Chicago Whispers
By Stan Kalwasinski

  April 20, 2009

              Chicago , Ill. —Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville , Ind. got things underway with its season-opening racing event this past Saturday evening. 

              The event marked the beginning of the 62nd year of stock car racing at the northwest Indiana “speed plant” which was built around 1945 and was developed by founder and long time owner, Harry Molenaar.  In failing health, Molenaar sold the speedway to Mike Mikuly in the spring of 1999.  Molenaar passed away in early October of that same year.

              With Mikuly at the helm, the track underwent a major renovation project prior to the 2000 racing season with new retaining walls, fencing and lighting among the improvements, in addition to the track’s half-mile oval being completely repaved and a quarter-mile track being added.  Before the start of last season’s racing, new aluminum grandstands replaced the old wooden ones.

            The very first stock car race at Illiana was held in 1948. Ace Lillard, who identified himself as being from Dallas , Texas and representing the International Stock Car Club, leased the half-mile dirt track from Molenaar and headed up the promotion of a so-called Championship Stock Car Race on Sunday afternoon, November 14.  At the time, the track was simply known as “Molenaar’s half-mile.”

              A 200-lap race was scheduled, but due to a lack of several necessities—scorers, all cars having numbers, a pubic address system, to name a few, the race was shortened to about 75 laps.  Veteran area racer “Chick” Beverlin was awarded the victory.  Around 20 cars started the event as a volunteer waved the field off with a red rag tied by one corner to the end of a twisted tree limb. 

             Things were a little different this past Saturday evening with Tom Smith of Tinley Park winning the 25-lap super late model headliner.  It was the first career feature win for the 40-year-old Smith at Illiana.  Racing late models since 1992, Smith, track champion at the Grundy County Speedway in Morris in 2007, has been an on-again, off-again competitor at Illiana over the years.  Over the past several years, Smith has been busy owning and promoting his own race track— Plymouth ( Ind. ) Speedway , where racing is also held on Saturdays. 

            Fifteen super late models were in the pits Saturday with 14 taking the green flag for the start of the 25 lapper.  Missing from the feature lineup, Andy Marchiniak tore up the backend of his Impala SS in a time trials crash.  Only eight Schepel Performance (limited) late models were on hand Saturday with John Senerchia and his Impala SS winning the 20-lap main event.

            Other Illiana opening night feature winners were Scott Gardner (Turbo Stox), Alex Arelano (Legends Cars) and Michael Martin (Pure Stocks).  12-year-old Justin Van Drunen won the 8-lap race for young Bandoleros division drivers.

              Missing from action was five-time super late model champion Mike White.  The race team of White and car owner Tom Rose was pretty much “fractured” with the loss of longtime sponsor, Auburn Supply, because of the current economic climate.  White, who captured Illiana’s super late model title in 2008, has won at least one super late model feature race at Illiana every year since 1995 with a career total of 36 on the half-mile.  Rose has been a car owner at Illiana in super late model competition since 1990 with White has his driver since 1995.  Rose’s car-owning days date back to as early as 1976 when he fielded cars at the old Raceway Park in Blue Island .

            Rainy weather in the Midwest forced the postponement of Sunday’s 32nd annual Spring Classic at the Rockford Speedway.  The event, which will be highlighted by a 108-lap feature race for Big 8 Series late models, will be held this Sunday afternoon, April 26, with racing getting underway at 1:00 p.m.  The high-banked quarter-mile paved oval will also host the Mid American Stock Car Series, which will see its drivers compete in a 50-lap feature.  It will be a busy weekend at Rockford as the speedway will present its 62nd Pepsi weekly stock car season opener the night before.

            Gregg McKarns, Rockford ’s General Manager, was on hand this past Saturday night at Illiana, visiting with friends and old acquaintances.  Because of his full-time Rockford duties, McKarns had not seen the “improved” Illiana with the new pavement, lightening, grandstands, etc.  As a youngster, McKarns was on hand at Illiana numerous times as he dad, John, presented ARTGO Challenge Series events there.

            Kankakee County Speedway, under the direction of Doug Judy of JBD Promotions, is slated to open its dirt track racing season this Friday evening, April 24.  Inclement weather had forced the new promotional team to delay the track’s season opener for a few weeks as crews were unable to complete a number of improvement projects at the fairgrounds speedway, which sat idle during the entire 2008 racing season.

            Grundy County Speedway in Morris, the “Friday Night Racin’ Place,” also will open its gates for the first time this Friday evening.  Part of the local racing scene since 1971, Grundy will again present weekly Friday night racing, which will feature late model, Mid American Sportsman, street stock and four-cylinder division action.

            Other season openers include Sycamore Speedway kicking off its weekly dirt track action this Saturday evening, April 25, Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville , Ind. on May 2 and the LaSalle Speedway on May 16.  The Sycamore oval will be the scene of the first annual Illinois Vintage Stock Car Racing Dirt Nationals on Saturday, October 10.  Former driver Art “Fireball” Fehrman, who heads up Illinois Vintage Racing, is already busy working on making this event a “big one” as far as vintage racing goes.  A minimum $5,000 purse will be at stake for the 30-car, 50-lap feature race.

            The address for news and comments is 9618 Cypress Ave. , Munster , Ind. 46321-3418 or e-mail to skalwasinski@yahoo.com.

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