BRAGGING RIGHTS ON THE LINE IN KING OF THE WING SHOOT OUT AT GRUNDY COUNTY
July 2, 2014
By: Rich Murray
The third round of the King of the Wing Sprint Car Shoot Out invades the .333-mile bullring of Grundy County Speedway on Saturday, July 5th along with the return of the D'Arcy GMC STARS National Midgets. Bragging rights are on the line as the top drivers representing several different wing sprint car series across the United States are competing against each other to be crowned the first nationwide “King of the Wing.”
The number of appearances that sprint cars of any kind have made at Grundy County in recent years is few and far between. In fact, in this century, wing sprint cars have only competed twice at the track. An appearance by the Auto Value Super Sprints in 2000 netted Michigan’s Ryan Katz a victory. In the most recent winged sprint car race at Grundy County, Indiana’s Ron Koehler took the victory in a Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series event. The rarity of sprint cars at the track means that many of the drivers competing in Saturday’s King of the Wing Sprint Car Shoot Out event do not have previous experience at the paved oval in Morris, Illinois. Despite the lack of experience at the venue, the drivers feel that they will not have to change their approach.
“I've been to Grundy to help on a midget team once, but I've never raced there,” said two-time Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series and Tampa Bay Area Racing Association champion Troy DeCaire. “With little knowledge of a new venue, I like to approach it like I would any other track that I've been too. (We will) have the racecar as prepared as possible to race so we can concentrate on dialing in the setup.”
Former Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series titleist Jojo Helberg agrees with that approach. “I have not been to the track yet and have not seen it,” Helberg said. I haven't heard much about it other than its size. I'm always adjusting on the car no matter where I go so I’ll be able to adjust the car and my driving style quickly. I'm the kind of person who will run as many different lines as possible and compare lap times to find the best way around the track.”
Not only is the sight of sprint cars at Grundy County a deviation from the norm, the presence of three generations of drivers from the same family is unheard of. In the long history of NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula One, there has never been a grandfather, father, and son combination all competing in the same event. This Saturday night, Ken Hamilton, as well as 11-time Indy 500 starter and King of the Wing Sprint Car Shoot Out President Davey Hamilton, and Davey Hamilton, Jr. will all be battling on the same track for a chance to take home the first place trophy and $3,000.
The King of the Wing round at Grundy County race is the third and final event of the Midwest portion of the King of the Wing Sprint Car Shootout schedule. Leading up to the race at Grundy County, the series will compete at Toledo Speedway in Ohio and Winchester Speedway in Indiana. In late November, the series migrates to the west coast for a three-race California swing to close out the series with races at Madera Speedway, Irwindale Speedway, and Kern County Raceway Park. The driver with the highest point total in the three Midwest races will earn a $2500 prize and takes home the honor of being named Midwest “King of the Wing.” The points earned during the round at Grundy County Speedway go toward the overall King of the Wing Sprint Car Shoot Out point standings in which the top point-earning driver will collect a $5000 prize. The drivers are grateful for Davey Hamilton’s creation of the six race series and, in particular, the addition of Grundy County Speedway to the schedule.
I'm very excited about Davey putting together a deal like this,” DeCaire said. “It's giving us (wing pavement guys) another opportunity to make some money doing what we love. (He’s) taking us to six great tracks from east coast to west coast, from short, tight quarter miles to high-banked half miles. “I believe that with the diversity of the tracks and locations, when this deal all shakes out, you will truly have a nationally recognized ‘King of the Wing.’"
Helberg shares similar sentiments as DeCaire and notes how much these races mean to him personally. “The six races in the King of the Wing Series are by far the most important wing races on my schedule this year,” Helberg said. Davey Hamilton is one of the few promoters who encourage innovative thinking, which is what I am all about. With that being said, I am sure we will see new track records and great racing at each event. “I am looking forward to the race at Grundy County because it will be my first race there and I have only heard great things about the track.”
The list of drivers expected to compete in the sprint car race at Grundy County Speedway are a who’s who of pavement winged sprint car racing drivers in the United States. Many of the drivers are traveling from locations all over the map, from the east coast to the west coast to Middle America, and north of the border. Included on the list are the previously mentioned Hamilton family from Idaho; Florida drivers Troy DeCaire, Shane Butler and Garrett Green; Californians Jojo Helberg, Cody Gerhardt, Kody Swanson, and Tim Skoglund; Indiana’s Jacob Wilson; Michigan’s Jason Blonde; Tim Cox from Illinois, and Ryan Litt from Canada. Drivers who have previous midget racing experience who are entered at Grundy County include Michigan’s Dave Baumgartner and Wisconsin’s David Byrne. The competition will be stout from top to bottom and the winner will not be able to back into a victory: he will have earned it.
“The competition is going to be awesome,” DeCaire said. I think it's safe to say that this is the first time we can honestly say we will have the best from every wing series in the country. This will collectively be the strongest field constructed in wing pavement racing.”
“I have quoted these three (Midwest) races as ‘The Grudge Match’ because everyone from the different Midwest series will come together to compete at three awesome tracks for all the bragging rights,” Helberg said. “My team and I plan to give it everything we have and keep our game faces on until the checkered flies at Grundy County.”
Also on the card for the night is a 50-lap feature for the STARS National Midgets: the “Freedom 50.” In last season’s “Freedom 50,” three-time STARS National Midget champion Jim Anderson came from the tail of the field to take the victory in the 50-lap feature. In 2011’s “Freedom 50,” Darren Hagen stalled the car early in the feature after accidentally hitting the kill switch. After having to restart the feature from the last spot on the grid, Hagen raced his way through the pack and made a last lap pass on Tracy Hines to take the win.
So far in STARS National Midget action this year, Avon, Indiana’s Austin Prock has taken the checkered flag in two of the three races while Franklin, Indiana’s Travis Young won the most recent race two weeks ago. The 18-year-old Prock leads the STARS point standings with a 74 point lead over Brad Greenup while Tyler Trainor, Billy Hulbert, and Ryan Probst round out the top five. Falling behind those five drivers in the standings are Jim Anderson, Kyle Kettmann, and Young, while Nick Baran and Terry Ahern are tied for ninth.
On the schedule alongside the King of Wing Sprint Car Shoot Out and the STARS National Midgets will be the Classic Modfieds, INEX Legends, CSR Super Cups, and the Midwest Legacy Series. Adult tickets are $25. Children between the ages of 5-12 are $10. Kids age 4 and under are free! Gates open at 4 p.m. Racing starts at 6:30 p.m. Furthermore, the 110th Annual Grundy County Fair is also going on at the Fairgrounds outside the track. Parking is free! Grundy County Speedway is located one mile north of I-80 on Rt. 47 in Morris, Illinois.
For more info on this event, visit the King of the Wing Sprint Car Shootout website at
http://www.kingofthewing.net/. Find STARS on the web at
http://www.shorttrackauto.com/.
