4/21/2014
IRA Interstate Racing Association
BUMPER TO BUMPER IRA OUTLAW SPRINT OPENER TO TAKE PLACE AT BEAVER DAM RACEWAY
Wipperfurth Memorial to kick of 2014 racing season!
April 20, 2014; Beaver Dam, WI. – It’s a change of plans! Weather related issues postponed the planned season opening event which was to have been held at Oshkosh Speedzone this past Saturday afternoon.
Now for the second year in a row it will be Beaver Dam Raceway which will host the opening race of the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint series with the running of the Jim Wipperfurth Memorial race on Saturday night April 26th.
Considered the northern home track for the series, Beaver Dam Raceway shares the honor with Wilmot Raceway in hosting five events during the season, the most of any facility during the 2014 campaign.
The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints will make appearances at Beaver Dam Raceway on four additional Saturday Nights; appearing on May 17th, June 7th, August 2nd and September 20th.
The banked, third-mile, clay oval is notable for its outstanding events last season, two of which went into the record books. The first race at Beaver Dam Raceway in 2013 earned the distinction for one of the closest finishes in series history. Six-time series champion, Bill Balog, managed to edge out Mike Kertscher in a drag race to the finish line by a mere .009 seconds. That margin was calculated at less than six inches and the pass was made during the final 50 feet of the event with both drivers on the edge of control heading for the finish line.
Kertscher would follow up that runner-up performance on opening day with a victory of his own two weeks later at Beaver Dam Raceway.
The track also provided the other bookend to the season as the final race of the 2013 was held at the facility and that show was a remarkable event for two reasons.
First, when Balog crossed the line after fending off two-time series champion, Travis Whitney, for the first place, it elevated Balog’s A-main win total to 62 putting him atop the all-time modern era win list breaking a tie with nine-time series titlist, Joe Roe, who had amassed 61 victories.
Secondly, the contest was run green to checkered with all 30 laps going in the books in a mere 6 minutes and 47 seconds making it one of the fastest completed A-mains the series has ever ran thanks to a well groomed racing surface.
The April 26th race program will see the pit gates opening at 3:30pm and the grandstand will open at 4:30pm. Racing action is set to get underway at 6:30 pm.
The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints should have over 30 of the best 410 sprint drivers in the Midwest on hand. They will be joined by the MSA 360 Sprints for a complete evening of open-wheeled racing action featuring a field of over 60 total sprint cars between the two classes.
General admission is $20 for adults, with a youth ticket being sold for $10 to fans ages 6 through 11. Children ages 5 and under are admitted FREE with a paid adult.
Event information can be found on the Beaver Dam Raceway website at www.wismotorsports.net or by calling the track at (920) 887-1600. Beaver Dam Raceway is located on Racetrack Road just east of the intersection of Hwy 151 and 33 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
IRA proudly moves into 2014 backed by its long time supporting series partners led by title sponsor Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts & Service Centers, and associate series partners Osborn & Son Trucking, TW Metals, Hoosier Tire, Cummins Onan, and Carriage Auto Body.
The Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprints are a featured member of Racetext.net a website dedicated to bringing fans the best possible coverage of local short track racing.
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.
Article Credit: Jeffrey Sachse
Submitted By: Jeffrey Sachse
