The CLS Triple Crown and other random thoughts...

Race Report from the Cedar Lake Triple Crown and my usual random thoughts

by Stan Meissner

June 3, 2013

Forest Lake, Minnesota

gotomn.com

Cedar Lake Speedway Triple Crown June 1, 2013

 

Cedar Lake Speedway results:  http://www.cedarlakespeedway.com/page/show/832626-2013-race-results

Gotomn.com photo gallery direct link to Triple Crown photos:  http://www.gotomn.com/Photos/2013%20photos/06012013_CLS-Triple/06012013_CLS-Triple.htm

Pat Doar #11

I'll admit that after spending Saturday May 25 at Cedar Lake covering photo duties on Pack the Track Night I left feeling some apprehension about their upcoming big event The Triple Crown.  The track crew had added some new dirt that along with the cool wet spring hadn't come in very well and produced some "bucking bronco" type racing.  Turn the calendar page to the following week and whatever they did worked because the Late Models went non-stop and the IRA Sprints only had one caution in their Features.  The track was still a little wavy in spots and they had to work it between races but it was a much improved surface.

I opened this blog post with a pit photo of Pat Doar's car at the Triple.  A few folks posting in one of the threads on the 20/20 message board were giving Pat a hard time for dropping off the WoO Late Model tour.  I don't know what goes through some people's heads but whether the reason for dropping off the tour was funding, family or whatever Pat was able to live the dream for a season.  There are some very talented drivers who once toured with the WoO Sprints racing locally so Pat's situation isn't unusual.  Brooke Tatnell right her in the Twin Cities area, Danny Lasoski, and Terry McCarl come to mind.  Every one of them can tell stories about how tough living on the road is and the amount of money it takes to run these tours with decent equipment.  None of those guys would fault Pat for giving it his best for over a year.  Personally I thought it was pretty cool that he was able to do it.  Money and sponsors don't come easy anymore and a lot of drivers have modified their dreams to fit their reality.  Nothing to be ashamed of, a lot of guys will never win a local Feature let alone live the dream.

Al Gilbertson 410 Sprint Car

The old saying goes something like "drive it like you stole it".  In the case of Al Gilbertson it might be more accurate to say "drive it like you stole the motor".  I don't know where Al and his dad Stan got the beans to put a 410 between the frame rails but so far I have seen Al's name listed in Knoxville, Husets, Elko World of Outlaws and CLS IRA action.  Actually I've seen him run twice so far this season, Elko and CLS, heard him mentioned on a Knoxville audio broadcast and saw his name in Husets live results.  Al has a lot of laps under his belt over the years but the past few seasons he hadn't been racing much.  It's cool to see these guys go from hardly racing and parking/selling their gear and sitting out for long stretches to a fairly ambitious schedule.

Scrappy aka Greg Nippoldt's #55 at the CLS Triple

Rick Hanestad's #71 at the CLS Triple

Shaun Kelley's #1k at the CLS Triple

Mike Nutzmann's #2 at the CLS Triple

Jeff Keeney's plain black #61 (number on fuel cell) at the CLS Triple

I posted a flood of photos of some of the drivers I have gotten to know during my time on the MRC Cedar Lake reporter beat.  I'm probably known more as the "Sprint Car guy" but this being my 15th season working with the racing publications it's always good to see familiar faces at CLS.  Most of the time I was hanging out at CLS Greg drove Supers but has since transitioned to a Late Model  The number is still #55 and the nickname is still Scrappy.  I work with Shaun's sister (one of our supervisors) and have known Mike Jr. and Shaun pretty much since the beginning of my reporter days.  Mike Nutzmann used to count the late photographer Navy "Davy" Trautmiller as a sponsor and of course his brother Jamie works for the track.  I had the opportunity a few years ago to take a Nutzmann family photo for an article that I believe appeared in Dirt Late Model.  I don't think I ever saw the finished product but I'm sure that I got some photos in that issue.  The Cedar Lake Speedway feels almost like a home away from home. 

Jeff Keeney lost his brother and pit crewman Dave last year just prior to the start of the season.  Those guys were inseparable, whenever you'd see one the other was usually close behind or alongside.  I always had a blast visiting with those guys and shared in a few unmentionable late night post race laughs.  I don't think it's any secret that Jeff had a rough time after we lost Dave but I'm seeing that old smile and enthusiasm coming back this year.  Jeff says that the lack of graphics is a tribute to Dave and I think Dave would have been proud of Jeff making the Triple Main Event and bringing the car home 16th and in one piece.  Jeff has always been a low budget racer getting the most out of what he's got to work with.  I remember a lot of nights at the weekly shows where they couldn't get out of the B Main so it was cool to see Jeff make the show.  The only problem that I see is that they probably won't let that plain car run at a certain area track but I don't think it would matter to Jeff.  I've still got the special edition Keeney #61 hat but I won't explain what that's all about, you'll have to do the research and find out for yourself.

Jeff Keeney's bare bones #61 looks fast so far this season

Mike Nutzmann finished 11th in the Triple Crown Feature

Another driver I used to watch on a weekly basis at Cedar Lake was Craig Thatcher.  Craig left and raced elsewhere for a while but has been running CLS pretty often the past couple of seasons.

Craig Thatcher at the Cedar Lake Triple Crown

Jason Krohn #7k at the Cedar Lake Triple

Another driver in attendance at Cedar Lake was Jason Krohn in his 7k.  Jason has had a lot of success in the USMTS in recent years.  I used to watch Jason in an IMCA Stock Car before he made the switch to Modifieds.  I've got photos of the 7k IMCA Stock Car in front of the old covered grandstand at the Jackson Speedway.  The granstand has been replaced with a more modern aluminum structure and Jason has moved onto bigger and better things.

Travis Whitney at the CLS Triple

I got an opportunity to talk to Travis Whitney.  Travis is no longer fielding the family owned #9 and has spent the past few years in the DeWall #16.  Sprint fans who have made trips to Jackson are familiar with the name and number.  Travis and Bill Balog both ran away with their Heats and looked to be the drivers to beat on this night.

Marshall Fegers #f19

It was good to see Steve Fegers and his son Marshall at the Triple.  Steve's hair looked a little frostier and he might have let his belt loop out a notch but he was probably thinking the same thing about me.  My only regret is that I had to get back up to the lake home and the weather wasn't conducive to sharing a post race cold one.

Ron Jones #7

Ron Jones has stepped up the pace of his racing this year.  He has run some of the early season big shows that were able to get a step ahead of the weather.  I remember watching Ron in the winged Modifieds at CLS and have seen him at Princeton and Owatonna a few times.  They say that at one time Ron was one of the most successful Modified drivers in the country.  Aside from remembering that I saw him race I didn't pay close enough attention to Mods during his heyday so I let that opportunity slip away.  Hopefully I'll see him a few more times this season.

Scott Splittstoesser (2) runs inside of Ron Jones (7) at the CLS Triple

Modifieds go four wide at the Cedar Lake Triple Crown

Steve Laursen at the Cedar Lake Triple Crown

In the Sprint Cars I talked to Bill Balog before the races about his 2013 schedule.  Bill has run with the World of Outlaws, the IRA and even drove a Midget at Sun Prairie so far this season.  Balog got off to a slow start that he attributed to not getting a handle on the new Hoosiers.  Bill won an IRA Main event prior to the Triple Crown, won the Triple and backed it up the following night by beating out Brooke Tatnell at Eagle Valley.  Some of the fans were probably wondering where Brooke was seeing as he lives nearby in Forest Lake.  Tatnell is obligated to drive the #55 at the Knxville Raceway this season which presented one of those odd circumstances you sometimes see in racing.  Brooke could have ran his own car a half hour from home but had to make the 5:+ hour trek to Knoxville instead.  Knoxville had rained out the week before which enabled Tatnell to run his car with the UMSS at Rice Lake.  Brooke returned to run at Eagle Valley on Sunday night and gave Balog a run for his money.  Someone commented on one of the message boards after watching Bill run away with the Triple that a certain feature of his anatomy must be the size of coconuts.  I'm not going to speculate on that but in person Bill doesn't fit the stereotype of the intimidating Sprint Car driver with no smile and a steely gaze.  To the contrary, I find him to be one of the more friendly drivers and our conversations are likely to be as much about guitars as racing. 

Bill Balog at the Cedar Lake Triple Crown

Jim Moughan Jr. races out of Springfield, Illinois, so there are likely closer Sprint Car tracks to his home but Jim has taken a liking to Cedar Lake and races there once or twice a year.  Moughan nabbed a second place podium finish at the Triple.

Jim Moughan Jr. at the Triple Crown

The IRA chose to forgo time trials on this night and drivers drew for starting position in the Heats.  As a result of scrapping time trials I was able to get some nice daylight shots with fill flash during the Heats.  This photo is of Russel Borland riding the high side during his Heat. 

Russell Borland at the Triple Crown

The Sprint Car Feature action was superb at the Triple Crown.  The Sprint Feature was slowed for one yellow when Al Gilbertson spun on lap five then ticked off 25 fast and furious laps non stop.  Here are a few shots from the Feature and a victory lane photo.

Phillip Mock (1m) inside of Al Gilbertson (97)

Three wide Sprints during the IRA Main Event

From 1993 through 1998 the Cedar Lake Speedway hosted WISSOTA 360 Sprints every Saturday night.  Two drivers getting a lot of ink during that time were touted as up and coming stars of the sport.  Travis once told me that they used to like to feature him and the other young driver in advertisements, with a "come out and see the young guns" sort of a spin.  That other driver was Donny Schatz who has gone on to have quite a bit of success.  Travis runs a reduced schedule in the DeWall #16 and along with Balog and Moughan was the class of the field at the Triple.  Here's a shot of Travis on the CLS frontstretch, a patch of dirt that he's very familiar with.

Travis Whitney racing to a podium finish at the Cedar Lake Triple Crown

As a photographer there are several things I strive for in my victory lane shots.  One is the challenge of getting everyone to make eye contact.  When there are several photographers and the top three drivers or drivers are joined by family and crew in victory lane that can be difficult.  That's what I love about this victory lane shot, everyone made eye contact and smiled and some of my favorite Sprint Car drivers were the subject of the photo so in my book this one is a winner in more ways than one.

Top three Sprint finishers at the Cedar Lake Triple Crown

That's going to sum up my Cedar Lake Triple Crown race report.  Like I always say I'm not a stats guy so I provide links at the beginning of this article.

My racing attendance will resume with the Open Wheel Nationals at the Saint Croix Valley Raceway and the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake.  In the meantime I'll be laying low in an effort to regroup so I can hit it again at the end of June.  There is a tentative day chasing Street Rods at Back to The 50's planned the third weekend of this month along with a CD release party for the band of a former basement dweller.

I'll be practicing slide guitar and brushing up on my electric keyboard playing as well.  I've been putting tunes together and posting them on my website for doo doo and giggles.  Here's an example of the kind of stuff I'm throwing together with a Gibson SG, a Dean Bass, and a Digitech multi effects pedal recorded directly through my sound card using the free program Audacity.  

http://gotomn.com/misc-temp/Slide%20to%20the%20end%20of%20the%20line.mp3

And here's a link to one of the songs by Jay's band Via.  I'll keep everyone posted when and where the CD release will take place.  http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_17272576  

Well, that's going to do it for the time being.  I will see you at the races in just a little under one month from now!