(Cedar Rapids, IA 5/16/2012)—This Friday night, May 18 is round three of the 2012 racing season at Hawkeye Downs Spedway- Eastern Iowa’s premier racing facility with action in all six divisions of the Papa Johns’ Cup/I-Wireless Championship Series.

Jefferson Speedway’s Wisconsin State Championships will once again host the Big 8 Late Model Series on Friday and Saturday September 14 and 15. The local heroes will go head to head with the top weekly talent from across the region in the popular two day race format which is headlined by a 100 lap Championship Feature event Saturday night.

The Jefferson regulars have held their ground during the previous five events (2005-2009) in which the out of town Big 8 Series drivers have attempted to steal the Wisconsin State Championship title away. Those events averaged an astounding 49 late models per event. Four out of those five saw the spoils stay at home with John Ovadahl, Jr, Jason Erickson, Steve Dobbratz and Kyle Jarlsberg recording titles. Ricky Bilderback from Illinois captured the crown in 2006 and Ross Kenseth shared the title in 2009. The past two seasons have seen Doug Hahn and Erickson victorious at their home track.

Race fans will be treated to two full nights of racing on Wisconsin’s Action Track during the September Wisconsin State Championships, featuring the Big 8 Late Model Series, Sportsman, Hobby Stocks, Internationals, Bandits and Road Warriors. For additional information, visit www.jeffersonspeedway.com. Jefferson Speedway hosts weekly racing every Saturday night with racing at 7pm. The next stop for the Big 8 Series is Memorial Day Monday afternoon May 28 at Columbus 151 Speedway, visit www.big8series.com for complete event details.

By Greg Aregoni
(Luxemburg, WI)- Street Stocks will be invading Luxemburg Speedway this Friday Night May 18th. Top Street Stock drivers from the area are expected to compete. Racing starts at 7 p.m. The Street Stocks joing the regular five divisions racing.

Triangle Distributing and Y100 will be co-sponsoring the race events. “The Bear” from the Y100 morning show, will be doing a broadcast from the track. Door Prizes from both sponsors will be awarded throughout the night to the fans.

Dan Ratajczak got all he wanted and more from Shawn Kilgore in last week’s IMCA Modified A Main. Ratajczak rode to victory with Kilgore right on the back bumper as they crossed the checkers. Opening night feature winner Cory Cochart and Sean Jerovetz share the point lead.

John Heinz beat Troy Muench back to the line to keep his perfect season going at Luxemburg Speedway. Heinz is the point leader having won both features. Troy Muench and Larry Karcz Jr are tied for second.

The “Rocket” Ryan Lemieux earned his first IMCA Northern Sportmod feature of the season last Friday night. Lemieux was dominant after early advances from Brad Theys. Josh Long and Brad Lautenbach share the top spot in the standings.

Rob Waechter Jr won the IMCA Hobby Stock feature by a half lap last Friday. Sawyer Haese had a career best second place finish. Tom Brumlic holds a slim two point advantage over Derek Moede.

by Ben Kruchten
BRAINERD, MN (May 12) Beautiful weather greeted 128 race teams and race fans as Shannons Auto Body sponsored the Weekly Saturday Night Dirt Fights. Shane Sabraski doubled his fun by sweeping both the Modifieds and Super Stocks, It was Sabraski’s 76th career win at North Central Speedway. Jack Peterson won his first race in three years and Josh Abrahamson and Danny Vang won their third career races at North Central Speedway.

Dave Pembroke celebrates his third Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic win in 2010. (Photo by Eric LaFleche)Barre, VT – As the month of May winds down, the race teams of Barre’s Thunder Road prepare for the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic, the first race of the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series. After a three-week break, the event is the second point-counting race for the Bond Auto Tigers and Allen Lumber Street Stocks, but for the Late Model Sportsmen it serves as their first. It represents the beginning of a grueling summer-long battle for track championships, but in 2012 the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic has a special number attached.

This year marks the 50th Annual Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road. The legendary Roy “Pappy” Forsythe, who now is forever commemorated by Thunder Road’s “Forsythe Hill” in turn three, won the first event in 1961. The race has been won by, and created, legends of Northeast Late Model racing with names like Jean-Paul Cabana, Bobby Dragon, Robbie Crouch, and Dave Dion, who have all notched victories in the prestigious race. The Memorial Day Classic continues to be legendary today.

2011 Thunder Road Track Champion David Pembroke finished second in last year’s event, but has already recorded three wins in the race. He only trails Cabana (4 wins) and Dion (9 wins) for overall victories. He was humbled to hear his place in Memorial Day Classic history.

“It is pretty crazy to hear that. I can remember watching those guys growing up and thinking about how good they were. To hear that I’m right there with them as far as wins for this race, that’s a pretty neat thing to hear,“ remarked Pembroke. “The Memorial Day Classic is right up there, it’s one of the big ones. It always starts the year off, so it’s a great one to win to get yourself a little momentum,” he finished.

The quest to become the 50th Champion of the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic begins on May 27 at 1:30 pm. It will also be the first race of the Vermont State Championship Series, a four race series with two events each at Thunder Road and at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT. Tickets for Adults are $15, Children 6-12 $3, Family Fare is $30, Children 6 and under are free.

05 Steven Brooks - New Lenox, Illinois. (Steven Brooks Racing Photo)New Lenox, Illinois (Wednesday, May 16th, 2012): Steven Brooks knows that it’s only a matter of time before his consistent finishes turn into trips to victory lane. Like any other driver, patience is hard to come by, but it’s still early in the 2012 racing season and the New Lenox, Illinois driver knows that once that first win of the year happens, they’re bound to come in bunches.

The 23-year-old raced at the 1/3 (0.333) mile high-banked dirt oval on Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, Illinois on May 11th and then the next night on May 12th, ventured over to the ¼ (0.250) mile semi-banked dirt oval of Fairbury American Legion Speedway in Fairbury, Illinois for a pair of United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) DIRTcar Racing Series weekly shows.

At Kankakee, the night started off well enough for Brooks who finished third in his Qualifier Heat Race to transfer into the Feature. He then drew a seven starting spot. After getting up to as high as fourth in the main, he drifted back to his original starting position and that’s where he would stay at the end of the night.

“We had some mechanical woes on opening night and this past weekend we were in search of a solid run. This was not the top five we were looking for but we were happy with our seventh place finish,” Stated the Prairie State driver. “We will now be able to build on this finish next week and hopefully move farther up in the field.

The next night in Fairbury, Illinois, he started last in his heat race (11th) and was able to climb up to seventh, but that wasn’t enough to make the A Main, so Brooks would be forced to run the Last Chance Race where he started seventh and needed to finish fourth or better to transfer into the Feature. He would finish third to lock himself in and after starting 19th in the Feature, Brooks would crack the top 10 with a 10th place effort.

“Although our finishes may not look spectacular this weekend I feel as if we really learned something this week.” Continued Brooks as he reflected on his weekend. “Saturday night we put everything that we have been working on all season together and it worked really well. I am really looking forward to this coming weekend. I know now that we are closer than we have been all year to getting back to victory lane.”