By: Kevin Ramsell
Oregon, WI – For decades, Madison International Speedway was known for providing exciting Super Late Model racing every Friday night. This Friday, August 23rd, that tradition returns for the ASA Midwest Tour’s Howie Lettow Memorial 100-lap feature event.
During those Friday night’s in the last four nights over the last five decades, Wisconsin’s Fastest Half-Mile Oval was the weekly home for the names like Trickle, Shear, Watson, Kenseth, Kluever, Breese, Wilberg, Kvapil, Ziegler, and many, many more.
Today’s top talent of Midwest drivers from the Stars & Cars of the ASA Midwest Tour will take to the high banks in honor of one of the greatest crew chiefs in short track racing, the late Howie Lettow.
Lettow was a highly respected crew chief who led eight different drivers to rookie of the year honors in the American Speed Association. Best known of that group is six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. Other drivers included Pat Schauer, Scott Hansen, Ken Lund, David Stremme, Ted Musgrave, Steve Holzhausen, Steve Carlson, and Ricky Johnson. Lettow won an ASA championship in 1996 as crew chief for Tony Raines.
He also won three straight championships from 2005-2007 in the ASA Late Model Challenge Series with Stephen Leicht, Kelly Bires, and Travis Dassow behind the wheel.
Lettow passed away in 2010 at the age of 62 following a battle with cancer.
This will be the 10th Howie Lettow Classic since 2012 and 7th at Madison. Rain and Covid canceled three races.
The entry lists for this year’s events came in fast and early, and more may be coming as we progress up to race day.
Five-time ASA Midwest Tour champion Ty Majeski will be kicking off a busy weekend where he will compete at Madison on Friday Night then go for his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win in a row on Sunday afternoon at the Milwaukee Mile. Majeski has two victories in the Howie Lettow Memorial.
Casey Johnson will also be looking for his third win in the Howie Lettow Memorial after winning it back-to-back in 2021-22. The three-time Midwest Tour champion missed out on last year’s event, but looks to come back and re-start his win streak in this event.
2017 winner Paul Shafer Jr. will be looking for his second Lettow victory on Friday night. The former Illiana and Grundy Champion recently finished third in the Gundrud Auto Group 250 at Wisconsin International Raceway earlier this month.
Former 2011 Illiana Speedway Super Late Model track champion and 2014 MIS Truck Series champion Blake Brown is making his return to compete this Friday night. Brown is one of the last drivers that had Howie Lettow as their crew chief and mentor.
Speaking of crew chiefs, former Lettow driver Travis Dassow, who has won this event twice with Casey Johnson, will be turning wrenches for ASAMT Rookie of the Year contender Joe Valento on Friday. Valento is coming to MIS fresh off a top-ten finish in this past Saturday’s Hawkeye 100 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Valento is currently in a three way battle with Ty Fredrickson and James Lynch for the 2024 Rookie of the Year title. All three drivers are entered to continue that battle this Friday night.
Defending ASAMT Champion Gabe Sommers will head into Friday’s event as the new points leader after his victory at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday night. He holds a 10-point lead over Levon Van Der Geest.
Van Der Geest finished fourth in his last visit to MIS in June when he competed with the ASA STARS National Tour.
2018 Midwest Tour Champion Dalton Zehr has been right there at the end of these Lettow Classics and intends to capture the checkered flag on Friday Night. Likewise, Riley Stenjem will look to improve one position from last year’s result to capture his first Tour victory.
Former Slinger Nationals and ARCA Menards Series winner Luke Fenhaus, had a strong run in the Gandrud Auto Group 250 and is planning on carrying his momentum to MIS to contend for his first Lettow victory. Likewise, Brent Edmunds who is a former weekly winner at MIS wowed the crowd when he bolted to a third place finish in May’s Joe Shear Classic.
Justin Mondeik will be looking for his second win of the 2024 ASAMT season after winning his second Larry Detjens Memorial last month at State Park Speedway in Rib Mountain, Wisconsin.
Other contenders entered include: former Mid-American Series Champ Jeff Storm, former Bettenhausen winner Scott Tomasik, Central Wisconsin and Slinger Champion Jeremy Lepak, 2007 ASAMT MIS winner Brandon Hill, Norway Speedway Champion Chad Butz, Braden Berge, JMck Fest Winner Kyle Shear, weekly winners Joseph Scholze and Greg Borchardt. Chicagoland looks to be well represented with not only the previously mentioned Shafer and Brown entries, but those of Andy Jones, Steve Seligman and Nathan Kelly as well.
Tickets are on sale now at midwesttour.racing. Download the Ticket Hoss app and buy your tickets now and save the time of waiting in line.
The Midwest Truck Series will also be in action this Friday night with the Hougan Farms 30.
The night and 2024 oval season will conclude with the ‘Area’s Biggest and Best Fireworks Display’.
Friday’s Schedule
1pm – Pit Gate Opens
3:15pm – Driver’s Meeting
4pm – Spectator Gates Open
4pm – ASAMT First Practice
4:40pm – Midwest Truck Series Practice
5pm – ASAMT Final Practice
5:30pm – Midwest Truck Series Final Practice
6:15pm – Qualifying
7:30pm – Racing Begins
Howie Lettow Classic Winners
2023- Austin Nason
2022- Casey Johnson
2021- Casey Johnson
2020- No Race
2019- Ty Majeski
2018- Rained Out
2017- Paul Shafer Jr.
2016 Rained Out
2015 Ty Majeski
2014 Erik Jones*
2013 Kyle Busch*
2012 Travis Sauter*
*Event held at The Milwaukee Mile