From Jeremy Sasche
Wilmot, WI — (August 17, 2013) — One of the most prestigious events each year on the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series tour is the annual Roger Iles Memorial event. Run with the support of Ken Iles, Roger’s son, the race honors the memory of the former sprint team owner. Ken’s efforts helps create a purse for the event that is among the highest on the tour each season. Extra prize money includes an increased purse, lap money, hard charger payout and a mini-point fund for a combined two day point total for races run during the Kenosha County Fair. All these awards are presented in part by Carriage Auto Body and the efforts of Ken Iles leads to a big payday for those participating in the event.
When the checkered flag fell after the 36 lap A-main contest, it was Bill Balog sitting in victory lane. For Balog the performance also sealed the two-day title, earning him top prize as the overall two day winner. Balog was chased to the finish line this evening by Mike Kertscher who had started deep in the field and sliced through the pack to come within three car lengths of Balog as the checkered flew. Phillip Mock earned the final podium position taking third.
The victory was Balog’s 12th of the 2013 racing season and his 57th in Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series win. That win total is now just 4 short of tying Joe Roe, a nine-time champion for the most career series victories. Roe had 61 wins to his credit matching his car number when he retired from the sport. Roe remains active in racing as co-promoter of Wilmot Raceway.
Tonight a stellar field of 34 cars checked into the pit area to do battle. When qualifications were complete Jordan Goldesberry earned his first career Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Series fast time award having turned in a lap of 13.425 seconds. Dave Uttech was second quick with a 13.573 and Balog posted the third fastest time of the evening with a 13.602 second orbit of the third-mile clay oval.
One heat race victory was captured by Brett Tripplett who had established a new track qualifying mark just one night ago when he zipped around the track with a lap of 12.549 seconds. Other heat race checkereds fell for Mock, Balog and Nick Alden.
To set the field for the main event, a field of 17 started the B-main which would be captured by Goldesberry, who had earlier missed transferring to the main event through his heat. Kris Spitz would close on Goldesberry late in the race but would settle for second. That effort was a tribute to Spitz’s crew who put his car back together after he had rolled onto his side in his heat. Spitz would further those efforts by becoming the highest finishing car in the main event which had transferred from the B-main as he placed sixth in the feature contest.
A field of 22 drivers would accept the green flag for the Roger Iles Memorial main event with Nick Alden powering into the opening lead. Matt Vandervere slipped into the second spot with Wayne Johnson following.
Jeremy Schultz, who scored his first career Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint feature, just 24 hours earlier blasted past both Johnson and Vandervere to slip into second by lap two. Schultz was quick to showcase the speed of his #5j machine closing on Alden and working into the top spot on lap nine.
Alden attempted to keep pace with Schultz but slowly lost ground to the leader. Lap 12 changed the outlook of the event significalntly. Alden wiggled coming off turn four looping his ride. The field attempted to miss him but unfortunately the third and fourth place cars of Vandervere and Johnson also became involved as the pair made contact with each other.
The incident eliminated the second through fourth place cars in the process and Balog, who had been running in the fifth spot, suddenly found himself in second behind Schultz.
In a scene very similar to the prior evening Schultz now found himself leading the race stalked by Balog as the green flag returned. Schultz, Balog, Scott Neitzel, Mock and Tommy Sexton. Kertscher found himself just outside the top five quickly closing on the lead group.
Coming off turn two on lap 20 Schultz wiggled slightly and Balog took advantage of the opportunity moving to his outside and powering ahead for the lead down the backstretch. Once out front Balog would focus on building a lead while second became a pack style battle between Schultz, Neitzel, Mock and Kertscher.
Kertscher was on the march using every inch of the race track to advance his position. He marched his way into the second spot past Schultz on lap 25 and now set out after Balog seeking the top spot.
Kertscher got some assistance in his efforts as the caution flew when Sexton exploded a left rear tire coming down the front stretch with 10 laps to go in the contest.
Balog had a pair of lapped machines between himself and Kertscher and when the green flag returned Balog had a dozen car lengths on Kertscher before Kertscher was able to dispose of the lapped cars.
Over the final distance Kertscher was able to reel in Balog closing within three car lengths as the white flag flew. Balog was able to click off the final lap negotiating lapped cars effortlessly for the victory. Kertscher’s efforts resulted in a runner-up finish.
Mock had worked past Schultz in the closing laps for the final podium position. Schultz was able to fend off Neitzel for fourth as Neitzel completed the top five.
Spitz, the first of the B-main transfer cars, finished sixth followed by Todd Daun. Daun, who had also transferred from the B-main earned bonus money as the hard charger having advanced 12 positions in the feature contest by finishing seventh.
Wayne Modjeski, Russel Borland and Tripplett completed the top ten.
18 cars were still running at the finish, with 13 drivers still on the lead lap at the conclusion of the event.
The series now heads to LaSalle Speedway in north-central Illinois for the running of the Bill Waite Jr Memorial on Saturday evening August 24th.
The event will feature a $4,000 to win payout, which ranks among the highest possible cash award to a winner in Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint competition this season. In addition to the stars of the IRA Sprint series you can expect a large turnout of 410 sprints from the MOWA Series which competes throughout Illinois. It’s entirely possible to see 30 plus open wheeled competitors for this show.
The high-banked, quarter-mile oval is located at 578 US-6 in LaSalle, Illinois. The track is 60 miles west of Joliet, 80 miles east of the Quad Cities, 70 miles south of Rockford, and 60 miles north of Bloomington.
Pit Gates will open at 1:00 p.m, Grandstands open at 4:00 p.m. Hot Laps will begin at 6:00pm with racing action set to get underway at 7:00pm.
For more information on the IRA Outlaw Sprints check out the tour website at www.irasprints.com or logging onto the series Facebook page at www.facebook.com/irasprints
The IRA Outlaw Sprint Series is proudly supported by Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts & Service Centers, Hoosier Tire, Osborn & Son Trucking, TW Metals, Onan, Carriage Auto Body, Polaris DEFENSE, and Mother’s Polishes and Waxes. The office of the IRA Sprints can be reached at 815-759-9269 or by e-mail at steve@irasprints.com
BOX SCORE:
Event: #17 – Wilmot Raceway – Wilmot, WI – August 17, 2013
Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Cars
IRA Sprint Cars
A Feature (36 Laps): 1. 17B-Bill Balog[8]; 2. 80K-Mike Kertscher[13]; 3. 1M-Phillip Mock[10]; 4. 5J-Jeremy Schultz[5]; 5. 2W-Scott Neitzel[6]; 6. 4K-Kris Spitz[12]; 7. 19-Todd Daun[19]; 8. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[2]; 9. 23-Russell Borland[14]; 10. 22-Bret Tripplett[9]; 11. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[11]; 12. 53W-Bill Wirth[16]; 13. 9-Raymond Hensley[18]; 14. 11K-Rick Kelsey[17]; 15. 68-Dave Uttech[20]; 16. 43-Jereme Schroeder[15]; 17. 41-Dennis Spitz[22]; 18. K9-Andrew Kiedrowski[21]; DNF 83-Tommy Sexton[7]; DNF 8A-Nick Alden[1]; DNF 10V-Matt Vandevere[3]; DNF 14AJX-Wayne Johnson[4]
B Feature (15 Laps): 1. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[1]; 2. 4K-Kris Spitz[3]; 3. 19-Todd Daun[10]; 4. 68-Dave Uttech[2]; 5. K9-Andrew Kiedrowski[8]; 6. 41-Dennis Spitz[5]; 7. 79-Blake Nimee[17]; 8. 94-Brandon Thone[9]; 9. 12-Michael Decker[13]; 10. 38-Allen Hafford[11]; 11. 5H-Patrick Haynes[12]; 12. 95-Bill Warren[4]; 13. 71-Chad Tessman[15]; 14. Duane Olson[14]; DNF 56-Ryan Irwin[7]; DNF 01-Chris Dodd[6]; DNF 72-Dave Maynard[16]; DNS 14-Kenny Haynes; DNS 7-Scott Uttech
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 1M-Phillip Mock[2]; 2. 53W-Bill Wirth[1]; 3. 80K-Mike Kertscher[3]; 4. 83-Tommy Sexton[5]; 5. 95-Bill Warren[4]; 6. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[6]; 7. 19-Todd Daun[7]; 8. 5H-Patrick Haynes[8]; 9. 72-Dave Maynard[9]
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 22-Bret Tripplett[2]; 2. 10V-Matt Vandevere[4]; 3. 2W-Scott Neitzel[5]; 4. 9-Raymond Hensley[7]; 5. 01-Chris Dodd[3]; 6. 68-Dave Uttech[6]; 7. 12-Michael Decker[8]; DNF K9-Andrew Kiedrowski[1]; DNS 7-Scott Uttech
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 17B-Bill Balog[6]; 2. 23-Russell Borland[2]; 3. 11K-Rick Kelsey[1]; 4. 5J-Jeremy Schultz[5]; 5. 56-Ryan Irwin[3]; 6. 41-Dennis Spitz[4]; 7. 38-Allen Hafford[7]; DNF Duane Olson[8]; DNS 79-Blake Nimee
Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. 8A-Nick Alden[3]; 2. 14AJX-Wayne Johnson[5]; 3. 43-Jereme Schroeder[2]; 4. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski[4]; 5. 94-Brandon Thone[1]; 6. 71-Chad Tessman[8]; DNF 4K-Kris Spitz[6]; DNF 14-Kenny Haynes[7]
Qualifying: 1. 65-Jordan Goldesberry; 2. 68-Dave Uttech; 3. 17B-Bill Balog; 4. 4K-Kris Spitz; 5. 83-Tommy Sexton; 6. 2W-Scott Neitzel; 7. 5J-Jeremy Schultz; 8. 14AJX-Wayne Johnson; 9. 95-Bill Warren; 10. 10V-Matt Vandevere; 11. 41-Dennis Spitz; 12. 14AJ-Wayne Modjeski; 13. 80K-Mike Kertscher; 14. 01-Chris Dodd; 15. 56-Ryan Irwin; 16. 8A-Nick Alden; 17. 1M-Phillip Mock; 18. 22-Bret Tripplett; 19. 23-Russell Borland; 20. 43-Jereme Schroeder; 21. 53W-Bill Wirth; 22. K9-Andrew Kiedrowski; 23. 11K-Rick Kelsey; 24. 94-Brandon Thone; 25. 19-Todd Daun; 26. 9-Raymond Hensley; 27. 38-Allen Hafford; 28. 14-Kenny Haynes; 29. 5H-Patrick Haynes; 30. 12-Michael Decker; 31. Duane Olson; 32. 71-Chad Tessman; 33. 72-Dave Maynard; 34. 7-Scott Uttech; 35. 79-Blake Nimee