.
WEST SALEM, Wis. — It was almost like a top-secret gathering, except there were no security guards present.
First it was Steve Carlson and several members of his crew who entered what is called the tech shed in the pit area of the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway. Once inside, Late Model track technical official Don Sneller disassembled a front shock from Carlson’s car. A few minutes later, Carlson emerged carrying the shock.
Next, it was Brent Kirchner and a crew member who followed the same procedure. Same result: The shocks from each driver — who finished one-two in the Kwik Trip Late Model feature race Saturday night — each passed inspection, and the drivers’ finishes were official.
“There is so much spendy stuff out here,” Carlson said of the reason he believes tech officials are closely monitoring what shocks — inside and out — are being used on the Late Model cars. “We’re fine.”
Kirchner, who said that track rules say that Penske shocks must have Penske parts inside in order to be legal, wasn’t worried about his shocks. He said they were legal, and the inspection proved it.
The high-tech shocks, which are pressure-packed (charged) with nitrogen and oil, can be altered with different interior parts. That is the biggest thing track officials are trying to stop from happening. Different, high-tech parts, are expensive, and track rules say that shocks cannot exceed $250 in cost for each shock.
“The retail value, available to everyone, must not exceed $250,” said Chuck Deery, track manager. “There are a number of different Penske shocks, but the basic one costs under $250.”
What is so shocking about all of this? Shocks, as any driver will tell you, are extremely important.
“Shocks can make a big difference,” Kirchner said. “That’s why they are keeping a close eye on them this year.”
TAKE THAT: Paul Proksch, a veteran driver from Stoddard, Wis., brought back his top car to the track Saturday night and gave a crowd-pleasing performance in a heat race that featured the Kwik Trip Late Model Division’s top guns. Proksch, who has been driving a backup car since he was involved in a wreck in Week 2 of the season, was able to hold off points leader Steve Carlson in his heat.
Carlson, the top qualifier of the night, gave Proksch all he could handle — pulling even in turns 3 and 4 of the last lap, but Proksch was able to power his way to the finish line a few feet ahead of Carlson.
Proksch had some trouble in the feature, however. He was running in third place in the feature for the first nine laps, and remained in the top five until Lap 17. Three laps later, while still running in the top eight, he drifted sideways in between Turns 1 and 2. He did manage to save the car from the outside wall, and was not hit by any of the drivers behind him. He was forced to start near the rear of the field after the spinout, but did work his way back through the pack for a respectable finish.
HOLY COW! Adam Gallagher, a rookie driver in the North Country Contractors Sportsman Division, had quite a ride in a heat race Saturday night. Gallagher, who was battling for position, wound up sliding up the track in Turn 2 and losing control. He hit the outside concrete wall with his No. 55 car, then held on as the car climbed the wall and appeared ready to go over it.
Somehow Gallagher, a Melrose, Wis., man, was able to get his car back on the track, but not before a few scary moments when it appeared the car would wind up on its top. Gallagher was not injured in the crash, but his car suffered some serious damage.
50-LAPPER: Drivers in the Kwik Trip Late Model Division will have to work twice as hard next week to earn a victory. Why? Because the Late Model feature will be twice as many laps — 50 vs. 25 — in a special Late Model event.
SPEED DEMON: For the third consecutive time - and sixth overall this season - Steve Carlson recorded the fastest qualifying lap in the Kwik Trip Late Model Division. Carlson, the defending track and national short-track champion, turned a lap of 19.910 seconds, or an average speed of 98.691 mph.
That time was just a tick faster than his son, Mike Carlson, who had a fast lap of 19.924 seconds (98.549 mph). Ten-time track champ Kevin Nuttleman recorded the third fastest lap at 20.091 seconds, or (97.730 mph).
Of the 10 race events held this season, a driver named Carlson has owned the fast time in seven of them.
RED-HOT RANDY: Randy Humfeld has this thing called qualifying down pat. Humfeld, a North Country Contractors Sportsman Division driver from Chaseburg, Wis., recorded the fastest qualifying time (22.032 seconds, or 89.120 mph) Saturday night from a field of 33 drivers. What makes Humfeld’s latest fast time so special is that it was the fourth straight race night in which Humfeld has had the fastest lap of any driver in the division.
Overall, Humfeld, who entered the night fourth in the Sportsman point standings, has recorded the fast time seven out of the 10 race nights held.
CAR COUNT: There were a total of 89 cars that hit the track Saturday night at the Fairgrounds Speedway. There were 33 Sportsman drivers, 29 United Auto Supply Thunderstox, and 20 Late Model drivers, and seven drivers in a division called Queen Bees.
Jeff Brown can be reached at (608) 791-8403, or at jbrown@lacrossetribune.com
.
Advertisement
