Drivers, fans embrace return to racing as Wisconsin International Raceway opens to big crowd

TOWN OF BUCHANAN - Wisconsin International Raceway roared back to life Thursday, marking the start of what Rob Vandermoss hopes is a re-connection of the sport of auto racing with its local fans. 

Vandermoss, vice president of the Fox River Racing Club, said the COVID-19 pandemic put the FRRC and its drivers into a bit of a holding pattern the past few months but a sense of normalcy returned with close to 3,000 fans in the stands for Thursday night's races, which were highlighted by Casey Johnson, last year's defending champ, winning the super late model feature.

"We’ve been waiting for it, too, because we’ve worked on these cars all winter," Vandermoss said. "The guys that work on the cars and the fans have been waiting and waiting. What I’m hoping for, and so are the rest of the guys in the club, is that some of the fans that maybe wandered off in the last few years and found something a little different to do, we’ll actually get them back this year and maybe we can hook them again and get them to come here more often or on a more consistent basis."

Sawyer Effertz, a Darboy native and super late model competitor, was happy to get back on the short track. 

"I'm excited to give everybody something to do on a weekday. It's nice," Effertz said. "We were worried that we weren't going to be able to race at all this summer. We represent a lot of local businesses ... and we're happy to be here so that we can show them off to the public and represent them. It's exciting."

Appleton's Andy Monday, who won the FRRC title in 2017, said the auto racing community is "one big family."

"Throughout this, we haven't really seen our family," he said. "We’ve gone through spurts in the offseason where we don’t see each other, but at the same time we’re still able to run into each other at meetings, borrow parts and do things at different race car shops, whatever it might be. This is probably the first time since September or October where we’re able to see everybody and say 'hi' and ask how they’re doing. So that means a lot."

Effertz added he was able to keep his focus the past few months through work and virtual racing.

"For me, I didn't get laid off of work (at Hipke Electric) at all so I've been working my normal work and I've been doing a lot of 'I-racing' to at least keep the arms in shape," he said. "You don't get the G forces from it, but it does keep the arms and reaction times up."

Vandermoss said he observed fan attendance at some of the other racing venues in the state and knew that the fan response would be positive at WIR.

"I've been going and checking all the dirt tracks that have started and they have more fans than normal," he said. "So our consensus with that is the fans are ready to come out and the good thing for us is there’s really no competition, because nobody else has done anything or wants to do anything because of the COVID thing.

"But what gives us an advantage on this whole thing is we have 13,000 seats up there and we’re only looking at putting 3,000 people in here today. So we have way under the requirements percentage-wise as what the health department and the county is asking for."

Vandermoss added that they've been in contact with fans through social media and kept attendance at a maximum of 3,000 so fans could have the opportunity to social distance. 

"We had the capabilities of doing it and the only time security would become involved is if you requested social distancing and somebody was to bother you," he said. "That’s the only time. Other than that we’re not going to police it. It’s up to the individual whether they want the social distancing or not."

Effertz said he hopes the enthusiasm continues throughout the summer.

"I'm hoping that everybody is really excited and hoping that there will be 3,000 people out here," he said. "Because I saw that Summerfest and Country USA and Rock USA got canceled this week. There's nothing going on but short-track racing and people getting back to work and I'm hoping that everybody is as excited as we are to get back out here." 

RESULTS

SUPER LATE MODEL

Feature: Casey Johnson, Edgerton; Brent Strelka, Freedom; Taylor Vandermoss, Appleton; Andy Monday, Appleton; Sawyer Effertz, Darboy; Lowell Bennett, Neenah; Dennis Prunty, Allenton; Alex Stumpf, Woodville; Pete Vandermolen Jr., Oshkosh; Jeff Van Oudenhoven, Appleton; Eugene Gregorich Jr., Amherst; Jesse Oudenhoven, Kaukauna; Mickey Schallie, Darboy; Curt Tillman, Rockton, Ill.; Randy Schuler, Mequon; Mike Anthony, Appleton; Bobby Kendall, Montello; Grant Griesbach, Pewaukee; Travis Rodewald, Manitowoc; Corey Manders, Hilbert. Semi-feature: Stumpf; Rodewald; Manders; Tillman; Tom Gee, Sobieski; Brady Baldry, Oshkosh; Trevor Vandermolen, Oshkosh. Heats: 1) Stumpf; Rodewald; 2) Effertz; Oudenhoven. Dash: Gregorich Jr. Fast time: Johnson, 19.362.

LATE MODEL

Feature: Bryan Monday, Appleton; Braison Bennett, Neenah; Brian Henry, Oshkosh; Brandon Reichenberger, Appleton; Mike King, Appleton; Eddie Muenster, Green Bay; Will Timmers, Kaukauna; Todd Verhagen, Freedom; Kenny Richards, Montello; Matt Wittman, Appleton. Heat: Muenster; Richards. Dash: Bryan Monday. Fast time: Bennett, 20.106.

QUARTER-MILE LATE MODEL

Feature 1: Tom Spierowski, Neenah; Rick Spoo, Neenah; Nick Van, Greenville; Jerry Schneider, Appleton; Mike Reichenberger, Appleton. Feature 2: Chad Devine, Mackville; Mike Reichenberger, Appleton; Tom Spierowski, Neenah; Jeff Beschta, Appleton; Tim Baumann, Neenah.

SUPER STOCK

Feature: Trevor Howard, Kaukauna; Jeff Treml, Greenleaf; Larry Raygo, Omro; Shane Krueger, Kaukauna; Tony Wilz, Menasha; Cole Bigelow, Kaukauna. Heat: Treml; Krueger. Fast time: Krueger, 16.003

SIZZLIN’ 4

Feature: Scott Wolf, Appleton; Emory Beattie, Little Chute; Dan Thomson, Menasha; Mitchell Opsahl, Freedom; Arianna Beattie, Little Chute; Larry Gintner, Neenah. Heats: 1) Beattie; Thomson; 2) Opsahl; Wolf. Fast time: Wolf, 18.149.

SPORT TRUCKS

Feature: Jason Van Handel, Freedom; Kylee Vandermoss, Appleton; Kasey Vanderloop, Freedom; Tanner Fickel, Neenah; Dan Vixmer, Fond du Lac; Kyle Quella, Appleton. Heats: 1) Quella; Vixmer; 2) Cody Vanderloop, Freedom; Fickel. Fast time: Bobby Wautier, Denmark, 16.554.

FIGURE 8

Winner: Russ Lorbiecki, Sussex.