(Aug 22, BDR) Top 5 and Ready for “The Wipp.”
The Dog Guard of Wisconsin 6E hauler rolled into the pits at Beaver Dam Raceway with the crew not totally sure what to expect. Last week there was an issue with the clutch. Greg made a few calls and determined that there may not be much we could do. The choice was made to leave the car as-is after the 6th place run the previous week at the high-banked 1/3 mile dirt oval.
To nobody’s surprise, the glitch was still there as Eric ran his heat. He wasn’t horrible and Bob Ropke (our backer from Northern Air Systems) commented via the internet that Eric had the fastest time in his heat and clicked off some other top laps. He ended up 3rd after starting 6th in that race.
In the debrief with Justin and Greg, Eric noted he still pretty much had no fourth gear. Eric asked, “Well, should we try to fix it?” At this point you could pretty much hear the crickets from the adjacent corn field chirping over the roar of the class on the track.
It wasn’t about the work. The guys had a basic understanding of what to do. They are tireless workers. It was about the time. They needed to get the job done before the bell sounded for the feature. It had to be done right and be the right call. If not, there’d be no going back and we could have been scratched for the night.
With time ticking, the decision was made to give it a go. The team basically knew how to do it, but now we needed the parts. Several cautions from the classes that were racing wouldn’t hurt either.
Despite being a branch of Bulltown Legends, Eric did carry the needed parts. Luckily, fresh off a heat win, the driver of the Kalona Brewing Company Beer Wagon and principal of Bulltown Legends, Warren Ropp, had the parts. We’d need to open up the front of the engine and examine the clutch plates, which also required emptying the oil. Hence, requiring them to properly replace the oil, which is time consuming in itself.
The boys went to work, Warren jumped in to make sure we got things done right. All EBR hands were on deck with Eric, Justin, Greg, Bill, Stephanie, Mary Jo and Logan (Stephanie’s friend) all jumping in for duties big and small. Ryan Sullivan one of our biggest competitors came by to lend a hand too. Hutch from the Zellmer crew checked in, but by that time there was no room for more hands and he had his own car to care for. (We had to review footage to see who all as involved in the project.)
The job was done with time to spare. Justin was even able to attend to the tires and choose a setup. Eric tested the car in the pits, to the extent he could and he felt there was an improvement. The proof would come in race conditions. The result was the same. It still wasn’t grabbing in fourth gear.
None the less, Eric did what he could, knowing what he had to work with. The fewer restarts, the better. There were several. But compared to last week, where the car was fast on the outside and most of his restarts were from the inside, this week he was on the inside on restarts, but that was the place to be. He battled Parker Jones for much of the race for a top five run. Jordan Miklas got around Eric on the outside with a lap or two left and just missed nipping Jones for 3rd. Eric was behind the pair for 5th.
Gandpa and Grandson, Mike Mueller and Cheeseburger (Ryan Sullivan) finished one, two. Mueller showed no ill effects from a near flip in his heat, where he was up high on his two right wheels and bounced hard
back on all four.
About the Bear…
We strapped a little Tony Stewart bear into the car to keep Eric company this week. It was a tribute to Denny Lybeck to passed away unexpectedly early this year.
As is the custom of regulars at Angell Park Speedway and probably every other weekly track in the nation, we tended to sit in the same basic seats at our hometown track. For many years Denny and his wife Mary, likewise sat in the same seat that happened to be behind us.
Denny and Mary loved watching Eric and Owen (Greg’s son) play on the bleachers in front of us, with their toy race cars. They took interest as the boys started racing karts and payed attention to Eric’s progress in the Legend.
Early this summer, Mary contacted us, offering to give us Denny’s Tony Stewart collection. We asked if we could keep some of the items and if it was alright with her, we’d sell some and put toward the Legend. Mary was pleased with the idea, telling us she knew Denny would be his collection would go toward Eric’s racing.
The little bear, part of the items received, seemed like a fitting tribute.
The Wipperfurth Memorial is Next!
This coming Saturday, August 29, will be one of our biggest races of the season as the Legends are on the card at Beaver Dam Raceway with the IRA Sprint Cars. We expect to see a lot of familiar people in the stands and pits.
Jim Wipperfurth (the namesake of the race) was an important part of the early racing for both Eric and Stephanie and was one of their first sponsors in karting. Likewise, Greg and Owen Leatherberry both leaned on Jim in their years behind the wheel. Jim’s son Joe, is the man behind Ground Up Lifts that adorns the 6E today.
Please see BDR’s website www.wismotorsports.net for full and official pricing, times and details.
Also, it is our understanding that the race will be shown live and in its entirety, on the web through FloRacing, with a subscription. Please visit their website for full details: https://www.floracing.com
A Word of Thanks
These are the businesses and folks who are helping to keep Eric on the track through their generous support in 2020! 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; Bulltown Legends and Casey Bollig Photography.
Here are the people who go hands on the 6E to get it in top shape every week: Justin Hoium, Greg Leatherbeary, Big Dumb Guy, Joe Wipperfurth, Bill Tefft, Brian Benisch, Cody Weisensel and Stephanie Blumer.
We salute Owen Leatherberry (U.S. Navy) and Andrew Upperman (U.S. Marine Corps.)!
Thanks to you all for your part in Eric Blumer Racing!