[MichiganCircleTrack.com]

http://www.michigancircletrack.com/i...gets&Itemid=93

The Wolverine Outlaw Midget Series is proud to announce the up coming purchase of the series by Mike Strevel.

more at the link..

[Tony Barhorst]

I have met Mike when he was an official/announcer with AVSS...and he most recently worked for Berlin Speedway..when it was owned by the West Michigan Whitecaps baseball team.

Welcome to midget car racing..

Best,
Tony Barhorst
rumbleseries.com

[pgray]

The pending sale of the Wolverine Outlaw Midget Series is just the latest of occurrences that underscores the great difficulty seen in promoting Midget racing in it's current environment.

That saying of " build it and they will come " hasn't necessarily applied to Midgets in recent times.
Tony Barhorst returned the Midgets to the Indianapolis Speedrome after a 4 year absence , and , at least in the most recent event , neither the spectator nor the competitor showed up in very significant numbers. Spectator attendance at some pavement Midget venues was actually lost some time ago. A reasonable car count and back-gate has sustained some series for awhile now.

Car count is king and I'm sure Tony was counting on greater participation in his partnering with WOMS in the Speedrome venture. To no fault of his own , Dan VanderMolen was unable to deliver his group from Michigan to the east side of Indy as travel constraints would prove a detriment.

The USAC Regional Series made it's first of two scheduled visits in '09 last evening to the Plymouth Speedway ( Plymouth , Indiana ) and only 6 Midgets made the tow to what is really a great Midget track , banked 3/8ths mile , newly paved 2 years ago and a great overall facility for fan and competitor alike. Another example of just how tough the promoters life can be.

In the world of Regional and Mid-West pavement Midgets , Tony Barhorst , Dan VanderMolen and Don Kenyon are the best at what they do - however difficult it may all prove to be.

Dan " took off the wings " , contained costs , simplified rules , signed title sponsors , raised the purse and payout , attracted new venues , all the while creating the most user friendly and welcoming group anyone could hope for.

Midget Racing has lost a great steward and friend of the sport. Best Wishes , Dan VanderMolen !

Paul,
Thank you for the kind words. I will continue to be involved as a driver and sponsor but I have decided to give some one else a chance to further the cause. I have learned a great deal in the last three years and have formed some strong opinions on midget racing and the sanctioning bodies we have in the Midwest but I would have to write a book to discuss it in depth. I really do think we are making progress as a series but the state of the economy in Michigan really hurt us this year. We have such a great bunch of people in our series. They are always ready to help each other at any time. I hope we never lose that family atmosphere. They are clean drivers. You just don't see the bumping and banging you see at other midget events. Respect for equipment and each other has always been a top priority.
I really tried a lot of different approaches but never seemed to hit one out of the park. A man with a lot of experience will be taking over and I feel good about his chances for success. Mike Strevel is a great promoter with a lot of experience.
Again, thank you for the kind words. When am I going to get a chance to race against you again. There are three regular competitors at WOMS that could qualify to be USAC's oldest rookie. You would be the youngest of the three. That should make you feel good. Dan Vander Molen

[pgray]

Originally Posted by wolmidget Paul, ... When am I going to get a chance to race against you again ? There are three regular competitors at WOMS that could qualify to be USAC's oldest rookie. You would be the youngest of the three. That should make you feel good. Dan Vander Molen

Well , I'm not really interested in giving up my title as the oldest at anything ... old age brings such little distinction as it is :2: , but , technically I am now a USAC veteran anyway , so I will gladly surrender the title to one of your guys who may want to run with USAC.

I'm not sure who those three guys are that you reference. I know I have 8 months on you and a full year on Dick Osborn ... Who are your 3 aces you're holding for a Seniors Tour ?

I can beat anything you've got in one Mel Kenyon !