After a five year hiatus, Super Late Model racing will return to ‘America’s Legendary Oval’, marking the first major event at The Milwaukee Mile since a 2015 IndyCar Series event.
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by Gregg Paul
Jacob Van Wazer picked the perfect time to pick up his first career victory in the SCAG Power Equipment Midwest Truck Tour. Being on the big stage of ARCA Fest, the big track at the Milwaukee Mile, and in front of a bigger crowd than he is used to, Van Wazer stepped up to the challenge by holding off veteran John Wood to take the checkers.
Van Wazer knew it was an accomplishment in holding off Wood for the win.
“They (John and Jerry Wood) are both great legends in the trucks and just in general,” said Van Wazer. “Jerry Wood is big time known everywhere. When I am out there it’s just another number to me. It doesn’t matter who it is or what it is. The pressure isn’t on me. I just have to go out there and perform like everybody wants me to and I’ve got to go out there and do my thing.”
The thing that Van Wazer did was get the jump from the drop of the green flag since he started on the front row for the feature. Although his initial lead would last barely a lap as fast qualifier Mike Corva spun in turn 3 and backed it into the wall.
That resulted in a complete restart due to not completing a full lap.
When they tried it again, Van Wazer got another great jump and took the lead coming off of turn two. This time they would complete a full lap, but they would not get to lap 2 due to a spin by Justin Oertel in turn two.
When the race resumed, Van Wazer again took off into the lead and had John Wood and Andy Jones in hot pursuit. Van Wazer pulled away by a few truck lengths while Jones and Wood would trade the second position over the next few laps. Jerry Wood had moved up into the top five, but suddenly slowed in the backstretch losing several positions before coming back up to speed.
Meanwhile back up front, Van Wazer started putting some distance between himself and Jones in second. As they came to the crossed flags signifying the halfway mark, Van Wazer’s lead had grown to seven truck lengths. Jones and Wood were battling for second behind Van Wazer as the laps were winding down.
Justin Oertel would bring out the yellow flag for the second time when he spun again in turn two. This set up a green, white, checkered finish and bunched up the field for the restart. Van Wazer elected to take to the outside for the restart and it nearly cost him the race.
When the green flag flew it would be Jones getting the jump as they headed into turn one. However Van Wazer got a great bite coming off of turn two and blew past Jones and into the lead. Van Wazer steadily pulled away from Jones leaving him to resume his battle with John Wood for second. Wood would be able to get by Jones on the white flag lap, but could not catch up to Van Wazer who flashed across the finish line six truck lengths ahead to secure his first career victory in the Midwest Truck Tour.
“The Truck was starting to get tight as the race went on,” said Van Wazer. “I figured I could get a bigger run off the corner on the high side. I guess my dad wasn’t too happy with that, but whatever, it worked and I got the win.”
He got the win despite angering his dad, but it was a relief in more ways than one.
“It feels great to get this monkey off my back,” said Van Wazer. “I felt like I should’ve had a better run here last year but we had a clutch problem so this is definitely revenge for what happened.”
There is nothing better than getting a win as revenge for past shortcomings.
The next event for the Truck Tour is Friday, July 19th at Grundy County Speedway along with the ARCA Midwest Tour.
For event details, log on to arcamidwesttour.com.
Be sure to follow the Midwest Truck Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Midwest Truck Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.
by Gregg Paul
Ordinarily in poker a pair will always beat one of a kind. However, in the Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com, Kyle Busch held off both Travis and Johnny Sauter to capture the checkers in ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Lester Buildings and Scag Power Equipment race that was unfortunately cut short by darkness after only 115 laps.
“It’s awesome to come out to Milwaukee,” said Kyle Busch. “My dad grew up coming to these races here, Indy Car races, NASCAR races. Me, I like coming to the Mile. I love Super Late Model racing, so this is like the best mix in the world for me. Especially coming here with the memorial for Howie Lettow and his race and being his name that’s on it and being able to compete with the rest of the ARCA Midwest Tour. It was really a lot of fun and I had a great time while we were here. There’s nothing sweeter than being able to win the race of course and end up in Victory Lane but it’s a true testament to this team everybody that works so hard on this car and brought a really good piece for me to drive.”
Busch’s piece was so good for him to drive that it seemed like he was in a world of his own. He set fast time in qualifying and quickly got to the front after having to start 14th with the invert. By lap 9 he was already pressuring Boris Jurkovic for the lead, and just a lap later he made the pass and set sail.
Once in the lead, Busch simply drove away from the competition, opening up as much as a four second lead over the rest of the field.
A yellow flag on lap 20 when Johnny Van Doorn stopped in turn four bunched up the field and perhaps gave the rest of the field a chance to move in on Busch. When the cone came out, Travis and Johnny Sauter were able to move up on the outside and into the top five.
As the green flag flew Busch easily put some distance between himself and Jurkovic, while Johnny Sauter moved around Travis and quickly moved closer to the front. Although the Sauter’s march towards the front will be slowed by another yellow on lap 33.
Team Spiked Island Touring Star, James Swan crashed hard into the sand barrels that protected the pit road wall, collecting Mason Mingus and Erik Darnell in the process.
Another green flag and another Kyle Busch great restart. However, this time having Johnny Sauter on his bumper, Busch would not get away as quickly. Sauter was even bump drafting Busch NASCAR style down the front straightaway heading into turn one.
Busch and Sauter steadily pulled away from the field, putting several car lengths between themselves and third place Boris Jurkovic.
With 60 laps in the books, Travis Sauter moved around Jurkovic for the third spot and was starting to gain on Busch and Uncle Johnny. Just seven laps later, a spin by Bryan Ortiz forced another yellow. ARCA Midwest Tour officials decided to just simply run off the remaining eight laps to get to the halfway break at lap 75.
The ten minute break didn’t seem to have much of an effect on Busch or the Sauters. Busch got another great restart, but Johnny wasn’t letting him get away. At least not for a few laps anyways.
Busch then put the hammer down and began to easily pull away from the pack. Team DOC 360 Touring Star, Chris Wimmer closed in on Johnny Sauter, but slipped up high in turn one on lap 98 allowing Travis Sauter to second spot. However by this time Busch’s lead was growing to almost a full straightaway.
Travis slowly got closer and closer to Busch, but he was running out of both time and daylight. On lap 109 it was decided by the ARCA Midwest Tour officials that it was getting way too dark to continue. They were going to throw the checkers at lap 115 instead of lap 150. Travis made a valiant effort to cut into Busch’s lead, but in the end the gap was just too big to overcome. Busch would flash across the finish line nearly three seconds ahead of Travis and another three seconds back to Johnny in third.
For Busch it was a win that makes running the Super Late Model all that much more worthwhile.
“The starting back in 14th was kind of fun,” said Busch. “It was a little dicey early there passing some cars and what not, but we got out to the front relatively early, actually a lot sooner than I expected. We were cruising out there a little bit and Johnny Sauter there on that one restart gave me a run for my money there for a while. He kept diving under me and I wasn’t sure if he was going to get me or not. He was close but we had a really good long run car. Our car would just run the same lap time all day long.”
Those same lap times is what kept the Sauters from catching Busch and keeping Travis from repeating as the Howie Lettow Memorial champion.
“That thing was really fast,” Travis Sauter said about Busch’s car. “I wasn’t very good in the first half and these guys, Kyle and Johnny were able to charge from the rear and drive by me no problem. I was barely hanging on at that point. We made some adjustments and got better but Kyle was in his own league. They asked me if it was getting too dark to race and I said it was pretty dark at that point, but I said no, because I thought I had a shot at catching him. About five laps later when he just totally drove away I was like it’s dark now, we’re good.”
Johnny Sauter couldn’t understand why his car was so loose all day long.
“At the beginning of the race I was really, really loose,” said Johnny. “I was loose qualifying and that was when I put the tires on that we had bought here and I got extremely loose. I hadn’t had that all weekend. I thought it was just the racetrack. When I started the race I was sideways loose and when the first caution came out the tires cooled off. Next thing you know my car was Jack The Bear and I was driving by everybody. Next thing you know I am in second and all over Kyle for about five laps and he was just really working the outside groove and had a lot of momentum. I thought I could get underneath him and get close to him but momentum just pulled him down the straightaway.”
Team Spiked Island Touring Star, Jacob Goede, and Wimmer rounded out the top five.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
Driver Takes Skuttle Tight Ford to ARCA Fest
CONCORD, N.C. (July 8, 2013) – The last time David Ragan raced a late-model event, he finished second. He’ll look to do one better in Tuesday’s Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 at the Milwaukee Mile’s ARCA Fest. The Sprint Cup Series driver will take his own No. 77 Skuttle Tight Ford to the popular Midwest Tour-sanctioned race.
It will be the second consecutive year that Ragan will participate in the Howie Lettow 150 and his third late-model race of the season. Last year, Ragan finished 17th in the event, which benefits the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer).
Skuttle Tight is a Willmar, Minn.-based manufacturer that offers insulated attic-entry systems that replace older attic hatches and access panels that can cause drafts. The Milwaukee race will be the second event of the 2013 season that the company will join Ragan on his late-model campaign and the second straight year that Skuttle Tight will adorn the No. 77 Ford for the ARCA Fest.
Ragan’s last outing in the Skuttle Tight Ford was in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown in April at Richmond, where he finished second to Kyle Busch.
The Milwaukee Mile is a one-mile oval on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis., and is the oldest operating motor speedway in the world. Tickets for ARCA Fest are on still sale at arcafest.com. Fans can follow along about news and updates on the event at facebook.com/midwesttour or on Twitter at @midwesttour. Keep up to date on Ragan’s racing activities at facebook.com/DavidRaganPage or on Twitter at @dRagan_updates.
Comments from Skuttle Tight driver David Ragan heading to Milwaukee:
“For me it’s fun to go run the premier short-track races around the country – the Snowball Derby, the World Crown 300, Speedfest – and this is one of those premier races. It honors Howie Lettow, who is one of the veteran short track racers of his time. Even though it’s in the Midwest and a little farther from the Southeast, I still have an appreciation for a lot of the good racers who came from that area. It’s a big race. And when you can only run four or five races a year, you want to do it against the best guys. And the Milwaukee Mile is a great racetrack. There’s a lot of history there, and it’s cool to go there and take part in a race.
“I think this year there’s about 80 cars pre-entered. So, it’s a hard race to make and a hard race to win. Running it last year, I drove another guy’s car and learned a lot, and now I’m looking forward to taking my own car there. It’ll be fun with the group of guys going with me to help. I’ve got a couple of the Front Row Motorsports guys that are tagging along, and my cousin Brett and a few friends go, too.
“Skuttle Tight is back on our Ford for this race. They were on our car for the Denny Hamlin Showdown race at Richmond, and we were able to get a second-place finish there. Hopefully we can improve it by a spot. That’d be a lot of fun. Skuttle Tight’s home office is not too far away in Minnesota, so it’ll be good to have those guys there.”
Kyle Busch parked and ready for the next two days of racing
The Famed Milwaukee Mile
Mason Mingus – Brentwood, TN
2012 ARCA Midwest Tour Champion and i-gogs Touring Star Jonathan Eilen
The Swiss Colony and RaceTeamGear.com Logos at the start finish line.
Griffin McGrath
ARCA Midwest Tour Tech Trailer
ARCA Midwest Tour Tech Area Ready for action
Hoosier Tires
David Ragan’s Pit Cart
DOC 360 Touring Star Nathan Haseleu
The Milwaukee Mile Scoring Pylon. Who will be P1 at the end of the day Tuesday?
VIP Area
Steve Wallace
Last years winner, Travis Sauter back to defend the title.
‘Fast’ Eddie Hoffman ready to take on the Milwaukee Mile.
ARCA Midwest Touring Stars getting things set for tomorrow’s practice
by Gregg Paul
Ross Kenseth will join his famous father NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth in the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by SCAG Power Equipment and Lester Buildings Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com on Monday and Tuesday, July 8th-9th at the famed Milwaukee Mile
The 2010 ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year is excited to be a part of this fast growing racing event.
“It’s a really special event for many reasons,” said Kenseth. “I haven’t had the honor of working with Howie Lettow, but my crew chief, Kelly Bires, worked with Howie for a while and I have heard so many great things about him. That said, it’s really cool for the ARCA Midwest Tour to honor him by making their biggest event of the year in his name. Not many people get an opportunity to race at the Milwaukee Mile, especially when it was closed down for a while, so any chance to race there is always neat. I think it depends who you ask on where it will rank on the biggest races this year, but it’s definitely a top 5 event.”
Considering that it is such a prestigious event, Ross Kenseth might just as soon forget about his efforts in the inaugural event in 2012. Kenseth struggled throughout the two days of practice and qualifying, and failed to crack the starting lineup for the feature.
“Our performance at last year’s event was extremely disappointing to say the least,” said Kenseth. “Kelly Bires joined our program for this season and I’m really excited about the improvements I’ve seen so far. I don’t see a reason why we can’t compete for a solid finish this year.”
Solid finishes were the norm, if not expected by Kenseth and his race team in 2012. Kenseth became only the second driver in history to record wins in the Winchester 400 and the All-American 400 on back to back weekends. Short track racing legend, and Kenseth’s crew chief last year Butch Miller was the other driver to accomplish the feat.
Kenseth also captured the checkers winning the Red Bud 300 at Anderson, Indiana to complete a hat trick of major wins in a super late model for 2012.
Although it is the race at the Milwaukee Mile where Kenseth will once again get the chance to race against his dad, Ross is just glad to be able to see his dad at the same race track.
“Anytime my dad can be at the racetrack with me is really cool,” said Kenseth. “I wish I could race against him more often, as we are both extremely competitive so it’s always a good time for one of us! Some people don’t like it when NASCAR drivers come and race short track races but I think it’s really good for the sport and for the drivers. Anytime you can mix it up with guys from the top level you can learn something.”
Not only does Ross Kenseth get to learn something on the racetrack, the college sophomore at Clemson University continues to learn some things in the classroom as well. His pursuit of a degree in mechanical engineering is still fueling his desire to race and learn.
“I came to Clemson because of their great engineering program,” said the 19-year old sophomore. “Getting my degree is certainly important to me, but if I could go run a NASCAR schedule tomorrow, I’d go do it.”
However in the meantime, Kenseth will eagerly await that opportunity while enjoying the chance to compete against his father in the ARCA Midwest Tour.
All of the event details can be found at www.arcafest.com.
Rain date is Wednesday, July 10th. All times will remain the same.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
ARCA Midwest Tour special event set for Tuesday, July 9
As the 2nd annual ARCA Midwest Tour Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com draws nearer, the buzz surrounding the event continues to grow.
With an entry list featuring the most recent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner (Matt Kenseth) and over 80 entrants; a pre-race concert with 38 Special and Chevonne singing the national anthem, anticipation for the return of Stock Car Racing in Milwaukee is at a peak.
And Milwaukee businesses are excited as well.
Officials from the ARCA Midwest Tour and Sprecher Brewery announced today a partnership for the event that will include a special award during the race, and a chance for fans to enjoy Sprecher products at the same time.
Sprecher will sponsor the Half-Way leader award during the Howie Lettow Memorial 150, offering a $500 bonus to the driver leading at the races half-way break.
“Sprecher Brewing Company is proud to be part of the 2nd annual ARCA Midwest Tour Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com. We look forward to a great event!, “ said Jeff Hamilton, president of Sprecher Brewing Company.
Maker of award-winning beers and gourmet sodas, Sprecher Brewing Company is Milwaukee’s first brewery since Prohibition. Established in 1985, Sprecher remains a leader in Wisconsin’s craft brewing industry.
For all of the ARCA Fest details, log on to www.arcafest.com.
Raindate: Wednesday, July 10th. All the times will be the same.
For more information about Sprecher contact Anne Sprecher at 414.964.7837 x252, or asprecher@sprecherbrewery.com. Contact the Sprecher Gift Shop, 701 W. Glendale Ave, Glendale, WI, at 414.964.2739, for tours, clothing, food items and other things Sprecher related. The Sprecher Gift Shop is open 11am-6pm Mon-Sat; 11am-5pm Sunday
.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
Twitter Hashtags: #ARCAFest & Lettow150
3:00PM – Bryan Ortiz all the way from Bayamon, Puerto Rico putting some laps in at the Milwaukee Mile on July 3rd, 2013.
2:30PM – Facebook Photo Gallery courtesy of Bruce Nuttleman
2:00PM – Cars have been on the track practicing for a bit this afternoon. Kenny Wallace, Steve Wallace, Matt Tifft, Bryan Ortiz, Becca Kasten, Spencer Wauters, Eddie Hoffman, Austin Luedtke, Brett Moffitt are some of the drivers here today.
12:45PM – Spencer Wauters getting ready to get on track shortly.
12:30PM – Kenny Wallace doing his media interviews. “I do not take this race lightly. This race means so much that regardless of my busy schedule, I’m going to be here.”
12:00PM Getting things ready for practice.
11:30AM Track drying is under way at Milwaukee for practice today.
9:30AM Under a rain delay.
8:00AM Kenny Wallace has already been busy this morning on his way to the Milwaukee Mile.
by Kari Shear-Carlson
The ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment and Lester Buildings is excited to announce that “The Voice” competitor, Chevonne will proudly sing the National Athem for the Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com.
Chevonne will be a great addition to the ARCA Fest event and she is looking forward to the opportunity to perform at the historic Milwaukee Mile.
“I am SO excited to be singing at ARCA Fest this year! This will be my first-ever racing event, but as a pop-rock musician and a reality TV contestant, I always feel at home in a roaring crowd, being a part of fast-paced, explosive action and celebrating outdoor fun and sportsmanship.”
Chevonne was a Season 3 competitor on “The Voice”, chosen to be first on Team Cee Lo (Green). She was then stolen to Team Christina (Aguilera). After her appearance on the show, Chevonne raised over $10,000 through her entirely fan-funded website, Kickstarter, in order to fund her debut album.
Big Picture Media saw this as a sign that fans wanted to hear original music from Chevonne. Chevonne formed the band, Chevonne and the Fuzz, and plans to release “Fire At Will” in August of this year.
Steve Einhaus, ARCAMT VP, also noted the significance of a performer like Chevonne taking part in such a special event.
“When you have an event of this caliber, it’s always more intriguing when you are able to find special people like Chevonne to perform for the fans. She’s on the road to stardom and someday we can look back and say, ‘it was really cool to have her be a part of our event.’”
Chevonne was a background singer for Grammy Award Winning Artists, Estelle and Lady Gaga, most recently on Lady Gaga’s “Monster Ball” tour. Chevonne is also a graduate of Swarthmore College and has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Music and a minor in English Literature.
You can keep up with Chevonne and her career through her website, www.listen2chevonne.com. You can also follow her on Facebook: Facebook.com/chevonneandthefuzz and Twitter: @listen2chevonne.
Publicity Contact: Big Picture Media, Dayna Ghiraldi [dayna@bigpicturemediaonline.com]
For complete ARCA Fest information, log on to www.arcafest.com.
Be sure to follow the Midwest Truck Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Midwest Truck Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.