Dodge County Fairgrounds and Rice Lake Speedway to Host Winged 410 Sprint Action!
July 7, 2014; Beaver Dam, WI. – It’s been a bit of a break for the teams of the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints. Last in action on June 20th, the tour left a gap in their schedule to allow teams to participate in area World of Outlaw events and to enjoy the Independence Day weekend with friends and family.
Now it’s time to get back at it, as the schedule resumes for one of the nation’s best 410 Outlaw Sprints series.
The revival of the loud pedal begins at the Dodge County Fairgrounds on Friday Night July 11th.
Headlined by the 900 horsepower Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints, the main event will be the 15th annual Rick Schmidt Memorial race, a 23 lap A-main event, for the winged 410 Outlaw Sprints.
Joining the sprint cars will be two classes of Modifieds as area “IMCA type” Modifieds and “IMCA type” Sport Modifieds will be on the card. It’s a triple header night of action that fans won’t want to miss as the “Horsepower Half-mile” once again reverberates with the roar of racing engines.
The headline contest for the sprint cars is held in honor of Rick Schmidt, a renowned driver, and crew chief. He was instrumental in helping make the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints a true touring series. After he passed away in 1999, an annual event was established at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in his honor, and the A-main is always contested 23 laps in remembrance of his car number. The winner this season receives a check for $2,300
Local driver Scotty Neitzel has seen great success in the memorial event over the years with multiple victories in the Schmidt memorial race held on the “Horsepower Half-mile”. Drivers will be reaching speeds in excess of 130mph making it one of the fastest tracks on the circuit.
Last year Bill Balog scored a clean sweep and established a track record when he blazed around the oval in 16.211 seconds. Balog heads into this year’s show with four consecutive wins on the tour.
Pit gates will open at 3:00pm with the grandstands opening at 5:00pm. Warm-ups begin at 6:00pm with qualifying for the IRA Sprint cars and racing to follow.
Grandstand admission is $20 for adults. Children, ages 6 through 12, are admitted for just $5. and children ages 5 and under are FREE.
For additional information please see http://www.irasprints.com/ or http://www.dodgecountyfairgrounds.com
The series then packs up and heads north to Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The IRA starts will take to the high-banked third-mile clay oval for the lone appearance of the IRA Sprints this season at Rice Lake Speedway.
The show, held on Saturday night July 12th will also showcase the tracks own Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks and Pure Stocks in addition to the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints.
In 2012, the stars of the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints would ran their 30 lap main event from green to checker in just under seven minutes, with 20 of the 21 starters still on the racing surface at the conclusion of the contest with Bill Balog standing in victory lane.
Last season Balog edged out former two-time champion Travis Whitney for top honors.
The pits will open at 4:00 p.m. with the spectator gates being opened at 5:00 p.m. Sprint Car qualifying is slated for 6:30 p.m. with racing to follow.
The Rice Lake Speedway is located one mile north of Rice Lake Wisconsin midway between state highway 48 and Barron County SS. The track phone number is 715-236-2002 and more information can be obtained from co-owner Dave Adams at 715-205-2861. The speedway website provides more information at www.ricelakespeedway.net
Over two dozen teams are expected to venture to both of the upcoming events.
The 2014 Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series scheduled season will consist of 30 shows to be held at 15 different area tracks.
IRA proudly moves into 2014 backed by its long time supporting series partners led by title sponsor Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts & Service Centers, and associate series partners Osborn & Son Trucking, TW Metals, Hoosier Tire, Cedar Creek Motorsports, Cummins Onan, and Carriage Auto Body.
The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints are a featured member of Racetext.net a website dedicated to bringing fans the best possible coverage of local short track racing.
For more information on the IRA Outlaw Sprints check out the tour website at www.irasprints.com or by logging onto the series Facebook page at www.facebook.com/irasprints the series is also on twitter at #IRA_sprints.
- Jeffrey Sachse on Jul 07, 2014
- Article Date: 7/7/2014 by Jeffrey Sachse