Oregon, WI- Countless Championships and over sixty career Madison International Speedway Super Late Model victories will be represented in the 50 lap Super Late Model feature field this Friday Night. A total of twenty six drivers from four states will make up the star studded field, as the Super Late Model Triple Crown kicks off at MIS. The Midwest Trucks, Central States Super Cups and Roto Rooter 6shooters will also be in action Friday night with racing beginning at 7:30pm.
‘Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile’ will be well represented as twelve time and defending Track Champion Bobby Wilberg returns with his Dick Trickle tribute car, which he drove to an impressive 6th place showing during May’s Joe Shear Classic at MIS. Wilberg has tallied fourteen Super Late Model triumphs at the Oregon speedplant. With twelve Super Late Model career wins at MIS, including seven in a row during the 2013-2014 seasons, Travis Sauter will be returning to Triple Crown competition after a two year absence. Having led early in the Joe Shear Classic, 2015 NASCAR Late Model Rookie of the Year John Beale has also impressed, having just returned from the high banks of Bristol, Beale looks to add to add a Super Late Model win to his 4 career MIS Late Model wins.
Three former Champions at ‘The World’s Fastest Quarter Mile’ Slinger Super Speedway will be in action Friday night. Defending Champion Chris Blawat was one of the first to throw his hat in the ring for the 2017 Super Late Model Triple Crown. Additionally, 2015 Slinger Nationals and 2016 Dixieland 250 (Kaukauna) winner, Dennis Prunty brings a vast racing resume which includes multiple starts in the Snowball Derby and Nashville Fairgrounds in addition to his Slinger successes. Speaking of variety, Brad ‘JJ’ Mueller is a throwback driver, racing both asphalt and dirt successfully. Mueller, who has 4 career NASCAR Truck starts is a three time Slinger and three time Plymouth Dirt Track Champion.
A pair of Central Wisconsin drivers are also on the expected entry list. Marshfield’s Dean LaPointe has been in contention the past two seasons in the Super Late Model Triple Crown and intends to change his luck in the 2017 running. Returning to action will be Mark Eswein, Eswein is a two time winner at MIS and is always atop the leaderboard throughout Central Wisconsin.
Leading the Chicagoland brigade will be 2013 Illiana Motor Speedway Champion Paul Shafer, Jr. Shafer, one of the up and coming drivers in the region followed up his 2015 Triple Crown Runner-Up finish in the standings with a second place showing in the Championship standings of the ARCA Midwest Tour last season. Also joining the Chicagoland roster will be former Rockford Speedway Rookie of the Year Mikie Breiner and Chicagoland front runner Jay Foster.
The ‘Stars and Cars’ of the ARCA Midwest Tour will be represented well, in addition to Shafer, Jr, four additional stars will battle for the win Friday night. 2015 ARCAMT Rookie of the Year Austin Nason looks to follow up on his 2014 Triple Crown victory. The Roscoe, IL native captured four Big 8 Late Model Series wins in 2014 including Oktoberfest (LaCrosse) and visited victory lane during Speedweeks at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. The 2011 ARCAMT Champion turned heads this May when he piloted his #39 machine into victory lane following the Joe Shear Classic 200 at MIS. It should be no surprise that Andrew Morrissey will be one to watch, as he has twelve career MIS Super Late Model wins, making him tied for the third most amongst active drivers. The driver with the most is next on our list, Rich Bickle, Jr as accumulated seventeen career wins, many coming when the track was known as Capital Super Speedway. Bickle, a three time Snowball Derby Champion, former NASCAR standout in all three national series and former ARTGO and ASA contender dazzled the fans at the Joe Shear Classic, wrestling the lead away late in the 200 lap contest. Dan Fredrickson, the driver Bickle battled with has stated his intentions to return to MIS for the Triple Crown. Fredrickson is the 2008 Joe Shear Classic victor, he is also a five time winner of Elko’s (MN) Thunderstruck 93, a four time winner of LaCrosse’s (WI) Oktoberfest and is a former Elko Speedway Champion and two time ARCAMT Champion.
Defending Fox River Racing Club Champion Jeff VanOudenhoven brings 3 career MIS wins with him into Friday night’s Round One of the Super Late Model Triple Crown. A longtime front runner at Wisconsin International Raceway, VanOudenhoven was sidelined during the 2015 season due to injury but bounced back to claim the WIR title and now has his sights set on the Triple Crown. Bobby Kendall has been fast each time he has brought his #11 through the gates at Madison the past two seasons and is expected to break through in 2017. Another FRRC top dog is Andy Monday, Monday is also a former victor at MIS with one career win. He has set fast time each night thus far at Kaukauna and intends to bring that speed into Friday night. Reagan May will also represent the Fox River region, the former Kulwicki Development Driver will return to action at Madison for the first time since 2015.
A host of Mid-American Stock Car Champions and winners have moved into the Super Late Model ranks. Two time Champion Jeff Storm is amongst the favorites on Friday night, Storm as one career MIS Super Late victory. Another familiar name is 1999 Mid-Am Champ Rick Corso who has been a mainstay with the Triple Crown. 2012 Mid-Am Champ Jeremy Spoonmore and multiple time Mid-Am winner Jake Finney both return to ‘Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile’.
Donny Ruevers has been turning wrenches the past two Triple Crown seasons, now the nine time Elko (MN) Speedway and five time Raceway Park (MN) Champion will be back behind the wheel. The ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes’ will also be represented by Joel Theisen who has had a mixed bag of results the past two seasons at MIS in Triple Crown action. Another Minnesota pilot will be making his second start of the season and of his career at Madison, as John Heath looks to build upon a solid effort during the Joe Shear Classic this past May.
All twenty six drivers on the expected entry list will be receiving a set of McCreary Race Tires for the opening round of the Super Late Model Triple Crown. Pit gates will open Friday June 2 at 2:30pm, practice begins at 4pm, spectator gates open at 6pm, qualifying gets underway at 6:15pm and the first race starts at 7:30pm. Adult General Admission tickets are $18, Whelen Heroes and Seniors $16, students ages 12-17 are $10, kids ages 6-11 $5 with children ages 5 and under admitted FREE. For additional information please visit www.misracing.com or call 608-835-9700.
Expected Entries
Super Late Model Triple Crown
Friday June 2, 2017
Madison International Speedway, Oregon, WI
26 as of 5/30/17
|
#
|
Name
|
Hometown
|
State
|
|
5
|
John Beale
|
Verona
|
WI
|
|
7
|
Paul Shafer, Jr
|
Portage
|
IN
|
|
10
|
Andy Monday
|
Appleton
|
WI
|
|
11
|
Bobby Kendall
|
Montello
|
WI
|
|
13
|
Mikie Breiner
|
Wonder Lake
|
IL
|
|
14
|
Austin Nason
|
Roscoe
|
IL
|
|
15
|
Dean LaPointe
|
Marshfield
|
WI
|
|
22
|
Jeremy Spoonmore
|
Somonauk
|
IL
|
|
25
|
Jeff Storm
|
East Troy
|
WI
|
|
26
|
Chris Blawat
|
Palmyra
|
WI
|
|
28
|
Jake Finney
|
Sycamore
|
IL
|
|
33
|
Reagan May
|
DePere
|
WI
|
|
36
|
Dan Fredrickson
|
Lakeville
|
MN
|
|
39
|
Andrew Morrissey
|
DeForest
|
WI
|
|
41
|
Donny Ruevers
|
Dundas
|
MN
|
|
42
|
Dennis Prunty
|
Knowles
|
WI
|
|
45
|
Jeff VanOudenhoven
|
Appleton
|
WI
|
|
45
|
Rich Bickle, Jr
|
Edgerton
|
WI
|
|
47
|
Travis Sauter
|
Prairie du Sac
|
WI
|
|
62
|
John Heath
|
Lakeville
|
MN
|
|
71
|
Mark Eswein
|
Wisconsin Rapids
|
WI
|
|
75
|
Joel Theisen
|
Maple Grove
|
MN
|
|
87
|
Jay Foster
|
Dekalb
|
IL
|
|
88
|
Rick Corso
|
McHenry
|
IL
|
|
89
|
Brad ‘JJ’ Mueller
|
Random Lake
|
WI
|
|
99
|
Bobby Wilberg
|
Beloit
|
WI
|