Chicago Whispers
By Stan Kalwasinski

July 7, 2008

            Chicago , Ill. —Pardon me, but this column has a personal tone to it.  Several weeks ago, Saturday night May 31 to be exact, my son Jack Kalwasinski won the super late model stock car feature race at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville , Ind.  Talk about a father being proud and “on cloud nine.” 

            Racing stock cars since 2000 after racing go-karts for a dozen years or so, Jack claimed Illiana’s  Schepel Performance (limited) late model track championship in 2006.  Winner of 22 stock car features previously, Jack posted his career first super late model win Saturday, driving Nick Trgovich’s “crate motor”-powered Ford Fusion.

            Campaigning his own Mid American Sportsman car, Jack was asked to drive the Trgovich entry in 2003.  Trgovich had purchased a late model Monte Carlo and was ready to drive it himself until his wife and daughter said otherwise.  Years earlier, Trgovich was a front-running driver had Illiana when the northwest Indiana half-mile was a dirt track.  Trgovich was one of the leading drivers in the area with feature wins dating back to 1950. 

            The first night Jack drove the Trgovich Monte Carlo things didn’t work out too well as he “stuffed” the black racer into Illiana’s third turn wall after the brakes failed.  The No. 11 was through for the year.  2004 saw Jack race his own Mid Am car and Nick’s new Ford Taurus.  Jack won five feature races for Nick in limited late model action at Illiana in ’04. 

            2005 was full of “ups and downs” for Jack.  Racing Trgovich’s black Ford Taurus at Illiana, Jack was involved in a number of early-season accidents, which put the team “behind the 8-ball” at the season’s outset.  A high-speed crash on opening night forced Trgovich and his team to completely rebuild the front end, taking the car to Howe Racing Enterprises in Beaverton , Mich. to get the job done.  Accidents knocked Jack out of three of the first four races of the year held at Illiana.  The team did win two features in ’05.

            2006 saw everything flow in the right direction as Jack drove the Trgovich Racing new Ford Fusion to seven feature wins, winning Illiana’s limited late model title in the process.  Jack led the division standings from the opening night of the season.

            Last year, Jack only raced the Trgovich entry a handful of times at Illiana with the team “testing the waters” in ASA Late Model Series action.  It seemed the team had no luck at all in ASA with the team failing to make a feature start.  Jack also raced his own super late model Grand Prix No. 99.

            A decision was made during the off-season to race the Trgovich car in Illiana’s super late model ranks on a semi-regular basis.  The first night out, Jack could only muster a 11th place finish.  On May 24, Jack was the second fastest qualifier, timing in behind fast timer Eddie Hoffman.  Unfortunately, Jack tangled with Chris Cooling in the feature race with the “fresh” Trgovich Taurus taking a real beating in the crash.

            A week of a “lot of hours and dollars” got the black No. 11 race ready again.  Ron Bohse, Bernie Beda, Steve Reich, Don Rich, Lisa Trgovich (Nick’s daughter), Mike Carpenter, Jr. and others put in a lot of time to be able to go racing the next week.  The effort was worth it!  Amazingly, Jack did not turn in a practice lap Saturday as he was working at the BP refinery in Whiting, Ind. and got to the track just in time for qualifications.  Jack was fourth quick.  Carpenter had warmed up the car earlier.

            Jack has been going to the races at Illiana since he was a kid.  With dad here being the track photographer at Illiana in the 1970’s, a young Jack would sit it the stands and watch and cheer his favorites—Larry Schuler, Ed Hoffman, Woody Pool, Butch Ledy, Ron Dole and others.   Later, with mom and dad working for John McKarns’ ARTGO late model circuit, Jack would visit a number of tracks throughout the Midwest, watching a number of stock car legends—Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Bob Senneker, Mark Martin and others.

            Jack became an official scorer as I announced the races at Illiana and at the Grundy County Speedway in Morris.  Getting back to the pits, Jack helped the likes of Mike White, Mike Martin and Mike Lorz with their racing efforts and worked for a time for the Ohio-based, Porter Cable Tools-sponsored NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.  Florida short track ace Wayne Anderson was among the team’s drivers.

            In 2002, Jack married Jerilynn Vinicky, whose dad Ray worked on the stock cars of John Brolick and, later, Pat Kelly.  Jack and Jerilynn have two little girls—Delanie Ann and Kasey Rae. 

            Right now plans call for Jack to continue to race the Trgovich Fusion and his own Grand Prix No. 99 throughout the balance of the season.  Jack’s goal of winning a super late model feature at Illiana has been accomplished.  I can now add his name to my feature winners’ list.  Congratulations, Jack!

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