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Arizona

Don Shaw has a winter home in Arizona, like many race fans and other competitors from the upper Midwest. He likes to bring his Late Model down in the fall, leave it in the Southwest, and occasionally fly back to race it during the winter months. A few years ago, Late Model racing in Arizona was in a bad way. They just a few tracks to race at and even fewer cars left in the state – even though the population is exploding.

So he got together with Brad Whitfield, who was the brand-new promoter of the Central Arizona Raceway near Casa Grande at the time. He had just resurrected the track and they put together a January series of races for Late Models and several other divisions.

It was important for Shaw to include drivers from the WISSOTA region in the series, so they put together a set of rules for the Late Models that were inclusive for open motor cars, WISSOTA spec-engine cars, and even crate 525 motors. The WISSOTA cars proved to be quite competitive and some feature races were even won by our area drivers.

They also added a class that included the WISSOTA Midwest Mods, so even more drivers from our area had a place to race in January in the desert. The inviting series gained traction with more drivers venturing out last year, which brings us to 2025.

Very much like Shaw, Matt Sparby wanted to race in Arizona. Wanting to race his Super Stock more so than a Late Model like last year, he made a deal with Whitfield to add the Super Stock class this year, and 10 drivers pulled from Minnesota, Montana and Ontario to race. This made for three classes that were heavily populated with WISSOTA drivers. My rough calculations show about 50 drivers with WISSOTA ties throwing mud in Arizona.

Some drivers also raced in multiple classes and/or raced in classes from other sanctioning bodies. The other three classes running here were Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Modifieds.

For many of the drivers, it was their first opportunity to race in Arizona. Due to the large number of improvements Whitfield and the Pinal County Fair made to the track, it raced like a new facility for just about everyone. The biggest change was the placement of an outside wall all the way around the track. Before there was just a dirt curb, and then cars slid off over that into the desert.

Most returning drivers I spoke with like the wall for a variety of reasons. For the fans, it definitely is an improvement – the caution flags have dropped significantly.

The Ernie Mincy Early Thaw is split into two parts over two weeks, with drivers having the opportunity to practice during two consecutive Wednesday nights, and then racing Thursday through Saturday each weekend. Because they have a 10 p.m. curfew, racing starts each day at 5 p.m. to make sure that they get done in time.

It is nice to get the racing completed early. Here in the desert in January, while the suns shines just about every day and it warms nicely, once that sun sets it does get cool and winter gear is still needed. Still, there is no snow to shovel and to get to race a half dozen times in January is still pretty sweet.

Starting with the Late Model class, and the WISSOTA drivers on hand, the most consistent so far has been Cole Schill. He is running the same MB he raced last year, with power from Harlan Breeschoten and Grandpa Schill. He wasn't even planning on making this trip; his car was in pieces back at the shop when great sponsors jumped on board and basically paid his way out here to race. In the first three races, Schill had produced two fifth-place and one sixth-place finish, while putting the car in the trailer in one piece each night.

We’ve already mentioned earlier that Zach Johnson picked up his new race car in Tennessee on his way out here, finishing the assembly when he arrived in Arizona, and then driving it for his first laps. His car is a Longhorn from Mike Marlar with a Vic Hill motor in it. Opening night found it dead in the water on the starting line, putting him in the back for the feature event. But following that opening night hiccup, things went considerably smoother. He finished third the next night, and captured the victory during the third night. It was quite an impressive performance, especially considering just how new this whole effort is. He is running a WISSOTA-legal car and plans a full racing effort in the Late Model for 2025. He will be a threat every night, no matter where he is racing. He plans to make his way to a number of Challenge Series races.

Larry Fitzsimmons brought a two-car effort to the desert. He was driving a new Longhorn with an open Vic Hill motor in it for the first time. His older car, a Black Diamond with a 525 crate under the hood, was driven by Adam Bohlman. Fitzsimmons had a best run of 12th the opening week, while Bohlman finished 22nd before parking the car for the final show to focus on his Limited Mod.

Don Shaw was driving the same car he raced at Vado, but with restrictors on the open motor. While not a part of the promotional team for this event for the first time, he is still doing the track prep. This splits his focus but he has a big crew to get the car ready for him. His best run so far was a runner-up finish on January 24, with two other top-10 finishes during the week.

Matt Gilbertson was also racing in Casa Grande, sporting an MB with Pro Power under the hood. He had a best run of 10th for the opening week, with an unfortunate wall banging and flat tire another night slowing his efforts.

Chad Olsen brought a pair of sharp-looking cars to Arizona, both MBs with Pro Power under the hood. Olsen had a best finish of seventh, with one unfortunate night when he got dumped by another driver, diminishing his efforts some.

Son Charlie’s car was on hand also, but Charlie was at home in Minnesota, going to school and playing basketball this week. His racing efforts were scheduled to begin the following week, as his coach allowed him to miss a couple practices.

North Dakota had just as many drivers entered in action at Central Arizona Raceway as there were from Minnesota. Jaden Christ made his first start in the desert with his MB with a Frank Zeuli 525 motor under the hood. Jaden’s 14th-place finish was his best so far.

Another 525-powered racer at this event is Rusty Kollman, using the same MB he raced during the 2024 racing season. Rusty is always a very consistent driver. He did get caught up in one big wreck that allowed him to continue, though he had a lot of body damage. His best run so far was 16th.

The Eisenschenk sisters have been very impressive so far with their twin Rockets, both with power from Pro Power. I suspect many in the crowd don’t realize these are high-school-aged ladies, going toe to toe with veteran drivers. They don't give an inch and race well beyond their years. A big crew, headed by Cody Skytland, keeps them rolling. The highlight so far for Amelia was a great top-five finish on January 25, while Laela has been just outside the top-10 all three nights.

There were great expectations for Tyler Peterson out here, but so far the TPO crew has had nothing but bad luck. Bad draws have buried him most nights in the feature; his best run so far has been an eighth-place finish. I expect him to heat up for week two.

The two-car team of Blaine Doppler and Austin Kuehl, both wheeling cars for Paul Mueller, endured a tough week. Both cars were very fast, but both suffered motor problems. They both won heats on opening night, but neither driver was able to take a green for the main event due to those issues. The problems kept them away from the track for round two, but they returned for Saturday. Doppler finished 21st, but Kuehl again missed the feature when the problems persisted on his car.

In the Limited Modified class, the largest number of drivers came out of the Gopher state. The greatest degree of success so far was Jake Smith, but just barely. Driving the same car that he tested out briefly at Vado (his familiar No. 21), he had one win and two second-place finishes during the first week of the series.

A two-car team out of east central Minnesota included Adam Bohlman and Ariel Mueller, racing a pair of SSR chassis. Ariel had a best finish of 10th so far, while Bohlman had a best finish so far of sixth.

Jason Hobbs brought cars for two classes to race. His efforts in the Limited Mod included a new-to-him SSR chassis, with a best run of 14th.

James Trantina also had cars for two classes on hand. His Limited Mod is an SSR with an Adams Chevy motor under the hood. After a rocky opening night when Trantina clipped the wall while leading the feature, he responded with two top-five runs, with third-place being his best.

Fifteen-year-old Onyx Johnson has been having some good runs, similar to his father's efforts in the Late Model. He has an MB with a Sower Power Ford under the hood. His best run was on opening night when he cracked the top five in the Limited feature.

Western Minnesota racing veteran Scott Tofte made another appearance in the desert, racing in the Limited Mod class. Of his three runs, an opening night fourth-place finish was his best.

Switching back to the North Dakota delegation, Lucas Rodin was just barely behind Smith in terms of success seen in the first three nights of racing. Rodin is well-known by fans for his many successes during January racing. Rodin missed Vado this year because of work committments, and brought just his Limited Mod for this trip to Casa Grande. His opening week was one of success, as he won one feature and finished in the top three in the other two. Rodin is still running the old SSR chassis that has more than 200 shows on it. He still wins at an amazing rate, and with Dakota Engine Builders power to boot.

Right there with Smith and Rodin was Jess Brekke, who was in an SSR chassis. Due to his booming business, his racing during the regular season is limited. These winter meets are his forte, running in two classes with Chubbs power in this car. The Limited Mod produced a victory on Saturday, with a third- and fifth-place finish during the other two nights.

Jarod Klein had a week marked by some bad luck and mechanical issues. An eighth-place finish on night two was his best in week one. He is racing an MB with a Dakota Engine Builders motor.

Scott Bintz's effort turned into a two-car team for this event. Scott was driving a brand-new car for this series, a Factory 43 entry with Dakota Engine Builders power. In the car he raced at Vado, he had “The Cowboy” Travis Saurer behind the wheel. Bintz's best run to date was an eighth on opening night, while Saurer improved each night, up to fourth at the finish on Saturday.

One of the larger operations in the pits was from Carman, Manitoba. Ted and Tyler Doell, along with Garett Veldman, were using Millenium chassis from Dustin Strand. The Doells had South Fork power, while Veldman had a Millar motor. Ted had a best run of 11th, Tyler 12th and Garett 13th.

Two Montana drivers also were on hand for the races. Paul Parks, who put Brennan Davis behind the wheel on Saturday, was driving a Fab 18 chassis with Paul's Race Engines power, getting a best run of 11th on opening night.

Cory Wilder, who raced this event last year as well, showed up on Friday; he was delayed by bad weather. He ran a Tocci Welding chassis and motor in his car. He got a best of 13th place on Saturday.

The lone Wisconsin entrant was Joe Swearingen, who came over to race after the New Mexico event. Getting better as he gets more seat time, he got a best of 10th on Friday night of the three races he entered.

Ten drivers will be able to claim they were first in what will hopefully be a long series of racing events for the Super Stocks in Arizona. Eight came from Minnesota, one from Ontario, and one from Montana.

After the opening weekend, there was not a single repeat winner and the drivers put on a good show all three nights. I have spoken to some of the local fans – folks who had never seen the Super Stocks before – and they were all very complimentary in the their comments about the races and the cars in general. They liked the looks of the Supers.

Three drivers have stood out so far, by way of their finishes, including Max Nelson, Dexton Koch and Jordan Henkemeyer.

Nelson has appeared to have found his niche in racing. Having tried both Late Models and Modifieds, and keeping the parts business going, the time necessary to run the Super Stock has worked out perfectly. He is debuting a brand-new TRC for this series with Chubbs power and Koch's Hardware supporting him. So far he has a second, a third, and on Saturday, he grabbed a feature win to show for his efforts. The feature win, by the way, was his first in the last four years.

Close behind him are Henkemeyer and Koch, who each have a win themselves, along with second and fourth-place finishes. Henkemeyer is driving his familiar Affordable chassis with Adams Automotive power and Hanson Paving supporting his efforts.

Koch, with a last-minute scramble to get out here for this event, is using his same car from last year, an Affordable with Adams power. Dexton, by the way, is still actively pursuing moving into the Late Model class for 2025. He has a couple chassis he is working on and in fact, had to borrow a trailer to get out here; he sold his while shopping for a bigger one that will hold a Late Model. Stay tuned for more news on this story.

Trantina may have had a record just as good as the three previously mentioned, if not for a motor issue on opening night. So after his problem on opening night, he recorded fifth- and sixth-place finishes after a motor change was executed on Friday.

Hobbs has a Super Stock as a part of his two-car team out here, and with help from the folks at Dirt Dueller chassis on his brand-new car, he has been making big steps of progress each night. This culminated in a third-place run on Saturday night of the first weekend.

Minnesota veteran Al Cleveland is sharing a toter with Henkemeyer, and he reports that he may have his best car ever. While the middle of the car is older, he has both a brand-new front and rear clip on the car and each night he has been getting faster. So far, an eighth-place run is his best offering. Cleveland reports that his 2025 plan is to run as many of the Fastlane Series events as possible, while racing at other events for the Super Stocks. Unfortunately there are not too many where he lives.

Doug Bolt made the long pull from Thunder Bay to race in the Super Stocks, in a brand-new TRC with Chubbs power. He had a great opening night run, moving to the cushion and nearly stealing the race before settling for third. His next two finishes were also top-10 runs.

Matt Sparby has been big in getting the Super Stocks added as a part of this mini series. As such, he brought two race cars to help the car count. He is driving a TRC, while his daughter Alexa is racing an Affordable, and both have Zeuli power.

Matt has been very consistent, with two top-five finishes, while Alexa is still learning the ropes of the Super Stock, not having many races in this class. She cracked the top-10 twice.

The last driver to run this week has been Beau Brown from Montana. He has a TRC chassis with Kevin Stoa Engineering power. He was dinged up on the final race of round one, but he has managed a best of seventh so far this week.

There are also several drivers with WISSOTA ties who are racing in the other three classes.

In the Sport Mods, both Mark “Bud” Martini and Kaden Woodie have had great weeks. Martini had a first- and a second-place finish in his first two races of the week while Woodie got two third-place finishes. Unfortunately, the weekend ended on a down note; while battling for second during Saturday’s feature, they tangled and both were eliminated from the race.

Jake Smith was also participating in this class and drove to two top-10 finishes before washing the car up and sending it home early so he could concentrate on the Limited Mod.

Woodie, a very busy guy out here, was also in the Stock Car class and he nailed three top-five finishes over the course of the week, with a runner-up on the final night.

Two Modified drivers were also in the mix. Devin Fouquette had been racing here the previous week, as mentioned earlier, and made the first two feature races of the week. Unfortunately, he blew the transmission in his car while racing the second main and they decided to load up and head home early. He’ll now wait for spring so he can crack open his new Late Model in central Minnesota competition.

When Brekke rolled in to race his Limited Mod, he also brought along his Modified, too. A Rage chassis with a crate motor, he made all three features of the week, with a best finish a 14th so far.

Along with the racers themselves, I also ran into several racing personalities who were on hand. To help with the teching for the week, WISSOTA tech men Gene K, Justin P, and Big Kenny were all on hand, helping make the program move along smoothly and fairly.

Late Model driver Randy Gullixson was roaming the pits checking things out and reported that when he returns to Wisconsin in early April, he is looking forward to an early spring so he can start racing his Late Model once again.

Cody Borgeson was spinning wrenches for Joe Swearingen the opening weekend. He tells me that he will be racing his SSR Mid Mod again in 2025, hoping to run considerably more WISSOTA point shows and gunning for the Wisconsin State Championship.

Larry Jans, who spends winters in Arizona these days, said that though it hurts his efforts to help his son Mike get his Street Stock ready, he will be ready for the openers back home. With more and more “dad”-type responsibilities falling on Mike, he may limit his racing to Friday nights in Montevideo, while taking his kids kart racing on other nights. However, I expect to see him on Memorial Day for the Madison opener with a cold Sun Drop for me, and also at the Little Dream in late July.

Dave Mass was spinning wrenches for Don Shaw here in Arizona, and reported that he plans to race both his Late Model and Super Stock back at home. He does plan on racing the Super more while likely going back to a 525 crate for the Late Model after struggling with the spec engine last year.

In track-related news that I heard, a member of the board of directors for the Grand Rapids Speedway told me that after consideration, Grand Rapids has decided to remain a Thursday night track, after they considered moving their shows to Friday nights.

Racing continued during the second week of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw, Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. Three more race meets to wrap up the Mincy for 2025.

All six divisions were again in action for the final three races of the mini-series, with WISSOTA-area drivers again racing in all the classes. Several drivers also made their first appearances of the series.

A couple Montana-based drivers showed up for the second week of racing. Jon Tribble brought a pair of cars to race; he had a Super Stock and a Midwest Mod, which he raced in the Limited Mod division. His Super Stock had just been finished and he didn't get time to put the sponsors on it. It was an Affordable chassis with a motor from Three Forks Motor and Tire Supply. His Mid Mod was a CWR chassis with the same motor builder. Tribble also brought some gears for Cory Wilder's Mid Mod to help his week.

Joining Tribble in the Super Stock class was R.C. Geiss, with a TRC chassis and Frank Zeuli power under the hood.

Joining the Late Model ranks was South Dakota driver Denver Nickeson. School activities for his family kept him away from week one, but he had his Longhorn chassis with KBS Power on hand for the final three shows.

With his new car waiting for him, Charlie Olsen flew in for the final three races from western Minneota. A junior in high school, Charlie has a lot on his plate, including participating in four high school sports while maintaining his studies. And this all while longing to be a dirt track race car driver at the same time. With two cars on hand, A.J. Diemel flew in to help the Olsen team, as well as other MB customers who were racing.

Larry Fitzsimmons switched rides for week two. He blew up his open motor to wind up week one, so he switched over to the Black Diamond car with 525 power that Adam Bohlman raced the week before. Meanwhile, they put a 604 crate motor in the Longhorn, and Fitzsimmons planned on racing in Florida with that car once he was done in Arizona.

Sadly, after Zach Johnson won the feature to complete week one, an issue cropped up that kept him off the track during week two. While doing their regular maintenance, they discovered a problem and were advised by their motor builder that he needed to repair the issue. While unfortunate, this allowed Zach time though to focus on son Onyx's Mid Mod for the second week. Don Shaw also had a shorter week than he had planned, as he blew a hole in the block of his motor on Friday and was headed back to Minnesota by the time the green flag dropped for the final event on the schedule.

After wrecking a car during the opening race of the six-night series, the Woodie team bought a car and then got it ready so Taven could race the second half of the series.

Around a dozen drivers competed with the Late Models during week two. With one clunker in round two, Tyler Peterson probably had the best showing overall. He had a first, a second and an 18th-place finish. Close behind was Chad Olsen, who recorded a second, fourth and a 15th-place finish.

Other drivers and their best finishes included: Jaden Christ-11th; Charlie Olsen-ninth; Cole Schill-sixth; Rusty Kollman-sixth with three top 10s; Amelia Eisenschenk-eighth; Laela Eisenschenk-third; Fitzsimmons-15th; Blaine Doppler-21st; Austin Kuehl-sixth; Shaw-19th; Matt Gilbertson-fifth; and Nickeson-ninth.

In the six race series point standings, Schill was fourth, Peterson was fifth, Chad Olsen was sixth, Laela Eisenschenk was eighth, and sister Amelia was ninth. WISSOTA-type spec engines won five of the six feature races offered.

A number of drivers did well in the Limited Mod class, which was made up of WISSOTA Mid Mods, IMCA Sport Mods and X Mods. Five of the six feature races were won by Mid Mod drivers. It is pretty hard to top the week that Jake Smith put in, as he got one win and two runner-up finishes in the three races held during the second week. On top of that, he was also the point champion for the mini-series.

And finishing just behind him, both is success and the final points was Lucas Rodin. A win, a third and a fourth-place finish concluded his week. Along with racing his Mid Mod this coming summer, Lucas has converted his Modified over fully for WISSOTA racing and will doing some double-duty nights, particularly at I-94.

Travis Saurer also had a good week with a third, fifth and 11th place finishes. Jarod Klein had two top-five finishes during the second week, while Onyx Johnson had three top-10 finishes. Jess Brekke had two top-10s with a best of fourth.

The best finishers of the other drivers who ran the second week included: Scott Tofte-sixth; Joe Swearingen-sixth; Adam Bohlman-third; Tyler Doell-fifth; James Trantina-seventh; Ariel Mueller-12th; Ted Doell-13th; Jason Hobbs-15th; Scott Bintz-14th; Cory Wilder-15th; Jon Tribble-14th; and Garett Veldman-20th.

The final point standings showed Smith, Rodin, Brekke, Saurer and Johnson in the top five, with Bohlman, Ted Doell, Mueller and Tofte in the top 10.

In the Super Stocks, Dexton Koch showed why WISSOTA drivers chased him all of 2024; he won two of the three features and finished second in the other race. Trantina was close behind him, with a first, a second and a third in the three feature races of the week. Next was probably Matt Sparby, who had a second in the finale and two fifth-place finishes.

Jordan Henkemeyer had a best finish of third in the fourth race, while R.C. Geiss had a week-best fourth during the fourth night as well. Doug Bolt had a fourth and two sixth-place finishes to highlight his solid week, while Beau Brown had two top-five finishes out of the three races.

Other Super Stock drivers and their best finishes during the second week included: Jon Tribble-fifth; Jason Hobbs-seventh; Al Cleveland-sixth; and Alexa Sparby-10th. The top 10 in points for the mini-series included Koch in first, followed by Henkemeyer, M. Sparby, Trantina III, Bolt, Hobbs, Brown, Cleveland, Alexa Sparby and Max Nelson, who did not race during week two.

In the other three classes where WISSOTA drivers were also competing, Bud Martini had a best runner-up finish in the Sport Mods, while Kaden Woodie had three top 10s and Taven Woodie cracked the top five on the fourth night of the series. Woodie was fourth in the mini series points, while Martini was sixth.

In the Stock Cars, Kaden Woodie has good success finishing first and second during the last two nights and ending up third in the mini-series points.

Brekke raced in both of the open wheel classes, with a best finish of eighth on the final night while he finished 10th in series points.

Florida

Speedweeks in Florida continued with five nights of racing for the Lucas Oil Late Model Series at Ocala Speedway in Ocala. There was limited participation from the drivers from our area, with just two Late Model drivers on hand to race in what was essentially a one-class program for the five nights.

As documented earlier, Dan Ebert is running open Late Models in 2025 in a new team put together by James Trantina III. They intend to focus on the Lucas Series, but Ebert told me he still has Modified stuff at home. When he has time off the traveling series, though limited, he hopes to do some Modified racing.

The competition was tough at Ocala. Ebert has never raced on this uniquely shaped traffic before; it has a dog leg on the back chute and a very tricky corner four, which trips up many drivers. Any mistake ends with a trip into the concrete wall surrounding the track.

Ebert was able to make two of the five main events, with a best showing of 12th.

A familiar face has been hired to work on Ebert’s cars this year, as Justin Froemming joins Cole Babcock. Froemming told me he had worked at his job for 12 years and when this opportunity came up, he decided to give it a whirl. It satisfies one of his long-standing wishes to spend some time working on a big time racing operation.

Froemming will likely not be racing this year, except for the WISSOTA 100 if things work out. With his father now retired and having more time to work on the Modified, they will likely race on Saturday nights at Viking with Mid Mod driver Travis Engebretson taking over behind the wheel. Travis also likely to continue driving his Mid Mod too. So far Froemming said he’s finding his new gig hard work but rewarding.

Another former WISSOTA driver is making a big splash turning wrenches for a top-notch Late Model team; Nathan Sletto has been named crew chief for Ricky Thornton Jr.'s team, based in North Carolina. Sletto had the opportunity to interview for this job after he helped out Ricky Weiss some last year. A job as a mechanic turned into the crew chief job after some interteam changes. Sletto is right in the middle of lots of action and notoriety, as Thornton is one of the most visible drivers in dirt Late Model racing. Sletto's job is to maintain the fleet of Late Model and Modifieds the Koehler Motorsports team fields for Thornton, Jr. and the two Koehler racers. He has an apartment in Mt. Airy but spends most of his time either at the shop maintaining cars or on the road with the team.

Best of luck to both these gentlemen in their racing endeavors.

After having done some racing in New Mexico, Chad Mahder, along with his crew and car owner Steve Hucovski, were also racing at Ocala. They found the going tough, as Chad also had to meet a very steep learning curve provided by the level of competition and the unfamiliar track. Mahder failed to race out of a B Feature the first three nights of racing, then moved up the road north to Georgia to try his luck at a different track in that state.

While the number of drivers from the area might have been small, there were certainly lots of familiar faces in the pits and grandstands for these shows. I ran into both Kevin and Blake Adams, who skipped out one night on their Orlando visit to drive up and watch the Late Models. Rice Lake Speedway Hall of Fame members Al Hajdasz and Joe Lapcinski, who winters in Ocala, were also on hand watching the action. Jay Richardson and Kristi were attending the races as well, before they headed to Volusia for the following week. Trevor Nelson flew in from South Dakota and met up with former South Dakota racer Scott Witkowski, who now lives in Tampa.

While talking to folks at Ocala, I was able to pick up some information on driver off-season activities in our region. The number of Modifieds that race at Thunder City Speedway is expected to increase for 2025. The one thing that this track was lacking was a solid car count in the Mods. One driver slated to move up is Tanner Henderson, from the Mid Mods.

In Wisconsin news, Kori Richter is making all-out preparations for the new season. He has a new Affordable Super Stock plus a new motor and a whole new look to his car.

Cody Carlson has wanted to move back up to the Modifieds and he has been able to do so, having purchased the ex-Austin Chyba MB car. Carlson sold his Mid Mod to Wisconsin's C.J. Hedges, who is expected to race it in northern Wisconsin.

Many race fans will be happy to welcome Neil Balduc back to racing. The Michigan driver was a popular figure at ABC and other tracks and he has recently purchased one of Kevin Adam's MB cars to race as a Mod.

Sophie Anderson, who raced mostly in the Pure Stocks, plus a little bit in the Street Stocks, will be moving to an open-wheeled car in 2025. She obtained a Mid Mod from Jake Molitor and will likely race it at the central Minnesota tracks where she previously ran the Pure Stock.

Simon Wahlstrom, who has raced back and forth between several different classes in the past few years, looks to be back in the Mods in 2025. His team has obtained the MB Mod driven by Jack Rivord last year.

Simon, in turn, sold his Super Stock and the new owner is Danny Richards, who has won just about everything he could in the Street Stocks. Don't be surprised however, if Danny Richards keeps at least one Street Stock so he can race the Little Dream in Rice Lake.

Dave Mayala has updated his Modified racing, and has purchased one of Bob Broking's Lethal chassis.

Trevor Nelson tells me that he will have a new Affordable chassis with Adams power to race Super Stocks again. There are rumors of more racing opportunities for the Super Stocks in South Dakota, and I hope they are fulfilled. I keep hearing a well-known Modified driver who frequents western Minnesota tracks is moving up from the Mods to the Late Models, but I haven't been able to confirm that move. It would be a very interesting change if true.

During the final week of Speedweeks in Florida, Late Model racers moved over to Volusia County Speedway, a blinding fast half-mile oval about 20 miles west of Dayton. The final week included three nights of UMP Late Model racing, and three nights of World of Outlaws Late Model racing.

Minnesota’s Dan Ebert was on hand with his team, as he tried to continue to gain as much experience as they can.

The Volusia crowd was the biggest field of Late Models for any of the Florida events, and also certainly the toughest. Racing here is not for the meek of heart. Besides just mashing the gas pedal, there is a lot of strategy necessary; aerodynamics and momentum are crucial to success here. Drivers get just a few practice laps to get dialed in each night. Since qualifying is so key to a successful night, one slip-up and your night could essentially be “toast.”

Ebert raced all six nights and did not take a night off , as many of the drivers chose to do. Still, he was qualifying against 50 to 60 of the best Late Model drivers around every single night. Their goal was to get more laps and experience, both for Dan as a driver and the crew as a whole.

Their progress was gradual but they were rewarded with their best showing on the final of the six nights.

Previously they had qualified for just one of the three nights of UMP racing. That night, when all drivers made one of three main events, Ebert finished seventh in one of the three feature races.

With the World of Outlaws running the final three shows, using their rules and procedures, Ebert was close on the first two nights, finishing fourth in B features both nights, just missing the main event. On the final night, with a 50-lap feature to run, Ebert grabbed second in one of the B features and made his first WoO start.

He completed all 50 laps and finished 18th in the main event. He continued to gain ground, make better runs and was trending in a positive manner.

They headed back to Minnesota on Saturday night, where over the next few weeks they will clean up everything, reorder and stock parts, and make adjustments to their cars for when the season picks back up again in late March. They may look for some other events to race at before then, depending on the weather and such. They’ve even threatened to break out the Modified for a big show or two, but that is tentative.

After a rookie season marked by improved performances as the season progressed, it is good to see that Adam Ayotte will race the Late Models again in 2025. His ride will be a new MB Customs.

In area news, Hibbing Speedway, under new promoter Barry Braun, released their schedule recently. It is an interesting one, with a wide variety of race nights on the calendar. One Sunday, four Tuesdays and one Friday night show are mixed in among their regular Saturday night offerings. The interesting schedule reminds me of one that a promoter did down in Iowa when he took over a new track. The mixed nights and variety worked very well for him. Some might say that jumping around on race nights offered makes it tough for the fans and drivers to establish a schedule or even remember what night the races are held. I guess we will see how it works out in Minnesota. Special events on the schedule include the Northern Storm on June 15 and the Super Series on July 1.