Construction will begin this spring on a brand new, $1.6 million dollar multi-purpose race track, complete with an egg-shaped, third-mile, paved oval and a snocross track in the infield in Watersmeed, Michigan. Former late model driver and Dickinson County Racing Association (DCRA) President John Ostermann has been hired by the Lac Vieux Desert tribe to help design the facility, which is being built at the present site of a snowmobile track which is located across from the gaming hall off highway 2 in Watersmeed, which is in Michigan's upper peninsula. The track, which is located on land which is part of the Lac Vieux Desert reservation, is one hour and ten minutes from Norway, Michigan and nearly a two hour drive from Green Bay. "The closest tracks up there are Eagle River, Three Lakes and Ashland isn't too far away," said Ostermann. "They are all dirt tracks. Some folks are saying the dirt guys won't convert their cars. I said the same thing when Norway was paved in 1979. I think a paved track will be best in the long run, especially with the casino right across the street. They don't need a dust problem." While it's not a 100 % guarantee that the track will be paved, Ostermann said he will sit down with the tribal council and Coleman Engineering of Iron Mountain and discuss detailed plans for the facility. "This facility will be used year round and not just for weekly racing," said Ostermann. "We're talking music festivals, Monster truck shows, stock cars, demolition derbies, snowmobile races, you name it." Ostermann said if the track will be paved it could happen as early as this summer. "They already wanted to race weekly up here but I suggest one special a month this year," said Ostermann, who said the track would likely compete on Saturday nights if paved with super late models, super stocks and 4 cylinders, identical to what races at Norway Friday nights. "Nearly all of the U.P. drivers I've talked to say they'd support this deal." One concern Ostermann has is the lack of a heavily populated city nearby. "That is a concern but the goal is to feed off of the folks that filter into the casino. We're hard at work. I just ordered bleachers and we'll have seating for up to 3,000 people. For our specials this summer if it's paved I'd bring in a MARS series late model race or maybe even a Wisconsin Challenge Series race or something like that. As for Ostermann personally, he said he'd like to return to late model racing again someday. "I've got to get a teaching job again first before I do that. I'd like to buy a crate motor and run as a limited at WIR, but that will be awhile away. I did buy an IMCA stock car and plan on running down at the tracks in the Green Bay area or maybe even making it legal to run at Eagle River. I might even get an IMCA modified and race it in Wisconsin." This scribe will continue to follow the progress of this story as it develops.

Gary Vercauteren must like having a lot on his plate. The veteran race promoter who oversees the MARS, Mid-Am trucks and stock cars has decided to take on yet another project, one that's drawing calls from all over the place. With the demise of of the ASA national touring series Vercauteren, at the prompting of several series teams, will administer the series out of his Baileys Harbor home. "The calls have come from mainly in the midwest, but a few from down south too," said Vercauteren, who is looking at a schedule of possibly eight to ten races at paved ovals in the Midwest.  "Obviously a few of the bigger name drivers won't be running. But there are plenty of cars in the Milwaukee/Madison area, as well as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. These guys have a lot of money tied up in their equipment and it would be real tough to sell. We're trying to give them something." Obviously the payouts will most likely not be anything close to what they competed for in their heyday. It's expected track operators will be understanding of the entire situation that happened to what was once the most prominent short track series in America, helping launch the careers of Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace and Dick Trickle, just to name a few. With veteran crew chief Howie Lettow the newly named chairman of the competition committee, it should bring some credibility to what Vercauteren's trying to do. With his other series I think the key to making this work is to have enough support staff at each show. According to a list released by Vercauteren representatives from 56 different teams have contacted Vercauteren with questions about the new series. This was before their meeting last weekend in Janesville.

The soon-to-be-renamed Seymour Tri-Oval Raceway has scheduled a tentative opener of Sunday night, May 22. A practice is slated for May 15. However in light of the current track conditions many doubt if that will take place. Recently a unanimous vote was taken by NEW Dirt club members to stockpile new clay and put it on the recently reconfigured oval next spring. However one of the board members apparentlytook it upon himself to put the clay on the track over the snow, which has upset quite a few people. "We'll be lucky if we'll be racing by the end of June," said one NEW Dirt board member."There are no lights, no fencing, no guardrail. Things are a mess right now."Among the new names being tossed around for the now high-banked, third-mile clay oval are Cyclone Raceway or Cyclone Speedway.

A little birdie tells us that a group of five investors are possibly looking into reviving racing at Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam. Recently the Dodge County Fair board decided not to host a weekly show this season because of dying attendance. The light bulb must have gone on with these folks because they want to race on Sunday nights, with an IMCA sanctioning. It's a well-known fact for years that "Big Beaver" has butted heads with Powercom Park's third-mile, which is just a few miles up the road from the fairgrounds. For years both tracks ran on Saturday nights, thinning both cars and fans. The Sunday night show makes sense. The Wisconsin Dirt Late Model Association (WDLMA) will be employing time trials for both their weekly shows at Powercom and Oshkosh, as well as the special events slated for Luxemburg, Sturgeon Bay and Wilmot. An invert will be used via the roll of the die. The series is geared towards curbing the costs of maintaining a dirt late model, with use of the spec motor being encouraged by the series.

Shawano Speedway has pushed their season opener back one week to Saturday, April 16. "Like the other tracks we're just tired of fighting the cold weather early in the season," said race director Dale Hodkiewicz. "Last year our first two months were out toughest in terms of attendance. We really did well in July and August and that's what really helped bail us out."

Green Bay's Eddie Muenster will leave his asphalt late model collect dust this summer as he's decided not to compete at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna this season. "Basically I need a motor and the costs are just too much," said Muenster. "For a lot less I can race my IMCA modified at a lot of different tracks in this area." Both Eddie and his dad Jerry will be returning to Luxemburg Speedway's Friday night show full time in 2005. Jerry recently returned from Florida, where he placed 10th and 12th in the Panhandle Nationals down at Blackman Speedway, a soup bowl of a quarter mile clay oval.

It appears a three race United States Touring Modified Series (USMTS) swing will take place in Wisconsin, including a pair of stops in northeast Wisconsin. The series heads up the Door County Peninsula for a first ever appearance at Thunder Hill Raceway on Wednesday, June 22. They come back to Luxemburg the following Thursday night June 23 before heading to Fox Ridge Speedway in Western Wisconsin.  Last year Luxemburg hosted a show, which drew 37 modifieds. It was a stout field, with Kelly Schryock winning. There were only one half dozen series regulars that showed. "With a three day swing you'll probably draw more series regulars," said Seymour's Brian Mullen, who plans on running the three shows. "Each show pays $2,000-to-win and $200 to start. With Luxemburg's solo show last year not as many guys were willing to tow that far for just one show. I think it will be a pretty good deal this year."

Northeastern Wisconsin lost another racing legend recently. Corby VanLorynen passed away at the age of 72. Van Lorynen was a regular competitor on the Shawano/Seymour/De Pere half mile dirt circuit in the 1960's. He competed for more than 20 years with the number 86. VanLorynen is survived by his wife Marcie and his children.