Mondeik’s Momentum: On the strength of three Super Late Model victories at State Park Speedway, including last Thursday Night, SPS Justin Mondeik will be one to watch this Saturday night for the Detjens Memorial 125. The Central Wisconsin racer has also recorded feature wins at Golden Sands (WI) Speedway (2) and Norway (MI) Speedway in 2020. Mondeik, a former regular on the Midwest Tour is concentrating his efforts on the elusive SPS Championship, he currently sits atop the weekly standings.
Sommers Looks to Repeat: After nearly missing out on The World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model title at New Smyrna (FL) Speedway to Bubba Pollard, Gabe Sommers returned to Wisconsin and embarked on a strong Rookie campaign in ARCA Midwest Tour. Highlighted by winning the 2019 Detjens Memorial and Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year, Sommers was able to test an ARCA Menards Series car at Daytona International this past January. He led wire to wire last Saturday night on his way to Jefferson (WI) Speedway Victory Lane.
Fenhaus a Former SPS Champ: Luke Fenhaus was fifth in last year’s Detjens Memorial 125 at SPS where he was crowned the Super Late Model Track Champion following the 2018 season. He received national attention earlier this month as he reeled in Ty Majeski during the closing stages of the Slinger Nationals, the former Kulwicki Driver Development Program participant finished on the podium in third.
Chicagoland Champ Shafer Wausau Bound: You could see the frustration in Paul Shafer, Jr’s eyes when he rolled his machine onto the State Park Speedway asphalt for the Detjens Memorial 125 introductions. A mishap in qualifying put the 2013 Illiana (IN) Motor Speedway Champion behind all day, and now he was starting at the tail of the field. Patience and a faster than qualified car helped Shafer work his way towards the front and a seventh place finish in 2019. Shafer currently sits second, just nine markers behind Eddie Hoffman in the Grundy (IL) County Speedway point standings.
Gajewski Good to Go: As a three time State Park Speedway Champion and three time winner of the Flip Merwin Memorial Race at SPS, the locals know not to ignore MG Gajewski and his familiar #22 machine. The Midwest racing veteran would like to add the Detjens Memorial to his list of career accomplishments. While bad luck has often found the former ARTGO Challenge Series competitor in Midwest Tour action, he is continuously fast.
Best Unpaid Crew Heads to Wausau: After winning at Dells (WI) Raceway Park this June, Ryan Farrell exclaimed that he has the best unpaid crew in all of racing. He may be right. Few get more out of their equipment than Farrell and his team. While usually one of the last haulers to roll through the gate, they are typically one of the faster cars right out of the box. The 2018 Wisconsin Challenge Series driver continues to gain speed and a following of fans throughout Wisconsin.
Trophy Collection Grows for Beale: John Beale has had a knack for bringing trophies back to his hometown of Verona, WI from the central part of the state. Winning the 2019 Wisconsin Challenge Series Championship, Beale was amongst the first Super Late Model winners in 2020, winning at Golden Sands (WI) Speedway on Memorial Day. Having also won a SLM feature at State Park a year ago, Beale has two CWRA wins so far this season, one at SPS and the other coming at Marshfield (WI) Motor Speedway.
Rockford Champ Heads North: He looked to have the field covered in his ARCA Midwest Tour Super Late Model debut last June at his hometrack, Rockford (IL) Speedway. Unfortunately for Jake Gille, the rearend had other ideas and he retired early. Now, the 2015 Rockford NASCAR Late Model Champion is headed to another quarter-mile paved oval, as attempts to make his first Detjens Memorial 125 Saturday night at State Park Speedway.
Danny Dials It Up: Having won two previous ARCA Midwest Tour visits to SPS in 2012 and 2013, Dan Fredrickson made the trip to the bottom of Rib Mountain last Thursday night, narrowly missing fast time honors on the night. A third place finish by night’s end has the two time ARCA Midwest Tour (2008, 2013) liking his chances this Saturday night at State Park.
It Pays to be Kwik: Kwik Trip is awarding a $250 gift card to Saturday’s Fast Qualifier in ARCA Midwest Tour Competition for the Detjens Memorial. Illinois driver Austin Nason set the mark in last year’s qualifications with a time of 13.614 seconds (66.11 MPH). Qualifying is set to begin at 4:30pm.
Bickle has Special Connection to Detjens: Few drivers remain behind the wheel today that competed during the time that Larry Detjens was winning Super Late Model races across the nation and throughout the Midwest. One driver that has a special connection to Detjens, the 1977 SPS Track Champion, is Rich Bickle, Jr. As outlined in his biography “Barnyard to Brickyard”, Bickle won at Lake Geneva (WI) Raceway in 1981, his first ever Super Late Model feature win, using an engine which just two weeks earlier Detjens had sold to the young second generation driver.
Two Looking for Four: A pair of Central Wisconsin veterans look to win an unprecedented fourth Detjens Memorial this Saturday Night. Mark Mackesy, the 1999, 2006 and 2012 Detjens winner is always a threat at State Park Speedway and has already recorded two weekly Super Late Model wins at SPS during 2020. Mackesy wowed the Touring Stars during the Tour’s first visit to SPS in 2011, as the four time SPS Champ recorded his lone Midwest Tour victory. Chris Weinkauf, who has been a regular on the Tour for years is the other three-time Detjens winner entered for Saturday night’s 125 lap feature event. Weinkauf completed the feat in 2003, 2010 and 2011. The 2010 State Park Speedway Champion has one Midwest Tour victory to his credit, coming at Grundy County (IL) Speedway.
Weinkauf Working on It: Jason Weinkauf has been in the shop working to get everything set for his #76 Super Late Model. A two time Marshfield (WI) Motor Speedway (2009, 2010) and 2007 Golden Sands (WI) Speedway Champion, Weinkauf hopes his efforts are rewarded with an ARCA Midwest Tour victory in the Detjens 125. Jason has one Tour win, coming at Marshfield.
Nason Knows How to Win: He was last year’s fast qualifier for the Detjens 125 and wound up third when the checkered flag waved. For the last two seasons, Austin Nason has ended the season just one spot short of the ARCA Midwest Tour Championship. With big wins at Rockford (IL) Speedway, New Smyrna (FL) Speedway, LaCrosse (WI) Fairgrounds Speedway, Madison (WI) International Speedway and during the return of racing to The Milwaukee (WI) Mile last Father’s Day, Nason has proven that he is more than capable of winning on the big stage.
Back to the Basics: During a recent event at LaCrosse (WI) Fairgrounds Speedway, third generation driver Skylar Holzhausen and his father Steve explained that they were having fun racing again. Some of that fun may be attributed to the fact that the familiar Holzhausen Purple 78 has found its speed again. Having returned to a basic conventional set-up, the Bangor, WI driver visited victory lane at Madison (WI) International Speedway following the Capital Classic last May. Skylar is a two time ARCA Midwest Tour feature winner.
Slinger and State Park Champ Lepak Back: Jeremy Lepak already has one feature win on the young season at SPS. A former Slinger (WI) Super Speedway Champion (2011) and two-time Rockford (IL) Speedway National Short Track Championship winner (2006, 2007) will be making a rare ARCA Midwest Tour start during Saturday’s Detjens Memorial 125, a race in which he finished sixth a season ago. Lepak is the 2015 SPS Track Champion.
Casey Johnson: Defending ARCA Midwest Tour Champion and two time Big 8 Late Model Series Champion Casey Johnson was the 2018 Detjens winner and has already won at Wisconsin International Raceway and Slinger (WI) Super Speedway in weekly action this season. He has two runner-up finishes in Super Late Model competition this month, at Slinger (WI) during the Slinger Nationals and last week at Jefferson (WI) Speedway, where he is a three time Track Champion (2010, 2012, 2015). Johnson won the Big 8 Series portion of the Detjens Memorial Weekend in 2013.
Volm Knows Way to SPS Victory Lane: Travis Volm recorded two Super Late Model victories at State Park in 2019 and split the CWRA features in June at SPS with John Beale. The 2019 running of the Detjens Memorial marked the first ARCA Midwest Tour start for Volm.
Zehr Returns to Tour in 2020: 2018 ARCA Midwest Tour titlist Dalton Zehr waisted no time getting back into his winning ways, collecting the winner’s trophy at Dells (WI) Raceway Park earlier this month. Dalton, who raced a limited schedule last season with his Gildan Race Team, returns to chase the Tour Championship again in 2020.
LLM Champ Heinrich Continues Progression: Having raced go-karts since 2008, the 2021 Ringle Brickyard Champion made the jump into Pure Stocks in 2015 with mixed results. When he jumped into the Limited Late Model ranks at State Park Speedway, a combined 9 wins, 12 fast times, back to back LLM Championships and the 2017 Rookie of the Year honors awaited him. He was once again named Rookie of the Year at SPS following the 2019 SLM season and he finished his season with a win at LaCrosse (WI) Fairgrounds Speedway’s Oktoberfest Racew Weekend.
Morrissey Only Driver to Win Detjens Not at SPS: The 2009 Detjens Memorial took place at Golden Sands (WI) Speedway and it was 2011 Tour Champion Andrew Morrissey who inked his name into the record books as the only driver to win a Detjens Memorial away from SPS. Morrissey also has Tour success at SPS as he flexed his muscles when the tour visited in 2018, dominating the contest on the quarter mile paved oval.
Hammond Has Been Strong: Dillon Hammond has posted two top five finishes in three ARCA Midwest Tour Starts at State Park Speedway. He just missed a podium finish in last year’s Detjens 125, finishing fourth.
Storm Returns: Jeff Storm, one of the original ARCA Midwest Touring Stars and former two time Mid-American Stock Car Series Champion (1997, 1998) returns to Tour action this weekend. He has had mixed results thus far in 2020 with his new Super Late Model.
First Winner Returns: After taking a season off to start his son’s quarter midget racing career, Minnesota’s Jonathan Eilen returns to the ARCA Midwest Tour this season, he was the 2012 Champion. Way back on April 26, 2007 Eilen became the first ever Midwest Tour feature winner, when the start-up series visited his hometrack of Elko (MN) Speedway.
Two Firsts: Both Eric White and Dave Satorius will be making their first attempt at ARCA Midwest Tour racing on Saturday night. White, son of former Chicagoland Champ Mike White is also the nephew of former Winchester (IN) 400 winner Boris Yurkovic. Satorius who has a number of CWRA starts will have the assistance of former Tour Champion Andrew Morrissey.
Does DeAngelis Do It?: He has been oh so close, many thought last August’s Dixieland 250 at Wisconsin International Raceway may have been John DeAngelis, Jr’s first Tour win. The third place points man came up just short of his first career victory. Having already raced a CRA Super Series/Southern Super Series combo event at Lebanon (MO) I-44 Speedway, DeAngelis and his Travis Dassow crewed Super Late Model continue to battle for the top spot.
Saturday Racing Divisions: The ARCA Midwest Tour Super Late Models will be joined Saturday night by the Bandoleros, Mini-Stocks, Mini-Mods and Pure Stocks.
Schedule of Events for Saturday:
11am ARCAMT Pit Gate Opens
2pm Practice Begins
3:30pm Front Gates Open
4:30pm Qualifying Begins
6:00pm Racing Begins
General Admission Pricing Saturday:
Adults $20, Kids (ages 6-12) $10 with children ages 5 and under admitted free.
Friday Night: The two day Detjens Memorial Weekend will feature the Big 8 Late Model Series on Friday night along with the Bandoleros, Mini-Stocks and Mini-Mods.
Location: State Park Speedway is located at 5711 North Mountain Road in Wausau. For camping and other information visit www.stateparkspeedway.com or call 715-212-9006.