When the De Pere-based BUCO racing team selected it's driver to wheel their Chevorlet Monte Carlo for the 2003 season Thursday nights at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna, the term "hired gun" could not have been more fitting. With just two weeks left in the season nine time Fox River Racing Club late model champion Terry Baldry of Omro could very well give Mark Patton's team it's first ever track title in eleven seasons of fielding a race car on WIR's half-mile, paved oval.

Baldry's win last week Thursday night pushed him ten points ahead of Jeff Van Oudenhoven, who is driving for Green Bay's Mike and Patti Butz (Baldry's former car owners). Van Oudenhoven is also searching for his first late model title at WIR. "Having Terry come aboard this year has just been a phenomenol move for us," said Patton, who's long list of drivers includes Eddie Hoffman, JJ Smith and Brian Thielke. "Terry's just so smooth out there. He just turned 50 and there's not a doubt in my mind that he could have taken his program up a level or two years ago. He's that good."

The team suffered a setback in early June, when Baldry was involved in a wreck, shuffling back in the point standings. "The car wasn't quite the same after that crash," said Baldry. "We had to keep making changes to get the car to where it was before we had that crash." With that accident Patton's happy his team's still got a fighting chance. "I'm not so sure if we didn't have Terry Baldry as a driver that we'd even be in the hunt yet," Patton pointed out. "This team's got a lot of pride. Terry comes up from Omro one night a week and helps scale the car." Prior to this year the best points finish BUCO racing has had in the final points tally was eighth with JJ Smith back in the mid-1990's. "And that year JJ missed a couple of weeks because of some surgery he had done."

It appears that whatever the outcome in the points chase next week Thursday, BUCO and Baldry will continue to be an item in 2004. "Things are pretty much squared away," said Patton. "I'd like to keep doing this for awhile yet." The team's machine receives sponsorship from Schneider National, Cost Cutters Hair Salons and Snapple through Kay Distributing.

Qualifying this evening gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with the first green flag flying at 7 p.m.

RED, WHITE & BLUE - While Van Oudenhoven may be in the bridesmaid spot on Thursday nights he currently leads both the Yellow Book USA Midwest AllStar and the Red, White and Blue State Championship series points heading into this Saturday night's Blue race at WIR. Twin 50 lap late model features will be run, along with limited late models, sizzlin' 4's and Figure 8's. The event will also mark the first ever appearance of the newly organized Midwest Stock Car Classics League. The league will feature former NASCAR and short track stock cars from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's in twin 15 lap races. Racing starts at 7 p.m.

MULLEN SCORES 100 - You just knew it would be a matter of time. In front of a partisan hometown crowd, Brian Mullen scored his 100th career modified victory at Seymour Tri-Oval Raceway last Sunday night. The win was Mullen's second of the season at Seymour and his 45th of the season at the Tri-Oval. Mullen leads themodified points with one points night remaining. Both the mods and stocks will wrap up their points titles this Sunday because of the IMCA Supernationals, which start the following Monday in Boone, Iowa. The WISSOTA late models and street stocks will finish up their points seasons on August 31.

LUXEMBURG NOTES - All Mullen has to do is qualify for the feature race Friday night and he'll wrap up the IMCA modified points championship. Friday night's races will include the final appearance of the night for the street stocks. The top twelve drivers in the point standings are already guaranteed a starting spot in tomorrow night's feature. A pair of qualifying races will be run to make up the balance of the 20 car starting field. Powder Puff races for the ladies will also be run. Racing gets underway at 7 p.m.

Also, hobby stocks have been added to the September 12 McCoy's Harley Davidson Modified Classic. The IMCA sanction will not be run that evening and the rules will be opened up on that night only to allow the 141 Speedway hobby stocks to come and try their hand at racing on the dirt.

FELIX RULES THE HILL - Like Mullen at Luxemburg, all Algoma's Todd "Felix" Dart needs to do is qualify for the main event Saturday night at Thunder Hill Raceway to secure the 2003 IMCA modified track championship. Green Bay's Troy Muench can do the same in the street stock division. Racing at "The Hill" gets underway Saturday at 6 p.m.

DIEMEL WINS MONTANA - It was quite a hike during the middle of the week, but the trip was well worth it for Bonduel's AJ Diemel. The third-generation driver made the long tow to the northwestern part of the country and surprised everyone by picking up a WISSOTA Challenge Series feature win at Bozeman Speedway in Bozeman, Montana last Thursday night. Diemel is in his second year of racing WISSOTA late models.