Despite the fresh blanket of snow, the frigid winds and the weather-related announcements scrolling across the bottom of the TV, I figured now was as good a time as any to put together a preview of the 2013 racing season.
Since Benton County Speedway in Vinton opens a few weeks ahead of Independence Motor Speedway, the focus of this column will be on the approaching season on the Benton County quarter-mile.
Before I get to that, I will remind Independence drivers that I am accepting driver and pit stall registrations. Drivers had until March 15 to lock in their pit stalls from last season and I can tell you now that if you haven't reserved a front row stall (along the staging area), all of those stalls are gone. A handful remain in row two (concession and parts trailer row), although they, too, are going fast.
As always, the Benton County season will begin with the annual car show, which will once again be held in downtown Vinton. It is scheduled for Saturday, March 30, the day before the first event of the season on Sunday, March 31.
Last year's winners of the Spring Shakedown included Richie Gustin (Modified), Damon Murty (Stock Car), Danny Dvorak (SportMod), Scott Pippert (Hobby Stock) and Nathan Chandler (Sport Compact)
The following Sunday, April 7, the annual five day Frostbuster swing comes to a close in Vinton following events at Southern Iowa Speedway, Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway, Marshalltown Speedway and Boone Speedway. All of those events will be IMCA sanctioned.
In the spirit of March Madness, here's a look at Frostbuster success stories at BCS if you want to keep an eye on the favorites entering 2013.
Dating back to 2010, three different IMCA Modified drivers have made their way to victory lane. Richie Gustin was victorious two years ago and J.D. Auringer won last season's installment. The 2011 Frostbuster Modified winner at BCS remains the only out-of-stater to win a Frostbuster feature in Vinton. That year, Dan Ratajczak of Frog Station, Wis., beat Troy Cordes to the checkers on his way to victory.
Scooter Dulin survived a wild feature to take the IMCA Stock Car win in 2010. Damon Murty was the winner in 2011 and Jason Deshaw earned his first feature win in the Dominator Chassis house car at last year's event.
Danny Dvorak put his IMCA SportMod in victory lane in 2010 and 2011 and Austin Kaplan was the winner last season. Justin Wacha (2010), Brad Chandler (2011) and eventual Super Nationals champion Jacob Ellithorpe (2012) have earned wins in the Sport Compact division.
The only sweep over the last three years was in the IMCA Hobby Stock division. Scott Pippert dominated the division in recent years and picked up three Frostbuster wins in as many seasons. The word is that Pippert will be in an IMCA Stock Car this season so a new winner will be celebrating this season.
After two weeks of special events, the 2013 points season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, April 14. Twenty-two Sunday night programs are on the schedule, along with a couple of other special events. Traditionally, some classes run for points during mid-week special events (such as the county fair races), but points racing for those nights has yet to be confirmed for 2013.
While special events are a nice way to kick off the season (which tentatively includes the return of the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt tour for IMCA Modifieds on Tuesday, May 7), the bread and butter for any track that runs a weekly program IS the weekly program. With that, I'll delve into a statistical view of what you may (or may not) expect in 2013. Print off the rest of the this column and look informed to your friends on April 14...
MODIFIED
This season will mark the 29th year Modifieds have been a part of the weekly program in Vinton. It will be the 21st season the division has been IMCA sanctioned and the 13th straight.
Perhaps the biggest news relating to the Modified division this year is that eight-time track champion Scott Hogan plans to take his focus off the weekly points battles. While he has said he'll race in Vinton throughout the season, he doesn't plan to race weekly. Instead, Hogan hopes to visit new tracks and take a few nights off here and there. That's well-deserved for Hogan, who has spent much of his career chasing track championships. If he wants to put the fun back in racing and step away from the weekly pressure of points racing, more power to him.
If Scott doesn't get spring fever or get swept up in the early season anticipation, it means the door will be wide open as the battle for a new champion begins. Not only has Hogan won eight Modified track titles in Vinton, he has won the last three. Not since Troy Cordes in 2009 has the Modified division in Vinton crowned someone other than Hogan.
The list of other potential names to consider for 2013, depending on their desire to chase points, is led by Joe Docekal. Docekal, who led the points throughout most of 2012, fell just eight points short of his first Modified title last season. While he didn't make it to victory lane last year, Docekal's consistency kept him in contention all season. His seven wins since 2010 is also among the best in the division.
Jerry Luloff returned to the weekly battles in Vinton last season. The 2001 Modified champion, Luloff has been a consistent front-runner in Vinton throughout his career, dating back to his dominance in the Hobby Stock division in 1991. Along with that, Luloff is tied for seventh all-time in weekly Modified wins in Vinton. A track championship for Luloff in 2013 would be the longest span between titles (12 years) by any driver in track history.
Patrick Flannagan has also been a consistent Modified driver through the years in Vinton. Tied for 10th among all-time Modified feature winners in Vinton, Flannagan has earned at least one win in seven of the last 10 seasons. He has also had more consistent runs at the front of the pack in recent seasons.
Should Cordes opt to run the full season in Vinton, he, too, would be considered a favorite. After all, Cordes has piloted the #71 to four Modified titles in Vinton, second only to Hogan. Cordes has done more traveling in recent years and hasn't focused on track points, so time will tell what his intentions are for 2013. With Hogan cutting back this year, a commitment to weekly racing in Vinton may inch Cordes closer to Hogan's all-time leading 43 Modified wins. Cordes sits second on that list with 38.
If you're not interested in looking at the stats of the opening night Modified feature winners, skip ahead to the Stock Car preview. Otherwise, consider this: There have been 21 different opening night Modified feature winners in the division's 28 year history at the track. Only Timm Jensen (1992, 1997, 2003) and Scott Hogan (1996, 2009, 2011) have won three opening night features in the division. Jack Mitchell (1982, 1983), Arlo Becker (1994, 2001) and Troy Cordes (2004, 2005) are the only other drivers with multiple opening night Modified wins.
Only two drivers in track history have won on opening night after winning the season championship feature the year before. Hogan and Cordes are the only two to do that and they have each done it twice. Hogan won the 1995 finale and opened the weekly points season with a win in 1996. He did it again in 2010-2011. Cordes accomplished that feat from 2003-2004 and again from 2004-2005, making him the only driver to do it in consecutive years.
If you're wondering, Ronn Lauritzen was the season championship feature winner a year ago. He will have the opportunity to add his name to a very short list with a win on April 14.
Although all of the drivers listed above have won multiple features in Vinton, none of them earned their first Vinton Modified win on opening night. Despite that, a dozen drivers earned their first Vinton win on a season's opening points night. Among them, Rick Brinkema (who won the first-ever IMCA Modified feature on June 2, 1979), Bernie Juliar (1980), Kevin Pittman (1990), Larry Schmidt (1991), Jeff Mathes (1993), Dan Kohls (1999), Darin Duffy (2000), Joey Schaefer (2002), Richie Gustin (2010) and Shawn Ryan (2012). Keep in mind, those weren't necessarily first career wins in the division, but they were each driver's first career wins in weekly points racing in Vinton.
On the flip side, eight drivers have earned their last (most recent?) Modified win on the Vinton oval during an opening night event. Among those drivers, Rick Brinkema (1979; yep, the first-ever was his only-ever), Larry Druschel (1981), Jeff Mathes (1993), Dan Kohls (1999), Arlo Becker (2001; it's amazing that it's been 12 years since Arlo won in Vinton), Timm Jensen (2003) and Shawn Ryan (2012). Of course, a couple of those drivers are still active (Jensen and Ryan) and can remove their names from that list. Arlo? Want to give it a go?
If you really want to jump the gun, what are the odds that the season opening winner goes on to earn track title honors? In the Modified division in Vinton, it's more likely than you may assume. Of 28 Modified track champions in BCS history, seven of them (25%) won the first points race of the year. Those drivers include, Jack Mitchell (1982, 1983), Scott Hogan (1996, 2011), Kevin Pittman (1990), Troy Cordes (2005) and J.D. Auringer (2007).
Okay, that's enough of the Modified overload. Let's move on to the other classes, starting with the longest-running divisions and working through to the most recent additions to the racing program...
HOBBY STOCK
The Hobby Stocks have been a part of the weekly program at BCS since 1990. While this will be the 24th year for the division in Vinton, it will be its 13th under the IMCA banner.
As I mentioned earlier, there has also been big off-season news concerning a driver in this division. Scott Pippert, who has earned five track championships in the division at BCS, including the last four in-a-row, is said to be piloting an IMCA Stock Car this season. That would bring to an end one of the most dominant runs in any division in track history. In the last four years, there have been 84 weekly points races for the Hobby Stock division in Vinton. Pippert has won 37 of them. That winning percentage of 44% is the second highest in track history, over a minimum of four years. It is second only to (do you remember this?) Scott McLaughlin's domination of the Compact Modified division from 1995-1998. During that four-year stretch, McLaughlin also earned four track titles, winning 35 of 64 features (54.6%). Keep in mind, McLaughlin made it a habit of taking championship night off when he already had the points wrapped up. If not for his late-season family vacations, it's likely his winning percentage would have been even higher.
Anyway, back to the Hobby Stocks. Along with Pippert's apparent move out of the division, there are a number of other changes in the works. If you listen to the off-season rumors, at least (which I try desperately to avoid).
Here's a run-down of the rest of the top Hobby Stock drivers last season.
Matt Brown: A strong competitor for years in Vinton, Brown is the heir-apparent to Pippert's throne.
Brown had 12 top-five finishes, second only to Pippert, on his way to a second place finish in the standings. He is arguably the most consistent driver in the division and will undoubtedly be a contender if he decides to run weekly again in 2013.
Jacob Keiser: With 17 top-10s, Keiser tied with Brown for second-most in the division. Keiser has steadily become more consistent and picked up a pair of feature wins in the process last year. If committed to weekly racing, Keiser will challenge for the title.
Justin Wacha: Wacha has the least amount of seat time in a Hobby Stock among last year's top-10, but he may be poised to pose a threat this year. He has consistently made more runs at the front of the pack and picked up a handful of top-fives last season.
Justin Stander: Last year's track champion at Independence, Stander cut back on his Sunday race nights to focus on his title at Indee. During the off-season, Stander indicated he had no intention to run for points anywhere in 2013, but maybe that will change by the time the season begins. With a track title now under his belt, Stander could be a good candidate to rise to the top in Vinton.
Chris Luloff: When committed to racing Vinton weekly, Luloff has been one of the more successful Hobby Stock drivers in recent years. Even when making only occasional visits to BCS, he has been known to end the night in victory lane. His 17 wins in Vinton put him fourth all-time in the division. Since 2005, only Pippert has more Hobby Stock wins.
Brian Happel: After taking some time off, Brian Happel returned to form right away in 2012. Just a couple of weeks after his years-long hiatus, Happel made his way to victory lane. Despite his mid-season start, Happel collected eight top-fives. Again, if his plans are to pursue points, Happel will almost certainly be in the mix.
Vince Buchholz: Buchholz ran a limited schedule in 2013. He split time between Vinton and Dubuque and didn't run for points in Vinton. Although the six-time Hobby Stock track champion (most all-time) wasn't a regular, he remains competitive each night out. A return to Vinton could propel him to his seventh title at BCS. Buchholz is also the all-time leader in Hobby Stock wins. His 48 victories leads Scott Pippert by one in that category.
Cale Petersen: Petersen was another hit and miss driver in 2012. Although he was a weekly runner for the first half of the season, Petersen missed four weeks during the second half of the season. Petersen has steadily improved during his short career and a full-season on the track would likely lead to increased success. He earned eight top-fives last year in his shortened season.
Notable names missing from the above list are Doug Laughridge and Rod Grother. Laughridge is cutting back on his race nights this year and plans to visit the track in the role of a fan this season. He and his wife Julia welcomed baby Hayden last fall and Doug plans to focus his attention on being a dad. As for Grother, word was going around in the off-season that he sold out and was done racing. Of course, that was in the middle of winter, so you never know, he may have changed his mind and could plan a return in 2013.
And now, for the stats...
In 23 years, fifteen different drivers have visited victory lane on opening night in the Hobby Stock division. The all-time leaders, with three opening night wins apiece, are Vince Buchholz (1997, 1999, 2003) and Chris Luloff (2005, 2006, 2008). Others with multiple opening night wins include Forrest Frost (1991, 1992), David Rice (1993, 1995), Scooter Dulin (2000, 2001) and Scott Pippert (2011, 2012).
Only two drivers have won on opening night after winning on championship night the year before. They include Vince Buchholz (2002-2003) and Scott Pippert (2011-2012). Since Pippert won last season's championship feature, it doesn't appear this short list will get any longer.
The list of first-time Vinton Hobby Stock winners on opening night is a relatively short one. Only six drivers earned their first Hobby Stock wins in Vinton on opening night. Again, these are first Hobby Stock wins in weekly racing in Vinton, not necessarily first career wins. They are, Craig Coventry (1990, the track's first Hobby Stock feature winner), Forrest Frost (1991), Alvin Larsen (2002), Chris Luloff (2005), Todd Reitzler (2007) and Wes Stanek Jr. (2010).
Hobby Stock drivers whose final/most recent Vinton win came on opening night is also a short list. In fact, the three drivers who fall in that category are also listed above. They include the opening night wins of Larsen, Reitzler and Stanek.
And, since we did it for the Modifieds, we also might as well look ahead to see who went on to win a Hobby Stock track title the same year they won the opening night points feature. In 23 years, five different drivers have done that a total of seven times. The odds are even better for a Hobby Stock driver to do it than a Modified driver (30.4%). Opening night winners/track champions include, Vince Buchholz (1997, 2003), Scott Pippert (2011, 2012), Curtis Roster (1994), Scooter Dulin (2001) and Chris Luloff (2008).
STOCK CAR
The Stock Car division was added to the program in 2001 and has been IMCA sanctioned since its inception.
The highly competitive division has been the least predictable when it comes to track championship contenders. In fact, there have been four straight different titlists, including five in the last six years and seven different winners in the division's 12-year history.
Last year's champion, Phil Holtz, earned his first track title after a highly contested battle with Jay Schmidt and Norman Chesmore. Look for all of those drivers to contend again in 2013 if they choose to be a part of the weekly battles in Vinton. For veterans Schmidt and Chesmore, they are each seeking their first career track titles. Don't be surprised if one of them gets the job done this season.
If Jason Deshaw returns in the Dominator Chassis house car, look for him to pose a challenge. Deshaw recorded a pair of wins last year and nine top-five finishes.
John Emerson was a surprise contender last season. Emerson, who has had great success in go-kart racing, focused on the dirt tracks last year and that paid off in a good way. Emerson raced to six top-fives in Vinton last year, picking up his first win on the Vinton oval in the process.
Curtis Roster and Damon Murty have also enjoyed their time out front in the Stock Car division. Murty ranks at the top in career Stock Car wins in Vinton (55) and track championships (3), while Roster is third on the wins list (27) and is tied for second in track titles (2). Both drivers enjoy time away from the track with their families which has kept them out of the title chase in recent years.
It will be interesting to see Scott Pippert's transition to the Stock Cars. Will his domination in the Hobby Stocks carry with him or will a learning curve force his Stock Car success to be delayed?
Statistically speaking, 12 opening night events have produced six different feature winners. The all-time leader, with six wins, is Damon Murty (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012). Cliff Gray is the only other driver on that list with multiple wins (2001, 2004).
Only one driver has won the opening night feature after winning the season championship feature the season before... and he has done it three times. Murty turned the hat trick from 2005-2006, 2009-2010 and 2011-2012. Only one time has he failed to win the opening night feature after winning championship night the year before. Paul Shepherd, stand up. Shepherd won the 2011 opener after Murty's 2010 championship night win. Oh, and for what it's worth, Murty won last year's season championship feature...
The list of first-time BCS Stock Car winners on opening night is a short and rather unique one. Cliff Gray earned his first BCS Stock Car win on opening night in 2001, the first weekly Stock Car feature in track history. The only other person on that list? Pulaski, Wisconsin's Rod Snellenberger, who was passing through and picked up the opening night win in 2009, his only career Stock Car win in Vinton.
Aside from Snellenberger's 2009 opening night win, two other names are on the list of Stock Car drivers whose final/most recent wins came on opening night. In a bit of irony, Gray's final Vinton win was the victory he earned on opening night of the 2004 season. I had to look up the other name on that list again, just to be certain, because it doesn't seem like it's been that long since this driver won a points race in Vinton. Sean Johnson's last points race win in Vinton came on opening night of the 2008 season.
Only two drivers have earned opening night Stock Car wins and eventually went on to earn a track title the same year. Damon Murty has done it twice (2005 and 2006) and Curtis Roster did it in 2002. The odds are the same as the Modifieds... three times in 12 seasons = 25%.
SPORTMOD
The IMCA SportMod division was added to the weekly program at the beginning of the 2005 season, making 2013 its ninth year in action at BCS.
In its first eight years, the division has seen only three different track champions. Danny Dvorak won the first two and most recent two track titles, Tony Olson won the championship in 2007 and Austin Kaplan won three titles in as many years from 2008-2010.
Dvorak had eight wins in weekly racing in 2012, bringing his all-time total to a division-best 46 at BCS. That likely makes Dvorak the odds-on favorite to add another championship to his name in 2013, however a number of veterans hope to challenge Dvorak for the title.
Kyle Olson finished 2012 in the runner-up position in the final standings. He has as much experience as anyone in the division and is likely to be one of the biggest threats to Dvorak's chance at three straight titles. Their intense rivalry in recent years has added even more to that battle.
Dave Schulze and Jim Buhlman have been consistent front-runners. Schulze earned 16 and Buhlman picked up 15 top-10 finishes in 2012 as both are a threat to win on any given night. Bad luck generally thwarts their chances at competing for a title so they're both due for a break.
Curt Hilmer made the biggest strides in 2012. Despite having just a couple years of experience in the division, Hilmer was one of only three drivers to earn multiple wins in the division last year. His three wins (all in a 14-day span) were second only to Dvorak.
Although they've only been a part of the program in Vinton for eight seasons, the SportMods have produced six different opening night winners. The only driver to win multiple features on the opening points night is Austin Kaplan (2008, 2009, 2010). Frankie Dulin, Bob Ebaugh, Jim Buhlman, Kyle Olson and Danny Dvorak are the other opening night winners.
The wins by Dulin (2005), Buhlman (2007) and Kaplan (2008) comprise the list of drivers who have earned their first Vinton SportMod win during opening night. Ebaugh's opening night win in 2006 was his last in the division, the only driver whose final win in the division came on opening night.
Kaplan and Dvorak have gone on to win track championships the same year they won an opening night feature. Kaplan did it three times, every year he won the opener (2008, 2009, 2010) and Dvorak did it in 2012.
SPORT COMPACT
The IMCA Sport Compacts made their BCS debut in 2006 and will be entering their eighth season as a weekly division in 2013.
Despite his 11 wins in 2012, Nathan Chandler came up nine points short to his father, Merv, in the final standings. It was Merv Chandler's second straight title in the division. Only Gary Peiffer (2008, 2009, 2010) has won more championships.
Merv, Nathan and Steve Miedke made it a three-horse race for the title last season. The top three were rarely separated by more than a handful of points. If their schedules include weekly trips to Vinton, expect more of the same in 2013.
In seven seasons, six different drivers have won on opening night. Nathan Chandler (2009, 2012) has won twice while Will Kirk (the division's first-ever feature winner), Dallas Chandler, Doug Laughridge, Zach Holerud and Gary Peiffer have each collected the first checkers of a season.
The opening night wins for Kirk (2006), Holerud (2008) and Dallas Chandler (2010) were the first of their careers in Vinton. Those wins also marked the final/most recent wins of their careers on the BCS oval.
No driver has won the first weekly points feature of the season after winning on championship night the season before. Gary Peiffer, last year's season championship feature winner, has the opportunity to become the first name on that list this season.
Also, no opening night feature winner has ever gone on to win the track championship the same season.
That will take care of the preview for Benton County Speedway. Like last year, I plan to recap every event right here at Positively Racing. I will also update season and career statistics, along with statistical trends, following each race night. Prior to the start of the season, be sure to check out the special events calendar on the site. Jeff Broeg has done a tremendous job collecting special events schedules during the off-season and web mistress Sue McDaniel has been at the ready to keep it updated on the site.
My next column will include the preview for Independence Motor Speedway. Since the weekly wars don't open there until the end of April, don't look for that for another week or two.
Although the points racing doesn't begin in Indee until April 27, the season opening event will include the Brockway Mechanical & Roofing Sprint Invaders on FRIDAY, April 19. It is the first time since the 1990s that Sprint Cars will invade the 3/8-mile oval. The annual car show and test and tune is scheduled for the following day. After I finalize car show details with the city next week, I will post and send out a press release detailing the opening weekend at Independence.
Have a great week!
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