IRA triple header this weekend

iratopstoryFrom IRA

Appleton, WI — (May 29, 2015) — The teams of the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints have been preparing for a busy weekend, as they bring their spectacle of speed to three different Wisconsin tracks in three days starting this Friday night at the Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway.

Heading into that contest, multi-time 360 sprint champion Ben Schmidt has placed himself atop the standings based upon the strength of his last two showings taking his first career victory at Beaver Dam Raceway. He then backed up that effort with a second place finish to Jeremy Schultz at the most recent IRA event held at Wilmot Raceway a couple weeks ago. Veteran racer Bill Rose has three, top five performances in the four IRA events contested so far to sit second in the standings. One of the most consistent drivers since joining the IRA Sprints he is still seeking his first series victory.

Phillip Mock has also had his taste of victory this year at his local stomping grounds, the Wilmot Raceway. There, he topped a pair of features in local 410 sprint action. He would surely like to add an IRA victory to his win total and Oshkosh is a perfect place to do so.

Drivers are looking forward to the Friday Night, May 29th event at Oshkosh Speedzone as the wide, slightly-banked third mile oval allows for plenty of room to run three, and even four wide, making for some amazing feature starts.

Bill Balog, the seven time IRA champion is expected to see action at some of the events this weekend but is unable to be at Oshkosh to defend his win at the most recent IRA event held at Oshkosh when he won in June last year over Schmidt.

Grand Nationals, Street Stocks, and Dirt Devils will round out the program in support of the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints.

Adults tickets are $20, students 11 to 15 are admitted for $10, and children ages 10 and under are free. Racing action is set to get underway at 7:00pm.

Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway is a 1/3 mile semi-banked clay oval located at the Sunnyview Expo Center which resides near the intersection of Highways 76 and County Trunk Y in Oshkosh.

Fans and drivers can find additional details on the contest by visiting the track website at www.oshkoshspeedzone.net

On Saturday the teams of the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints head northwest and cross the state to Cedar Lake Speedway for the annual Triple Crown program. The high banked, three-eights mile raceway is ideal for power sliding 900 horsepower winged sprints, and the winner’s share will be a solid $3,000.

The last time the series appeared at the track Balog finished second to Ian Madsen in a star studded field at the Jerry Reichert Memorial. Balog is expected to be back in action with the IRA for this event and he has currently won both races he has appeared in with the IRA this season.

IRA standouts including Scotty Neitzel, Blake Nimee, Scotty Theil, Jordan Goldesberry, Russel Borland, and leading rookie of the year candidate Kyle Marten are also expected to content for the checker flag at Cedar Lake.

Late Models, and Modifieds will also be on hand for the show. Adult tickets for this high profile special are $25 for adults; $12 for student age 6-16; and children ages 5 and under are admitted free. On track activities are set to begin at 6:00pm.

Additional information on Cedar Lake Speedway can be found at www.cedarlakespeedway.com

To reach the track take Highway 94 West to Highway 63. Travel North on 63 and travel 14 miles to Highway 64. Turn left on 64 (West) and travel approximately 7 miles to Highway 65. Turn right on 65 (North) and travel approx.. 1.5 miles to 210th Ave. Turn left on 210th and travel approx. 4 miles to County Road CC. Turn right on County Road CC (where the Outpost Bar is). Track is 1.5 miles on the right.

The three-day tour will wrap up on Sunday, with a trek to the legendary Angell Park Speedway located in south central Wisconsin. Last year the 410 sprints returned to the track for the first time in nearly 30 years with an amazing show won by Sheldon Haudenschild after topping a frantic late race battle where four different drivers saw the lead in the final two laps.

Mike Reinke, and Scotty Neitzel joined Haudenschild on the podium on a historic night and the show set the stage for a triumphant return of winged sprints to the facility.

Additional drivers expected to participate in weekend activities include two-time champ Travis Whitney, and along with perennial front-runners Mike Reinke, and Steve Meyer. Also expected are top area racers Scott Biertzer, Kris and Dennis Spitz, Scott and Dave Uttech, Nick Alden, Rick Kelsey, Mike Decker, hard charging rookie Josh Walter, Wayne Modjeski, Allan Hafford, Jereme Schroeder, Jason Johnson, Bill Wirth, Brandon Thone, and many more.

The front gates will open at 4:30pm, and hot laps start at 6:00pm. Qualifying and racing will follow hot laps. General adult admission is $20, with student tickets $15 for those ages 12 to 18. Children under the age of 12 are free.

Badger Midgets, Micro Sprints and Legends are also on the card for a full night of racing action.

To reach the track, take the Highway 19 exit East off of Highway 151. Head through the town of Sun Prairie. On the east side of town take County Trunk N (Grove Street) south one block to Miller Drive. Turn onto Miller Drive and you will see the raceway.

Additional information can be found at www.angellparkspeedway.com

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.

The IRA Sprints are presented by its long time supporting series partners. The series support is 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.