November 5th, 2002
After winning two track championships in 2002 with a Harris modified Green Bay's Jared Siefert will try and make a proven winner in the WISSOTA modified ranks a top chassis in the local IMCA modified circles. The second-generation Green Bay driver will field the Cobra house car next season. Cobra Racing Products was bought out by former WISSOTA late model driver Todd Frank and his wife Candace earlier this year. "I was approached by them a couple of months ago and we started talking," said Siefert, who nailed down track titles at ovals in Sturgeon Bay and Manitowoc this season. "It's by far the best opportunity that has come my way in modified racing. Their plan is to help sell more of these cars around here. They've been running them with fairly decent success in WISSOTA for awhile now."
Cobra will provide the car while Siefert will provide the drive train and powerplant. It's a similiar arrangement to what he had with Mike Mashl a couple of years ago. In 2002 competed in 70 different events, most of them IMCA sanctioned. Siefert wound up just 28 points shy, finishing second to Beaver Dam's Jay Schraufnagel in the Wisconsin state IMCA mod point standings. "Basically I didn't miss a night of racing," said Siefert. "There were a couple of nights where Luxemburg or Sturgeon Bay would rain out and we'd head up to Antigo or Shawano chasing points. It was a lot of work, especially since I don't have a real big pit crew." In fact, Siefert didn't work much at all in 2002 yet the car made enough money to keep him racing all summer long. "If you finish in the top four or five consistently and don't wreck much the car can take in enough money to stay afloat," Siefert pointed out. "There was a time when I had to borrow dad's (Art Siefert's) car. One way or another we found a way to get to the track."
One of Siefert's goals in 2003 is to win a track championship at Luxemburg Speedway, his weekly Friday night track. "Not to downgrade myself but I look at what Eddie Muenster accomplished. He won track championships at the two sanctioned modified tracks with not only the toughest competition but the highest car counts as well. My hat goes off to Eddie for a great year. That's an accomplishment I'd like to achieve someday." As for the 2003 game plan it's to race anywhere and often. "With Manitowoc's future on shaky grounds at best we'll for sure be running weekly again at Luxemburg, Sturgeon Bay and Seymour," said Siefert. "We'll also hit the IMCA spring nationals at Beatrice, Nebraska in March. And if I am able to swing it I'd like to get some seat time down at Speedweeks in Florida in February."
Speaking of Manitowoc, a county Expo board member told me recently that racing will not continue at the third-mile, clay oval in 2002. The Wednesday night program drew sparse crowds with similiar car counts. You can expect Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car (EWSC) to run a handful of specials at Manitowoc next season.
On November 18 a potentially historic vote will take place in Darboy. A motion was recently made during a Fox River Racing Club meeting to dissolve the club (which has operated the Thursday racing program at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna for three decades) and turn over the weekly operation to track owner Roger Van Daalwyk. For years it seems there is constant bickering amongst the late model camp in the off season concerning motor, carb and tire rules. It's one of the problems of a club: driver's making their own rules. It does appear that there's a movement based in Central Wisconsin to attempt to get the asphalt late model tracks on the same page. But will that really happen?
Why, for example, would Wayne Erickson want to change anything he's doing at Slinger Speedway? He's got a pile of late models most Sunday nights with solid crowds to match. And the Fox River Racing Club in recent years hasn't drawn many new drivers from outside of the Fox Valley. In a perfect world you would have some sort of sanction like IMCA or WISSOTA to bring everyone on the same page rules-wise. Unfortunately getting everyone to agree as to how to get to that point has been a sticking point and probably will continue to be a sticking point.
"This should have been done back when I got out of street stock racing in 1995," said Kewaunee's Brian Bruechert, who attended a recent IMCA hobby stock meeting for Luxemburg with keep interest. "I absolutely think this is the way to go. We've got guys dumping close to $10,000 in their street stocks. That's insane. The class is out of control and Luxemburg is doing the right thing by replacing them with the IMCA hobby stocks." While most of the bomber drivers from Sturgeon Bay will be converting their cars a couple of street stock drivers will make the necessary changes to make them IMCA hobby stock legal. Algoma's Ed "The Eagle" Anschutz and Dan "Hollywood" Davister will now become card-carrying members of IMCA. "I foresaw this coming so I won't have to change much to my car at all," explained Anschutz. "With both Luxemburg and Sturgeon Bay running the division I think both tracks should have fairly solid car counts as the year goes on."
Two areas of improvement at Luxemburg Speedway will be revamping the pits and improved lighting. "Once we get the pits area reconfigured we should be able to pit upwards of 150 haulers," said track manager Rick Goral. "I've also got some new lighting coming in as well. The darkest spots were on the backstretch. I will guarantee that will be improved this year. It won't be like the $70,000 Musco lighting system Sturgeon Bay's got, but it will be better than what we had last year." Luxemburg has announced it's opening night will be Friday night, April 25 at 7 p.m. A practice session will be held on Saturday, April 19 from noon to five p.m. A car show will take place at the fairgrounds from 10 a.m. til noon. Awards will be given out for best appearing cars in all the track's weekly divisions.
Seymour Tri-Oval Raceway has announced it's opening night will be Sunday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m.
In addition to Jared Siefert, Green Bay's Eric Van Iten has purchased a brand new Cobra modified and will concentrate his efforts solely in the fenderless class in 2003. Van Iten, a former IMCA stock car champion at Luxemburg, has sold his stock car to Maribel's Kerry Havlovetz, who took the 2002 season off.
The Harris modified that Van Iten drove to rookie-of-the-year honors at Luxemburg last season has been sold to former dirt late model driver Mark Berglund of Green Bay, who plans on competing at Luxemburg and Sturgeon Bay next season.
New London's Todd Nelson, a former sport truck driver at Luxemburg, has purchased an IMCA modified with plans to race in that division in 2003.
The original "Ranger City Racer" has purchased Don Dix racing team. Bob Menor of Wausaukee, who's been one of the driving forces in the Dickinson County Racing Association for many seasons, has raced sparingly in recent years after spending much of his time hauling logs for his trucking business. Menor fielded a car for Menominee's Red Adair in 2002.
The WISSOTA Challenge Series for late models is considering fielding double file restarts for their series events next year. The leader would get the lead by himself with double file on back. While drivers may not always like double file restarts (especially on a smaller track) I think they do make for a better race for the fans in the grandstand.
Langlade County Speedway in Antigo and Door County Speedway in Sturgeon Bay will be recognized at the IMCA national banquet in Des Moines, Iowa Saturday, November 30 for ten consecutive years of IMCA sanctioning at their respective tracks.