Dave Wietholder

Over the past two seasons, one of the most popular “what if” conversations dealt with Jared Schlipman behind the wheel of a lat model. In about 10 weeks we’ll be able to see how that all shakes out when he debuts as a UMP Super Late Model rookie.

Schlipman, who spent recent summers in a UMP modified winning one track title and always finishing among the points leaders, is the son of former IMCA Deery Brothers late model champ Terry Schlipman. The natural progression seemed obvious for Jared, although as race fans it’s kind of sad to see the rivalry with Steven DeLonjay, Dave Wietholder, Michal Long and other modified stars come to an end.

Schlipman’s move to late models, however, piqued my interest concerning what other local drivers might excel in that class. Here are eight I would like to see get a chance in one of the big rides:

• Jake Powers: “The Snake” is making the move to stock cars following the demise of the hobby stock division. Let’s give him a couple of seasons in that class and see what happens. Jake’s on-track improvement the past two years has been obvious and there’s no reason to doubt it will not continue. I think he’ be a perfect fit for a late model in the not-too-distant future, so his dad, Jerry, better get busy.

Tanner Klingele

• Tanner Klingele: Here’s another youngster on the fast track to Bullring stardom. He’ll be concentrating solely on the sport mods this season. Still a teenager, Tanner will likely get offered a late model ride at some point in the next five or six years.

• Joe Bliven: Ol’ Clean Livin’ has modified fuel running in his veins, but I’d like to see him get a chance in a late model, if for only one season. Admittedly used to operating on a tight budget, he’d be a natural fit for a car owner who would need his driver to take care of equipment. There is no one on the planet who enjoys driving a race car more than Joe Boom.

• Bobby Anders: They say the same thing about Bobby as they do Michael Long — he can drive anything. I think the transition for him sport mod to late model would be an easy one, just like it was for a hobby stock to sport mod.

• Austen Becerra: I know, I know. One season does not a star make, but it’s hard not to take notice of what he did last year. I can almost guarantee if we see a repeat of that sport compact domination this season, Mr. Becerra will be fielding offers from some modified and/or stock car owners.

• Terry Houston: Is there a more consistent driver at 8000 Broadway? In addition, he knows how to both hit the kamikaze button if needed, or it back and “points race.” He’s proven about all he can in the stock cars, so … what about the spare late model TEAMFOUR has sittin’ around? Someone give Tony Dunker a call — here’s the late model driver for his fledgling empire.

• Abe Huls: I have a feeling Honest Abe could be the next Black Car Superstar in a late model. He knows only two words when on the Quincy quartermile: Go. Fast.

• Dave Wietholder: This has to happen. Dave has proven he can drive in any other class at the track. He would be a natural

Sit back in that recliner and think for a minute. Ten years from now, which of the current drivers at the Bullring will have made the biggest impacts between now and then?

The criteria I’m basing my list on is potential for winning track titles and/or consistently finishing high in the points, which obviously reflects a certain amount of domination and consistency. The next thing I look for is who always has pizza in their pits after the races. (OK, just kidding about that last thing … kind of.)

Here are my choices, with a brief explanation:

1. Steven DeLonjay: The first thing you need to know is if Steve-O wins a third straight UMP modified title this season that will give him five overall Bullring crowns at age 21. The second thing to file away is he may some day own more championships than any driver in the history of the track. He’s still probably 10 years away — at least — from his prime. It’s actually kind of a scary thought if you are one of his rivals.

2. Dustin Griffin: We caught a glimpse of what he could do over the course of a full season in 2012, and I think we’re going to see Griffin, who was a running back in high school, salt away several track titles in the next 10 years. The Black Car Superstar is one of those drivers who will always be bad fast — as Darrell Waltrip likes to say — and he, too, is not even close to his prime years as a driver.

3. Mark Burgtorf:Make no mistake, Magic Mark has plenty of good years left in that No. 7, but there will be plenty of competition in the UMP Super Lates in the coming decade — starting with the guy who is No. 2 on this list.

Jake Griffin

4. Michael Long: If Michael was committed to race a full Quincy schedule each year, it would be almost impossible not to put him No. 1, but No. 18 prefers a regional schedule and more power to him. (But it’s always a good Sunday night if Long and DeLonjay are both in the pits.)

5. Justin Reed: The former track champ is a still a pup in late model circles. There should be plenty of tight points races in the next decade with Griffin, Burgtorf, Denny Woodworth and others.

6. Jake Griffin: Saying the sky is the limit for this 14-year-old would be an incredible understatement. The biggest question is how long after his 18th birthday will it be until he and his family start chasing some bigtime dreams? Let’s enjoy him while we have him.

Justin Reed

7. Dave Wietholder: Is it just me, or is Dave getting stronger with each passing year. I think is best is yet to come — and we should see it in the coming 10 years.

8. Terry Houston: The Mayor of Mount Sterling might be at the peak of his career right now, and shows no inkling of doing anything but keeping up that same level of momentum. Think ahead five years — last night of the points season and Houston, Huls and Jake Powers are battling for the championship.

9. Jared Schlipman: One of the princes of the UMP mods is abdicating his throne this year to pursue the late models. The question is not will he succeed, but when. This may take a couple of years, but with his crew chief (some guy named Terry) and quality equipment it is going to be mighty entertaining to watch. What’s also fun is the way he picks on Taco Larsen..

10. Jake Powers: We might have to give The Snake a mulligan for part of the 2013 season until he gets accustomed to that new stock car, but once he feels good behind the wheel it’s just a matter of time until he tries to start reeling in Terry Houston, Abe Huls and others in the class.

Special mention: Tony Dunker, because I’m not sure what the future holds for him, and I don’t think he is yet either. I think he’ll be around more Sunday nights this summer than he originally led us to believe, but how many? That’s the question we’ll probably have to ask each year from now on since he is committed to supporting his son’s baseball activity.

Special mention, part deux: Abe Huls is another driver with that question mark over his head most seasons. When in the pits, he’s virtually unstoppable. But he has the tendency to miss a week or two. Marriage can be a bear, eh?

The following is from Matt Prieur – Speed51.com Midwest Editor

Jake Griffin and his crew.

Quincy, Illinois teenager Jake Griffin has already accomplished more in his brief racing career than most drivers only dream of.  It’s not only on one surface either.  It doesn’t matter if it’s dirt or pavement, and in what type of race car it has been, Griffin has been successful.

The arrival of the UMP Super Late Models is the top story of the decade — so far.

A few years ago we chronicled the top 10 events of the 2000-09 decade at Quincy Raceways (see the second part of the blog), and since we’re three years into the current 10-year period I thought we’d get a head start on another such list.

Since 2010, here are what I think I have been the most important developments at 8000 Broadway:

1. The arrival of the UMP Super Late Models in 2012: A decade from now, we’ll look back and realize how important this wound up being in the overall future of the track. In the same breath, always keep a warm spot in your dirt-track heart for the IMCA, which served the class very well at Quincy for more than a decade. It was simply time to move on.

2. Bringing back another modified class: I touch on this subject in the 2000-09 decade info that follows, but the sport mods’ time had come and this, too, will prove to be an extremely important decision. By 2015, this series will be averaging more than 20 cars a week.

Tony Dunker and son Branden.

3. The Paul Holtschlag-Bob Rhinberger ownership team: Very few will ever know how important this alliance was in moving the track forward. The Bullring is on its way to becoming the crown jewel of the region. Trust me on this one.

4. The Dunker Dominance: Tony Dunker’s 15 feature wins in the 2012 sport mod seres was just one off Michael Long’s moder era record of 16 in the modifieds in 2007. His 27 total victories ranks fourth in that same period.

5. The sport compacts: Talk about an often overlooked — but brilliant — move. Who saw the popularity of this series coming?! Stop and think about it. Using that 2015 date as a common thread, there could be four weekly classes at 8000 Broadway averaging 20-plus cars a week — and the sport compacts might end up having the most.

6. The new faces of QR: As the current decade progresses, new faces and personalities are emerging in many of the classes. Look around, in the late models we have The Black Car Superstar (Dustin Griffin), in the modifieds Steven DeLonjay, in the sport mods Tanner Klingele, in the sport compacts a host of young faces are running up front. And look for some new blood in the stocks this season, led by Jake “The Snake” Powers.

7. The end of the hobby stocks:Yes, it was sad. I loved the hobbies, too. But the raw figures showed it was time to pull the plug. Both nationwide and regionally, it was/is a dying class. Those things happen, especially in racing where everything is cyclical. When the shock of the initial announcement wore off, several of the hobby stock regulars grudgingly admitted, “It was time.”

The Cap’n.

8. The Mayor of Mount Sterling: Terry Houston’s quiet dominance in the stock cars has resulted in two titles in the first three years of the decade and a one-point miss the other. The unofficial Mayor of Mount Sterling could easily be going for a fourth straight championship this season.

9. The retirement of Steve Carlin?: The Cap’n won his fifth track title in 2011 and then only ran a handful of races in 2012. The jury’s still out whether No. 9 will ever return in another class since the hobbies are now gone, but if he is in permanent retirement that means he left the track with more championships than any driver not named Burgtorf, DeLonjay or (Steve) Fraise.

10. Double Duty: When Justin Reed won the 2011 late model track title he became the second driver in track history to win championships in two different classes. Reed also won the 2009 modified crown. The other driver to pull off such a double is Denny Woodworth, who won 2010 late model championship and the 1993 “A” modified title.

We’ll be adding to and subtracting from this configuration as the years accumulate. If you think there’s something that should be on this list right now that I missed, you know the drill. Leave a post and we’ll let everyone take a look.

THE PREVIOUS DECADE (2000-09)

The following information is taken from “Dirt: A History of Quincy Raceways,” and deals with the top 10 most important/memorable items from the 2000-09 decade:

1. Change in ownership: The Scott family sold the track in 2007 after owning and running the facility for 32 years.

2. The 2007-08 domination of Michael Long: No. 18 won an almost unthinkable 31 features in those two years and 71 overall races.

Michael Long

3.  The Burgtorf Dynasty: “Magic Mark” Burgtorf won seven of his 14 track titles in this decade, including three in a row from 2005-07.

4. “Hank the Crank” Knew When to Step Away: Hank DeLonjay was still a force when he retired following the 2006 season, but he opted to go out on top (or at least close to it) and turn his attention to son Steven DeLonjay (who has not done too badly himself). Hank retired with 13 track titles.

5. When Two Became One: After the 2005 season, the “A’ and “B” mods were retooled into one class. I was against the idea at first, but the one-series system morphed into a whale of a class. (But it became obvious a couple of years ago there was room for two modified divisions, and as a result the sport mods are now a welcome part of the weekly show.)

6. Oh What A Night: Aug. 24, 2008 was the evening the modified, stock car and hobby stock series were decided by a point — or less— on the final Sunday night of points racing. The computers and calculators were working overtime in the press box that evening. When the dust — and calculations — had settled, Michael Long, Jeff Mueller and Aaron Brocksieck had won the closely contested championships. Long took the modified title by a point, and Brocksieck did likewise in the hobby stock series. Mueller and Chris Wibbell tied for the stock car championship and were forced to go to a tiebreaker to determine the title. Mueller was declared champ by virtue of having won more features. Overall, that may have been the most exciting night of racing in the 14 years I have been going to the Bullring.

Jeff Mueller

7. The arrival of the stock cars: The stock cars came to Quincy as a weekly series in 2008, and although there have been struggles since 2009, it appears the series is now on solid ground.

8. The “Hell Tour” comes to 8000 Broadway: The track solidified its standing as a major arena in this part of the country when it hosted its first UMP Summer Nationals Hell Tour race in July 2006.

9. Electronic scoring arrives: In late 2007, the electronic scoring and timing system was installed and has been a godsend for all involved. We always wondered how fast those cars were going — and now we know.

10. The retirement of Eddie Dieker: The Quincy Raceways Hall of Famer won four track titles between 1999-2005 and then drove off into the sunset in 2006. He still has a small legion of fans at the track who keep hoping he will someday return.

A flat tire.

A crash that wasn’t that driver’s fault.

Problems in a heat race that ended a night.

Those are just three of countless reasons a driver might miss a feature, or even a few laps on any given Sunday night. That’s why only nine drivers in five years have run every lap of their series’ scheduled main events. We started tracking this in 2008, and I have to admit it’s one of my favorite stats.

The following are your true iron men of the Bullring. Before the 2013 starts, I’ll give you the season leaders in each class and career leaders in laps run, etc. It will be easy to pick out why certain drivers are always in the middle of the points chase come late in the season — they manage to keep their cars on the track.

Oh, and make sure you read the note below about Jerry Jansen.

RING OF IRON 2008-2012
The following drivers completed all feature laps in the following seasons:

2012: Terry Houston, stock cars (297) track champion
2011: Jerry Jansen, stock cars (262)
2011: Jake Powers, hobby stocks (340)
2011: Nathan Anders, hobby stocks  (340)
2010: Denny Woodworth, late models (380 laps) track champion
2010: Jerry Jansen, stock cars (270)
2009: Lonnie Bailey, late models (560) track champion
2009: Mike Wiley, hobby stocks (370)
2008: Chris Wibbell, stock cars (380)

Notes:

– No modified driver has run all of the scheduled feature laps in a season during thes period. The closest was Steven DeLonjay in 2008, when he completed 98.1 percent (413 of 421).

– Sport mods have run just one complete season (2012), with Tony Dunker leading the way with 95.7 percent (354 of 370).

– In two years of sport compacts, Seth Woodruff’s 2011 season (98.6 percent, 213 of 216) came the closest.

– Jerry Jansen deserves some sort of special mention. He missed by one lap in 2012 of a third consecutive season of perfect lapness (not sure if that’s a word or not). Jansen ended up one lap down in a late-season feature, meaning he did not complete all of the laps that evening, ultimately costing him a third straight 100 percent season.

The sign of consistency.

The most amazing number connected with Quincy Raceways heading into the 2013 season might belong to Dave Wietholder.

It’s 237.

No, that’s not the amount of cheeseburgers he’s devoured at Mr. Bill’s, it’s the number of consecutive points features he’s started. The streak is more than decade old and involves four different classes. (And we’re not even counting the days when he and his wife, Tanya, fired up the old two-man cruisers on Thursday nights.)

Dave has proven to be the ultimate ironman in the modern era of the track. To have not missed a points feature in more than 10 years goes beyond luck. It requires a mental toughness — and a good crew — that most drivers can aonly dream about.

Here’s a breakdown of his streak:

– 155 straight in the UMP/”A” modified division.
– 18 in the “B” mods.
– 17 in the stock car class.
– 47 in the bombers.

And remember, in a few of those years, Wietholder was in involved in multiple classes.

DELONJAY A DISTANT SECOND

Want some more proof how impressive Wietholder’s streak is? The second-best streak right now belongs to two-time defending modified track champ Steven DeLonjay. He will enter 2013 with 119 in a row, dating to his days in the old hornet class. He has 82 in a row in a modified.

Here’s a look at the leading streaks in each of this year’s five weekly classes:

Late models: Justin Reed has made 88 consecutive starts in points features. No other driver is even close.

Modifieds: Wietholder, 155; DeLonjay, 82 (119 overall), Shawn Deering, 82.

Stock cars: Terry Houston’s 58 in a row gives him an easy lead. No other driver is within 15.

Sport mods: Tony Dunker and Joe Bliven have each made 22 points features starts in a row in this division’s brief history.

Sport compacts: Only Seth Woodruff and Kim Abbott have started all 35 points features the first two years of this series.

Miscellaneous: I’m not sure where Jake Powers and Jeremy Buss will begin 2013, but they also have two streaks of note. Powers, who I think will be in a stock car, has started 69 straight points features. Buss, who might be in a sport mod (but I have not talked to him lately), has started 64 in a row.

Local race fan Dave Bodine sent me the following, which I found highly entertaining. He admittedly had some trouble coming up with some names for a few of the letters and asked for readers’ input. Anything you would change?

A – Bobby Anders
B – Mark Burgtorf
C – Dick Crane
D – Hank DeLonjay
E – Ron Elbe
F – Steve Fraise
G – Terry Gallaher
H – Terry Houston
I – Nick Ingalls
J – Jerry Jansen
K – Mike Karhoff
L – Michael Long
M – Wes Mayfield
N – Dustin Neese
O – John Oliver Jr.
P – Larry Pipes
Q – Quincy Raceways
R – Robbie Reed.
S – Brent Slocum.
T – Junior Tuggle
U – Greg Uppinghouse
V – Mark Van Winkle
W – Denny Woodworth
X – Racer X (from the old two-man cruiser days).
Y – ???
Z – Zippee

We’ve been spending some time going over the top contenders in each of the five weekly racing series, but what about those guys who are on the cusp, ready to make a statement in a “breakthrough” season? Not necessarily a championship, but the kind of year that lets the rest of us know we need to keep an eye on them.

Here are my picks:

Late models

Other possibles: Michael Long, Jake Griffin.

Modifieds

* Jake Griffin: “Fireball” gave us a glimpse of what the future may hold last season en route to a relatively quiet fifth-place finish in points. Look for continued growth. He could easily become one of the “big five” with Steven DeLonjay, Dave Wietholder, Michael Long and Shawn Deering. Don’t forget, we’ve lost Jared Schlipman from this class — he’s going to be a late model rookie — so that’s one less major rival Griffin will need to pass in the points standings.

Jerry Lierly

Other possibles: Craig Spegal, Russ Coultas.

Sport mods

* Tanner Klingele: Three things are working in Tanner’s favor this season to make a lasting impression. He’ll be concentrating solely on the sport mods (R.I.P., hobby stocks), Tony Dunker likely won’t be dominating the division because he won’t be racing as much and young Mr. Klingele is a year older and more wiser. Much of the early attention in this class will surround Joe Bliven and Bobby Anders, but don’t be surprised if Klingele makes one of those so-called major statements.

Other possibles: Brad Holtmeyer, Jake Powers (call that second one a hunch … )

Stock cars

* Michael Larsen: I know Taco’s name has been mentioned quite frequently regarding this class in the offseason, but going into April it will still be Terry Houston and Abe Huls garnering much of the hype. But remember, one of my sabermetric theories involving racing is to watch the success in heat races one year to predict a breakout driver the nest. Michael dominated the heats the 2012, and if just a fraction of that success carries over to the 2013 main events there could be a new sheriff in town. Or at least a new deputy — and I’m not talking about Barney Fife.

Other possibles: Jerry Jansen, Gabe Harrison.

Sport compacts

* Pat Dunker: Can he track down Austen “Powers” Becerra, Seth Woodruff or Slim Kim Abbott? Probably not, but this could be the year The Guy With The Cool Hair signs more autographs than his three-time track champion brother Tony Dunker. And if that happens, I would love be at the next family reunion. Dunker (Pat, that is) wowed the 8000 Broadway crowd with some of his late-season runs a year ago, and I see no reason why The People’s Champion will not pick up right where he left off.

Other possibles: Bryce Baker, Brandon Lambert, Lane Van Sandt, Casey Lambert.

Steven DeLonjay

(The following is the fifth of our annual mid-winter looks at the coming Quincy Raceways season, plus a look back to see how we fared with the previous year’s picks. Today we examine the IMCA modifieds.)

UMP modified driver Steven DeLonjay will be putting the pedal to the metal this season in pursuit of a twofold piece of Quincy Raceways history. And I wouldn’t bet against him.

First of all, DeLonjay will be going for his fifth track championship, which would put him in some mighty elite company. Only four other drivers since the track opened in 1975 have accomplished that:

Most track championships
Mark Burgtorf, 14 (all late model)
Hank DeLonjay, 13 (10 “A” modified, 3 sportsman)
Steve Fraise, 9 (all late model)
Steve Carlin, 5 (3 hobby stock, 2 bomber)
Active drivers with 4
Steven DeLonjay (2 UMP modified, 2 hornet)
Terry Gallaher (all late model)
Active drivers with 3
Tony Dunker (2 “B” modified, 1 sport mod)
Lonnie Bailey (2 late model, 1 sportsman)

Secondly, DeLonjay is trying to become the third modified driver with three or more consecutive championships.

Consecutive modified track championships
Hank DeLonjay, 4 (2002-05, all “A” modified)
Sam Burgtorf, 3 (1998-2000, all “A” modified)
Drivers with 2 consecutive modified track championships
Steven DeLonjay (2011-12, UMP modified)
Michael Long (2007-08, one-class modified)
Tony Dunker (2003-04, “B” modified)
Lonnie Carter (1995-96, “B” modified)
Hank DeLonjay (1994-95, “A” modified)

Here’s how we see the UMP modifieds finishing at this point in the preseason:

1. Steven DeLonjay: Challengers better hope hoe does not pick up where he left at the end of last season. DeLonjay won seven second-half races, including four of the final seven to pull away from Jared Schlipman and Dave Wietholder.  DeLonjay finished first or second in 14 of 22 features.

Why he’ll win: He’s been there and he knows how to “points race” late in the season.

Why he won’t: It’s hard to win even one track title, let alone three in a row.

2. Dave Wietholder: He was the top modified driver for almost half of the season, then fell victim to the DeLonjay Smackdown.

3. Michael Long: He finished sixth a year ago and missed five points weeks. If he’s on hand for a couple of more weeks this summer, well … you can do the math.

Dark horse: Jake Griffin. He’s not old enough to drive to the track, but he can certainly drive at the track.

Comeback of the year: Troy Grotz. He got buried in the points early in 2012 due to some wrecks that were not his fault. Look for better results this season.

A LOOK BACK AT HOW WE SAW THE 2012 PRESEASON

This is what we said a year ago at this time, plus with updated comments:

1. Steven DeLonjay: A year ago in this space I said, “I think we are about to see the beginning of the second era of DeLonjay dominance at the Bullring.” Steven proved that forecast true. This year could be chapter No. 2 in what will be an ongoing serial.

(Count one for Stevie Dirt.)

Why he will win: He’s tasted the fruits of that championship and knows what it takes to reach that level. He also has a 13-time track champ as crew chief — his dad, Hank.

(Hank’s on hand again, so watch out, world.)

Why he won’t win: Because there are at least a half dozen other capable drivers of winning the championship Steve-O now possesses.

(True, but DeLonjay was still the best — again — in 2012.)

2. Jared Schlipman: Jared won the 2010 title and it appears he and DeLonjay are developing a great rivalry.

(Hopefully, that rivalry is not over. Is Jared moving to a late model for 2013?)

3. Dave Wietholder: Dave had a solid season in 2011 but was overshadowed by DeLonjay’s exploits. No. 05 should be part of a great points pursuit this summer.

(I just realized I picked Delonjay, Schlipman and Wietholder 1-2-3 a year ago at this time and that’s how they finished. I guess hanging around Joe Bliven for 15 years has helped.)

Dark horse No. 1: Shawn Deering may have made more of a statement last year than he did if not for that horrible month when everything that could have gone wrong did. The law of percentages should be in his favor this time around. Plus, he has a great looking car!

(Shawn had a solid season, finishing fourth in points. He was just overshadowed by the Big Three.)

Dark horse No. 2: If Michael Long races enough to challenge for the championship he’s obviously our choice. But we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that development. Michael has his eyes on championships outside of 8000 Broadway.

(Only Michael Long could miss five points weeks and still finish sixth points.)

Comeback of the year:Tony Dunker. He was my pick in this space a year ago, but did not race that much. This year will be different, and with that winless feature streak monkey off his back I look for Dunker to challenge for the title, not only in this class but the sport mods as well.

(Well, I got part of this right. Dunker owned the sport mods, but said farewell to the UMP mods.)

2012 POINTS LEADERS
Steven DeLonjay, 1,224
Jared Schlipman, 1,140
Dave Wietholder, 1,136
Shawn Deering, 975
Jake Griffin, 962

2011 POINTS LEADERS
Steven DeLonjay, 1,121
Jared Schlipman, 960
Dave Wietholder, 946
Shawn Deering, 919
Jake Griffin, 741

2010 POINTS LEADERS

Jared Schlipman, 869
Michael Long, 819
Steven DeLonjay, 816
Dave Wietholder, 786
Justin Reed, 770

Quincy Raceways will host a second major late model race this season. Some of the details are still being worked out, but here is what we know:

The American Late Model Series (ALMS), Midwest Auto Racing Series (MARS) and the Corn Belt Clash Series will unite to run against Quincy Raceways regulars on April 21, with $3,500 going to the winner and $400 to those who start. This should provide a stellar field, arguably stronger than even the lineup we will see later in the season for the UMP Summer Nationals “Hell Tour” stop on July 2.

The yet-unnamed event will run the night after a similar show in Burlington, Iowa, at 34 Raceway. The two tracks worked together to entice the ALMS, MARS and Corn Belt Cars t come our way.

We will have drivers here from Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.

We’ll have more on this as it develops.