CHICAGO WHISPERS
by Stan Kalwasinski

 May 11, 2015

 Chicago, Ill.—Racing is pretty much in full bloom in and around the Chicago area with all tracks having presented at least two or three weekly shows so far this season.

 One racing group that has yet to get underway is the Short Track Auto Racing Series (STARS).  STARS will bring five divisions to Grundy County Speedway in Morris this year on Saturday nights for 10 events.  The racing will be led by The D’Arcy GMC National Midgets.  The other four divisions include the STARS Classic Modifieds, Illini Racing Series (IRS) Midgets, Super Cups and Legacy Midwest Racing Series.  The Super Cups and the IRS sportsman-style midgets will only compete at nine of the 10 events.

 The STARS season opener at Grundy will be Saturday, May 30, and will honor the late Patrick Wilda Jr., a STARS midget competitor, who lost his life in an industrial accident in January.  The 2015 season runs through the end of September.  The entire 2015 STARS season schedule can be found on the STARS website - www.shorttrackauto.com.

 Twenty-eight-year old, Anthony Danta, of Orland Park, is off to a strong start in Late Model action at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind., having won the first two feature races of the new season.  A former go-kart racer, who turned to stock cars in 2004, Danta won Illiana’s Limited Late Model title in 2005.  Winning his first Late Model division feature on the Illiana half-mile pavement in 2009, Danta had three Late Model feature wins at Illiana in 2014 and finished fifth in the final point standings. 

 Danta looked to be on his way to victory in last year’s Tony Bettenhausen Memorial 100 lapper until getting tangled up with eventual winner, Brian Campbell.  Danta’s dad, Frank, who helped Anthony’s uncle, Mike White, win a bunch of races over the years, is the car owner and crew chief of the winning D&B Racing No. 51 Impala SS.

Anthony Danta is off to a fast start in Late Model action at Indiana's Illiana Motor Speedway
(Stan Kalwasinski Photo)

 Joliet’s Scott Koerner claimed his first Late Model feature win of his career, winning the Illinois Truck & Equipment  45-lap main event at Grundy on May 1.  The event had to be postponed because of rain the previous Friday night, which was the track’s season opener. 

 “That was awesome,” said Koerner after his win.  “I had to work and come from the back.  It was good racing with Larry (Schuler) and (D.J.) Weltmeyer.  Weltmeyer slid up there (in the turn one after the restart) and I thought I can’t miss this opportunity.  (Before that), I was content to be in second place.  I cleared him (Weltmeyer) off of (turn) two and figured this should be good, only one-lap to go.”

 Fifth in Grundy’s Late Model points in 2014, Koerner, who began racing Late Model cars at Grundy in 1998, had won in various divisions of competition at the third-of-a-mile paved fairgrounds oval, including Mid American stock cars, midgets and sprint cars.  Starting out in go-karts, Koerner shared co-champion honors in Grundy’s  Mid American division with Pat Kelly in 1997.  Korner has also won in sportsman-style midgets and sprint cars.  A regular with the IRS midget group, Koerner bypassed the association’s season opener at Farmer City, Ill., to compete at Grundy on what became his first victory night.

 Another first-time winner at Grundy on May 1 was Cheryl Hryn, of Posen, as she won her first career Street Stock feature race, wheeling her just completed black Camaro No. 8 to the win.  Hryn, whose dad, Larry, use to race stock cars, started her racing career at Illiana in 2007.  It was an emotional victory for Hryn, who lost her granddaughter, MacKenzie Serviss, who died suddenly in early April. 

Cheryl Hryn was a first-time Street Stock feature winner at the Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill. 
(Stan Kalwasinski Photo)

 “It was hard losing my granddaughter, MacKenzie,” said Hryn.  “She liked blowing bubbles.  I’ve been blowing bubbles before I start a race.  I did today and we won.”

 Track champion a year ago in Illiana’s Legends division, 61-year-old Paul Shafer, of Portage, Ind.,  is back in a full-bore Late Model car for the first time since 1992.  The only difference is that Shafer’s ride now is a paved track car compared to his former rides – dirt late models. 

 Shafer began racing on the dirt in 1976 and was a consistent front runner for many years.  One of Shafer’s accomplishments was winning the Late Model track championship at the Kankakee Speedway in 1984.  After leaving the dirt track scene, Shafer was heavily involved in Monster Truck competition, owning several teams for a time.  Prior to that, Shafer was even the promoter of weekly stock car racing at the old Broadway Speedway in Crown Point, Ind.  He was responsible for changing the track’s name to Southlake Speedway in 1981.

 Shafer pretty much stayed away from oval track racing until his son, Paul Jr., got the bug and began racing in the Legends division at Illiana.  Paul Sr. joined his son in the competition with his son soon moving on to the Late Model ranks.  Shafer Jr. was Illiana’s Late Model champion in 2013.  The elder Shafer is trying to get back into the swing of Late Model action this season.

 “I trying to get comfortable in the car,” said Shafer.  “I’m going to see if I can keep up with these guys.  I don’t think I am going to race every weekend.  There hasn’t  been a lot of change in racing.  It’s all about getting back on the throttle fast enough, whether it’s dirt or pavement.  If you get the right setup, you are going to go fast.”

 Mitch Bailey has been trying for about four years to win a DIRTcar United Midwestern Promoters Modified stock car feature race at Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville, Ind.  This past Saturday night was Bailey’s night to claim a UMP victory as the 26-year-old Medaryville resident wheeled his black No. 42 to victory in the division’s 20-lap main event on the quarter-mile dirt oval.  Bailey, who lives a quarter-mile down the road from the speedway, held off the challenges of Brad DeYoung most of the way.

 “I tried to build a rhythm, but I messed up a few times,” said Bailey.  “You have to find a rhythm.  I was watching the scoreboard, but I lost track.  It went back to zero one time.”

 The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series comes to the LaSalle Speedway this Saturday, May 16.  A strong contingent of local and regional drivers is slated to battle it out with the nation’s top dirt late model talent.  A $10,000-to-win 50-lap main event highlights the racing at the high-banked, quarter mile dirt oval.  Modifieds and Street Stocks are also on the program.  Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., will return as the defending champion of the “Spring Shootout” at LaSalle.

 Frank Heckenast Jr., of Frankfort, is currently ninth in the point standings of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.  Last Saturday at Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Speedway, Heckenast saw a potential top-five finish go awry when his right-rear tire blew out and caused a yellow flag caution. The 2014 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year ended up 15th at the finish.

 Ed Gille, 77, of Rockford, a familiar figure in the pits at various Midwestern short tracks, passed away on April 25.  Over the years, Gille helped the likes of stock car racers Corky Wickson, Don Harvey and Dan Ballard, and later, Boyce Sparkman and Wisconsin’s Tom Reffner.  Gille’s sons, Tom and Jerry raced Late Model stocks with Jerry being a three-time Late Model champ at Rockford Speedway.  Gille’s grandson, Jake (Tom’s son), won an emotional feature victory at Rockford in Late Model action on May 2 and came right back and won again this past Saturday.

 William "Bill" Earnest died on April 6, 2015 in California, four days shy of his 90th birthday.  He served in the Marine Corps, during World War II. Earnest built and operated several automotive parts & service businesses in the greater Rockford area. On the racing side, he is remembered for being a partner with Hugh Deery in the operation of the Rockford Speedway.  In 1966, Earnest and Derry planned out the first National Short Track Championships for the Rockford oval.  Earnest even tried his hand at promoting stock car races at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 1966.

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

 END