Championship Night at the Shawano Speedway during the Shawano County Fair is always a fun event. The carnival-like atmosphere is something special.
Many fans make a once-a-year trek to the track on fair night as well.
With one night remaining, Abrams racer “Rocket” Ron Berna has a chance to make history. Berna currently has a nine-point lead over defending track champion Nick Anvelink. A nine-point lead is not insurmountable, but Anvelink would have to beat Berna by ten positions to win the late model track championship. It would be the eighth Shawano Speedway title for Berna — one more than Terry Anvelink and MJ McBride — and give him the distinction of the most track championships in the 50-plus years of racing at Shawano.
There are a number of quality racers who have not focused on racing for points, but at the end of the year it’s the top point getter that’s remembered. Berna was a force at the track in the IMCA Modified division winning three consecutive titles in the class from 1993 through 1995.
In 1996 Berna made the switch to the Late Model division. The 2005 season brought Berna his first late model title. Berna scored another title the following season. 2010 brought Berna title number six, number seven came in 2011.
If Nick Anvelink found a way to best Berna in the point chase it would be his second consecutive and third overall title. Anvelink won an IMCA Modified title in 2000, the same year that Terry Anvelink won his seventh title.
Also in 2000, Jason Czarapata won his first Shawano Speedway title in the IMCA Stock Car class. Czarapata also won titles in 2004 and 2005 in the stocks and has won the IMCA Modified title each of the last two years and has a nearly insurmountable 21 point edge over 2010 mod champ Jerry Wilinski.
Shawano favorite Cody Hudson, “The Hudson Hornet,” needs to merely start the feature to secure his first career title. Hudson is always willing to sign autographs, talk racing and let kids sit in his Dave and Jessica Stoffer owned car.
Always quick with a smile and well spoken, Hudson has worked his way up from ice racing and demolition derbies to make himself one of the top IMCA Sport Mod racers in the Midwest.
Jasper Drengler and Brandon Czarapata also have designs on their first Shawano titles.
Drengler set a goal at the start of the season to win the Mighty 4s track title and enters Saturday night with a nine point lead over Gleason racer Kasey Gross. Czarapata has been dominant this season winning twelve features in fifteen nights.
Czarapata was the national champion a year ago in the IMCA Stock Car class and has a great chance of repeating this year.
Saturday night’s all right for racing. Get a little action in.
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