How did you get into racing? Here's my story...

My introduction to dirt track racing started taking shape prior to WWII when my dad Lester Meissner and uncle Lloyd Wilke, old east St. Paul pals and future brothers-in-law, would attend races at area tracks.  After spending time in service of our country, Les in the Army in France and Lloyd on a Navy ship in the Pacific both would return to Minnesota to indulge their passion for racing, Les as a fan and Lloyd as a mechanic. Back in May of 1950 Les and Lloyd likely saw copies of the Minneapolis based publication "Racing Wheels" published by Fergus T. O'Connor.  The May 1950 issue featured a photo of driver Russ Lee on it's cover.  The magazine's cover proclaimed that it's coverage included Hot Rods (home build dirt cars of the 40's and 50's), Midget Racers, Stock Cars, Big Cars (Sprints) and Motorcycles.  For decades Midgets and Big Cars on dirt were the craze and NASCAR was still a regional sport in the southeast running many of their early events on the dirt.  In fact the magazine refers to the Stock Cars in 1950 as a new class that was starting to grow in popularity at area dirt tracks. 

Racing Wheels was a Twin Cities based magazine that covered racing in the upper Midwest.  I have a couple issues in my possession and the quality of photos and articles is up to the standards of today's publications.

Near the back of the magazine was a full page ad touting a new speedway under contruction in Blaine, Minnesota, under the direction of promoter Don Voge.  The new state-of-the-art facility would cost a whopping $100,000, 1950 dollars to build and feature Hot Rods, Stock Cars, Big Cars, Motorcycles, Stunts, Thrills and Spills galore.  A little over a year after that ad appeared in Racing Wheels a young couple living in a basement house on land bordering the Lepinksi farm would have have a son who's life would be profoundly affected by the sport of dirt track racing. 

Ad promoting the construction of the Twin City Speedway in the May 1950 issue of Racing Wheels.

Returning WWII veteran Lester Meissner had a love for dirt track racing and photography.  Les took this photo of a car that had gone through the fence and down the banking at the Rex Speedway, a big high banked half mile just south of the Twin Cities.

Eventually the Hot Rod class died out and the modified pre war coupes like the Chicone's Duce #2 driven by Jerry Richert Sr. became the most popular type of weekly racing in our area.  I was born in 1951 and by the time the late 50's rolled around my dad decided that I was old enough to be introduced to dirt track racing.  If my dad attended races during the time leading up to my first race I cannot remember.  I think the thing that got him back into it was when my uncle Lloyd started helping out with the race cars.  By the time I was five we had moved from Oakdale to Hamline Avenue in St. Paul so my dad could be closer to the NP's Como Shops where he worked.  The Minnesota State Fairgrounds was three blocks west of where we lived.

 

Chicone's Duce #2 owned by local a local businessman of the same name.  I still have a few old tools that Ciconne gave me one time when we were over at my uncle's house.  Someone he knew had passed away and he ended up with a tool box so he gave Les' kid some of the things nobody wanted.  "Here kid, now you can work on a race car too".

The first time I attended a race my dad took me out to Twin City to watch the Duce (not a typo, this was their unique spelling of Duece as proclaimed on the the back of the car).  After attending Twin City most summer nights for a couple years I noticed that sometimes Jerry Richert and Scratch Daniels weren't there.  I asked my dad where they were and he told me they were "off runing Big Cars somewhere with the IMCA".  Their Sunday nights at Twin City would become less frequent in proportion to their increasing Sprint Car schedules.  I eventually figured out that the Big Cars dad talked about were the ones that raced at the State Fair dirt track, a venue only three blocks from our house.  Dad never cared much for Sprint Cars and after pressing him on it I found out it was because he had witnessed some fatalities in the Big Cars.  He talked about seeing drivers getting impaled on the pointed wood stakes that used to serve as an inside guardrail at some of the old Fairgrounds horse tracks.  I never convinced him to attend Sprint Car races but he liked the Supermodifieds because they used roll cages so that would be the direction my racing would take for a few more years.  My only opportunity to see Sprints was to hang around the grandstand during the Fair and try catch a peek at the turnstiles or through any hole in the fence I could find.  I would hang around the track and wait at the back gate for the open trailers to line up at the pay window where I could check them out. 

Our racing attendance would suffer a huge setback in August of 1962 when my mother passed away from a brain tumor and stopped totally when my dad suffered a fatal heart attack in April of 1965.  One of my fondest memories with my dad was him taking me to the 1963 Twin City Speedway banquet at the Prom Ballroom where the keynote speaker was Eddie Sachs.  I still remember some of the lines Sachs used in his speech and instantly became a fan on this night.  As you probably all know Sachs would perish in an Indy 500 inferno on May 30, 1964. I ended up living with my grandparents and was still able to get out to the races sometimes.

Wilke racing 1962.  Cousin Tom second from left, uncle Lloyd on the right.

Dirt Track racing was very popular around the Twin Cities during the post WWII period.  The Hot Rod class faded out and was replaced by the modified coupes which were in turn modified even further as the above photo shows.  This #2 shown above is the same car that had the model A body on it in the previous photo so you can see how cars were "cut down" a little more each season.  The first race of the year was always interesting because you never knew what kind of exotic home creations would be built over the winter.  Cars continued to evolve until a few years later when they were basically full up Sprint Cars with a little sheet metal over the roll cage or some type of light weight body.  Full up Sprint Cars did not have roll cages or wings but as the Supers evolved the lines separating them blurred even further.  Eventually the two would meld into one class and become the predecessor to the winged Sprint Cars we see today.  My cousin and uncle would leave the Chicone's car and Tom would start campaigning his own #87 car (the original one shown on the following two photos was a cut down former ice racer) with Jerry Lepinski as driver.

Jerry Lepinski at Cedar Lake with the Wilke's 87 car.

The #87 1964 at Twin City.  Lester Meissner photo.

Jerry Richert Sr. would leave the confines of Twin City Speedway's Supermodified competition to run with the IMCA.  This writer lived three blocks from a shop called Auto Repair Service where the McDonald Offy #69 was housed.  Stan M and friends would ride our bikes over there and peer through the shop window at the race car.  When Jerry Richert Sr. didn't show up at Twin City I would ride my bike to Auto Repair Service to see if the car was there.

Racing at the Twin City Speedway during the early to mid 1960's.  As you can see, the Supermodified Class was starting to look more like Sprint Cars.

Looking into turn one at Twin City Speedway in Blaine, Minnesota.  You can see the mix of home built creations and Sprint Cars all running together in the same class in this shot.  The track later became known as the North Starr Speedway and would close after the 1979 season.  A young Steve Kinser once staged a wheel to wheel battle with the old veteran Jerry Richert Sr. in a 1979 World of Outlaws race at this track.  Kinser would take the win with Richert following closely in second and the gates shutting for good not long after.  The Speedway stood idle taunting racing fans for several years before development of what is now an industrial park began.

Itch Daniels drove this 60's Supermodified.  Car #880 was housed at 880 University Avenue in St. Paul hence the unusual car number.  Many of the Supermodifieds like this one were Sprint Cars with bolt on cages, wings and squared off tails.  A few changes and this car could have been IMCA legal as a Sprint Car. 

Florida's Buzz Barton used to spend summers racing in the upper Midwest.  Barton was one of my favorite drivers.  I remember his preferred line in this car being around the bottom. 

Jerry Richert Sr. in the Frank Wagner #63.  Real Sprint Cars didn't have roll cages or wings.  My cousin Tom Wilke bought this car from Wagner in the late 60's and campaigned it as a Supermodified.

Stan's first action shot Cedar Lake 1969.  The former Frank Wagner #63 Sprint Car became a Wilke Racing #87 as seen in this 1969 Cedar Lake Speedway photo.  I can honestly claim this photo as my first attempt at action photography at Cedar Lake.  I took this shot with a point and shoot film camera while standing on the bank in the area near where the turn two wall is today. 

Another photo of the former #63 converted to #87 along the side of the road on the way to Winnipeg.  After I went into the Navy I wrote home and asked if somebody could get a few pictures of the race car.  Tom took a few Polaroid instant shots and gave them this one to send to me.

The #87 pitting in the infield at Cedar Lake sometime in the early 70's

The last big Wilke Racing win came in 1976 at Sioux Falls with Jerry Richert Sr. behind the wheel.

The Wilkes got out of racing after the 1976 season due to the increasing cost of fielding a competitive car.  In the meantime this writer had gotten out of the Navy and was now a young married man working nights with a family to support.  Even though my wife Debbie isn't a racing fan her family had a connection to the sport as well.  Her father was a Roseville auto repair shop owner and friend of Jerry Richert Sr's car owner Frank Wagner who's business was next door.  My wife's uncle was a Stock Car driver named Buzz McCann who drove the white #77 in the Minnesota State Fair photo.  McCann was a very successful driver and former winner of the Labor Day Stock Car race on the dirt.

The Minnesota State Fair Labor Day race circa early 1960's.  Buzz McCann was the driver of the white #77.

The MSA thrived from the 1970's up through the closing of North Star at the end of the 1979 season.  Weekly Sprint Car racing would not return to the Twin Cities area until Cedar Lake hosted WISSOTA Sprints for five seasons from 1993-1998.  Today the Upper Midwest Sprint Car Series (UMSS) is carrying on the decades old tradition of open wheel racing in our area.

So that's my story about how I was introduced to dirt track racing.  My life long record as a racing fan could be divided into several phases.  The discovery phase where I was introduced to the sport as a little kid and was able to attend races weekly and hang around the garage.  The teenage phase where I went through some personal tragedies that took me away from racing.  I eventually was able to buy my first car and get out to the races much as possible before joining the Navy.  Next was my working nights while raising a young family phase that lasted until around 1980.  The kids eventually grew up and moved out so I crawled down from the stands and got into racing media work phase which I have enjoyed for the past fourteen years.  And now I'm entering the over 60 back and legs ache, going to bed earlier, grandkids are demanding my attention, money's tight approaching retirement phase.  Through all of the ups, downs and changes I'm still a fan.  I can tell you from first hand experience that each season and each phase of our life as applies to racing is a little different.  We might have highs and lows in our ability to attend as many shows or travel as much as we'd like but we continue to do it to the extent possible year after year, decade after decade.  Racing and life in general have changed a lot since 1960 but one thing is a constant, they still go fast and they still turn left.

I hope you learned something about our local racing history and that it helped you reflect on your personal experiences with racing.  Putting the Florida notes off until the next blog post.  I had planned on writing a little about racing in Florida in this post but I think we'll hold off until after Florida Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 when there will be plenty to write about.

Is it April yet? 

* All photos used in this article are taken from the Stan Meissner collection or contributed by Jeff Caldwell and Brian Skedgel both of Thunder Bay, Ontario.  The photos of the #69 Bill McDonald Offy and Chicone's Duce with the Model A body are from the Richert family collection.  Racing Wheels scans and MSA program cover are from the Stan Meissner collection. 

Opportunity knocks, schedule shaping up nicely...

A couple of opportunities have presented themselves that will allow me to attend more races this coming season.  As you recall, I made some changes that resulted in the loss of some long standing opportunities and I wasn't sure what my options were going to be.  The changes as I explained were my decision as I wanted to reduce my total number of races to a more manageable level but I had to make some tough decisions in the process.  The intent of the change was to trim my number of races down from the 30 and 40 range to a more manageable number and hopefully work out some deals so I could come in around 18-20.  I set my sights at a modest 6-8 initially not knowing what to expect.  These latest developments allowed me to up that number to 16.  Hopefully the opportunity will present itself so that I can boost that number up into the 18-20 range.  I trust that when the season begins and people see what I'm doing with this blog the opportunities will follow.  If not there are plenty of free Street Rod shows each weekend to fill some of the empty spots so there shouldn't be any problem gathering content for this blog.   

One of the benefits of blogging is that it will allow me to use more photos and video clips in my articles.

I'm going to go through what I have for a schedule so far and give a brief explanation about some of the  events and why I like them.  We'll throw in some photos to illustrate my points and after I'm done covering the schedule I'll tell you about a few races that are still on my wish list.  After that I'll post a few random thoughts so kick back, grab a cold one (or a hot one) and check it out.

Stan's Tentative 2013 Racing Schedule
Fri Apr  26 SCVR thunder #1 umss (w)
Sat May 11 SCVR bullring bast #1                                        
Fri  May 24 SCVR thunder #2 umss (w) Tabor Memorial
Fri May  31 IRA SCVR thunder #3                                                
Sat Jun 1 CLS triple IRA                                                         
Fri-Sun Jun 21-23 Back to 50's Fgnds                                  
Fri  Jun 28 SCVR open wheel nats #1                                
Sat Jun 29 SCVR #2 umss (w) both nights                                
Sun Jun 30 CLS WoO                                                                
Fri Jul  12 SCVR traditional 40 (non-wing)                                 
Fri Jul  26 SCVR thunder #4 umss (w)                                  
Sat  Aug 3 or 10? CLS USA Natl's finale                            
Fri Aug 17 SCVR thunder #5 umss (w) Kouba                         
Fri Aug 30 SCVR bullring blast #2 LM, A Mod, Trad, MWM    
Sat Sep 7 CLS JR Mem                                                             
Sat Sep 14 SCVR crash tastic smash-o-rama spectating w/grandkids

The first race on my schedule will be Saint Croix Valley's first "Thunder in the Valley" race of  five total on the season (I will be attending all five).  As you can see these races feature winged Sprints, four are UMSS and one is an IRA race.  Bullring racing is some of the best around and SCVR's unique configuration provides exciting action in all classes.

Kevin Nickle (10) takes a look at the outside lane as Brad Barickman (34) and Joseph Kouba (55) battle for position at a 2010 UMSS race.

Bill Balog won the first ever IRA race at SCVR.  Bill scored a 360 win at the track before the UMSS was formed.

Another event on my schedule at SCVR is the Traditional 40.  In my opinion the UMSS Traditional Sprints are the best new addition to come to our area in decades.  These cars are fun to watch anywhere they run but I find that I prefer them on short tracks without a lot of banking.  SCVR is perfectly suited to these cars and the Traditional 40 is their night to shine.  

Traditional Sprints at SCVR circa 2012.  The Traditional 40 is their night to shine.

Next up on the schedule will be the Cedar Lake Triple.  The way it's look so far this will be one of the few opportunities I'll have to watch the Late Models this coming season.  At the time of this writing I've got two nights of Late Model racing on my schedule at CLS, the Triple and the final night of the USA Nationals and the two Bullring Blast shows at SCVR.  If the opportunity presents itself any shows that I add to make it up into the 18-20 range will be at CLS. 

Jimmy Mars at Cedar Lake 2012.

Attending the Bullring Blasts will allow me to see some of the cars and drivers I don't normally get to watch.

One of the can't miss events I have been attending in recent years is the Back to the 50's weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.  Street Rods and Rat Rods are fun to use in graphics like the one shown below.  I like to take a day of vacation on the Friday of Back to the 50's and spend the whole day taking photos.  I have found that one of the best ways to get unobstructed shots is to stand by the edge of the street and shoot them as they drive by.  I usually get up early and drive down to one of the park and ride lots and take the fee shuttle bus to the Fairgrounds.  It's a long day and I cover a lot of ground but it has become one of my favorite events of the entire year.
 

 Street Rods produce some great shots for graphis.  Back to the 50's has become one of my favorite events of the year.

One of four nights spent at the Cedar Lake Speedway will be for their annual World of Outlaws race.  So far I've only got four nights planned at CLS quite frankly on account of the cost of going there now that I'll no longer be on anybody's media list but I have only missed a few of their WoO races dating back to the beginning.  I think I missed a year or two at the very beginning and one time when they tried to get the show in until after midnight before finally getting rained out and rescheduling to Tuesday.  

The CLS WoO race is always a good one.

  

In addition to their World of Outlaws race I plan on attending the final night of the USA Nationals and the Jerry Richert Sr. Memorial IRA/Knoxville Challenge.  These four events are my personal can't miss CLS races.  These four races are my best bets for getting some good photos and video clips to share with you on this blog.  

The field lines up for the USA Nationals finale at the Cedar Lake Speedway

Jerry Richert Sr. at Cedar Lake during a 1980's World of Outlaws race.  This was one of my early attempts at action photography and one of my most prized photos.  I stuck the lens of my old film camera through a hole in the fence to get this shot.

A couple events have fallen by the wayside on account of no longer being associated with a publication that can arrange access for certain events.  Elko is one of the places I love to shoot, there's always plenty of action as you can see from this photo and the Outlaws will be making an appearance there in May.  Unfortunately it isn't just the cost of a pit pass but it's one of the few tracks where paying to get in will not guarantee access to the infield.  I'll have to see how things are going when May rolls around.  Maybe I'll go down there and sit in the stands and catch a few photos of hot laps and time trials and some video clips.  I could do some neat pit shots as well so we'll see.  It's a matter of principle for me to put most of my emphasis on tracks that extend hospitality in appreciation for the PR and allow full access to take photos.  I have to get the most bang for my buck so that's going to affect where and how often I attend races.  One night of Elko WoO racing without a break at the gate will cost upwards of $75 and I can do three nights elsewhere for that same amount of money.  I have to get the most out of what I have available and spend smart this season.
 

Elko offers plenty of high flying action so it's on my wish list.

This might sound a bit weird to hard core racing fans but one of the events I have enjoyed shooting is the Cedar Lake School Bus night.  Usually some of the grandkids will come out for this one and the place is packed full of kids.  School Bus night is another one of the casualties of my schedule change.  It's a fun event to shoot but I've got to opt for getting the most bang out of my buck.  SCVR has one of their Bullring Blasts on the same night as the buses so that is where I'll be this time around.  The grandkids and my son will most likely be at CLS while I'm up at SCVR.  The Meissner family has 'em covered!  
 

  Cedar Lake's School Bus night is always a fun deal.  The kids love this event but the hard core race fans tend to shy away from it.  I think sometimes we have to yield to the kids and put their fun ahead of our own.

Two more shows on my wish list are the Badger Midgets and the Micro Sprints at the Cedar Lake Arena.  We'll just have to see what happens and take it from there. Jackson, Knoxville, Grand Forks and Sun Prairie are places I'd like to get back to as well.  Unfortunately those tracks have been a bit of a stretch the past few seasons on account of the gas and motel expense.  My son Les and talked it over and we want to try and get out on the road this summer to see something besides the local tracks. 
 

Aside from the local racing there are a few other things I have been working on.  I'm playing around with a 3d background program and brushing up on how to use the software.  I've got some song ideas that I have been working on as well but I'm waiting to upgrade to a better guitar before I add the leads.  That's still a couple months out and I'm very excited about the direction the music is going in.  Admittedly I'm an old blues rock player with 60's roots and my stuff all has a distinct sound but it's getting much better within the confines of what I like to do and what I am capable of.  In other words, my music sucks a little less than it did a couple of years ago.  Like I tell people, I'm not good enough to make any money at anything but manage to do well enough that I don't want to quit. 

Playing around with 3d graphics.

That's going to about wrap up this post.  See you all soon and we'll talk about Florida racing and the coming season.