Friday, September 21, 2012
Popular Michigan racer looking for $20,000 payday in this weekend's Down & Dirty 100
Popular Michigan racer looking for $20,000 payday in this weekend's Down & Dirty 100
By Steve Kaminski | Skaminsk@mlive.com
MARNE – Jeep Van Wormer didn’t call this weekend’s opportunity to race Berlin Raceway a Bucket List item, although this is one thing Van Wormer never dreamed would happen.
Photo courtesy of DE Photos
Jeep Van Wormer will be making his Berlin Raceway debut in this weekend's Down & Dirty 100.
Van Wormer, of Pinconning, is one of Michigan’s most successful and popular dirt Late Model racers, and he has competed and won at some of the nation’s legendary dirt tracks. He lives only about three hours from Berlin, so he has heard all about the half-mile in Marne.
But Berlin is an asphalt track, and Van Wormer has spent the past 16 years building his career on dirt.
Three hundred truckloads of dirt and a $20,000 first-place cash prize are luring Van Wormer to Berlin this weekend, though. He will make his first Berlin appearance when he participates in the Keyser Manufacturing Down & Dirty 100 presented by NAPA.
“We have never been to Berlin, not even to check it out,” Van Wormer said. “But we have heard that it is a top-notched facility, and we are excited to have the chance to race there.”
Berlin is hosting an open practice from 4-8 p.m. today, followed by racing on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. both days. Van Wormer will be racing in the featured division, the traveling World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Saturday’s main event winner will earn $20,000.
Van Wormer, 37, has raced at approximately 100 tracks throughout the United States. Career highlights include winning the UMP Fall Nationals at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in 2003. He also has won 15 career races on the UMP Summer Nationals tour.
In addition, Van Wormer is the only Michigan driver to win a WoO Late Model race. He took top honors in the 2007 race at LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, Ill.
The World of Outlaws Late Models races from February through November, and it competes at tracks from South Dakota to North Carolina, as well as Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and across the Midwest. Van Wormer made two series starts in August when it visited Winston Speedway in Rothbury and Merritt Raceway in Lake City. Mechanical problems took him out of action in both races.
“We are looking forward to racing against the best this weekend,” Van Wormer said. “You always want to see how you can stack up, and hopefully, we will run well.”
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Lane Automotive Michigan Traditional Sprints Finish Strong at Great Lakes
Lane Automotive Michigan Traditional Sprints Finish Strong at Great Lakes
By Trevor Hollis
Perfect racing weather and thirty of the best non-wing sprint cars in the state of Michigan took to the track at Crystal Motor Speedway to close out the 2012 racing season. A packed house was given a great show and Greg Dalman was able to hold off Brett Mann to pick up the win in the 25 lap feature event.
The feature event would see eventual winner Greg Dalman and former Sprints on Dirt champion Brett Mann on the front row. The last time Mann was behind the wheel of a non wing sprint car was 1998 at Crystal and he wound up victorious. Rust did not seem to be an issue however as Mann and Dallman would battle wheel to wheel for three quarters of the race. Dalman would later say that the top grove had started to take rubber and develop a lot of grip about half way thru and sure enough that is when Dalman would start to pull away from Mann. Brett would hold his own on the bottom but in the end it would not be enough to get around Dallman and he would have to settle for a second place finish.
In heat race action Jay Steinebach would pick up the first checkered flag over Tim Evilsizer and Nick Landon. The second heat would go to Joe Irwin with Dalman and Keith Love rounding out the top three. 2011 champion and defending Great Lakes Nationals champion Joe Bares won heat three. John Watson and Nate Bostrom would round out the top three. And in the final heat it was Steve Irwin picking up the checkered flag over Brett Mann and Mark Irwin. The final few spots in the feature would be filled from the b main. Former series champion Mike Galajda, Chris Pobanz, and Mike Baker would move on making up the top three.
With the season in the books Joe Irwin will pick up his first points championship with the series. Joe's consistent finishes in all of the races would prove to be enough to hold off Steve Irwin who would collect a couple wins on the season and third place finisher Mark Irwin. 2011 champion Joe Bares would hold on to fourth and Mike Baker rounded out the top five. The 2012 rookie of the year title belongs to Nate Bostrom.
Everybody associated with the series would like to take a second and thank all of the sponsors that make everything possible. Huge thanks goes out to series title sponsor Lane Automotive, associate sponsors Strpko Engineering, Hoosier Race Tire, Tri-county Equipment, Allstar Performance, Irwincraft Racecars, and Northwest Automachine. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to help this series grow. Well, that's a wrap on 2012! Here's to 2013! We'll see you at the track!!!
Great Lakes Nationals full results:
Strpko Engineering
Heat 1 finish. 1.Steinebach, 2.Evilsizer, 3.Landon, 4.Hawk, 5.Pobanz, 6.Gall,7. Hayward, 8.Rutledge.
Hoosier Race Tire
Heat 2 finish: 1.J Irwin,2. Dalman,3. Love, 4.Chuck Wilson, 5.Galadja,6. Baker, 7.Strpko, 8.Chris Wilson.
Tri County Equipment
Heat 3 finish:1. Bares, 2.Watson,3. N Bostrom, 4.Austrauskas, 5.D Bostrom, 6.Ockerman, 7.Brown.
Allstar Performance
Heat 4 finish: 1.S Irwin, 2.Mann, 3.M Irwin, 4.Rogers, 5.Vanhouten, 6. Woorden, 7. Caines
Irwincraft Racecars
B main finish: 1.Galadja, 2.Pobanz, 3.Baker, 4.Gall, 5.D Bostrom, 6.Strpko, 7.Chris Wilson, 8.Brown, 9.Hayward, 10.Ockerman,11. Woorden. 12. Rutledge 13. Caines 14. Vanhouten
Northwestern Automachine
A-Main finish (starting position)
1. Gregg Dalman (2), 2.Brett Mann (4), 3. Steve Irwin (5), 4. Mike Galajda (17), 5. Joe Bares (1), 6. Jay Steinebach (7), 7. John Watson (11), 8. Nick Landon (3), 9. Chuck Wilson (14), 10. Keith Love (12),11. Joe Irwin (9), 12. Chris Pobanz (20), 13. Mark Irwin (10), 14. Tim Evilsizer (6), 15. Mike Astrauskas (15), 16. Kevin Hawk (13), 17. John Gall (19), 18. Nate Bostrom (8), 19. Nick Rogers (16), 20. Mike Baker (18)
MTS Sprint Car Series
www.mtsprints.com
mtsprints@aol.com
By Trevor Hollis
Perfect racing weather and thirty of the best non-wing sprint cars in the state of Michigan took to the track at Crystal Motor Speedway to close out the 2012 racing season. A packed house was given a great show and Greg Dalman was able to hold off Brett Mann to pick up the win in the 25 lap feature event.
The feature event would see eventual winner Greg Dalman and former Sprints on Dirt champion Brett Mann on the front row. The last time Mann was behind the wheel of a non wing sprint car was 1998 at Crystal and he wound up victorious. Rust did not seem to be an issue however as Mann and Dallman would battle wheel to wheel for three quarters of the race. Dalman would later say that the top grove had started to take rubber and develop a lot of grip about half way thru and sure enough that is when Dalman would start to pull away from Mann. Brett would hold his own on the bottom but in the end it would not be enough to get around Dallman and he would have to settle for a second place finish.
In heat race action Jay Steinebach would pick up the first checkered flag over Tim Evilsizer and Nick Landon. The second heat would go to Joe Irwin with Dalman and Keith Love rounding out the top three. 2011 champion and defending Great Lakes Nationals champion Joe Bares won heat three. John Watson and Nate Bostrom would round out the top three. And in the final heat it was Steve Irwin picking up the checkered flag over Brett Mann and Mark Irwin. The final few spots in the feature would be filled from the b main. Former series champion Mike Galajda, Chris Pobanz, and Mike Baker would move on making up the top three.
With the season in the books Joe Irwin will pick up his first points championship with the series. Joe's consistent finishes in all of the races would prove to be enough to hold off Steve Irwin who would collect a couple wins on the season and third place finisher Mark Irwin. 2011 champion Joe Bares would hold on to fourth and Mike Baker rounded out the top five. The 2012 rookie of the year title belongs to Nate Bostrom.
Everybody associated with the series would like to take a second and thank all of the sponsors that make everything possible. Huge thanks goes out to series title sponsor Lane Automotive, associate sponsors Strpko Engineering, Hoosier Race Tire, Tri-county Equipment, Allstar Performance, Irwincraft Racecars, and Northwest Automachine. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to help this series grow. Well, that's a wrap on 2012! Here's to 2013! We'll see you at the track!!!
Great Lakes Nationals full results:
Strpko Engineering
Heat 1 finish. 1.Steinebach, 2.Evilsizer, 3.Landon, 4.Hawk, 5.Pobanz, 6.Gall,7. Hayward, 8.Rutledge.
Hoosier Race Tire
Heat 2 finish: 1.J Irwin,2. Dalman,3. Love, 4.Chuck Wilson, 5.Galadja,6. Baker, 7.Strpko, 8.Chris Wilson.
Tri County Equipment
Heat 3 finish:1. Bares, 2.Watson,3. N Bostrom, 4.Austrauskas, 5.D Bostrom, 6.Ockerman, 7.Brown.
Allstar Performance
Heat 4 finish: 1.S Irwin, 2.Mann, 3.M Irwin, 4.Rogers, 5.Vanhouten, 6. Woorden, 7. Caines
Irwincraft Racecars
B main finish: 1.Galadja, 2.Pobanz, 3.Baker, 4.Gall, 5.D Bostrom, 6.Strpko, 7.Chris Wilson, 8.Brown, 9.Hayward, 10.Ockerman,11. Woorden. 12. Rutledge 13. Caines 14. Vanhouten
Northwestern Automachine
A-Main finish (starting position)
1. Gregg Dalman (2), 2.Brett Mann (4), 3. Steve Irwin (5), 4. Mike Galajda (17), 5. Joe Bares (1), 6. Jay Steinebach (7), 7. John Watson (11), 8. Nick Landon (3), 9. Chuck Wilson (14), 10. Keith Love (12),11. Joe Irwin (9), 12. Chris Pobanz (20), 13. Mark Irwin (10), 14. Tim Evilsizer (6), 15. Mike Astrauskas (15), 16. Kevin Hawk (13), 17. John Gall (19), 18. Nate Bostrom (8), 19. Nick Rogers (16), 20. Mike Baker (18)
MTS Sprint Car Series
www.mtsprints.com
mtsprints@aol.com
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