Hartland Wisconsin (June 7, 2021)- Bill Balog and B Squared Motorsports had their best weekend of racing yet racing with the 2021 FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions! Not only did they pick up their first win, but back-to-back victories at both the Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth, WI and Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI as the circuit visited Bill’s home state.
The weekend started off on a high note Thursday at Fairbury Speedway in Fairbury, IL where Bill qualified second and was charging for his first victory with the All Stars in the Feature but came up just short and finished third. “We were super-fast Thursday night”, said the 10 time IRA champion, “We ended up third fighting for the win but I’ll take that any night at this level of competition”.
Friday night, the tour visited Wilmot Raceway where Bill has had tremendous success with the IRA series over the years. “I knew right away that we had something for them on Friday, the car felt great and was bad fast,” according to Bill. Despite not qualifying great, the Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup 17B car was winning its heat by a full straightaway by the fourth lap and won it handily, putting it in the dash and locking it into the A Main. During the parade lap of the A main, Bill started hearing a “clunking” sound in the front end and the car didn’t steer quite the way it should. Bill went on to describe the bizarre situation: “Fortunately, (fellow competitor) Zeb Wise started pointing to the front of my car and I saw that a bolt was missing in the steering system, I definitely have to thank him for that or I could’ve taken out half the field when the green flag dropped when I got to turn one and tried to turn left.” Bill went to the work area where the crew got him back out in time to start 24th on the field. After returning, he was “extra motivated” as he methodically worked his way through the field and ended up with the Hercules Tire Hard Charger award for finishing 6th!
Saturday night in Plymouth saw a capacity crowd and legions of Balog fans hoping to see the 17B get that first victory. Out of the gate, Bill went to the top of the speed charts and set quick time! He went on to finish third in his heat and the won the dash. Starting on the pole of the 30 Lap A-main, Bill initially lost the lead, but had it back in less than 5 laps and went on to put on a clinic and pull away from the field. The entire crowd held its collective breath with 5 to go when Bill came upon a gaggle of lapped cars and saw one of them jump the cushion. “I thought for sure he was going to spin and I’d end up hitting him, but somehow we didn’t touch.” From there it was on to victory lane where the massive crowd went crazy for the hometown hero. Bill said the crowd was absolutely “crazy” and hopes the fans know just how much he appreciates them for coming out. “It was great to get that first win with the All Stars and to do it in Plymouth made it sweeter than a big jar of Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup!!”
Sunday night, the newest Allstar winner headed to Angel Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI for the final night of the upper Midwest swing. The Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup, Buesser Concrete, Wisecup Siding, Howard Law, CK Contractors, Wayne Corini CPA, Lein Acres, Turn It Up Media 17B qualified 2nd on the night and placed 2nd in the Dash. Bill started 2nd in the A main but took the lead from Rico Abreu early on when he encountered lapped traffic and was forced to use a less than ideal line. “Once we got to lapped traffic and Rico had to change his line, I was pretty confident I could pass him,” Bill said. “Once I did and was out of the traffic, I just pounded the cushion as hard as I could and didn’t look back.” For the second time in 24 hours Bill Balog and B2 Motorsports visited victory lane!
According to Bill, “Our car is so fast right now and it drives so well. Joe Taylor, Dennis Gregg, Austin Semmelmann, and all the guys have given me such an awesome car. They work their tails off and never give up, I can’t thank them enough! I also need to thank Natalie Klemko for all her efforts with her social media help and heading up all the merchandise sales.”
To make the weekend even sweeter, Bill’s sister and her family came all the way down from North Pole, Alaska to see the Wisconsin native have a career weekend in his home state and move up to 4th in All Star Circuit of Champions points.
Upper Midwest Tour Results:
6/3 Fairbury Speedway
Qualifying
Group 1st
Overall 2nd
Heat Race
Start 4th
Finish 3rd
Dash
Start 3rd
Finish 2nd
A Main
Start 4th
Finish 3rd
6/4 Wilmot Raceway
Qualifying
Group 4th
Overall
Heat Race
Start 1st
Finish 1st
Dash
Start 3rd
Finish 4th
A Main
Start 24th
Finish 3rd
6/5 Plymouth Dirt Track
Qualifying
Group 1st
Overall 1st
Heat Race
Start 4th
Finish 3rd
Dash
Start 2nd
Finish 1st
A Main
Start 1st
Finish 1st
6/6 Angel Park Speedway
Qualifying
Group 1st
Overall 2nd
Heat Race
Start 4th
Finish 2nd
Dash
Start 3rd
Finish 2nd
A Main
Start 2nd
Finish 1st
Upcoming Events:
Bill Balog and the B Squared Motorsports team continue their season with the Allstar Circuit of Champions as they head to the Ohio Speedweeks for 8 nights of racing with the Allstars.
- Bill Balog on Jun 08, 2021
- Article Date: 6/8/2021