Season Championship

Ladies and Gentleman, it's the Season Finale at NCR! After about an inch of rain this morning, the track looks to be in great condition as a full fleet of cars looks to make their way around the 3/8 dirt track for the last time this season. All classes will be running tonight including WISSOTA Modifieds, Midwest Modifieds, Mod 4's, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Trophy cars. Most of the Championships are already locked in at this point, but yet there's still a few battles to be had.

I don't know if the Trophy cars point's matter...but #2 of Mike Roy/Stacy Pederson has it locked solid. FYI I personally think Stacy is the better driver...or at least the crazier one.

In the street stock, Ryan Pommerer has a solid 20 point lead on James Tandeski. However the 2nd the place battle should be a good one with Rick Schultz only 1 point behind Tandeski. Jim Geringer and Adam Burrows aren't factors to move up, sitting in 4th and 5th respectively.

The Pure Stock division has Paul Colvin sitting comfortably 14 points ahead of Wade Moerke. Again the battle for 2nd place is a good one with Kenny Crane just 1 measly point behind Moerke. Taylor Saari (4th) and Mike Bjorgan (5th) have nothing to gain or lose.

The Mod 4 race is by far the closest battle we have. Rob VanMil sits just 10 points ahead of Aaron Wetterlin and 13 points ahead of Luke Johnson. Key for Rob is to get into the feature in one piece and a top 10 finish should get him a championship. Bryce Bjerken is in 4th place and Cory VanMil is in 5th.

Tyler Peterson is looking to wrap up his 2nd Track Championship of the year in a Midwest Modified. A start in the feature should get him there. He has a 24 point lead on arch nemesis Rich Pavilcek. Casey Arnenson, however, is just 1 point behind Pavy. Rob VanMil has had a solid year sitting in 4th place and Tyler Hall rounds out the top 5.

In the Modifieds you can pretty much crown Cody Skytland. I don't believe he even needs to show up tonight with a 40 point gap between him and 2nd place driver Bryce Borgen. Justin Jones sits 6 points behind the #7b with Austin Arnenson and Jamie Trautner to follow.


Other things you should know about tonight's race.
-They will be selling root beer floats again tonight...and yes...they are amazing!
-Should be specials on pretzels too from what I hear.
-There will be no racing broadcast, but I will be announcing the races as Jim is busy with football coverage.

Blaine Brothers Challenge/ Family Night at NCR

Well tonight marks the final Racing on the Radio broadcast of the 2013 race season at Norman County Raceway, so why not go out in style? Tonight the WISSOTA Blaine Brothers Late Model Challenge is in town and should bring some of the top names too such as Josh Redetzke, Zach Johnson, John Kaanta, Kent Arment, Chad Becker, Pat Doar, Dustin Strand, Brad Seng, Mike Balcaen, and others to the mix. Most of those guys were at NCR a couple weeks ago for an NLRA race and put on one of the best Late Model shows of the year. Kent Arment went on to win in from the 13th starting position. Modifieds, B-mods, Mod 4's, Pure Stocks, and Trophy Cars will also share some of the hot summer action tonight.

Tonight is also "Family Night" at Norman County Raceway. There will be FREE Child Admission with a paid adult admission! Also free glow in the dark necklaces to the first 100 kids. Plus lots of other prizes, meal specials, and games will going on during intermission. Roat Beer floats made with DAD's Root Beer will be served as well. (Somebody please bring me one during intermission!). And NCR will be auctioning off a couple 2-seater rides to benefit Relay for Life.

Also during intermission, we will be announcing the winner of NASCAR trip giveaway. If the winner is present, they will also get 2 season passes to the 2014 race schedule  at NCR.

And as mentioned, this will be the final broadcast of the year. We will not have the season championship because of fall sports beginning on the same day. No worries, I'm quite positive we'll be back again next year. Racing on the Radio Review will still be airing for a couple more weeks. The last episode of that will be on September 7th.

We might get things going a little bit early tonight, probably around 6:40pm for the Hillsboro Napa Prerace Show. Green Flag drops at 7pm. Tune in to 106.5 KRJB and www.krjbradio.com to listen. You can also listen to #RacingontheRadio on the "Tune in" app for your smart phones.

See ya at the track!

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Austin Arnenson as .....The Burger King?

Dustin Strand: Effectively Wild

With a year plagued by rain outs, it’s been difficult for many drivers to get in as many shows as they’d probably like by this point in the season. For those with National Points on the mind, getting in as many shows as possible is crucial. Dustin Strand, the gun slinging Late Model driver out of Grand Forks, has been busy doing just that. Not only does Strand sit on top of the points for the NLRA Late Model series, but he also looks over an entire field of WISSOTA Late Model drivers. No easy task considering some of the drivers he’s ahead of include Curt Gelling, Kent Arment, and Zach Johnson. 

As for any form of racing, consistency and luck have been a key to success early on says Dustin, “We’ve actually had a lot of 2nd’s so we’re trying to better that by one more spot, but we’ve had really good luck so far.” Oddly enough consistency isn’t a word many people would typically associate with the 30 year old. Consistent is word more commonly used to describe fellow veteran drivers such as Brad Seng or Mike Balcaen. Other things that come to mind for Strand are “wild,” “hot shot,” and “how the heck did he just do that?”  Darren Evavold, part owner of River Cities Speedway says, “He’s a real hot shoe! Loves to drive around the top of the race track. He’s fast!”

Even though consistency doesn’t come to mind when describing Dustin Strand, if you look back on his stats there’s no doubt that he has been just that. Since he began racing 11 years ago in a Street Stock, Dustin has won National Championships in the NOPA Streets and WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds, 12 track championships spread out over 5 tracks, and over 200 feature wins. But with a driving style that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat just by watching him, I still have a hard time describing him as “consistent.” “Consistent” just seems to slow. So perhaps we’ll give Strand the old baseball description of “Effectively Wild.”

This year Strand has over 20 shows under his belt in a Late Model. So far this season he’s raced everywhere from Emo, Ontario to Alexandria, Minnesota, to Huron, South Dakota. He has been top 10, if not top 5 for almost every single one of them, which is quite extraordinary for only his 2^nd full season in a late model. Look for Stand weekly at River Cities Speedway on a weekly basis and when the NLRA Late Models come back to Norman County Raceway on August 8^th.

 

 

 

Mark Askelson hosts “Racing on the Radio” Thursday nights starting 6:45pm from Norman County Raceway as well as the “Racing on the Radio Review” Saturday mornings at 8:45am. Both can be heard on 106.5 KRJB and krjbradio.com.

Local Dirt Track Prophecies

With Norman County Raceway's school night set for this Thursday, August 1st. I thought I would have some fun with it. In most high school yearbooks, you will find a list "Senior Prophecies," which a list of off beat predictions for the graduating class. So in honor of School Night, I thought I'd make list of Prophecies for some of the local dirt track racers from around the area. I had some help from some fellow media friends and other drivers as well. DISCLAIMER: This is meant to be fun. It is in no way meant to disrespect anyone.

Derek Vesledahl gets a set of "Naked Lady" mudflaps to match the front if his car.

Cody Erickson wins a race cleanly from start to finish, and still gets yelled at for being an asshole driver.

Tom Cummings decides to actually finish a feature race, and wins by default after all the other mod 4's either wreck or pull off.

Brad Seng cuts off Tony Stewart in traffic. All hell breaks loose.

The real reason behind Casey Arnenson's nickname "Deuce" is discovered, which has something to do with a 4th grade ex-lax incident.

Andy Wagner actually fixes his car.

Scott Bintz's secret identity as an alien is discovered while attending a Star Wars convention.

Bog Sagen finally gets a new body on his modified that doesn't look like its from 1992.

Cody Erickson goes to driving school, but is quickly kicked out by his instructor, Jay MacDonald.

Tyler Peterson and Rich Pavlicek get DQ'ed from a dance contest for repeatedly bumping into each other. (submitted by Corey Litton).

Tom Corcoran finally retires....after 84 years of racing.

...and because I felt like I should include myself

I get hired as a stunt double for Rutledge Wood.


Again this is all in full. Feel free to share and comment and submit your own.

Mike Balcaen celebrates 30 years of racing

He’s a fan favorite most everywhere he goes. It could stem from his ability to win races, or it could be because of his friendly Canadian demeanor, but whatever the reason he’s been doing it for longer than I’ve been alive.  Mike Balcaen, driver of the #10 NLRA/WISSOTA Late Model, is racing head on into his 30^th year of racing. In those 30 years, the Winnipeg native has won 37 Championship, 4 NLRA titles, and over 200 wins, making Balcaen one of the most decorated Late Model racers in the upper Midwest.

When it comes down to race day, Mike says he approaches it more like a work day. “Preparation is a big part of it. We spend tons of hours getting prepared for 15 minutes of racing. When you’re organized and your stuff is maintained it makes for a more enjoyable time than if you’re scattering around and you’re not prepared.” Wise words spoken by a true veteran.  Mike isn’t afraid to give out advice to younger racers eithes. Last week in Ada, he was found giving advice to some younger, rookie drivers in between races. He’s a role model to many young drivers, including his 21 year old daughter Amber, who’s been racing Lightning  Sprints for a handful of years and recently made her debut in the much more powerful 360 NOSA Sprint. “This sport is something than you gotta want to do. You can’t be forced into it because it takes so much time, energy, money, effort, and focus. If she wants to do that then we’re gonna support her on it, and we’re excited to see what happens next. It’s always fun to do stuff as a family!”

Even after 30 years of slinging sideways on dirt, 47 year old Mike Balcaen has no intention of quitting anytime soon. He’s still a top driver every night and for the sake of comparing; Tom Corcoran, driver of the #T1 NLRA Late Model, has been racing for 44 years and is still competitive as well. Mike admits that part of the reason he’s still racing is because it’s the only thing he knows, “I really haven’t found anything else better do. It’s extremely time consuming and expensive but it’s something we still enjoy doing. The competition is a fun thing to be a part of. I don’t know when we’ll quit. We won’t say when we do. We’re just going to fade off, but in the meantime we’re trying to enjoy ourselves, put on some good shows, and win some races.” Mike Balcaen can be found weekly at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, and will be a part of the NLRA Late Model series which makes two more appearances this year at Norman County Raceway in Ada.

 

 

Mark Askelson hosts “Racing on the Radio” Thursday nights starting 6:45pm from Norman County Raceway as well as the “Racing on the Radio Review” Saturday mornings at 8:45am. Both can be heard on 106.5 KRJB and krjbradio.com.

 

No "Stranger" to Racing

44 year old Tonja Stranger (pronounced Tonya) made a name for herself racing in a different era. Race fuel was $2.50 a gallon. The first George Bush was in the White House. Her hometown Bemidji State Beavers were still a Division III hockey program. I was 1 year old. It was 1989 when Tanya entered her first race.  She went on to win several heat races and even 2 track championships in the Pro Stock class in 1993 and 1994 at Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon. Following that season, Tonja hung it all up for a different life. She left behind a big presence at the track, both literally and figuratively. She bought a home, bought a new pick up, and “grew up” as she put it. However, despite the track championships, she never won a feature race. But her racing career was not forgotten, nor was it over.

Fast forward about 17 years later. Race fuel is now about $9 a gallon. The 2^nd George Bush was long gone. The Beavers hockey team had just shocked the nation by making the Division I Final Four the year prior. I could now legally be in a bar. The year was 2010 and a familiar name with a different look had returned to racing. Now 175 pounds lighter and still a larger than life personality, Tonja Stranger had returned to racing in a WISSOTA Mod 4. She credits close friend and fellow competitor Conrad Schwinn for getting her back into racing. She’s still in search of her first feature win, but as she stated in recent interview, “As long as I’m improving I’m happy.” She’s finished 4^th, 3^rd, and 2^nd in recent feature races.

Her hometown track is Bemidji Speedway, a ¼ mile clay track her and her family also run. Although she likes to get out and run different tracks when she can. “It’s hard to enjoy racing as much as I’d like to, because being promoter of the track is hard enough. Bemidji is fun, but its nice going to other tracks where the other drivers aren’t always asking you where the pay window is,” chuckled Stranger.  And if you’re wondering how she feels being a female in a primarily male sport, Stranger says she proved herself against the guys in her first few years of racing. “I haven’t set the world on fire. I haven’t won a feature yet, but that’s my goal this year.”  Look for Stranger to make an occasional appearance at Norman County Raceway in the #97 Mod-4.

 

Photo: Tonja Stranger (right) races in a Pro Stock back in the 90s at Buffalo River Race Park. Photo credit to: Corey Litton (Checkers and Wreckers)

 

 

 

Mark Askelson hosts “Racing on the Radio” Thursday nights starting 6:45pm from Norman County Raceway as well as the “Racing on the Radio Review” Saturday mornings at 8:45am. Both can be heard on 106.5 KRJB and krjbradio.com.

Andy Wagner "Racing for a Cure"

For the handful of years that Andy Wagner has been behind the wheel of a race car, he’s been sporting primarily orange and black paint schemes. Even his sunglasses and shoe laces are orange. This year, however, Andy, or “Spud” as he’s been called since a child, is sporting a new color. Not red, not green, not even blue, but pink. Yes, you read that correctly…pink. Not a common color for someone who played football, drives race cars, and bowls an average of 200. Yet I guarantee more people will commend him than tease him for his stereotypically feminine choice of color. That’s because on the front of Wagner’s #3x WISSOTA Midwest Modified is a pink ribbon and the words “Race for a Cure.”

For the 2013 race season, Andy has decided to give something back and promote Breast Cancer Awareness. Along with raising awareness, he’s raising funds to go towards Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. A portion of t-shirt and sweatshirt sales will go directly towards that. Wagner also noted that he may throw “a few dollars here and there” from his winnings depending on how he does each night. As of opening night of racing this year, he had sold about 100 t-shirts and great deal of sweatshirts too. When asked why he felt the need to give back Spud stated, “Everyone has been supportive of me so I thought maybe I could support them and do it for a good cause.” 

So even though Andy Wagner can’t personally cure cancer himself by turning laps in a Midwest Modified, he can raise awareness and can raise a few dollars to support the cause. So I will not tease him about his color choice, but rather applaud him for doing so. But if he starts wearing pink shoe laces and sunglasses than its fair game.