Well, Mike Mullen and Jared Siefert have surely made a splash in the Late Model division.
Both are former IMCA Modified drivers who have enjoyed great success and have quickly shown they are formidable competitors in the Late Model ranks.
Mullen picked up his first career Late Model feature win Saturday night in only his fourth night behind the wheel of a Late Model chassis. In two nights of racing at Shawano, Mullen has a third-place finish and a feature win. Siefert picked up his first Late Model win two weeks ago at the Shawano Speedway and also has a runner-up finish in just a handful of nights.
Each of these drivers is a second generation racer. Mullen is the son of Brian Mullen, who has been one of the top Modified pilots in the country for many years. Siefert, the son of former Shawano Speedway track champion Art Siefert, has sold his Modified equipment and is focused squarely on the Late Model. Mullen, on the other hand, still has a Modified and will continue to race both cars.
Siefert is a former IMCA Modified national champion. Mullen has won the prestigious Clash at the Creek Modified race each of the last two seasons, picking up $10,000 with each victory.
For many years, it was the big three in the Late Model division. MJ McBride, Terry Anvelink and Pete Parker had a virtual stranglehold on the division in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Then, drivers such as Troy Springborn, Tom Naeyeart, Nick Anvelink and Ron Berna picked up the torch and have been the drivers to beat for the last decade plus.
In recent season, Brett Swedberg has asserted himself as a frontrunner also and now has been joined by the likes of Siefert and Mullen.
In terms of money, the gap between racing a competitive Modified and a competitive Late Model continues to shrink. Couple that with the fact that Late Models are now racing weekly on Friday nights at the Luxemburg Speedway, which has been a Modified hot spot for many years, and it is a distinct possibility that more Modified drivers will make the move to a Late Model in the coming seasons.
Saturday was the track’s fifth annual Racing for a Reason night. The track was able to raise $15,500 for the fight against childhood cancer. This brings the five-year total to $58,500.
