John McKarns, Tom Reffner, Art Frigo, Dave Watson and Dick Trickle prior to an ARTGO event at Capital Super Speedway -Stan Kalwasinski Photo
The ARTGO Challenge Series saw the Midwest’s top drivers do battle at tracks throughout the Midwest from a single event in 1975, to one of the biggest regional tours for over 20 years.
Chicago-area businessman Art Frigo and race promoter John McKarns met in 1975. The pair joined forces to create ARTGO – a play on the businessman’s name; and hosted the inaugural race at Illinois’ Grundy County Speedway on September 7, 1975. Tom Reffner beat out Bob Roper and Joe Shear to win the Wayne Carter Classic in his No.88 AMC Javelin.
Four races were contested in 1976, all at Grundy County Speedway. Ray Young won the CAM2 Classic before Dave Watson swept the final three races and became the inaugural ARTGO champion over Bob Senneker.
ARTGO expanded to 14 races in 1977, adding dates at Capital Super Speedway (now Madison International Speedway) as well as at Grundy. Dick Trickle won four races en-route to his first of seven series titles, most all-time. Rockford Speedway was added to the schedule in 1978, a race won by Trickle. Reffner won his only ARTGO title that year.
McKarns, alongside his wife Sue, purchased ARTGO from Frigo in 1979, and the series began to grow exponentially. Races at Lake Geneva Raceway, LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway, Wisconsin International Raceway, Dells Raceway Park, and Golden Sands Speedway were added that year, while the series expanded to Indiana and Michigan in 1980 with races at Illiana Motor Speedway and Berlin Raceway. Trickle won 16 races in that two-year span, winning the championship both years.
Jim Sauter and Dick Trickle discuss strategy prior to an ARTGO Feature at LaCrosse Interstate Speedway -Stan Kalwasinski photo
Jim Sauter would win titles in 1981 and 1982, expanding to Minnesota with a race at Elko Speedway while adding two new tracks at Raceway Park (IL) and Escanaba International Raceway (MI). ARTGO contested 29 races in 1983, the biggest schedule the series would ever undertake. Trickle won 13 races and the title, with new facilities Raceway Park (MN), Spartan Speedway (MI), Baer Field Speedway (IN) entering the ARTGO rotation.
That was the first of three straight championships for Trickle, who also won it all in 1984 and 1985. However, the 1985 season would be dominated by Butch Miller, who won seven races in just ten starts that year. Minnesota State Fair Speedway, Mt. Clemens Race Track (MI), and Kalamazoo Speedway (MI) joined the series schedule for the first time.
Joe Shear won his first of two titles in 1986, beating out Butch Miller, who won 11 races in 15 tries that year. ARTGO went international that year, having contested a race at Ontario’s Delaware Speedway. Auto City Speedway (MI) was also added to the schedule.
Trickle won eight of 19 races the next year, winning his seventh and final championship with the series. He ended his career as ARTGO’s winningest driver with 68 victories. The year also saw ARTGO head south for the first time with a race at Bristol Motor Speedway (TN), a race won by Trickle.
Butch Miller broke through for his first and only ARTGO title in 1988, winning five races in the process. Along with the series’ first visit to the Milwaukee Mile, ARTGO co-sanctioned a race with the NASCAR Winston All-American Challenge Series at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, won by Stanley Smith. Joe Shear won his second and final ARTGO championship in 1989 as the series expanded to Iowa with a race at Hawkeye Downs Speedway.
In the closest points battle in series history, Steve Carlson beat Joe Shear by just 15 points to win the 1990 ARTGO championship. He went back-to-back the next year, winning three races and beating future ASA National Tour champion Kevin Cywinski for the title. The series ventured west for races at Colorado National Speedway and Lakeside Speedway (KS), while also adding races at Lebanon I-44 Speedway (MO) and Owosso Speedway (MI).
ARTGO founder Art Frigo joins Bob Senneker following an ARTGO triumph at Capital Super Speedway -Stan Kalwasinski Photo
A new driver put his name into the ARTGO champions’ list as Jim Weber went back-to-back in 1992 and 1993. He won just four races during that span, but 24 top-five finishes in the two years helped propel him to the championships over Steve Carlson in both years. Two new facilities were added those two years – Toledo Speedway (OH) and Norway Speedway (MI).
After finishing runner-up the previous two years, Steve Carlson returned to championship form with his third title, then won his fourth and final title in 1996. In between the Steve Carlson championship sandwich was Kevin Cywinski, who beat Carlson for the 1995 title. A pair of Missouri tracks were added in Bolivar Speedway and I-70 Speedway, along with Marshfield Motor Speedway (WI).
1997 was the final season of the ARTGO Challenge Series. It featured the second-closest championship battle in series history, with Eddie Hoffman beating Carlson by 18 points to capture the final ARTGO championship. The final race was held at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway as the Oktoberfest main event, with Terry Baldry winning his only ARTGO race. A large contingent of 86 drivers tried to make the field of 32 for that afternoon’s race.
NASCAR took full control of the series after the 1997 season and ARTGO took on a new name – the NASCAR Re/Max Challenge Series. Steve Carlson continued his domination of ARTGO/NASCAR Elite Division, winning five championships in the series’ nine years. The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division folded after in 2006, leading to the creation of the ASA Midwest Tour in 2007.
In total, ARTGO contested just over 400 races in 11 states and one Canadian province from 1975-1997. A full history of the ARTGO Challenge Series can be found here: https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/ARTGO_Challenge_Series_Central
The Joe Shear Classic 200 will mark race two of the inaugural ASA STARS National Tour schedule, set for 2:00PM CT on Sunday, May 7. Advance tickets are available by visiting the track website at misracing.com/tickets, or at the track office during regular business hours. Madison International Speedway is located ten minutes south of Madison, on Sunrise Road off of Highway 51 between Oregon and Stoughton.
The Joe Shear Classic will be live-streamed on Racing America, MidwestTour.tv and TRACKTV.com. MAVTV will air the event on a tape-delayed basis.
The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Georgia racer Casey Roderick won the Sunshine State 200.
For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).
ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.
The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.
The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.
Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.
