By: Kevin Ramsell
Oregon, WI – This Friday’s ASA Midwest Tour’s Bytec Cheeseland Howie Lettow Classic 100 at Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wisconsin, is always a special event for Travis Dassow and Kelly Bires.
Both are crew chiefs today, but were drivers and mentored by the legendary crew chief who passed away from cancer in 2010.
Dassow and Bires are among some of the famous drivers to have Lettow turning the wrenches back when they were behind the wheel, winning races and championships.
15 years after Lettow’s passing, both have turned in their driver suits for the crew chief headset.
Dassow will be the crew chief for Joe Valento on Friday night, while Bires will oversee Weston Marthaler.
When talking to both of them about working with Lettow, one word was common in each discussion…mentor.
“He was a mentor to me and got to work side by side with him for, I think it was almost five years,” Dassow recalled. “I drove the car for two or three years and then worked with other guys in his shop. I worked side-by-side with him full-time. I learned probably 90% of my racing stuff from Howie. He was always willing to teach everything that I wanted to know, he was always willing to sit there and teach it the right way to do things, and I put that in all my racing ever since then.”
Earlier this year, Dassow also took on a new title as track owner as he and his wife, Kelsey, purchased Slinger Speedway.
Bires had much of his success while racing for Howie Lettow. He won an ASA Late Model Series championship along with the 2006 All-Star race at Madison, beating out Matt Kenseth.
“I don’t know if there’s a term for it, but Howie was just so patient, so good at what he did, and so good at pulling a team together,” Bires said. “I just had never worked around with someone with the same goal, and it was never easy, you know, and it all started with him, obviously, and his manner and how he led the team. So, everything has translated a lot to what I do nowadays.
“For me, the biggest takeaway was how he handled himself as the leader of the team. He was always positive while he was in control, and knew he had a plan and liked to keep up with that plan.”
Dassow, who won the 2007 ASA Late Model Series title with Lettow, also recalled the humbleness he had with his job, a sharp contrast to his character.
“Yeah, super humble! That’s where me and him were completely different. Like, not humbling-wise, but, like, our personalities are so different, but yet we got along so well that way, because I’m always the high-strung one,” Dassow explained. “I’m always, you know, go, go, go and do this, he’s always the one that would always sit back and say, no, let’s just take it easy. Let’s just keep going. It’s taught me both sides of the racing spectrum.”
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ENTRY LIST
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.
Advance Discount Tickets are on sale now at misracing.com through the Ticket Hoss App.
The Midwest Truck Series will also be in action this Friday night with the Hougan Farms 30.
Friday’s Schedule
1pm – Pit Gate Opens
4pm – Spectator Gates Open
4pm – Practice Begins
6:15pm – Qualifying
7:30pm – Racing Begins
Howie Lettow Classic Winners
2024- Dalton Zehr
2023- Austin Nason
2022- Casey Johnson
2021- Casey Johnson
2020- No Race
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
