Although there was no racing Saturday night at the Shawano Speedway, I was still able to get my racing fix and watch a few drivers with connections to the historic half-mile.
My family and I ventured to the western part of the state to take in the second night of the Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond.
The Masters is a two-night event that features the premier modified tour in the nation, the USMTS Modified tour, and the UMP Summer Nationals “Hell Tour.”
Former regulars of the Shawano Speedway, AJ Diemel and Dave Fieber, competed in the Late Model portion of the show. Chris Oertel, who runs in the Late Model frequently at Shawano, competed in the USMTS Modified show.
Diemel is originally from Navarino and is the grandson of Shawano Speedway Hall of Famer Pappy Diemel. Currently, he lives in Elk Mound and works for Jimmy Mars.
Fieber, formerly of Neenah, lives in Chippewa Falls. Both Diemel and Fieber made the feature Saturday night.
Diemel had a strong showing in the feature, challenging eventual winner Jason Feger for many laps, before lapped traffic took away his preferred inside line. Diemel held off third-place finisher Billy Moyer Jr. en route to a second-place finish.
Fieber finished a respectable 16th in the race. Mark Rose, of Elcho, also attempted to make the show, but could not transfer out of the last-chance qualifier. Oertel finished the Modified feature in 17th position after starting the race in 24th.
Oertel has raced a number of events this summer and is 10th in the point standings for the Northern Region of the USMTS.
If the dreaded “r” word stays away this week, local race fans will be in for a treat at Shawano Speedway, as the IMCA Stock Car class will take center stage.
The total purse for the stock car feature will be more than $5,000, and the winner will take home at least $750. There is also lap leader money on the line. Former Shawano Speedway regular Greg Gutt is slated to be on hand for the event.
Gutt is originally from Bowler, but now calls Erie, Colorado, home. He has been a regular feature winner in Colorado and also scored a track championship last summer. Aside from Gutt and the regular racers at Shawano, there should be a strong field of cars.
Rumor has it that former Modified hot shoe Jeremie Hedrick might wheel a stock car Saturday night as well. This should be a great show. See you at the speedway.
