CHICAGO WHISPERS
by Stan Kalwasinski

August 11, 2008

            Chicago, Ill.—“Young Guns” Zach Schiff, Kyle Hamilton and Jeff Wimmenauer were feature winners during the United States Auto Club (USAC)-sanctioned” Open Wheel Extravaganza” midget auto races at Illiana Motor Speedway last Wednesday night.

            During the action, which was also co-sanctioned by the United Midget Auto Racing Association (UMARA), Schiff, an 18-year-old speedster from Dublin , Oh., captured the 30-lap feature race for USAC’s Regional Midget Series competitors, defeating a fast-closing Mario Clouser, early leader Travis Young, Mario Marietta and Kyle Hamilton.  Earlier in the evening, Schiff zipped around the Schererville half-mile paved oval in 19.141 seconds to grab fast time honors during qualifications. 

            On Illiana’s quarter-mile oval, Hamilton , a 15-year-old from Danville , Ind. doing double-duty driving during the evening, won the 30-lap feature for Ford Focus division midgets, besting Steven Mathews and Andy Nock.  Wimmenauer, also 15, who hails from New Whiteland , Ind. , was the winner of the 30-lap main event for Kenyon midget cars, taking the checkered flag in front of Drew Charlson and Mike Terry, Jr.

            The 30-lapper on the half-mile was one of the best races seen this year at Illiana.  Young, who led the first 13 laps, was constantly pressed by Marietta , who actually took the lead for one lap on the 14th circuit as the duo battled.  Young came right back to lead laps 15 through 21 when a yellow flag slowed the action.  On the restart, Schiff wasted no time getting to the lead, slipping inside Young as the pair raced off of turn two.

            “I tried to pinch the fuel off on the restart so it would take off quick,” Schiff said.  “It worked.  We got him (Young) going into one and got a little bit of a run on him.  I had to go when we had the opportunity and it worked out well.”

            Schiff hopes to run the rest of USAC’s “National” pavement midget schedule in addition to some more “Regional stuff” for more “seat time.”  A former go-kart racer, Schiff will also be doing some testing with an Indy Pro team or two and also some sports car racing.

            With Schiff in command, Young, Marietta , Hamilton , David Byrne, Alison MacLeod and Clouser, who charged up through the field, battled wheel to wheel, trying to gain a position or two.   Clouser would have probably given Schiff a “run for his money” if it wasn’t for the checkered flag.

            MacLeod, the 19-year-old female Canadian racer, recently finished third in the grueling 400-lap USAC midget event at the Anderson ( Ind. ) Speedway in late July.  MacLeod and Regional race winner Schiff are teammates on the Bob East-owned team, which features East’s Beast Chassis and Ford power.

            Enjoying a successful career in USAC and early NASCAR events, Ralph Ligouri,, nicknamed “Ralphie the Racer,”  was on hand watching his grandson, Joe, compete in the regional midgets.  A winner in both open-wheel and stock cars, Ligouri’s biggest disappointment in racing was his never making the starting lineup for the Indianapolis 500. 

            Another visitor to Illiana that night was world-renowned Indianapolis 500 statistician and historian Donald Davidson, making his first visit to Illiana in some 30 years.  A native of England, Donaldson came on to the American racing scene in the early 1960’s, visiting Indianapolis and astonishing racing historians and old timers alike with his uncanny ability to rattle off “500” stats about drivers, specific races, etc., dating back to the very first “500” in 1911.  Davidson would work both radio and TV during the annual May event and is now part of the USAC team.

            Davidson’s ability is not just limited to the “500” as he can recite winners, dates and races of AAA and USAC “Champ Car” events, along with other USAC division records.

            Bob Richards, who was pretty tough to beat at Illiana in midget racing action in 1972, was on hand watching the recent open-wheel races.  Richards was a four-time champion of the old United Auto Racing Association (UARA), winning those titles in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1981.  

            Racing writer and announcer Bryan Gapinski visited Illiana, promoting his annual National Midget Driver of the Year award.  Passing out complimentary copies of National Speed Sport News early in the evening, Gapinski even threw in the some money in the night’s payoff. 

            This second and final USAC event at Illiana this season was again promoted by Don Kenyon of DK Promotions.  Kenyon is a longtime midget car builder and mechanic, having helped his brother, Mel, win most of his seven career USAC midget titles and xxx feature races.

            The annual Mazon Speed Bowl/Grundy County Speedway Hall of Fame Ceremony and Racers Reunion will be held over the Labor Day weekend—August 29 through August 31 at the Grundy County Fairgrounds in Morris.

            The organization’s giant display of thousands of racing photographs and some real racing memorabilia will be on display all three days.  The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 30.  The UMARA-sanctioned Bob Lockard Memorial midget race will take place that evening at the speedway.  The following evening the Grundy speed plant will host its annual “Night of Features.”  Tom Jones and John McKarns are two of this year’s inductees.

            Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville , Ind. will host its $1,000-to-win I-MOD special this coming Saturday night.  The I-MOD class is an economy, spec-type, open wheel modified division that has been very popular at the northern Indiana dirt oval for a number of years now.  Brad DeYoung, wheeling “Racer Rich” Boteler’s No. 7 entry, has scored three straight I-MOD victories at Shadyhill, giving DeYoung a total of seven so far this season.

            Milwaukee area racing photographer, Russ Lake admits he is slowing down just a bit.  The 72-year-old old Lake covered the Daytona 500 again this year and this year’s Indianapolis 500 as well.  Lake first visited Indy in 1952, received his first photo press credential in 1963 and has missed only one or two “Indy spectacles” since.   Lake , who again spent the entire month of May at Indy, is the track photographer at the “Milwaukee Mile.”  He estimates that he has a million racing negatives and other photographic images in his collection.  Lake is definitely a “Big Time Shooter.”

            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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