|
Billy Who?
Stevens Point WI (Jan 22, 2005): Winter in Wisconsin! What more has to be
said? The one fun thing about this job is that I get to talk racing for the
entire year, for the most part. Another interesting part is that it usually
ends up in a prolonged telephone conversation ending with a "Uh-Oh! I
gotta see what happened to my kid!" Fortunately, this weekend I didn't
have that happen and it allowed me to visit with Brian Coleman who is nursing
a busted rid in the shop doing, you guessed it, working on the racecar! What
better way to spend a snowy winter's night in Wisconsin, huh?
The reason for Brian's call was not to discuss the most recent adaptation for
"The Recipe" or even to divulge the whole tale of his injury. No.
The reason for this call was business. You see, Brian has a new driver for the
#4 in 2005 and the plan is to run as much of the IRA tour as possible. Billy
Balog will be turning the wheel in the Maxim across the mid-west.
Oh? You want to know who Billy is? Allow me to introduce you to him. In
talking with Billy, you get the impression that he likes to do most of his
talking with his right foot. If you’re not familiar with the name, it's for
a good reason, at least around this area anyway. Billy hails from the thriving
racing community of Fairbanks. Yes, that's in Alaska! In all honesty though,
Billy's father, Bruce, is from Barron (WI) and has turned his fair share of
laps around Rice Lake and other Western WI venues, which explains how a guy
from Alaska would find his way into the seat of a sprint car.
Moving to Alaska, Billy got his first taste behind the wheel in 2000 in the
GFRA Sprint Series. His freshman year saw a new track record and a
championship in the 360 division. 2001 saw a runner-up spot in the Alaska
State Shoot-Out Series. 2002 saw a change of direction for the talented
chauffeur. Finding himself behind the wheel of an asphalt late model, Billy
finished the season with the most trips to victory lane at the Palmer (AK)
facility.
2003 and 2004 found Billy headed South to Washington state where he wheeled a
late model for Dan Cunningham. Never forgetting his roots and always being
ready, Billy had his sprint car with him and was able to race in approximately
eight events both seasons.
Enter Jim Vilts. Jim Vilts is a friend of Billy's dad back in Barron. Jim also
is a good friend of Brian Coleman and knew that Brian was still looking for
someone to grow with his team. Now, I'm not sure of the ensuing conversation,
and just how Jim talked a car owner from Wisconsin into this driver from
Alaska, but whatever was said worked. In the month before Thanksgiving of
2004, Billy Balog drove from Washington to Alaska where he packed up his
belongings. Then he drove back to Washington where he gathered the balance of
his racing shop and headed East ala "Beverly Hillbillies" to
Wisconsin.
"You should have seen it," commented Billy on the drive. "It
was something. I gave all my old tires and stuff that I knew I wouldn't need
to my buddies up in Alaska since freight bills are so high to have anything
shipped up there at all. My brother in law and I loaded up my one car on my
open trailer, sat the other chassis in the tire rack and hit the road."
Then there's this slight silence followed by a laugh. "I guess I should
have taken a picture, but we just wanted to get to Wisconsin."
Don't think that Billy came to Wisconsin just to race though. An accomplished
heavy truck mechanic, Billy's abilities were quickly tapped as he has already
settled in nearby Cameron (WI). "This is great. Brian and his family have
been so good to me already, we are already starting to act like a big family.
This is going to be new and take some time. The 410s will be a new experience
for me, but I am looking forward to it. I have heard so much about the area
and now I am getting a chance to be a part of it. We are all looking forward
to the upcoming season. I feel comfortable in a sprint car and am so grateful
for this opportunity."
Oh, and don't think that becoming a part of the Coleman family isn't without
it's moments! "We ordered a brand new Butler seat for the car and
Billy," stated Brian, "and Billy has been chomping at the bit for
over a month to get that new seat. Well it arrived the other day so we had to
set Billy up! We took the new seat out of the box and put it in the ice
fishing shed. Then we took the old seat out of my old car, and put it in the
box. Then we told Billy his new seat was in. He was like a kid at Christmas,
until he opened up the box and pulled out the old, used and bent up
seat!" "I was ready to drive to Butler and raise all kinds of
hell," stated Billy! "He was mad as hell when he pulled that
out," continued Coleman. "We had to tell him fast about what we did
or he probably would have driven there!"
So what do you do on a cold, snowy night in Wisconsin. Racers spend them
putting new seats in their cars, developing relationships with new team
members and dreaming of things to come. Others get to write about them! The
rest just sit and wait!
News and Notes from "The Infield"
Donny Goeden is reportedly seeking a full time ride for 2005 again.
Although I have not been contacted by anyone at the Goeden Race shop, the
Schroff Racing effort has teamed up with Rick Kelsey for a legitimate shot at
the IRA tour in 2005. Rick's longtime sponsors and friends at Wegners
St.Martins Inn, G&G Transportation, Sullys Corner, Impact Racing, and
Behling Racing Equipment are all on board again for the 2005 effort. Although
it's unclear just what number will adorn the wing, (Rick's #11K or the Don
Schroff's #9), one thing's for sure. There's another gunslinger on the
doorstep and I don't think he's going to bother knocking at the door and
waiting to come in. Rick has already proven himself a very capable pilot and
just needed the extra help to make a statement. With Don's help, this effort
could be one to watch.
Expect 9-Time IRA Champ Joe Roe more often as well in 2005. Motor problems
kept the champ sidelined for more shows than he cared for in 2004 and
apparently, every effort is being made to eliminate that from happening again.
FATTFRO Motorsports will once again be a big part of Roe's efforts and if
history has taught us one thing, it's watch out for #61. He'll be coming to
the front sooner or later.
Jimmy Kouba will be back as well in 2005, but will be behind the wheel of his
own #2K. Spending 2004 helping friend Brian Coleman get his operation pointed
in the right direction really sparked Jimmy's desire to put the 410 under the
hood and go on the road as much as possible with the IRA. Jimmy's long list of
accomplishments cements his name in the rich Kouba racing history, but the
racer that he is, he wants more. Of course, anyone who knows Jimmy or his
older brother Joe know that with one, you usually get two so watch for the #55
to be more frequent as well.
Things are really starting to take shape up in western Wisconsin and Eastern
Minnesota! Expect another transplant to show up from time to time at various
IRA events. Montana transplant Shane Spurlock now calls Elk River, MN (Hmm,
that sounds familiar) home and is focusing on a 2005 WISSOTA Championship.
Shane's plans also call for him to run as many Outlaw (IRA and World of
Outlaws) events as his schedule allows. What else would you expect from the
son of World of Outlaws veteran Bill Spurlock?
Well, that's about all I have right now. It's surprising how much you learn or
hear while trying to shovel out your driveway. While Ole Man Winter is doing
his best to remind us all what winter is all about, it only serves to add fuel
to an already burning desire to fire off the first sprint cars of the season.
OK. I'm not deaf or blind and realize that all the racing down under does help
some, but I consider it more of a tease. No I'm not knocking it at all. It's
just a simple fact. If I can't be there, then it's a tease. Florida is just
around the corner and then soon after comes the openers in PA. Sounds to me
like a good enough reason to visit the family again! Hmm. I think it's time to
talk to mom and dad again and see what their plans are for February and March.
Meanwhile, if you've got an update on your team or just have an interesting
story that you think others might be interested in, send it to me at arppix@arppix.com
and we'll see if we can all help each other pass these cold nights faster
together.
|
|
|
