Modified magician: 19 wins and counting for driver Jacob Poel
Jacob Poel has made 19 trips to Victory Lane this season in his No. 82 Modified. (Photo courtesy of Randy Ellen)
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on July 09, 2014 at 8:30 AM, updated July 09, 2014 at 8:49 AM
SPRING LAKE – Jacob Poel has been one of the nation’s top Modified drivers in recent years after winning 21 feature races in each of the past three seasons.
It turned out that race fans hadn’t seen anything yet. Poel almost has 21 wins this season, and the summer isn’t even to the halfway point.
“We have won 21 races in each of the last three years, and that was racing all the way into mid-October,” said Poel, of Spring Lake. “We are in early July, and with 19 wins, that’s over and above anything that I have had at this point in time.”
Jacob Poel, along with girlfriend Kari Beutler, their oldest son Leland and youngest son Blaine celebrate one of Poel's 19 wins this season.
Poel, who has made about 30 starts this season, has won features at 12 different tracks across the Midwest, including six at the I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa. He heated up in April, notching four straight wins, including victories at Quincy Raceways in Illinois and I-96, followed by back-to-back wins at Farmers City Raceway in Illinois. He has been rolling since.
So why has Poel been better than ever this season? He pointed to three things.
“This is my fourth year with the same chassis manufacturer, so the last few years I’ve have had time to get the set-up figured out,” Poel said. “Last year we had some engine troubles. This year we have a different engine builder, and they have been doing really good for us. In addition to that, we have received some sponsorship help from Gilboe’s Lock and Safe, and we have been able to step up our traveling program. So it’s between those three things and me keeping my head on my shoulders.”
Poel was ranked No. 3 in last week’s UMP DIRTcar Modified National Championship point standings, so he is focused on a national title. He also would love to win the championship in the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals traveling series. It offers a grueling 30-race schedule that is contested across seven states from June 7-through-July 19. Poel has won five of those races, including last Sunday’s event at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
A hot streak like this could go to a driver’s head, but not Poel’s. Poel said he and crewman, Derrick Thibert of Ludington, invest between 12-to-15 hours of prep time into his No. 82 Modified before each race.
“My confidence level is high, but I stay level headed wherever we go,” Poel said. “These big races, there is always somebody who is just as good or better than you. You can’t go into a race thinking you’re better because you’re going to underestimate somebody someday, and they will have you beat.
“We know what we need to do to win. But we have to make sure we cross our T’s and dot our I’s and have the car the way it needs to be. I try to pay attention to what the track is like. I spend time watching the competitors, trying to figure out where their weak spots are, and then try to make my car the strongest where they are the weakest.”
Poel has three Summer National races coming up this weekend, including Friday’s event Farmer’s City Raceway, followed by races Saturday at Fairbury Speedway in Fairbury, Ill., and Sunday’s main at Vermillion Co-Speedway in Danville, Ill.
Jacob Poel has made 19 trips to Victory Lane this season in his No. 82 Modified. (Photo courtesy of Randy Ellen)
By on July 09, 2014 at 8:30 AM, updated July 09, 2014 at 8:49 AM
SPRING LAKE – Jacob Poel has been one of the nation’s top Modified drivers in recent years after winning 21 feature races in each of the past three seasons.
It turned out that race fans hadn’t seen anything yet. Poel almost has 21 wins this season, and the summer isn’t even to the halfway point.
“We have won 21 races in each of the last three years, and that was racing all the way into mid-October,” said Poel, of Spring Lake. “We are in early July, and with 19 wins, that’s over and above anything that I have had at this point in time.”
Jacob Poel, along with girlfriend Kari Beutler, their oldest son Leland and youngest son Blaine celebrate one of Poel's 19 wins this season.
Poel, who has made about 30 starts this season, has won features at 12 different tracks across the Midwest, including six at the I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa. He heated up in April, notching four straight wins, including victories at Quincy Raceways in Illinois and I-96, followed by back-to-back wins at Farmers City Raceway in Illinois. He has been rolling since.
So why has Poel been better than ever this season? He pointed to three things.
“This is my fourth year with the same chassis manufacturer, so the last few years I’ve have had time to get the set-up figured out,” Poel said. “Last year we had some engine troubles. This year we have a different engine builder, and they have been doing really good for us. In addition to that, we have received some sponsorship help from Gilboe’s Lock and Safe, and we have been able to step up our traveling program. So it’s between those three things and me keeping my head on my shoulders.”
Poel was ranked No. 3 in last week’s UMP DIRTcar Modified National Championship point standings, so he is focused on a national title. He also would love to win the championship in the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals traveling series. It offers a grueling 30-race schedule that is contested across seven states from June 7-through-July 19. Poel has won five of those races, including last Sunday’s event at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
A hot streak like this could go to a driver’s head, but not Poel’s. Poel said he and crewman, Derrick Thibert of Ludington, invest between 12-to-15 hours of prep time into his No. 82 Modified before each race.
“My confidence level is high, but I stay level headed wherever we go,” Poel said. “These big races, there is always somebody who is just as good or better than you. You can’t go into a race thinking you’re better because you’re going to underestimate somebody someday, and they will have you beat.
“We know what we need to do to win. But we have to make sure we cross our T’s and dot our I’s and have the car the way it needs to be. I try to pay attention to what the track is like. I spend time watching the competitors, trying to figure out where their weak spots are, and then try to make my car the strongest where they are the weakest.”
Poel has three Summer National races coming up this weekend, including Friday’s event Farmer’s City Raceway, followed by races Saturday at Fairbury Speedway in Fairbury, Ill., and Sunday’s main at Vermillion Co-Speedway in Danville, Ill.
It turned out that race fans hadn’t seen anything yet. Poel almost has 21 wins this season, and the summer isn’t even to the halfway point.
“We have won 21 races in each of the last three years, and that was racing all the way into mid-October,” said Poel, of Spring Lake. “We are in early July, and with 19 wins, that’s over and above anything that I have had at this point in time.”
Jacob Poel, along with girlfriend Kari Beutler, their oldest son Leland and youngest son Blaine celebrate one of Poel's 19 wins this season. So why has Poel been better than ever this season? He pointed to three things.
“This is my fourth year with the same chassis manufacturer, so the last few years I’ve have had time to get the set-up figured out,” Poel said. “Last year we had some engine troubles. This year we have a different engine builder, and they have been doing really good for us. In addition to that, we have received some sponsorship help from Gilboe’s Lock and Safe, and we have been able to step up our traveling program. So it’s between those three things and me keeping my head on my shoulders.”
Poel was ranked No. 3 in last week’s UMP DIRTcar Modified National Championship point standings, so he is focused on a national title. He also would love to win the championship in the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals traveling series. It offers a grueling 30-race schedule that is contested across seven states from June 7-through-July 19. Poel has won five of those races, including last Sunday’s event at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
A hot streak like this could go to a driver’s head, but not Poel’s. Poel said he and crewman, Derrick Thibert of Ludington, invest between 12-to-15 hours of prep time into his No. 82 Modified before each race.
“My confidence level is high, but I stay level headed wherever we go,” Poel said. “These big races, there is always somebody who is just as good or better than you. You can’t go into a race thinking you’re better because you’re going to underestimate somebody someday, and they will have you beat.
“We know what we need to do to win. But we have to make sure we cross our T’s and dot our I’s and have the car the way it needs to be. I try to pay attention to what the track is like. I spend time watching the competitors, trying to figure out where their weak spots are, and then try to make my car the strongest where they are the weakest.”
Poel has three Summer National races coming up this weekend, including Friday’s event Farmer’s City Raceway, followed by races Saturday at Fairbury Speedway in Fairbury, Ill., and Sunday’s main at Vermillion Co-Speedway in Danville, Ill.
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