BDR and 141 weekend:
The EBR team worked hard and had a little help during the two-race Memorial Day weekend. Alice (the new car with the new FZ09 engine) got the call for both events. We opened up at Beaver Dam Raceway for their five-division night. In his heat, Eric started seventh and finished third.
This race was not without drama, as Eric was pinched between another car and the wall. It’s the kind of contact that could just as easily cause a car to flip. “I got all for wheels off the ground,” Eric noted. But the 6E landed on all fours. A broken spindle and a couple of bars were destroyed, but he still finished the race. With 28 cars signed in to the Legends pit, this meant there’d be a B-Main and the third place finish kept us out of that, so the team easily made the repairs.
For the feature, the 6E started eight and finished fifth. The run kept Eric in third place in the 2021 BDR points race.
On Sunday we made the tow to 141 Speedway in support of the three major divisions of the IRA. This was a Wisconsin Legends Racing Dirt Series event for us. There were a total of 16 Legends signed in. The stands were pretty full and EBR had several fans in attendance. Prior to the race Eric’s girlfriend Faith and her parents Craig and Michelle joined us. We were also pleased to see Bob Cullen of East Central Coin and Bob Ropke of Northern Air Systems. Stacy Billings-Hughes and her husband (and EBR helper) Mike were in the stands.
In his heat, Eric was out in short order as he tagged a car that spun in front of him on about the second circuit. The contact ripped up the front suspension on one side. It’s a repair Justin, Greg and Eric can about do in their sleep the way this season has gone. In the pits, while the thrashing commenced, Bob Ropke, his son Chuck and Chuck’s friend (attending his first race), Karl came to see if they could help out. The help was appreciated and all three were employed.
The teenagers, Chuck and Karl, were happy to help and they were charged with removing dead bumpers and replacing them, which they did with little help. Bob worked on the suspension issues with the rest of the crew. There was enough time to spare that they even checked to make sure the measurements were square.
In the feature, Eric gutted out a sixth-place finish after starting thirteenth. The track was primarily one best run on the bottom. If you could hold that you would be hard to pass. Eric made a good charge through the field for a while, but with national champions and feature winners ahead of him, the charge stalled at fifth place.
With about two laps to go, the 6E tagged a dreaded tractor tire, an event that seldom ends well. You could immediately see on the FloRacing broadcast that the left front wheel was not moving. Fortunately it was pointing in. For two laps, with three wheels spinning and one basically dragging, Eric was able to hold off all but one of the cars behind him to finish sixth. In the pits, the boys jimmied up the spindle et al, well enough to roll the car into the trailer.
The team got home somewhere in the 1 a.m. hour.
Once points are updated, we’ll share the national INEX and WLRDS rankings.
UP NEXT. FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY at BDR.
Since several of our fans (including Stephanie Blumer) missed it the last time this happened… Beaver Dam Races this FRIDAY (not Saturday), hosting the 5-Division Pepsi Night. Please check their schedule, but Saturday and Sunday they will hardly be idle, as according to their website Monster Trunks invade the track. PLEASE check www.wismotorsports.net for official info!
A special thanks goes to Mike Hughes for the words of encouragement he gave Greg to pass on to Eric! We also salute Ray Underwood for treating this undercard class with all the respect of the big guys, during his FloRacing broadcast. While there is no substitute for being there live, if you can’t make an event the IRA and their support classes are running, Flo is a great plan B. You can also watch the race later if you like, as they archive them!
These are the businesses and folks who are helping to keep Eric on the track through their generous support in 2021! BRS Radiator, Machine & Fabrication; Northern Air Systems, Inc.; Dog Guard of Wisconsin; Storage & Handling Systems; North Central Utility of Wisconsin LLC; East Central Coin Inc.; Club LaMark; Bullseye Games; Ground Up Lifts; Sieg Law Office; OWL Graphics and Lettering; Grandpa Blumer, Legends.Direct 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!