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Pure Stocks In Saturday's Spotlight At ABC
by Nick Gima
Ashland, WI -- Last year's first-ever Pure Stock Special at the ABC Raceway
turned into a two-car shootout, with eventual track champion Cory Casari
awarded the win.
But that was last year. This year's event promises to be even more exciting,
as over 30 of the region's entry-level racers get a chance for big
division-style money.
Now in its fourth season of the existence at the Ashland oval, the division
has become a training grounds for younger drivers trying to get their feet wet
in racing without spending their college tuitions, older drivers on a limited
racing budget, and seasoned veterans looking to find some fun in the sport
again. As a result, the class has seen significant growth at not only Ashland
but throughout the region, with tracks in Hibbing, Superior, Menomonie and
Rice Lake also adding the beginnerıs division to their weekly programs during
the past few seasons.
Pure stock racing is just that - competition using the purest version of a
basic race car. No frills, no pricey high-performance equipment - just tear
out the interior and glass, tune 'em up, strap on the seat belts and helmets
and race 'em. The winnerıs check is usually far less than the tenth-place
guyıs share in most other divisions, but pure stockers are generally out
there for at least one of three reasons: to see if the desire to race is
within, to gain valuable experience in case the desire is there, and to have
fun. In most cases, itıs the latter.
In last yearıs event arch-rivals Casari and Kevin Truchon pulled away and
went toe-to-toe for the win, with Truchon edging ahead late, only to lose the
victory in the technical inspection area afterwards. Casari used the win to
springboard on to his second straight ABC points title in the division.
While Casari has been concentrating on his booming street stock career in
2005, he still owns his pure stocker and has taken it out on four occasions -
winning features with it once at Ashland and twice in one night at Superior.
Meanwhile, Truchon believes he has a score to settle and has to be considered
a strong favorite for Saturday nightıs show, especially after heartbreaking
flat tires have knocked him from contention for feature wins each of the last
two race nights here.
Other strong candidates for the win include last weekıs feature winner at
Ashland and Proctor, veteran Al Rapp, sophomore sensations Jim Eliason and
Kevin Eder, and Ricky Davis, who hauls over two hours to Ashland from Bruno,
MN, each Saturday to compete. Other top contenders expected to compete for
their share of the $2,800 feature purse include Glenn Dammer and Jon McKinnon
from the Twin Ports, Wade Aspen and Bobby Kaufman, Jr., from the Menomonie
area, and Josh Amans and Tony Luell from the Rice Lake track.
The other four regular ABC Raceway divisions will also be in action as the
second half of the season gets underway. Jeff Spacek and Al Uotinen are tied
atop a very competitive modified points battle, while Randy Spacek heads up
the super stock standings. Points leader Larry Haderly is back in form after
last weekıs sweep of street stock action, and Greg Jaeger is clinging to a
tenuous six-cylinder points advantage.
Hot laps are scheduled to begin slightly earlier Saturday, at 6:15 pm, while
the first green flag is still set to drop at 7. ³Racenight² will air live
from 5-6 pm Saturday on WJJH, 96.7 & 102.3 FM, with raceday news and
weather updates. The ABC Raceway is located three miles south of Ashland on
Highway 13, then one mile west on Butterworth Road. For more information,
visit the track website at www.abcraceway.com
or call (715) 682-4990 for
raceday information.
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