It was a grind of a weekend for EBR, with racing three nights in a row, starting at Gravity Park USA in Chilton, Wisconsin with the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series. From there the weekly show at Beaver Dam and concluding the weekend at Angell Park Speedway in another WLRDS event.
CHILTON
This one will be short… Eric, Brady and Bill made the tow and Eric finished 11th. We got home at about 1 a.m.
BEAVER DAM
You know you’re making progress when a heat win becomes an afterthought. And so it was at Beaver Dam Raceway. Eric started fourth and promptly dropped to fifth at the drop of the green. By the time the first lap was completed Eric had the lead. Ryan “DIII” Sullivan got next to him several times, but Eric beat him to the checkers.
In the feature, Eric had one of his best runs ever. After starting fifth and running in that vicinity, the yellow came out on lap-four. As the cars were slowly rolling along while the damaged car was being cleared, a sudden red was called. Several cars swerved to miss the one in front of them but Eric hit a car from behind. Fortunately that car was not damaged, but Eric’s bumper was smashed and he was directed to the work area.
Armed with a new bar from the Zellmer crew, Justin and Bill went to work and bent the bumper back. Eric’s car otherwise appeared fine (we learned the next morning that one of the front bars was bent) but he was relegated to the back of the pack and started about 18th with about 15 laps to go. Without the benefit of a yellow, Eric charged through the field and finished fourth.
ANGELL PARK
Eric started on the pole for the third and final heat race and finished third. The team had to scramble as the race order had two semi-features scheduled, before the WDLRS main event, but only one rolled off.
Justin, Brady, Cody and Ryan did a great job getting as many changes set as they could, but they didn’t get everything done regarding set up. “What about the fuel?” yelled Brady. Luckily, we’d put in an extra amount for the heat and figured we’d be alright. Plus, there was no time. Before the race started one Legend lost its hood and we started worrying about what we might have forgotten. Brian Benisch was also in the pits with us and later assured us that he was watching to make sure the important safety stuff like hand tightening the lug nuts was done properly.
Eric started second and had the early lead. Dan Troyan passed him within the first few laps and was never challenged. Eric wasn’t gaining on Troyan and he was enjoying his own lengthy lead for the runner-up spot (although he didn’t realize it). Ethan Ross was charging in the last five laps of the 20 lap event, Eric held him off and finished second.
In the end, it was an OK weekend. We are thrilled the car was rolled on the hauler every night and we don’t have to bust our backs this week like we did two weeks ago.
UP NEXT
Saturday it’s back to BDR for the six-series show and Sunday it’s another big one as we celebrate Sun Prairie’s Cornfest! Please check each track’s site for details. Remember there are very different logistics for both fans and teams at Angell Park this week. If you have not been there for the Sweet Corn Festival, please feel free to check in with us and we’ll try to explain where you need to go to watch/race this week.
NOTES
“That’s Austin!” Bill yelled as Austin Peterson pulled his car into the pits during a caution at BDR. The EBR crew ran to his car in the work area. Brady was there first, being a DII athlete he’s pretty quick. He was looking over the car and Bill asked Austin what was going on. “Do I look alright?” the teen blurted, as if being sarcastic and there was obviously a problem (a tone he never intended to convey). After Brady and Bill inspected the car, Dad (Brian Peterson) arrived and looked at the car too and told his kid he was fine and to get back out on the track, which he did. Peterson had his own awesome charge as he started 20th and finished 12th.
Thanks to Tim Zellmer and Hutch for sharing their “Zellichson Bar” as it will now be known, with us! Knowing we had a “war wagon” for repairs and perhaps seeing our bars for bending bumpers were at best unproven, they gave us a piece that would be sure to do the trick.
It was great to have Sun Prairie Cub Scout Pack 243 with us in the stands and pits after the race. Thanks to track announcer, Bryan Gapinski for giving the kids a shout out.
Thanks to everyone who came down for a beer, water and a Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing Koozie! We’ll have more for the Cornfest race.
There are only four more Saturdays for EBR at Beaver Dam Raceway and this week will be the last Legend race for the season at Angell Park Speedway (APS races Labor Day weekend, but Legends are not on the card).
Eric is planning on running the INEX International Dirt Championship held at Wisconsin’s 141 Speedway in the Manitowoc area Sept. 20 and 21. This is a national event and is held every year in various parts of the country. We’re fortunate that Eric may be able to participate, as this is during the school year and if it were run out of state we’d likely not go.
Out of 125 entries world wide in the semi-pro class, Eric is currently ranked fourth. There’s a lot behind this point tally and it should be considered, “For entertainment purposes only.” Ryan Sullivan leads the group.
At last check, he is also in fifth place in both the BDR and WDLRS point standings.
As always thanks to the crew, but especially Crew Chief Justin Hoium. He works hard at his day job and then works harder for EBR.
For those of you who might remember this. Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of "The Flip," where Eric flipped his kart and broke his arm at Road America. It ended what was looking to be his first championship season.
Lastly we couldn't get there without all of our supporters!
As always, a big thanks goes to all of our sponsors: Dog Guard Out of Sight Fencing, Storage & Handling Systems, Quest Civil Engineers LLC, Club LaMark (Madison’s Race Car Bar), Bullseye Games, BRS Radiator Machine & Fabrication, Ground Up Lifts, Wilcenski Farms, Grandpa Blumer, Blumer Antiques, C&A Express and Sun Prairie Pack 243 of the Cub Scouts.
And thanks to the crew and those who have had a hand in the car this year: Justin Hoium, Cody Weisensel, Mike Hughes, Greg Leatherberry, Joe Wipperfurth, Brian Benisch, Bill Tefft, Brady Kruchten, Phil Espenes, Stephanie Blumer and Ryan Liegel.
(Photo By Casey Bollig)