Jeremy Johnson memorial award

The Jeremy Johnson Memorial Sportsmanship award is given annually at Elko Speedway. Jeremy was a crew member at I-94 Raceway in Sauk Centre MN, he was known as "The Tire Guy" he helped numerous drivers in the pits not just one crew, he was known for his good attitude. He was killed by a drunk driver in 2003, a memorial race was held at I-94 Raceway for many years and later a Sportsmanship award was put together in his name. The inagural winner of this award in 2011 was Mark Bronstad a figure 8 driver at Raceway Park (MN).

Mark is pictured here with the parents of Jeremy Johnson. Other winners of this award are: Molly Rhoads, Richard Timm, Adam Brachle, Joe Valento, Faith Olson, Natalie Swedin-Bartyzal, Taylor Goldman, Ellen Wolff. We all miss Jeremy and it is a reminder that driving drunk could have long lasting consenquences

Mullins proving a small team can have success in ARCA

By Jason D Searcy

Willie Mullins #3 from Fredricksburg (VA) is looking to prove a point, that a small team can have success in the big money world of ARCA racing.

Mullins is a former Road Racer who raced at his local track at Summit Point in Jefferson County in West Virginia for years before making the jump to the ARCA series. "We wanted to make the next step and do something a little bit different," said Mullins.  His team started racing old ARCA cars at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville (NJ) beginning in 2008, he had moderate success and eventually scored a Top 15 finish in 2012.

The team acquired an old NASCAR series car that was once from the Robert Yates stable, it was one of the cars raced by Elliott Sadler, then it came to the ARCA series and reached victory lane with Grant Enfinger behind the wheel.  Willie and the team went Super Speedway racing and they scored an 8th place finish the very first time he raced at the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in 2016.

They are a very small team that has had success racing against some big budget operations like Venturini Motorsports and Driver Development programs from Joe Gibbs and Jack Roush.  This February Mullins scored a career best finish at Daytona by avoiding the wrecks and staying out of trouble the first 2/3rds of the race, then getting aggressive and moving up at the end to finish in second place.

 
Mullins says that ARCA has made some changes that have helped even the playing field, including the new engine package. "The first key is the Ilmor 396, when we brought that out the first year we finished 8th at Daytona, before that if we would've had a Triad engine, we would've been at Top 20 car at best," said Mullins.

The new Five Star body package has also benefited the smaller teams who made the investment in a new body, "that has closed up the field a little more," said Mullins "you don't have to have wind tunnel time and you don't have to have all the tricks on the body to be competitive."

The team has also stayed competitive by limiting their schedule to the biggest tracks on the schedule, (Daytona and Talladega) and now coming to the smallest track on the schedule, the 3/8th mile oval at Elko (MN) Speedway.  "ELKO is such a short track you have to be up on the wheel, you've got to attack every corner and have to be trying to get to the front, if not the leader will catch you" said Mullins "if we can stay on the lead lap the first 3/4 of the race, then we can run to the front at the end."

Willie Mullins had problems during a pit spot and finished fourteenth at Elko Speedway in 2017 but is looking for a better finish this year.  They have hired pit crew members that all have experience in the NASCAR Cup Series and they will pit both his car and his teammate Robert Bruce who is driving the #2 car.  Kevin Belmont, brother of long-time NASCAR driver Andy Belmont, will be the spotter for Willie at Elko Speedway.

Expectations are high for the Willie Mullins and Robert Bruce teams as they go into the Elko Speedway race on Saturday July 15th.  Gates open at 1pm, General Pole Qualifying at 5:45pm, Autograph session at 7:15pm and the Race will begin at 9pm.  It also will be broadcast LIVE on MavTV.  Get more information at ElkoSpeedway.com or ARCARacing.com

Both cars this weekend racing at the ARCA Sioux Chief PowerPex 250 presented by CW Metals and MatrixCare at Elko Speedway will be sponsored by CW Metals in Monticello (MN).  Willie and Robert Bruce will be at CW Metals for an Open House on Friday July 13th 2018 from 10am-2pm.  Free Food and Prizes will be given away plus tours of the facility.

Both Dean and Jason will be at this event reporting for Speed Talk on 1360 radio and will be doing a LIVE remote broadcast on KRWC radio 1360am.

Here is an interview done with Willie on KRWC in 2017 Willie 2017 on Speed Talk
Here is an interview done with Willie on KRWC in 2018 Willie Interview on Speed Talk 2018



Listen for Speed Talk on 1360 Radio every Saturday 10-11am on KRWC1360.com or search KRWC on the free Tunein app.

Kids Q & A at Iowa Speedway

Iowa Speedway held a Kids Q & A Session preceding the Iowa Corn 300 for the Verizon IndyCar Series.  It was held at the Crash Course located under the Main Grandstand.  IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter was the celebrity guest and kids were given the opportunity to ask questions, just like the professional media.

Here are some of the interesting Kids Questions that were asked-with a summary of the answer.

Q:  How does it feel to go Airborn?
A:  It is very Quiet.

Q:  Did you watch racing when you were little?
A:  Yes, I was always a big IndyCar fan growing up.

Q:  How long does it take for you to get into the car?
A:  We have a maximum of 6 minutes when it is announced for drivers to do so but, it usually only takes me about 3-4 minutes.

Q:  How does it feel when you need to go to the Bathroom?
A:  I was waiting for that one!  It's just like when you go on a long road trip with your parents, you have to   go to the bathroom before the race and if you don't you just have to hold it.  But we sweat out a lot in the car so it usually isn't a problem

Just like working media, the kids were not allowed to take photos with the driver or get autographs but the parents were allowed to take a group photo at the end.

Incredible finish of Elko Speedway ARCA race

The finish of the Shore Lunch 250 ARCA series race at Elko Speedway was amazing.  It ended with #52 Austin Theriault edging #15 Christian Eckes by just a couple feet at the finish line a margin of .029.

Here is the audio of the final 5 laps from ELKO announcer Jason Searcy https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/final-5-laps-at-elko-arca-race

Here is the TV coverage of the final few laps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8u-s6eE8-Y

Here is an audio recap including interviews of the Shore Lunch 250 at ELKO https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/speed-talk-6-10-17-arca-shore-lunch-250-recap

Here is the post-race winner interview of Austin Theriault as heard only on Speed Talk on 1360 radio https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/austin-theriault-wins-arca-at

Second Place finisher #15 Christian Eckes drove an incredible race but came up just short, here is our interview with him post-race.  https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/christian-eckes

Third place finisher #18 Riley Herbst was the General tire pole award winner with a time of 14.362, he had contact with #55 Zane Smith (photo below) in the final corner of the last lap, Smith was transferred to the hospital and was later released.  Here is our interview with Herbst https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/riley-herbst-p3

Bret Holmes #23 finished 4th, he started the race in second with a time of 14.364, only .002 behind Herbst for the pole.  He is a student at Auburn and proudly displays their logo on his helmet.

Local Minnesota racer #78 Cole Anderson (below) of Northfield drove for Mason Mitchell Motorsports, he had a very strong race and was in the "top 5" much of the night.  He was involved in the last lap wreck though and finished 10th.

Here is our interview with Cole Anderson https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/cole-anderson-p5

Here is the race story from ARCA https://www.arcaracing.com/articles/2006584-theriault-wins-shore-lunch-250-at-elko

Another local racer Natalie Decker from Eagle River (WI) raced the #25 for Venturini Motorsports and finished a lap down in 13th after a pass-through penalty under green, she spent most of the race on the lead lap.  Decker did pose in a Victory Lane photo with Great North Legends winner Derek Lemke.

What an incredible night of racing and a good crowd at Elko Speedway for the #ShoreLunch250.  For more coverage of this event and all MN racing listen to Speed Talk on 1360 Radio Saturdays 10-11am on KRWC1360.com or search KRWC on the free Tunein app for your mobile device.

Here are the official results from ARCA.  https://www.arcaracing.com/events/1986120-elko-arca-200#session_1988552

ARCA Returns to ELKO

By Jason D Searcy

Circle the date Saturday June 3rd 2017 on your racing calendar because that is the return of the ARCA series to Elko (MN) Speedway.  The ARCA series presented by Menards not only is one of the very few chances for us to see live pit-stops up here in the North, it also provides the unique opportunity to meet and greet the future stars of our favorite sport.  

As an example, think back to the very first ARCA race ever held in Minnesota, it was at Elko Speedway six years ago, it was a beautiful day on June 2nd in 2012.   28 cars started the Akona 200 with Alex Bowman on the pole.  Alex Bowman currently is employed by Hendrick Motorsports and he drove the #88 car for Dale Jr in the opening Clash at Daytona International Speedway last February.  He is so highly thought of that Mr Hendrick offered him a contract even though he has no ride for him at the moment, he might be driving the #88 car next year in the Cup series.

Matt Lofton led the race for a few laps until Brennan Poole took the lead on lap 12, he had the quickest car all night long.  Poole currently races full time in the NASCAR Xfinity series in the #48 car for Chip Ganassi.

Some cars pitted for tires on lap 66, including Chris Buescher who is now racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for JT Daugherty after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Championship in 2015 for Roush/Fenway racing.

Local driver Joey Miller from Lakeville (MN) brought out the caution on lap 90 providing the opportunity for Brennan Poole to pit for tires, Poole returned to the track in 8th position.

Steve Arpin, who grew up just a few miles north of Minnesota in Fort Francis, Ontario, Canada brought out the next caution on lap 117.  Arpin is now racing for Chip Ganassi as a factory Global Rallycross driver.  Poole had worked his way up to fourth when the caution flag flew.

Poole (photo below) then used the high side to his advantage and took a lead he would never relinquish on lap 133, he won by 1.205 seconds over Matt Lofton with Chris Buescher finishing 3rd and Frank Kimmel coming across the finish line 4th. Tom Hessert was 5th and Joey Miller fought back for a strong 6th place finish.

Two other notable drivers were not even a factor in the race.  Erik Jones, a 7 time winner in the Xfinity series, who currently drives for Furniture Row in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series finished 8th and two-time Daytona Xfinity series winner Ryan Reed, who is now driving for Roush/Fenway in the #16 car, finished 13th.

The race took just over one hour to complete in 2012, so an extra 50 laps were added in 2013.  It was a very memorable event when NASCAR Cup Legend Ken Schrader won the pole and ARCA Legend Frank Kimmel tied Iggy Katona for the most career ARCA wins with 78.  Grant Enfinger (below) spun early but came back through the field and won the ARCA race at Elko Speedway in 2014.  Here is our Speed Talk on 1360 audio recap of the 2014 race https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/arca-elko-2014

Thinking back 6 years ago to the first race in 2012, If only we had known just how many of those ARCA drivers would go on to become stars in NASCAR things would've been different.  We all easily could've gotten autographs from each and every driver in the race and filled up our camera's with the photographic proof that I met THAT GUY who now races every weekend on TV! 

Many of us didn't take advantage of that opportunity a few years ago but, thankfully we now have a second chance because after a two year hiatus, the ARCA series presented by Menards will be returning to Elko Speedway for the Shore Lunch 250 lap event on Saturday night June 3rd and joined by the Great North Legends cars.

Look for rising stars like #52 Austin Theriault from Fort Kent Maine who has recently raced in both the Truck series and Xfinity series, he drives for Ken Schrader and is the point leader.  Dalton Sargeant #77 is a 19 yr old from Boca Raton FL who is turning heads, he is second in points.  Gus Dean #32 from Bluffton Georgia and Justin Fontaine #33 from Fletcher North Carolina are driving for Win-Tron racing owned by former ASA Champion Kevin Cywinski who lived for many years in Minnesota.  Joe Gibbs racing has an entry in the field as well, #18 is Riley Herbst from Las Vegas Nevada.

Natalie Decker (below) from Elk River WI, who has spent a lot of time at Elko Speedway the last couple years, will be racing #25 for Venturini Motorsports after a lead-lap finish in her ARCA debut at Toledo.

Northfield (MN) racer Cole Anderson is also entered in the race, he will be driving the #78 car for Mason Mitchell Motorsports.  Cole has won some big Super Late Model races in his short career but a win in this race would really get him some National attention.

The race itself is sure to be memorable but the pre-race autograph session and selfie line with all the ARCA drivers might provide that lasting image that you will cherish in a few years.  When you live way up here in the North Country, opportunities like this one don't come along every day.  So don't miss it.  Spectator Gates open at 1pm, ARCA Qualifying at 5pm, the Eternity Homes Great North Legends feature is at 5:30pm, the on-track autograph session is from 6:15-7:15pm with ARCA racing at 8pm.

Get discounted Tickets at Regional Minnesota Menards Stores and get more information at ElkoSpeedway.com or Aracracing.com

***Franklin (VA) driver Willie Mullins has a CW Metals from Monticello (MN) as a sponsor for this race and is putting a big effort into having a good run at ELKO.  Here is the interview Jason and Dean did with Willie https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/speed-talk-5-6-17-willie-mullins-arca-driver

***Kevin Cywinski is the owner of ARCA team Win-Tron Racing.  Here is an interview with Kevin talking about his storied racing career and the upcoming ELKO race.  https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/speed-talk-5-13-17-kevin-cywinski


****Cole Anderson from Northfield MN will be in the ARCA race at ELKO.  He is driving the #78 car for Mason Mitchell Motorsports.  Here is the interview we did with Cole talking about this great opportunity.  https://soundcloud.com/dean-reller/speed-talk-5-27-17-cole-anderson-interview

Elko Speedway racer Matt Goede recovering from injury

By Jason D Searcy

March 1, 2017

Things were going great for #28 Matt Goede in 2016, he just bought a house in Carver (MN) and at the age of 28 he was ascending to the peak of his racing career.  In auto racing he finished second place to his brother #72 Jacob Goede in the Premiere division at Elko Speedway for the second consecutive year.  In snowmobile racing he had just won his third Vintage World Championship in Eagle River (WI) and moved up to the Elite TLR Cup Tour Championship Ice Oval racing circuit.  The first week out he shocked many people by finishing second place to Cardell Potter in Fargo (ND), confidence was at an all-time high. Then the calendar turned to 2017 and Matt's life changed forever.  

On January 8th while racing in Ironwood (MI) Matt's sled had mechanical problems causing him to slow dramatically coming out of turn number four, with the whole field bearing down on him.  His sled was hit, he slid off and then he was struck by another sled going 80+ mph.  He sustained catastrophic injuries including:  Shattered Kneecap, Broken Pelvis in three places, Dislocated Elbow, Three Broken Toes, Broken Foot and if that is not enough he had Compound Fractures (that means bones poking through the skin) in his Lower Leg, Upper Leg and Arm.

"I was awake the whole time," said Goede "I was aware of what was going on but I was in a lot of pain."  He was transferred to a hospital in Wausau (WI) and then the news started to get out to the racing community.  Prayers were sent over social media and Adam Brachle, the track chaplain at Elko Speedway, rushed to the hospital.  "It was great to see Adam, nice to see a familiar face, I'm glad he was there for my dad and everybody," said Goede.

Shortly thereafter a GoFundMe page was set up to help Matt with his medical expenses, the Goal was to raise $15,000.  The response on Facebook was immediate and impressive, that page has been shared 3,100 times and 282 people donated a total of $32,885... so far.  "I can't thank everyone enough for the support and donations, when things go bad, I guess that is when you find out who your friends really are" said Goede. "I'm not really an outgoing person, so for all those people to show their support is really cool."

Matt's father John Goede also raised $10,000 by donating the sled that Jacob rode to a Vintage World Championship in 2006 and 2011 to a Charity auction.  That $10,000 was donated to Blaine Stephenson, who was also injured in the Ironwood race, and Gavin Bihner, who was injured in a race on New Years Eve.

 

 

 

 

Matt is back home and on his way to recovery now, but there is a long way to go.  He is still in a wheelchair and can't put any weight on his right side.  "Pretty much all I can do is sit in my wheelchair and watch TV all day long," said Matt "This injury sucks but I'm glad to be here, it could've been much worse."  Matt is hoping to be able to walk by May so he can get back to the racetrack, "I want to be at the track every week, my brother (Jacob) plans on racing Elko Speedway and I'm looking forward to watching" said Goede.

Matt is not giving up on racing himself on asphalt or ice, but that is quite a ways off, right now he is just thankful to be alive and looking forward to flipping the calendar to 2018.

Elko Speedway Race Recap 9/17/2016

 By Jason D Searcy

September 17, 2016 - Elko, MN

Under beautiful clear skies and a full harvest moon fans witnessed real life drama rarely seen in motorsports as two drivers fought for the title in the Hiway federal credit union Big 8 division..

After a full year of racing the point standings were incredibly close with #54 Dylan Moore from Northfield (MN) leading #17 Jon Lemke by 11 points coming into the night.  Jon Lemke was faster in qualifying and picked up two points so entering the first feature Moore led by only 9 points.

In the first 20 lap feature Moore and Lemke started nose to tail mid-pack.  Lemke is a former two time Late Model Champion at Elko Speedway, he used his veteran skills to get past Moore and finish fourth, Moore started sixth and finished sixth in that first Big 8 main event.  So after that race Moore was still leading Lemke by 5 points.

Moore has raced in the Big 8 division since 2008 and has finished second in points twice, he was very motivated to win his first ever Championship.  Coming into the second feature Moore again started just ahead of his rival, he was 9th and Lemke was 11th.  Early in the race things seemed to be going well for Moore, he was still ahead of Lemke mid-pack.  On lap 7 everything changed, there was a chain reaction accident that sent numerous cars spinning, including Moore.  The result of the wreck was chilling for Moore, "with how many times we got hit after we spun, I thought for sure we were done, but my spotter told me there was air in all four tires and it moved when I put it in gear so I drove it back to the pits," said Moore.

His car sustained major damage with the entire rear bumper cover hanging on by a thread and obvious suspension damage.  "About half the pits had rolls of duct tape and we taped it back together and was able to get back out," said Moore.  "Before I pulled back out to the racetrack my steering wheel was turned about half a turn and I asked the guys which way my wheels were turned and they said it was straight, so I knew obviously something wasn't right, but we went out and gave it everything we had and that is what teamwork is all about and never give up attitude," said Moore.

After a delay to clean up the track and clear the other wrecked cars the race resumed with the #54 car driven by Moore in last place of the 19 car field.  Meanwhile Jon Lemke was having his own problems, his car was fast but he just could not get in position to make a pass, Lemke was blocked in behind two other cars in 10th place.

The rest of the feature went cautionless, Moore could keep up with the field but was still in last place, fortunately for him Dylan Warner, Nick Beaver and Adam Benzick never got their cars back on the track after the big wreck and Bryan Wrolstad couldn't keep up and eventually pulled into the pits moving Moore up to the 15th position.  On the last lap Lemke tried to get by #51 Justin Neisius for 9th but came up just .144 seconds behind.  Lemke finished 10th scoring 32 points, Moore finished the race with his tires rubbing and tire smoke pouring our from under the fenders, he finished the last car on the lead lap in 15th scoring 27 points.

Since Moore had a 5 point lead coming into the race and there is a 1 point differential for every position between 10th and 15th place, the two drivers ended up TIED with 1061 total points for the season.  The tie-breaker is number of total wins and Moore had four wins this year to Lemke having just one, so after a short delay to make sure the points were correct, Moore was declared the Champion.  "It was a huge roller coaster of emotions going from getting wrecked and thinking we lost it to then winning it, it's pretty hard to explain," said Moore.  This was the first ever Championship for Dylan Moore.

Jon Lemke showed his true class shortly after the races posting on social media a congratulations to Dylan Moore and the #54 team.

Here is my post race interview with Dylan Moore https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/dylan-moore-elko-champ-m4a

Michael Ostdiek #18 finished third and fourth in the two Hiway federal credit union Big 8 features and he ended up third place in the Elko Speedway points, only 11 behind Moore and Lemke.  Ostdiek is also racing for a National title in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Division II, he was the point leader in the entire country coming into the night.  NASCAR takes a drivers TOP 14 best finishes in Division II to determine the standings so, with those two good finishes Ostdiek may have become the National Champion.  We will update this story as soon as NASCAR declares the official final points.

The first Big 8 feature was won by #5 Jake Sernett from Prior Lake (MN), Jake is a 16 yr old driver in his third part-time year driving a stock car.  Sernett was a three time "Little Elko" Quarter Midget Champion that also traveled the country winning hundreds of races and many National titles.  This was his first ever Hiway Federal Credit Union Big 8 win, Grant Brown #14 finished second, #18 Michael Ostdiek was third, #17 Jon Lemke finished fourth and #13 Bryan Wrolstad was fifth.

The second feature event went to #7 Tony Brewer from Shakopee (MN) it was his second consecutive feature win after going years without a win at Elko Speedway.  Brewer held off #40 Michael Beamish who has been red hot the second half of 2016, #14 Doug Brown finished third, #18 Michael Ostdiek was fourth and #2 Kyle Kirburger was fifth.

The MN Corn Growers Super Late Model Championship was not as dramatic as #72 Jacob Goede from Carver (MN) won his third consecutive title at Elko Speedway.  Goede was fast all night long being second quick in qualifying and scoring third and fifth place finishes in the two 30 lap main events.

"It took a long time to win that first Championship but now to be three in a row it's pretty sweet and Matt (Goede) pulling off second place for the second year in a row is pretty impressive, for what we have going on to finish one and two is pretty cool" said Goede.  Goede ended up finishing the points season with three wins and a winning margin of 84 points over his brother Matt #28 with Joey Miller #15 finishing third in points.

Here is my interview with Jacob Goede https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/jacob-goede-elko-champ-m4a-1

Nick Panitzke #22 from Sauk Centre (MN) won his first MN Corn Growers Super Late Model feature of 2016 at Elko Speedway.  Panitzke is a former TUNDRA Series Champion, he won the first of two features by 1.099 seconds over #3 Chris Marek with #72 Jacob Goede finishing third, #28 Matt Goede getting fourth and #41 Donny Reuvers a 9 time Elko Champion finishing fifth.

The second 30 lap feature went to #91 Ty Majeski from Seymour (WI), he battled #62 John Heath for a few laps before taking the lead after a restart on lap eight.  Majeski then shot to a big lead and won by 3.599 seconds.  Heath finished second, Matt Goede third, #77 former Midwest Tour Champion Jonathan Eilen fourth and #72 Jacob Goede fifth.  Majeski did what he could to secure enough points to win the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Division I National Hometracks Championship, NASCAR takes a drivers TOP 18 finishes in the Super Late Model division to crown a Champion and coming into the night Majeski was in third place Nationally.

Twenty five of the top Super Late Models in the entire country raced at Elko on Saturday night.  The star studded field included #91 Ty Majeski, two time defending ARCA Midwest tour Champion and winner of the Kulwicki Driver Development Program last year who is currently signed with Roush-Fenway racing on a developmental deal.  Austin Nason #14 from Roscoe (IL) was the fastest in qualifying, #35 Travis Dassow came from West Bend (WI), #23 Chris Weinkauff from Merrill (WI) who a State Park Speedway Champion, #77 Jonathan Eilen who was a Thunder Car Champion at Elko Speedway and former Midwest tour Champion, #41 Donny Reuvers a nine time Elko Champion and #44 Justin Mondeik from Gleeson (WI) who was "Rookie of the Year" at three different race tracks in 2016.

These drivers and many others will return to race the Thunderstruck93 ARCA Midwest Tour even next Saturday September 24th at Elko Speedway.  On track Autograph session begins at 3pm with action on track beginning at 4pm.

The first Genz-Ryan Thunder Car 20 lap event was won by #3 Conrad Jorgenson from Lakeville (MN) it was his sixth win of the season at Elko Speedway.  Jorgenson squeezed past #8 Ted Ruevers on the low side to take the lead at the half way point of the race and then he held Reuvers off by 1.802 seconds for the win.  Reuvers finished second with #18 Tina Davis coming across third, point leader #32 Jeremy Wolff was fourth and #07 Dillon Sellner finished fifth.

The second Genz-Ryan Thunder Car feature was won by #99 Brent Kane from Lonsdale (MN), Kane is a four time Champion at Elko Speedway and is currently second in the point standings.  This was the first win of the season for Kane, he won this caution free race by a full straight-away and a margin of 3.918 seconds over #25 Eric Campbell, Dillon Sellner was third, Jeremy Wolff fourth and Ted Reuvers finished fifth.

Jeremy Wolff now holds a 31 point lead over Brent Kane going into the final night of racing in the Thunder Car division next Saturday night during the Thunderstruck93 race event.

It was a very dramatic win for #56 Paul Hamilton from Hastings (MN) in the first of two Pepsi Power Stock features.  Hamilton followed closely behind #3 Ryan Varner the entire 20 lap race until the final set of corners, Hamilton and Varner had some contact on the last lap and then had a drag race down the front stretch.  Hamilton had the better drag car and won by .003 seconds at the finish line, it was the third win of the season for Hamilton.  Varner finished second, Taylor Goldman #8 was third, #37 Bryce Blohm fourth and #6 Joey Prusak finished fifth of the 18 cars that finished.

The second feature saw former Champion #88 Nick Oxborough from Savage (MN) win his first trophy of 2016 in the Pepsi Power Stock division.  Oxborough had to fight back the many challenges of #54 Tim Hollen for the win by only .355 seconds, #62 Tom Doten the current point leader was third followed by Bryce Blohm and Ryan Varner.  Championship contender Brandon Petersen #7 had nothing but back luck, with mechanical problems prerace taking out his primary car and then a wreck in a borrowed car in the second feature causing him to finish dead last.

The point standings are incredibly close coming into the final night of racing in the Pepsi Power Stock division next Saturday during the Thunderstruck93 event.  Tom Doten #62 leads Bryce Blohm #37 by only 6 points.

The Great North Legends feature event was once again a very exciting affair.  Brady Fox-Rhode #4 took the early lead.  Tim Brockhouse, the national INEX point leader in the Masters division, was involved in a wreck on lap three and could not continue.  The race was then between Fox-Rhode and #71 Derek Lemke, those two drivers swapped the lead and were side by side and seemingly on the brink of disaster every lap.  Finally with four laps to go Lemke made the pass on the inside coming out of corner four and he held on by .450 seconds for the win.  Some of the most intense racing we have seen at Elko Speedway in quite some time, it was the sixth win of the season for Lemke.  Fox-Rhode was second, #3 Dirk Henry third, #16 Matt Allen fourth and #7 Jackson Lewis fifth out of the large 21 car field.

With the win Lemke has a huge 82 point lead in the standings as he is looking for his third straight Championship at Elko Speedway.

Alex Vincent #36 from Owatonna (MN) won his third Hornets feature of 2016 at Elko Speedway.  Vincent took the early lead and then watched in his mirror as #36 Brandon Olson and #7 Ridge Oien raced each other for the runner up position.  Olson ended up edging Oien by only .027 for second place, #14 Justin Schelitzche fourth and #55 Brandon Plekkenpol finished fifth of the 12 cars competing.

13 cars raced in the Bandolero division, #3 Luke Allen from Chanhassen (MN) won again with #48 Lennon Watkins finishing second, Allen is the current point leader at Elko Speedway.

Justin Schelitzche now has a 28 point lead over Brandon Olson in the Championship standings, the Hornets, Bando's and Great North Legends all end their points season on October 1st during the final Eve of Destruction at Elko Speedway.

These results and points are unofficial at this time, official results will be posted later in the week at ElkoSpeedway.com

Up next at Elko Speedway the the Thunderstruck93 event in honor of Dan Ryan in support of the fight to cure ALS.  It is Saturday September 24th, spectator gates open at 3pm and an on-track autograph session will occur until action begins at 4pm.  Racing includes a 125 ARCA Midwest tour feature, 58 lap Big 8 Late Model feature, Thunder Car and Power Stock Championships plus Great North Legends and Hornets.

Get more information at ElkoSpeedway.com or follow Elko Speedway on social media or the free Elko Racing App.  Elko Speedway is located 30 minutes South of Downtown Minneapolis just off of I-35 and County road 2 in Elko (MN).

Super Late Model Championship preview at ELKO

September 14, 2016

 

By Jason D Searcy

The first of three Season Championship nights is coming up on Saturday September 17th as the MN Corn Growers Super Late Models and the Hiway Federal Credit Union Big 8 divisions will both crown a Champion at Elko Speedway.

The premier Super Late Model division comes down to two heavyweight contenders with similar resumes.  Jacob Goede #72 from Carver (MN) is the two time defending Champion at Elko that returned to his home track after years racing the Regional Touring Series circuit.  Goede has won some very impressive races over the years, including an ASA Late Model event at both Iowa Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway in 2007.  He also was the Midwest Tour "Rookie of the Year" in 2009 and won races at I-94 Raceway and Illiana while racing the Midwest Tour.

He also has won the most prestigious events at Elko Speedway as well, claiming an overall victory in the Dwain Behrens memorial this year and in 2014.  He also won the Thunderstruck93 inaugural race in honor of Dan Ryan in 2009.

Jacob returned home to race at Elko and has dominated the Super Late Model division, winning the Championship and scoring wins in the double digits the previous two years.  This year has been a little different, he has the point lead, but has scored only three wins at Elko Speedway.

Joey Miller #15 from Lakeville (MN) is looking to take the crown from Goede.  Ten years ago Miller was a rising young star in racing, he raced the National ASA Tour and then scored five wins in the ARCA series before making his way all the way up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and racing for Darrel Waltrip.  He scored at Top 5 finish in Mansfield OH in 2006. 

Since that time Miller has taken some time off from racing and done just a part-time schedule but just this year he returned to his home track at Elko Speedway in hopes of winning a title.

In his first year back racing full-time Miller hasn't missed a beat, he has scored five wins and is in contention coming into the final night of racing in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series season at Elko Speedway.

Here is the situation-  Goede has a 65 point lead. 

Both drivers will qualify with an opportunity to score 15 points for winning "Fast Time"

second will get 14, third will get 13 points and so on until fifteenth gets 1 point.

They will race Two 30 lap Feature Events.

The winner can score 51 points, second 48pts, Third 46pts, Fourth 44pts, Fifth 42pts, Sixth 40pts, Seventh 38pts, Eighth 36pts, Ninth 34pts, Tenth 32pts, Eleventh 31pts, Twelfth 30pts, Thirteenth 29, Fourteenth 28, Fifteenth 27, Sixteenth 26, Seventeenth 25 and Eighteenth and below all scoring 24 points.

Which means Miller potentially could gain 15 points on qualifying and if both cars start both features that is a maximum of 27 points gained per feature.  If he wins Miller has the potential to gain a total of 69 points on Goede plus Miller has the tie-breaker of most wins (5 to 3). 

Goede will look to take the pressure off by laying down a fast lap in qualifying and then finishing the first feature.  Goede would like to have at least a 28 point lead going into that second feature so just by taking the green flag he would have his third consecutive Championship sewn up.

Another factor on Championship night at Elko Speedway is that #91 Ty Majeski from Seymore (WI) is expected to attend.  Majeski is racing for the NASCAR Hometracks Division I National Championship, coming into the weekend he is only a handful of points out of the lead and if he scores one or more wins at Elko Speedway he could add National NASCAR Champion to his already stacked racing credentials.  This will be the final night of racing in the NASCAR points season.

Majeski is the two time defending ARCA Midwest tour Champion, overall winner of the Kulwicki Driver Development Program award and was recently signed to a development deal by Roush-Fenway racing.  Majeski knows Elko well, he has raced here two weekends this year, he scored a second place finish on September 3rd.  He also won the Thunderstruck93 Midwest Tour race here one year ago.

Race fans should expect twenty or so of the best Super Late Models in the Midwest and some great racing for the Season Championship in the MN Corn Growers Super Late Models Saturday night September 17th.  The Hiway Federal Credit Union Big 8 division will also crown a  Champion that night and racing as well in the Pepsi Power Stocks, Genz-Ryan Thunder Cars, Great North Legends, Hornets and Bandolero's.

Gates open at 5pm and action begins at 6pm.  Get more information by going to ElkoSpeedway.com, or following Elko Speedway on Social Media, or by downloading the free ELKO Racing app.

Elko Speedway is located 30 minutes South of Downtown Minneapolis just off of I-35 and County Road 2 in Elko (MN).

The NASCAR Double at Iowa Speedway

All NASCAR eyes will be on Iowa Speedway this weekend, no it's not the Sprint Cup Series, but it is the next best thing, an Xfinity and Truck Series Double Header on a weekend where Cup is off.  Here is your Fan Guide.

It all starts with the Camping World Truck Series Spediatrics 200 on Saturday (6/18/16).

* Autograph session is from 2:00-2:45pm under the turn 4 grandstand.
* Truck series Qualifying from 3:45-4:45pm
* Xfinity series Qualifying from 5:45-6:45pm

Truck series driver intro's at 7pm, racing begins at 7:30pm.

* Post-race concert from Buckcherry

This is only the 8th race of the year in the Truck series.  Matt Crafton leads in points by 18 over Timothy Peters and William Byron is third 23 points behind.

Winners so far include:
Matt Crafton-2
William Byron-2 (18 yrs old)
John Hunter Nemechek-1
Johnny Sauter-1
Kyle Busch-1

*Notables
-Thorsport will enter four trucks even though their shop burned down this week.
Matt Crafton, Rico Abreu, Ben Rhoads and Cameron Haley all are entered.
-Daniel Suarez is scheduled to race the #51, he scored his first ever Xfinity series win at Michigan last week.
-Tickets start at just $20 for adults and $10 for kids

On Sunday its the Xfinity series American Ethanol E15 250 (6/19/2016),

*Spectator gates open at 8:30am
*Kids press conference 9:00-9:15am in Media Center (infield)
*Xfinity series driver autograph session 10:30am on access road. (fan walk pass needed).
*Drivers meeting (open to the public) access road at 11:15am
*Driver intros at 12 noon with racing beginning at 12:30pm
*Tickets start at $20 for adults and $10 for kids

This will be the 14th race of the season, Daniel Suarez just won for the first time last week at Michigan he is the point leader and has an 18 point lead over Elliott Sadler and 36 points over Ty Dillon.

Winners so far in 2016:
Kyle Busch-4
Erik Jones-2
Kyle Larson-1
Austin Dillon-1
Dale Jr-1
Chase Elliott-1
Denny Hamlin-1
Elliott Sadler-1
Daniel Suarez-1

Notable entries:
-Brad Keselowski will race the #22- he has won at Iowa Speedway 3 times in the past.
-Sam Hornish Jr will drive the #18 for Joe Gibbs, he is filling in for Matt Tift who is injured.
-Drew Herring will drive the #24 car.
-Two Decker girls from WI will attempt to make the race, Claire Decker will drive the #77 car and Paige Decker (photo below) will drive the #97.  These cars are owned by Obaika racing, the first African owned race team to compete in NASCAR. 

Jason and Dean will be covering the race LIVE from Iowa Speedway.  Keep checking back for updated stories and interviews or follow us on Twitter and Facebook

https://twitter.com/ElkoJason
https://twitter.com/DeanReller

Chris Buescher won this Spring race last year after a furious battle with Chase Elliott.  Here is our recap http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2015/05/buescher-wins-3m-250-at-iowa-speedway.html

Elko Speedway Preview

By Jason D Searcy

Elko Speedway begins its 51st season with an Eve of Destruction on the Saturday night of Memorial weekend, a couple weeks later than usual.

Some new but familiar faces will be taking over race control at Elko. 

Midwest tour founder Tim Olson (above) was hired to oversee race day operations and two time former Super Late Model champion Jason Schneider has taken over the race director role.  Both men are well respected in the racing community and have been open to suggestions coming into the 2016 season.

One thing that will be highlighted at Elko will be the "gentlemen's tap out" rule.  This has been used at some Wisconsin tracks for years.  If a driver feels they are solely at fault for an accident they may pull to the bottom of the start/finish line and tap their roof, at that time only that driver will be sent to the tail of the single file line with all others deemed involved awarded their prior position.  This rule will surely provide some additional drama to every caution period, so I would advise people to plan their bathroom breaks accordingly.

Some slight format changes on race night will occur as well.  In previous years in addition to the normal show double features were run in three divisions on Eve of Destruction nights making for a very compact race schedule when you consider all of the extra entertainment that happens on those very long race nights. 

This year, in addition to the normal show, double features in four divisions will be run on the NASCAR nights, giving the die-hard traditional race fan exactly what they want, more racing.  Eve of Destruction nights will have single features in all the division except for one (either the Big 8 or Super Late Models), reducing the chance of an extra long race night, that dear sir is a win-win scenario.  

The Super Late Model and Big 8 divisions will each have four nights off this year, they rotate doing the Eve of Destruction nights, all other nights they will run double features.  Giving those drivers an opportunity to travel with the car if they wish or simply just spend more time with the family.  Having a shorter season with some off nights has been more of a priority for families in this modern age of racing.

Some season schedule notes:  The popular MN Corn Growers FREE Admission night will return on Saturday June 4th.  Elko Speedway will have fireworks on Saturday July 2nd and on the final race night Eve of Destruction October 1st.  The 8th annual Thunderstruck93 event will be a one day event on Saturday September 24th. 

Some story lines to follow coming into the 2016 season include:

**How will Chris Marek do in his first year racing with the Super Late Models? 

Marek has done things the right way, he has climbed the ladder one rung at a time.  Winning a Hornets Championship in 2005, then a Power Stock title in 2006, he then won the ASA Sportsman Championship in 2010 & 2011 before moving up to the Big 8 division and winning the Championship 3 years in a row 2013-2015.  In 2015 he won an incredible 12 features at Elko Speedway.  Next is his biggest Challenge but, if history means anything, expect Marek to challenge the Goede brothers for the Super Late Model title in the next couple of years at Elko Speedway.

**Can Grant Brown continue his rise? 

Fifteen year old Grant Brown won the NASCAR division 4 National title in the Power Stock division at Elko Speedway in 2015.  Now he moves up to the highly competitive Big 8 division and if that is not enough of a challenge, he is also recovering from a pretty serious injury.  Brown hurt in his lower leg while skiing this winter.  On a warm day Brown caught a rut and his foot jerked backwards and off to the side, when that happened his ankle folded over and smashed his leg against the side of the ski boot causing a spiral fracture that wrapped all the way around the bone.  He spent the off season rehabbing, just got the boot off his left leg and plans on being ready for the season opener at Elko Speedway.  Grant said he feels like he has "a lot to prove" this year and is motivated to do well.

***Will the Kane vs Wolff rivalry continue to grow?  

The best rivalry at Elko Speedway might be in the Thunder Car division.  Brent Kane and Jeremy Wolff had a great point battle in 2015 and they seemed to always be racing near each other.  The rivalry is also fueled by intensity, a mutual respect and a passionate fan base supporting each driver.  I'm curious if it will be the Kane-iacs vs the Wolf pack again in 2016.

***How will the KDDP help Michael Ostdiek?  

Michael Ostdiek was chosen from hundreds of applicants to be part of the Kulwicki Driver Development Program in 2016.  His race team is granted a prize of $7,777 with a chance to win $54,439 at the end of the year if he is the chosen winner of the Kulwicki Cup.  Ostdiek is a former Great North Legends Champion in 2013 and he had three Big 8 division wins in 2015 at Elko Speedway.  He plans on racing in both the Super Late Model and Big 8 divisions this year on a semi-regular basis at Elko Speedway while traveling as well.

Tons of stories to follow this year, don't miss out, I hope to see you all at Elko Speedway on Saturday nights this summer.

Get more information at www.ElkoSpeedway.com or download their FREE app by searching Elko Racing

2006 Labor Day 200 ASA Late Model race at ELKO

Here is the broadcast of the Labor Day 200 at Elko Speedway back in 2006.  This race features great drivers including:  Jacob Goede, Jonathan Eilen, Dean Cornelius, Chad Wood, Tim Schendel, Landon Cassill and Kelly Bires.

https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/2006-asalm-labor-day-200-elko

This was the very first race that Dean Reller and Jason Searcy broadcast at Elko Speedway, it also was the first event that we broadcast on KRWC radio.  It was a rainy day, which delayed the race program, but the weather cleared in time for a great race that night.


Here are the official race results
 http://thirdturn.wikia.com/wiki/2006_Labor_Day_200_presented_by_Trackside_Charities


Just before the main event we also broadcast the Great North Legends Regional Qualifier race.  Many of the big names of the era raced in this event including:  Tyler Sjoman, Jaycen Brockhouse, Dirk Henry, Patrick Brejcha, Gary Mueller, Tom Silver, Doug Petty, Todd Tracy, Scott Brandt, Robbie Carter, Mike Tuma, Jon Lewerer, Brian Miles, Mark Skjerven etc.

Here is the link to that Great North Legends race, we were not planning on broadcasting this race, but we are glad we did!

https://soundcloud.com/speedtalkon1360/great-north-legends-national

Speed Talk 2014 Season Wrap

2014 Marked the 6th season of covering Motorsports on KRWC for Jason and Dean.  We reported on many great races in the Upper Midwest from Iowa Speedway to Elko Speedway and Brainerd International Raceway.  We also broadcast live from lots of interesting venues including the Gear Head Get Together in Maple Lake, the Classics by the Lake Car show in Buffalo and the Mud Spectacular at the Wright County Fair.  We were able to interview 67 different drivers this year, we love to hear the emotion in their voice from telling their story in their own words.

It would not be possible to do this show without these sponsors, please support them in the same way they support local racing.

Performance Driving School at BIR http://www.birperformance.com/
Norm's Wayside in Buffalo https://www.facebook.com/normswayside?fref=ts
Stockholm Karting Center http://www.stockholmkartingcenter.com/
Highway 55 Trailer Sales in Buffalo http://www.highway55trailers.com/trailers/index.php
Lou Fegers Racing Equipment http://www.loufegersracing.com/
STB Screen Printing and Embroidery http://www.stbmn.com/Default.aspx
Radio Active Mobile Electronics Buffalo https://www.facebook.com/radioactivemobile

Here are the TOP 10 most popular stories on SpeedTalkon1360.com this year:

#1 Dan Fredrickson wins his 4th Thunderstruck93 race at Elko Speedway
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/09/fredrickson-wins-thunderstruck93.html

#2 Ricky Martin named 2013 MN Asphalt driver of the year in Raceway Parks final season
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/01/martin-goes-out-on-top-2013-mn-asphalt.html

#3 Local female racers selected for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/03/nascar-drive-for-diversity-now-and-then.html

#4 Sam Hornish wins Spring race at Iowa Speedway
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/05/sam-hornish-jr-wins-nationwide-race-at.html

#5 Power Stock division championship race is one for the record books as Oxborough and Brown tie in points.  http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-power-stock-division-race-is-one.html

#6 Minnesota NASCAR team owner Nate Thiesse continues to have success
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/07/win-tron-owner-thiesse-keeps-minnesota_10.html

#7 Doug Peterson wins Trans-Am race again at Brainerd International Raceway, car count continues to rise
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/09/peterson-wins-trans-am-again-at-bir.html

#8 Seventeen year old Erik Jones dominates Iowa Speedway truck series race
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/07/jones-wins-amercian-ethanol-200-at-iowa.html

#9 Grant Enfinger wins ARCA race at Elko Speedway
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/06/enfinger-dominant-in-akona-250-at-elko_6071.html

#10 Ryan Hunter-Reay stuns Tony Kanaan with late pit stop and on fresh tires wins at Iowa Speedway
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/07/hunter-reay-repeats-at-iowa-speedway-in.html

Here is a recap of the 2014 season Champions banquet at Elko Speedway.  Jason at Elko (photo below)
http://racefansradio.blogspot.com/2014/11/elko-speedway-2014-season-wrap-up.html

We were able to Pod-cast many of the interviews done on Speed Talk radio.  Here are links to the Top 10 interviews done in 2014.

#1 Nate Thiesse talks ARCA and Trucks
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-04-26T11_28_16-07_00

#2 Dan Fredrickson-Thunderstruck winner
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-09-21T11_05_58-07_00

#3 Brooke Tatnell wins Sprint Car race at Princeton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCiNtRVyayQ&feature=youtu.be

#4 Tommy Kendall- Trans-Am 2 racer at BIR (photo below)
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-09-10T19_53_16-07_00

#5 Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-07-26T11_11_46-07_00

#6 Amy Ruman- Trans-Am racer
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-08-23T10_30_13-07_00

#7 Local racing segment with Dan Plan, Jacob Goede and Paul Hamilton
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-07-12T09_33_54-07_00

#8 Dirt Track announcer Ron Krog on Speed Talk
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-05-10T11_19_05-07_00

#9 Elko racer Joey Prusak in studio at KRWC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2IVZdtiaSE

#10 Chris Hawkey from KFAN Motorsports
http://deanreller.podomatic.com/entry/2014-07-05T10_55_20-07_00


Also, a big Thank You to our two weekly guests: Jordan Bianchi from SBNation.com/NASCAR for his awesome NASCAR coverage and Dan Plan from TheRacingConnection.com for his local racing knowledge.

Here is the full list of people interviewed in Speed Talk in 2014:

Brady Fox-Rhode (Legends)

Bryan Syer-Keske (SLM)

Jonathan Eilen (ARCA MwTour)

Ty Majeski (ARCA MwTour 2014 Champion)

Matt Panure (TUNDRA Announcer)

Dan Fredrickson (SLM)

Doug Brown (Big 8)

Matt Crafton (Trucks)

Joey Coulter (Trucks)

Ryan Blaney (Trucks)

Doug Peterson (Trans-Am)

Ron Keith (TA 2)

Tommy Kendall (TA 2)

Robby Carter (Legends)

Tom Doten (Power Stocks)

Amy Ruman (Trans-Am)

Buzzy Cripe (race official)

Brent Kane (Thunder Cars)

Scott Chantland (Gear Head Get-Together)

Shon Jacobsen (Legends)

Michael Ostdiek (Big 8)

Shaun Prins (Power Stocks)

Matt Goede (SLM)

Taylor Goldman (Power Stock)

Doug Brown (Big 8)

Nick Oxborough (Power Stock)

Michael Weiss (Mini-Stock)

Jeremy Wolff (Thunder Cars)

Joey Miller (SLM)

Joe Neisius (BIG 8)

Paul Neisius (Power Stocks)

Chad Walen (SLM)

Conrad Jorgenson (Thunder Car)

Juan Pablo Montoya (Indy Car)

Helio Castroneves (Indy Car)

Jacob Goede (SLM)

Paul Hamilton (Power Stocks)

Chris Hawkey (KFAN Motorsports)

Mason Mitchell (ARCA 2014 Champion)

Grant Enfinger (ARCA)

J J Haley (ARCA)

Tom Hessert (ARCA)

Frank Kimmel (ARCA)

Tim Brockhouse (Legends)

Steve Anderson (SLM)

Nick Beaver (Big 8)

Brooke Tatnell (Sprint Cars)

Doug Selle (Best Buy racing)

Chris Marek (Big 8)

Derek Lemke (SLM)

Brandon Petersen (Power Stocks)

Brian Adams (Mini-stock)

Mark Lamoreaux (SLM)

Trevor Bayne (Nationwide)

Landon Cassill (Nationwide)

Nick Murgic (SLM)

Ron Krog (Announcer)

Jimmy Small (Iowa Speedway president)

Nate Theisse (Win-Tron racing co-owner)

Joey Prusak (Big 8)

Ashley Bell (Mini Stock)

Justin Schelitzche (Mini Stock)

Tim Olson (ARCA Midwest tour president)
Thank you race fans for listening to our show, we plan on being back on the air in April 2015!