LAST WEEK AT BDR
It was a regular 5-Division night at Beaver Dam Raceway Saturday, July 18. The day got off to a slow start for C.O.P.S. Fan Appreciation Night as the track needed some extra work. The end result was a fast and tacky surface that allowed for two to three racy grooves.
It was another night of survival for the 6E as no less than ten cars left the feature on the hook.
The A-Main started out exciting enough. Eric started third and was in a three-car battle with front row starters Dominick Troyan and Parker Jones for the first couple of laps. Eric and Jones then broke away and went side by side for several laps, swapping the lead a couple of times.
Nick Johnson brought out the first red of the race when he took a nasty, end over end tumble that started halfway past the flag stand and ended well into turn-one. He tagged Ethan Diehl (or Diehl tagged Johnson) during the flight, adding to the concern for the drivers. Both were uninjured, but each later reported that their cars were damaged enough that they’d likely need new chassis and a lot of parts.
Eric faded on the restart and was running fourth with about eight laps left when the Director of Competition, Jerry Priesgen displayed the pink flag indicating that time was up and the next stoppage (if not the checkers) would be the finish. A lap or two later, the second and third place cars tangled going into turn-three with the inside car going toward the infield and the outside car floating up the track. The oncoming field started stacking up and in the end about ten cars ran into another car or the wall.
Eric, not far behind the two that tangled, narrowly missed the incident as he took to the outside. Jones had pretty much checked out and crossed the line ahead of Eric. The race was over just 13 laps in, over the 20 scheduled. It was probably for the best, as less than half the field of 20 cars could have started again. Eric was appropriately scored in second. He didn’t feel he had anything to beat Jones had the race restarted.
After the race there was a lot of debriefing going on among the competitors. We learned that at least one more chassis was totaled. Greg, Justin and the rest of the 6E crew the Diehl’s get their car in the hauler, as it required two jacks. Eric congratulated Jones on the win. Parker’s proud dad, former Badger Midget driver, John Jones, complimented Eric on the clean run with his son.
Jones ran his other son, Payton Jones’ Legend on Saturday, as Payton had another engagement. Asked if they had to put in a bigger seat, the elder Jones replied, “No but we had to take all the padding out.” He went on to say his only experience with the car was testing it in their yard. He didn’t make it out of the B-Main. The point is not to tease Jones (okay, maybe a little), but to show racing a Legend is not as easy as it looks.
Eric started fifth and finished second in his heat.
Speaking of the heat, it wasn’t as bad as forecasted (a heat advisory with it “feeling like” 104 degrees), but it was still warm and humid. Justin and Greg worked their butts off as usual and made some good calls as they kept up with the changing track and fuel needs. Stephanie helped with pit set up and break down and kept Mom advised as Mary Jo decided to stay home in the air conditioning. Even Cody Weisensel made it out. He was put to work early as the track made the car especially dirty.
UP NEXT
It will be a fun night this Saturday, July 25, as the Legends are running with the IRA Sprint Cars. Here’s the cut and paste from BDR’s Facebook page re admission and timing: “Tickets for this Saturdays IRA show will be available at the gate. $25.00 per adult Students 6-12 $10.00 0-5 free. Main gate opens at 4:30. Racing should start around 6:30” They are also looking for push trucks for this show. Please see BDR’s sites for full and official details.
Be sure to mark your calendars now, tell your friends and get ready for a special midweek show at Beaver Dam Raceway, as they host the World of Outlaws Dirt Late Models on Tuesday, August 4! The Legends are on the card. We’ll update you next week on details, but this should be an awesome event!
POINTS
Eric has moved up to third place in the BDR points race.
He gained seven spots and is ranked 18th in the world for INEX points, out of over 110 drivers. He’s been first in class three times this season and the points are current to the July 11th race.
He’s first in the Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series points.
NOTES
Thanks to our online fan, Andy Sterzen for suggesting we actually put some links on our links tab! We’ve added a few and will put some more on as time allows.
If you see us on the schedule for Angell Park Speedway, please check with us for correct information. Their site has not been updated for much of the season and due to COVID restrictions mostly specific to Dane County, (where Angell Park/Sun Prairie is) the track is not able to run at this time. We are hardly an official source for Angell Park, but we can tell you whether they are actually racing or not week to week, at least when Legends are listed on the schedule.
It’s a tough time in general for sponsorship due to the virus and it’s not often you pick up a sponsor mid-season, so we really appreciate Casey Bollig Photography agreeing to come on board!
AS ALWAYS THANKS!
As always, thanks to our sponsors: Dog Guard of Wisconsin; BRS Radiator, Machine & Fabrication; Northern Air Systems, Inc.; Phil Espenes; Storage & Handling Systems; Club LaMark; Bullseye Games; Ground Up Lifts; Sieg Law Office; OWL Graphics and Lettering; Grandpa Blumer and Casey Bollig Photography.
We couldn’t do it without the folks who helped put the 6E on the track this season! Justin Hoium, Big Dumb Guy, Greg Leatherbeary, Joe Wipperfurth, Bill Tefft, Brian Benisch, Cody Weisensel and Stephanie Blumer.
Thanks to our troops Owen Leatherberry and Andrew Upperman!