Oregon, WI- The ‘Stars and Cars’ of the ARCA Midwest Tour head to Madison International Speedway this Friday Night August 27, 2021 for the Howie Lettow Classic 100. Twenty-eight drivers have filed entries for the 100-lap contest which will pay $5,000 to the winner. Entries include top Midwest Tour drivers including Ty Majeski, Luke Fenhaus and Paul Shafer as well as past MIS Champions Casey Johnson, Dale Nottestad, Dan Fredrickson, Austin Nason and Rich Bickle, Jr. Also entering Friday Night’s main event is NASCAR Cup standout William Byron. The Midwest Truck Series and 602 Outlaw Late Models will join the racing program which will conclude with the Area’s Biggest and Best Fireworks Display. Here is a breakdown of the drivers entered for Friday night’s 100 lap Howie Lettow Classic:
2 Dale Nottestad Cambridge WI Badger Realty Team/Glassworks/Morrison’s Auto/Club LaMark Chevrolet -Last Saturday night he recorded his sixth feature win of the season at Jefferson Speedway where he is a five-time Champion. Friday night he will compete at Madison for just the fourth time this season where he is a three-time MIS Champion and has twelve career Super Late Model wins to his credit.
4 Luke Fenhaus Wausau WI Dun Rite Exteriors/Kulwicki Driver Devel/PGA/Central WI Vending Chevrolet -The 2018 State Park Speedway Champion is the current point leader at Slinger Super Speedway where he also claimed the Slinger Nationals earlier this year and finished second to Marco Andretti in SRX action. He started the season with a win at Dells Raceway Park in the Icebreaker and followed that up with a pair of runner-up efforts and fast times at Madison and Jefferson in Midwest Tour action. The Kulwicki Development Driver is currently second in ARCA Midwest Tour points.
5 Casey Johnson Edgerton WI Montgomery Ward/Hougan Farms/UAW Region 4 Chevrolet -Johnson is the two-time and defending Midwest Tour Champion and recently won the Blue Race at Wisconsin International Raceway, backing up his White Race win and recording his second Red, White and Blue State Championship in the process. Johnson also went two for two to finish July, winning in Big 8 action at Madison and then winning the weekly Late Model feature at Jefferson the following night. Johnson has amassed two championships at Wisconsin International, three at Jefferson, two in Big 8, two Tundra titles, six Wisconsin State Championships and two National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway. He is a two-time MIS Triple Crown Super Late Champ.
7 John DeAngelis, Jr Hubertus WI DeAngelis Construction/JD7 Trucking Ford -2019 was a banner year for John DeAngelis, Jr, the former Slinger Super Speedway and Big 8 Late Model Series competitor finished fifth in the 2019 edition of the Howie and was third in the final Midwest Tour point tally. DeAngelis put the competition on notice as he dominated the first half of the Gandrud Auto Group 250 earlier this month, setting a blistering pace. His crew chief Travis Sauter won the first ever Lettow Classic in 2012 at Milwaukee and is a former Joe Shear Classic winner at MIS.
7 Paul Shafer, Jr Portage IN Paul’s Auto Yards Chevrolet -Paul Shafer beat the best of the best earlier this month, claiming the checkered flag at the Gandrud Auto Group 250 at Wisconsin International, easily the biggest win of his career. The 2020 Grundy track champion and two-time Bettenhausen Classic winner began the year by clicking off three wins in a row at Grundy. Quickly becoming one of the fan favorites on the Tour, the 2013 Illiana Motor Speedway Champ has finished no worse than sixth in the last six years in Midwest Tour points and currently sits third. Shafer won this event in 2017.
8 Shaun Scheel Lake Mills WI Griffin Ford/Tiry’s Race Engines/Wagner Const/Ryan’s Auto Care Ford -He is the back-to-back Jefferson Speedway Champion and finished fourth in the final point standings at Madison this season. Last month he recorded his third career win at ‘Wisconsin’s Fastest Half Mile’ and looks to make just his fourth career Super Late Model start on Friday night.
10 Andy Monday Appleton WI Monday & Assoc/B&B Engines/Darboy Corner Store Toyota -Andy Monday is amongst the tough veteran drivers that compete at WIR on Thursday nights. Having won the 2017 Fox River Racing Club Championship, Monday has been venturing to more ARCA Midwest Tour events with help from former ASA Late Model Champion Travis Dassow, a former Championship driver under Howie Lettow’s direction. Monday has four top ten finishes in ARCA Midwest Tour racing and looks to improve upon his eleventh place effort in May’s Joe Shear Classic.
11 Bobby Kendall Montello WI Lecker Septic Systems/Hinz Farms/Eagle Homes II/Am Family Insurance Chevrolet -Kendall has been tough to beat at WIR, collecting both the 2017 and 2018 Red, White and Blue State Championships. A winner already on Thursday nights this season, the 2020 Fox River Racing Club Champion has had his share of misfortune at MIS as of late and looks to head in the right direction Friday night.
13 Andrew Brocker Jefferson WI American State Equipment Chevrolet -This father son duo is unlike most in the pit area these days as it is Andrew, the dad racing the car while his sons wrench in the pits. The family owned team has been a loyal supporter of the Midwest Tour and finished 12th in the 2019 Point Standings.
14 Austin Nason Roscoe IL Montgomery Ward/Haase Builders/JRS Shocks/Kar Korner Ford -Nason is a two-time Tour runner-up and has big wins including the Joe Shear Classic at Madison, the 2019 Father’s Day 100 at The Milwaukee Mile and Rockford’s All-Star 100 to go along with a 2018 Madison Triple Crown Championship and 2015 Tour Rookie of the Year title. Nason was third at Milwaukee in June, he nearly nabbed the win in July at Anderson Speedway’s (IN) Redbud 400 and finished fifth at the Slinger Nationals. He charged to a fourth place finish during the Gandrud 250.
15 Gabe Sommers Plover WI Rowdy Energy/Kwik Trip/Tasteful Selection Potatoes/DeKalb Toyota -Just two years ago, Gabe Sommers recorded his breakthrough win at the Larry Detjens Memorial at State Park Speedway. He went on to become the 2019 Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year and backed up that effort with a runner-up points finish a season ago. A winner in June at California’s Irwindale Speedway, the young driver placed second at Milwaukee on Father’s Day. Sommers is currently ranked fifth in Midwest Tour points and was fifth in the Gandrud 250.
19 Andrew Morrissey DeForest WI Lefthander/Performance Parts Supply/Lensing Storage Chevrolet -Andrew Morrissey the 2011 ARCA Midwest Tour Champion will pilot the Lefthander Chassis House Car in the 100-lap contest. The 2018 Oktoberfest winner has five Tour wins including two Joe Shear Classic victories at Madison. Morrissey has twelve career Super Late Model wins at the Oregon speedplant and is the all-time Outlaw Late Model track record holder with a time of 16.639 seconds/108.180 MPH and was second in the 2019 Lettow Classic.
23 Levon VanDerGeest Merrill WI Central Sawdust of WI/Breber Music/Culver’s Chevrolet -Levon VanDerGeest became the youngest winner in Milwaukee Mile history when he rolled to the Midwest Truck Series victory on Father’s Day 2019. Levon went on to become the 2019 Truck Champion and is now running for the 2021 ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year. Levon had a strong showing on Father’s Day at The Milwaukee Mile, posting a seventh place finish and just finished out of the top ten last Saturday when the Tour visited Hawkeye Downs.
24 William Byron Charlotte NC Chevrolet -Making his second career Midwest Tour start will be the driver of the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series. Byron qualified seventh earlier this month at WIR and would eventually drop out with mechanical issues but impressed all in his debut. The 2019 Daytona 500 pole sitter is just the second driver to win Rookie of the Year honors in consecutive years in NASCAR’s three National Series. Byron is currently tied for sixth in Cup Series points and finished second last weekend at the other MIS, Michigan International Speedway.
25 Jeff Storm East Troy WI 3-D Ranch/Duramax Trucking/Breber Music/River City Lanes Toyota -Anyone that was at Madison for the Joe Shear Classic last month now knows that Jeff Storm once again has a fast race car. The two-time Mid-American Stock Car Series Champion wheeled his familiar #25 Super Late Model to a fifth place finish in the 200 lap contest.
36 Dan Fredrickson Lakeville MN Herman’s Landscape Supply/Justman Freight Toyota -He is a former winner of the Joe Shear Classic, won the 2017 MIS Triple Crown Title and is a two-time Midwest Tour Champion. The veteran driver has been tutoring USAC sensation Buddy Kofoid as he begins his Late Model career, nearly winning a July weekly feature at MIS. Now Fredrickson will climb back behind the wheel of his Super Late for his first Tour appearance since he and Ty Majeski locked horns battling for the lead of May’s Shear Classic. Fredrickson, who has 15 Tour wins including four Oktoberfest wins finished sixth in May.
42 Dennis Prunty Knowles WI Anderson’s Pure Fuel/Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup/Stone Mtn Access Chevrolet -An upper ball joint spoiled what was a great run during May’s Joe Shear Classic at Madison for Dennis Prunty. Having claimed Dixieland honors in 2016, the former Slinger Super Speedway Champion won the Slinger Nationals a year earlier, in 2015.
45 Rich Bickle, Jr Edgerton WI T1 Racing/Wegner Automotive/Barnyard to Brickyard Chevrolet – Bickle started the Tour season by winning May’s Joe Shear Classic at Madison where he is a two-time track Champion and has won twice this season at Slinger. The five-time Snowball Derby Champion, four-time Slinger Nationals winner and two-time National Short Track Champion is set to retire at year’s end. He rallied to a fourth place finish at Hawkeye Downs on Saturday. Friday night will mark Bickle’s final start at Capital/Madison and he looks to sweep the Super Late Model events at the half-mile paved oval this year.
72 Jacob Goede Carver MN Baby Gowdy/Goetz Trucking/Northern Racing Products Chevrolet -He has won seven consecutive Elko Speedway Championships and he once again sits atop the standings at his home track. He ventured from Minnesota on Friday nights to compete weekly at Madison at finished third in the final point standings this season and picked up his third weekly win in doing so. The 2019 NASCAR Weekly National Champion is currently second nationally and leads the Midwest Region standings. Goede is a former Late Model winner at Bristol.
75 Dillon Hammond Grand Marsh WI Hammond Auto Mauston, WI Chevrolet -The family effort has qualified seventh, fifth, fourth, third, eleventh and third in the six Tour events thus far. Hammond drove to an eighth place Midwest Tour effort last month at State Park Speedway and posted his best Tour finish of the season at Hawkeye Downs as he overcame early damage to finish sixth. Back on the Midwest Tour in 2021 as a Touring Star, Hammond has two career top five efforts on the Tour including a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Detjens Memorial at State Park.
77 Jonathan Eilen Hampton MN Eilen & Sons Trucking & Landscape/Graber Auto Body Ford -After running an abbreviated schedule the past couple of seasons, Jonathan Eilen the 2012 Midwest Tour Champ is back on the Tour and contending for wins again, finishing third Saturday at Hawkeye Downs. The #77 sits seventh all-time in tour wins with five, including the first ever Tour event in 2007 which was held at Elko Speedway. Eilen recorded a Super Late Model win at MIS in May of 2019 and finished third in the last Lettow Classic which was held the same year.
77 Riley Stenjem Utica WI Sreamin’ Norwegian/Hausz Contractors/Hougan Farms/Direct Networks Chevrolet -He is currently second in Tundra Super Late Model points, trailing Casey Johnson by twelve markers. Stenjem is a three-time Legend Car State Champion and a former Rookie of the Year at Jefferson Speedway where his only previous Midwest Tour start came in May where he was sidelined by mechanical issues.
78 Skylar Holzhausen Bangor WI Kempf Logging/Wehrs Machine/Fechner Motors Ford -Returning to Tour action on Friday night will be Skylar Holzhausen. The third generation driver visited Madison victory lane in May of 2019, his lone victory at MIS. A former standout at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway, Holzhausen has won the Original Dick Trickle 99 at Oktoberfest and has two career Midwest Tour wins and an incredible 57% top ten finishing position in Tour action.
80 Ryan Farrell Big Bend WI Tiry’s Race Engines/Adams Heavy Duty Tow/Jacoby Waterproof Chevrolet – With a 2018 Wisconsin Challenge Series Championship to his credit and various Super Late Model wins throughout the state, Farrell is still in search of his first Midwest Tour victory. He was victorious earlier this month at Golden Sands Speedway in his Super Late Model.
87 Brent Edmunds Monroe WI Schultz’s Inter-State Ag/L&S Truck Services/Regez Supply Co/Precision Drive Chevrolet -Brent Edmunds is fresh off a NASCAR Late Model win last Friday night at Madison, his second career triumph at MIS. Now he looks to make his ARCA Midwest Tour debut at his home track.
91 Ty Majeski Seymour WI iRacing.com/Ken’s Sports/Lucas Oil/CRC Industries/PFC Brakes Ford -He now has four Tour wins this season, coming at Jefferson Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend, The Milwaukee Mile on Father’s Day, State Park Speedway’s Detjens Memorial in July and recording a clean sweep Saturday night at Hawkeye Downs. The 2020 Snowball Derby Champion now has 29 Midwest Tour wins on his resume to go along with his four Championships. Currently leading the Midwest Tour point standings, Majeski looks for a third Howie Lettow Classic victory on Friday night.
97 Jacob Nottestad Cambridge WI Kearns Motor Car Co/Quality Harvesting/Wagner Const/Finest Const Chevrolet -He jumped behind the wheel of John DeAngelis’ Super Late Model during last year’s Oktoberfest Futures Race. Nottestad wheeled it to victory lane in his very first Super Late Model start. The 2019 and 2020 Slinger Late Model Champion won again in Super Late Model action, recording his second win at Jefferson Speedway during the July Tundra event.
119 Dalton Zehr Daytona Beach FL Gildan/American Apparel/Comfort Colors/Prim + Preux/AMS Chevrolet -He may have had the car to beat during May’s Joe Shear Classic, at least it appeared that way to many in the grandstands. Zehr, the 2018 ARCA Midwest Tour Champion set the quickest laps in the final laps of that event and wound up on the podium in third. Zehr has three Midwest Tour feature wins and has a Super Late Model win at Madison, coming on the quarter-mile ‘Ring of Fire’ where he also holds the track record.
About Howie Lettow: Howie Lettow passed away in 2010 at the age of 62 after battling cancer. He was a highly respected crew chief who led eight different drivers to rookie of the year honors in the American Speed Association. Best known of that group is seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. Other drivers included Scott Hansen, Ken Lund, David Stremme, Ted Musgrave, Steve Holzhausen, Steve Carlson, and Ricky Johnson. Lettow won an ASA championship in 1996 as crew chief for Tony Raines.
He also won three straight championships from 2005-2007 in the ASA Late Model Challenge Series with Stephen Leicht, Kelly Bires, and Travis Dassow behind the wheel.
Schedule of Events for Howie Lettow Classic 100, Friday August 27, 2021:
1pm Pit Gate Opens
4pm Practice Begins
4pm Front Gates Open
6:05pm Qualifying Begins
7:30pm Racing Begins
Ticket Pricing:
Adults: $20 in advance, $25 on race day
Heroes/Seniors: $18 in advance, $22 on race day
Students (12-17) $15
Kids (6-11) $5
Children ages 5 and under Free
Family Price: Up to 2 adults and up to 4 youth (ages 17 and under) $50
Divisions: The ARCA Midwest Tour will be joined by the Midwest Truck Series and 602 Outlaw Late Models.
Location: Madison International Speedway is located at 1122 Sunrise Rd in Oregon, WI. For additional information visit www.misracing.com or call 608-835-9700.
Past Winners Howie Lettow Classic
2019- Ty Majeski
2018- Rained Out
2017- Paul Shafer Jr.
2016 Rained Out
2015 Ty Majeski
2014 Erik Jones*
2013 Kyle Busch*
2012 Travis Sauter*
*Event held at The Milwaukee Mile
Expected Entries
Howie Lettow Classic
ARCA Midwest Tour
Friday August 27, 2021
Madison International Speedway
32 as of 8/26/21
|
2 |
Dale Nottestad | Cambridge | WI |
|
4 |
Luke Fenhaus | Wausau | WI |
|
5 |
Casey Johnson | Edgerton | WI |
|
5 |
Johnny Sauter | Necedah | WI |
|
7 |
John DeAngelis, Jr | Hubertus | WI |
|
7 |
Paul Shafer, Jr | Portage | IN |
|
8 |
Shaun Scheel | Lake Mills | WI |
|
10 |
Andy Monday | Appleton | WI |
|
11 |
Bobby Kendall | Montello | WI |
|
13 |
Andrew Brocker | Jefferson | WI |
|
14 |
Austin Nason | Roscoe | IL |
|
15 |
Gabe Sommers | Plover | WI |
|
19 |
Andrew Morrissey | DeForest | WI |
|
23 |
Levon VanDerGeest | Merrill | WI |
|
24 |
William Byron | Charlotte | NC |
|
25 |
Jeff Storm | East Troy | WI |
|
36 |
Dan Fredrickson | Lakeville | MN |
|
42 |
Dennis Prunty | Knowles | WI |
|
44 |
Justin Mondeik | Gleason | WI |
|
45 |
Rich Bickle, Jr | Edgerton | WI |
|
52 |
Ricky Baker | Plainfield | IL |
|
64 |
Griffin McGrath | Cedar Rapids | IA |
|
72 |
Jacob Goede | Carver | MN |
|
75 |
Dillon Hammond | Grand Marsh | WI |
|
77 |
Jonathan Eilen | Hampton | MN |
|
77 |
Riley Stenjem | Utica | WI |
|
78 |
Skylar Holzhausen | Bangor | WI |
|
80 |
Ryan Farrell | Big Bend | WI |
|
87 |
Brent Edmunds | Monroe | WI |
|
91 |
Ty Majeski | Seymour | WI |
|
97 |
Jacob Nottestad | Cambridge | WI |
|
119 |
Dalton Zehr | Daytona Beach | FL |
