CHICAGO WHISPERS
by Stan Kalwasinski 

September 22, 2008

            Chicago , Ill. —This past Saturday, Kamp Motor Speedway near Boswell , Ind. saw a field of 32 dirt track late models assemble for the Kamp 50 presented by Lucas Oil. 

            Illinois dirt track ace Jason Feger, the evening’s fastest qualifier, captured the $5,000-to-win headliner, defeating Highland , Illinois ’ Billy Faust by almost a half lap.  The 30-year-old speedster, last year’s late model titlist at the Kamp speed plant, picked up his sixth win of the season at Kamp and his 12th overall in Midwest stock car competition.  Hailing from downstate Bloomington , Feger, known as “The Highside Hustler,” is in his seventh year of dirt track late model racing after serving his “apprenticeship” in racing in the “sportsman” ranks for several years.

            “It’s been a hectic day,” said Feger in victory lane.  “I woke up this morning and set the valves and found some rocker arms that were going bad, so, at the last minute, we had to change motors in the car. 

            “This is the first time, I think, that I finished this race in four years.  The big ones keep getting away from me here.  This might have been one of the best race cars I’ve ever sat in tonight.  It would just go anywhere—top, bottom, middle.”

            Feger made the prestigious World 100 at  Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Ohio for the second time in his career a few weeks ago and seems to have been running pretty strong during the final weeks of the Midwestern season.

            “The track was awesome tonight,” commented Feger.  “I honestly thought the top (groove) would be a little better.  The top was real good getting in (entering the turn), but there wasn’t a whole lot coming off.  I noticed some of the guys were hanging their ‘tails’ out there (on the top).  For 50 laps, I wanted to keep my tires underneath me and not wear them out.  I tried that middle line (groove) and it started sticking.  I figured this was a lot easier on the car and tires.  This track just fits my driving style.”

            Coming from his third row, inside starting spot, Feger took over the lead from Dan Walden on lap 16 and, pretty much, never looked back, going on to score the win without any serious challenges.  Trailing Feger and runner-up Faust at the checkered flag were Michigan ’s Brian Ruhlman, Richie “The Hit Man” Hedrick, veteran Illinois racer Eric Smith and Wes Steindinger, who came from his 18th starting position.  Steindinger used a second place finish in the 12-lap “B” main to grab a starting spot for the 20-car  feature at the three-eights mile dirt oval. 

            Michigan speedster Alan Vochaska won the “B” feature.  Vochaska is this year’s late model champion at Michigan ’s Hartford Motor Speedway, where “homestater” Ruhlman scored an impressive win the night before at the “big” half-mile dirt facility. 

            Early race leader Walden and Frank Heckenast, Jr. finished seventh and eighth respectively and were the only others drivers on the lead lap at the end  Walden, the veteran Crawfordsville , Ind. driver, captured this year’s Kamp late model crown, winning three feature races along the way.  The track championship was his second at the speedway, winning his first in 2000.

Kamp Pit Bits

            Over 100 cars crowded the Kamp pits Saturday.  In addition to the 32 late models, 38 open-wheel modifieds were on hand in addition to 18 sportsman and 32 street stocks.  Definitely close quarters.

            Derek Losh won the 20-lap modified feature Saturday, while Jaret Leuck won the sportsman main event and Jerrad Krick captured the street stock division headliner.

            Rob Goodman, who promotes the Hartford oval, is the track announcer at Kamp and does a great job keeping everyone informed on what is going on.  Goodman is a “wealth of knowledge” regarding Midwestern dirt track stock car racing. 

            The track is owned and promoted by Bob and Gayle Kamp of K-Motion Racing Engines in Lafayette , Ind.  The Kamps have done numerous improvements to the speedway since taking it over in 2002.  Comfortable grandstands and a good lighting system, both on-track and in the pits, are a few of them..  Since the track opened in 1967, it has had several names including Henry’s Speedway , Chase Raceway and Benton County Speedway.  Larry Cope, hailing from Leroy , Ind. , was the track’s first champion when the track was known as Henry’ Speedway and owned and operated by founder, Avery Henry, who operated a furniture store in nearby Oxford .

            Kamp closes out its season this Saturday night with a full program of racing.  The late model portion will be the final Northern All Stars Series point event of 2008.

More Bits

            Illiana Motor Speedway has rescheduled its 47th annual Tony Bettenhausen Memorial 100 presented by Lisa Thomas Salon to Saturday, October 11.  This will be one of the latest Bettenhausen 100 lappers held in recent years.  Old timers remember when the Bettenhausen event was always scheduled for the first Sunday afternoon in October.  Looking through the “record books’” the last Bettenhausen contest held in October was the 1983 race, which was won by Ed Hoffman in his 1983 Firebird.  Hoffman’s son, Eddie, is a heavy favorite to win this year’s battle.

            Illiana will host Crash Fest No.2 this Saturday evening.  School bus and trailer figure-eight races will highlight the action.  Also on tap will be Pure Stock racing and on-on-one “spectator drags.”  There will be no racing at Illiana on October 4.

Sad News

            Elmer Steninga, a familiar face around Raceway Park for year and years, passed away several weeks ago.  Steninga use to drive the Burt Rose Ford tow truck at the south suburban oval, towing many a disabled race car off the Raceway asphalt.  Steninga and the Burt Rose truck also use to tow Bud Koehler’s winning mounts from the old Swets Lincoln-Mercury used car lot in Blue Island to the “World’s Most Busiest Track.”

            Bob Kirkpatrick, a stock car feature winner at both Santa Fe Speedway and at the old Mance Park Speedway in Hodgkins, also recently passed on.  Originally from LaGrange, Kirkpatrick and his wife relocated to the Upper Peninsula area of Michigan many years ago.  Kirkpatrick’s feature wins at Santa Fe dated back to 1954.  R.I.P., Gentlemen.

            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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