CHICAGO WHISPERS
by Stan Kalwasinski

January 19, 2009

            Chicago , Ill. —Before getting too far into the New Year, let’s review track and association champions in and around the Chicago area for 2008.

            Mike White garnered his fifth Super Late Model stock car championship at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville , Ind.  White posted two feature wins on his way to another title at Mike Mikuly’s “speed plant,” besting ’07 champ Jeff Cannon and Mike Monroe in the final points tally.  Another Illinois veteran, John Nutley was the track’s Schepel Performance (limited) Late Model champion in ’08.  Nutley , who was Illiana’s Super Late Model titlist in 2004, captured one feature win during the campaign on the fast, half-mile paved oval.  Nutley battled John Senerchia and Anthony Danta all season long for the title.  Danta won a total of seven features during the season.

            Chicago ’s Eddie Ligue took home top season title honors in the Turbo Stox division.  Ligue won a total of four feature races.  For the second year in a row, Cedar Lake , Indiana ’s Mike Lindemulder was the track’s Pure Stock champion.  Lindemulder in his Frank Gawlinski “look-alike” No. 14 won six features.  Winning three main events along the way, Chris King was the champion in the new Legends Cars division.

            Joliet ’s Brett Sontag was the “top gun” in the Late Model ranks at the Grundy County Speedway in Morris.  Winner of seven feature races, Sontag bested ’07 Grundy titlist Tom Smith for this year’s championship crown.  It was Sontag’s third Late Model championship at the Grundy third of a mile paved oval, “the Friday Night Racin’ Place.” 

            Jeff Olson won his first-ever Grundy title, taking top honors in the Mid American Sportsman ranks.  Olson recorded one feature win during the season.  Chad Bayuk was the Grundy Street Stock champion with Kyle Lindemuth winning three feature races on his way to 4-Cylinder division honors.

            Losing the title a year ago by a mere one point, veteran Jerry Gille was the 2008 Rockford Speedway Late Model champion.  Gille, who won three feature races during the season, broke Ricky Bilderback’s “strangle hold” of seven consecutive NASCAR Late Model crowns at the high-banked, quarter-mile paved oval.

            Fred Nason notched his second consecutive NASCAR All-American Sportsman crown, winning four features in the process.  Boyce “BJ” Sparkman was another Rockford driver to put up back-to-back titles with Sparkman’s accomplishment coming in the American Short Tracker (AST) division.  It was Sparkman’s third career AST championship.  Other Rockford champions included: Terrance Robinson (Roadrunner), Laura Siarkiewicz (Winged Women on Wheels), Matt Booker (Legends), Matt Mangiaracina (Hornets), Chris Gantz (Figure 8) and Kyle Vergata (Bandoleros). 

            On the dirt at the LaSalle Speedway, Keith Piano was the track champion in the Midwestern Late Model division.  Piano, who won six feature races, defeated Roger Markham by only one point for the title.  Second generation driver Vince Cooper grabbed three feature victories on his way to top honors in the track’s open-wheel Modified class.  Cooper defeated Milo Veloz, Jr. by a “whopping” three points for the championship.  Randy Lucas was the Street Stock champion at LaSalle, while young D.J. Werkmeister captured season honors for the Hornet division.

            Dirt track action at the Sycamore Speedway saw Johnny Heath win overall Super Late Model honors.  Heath is now a four-time Super Late Model champ at Sycamore, having previously won titles in 2004, 2003 and 2002.  Dave Radloff was Sycamore’s Late Model stock car “king” with Jay Brendle winning Spectator division honors.  Other Sycamore champions included: Danielle Heath (Powder Puff), Mike Gossett (Compact), Ted Diangikes (Demolition Derby) and Randy Ellis (Compact Demo).

            Two nearby Indiana dirt speedways were busy with United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) competition.  Kamp Motor Speedway near Boswell , Ind. saw veteran Dan Walden win the UMP Late Model title.  The Crawfordsville, Ind. driver won three feature races on his way to his second Late Model championship at the speedway, having one the first one in 2000.  Relative newcomer Mike Spatola made off with season honors in the track’s UMP Modified division, while Jaret Leuck was the Sportsman champ and Jerrad Krick the Street Stock titlist.  Charles “Bub” Patrick roared to six feature wins on his way to UMP Modified crown at the Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville , Ind.  Almost unbeatable all season long, Butch Toosley was the track’s Super Street champ with Brad DeYoung winning the I-Mod crown.  Adam Williams came home on top in the Pure Street division while Steven Hobbs was “top dog” in the Barefoot Minis class.

            For the first time since 1961, the dirt track at the Kankakee Fairgrounds sat dormant.  A new promotional team, JBD Race Promotions, headed by Doug Judy, will get things going again in ’09.

            Around midget auto racing pretty much since a baby, Jimmy Anderson was crowned champion of the United Midget Auto Racing Association (UMARA).  Anderson , whose late dad, Jim, was a longtime midget car owner, won one feature race on his way to winning the “emotional” title.  David Bryne and Mario Clouser finished behind Anderson in the standings.  19-year-old Branden Allen was the USAC/UMARA Ford Focus division champion with 15-year-old Tanner Whitten claiming honors in the association’s Sportsman division ranks.  Nick Odell was UMARA’s Dwarf Car champ. 

            The Illini Racing Series saw Joe Knippel being named the group’s top midget driver.  It was Knippel fifth midget racing crown, including four UMARA “Sportsman” championships.  Freddie Teer was Illini’s Pavement Sprint Car division champ with Tyler Shoemaker being the Dirt Sprint Car division champ.

            Dennis Erb, Jr. had another “incredible” year on Midwestern dirt tracks.  The second generation, Carpentersville driver claimed both the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model National Championship and the overall Summer Nationals Championship.   Winner of 13 UMP features during the season, Erb, who turned 36 in October, was also won the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Northern Allstars Late Model Series title.

            Eddie Hoffman was the ASA Late Model Series Northern Division champion.  Hoffman and his TK Racing team, owned by Tom and Lisa Kmak, captured three series victories during the campaign.  Local driver Dave Gentile, Jr. finished fifth in the points and also garnered the overall crown of the US Pro Cup Series with one win to his credit.  Andy Marchiniak was named US Pro’s “rookie of the year.”

            In addition to Erb and Hoffman, other “big” winners this year included Butch Toosley, who won 11 feature races at Shadyhill Speedway in Super Street division action and Brad DeYoung, who captured a total of 10 wins in I-Mod competition, nine of those also at Shadyhill.

-2008-