ABC to Welcome Vintage Racers; Sixes in the Spotlight
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI, August 8 – The Northern Vintage Stockcar Racers group will make its annual visit to the ABC Raceway on Saturday night, August 10, and the track’s own Six-Cylinder class will compete for a little extra money during the Raceway’s 13th annual “Summer Sizzler” special.
The night’s action, presented by the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsman’s Club, will include all six regular weekly divisions in action, in addition to the NVSR’s two classes of cars, as the 2019 season heads for an exciting conclusion.
The Sportsmen’s Club will be selling raffle tickets for their annual fundraiser throughout the first portion of the race program, with cash prizes to be awarded. The drawing of the winning raffle tickets will be held at the track during intermission of Saturday night’s show. Proceeds from the raffle will help support the Sportsmen’s Club’s many outdoor education and conservation programs in the Chequamegon Bay area.
With just three weeks of racing remaining in the season, the chase for this summer’s track championships expects to get very interesting. In the WISSOTA Modifieds, Ashland’s Steve Stuart leads Jeff Spacek of Phillips by just 30 points – not a large difference under the current points system used by WISSOTA Promoters Association tracks. And Geroge Dalbeck of Wakefield, MI, holds an even smaller 18-point advantage on David Simpson of Thunder Bay, ON, in the WISSOTA Midwest Modified chase.
Randy Graham of Trego, in defense of his WISSOTA Pure Stock track title from a year ago, is ahead of Justin Weinberger of Park Falls by a scant 17 points, and Paul George of Princeton, MN, has made his weekly visits to Ashland pay off to this point by taking over the WISSOTA Hornets divisional lead after last weekend’s action, albeit by a mere five points on Derek Dunbar of Iron River.
The two divisional points leaders that seem to have the most comfortable advantages with three weekends left are Mason’s Nick Oreskovich and Graham. Oreskovich holds a 92-point cushion over Ashland’s Matt Deragon as he seeks a fourth straight WISSOTA Super Stock crown, while Graham hopes to become the Raceway’s first-ever two-division champ as he carries a 62-point margin over Forrest Schultz of Ashland in the ABC Sixes.
Ashland’s Tiffany Hudack, who is the Raceway’s defending Six-Cylinder points champ as well as last Saturday night’s feature winner in that division, won the “Summer Sizzler” a year ago this weekend.
The Northern Vintage Stockcar racers group is based out of west-central Wisconsin and east-central Minnesota, but it consists of approximately 40-50 enthusiastic race fans dedicated to preserve the history of short-track stock car racing in the Midwest. The club’s members build and race full-bodied stockers, coupes and “winged modifieds,” offering fans a chance to reminisce about the way racing looked, sounded and felt during a by-gone ear while promoting fun, safety and entertainment.
The grandstand gates will open at 5 pm on Saturday, the “hot lap” practice session will start at 6:15, and the first heat race of the night should get the green flag at 7 pm. As the NVSR will have competed at Superior on the Friday night before, several of the member race teams will be parked in the ABC Raceway’s grandstand parking area much of Saturday afternoon, and fans are welcome to stop out, visit with the racers and their crews, and take a look at the vintage machines.
“Race Night” will air from 4:30-6 pm on WBSZ, 93.3 FM, with up-to-date news and weather information every 15-20 minutes. The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland, just one mile west of State Highway 13 on Butterworth Road. For race day information, please call (715) 682-4990
Six Cylinder Summer Sizzler August 10th
The 2019 season’s stretch run continues at the ABC Raceway on Saturday, August 10, when extra money will be on the line for the track’s Six-Cylinders during the 13th annual “Summer Sizzler,” to be presented by the Ashland-Bayfield County Sportsmen’s Club. The Northern Vintage Stockcar Racers group will bring its throwback cars to the red-clay oval to compete, and the Sportsmen’s Club will hold its annual raffle drawing at the track during the race program’s intermission.
As an added bonus, the Raceway announced during Saturday’s program that it will offer an enhanced purse for the WISSOTA Pure Stocks during the August 10 race program.
The grandstands will open at 5 pm, hot laps will start at 6:15, and the first green flag of the night is set to fly at 7 pm. “Race Night” will air on WBSZ, 93.3 FM, with up-to-date track news and weather updates every 15-20 minutes from 4:30-6 pm; coverage will also stream on www.wbszfm.com and on the free Heartland Communications Group radio app.
The ABC Raceway is located 3-1/2 miles south of Ashland on State Highway 13 and one mile west on Butterworth Road. For raceday information call (715) 682-4990
