Veteran driver Curt Filkins has unique paint job to unveil as Berlin Raceway opens 2011 season

Veteran driver Curt Filkins has unique paint job to unveil as Berlin Raceway opens 2011 season

By Steve Kaminski
The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com

Berlin Raceway driver has new-look Modified car gallery (6 photos)

Fans might be wondering if veteran driver Curt Filkins of Wyoming spent the offseason trying to win races or ArtPrize when Berlin Raceway opens for its 61st season.

And a word of caution to drivers with a clown phobia, too.

"If they had rear view mirrors in those cars, people would freak out," said Jason Essex, who helps operate the family-owned Essex Body Shop and Customz, 1447 Michigan Street NE.

Filkins, who started racing locally in 1975, has joined Berlin’s Modified division, and he said he has never had a car like this one. Essex painted the car, then turned it over to local airbrusher Patrick Kelly.

Going fast isn’t good enough for drivers these days. They want to look good, too. Filkins told Essex and Kelly to come up with something cool, but not even he was expecting the result.

Think Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s black No. 3 Chevy was intimidating? That car might be considered a bit wussy compared to Filkins’ Modified, with its menacing clown splashed on the hood and its green hair wrapped around the sides of the car.

"When I dropped this car off, it was red," Filkins said. "Jason said you are barred for two weeks. He calls me and tells me to come see your car. I walked into the booth, and I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It is unbelievable. The talent to do that type of art work amazes me.

"Jason and Patrick wanted to do something to get people talking and give the kids something to talk about. It is definitely different and unique. No one has ever seen a car like that at Berlin. Ever. I have had good looking cars, but this is by far the best looking car that I’ve ever had."

Check out the National Hot Rod Association to see more of Essex ‘s work. He applied the cosmic chrome on Antron Brown’s Top Fuel Dragster.

The local scene keeps him busy, too. Filkins races for Castle Motorsports, which includes teammates Ray VanAllsburg and Nick Gebben. Essex did the pain job on all three of the team’s cars, as well as the 4 Cylinders for Ryan and Kyle Hamm. Filkins raced Super Stocks last year and earned the division’s Best Appearing Car.

Kelly, who owns Xtraordinair, 1040 Veto Street NW in Grand Rapids, has done airbrush work on motorcycles, cars, trucks and vans. Kelly put about 33 hours into Filkins’ car, and he did Filkins’ helmet, too.

"Curt talked about doing something fun with it," Kelly said. "I got the idea right away of putting something encompassing on the whole car. I went home and drew it up. This is actually the first idea that I sketched out, and Curt gave me full reign to go to town with it."

Filkins said looking good out on the track this season isn’t the only goal, adding that he is looking forward to the challenges of a new division. He receives sponsorship from Essex, so they told him not to worry if his hotrod gets a ding or two, which has been known to happen on short tracks like the Marne half-mile.

"If I at least win a heat race, I will have won a race in four different divisions," Filkins said. "I don’t know if anybody else has done that. But that is my goal. I have already won races in Sportsman, Super Stocks and Late Models."

BERLIN RACEWAY
Location: 2060 Berlin Fair Drive, Marne
Track: Half-mile asphalt oval
Weekly program: Late Models, Super Stocks, Modifieds, Pro Stocks and 4-Cylinder cars.
Opening night: 7 p.m. Saturday

What’s new
• Weekly tickets have been reduced to $10, and children 11-and-under are free.
• The Premier Boyne Machine Super Lates division, with Johnny Benson Jr. scheduled to run the series on a part-time basis.
• The traveling Vintage Racing Organization of America has scheduled 10 visits.

Special events
June 21 -- The Rowdy 251, featuring NASCAR’s Kyle Busch
July 9 -- ARCA Racing Series
Aug. 6 -- The Chet Aug. 6
Sept. 3 -- Open Wheel Showdown with Auto Value Super Sprints and USAC Midgets
Sept. 24 -- CRA Super Series 125.

Defending track champions: Ross Meeuwsen (Late Models), Dave Lake (Super Stocks), Brian Tillema (Pro Stocks), Brian Bergakker (Modifieds), Ryan Hamm (4 Cylinder A), Dan Dells (4 Cylinder B)

Contact information: 616-677-5000; berlinraceway.com