arm hurt as well from striking something in the car during the roll over. To him, he didn’t think anything was broken, just bruised and a little shaken up.

“They do the xrays and MRIs and it takes some time for those results, so they plopped me in a room and by that time my wife shows up and has the video of the wreck. She shows it to me, and at that point I’m still in pretty good spirits,” Bernheisel recalled. “Then the doctor came in. He said, ‘here’s your xrays, your neck is broken, here,

BRYAN BERNHEISEL’S WRECK

Bernheisel’s wreck from March 26, 2021 is available to see on dirtvision.com. The video is the full night of racing, so jump to the 1:05:00 mark to see the wreck.

here and here. We need to stabilize you and you’re probably going to need surgery.’ Immediately, my spirits just plummeted”

The fears associated with being told

his neck was broken were heavy.

“I wasn’t even thinking about racing again at that point,” Bryan continued. “I was thinking about whether this was going to affect my life, you know, was

Use the URL or the QR code below with your smart phone camera. https://www.dirtvision.com/videos/arch-night-williams-grove-speedway

Photo John Rothermel

Photo Dan DeMarco

Bernheisel at speed at Georgetown Speedway in Delaware.

I going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Like, how bad is this whole thing going to be? I was in shock with the news. This was serious, and it started to sink in just how serious that first night. After the xrays were done, they put me in a full torso brace to stabilize everything. The wreck was Friday night, all the xrays and everything were into the wee hours of Saturday morning, and the earliest they could schedule the surgery was Sunday morning. It was a lot of time to think about it.”

The road to recovery was going to be a long one. The doctors gave Bernheisel the prognosis that it would take roughly 6 months to recover from the injury. Surgery was optional, but if things didn’t heal properly without an immediate surgery, in 6 months they may have to do surgery anyway, and it could be more complicated then. So, Bryan opted for the surgery, which fortunately went well. He then had the grueling task of keeping his neck immobilized and recuperating.

“For the first two months, I was either in bed, or in the recliner in a

full torso brace that kept my head and neck completely immobile,” Bryan recalls. “And that was tough. Our lives are typically really busy. So, to go from running all over to wearing out Netflix in a recliner at the drop of a hat, that is a really big change. I needed help doing everything, and that was a very difficult thing to come to grips with. There were some dark days for me early on.”

Almost immediately after the wreck and as he struggled along the road to

recovery, there came an out-pouring of well-wishing from family, friends, fellow racers and fans.

“I probably have a mountain of cards that came in,” Bryan said. “I can’t even begin to say thank you to all the folks who sent a card or checked in on me over those months to try to keep my spirits up. Of course, my wife and family were really supportive through the whole ordeal.”

After a few months, the torso brace

Photo Dan DeMarco

Photo Dan DeMarco

Bryan and his family celebrate a return to victory lane at Selinsgrove Speedway in July of 2022.

came off and a neck brace remained, but due to lack of use, some of Bernheisel’s upper body muscles had atrophied and it took time to regain the strength and range of motion he’d been used to prior to the wreck.

“At the six-month mark I got the neck brace off, and even though I was weak, I got cleared by the doctor. The hardware they’d put in was good, the neck was stabilized so have at it,” Bryan recalled.

It was shortly after getting cleared to go back to work, that Bryan embarked on a new project with his brother and father at the shop. They’d had the idea of building a new prototype late model chassis that would improve upon what they had, making it safer, stronger and faster.

“We’d all had ideas on what we’d wanted to do,” Bryan said. “We all had notes and sheets of paper and all, so we sat down, put everything together on what we wanted to build and we decided now was the time to do it.”

Much of the design work fell to Bryan as the new prototype was developed. They built the car and decided to take

it out at the end of 2021. Bryan ran in a race in Bedford, PA at the end of October to just get back behind the wheel and get things worked out. The big test was in early November at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, North Carolina.

“That was big for me. Because here I am, just the second time out after the wreck and injury, and I’m still not really confident and on top of it, we were running a completely new car,” Bernheisel said. “But we ran really well.

I qualified for the feature, and that was a big thing. Even though we were able to do that, I still didn’t feel one hundred percent comfortable.”

In the off season, Bryan and the team at Lazer Chassis continued to dial in the new chassis and get it ready for production and as he continued to grow stronger, the confidence returned.

“I don’t really know what happened over the winter, but I felt a lot more confident coming into this season,” Bryan said. “I don’t know if it was a

Photo Zach Yost

Photo Adam Cornell

Jim, Bryan and Brandon Bernheisel discuss preparations for a race at BAPS Speedway in 2018.

level of preparedness or what. We had built a second car, so we had two ready to go. But that first night out, I felt really comfortable. I felt like I had raced the week before, but I hadn’t. I’d had a full winter season off, only a couple of races at the tail of 2021, and of course months and months of recovery with no racing. So, it still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me why I felt so good going into that first race at Selinsgrove, but I did.”

The first feature that Bryan raced in for the 2022 season was at Selinsgrove Speedway, a half-mile track, located practically along the path of the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg, PA. It was a Saturday night race on the second day of April, 2022. It was the start of a new season, he was driving a newly designed car, was just over a year after a catastrophic wreck and here he was, Bryan Bernheisel heading out to race.

“We had actually planned on hitting a couple of other tracks before that night and at least practicing,” Bryan recalled. “But with the way the weather turned out, we didn’t get to race, we didn’t get to practice. That Saturday night we went right into racing.”

On that early April night, Bernheisel took the checkered flag in first place,

scoring a win in his first race of the season. It was a triumph that really made him feel like he was back.

“The car ran great, I was able to get to victory lane, it was really a great night for us,” Bryan said.

The hard work and determination paid off as the Lazer Chassis team continued to pull data from the car over the course of subsequent races, making tweaks along the way so as to be sure that the prototype was going to not only work but be an improvement over the previous builds.

The 2022 season has had its share of ups and downs for Bryan as he’s gotten back into the groove of racing. There were a couple of DNFs and a few tail of the field finishes. But there were some bright spots as well. Besides that week one victory, scored three additional top-five finishes including

another win at Selinsgrove in late July.

Bryan plans on wrapping up the 2022 season at Selinsgrove and Bedford Speedways and then he will head down to The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the World of Outlaws World Finals to put the new car up against even tougher competition.

2021 was a rough year for Bryan and the Bernheisel family. Bryan’s journey was difficult, but through the help of friends, family and the racing community he was able to heal up and return to the sport he loves, and even excel at it.

Going forward, Bernheisel plans to continue to advance, proving that the new car is a solid platform on which to launch a championship campaign, and that he’s fully back and ready to resume taking his career to new heights.

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Dan DeMarco

Bryan and his parents proudly hold the checkereds together.

INDIANA

SPRINT WEEK

BY DAVID CAMPBELL

Justin Grant drove the NOS entry to his first Sprintweek title.

They come from all over, including Texas, to run ISW. That’s Dalton Stevens from Scurry showing his wheels up form.

Close-quartered racing is always on tap at Tri-State’s ISW layover.

Jason McDougal does his best to get perfectly perpendicular with the Bloomington berm.

Although winless, Brady Bacon finished third in the final standings.

Shane Cottle bookended his ISW with a very popular opening night victory at Gas City and this qualifying lap dump at Tri-State to wrap up his week in the Hodges 74X.

grab his first victory of the week.

A former ISW and USAC champion, Robert Ballou waited until the last night at Tri-State to showcase this wheelstand and

INDIANA SPRINT WEEK

BY DAVID CAMPBELL

USAC INDIANA SPRINT WEEK, one word, NUTS!

I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself in to although I thought I did. I went as a sponsor for Dalton Stevens, a photographer, a fan and what a roller coaster of emotions that took place.

Considered one of the most grueling weeks in sprint car racing, it lived up to its billing with the only drawback being Terre Haute and the A-main at Lawrenceburg were rained out. Every night was intense and some of that intensity spilled into the pits. With some of the best sprint car drivers duking it out on every lap of every race, with so much on the line, I completely and fully understand why this is a must go to week of racing.

Top 5 best things I took from Sprint Week:

• Crowds - Every track was packed and with some of the most hardcore fans in racing.

• Tracks - Each had their own personality, challenges and scenery.

• Food - I put this in because at every track seemed to have a specialty and this is where I have to thank my buddy Danny for telling me about the cheesecake-on-a-stick at Lawrenceburg – life changing!

• Racing Format - You have to qualify well to set up your night. Bad qualifying time will make your night a massive challenge.

• Racing – It just felt like a bunch of warriors in a colosseum battling for every inch which kept you locked in for every moment.

This was a bucket list event I can mark off, but I’m getting ready to head back next year. So, I leave you with sweet corn in hand and some shots of the week that was ISW 2022.

review in PICTURES

The grandstands were packed with fans for the 61st running of the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals. Everyone in attendance was treated to a fantastic show of racing and sportsmanship.

61ST KNOXVILLE NATIONALS

HE’S BACK! SCHATZ SHINES FOR 11TH TITLE

Still mourning the loss of his father and mentor Danny Schatz, North Dakota’s Donny Schatz came to Knoxville determined to get back to the form that found him win 10 previous titles and he delivered on his promises throughout the week with a late race pass of David Gravel. Between the return of Schatzville, Shark Racing sweeping the preliminaries and Austin McCarl taking the pole, there was much to love about the 61st edition of the Knoxville Nationals, which once again took the green to a sold out grandstand.

Photo David Pratt

Photo Paul Arch

2022 champ Donny Schatz (15) passes 2021 champ Kyle Larson.

Photo Paul Arch

Photo Travis Branch

Photo Paul Arch

Photo

Paul Arch

Kyle Larson with his retro Atari Pole Position helmet, which lost out to McKenna Hasse for Best Helmet.

Sawyer Phillips crunches his racer during the Saturday night B-main.

The A-main starters at the driver’s meeting.

About to go green as Austin McCarl, Donny Schatz, David Gravel and Tyler Courtney make up the first four for a truly raucous parade lap.

Photo Travis Branch

Photo Mark Funderburk

Photo Paul Arch

Tim Kaeding missed the A-main by just two spots in the Sides Motorsports car.

Sheldon Haudenschild (17) races

Daryn Pittman, who returned to the Heffner 27 and put it in the A-main.

The Best Appearing Car award went to Justin Sanders in the Swindell Speedlabs 39 as he battles third place finisher Logan Schuchart in the finale.

Photo Mark Funderburk

Photo Paul Arch

Photo David Pratt

Photo Mark Funderburk

Photo Mark Funderburk

Cole Macedo (14) races in the B-main in his first Nationals against 2021 polesitter Gio Scelzi. Scelzi transferred but ran seventh.

Brad Sweet had a decent Nationals and finished ninth.

There was absolute joy surrounding Donny Schatz’s return to victory lane in his retro looking Carquest Tony Stewart Racing number 15.

By Larry Weeks

IF YOU WERE LOOKING for surprises and feel-good stories, they were all over the 61st Knoxville Nationals. The biggest had to be Austin McCarl coming out of the two qualifying nights with the pole for Saturday. His father, Terry, did it in 2004 and the last Knoxville regular to accomplish the feat was Brian Brown in 2010. Austin is an excellent weekly racer, always in contention and running at the front but you wouldn’t think of him as bettering the Outlaws.

Austin drew an early number for qualifying and made the most of it, pushing the 88 to 5th quick for the night. He followed that up with a terrific drive in his heat, charging from 8th to 4th and earning his way directly into the Thursday night A. The only other Thursday top-ten qualifier to advance to the A from his heat was Tyler Courtney. McCarl backed up his heat race performance by racing confidently with Outlaw drivers Jacob Allen, Brad Sweet, and Carson Macedo in the A. On Saturday night our man led the first lap and was racing hard with the top four until he suffered a flat tire, finishing the night in 16th spot.

Brandon Ikenberry has been wrenching and crew-chiefing sprint cars for years. When he wanted to get off the road and promote his steeringgear and rearend repair business, he naturally figured that a race team would help do that. Being a Midwestern kind of guy, he knew the best weekly sprint car racing in the area was at Knoxville so brought his Deuce 5 team there.

J.J. Hickle knew his ride in

KNOXVILLE NATIONALS OVERACHIEVERS

Washington state would end after 2021 and when Brandon called he was ready. The Deuce 5 team has been competing at Knoxville all season and leads the race for 410 Rookie of The Year. Despite going out 27th, a solid, 13thquick time put J.J. out of 6th in his heat on Thursday night. In one of those rare, Moses-parting-the Red-Sea moments, a hole opened going into turn one on the first lap and Hickle drove through it, to the lead, on the opening lap. No one caught him, including Brad Sweet who started one spot ahead. In the feature, Hickle slipped from his 5th starting spot to 10th at the end but that was enough to put the rookie contender 10th overall in points for Saturday night. The good starting spot turned bad on lap one when he got over the right rear of Daryn Pittman and flipped, destroying the 25 car.

If tug-at-your-heart-strings stuff is up your alley, Tasker Phillips’ Nationals experience has to give those strings a big yank! He’s a farmer from nearby Pleasantville and a long-time racer at Knoxville, Starting in the 305s, he moved to the 360s, and now runs a 410. Drawing the number one pill for time trials can be a blessing or a curse. For Phillips, it was magic. His 15.4 second lap held up against the rest of the 50 car field and landed him in the 8th starting spot for heat race one. Like most of the other top 20 cars, he struggled to advance and had to run the B main. A 3rd place finish advanced him to the A main where he started 23rd and finished 18th. Those points

and his 200 for quick time gave him the 15th starting spot in Saturday’s A main. In a well-used car, Tasker ran all 50 laps, not getting lapped until close to the end. For the 7TAZ, 18th had to feel like a win.

Honorable mention for feel-goods has to go to Lynton Jeffrey. Lynton builds Vortex Wings for a living and runs Knoxville every week. He has one feature win this season. On Thursday night, he hit the lowest of lows. As he took his warm up lap for time trials he felt a miss. Rather than risk his only engine, he pulled in. Assuming the worst, he took off his driving suit and was in shorts and a t-shirt when one of the crew found a broken spark plug. While the crew fixed the plug and inspected the others, Lynton quickly pulled his uniform over those shorts and t-shirt, jumped into the car and took his one lap at the end of qualifying. The result? 17th quickest time and a 5th place start in a heat. With one spot gained, he made the A main!

A 9th place finish in the A put Jeffrey in at 3rd in Saturday’s B main. An A main start went away when Justin Peck and James McFadden slipped past for the last two transfers. Heartbreaking, but a solid performance for a team that thought they were out of the Nationals before it even started.

Every racer has a storyline at the Nationals but these were some of my favorites.

Pole sitter Austin McCarl.

Photo: Gordon O’Field

engine builder SPOTLIGHT

By

KEVLAR RACING ENGINES BIG BLOCK BUILDER

KEVLAR RACING ENGINES have been building engines primarily used in the Northeast Modified racing scene for nearly a decade and a half. Big-block engines are their specialty, but they also build the DIRTcar spec 358 small block engines as well as 360 and 410 sprint car engines. All in all, Kevlar puts out roughly 40-45 newly built and rebuilt engines annually, by three full time workers at the shop, with 60-75 engines out in the field at any given time throughout the year.

The Kevlar shop is located in Volney, New York, a small town near Fulton, New York. This is right in the heart of big-block racing country with Fulton Speedway, Brewerton Speedway, Oswego Speedway, Weedsport Speedway, Land of Legends Speedway in Canindaigua, NY and Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville, NY all within less than an hour and a half drive.

Kevlar Racing engines power the LJL Racing team cars sponsored by Gypsum Express, which is owned by John Wight. Gypsum Express is a leading trucking company with over 650 tractors, 11 terminals in ten states and over 750 employees. John’s love of trucking and racing led him to create the LJL Racing Team which started building LJL Racing Engines which later became Kevlar Racing Engines to separate it a bit from the racing team, as more and more teams wanted a Kevlar power plant under their hoods as well.

The house drivers include Larry Wight and Chris Hile, and in the past has included Billy Decker and Hall of Famer Pat Ward. It provides a great advantage to have excellent drivers as part of the house team. The feedback provided on engine tweaks or new builds allows Kevlar to continue to advance with technology and new innovations.

Rob Hile, brother to driver Chris, started with Kevlar roughly five years ago and handles most of the machining as well as dyno testing, purchasing and anything else that needs doing (including talking about the company

Photo Rob Hile

“We recently came out with a new big-block package,” Hile said. “This is a completely new package from what was available previously. We had it last year and Larry took it out and ran it, giving us feedback. We were able to tweak it at the end of last year and get it to where we wanted it to be. What we had before was good, but with this new package we’ve managed to make it even better.”

Kevlar utilizes CNC machining to lighten the big-blocks built in-house. They also focus on using only the best components for their builds.

“Jones Racing Products, Winning Edge Carburation, Mikes Racing Heads, Henrys Exhaust and Headers, Arts Radiator Expansions Tanks, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions hoses, Olson Fabrication Pans and valve covers, Dart Machinery Blocks; we only work with the best,” Hile said. “We exclusively use these vendors on every engine we build.”

More than simply using components from the best vendors, Kevlar builds close relationships with its suppliers so as to provide their customers with the best options available.

“I remember when I first met CJ and Melanie from Jones Racing Products,”

Hile recalled. “We were at the Charlotte World Finals with the Gypsum Racing team and CJ and Melanie came up to us in the pits, this is years ago, and just wanted to make sure we had everything we needed to race. I always thought that was just good customer relations – they didn’t just sell us their products and that was that, they were interested in making sure we had everything we could possibly need to go out there and

compete. We try to do the same for our customers.”

There are no real secrets to the success of Kevlar engines – knowledge, hard work, innovation and ingenuity all pour into each build. With drivers like Larry Wight and Chris Hile vying for track championships, it’s clear Kevlar Racing Engines get it done.

“Lightning” Larry Wight drives the 99L big-block for LJL Racing, powered by a Kevlar Racing Engine and as of this printing was in the lead for track champion at Brewerton Speedway.

Chris Hile “The Hile Driver” drives the 5H powered by a Kevlar Racing Engine and was in a tight battle for track championship at Brewerton Speedway in 2022.

Photo Rob Hile

Photo Quentin Young

Photo Quentin Young

the business of DIRT

By Adam Cornell

MYRACEPASS is a game changer in the dirt track racing industry. For the fans, it’s an app for mobile devices that allows the user to see driver info, track lineups and race results at an almost real-time rate. This increases fan engagement even while sitting in the stands at the track. For tracks, promoters and scorers, it’s a track management tool that has revolutionized how to register drivers, manage in-race lineups, track points and ease the process of end-of-night payouts. MyRacePass has proven to be such a disrupter in traditional track management, that we reached out to the people who built it. It may seem like it suddenly came out of nowhere in the last couple of years, but the story behind the birth of MyRacePass goes back a decade and a half.

“We’ve been at this a lot longer than most people probably realize,” Josh Holt, co-founder of MyRacePass said recently. “We started this company back in 2008, so we’re coming up on the 15-year anniversary very soon. It was myself, Ross VanEck and Zach Camus who started it. Ross and Zach are very, very good programmers and developers. We each do what we do and without all of us, MyRacePass wouldn’t exist. A lot of what we planned back then in 2008, we’re seeing it come to fruition just now.

“My background was racing,” Holt said. “I started racing go-karts when I was 6, started racing sprint cars when I was 14. And it was the same story as most start up teams. We didn’t have any money and I had to learn marketing for sponsorships. I got pretty good at it

and started helping other drivers with resumés to get sponsorships too. It was actually Zach who came and said, we should do websites for racers. And that’s kind of how the whole thing got started.”

“Initially, we started a company called Driver Websites and we built a lot of websites for teams and drivers,” Holt continued. “Once we had that footprint all across the country and we started working with tracks and started building the race management system, we eventually got to the point where we’re at with the app and the site and everything the way it works now.”

From humble beginnings, MyRacePass has grown into a company that works with hundreds of racetracks, from all across the country, listing the stats for thousands of racers. It took some hands-on experience to hone MyRacePass into what it needed to be.

“In 2012, I took on the management of Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa. Zach and Ross and I would be at the track each and every Friday night for racing and we’d think, what can we do with software to make this whole

process easier to manage. The problem with being a promoter in a small town is you have to wear like 75 different hats to manage the whole thing. You have to be an expert in food vending, t-shirts sales, dirt surface and track prep, event planning and everything. So, we looked at the situation and asked, how can we make software that will make this process for promoters and scorers more efficient so it takes far less of their time allowing them focus on all the other things at the track? Secondly, how can we help to make this a really effective marketing tool for them as well, so they can more easily promote their track each week?”

“As a scorer uses our software, as they do the back gate check-ins, set the lineups, post the results, the live-timing, track the points and print the checks, the scorers aren’t just scorers anymore, they’re marketing for the racetrack. They are essentially providing content for race fans at the track who can watch on the app as it happens in realtime on their phones,” Holt said.

Indeed, the live access to the timing, lineups and results all in the palm of a

race fan’s hands completely changes the dynamic of being at the track. You’re no longer limited to only knowing the top five finishers from the lap board, you get the entire list of results just about as they cross the finish line and the scorer posts the results. The MyRacePass app has now become an essential part of watching a race live and in person.

“It’s our goal to create a tool that makes promoters and scorers more efficient at what they do, give them a vehicle to easily promote the track and offer a fan-engagement tool. Because in the end, it’s all about fan engagement,” Holt said.

“Additionally, for the casual fan sitting in the stands, they don’t know who that driver is out there. Maybe they know one or two drivers, but they don’t know where the others are from. So, front-facing that on their phone, they can look up the drivers and where they’re from and maybe they’ll get another connection there, like maybe they’re from the same hometown or something. Engaging the fans, while they’re at the track, connecting them to the action and what’s going on, that’s another big goal of our software,” Holt added.

“We did a soft launch of the MyRacePass app at the Wissota 100 in 2017, and then we did the hard launch at the Chili Bowl early the next year,” Holt described.

From that point on, it’s been a growing creation, adding more tracks, racers and app users ever since. To put some numbers to it, 80% of the oval tracks in the US this season alone

have been touched in some capacity by MyRacePass. Whether that’s the track itself that uses the MyRacePass software or it’s a traveling series that comes through, MyRacePass has grown to have widespread use as of 2022.

For tracks that have considered using MyRacePass but aren’t sure of the advantages, it literally shaves hours off promotions, ticket sales, registration, scoring, points standings, and payouts. For fans it provides an even more intimate connection to the track. And even though there is a learning curve, MyRacePass has set up training and online groups to help with the onboarding process, assistance with learning the software, and an easy-touse resource almost like a Frequently Asked Questions message board that can provide ideas and suggestions for promotions, events and more.

MyRacePass provides racetrack management software that streamlines the processes that always take the longest: registration, ticket sales, tracking results, awarding points and paying checks at the end of the night. The software also provides content for the MyRacePass app which delivers fans a more intimate connection to their hometown track, drivers and the overall racing experience.

MyRacePass has created a reasonably priced solution for racetracks and promoters to have all the resources they need to run and promote an event no matter where in the country they are located. With the advent of better high-speed mobile phone service in rural areas and even satellite internet, even the most remote tracks will be able to utilize MyRacePass effectively.

When I said we are living in the golden age of dirt track racing in my column in the last issue, this is what I was talking about. Because of the ingenuity of people like Josh Holt, Zach Camus and Ross VanEck as well as the rest of the team at MyRacePass, experiencing dirt track racing in-person at the track will never be the same. It will be even better.

The founders of MyRacePass (L to R): Zach Calmus, Ross VanEck and Josh Holt.

By Vahok Hill

TIRE DOPING

LET’S SPEND some time talking about doping tires. Racers being racers, they will continue to search for any competitive advantage. Tires are no different than any other tunable, consumable component on the car. Tires are a tunable consumable part of the car. They are tuned by selecting the correct compound and type for a given application and when you are racing on dirt tracks that selection becomes critical. But, racing organizations under the guise of simplicity and of saving racers money have often times eliminated racer’s ability to have those types of options available by going with a specific brand and compound of tire that eliminates this option to the racer. Not an altogether bad idea if it actually levels the playing field.

We should talk about how tires work from a high altitude. Race car tires develop grip in a number of ways. By developing a chemical bond with the racing surface, as the tire heats up it will develop a chemical bond to the track. Generally speaking, but not always, softer tires, i.e., lower durometer rubber will develop more grip versus a harder, higher durometer rubber. Dynamic forces placed on the tires by mechanical means, weight transfer to the tires due to spring, shock tuning and aerodynamic loading created by aero loading develop as the car moves through the air. Those huge wings on a sprint car can develop some

very high loads that push the race car into the track, loading the tires but the tires still have to have chemical grip to take full advantage of the mechanical loads being placed on them. How hot a tire gets also impacts its ability to grip the track. And, more heat is not always good, you can overheat the tire and it will give up grip. Place your hand on a right rear tire after a main event and you will see just how hot a tire can get. Be careful, because tires can get hot enough to cause burns.

The racer still has options for tuning, tire pressure, wheel width, and chemical treatment. This is where problems start. If chemical treatment is legal, this opens up a whole new bag of issues for all racers. Most racers have minimal chemical training. While the internet has lots of places that cover tire doping, they may not tell the whole story. I do not consider Facebook a good source for obtaining chemical training and the development of tire treating compounds. Developing a witch’s brew of chemicals is not something I find to be appropriate for racers to be doing. And, even if the population of racers has, at their disposal, a large number of PhDs in chemistry to formulate specific formulations of chemicals to treat tires, it is still not a good idea to treat tires.

Generally, the intent of treating or soaking tires is to soften the tire or bring a used tire back to the level of

“softness” it had when new, which cannot really be accomplished successfully. The chemical formulations used to treat tires degrades the rubber and it also degrades the fabric casings that are used to give strength to the tires. This can cause some pretty dire failures of the tires. Because, in racer speak, if a little chemical treatment is good, more can only be better.

Then there are the processes used to treat tires. The treatment processes range from a simple wipe down of the tire softener with a hand-held rag and if we are dealing with chemicals that are designed to soften rubber it probably is a chemical mix that is most likely toxic to people, either from getting the chemicals on your skin or breathing the vapors or both. Not a good thing. Then there are the elaborate machines that have been developed to roll a tire and wheel combination in a pan of tire softening chemicals. So now a portion of the racer’s shop is dedicated to the machines to soften tires so the racer can save money on tires. It seems a bit incongruous to me. Invest in some fairly expensive infrastructure to save some money on tires. Plus, the cost of the tire softening chemicals more often than not just evaporates during use.

If tire treatment is illegal, then another issue rears its ugly head. How do you police tire treatment? Short of sending the tires off to a lab for testing there is not really another reliable

Photo Paul Arch

method. So, at this point the racer must bear another cost, paying for a lab test. So, once again in order to save the racer money, we have another cost the racers have to absorb. This operation is just something else the promoter or club needs to budget into the cost of promoting a race and the racers will all share in this cost. This isn’t an a situation with any great options or easy solutions.

One more thing that needs to be considered beyond the physical damage that tire treatment can cause, that is the health concerns that these chemicals can cause to racers, pit crews and the fans when these tires outgas when used or are just sitting out in the pits. I have seen some of the chemicals used and they are nasty. So, when you open up your trailer and the chemical smell is overpowering you can be sure that there has been little concern for the safety of others while racers are searching for an advantage that may be imagined more than real. It seems like a better option to take care of the tires you have, keep them clean and out of the sun as much as possible and buy new as needed. You will be faster and save money in the short and long term. It is just that simple.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL DRIVER RYAN GUSTIN

By Cyndi Stiffler

Dirt Empire is hitting the asphalt with driver Ryan Gustin as our contributing writer, Cyndi Stiffler, tracks what it is really like spending a racing season in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series as she chronicles Gustin and his team.

RYAN GUSTIN’S FIRST World of Outlaws win in late May at Hartford, Ohio’s Sharon Speedway is most definitely the biggest news since the last issue. Those that know Ryan and follow the Outlaws know he was robbed of that win last year and he came back this year with a vengeance at the 3/8 oval. He set fast time in his group, and then won his heat race over Devin Moran and the invert set him outside of the second row for the feature.

After last year’s performance from 19th to almost winning, he became a crowd favorite there to vindicate

himself this year and Gustin did not disappoint as he put on show in his famed high-side style. He actually used the bottom groove with twelve laps to go to pass Shane Clanton for the lead and then pull away for the final laps to claim his first World of Outlaws win. (I rely on a lot of people to help with information following Ryan on the road and compiling these articles but that night I was lucky enough to be there since this was my home track and to watch this team reach this millstone in front of a crowd that wanted it as much as they did was exciting.)

“It feels awesome, man,” Gustin said. “I definitely didn’t want to wait this long, but it definitely feels good, especially to win $20,000. I knew if we had a shot anywhere, it was going to be [Sharon Speedway]. We were really good last year, and we put a 100 percent identical setup on it, and [the car] was good tonight too. I think we definitely got something figured out at this place.”

That win set the tone for the last two months on the road. Gustin went on to Tri-City Speedway in Illinois a week later and picked up another win and a third and has found himself in the top ten in more than 20 races through his summer travels so far including at least six podium finishes and is currently fourth in the World of Outlaw points.

Recently at Red Cedar Speedway, while running second, Gustin broke a rear end that ended another possible trip to victory lane. This prompted my interest in how they maintain such a high level of performance on the road without breakdowns. Gustin explained that they basically replace everything that moves every 1,500 laps. Engines are pulled and rebuilt every 1,2001,500 laps with valve springs being replaced every 600 laps. They also periodically change carburetor gaskets and transmission clutches and oil. The team has two chassis and four engines, to maintain, and then of course the hours of tire prep. For a team on the

Photo Rich LaBrier

road, depending on the races, they could very easily be replacing parts and rebuilding engines every month, but this level of maintenance avoids the risk of failure when the money is on the line. They sell the good used equipment to local/weekly racers that are glad for a deal on good used parts.

As the summer is winding to a close, the shortage of tires is still an issue. Two more shows have recently been canceled directly due to tire shortages. While the World of Outlaws teams have plenty of tires, many of the local or other series they race in cannot get tires, and it definitely could get a lot worse before it gets better. The World of Outlaws put in a rule this year that each team was only allowed five tires a night and only a few compounds are allowed. The tires are paint marked in nightly tech and serial numbers recorded for each event. While this seems to be a great idea to cut down on tire costs, it actually in many cases is causing teams to use more tires instead of less as they would reuse certain tires again that only had a few laps in qualifying or heats, but the reality is this is the elephant in the room in racing right now, and teams and sanctions are

trying anything and everything to cope.

The month of July’s schedule has allowed the team to race more local, and Ryan was able to spend at least part of the week at home and working out of his own shop instead of a Walmart parking lot, but as they gear up for the end of the summer, they will be heading for a long trek out of town again for three to four weeks that will start first in West Virginia when they pick up a new Rocket Chassis before heading back to Sharon Speedway August 20th, and then on to tracks through the southeast. To keep updated you can follow Gustin’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and his website www.ryangustin.com.

Photo Jacy Norgaard

Photo Jacy Norgaard

Tossing his helmet after scoring $20,000 at Sharon Speedway.

shooter at LARGE RICH LABRIER

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.

Spray zone! Nick Hoffman deposits the cushion over the guardrail at Fayette County Speedway.

LaBrier got crazy creative on this shot that he intended to use for a hero card for racer Evan Fink.

GET TO KNOW RICH LABRIER

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Age: 52

Year Started Shooting: 2017

First Publication to Print Your Work: Dirt Monthly Magazine

Favorite Track to Shoot: Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Illinois

Favorite Division to Shoot: Late models

Remaining Bucket List Races: Chili Bowl, The Dream, The World 100, Knoxville Nationals, Dirt Car Nationals in Florida

Favorite Thing About Racing Photography: My goal is to get shots that the race fan may not get to see. Getting to create relationships with drivers and teams is especially nice. I’ve learned so much from guys like Josh James and Michael Boggs. It’s nice to bounce ideas off fellow photogs. I get a lot of inspiration from other shooters; I just put my own spin on it. Sometimes it works and other times not so much. My wife Kiley is my biggest supporter. She’ll stay up waiting for me to get home from a race. BUT...my most favorite thing is getting to share my passion with my son Cannon. He’s a better photographer than me if I’m being honest and he inspires me to get better everyday. Outside of race cars, what do you like to photograph: I’m a huge fan of photographing

It’s seriously exhilarating.

military jets.

Camera Equipment: My camera gear includes Nikon D500, Nikon D850, Nikon Z6ii, Nikon 300mm 2.8, Nikon 70200mm 2.8, Nikon 24-70mm 2.8, Nikon 50mm 1.8, Nikkor 16mm Fisheye and an array of Godox flashes

Tyler Carpenter drops his racing shoes during driver introductions at the Dome following a controversial opening night win when he was fined for wearing Hey Dude shoes instead of the fire retardant variety.

The legend Scott Bloomquist takes to the high banks of Bristol during the 2021 season.

Jason Feger bangin’ the cushion at Fayette County Speedway in 2018.

Michael Long used all of the track during Summit Racing Equipment Modified Mania action at Tri-City Speedway.

Tyler Carpenter put on a heck of a show indoors at the Dome in 2021 and LaBrier was right there catching him twisting it.

TWO WHEELIN’ IN A FOUR-WHEELED WORLD

dirt CHRONICLES

Buddy Shay (6) gets some help from Bert McNeese (15) and they both go two wheelin at Denver’s Lakeside Speedway. Only Dan Daly (11) has developed a successful exit strategy at this point. Everyone got through with Shay and McNeese only having bent car as a result. (Leroy Byers photo)

By: Bob Mays

Joe Barzda wanted to see what Williams Grove would look like with Winchester-like banking in the spring of 1956. Amazingly, Joe brought the car down for a soft landing and motored away. (Walt Imlay photo)

Time trials at El Centro could be challenging at times as Lealand McSpadden (Gary Stanton 75) found out in 1978. Even a Hall of Famer like McSpadden couldn’t bring this one back. (Karl Korbacher photo)

Dave Darland (86) wheelies past Austin Brown at Macon Illinois in 2012 POWRi midget action. Darland made the pass stick.

(Bob Mays photo)

where are they NOW KELLY BOEN

Words by Lee Ackerman • Photos by KC Rooney

ONE OF THE MOST intense drivers to ever get behind the wheel of a race car, Colorado’s Kelly Boen was always on full throttle.

Starting at the Colorado National Speedway when it was dirt and later at the Rocky Mountain National Speedway and Fort Morgan Speedway, Boen quickly became a winner. Campaigning an IMCA Modified in the 1990s, he posted close to 80 wins, tied for IMCA National points (twice) and won three track championships at Rocky Mountain Speedway. In 1996, at the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa, he not only won the Harris Race of Champions, but the Super Nationals finale.

Boen then switched to a late model with the Western Dirt Racing Association (WDRA) where he won the series title four years in a row (20022005). He also started racing with the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) and won a series high 59 feature events and five series championships.

DENVER, COLORADO

If there is one track that fit Boen to a T, it was the Belleville High Banks in Belleville, Kansas where Boen scored a record 14 late model wins, including a World of Outlaws Late Model feature.

Dirt Empire: You had a very distinguished career. What was your proudest moment?

Kelly Boen: I have had so many great moments racing many different cars and so many different tracks all over the United States. From last lap passes for a race win to four-wide with the left side tires in the infield. It would be nearly impossible to pick one moment after 30 plus years of racing life. Hanging out with the fans and fellow racers after the show is over are moments that I will be most grateful for. When you can spend 50 or 100 laps at battle with your competition then cook dinner and eat together an hour later that is something to be proud of.

DE: Who was your toughest competition?

KB: I tried to compete against myself most times. Doing things that I expected of myself as well as avoiding things that I should avoid. As far as other racers – each track seemed to have a guy or a few that were tough to beat. The trick was to figure out which guys at which track.

DE: Any regrets about your career? Any races you didn’t win that you wished you would have?

KB: I was never very good at Eldora. I wished that I could have raced or tested there more to at least be competitive. There is one race I should have won but didn’t. I finished second to Billy Moyer at Knoxville one year and I had a faster car. I was to kind to him that day.

DE: Of all the tracks you won on, you are most remembered for being the King of the High Banks at Belleville, Kansas. What was your secret at Belleville?

KB: I don’t think that is a secret but the biggest challenge is to bring a

car that will hold up without breaking something for four hot laps, ten heat race laps and 30 or 40 feature laps. I have broken cars in all three segments of any given night. Once you break you are done for months or until the following season because they race there so infrequently. Everything from switches to fittings, engines and rear ends better be ready for abuse. That place is hard on everything including the driver and crew. But what a fun and amazing place to race. My wife watched me once from the back straight-away in the infield. She normally watches from the grandstands. When I pulled off the scale after the race, she was the first person I saw. I stopped to look at her and noticed that she was crying and could not catch her breath. All that just from watching! What a place to race, I loved it!

DE: So, what has Kelly Boen been up to since retiring from racing, I know you still have Roadrunner Fabrication?

KB: I still work at my fab shop in Denver and play around with old cars. I boat, fish and travel a bit and try not to think too much about racing.

DE: Do you still follow racing?

KB: I follow racing on TV and not just dirt racing - any racing that is on. I am hooked on watching “Street Outlaws.”

DE: What do you think is the biggest difference between racing today and racing when you were in your prime?

KB: I am unsure when it was or if I even had a prime. But racing today seems very different. Our team built many of the parts we used on our cars and we assembled all of our cars. Now it seems like all the cars are pretty much ready when they leave the builder. Also, it looks as if we are losing more and more tracks in the region between California and the Mississippi River. The car counts are down as well. The way the cars run on bumps rather than springs now is probably the biggest difference though.

DE: Any advice you would like to pass on to young drivers?

KB: As far as advice for young drivers, I would say be a driver and not an owner, if at all possible. Only go racing with the best equipment and the most thorough preparation. Unless your team is 100%

ready every race, don’t go. Do not enter any race that you do not believe that you can win. Do not let any other driver concern you. Be your best not someone else’s best. TEST-TEST-TEST! Have thick skin – don’t be a cry baby about anything. Most importantly - have fun!

new & featured PRODUCTS

CORROSION X

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Within Dirt Track racing, CorrosionX’s unique Polar Bonding technology offers teams a huge advantage in any lubrication, anti-seize or corrosion prevention application. Molecularly bonding to metals and metal alloys, CorrosionX products cannot be displaced by moisture (i.e. does not wash off) or friction, and will keep dirt and mud from adhering to treated parts.

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KING RACING EQUIPMENT ALUMINUM BLEEDER HOSE END

The King Aluminum bleeder hose end is designed to go on the end of your bleeder hose and plug directly into your bleeder housing. It is designed to not break or crack like the plastic style. These are a must if you use the Swindell bleeders or Conroy design. Sold Individually.

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www.kingracingproducts.com

559-739-1515

heims and shock heims from rusting, as well as lubricating linkages on the injection stacks for your throttle. It is also fantastic on headers if you plan on storing them over the winter to keep rust from forming or for weekly cleaning. Also, their CorrosionX grease works perfect for our torsion bars and torque ball housing”

Use Promo Code Dirt2022 for a very special 20% off introductory price at CorrosionX.com

Corrosion Technologies

2850 Industrial Ln

Garland, TX 75041 972-271-7361

www.corrosionx.com

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT LONGACRE SPORTSMAN ELITE GAUGES

Not just another mechanical gauge like we’ve all seen before, Longacre’s Sportsman Elite gauges incorporate warning lights into the gauge itself, eliminating the need for extra wiring and reducing installation time and maintenance. It works like this: the gauges feature a bright white background with red needles that make them extremely easy to read under normal circumstances. Once the sending unit senses something wrong, the entire gauge changes to the correct

warning color. That makes it easy for you to see the warning at a quick glance or with your peripheral vision so you can take immediate corrective action. You can see them in action here.

Other features of the gauges include:

• Electronically controlled SMi technology for faster and more precise readouts

• Two-wire wire hookup for fast and easy installation

• Legal in all racing classes

• All gauges 2-5/8 inches in diameter

Longacre Sportsman Elite Gauges are available individually or in 2-, 3-, or 4-gauge sets, with or without tachometers, assembled in their own ready-to-install panel.

Summit Racing Equipment

www.SummitRacing.com

1-800-230-3030

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PHOTOGRAPHERS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

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Douglas Lane - slideways43@fastmail.fm

Jacy Norgaard - jacy@jacynorgaardphotography.com

Jeff Bylsma - randrplumbing@mtcnet.net

John Rothermel - jcizzybu@ptd.net

KC Rooney - kcriowa@gmail.com

Matt Butcosk – mbutcosk@gmail.com

Mark Funderburk - funderburkracnfoto@gmail.com

Mike Campbell - mikecampbellphotos@gmail.com

Mike Musslin – dirtnut777@gmail.com

Paul Arch - peanumber10@comcast.net

Quentin Young - quentinyoungphoto@yahoo.com

Rich LaBrier - dirtmanphoto@gmail.com

Rick Sherer - ricksherer@outlook.com

Ryan Northcote - ryannorthcote@gmail.com

Ryan Roberts - jryanroberts@ymail.com

Todd Boyd – latemodel1967@gmail.com

Tony Hammett - tony.hammett@charter.net

Travis Branch – travisbranch21@gmail.com

Zach Yost - zyost11@yahoo.com