Cedar Rapids, IA- The ‘Stars and Cars’ of the ARCA Midwest Tour head to Hawkeye Downs this Saturday Night August 21 for the Kwik Star 100. Seven of the twenty drivers entered have already won feature events this month including two-time defending Tour Champion Casey Johnson at Wisconsin International, 2016 NASCAR Truck Champion Johnny Sauter at Dells Raceway Park, Luke Fenhaus at Slinger Super Speedway, Gandrud Auto Group 250 winner Paul Shafer, Jr, DJ Weltmeyer at Grundy County Speedway, Justin Mondeik at Norway Speedway and hometown favorite Griffin McGrath at Hawekeye Downs. Here is a breakdown of the drivers entered for Saturday night’s 100 lap event which is part of the two-night ‘Musco Lighting Weekend of Racing’:
2 Gregory Borchardt Prior Lake MN Dan’s Auto/Turnkey Boatworks/Prior Lake Auto/Schaeffer’s Chevrolet -Greg was the winner of the Hooligan Feature at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway’s Oktoberfest as he makes various Super Late Model starts each season after a stellar Sportsman career in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.
4 Luke Fenhaus Wausau WI Dun Rite Exteriors/Kulwicki Driver Devel/PGA/Central WI Vending Chevrolet -The 2018 State Park Speedway Champion is hot off a win this past Sunday 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 put a whooping on the field during last week’s 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.
5 Johnny Sauter Necedah WI Deppe Enterprises/Sal’s Towing/Pathfinder Chassis Chevrolet -Love him or not, Johnny Sauter is tough to beat, and even tougher to beat on the short tracks. The 2016 NASCAR Truck Champion just won last Saturday at Dells Raceway Park in thrilling fashion and now has his sights set on Hawkeye Downs. Sauter sits sixth on the all-time Tour wins list with seven with his most recent Tour win coming last Labor Day Weekend at the Dells following a thrilling battle with Casey Johnson and Gabe Sommers. Sauter is slated to compete in the NASCAR Truck Series event at Gateway on Friday night before coming to Hawkeye Downs.
5 Travis Sauter Prairie Du Sac WI NAPA of Cheyenne/Tim O’Brien Homes/DeAngelis Const/Don’s Auto Chevrolet -Travis Sauter likes Hawkeye Downs and is excited to return for the first time since 2015 when he finished fourth. So far, his new Super Late Model effort has resulted in two top ten finishes in three Midwest Tour starts in 2021. Travis once clicked off ten straight feature wins at Madison and he won in Tour action at Milwaukee in 2012. He is a three-time Oktoberfest winner and tied for fourth on the all-time tour wins list with nine victories.
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 led the opening 21 circuits during the Tour’s last Hawkeye Downs visit.
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 son wrenches 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.
16 DJ Weltmeyer Dyer IN Engine Masters/DeNovi Heating & Cooling Chevrolet -Between USAC Stock Cars, ARCA and ARTGO Challenge Series events, the Weltmeyer name has found success in regional as well as weekly racing events. Now the next generation is coming to be as DJ Weltmeyer carries the family name well and is bringing his family run Super Late to Hawkeye Downs. Fresh off a weekly Super Late win last Friday at Grundy County Speedway, Weltmeyer looks to begin his regional Tour career with his first Tour start away from his home track.
17 Brian Gibson Walford IA Cassill Motors/Zamastil Inc/MD Concrete/Atlantic Bottling/Firehouse Subs Chevrolet -With three Track Championships in Late Model competition at Hawkeye Downs, Gibson now looks for Midwest Tour success at his home track as he makes his first Tour start. In addition to his Late Model accolades, Gibson is also a former Modified Champion at the half-mile speedplant.
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. He is the track record holder at Hawkeye Downs in the Truck Series with a time of 19.594 seconds.
40 Curt Tillman Roscoe IL AllTrucksUSA.com Chevrolet -Curt Tillman is a former weekly front runner at Rockford Speedway, and was named the Speedway’s most popular driver in 1986 where he picked up multiple feature wins. Now back at it with a new found enthusiasm and the help of former Midwest Tour Champion Andrew Morrissey, Tillman scored the last chance win in May at Jefferson. Tillman was a former front runner in the old NASCAR Northern Series which frequented Hawkeye Downs.
44 Justin Mondeik Gleason WI AGRA Industries/Aqua Finance/Industrial Accessories Company Chevrolet -Justin Mondeik crossed the finishline first more than any other driver in the Midwest last season, 14 wins in all. So far in 2021, he has recorded 12 feature wins including last Friday night at Norway, Michigan, his third win of the season and the Upper Peninsula bullring. The 2020 State Park and Golden Sands Champion finished third in the 2020 Midwest Tour points on the strength of his first career Tour win, the Larry Detjens Memorial 125 at State Park Speedway.
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. Saturday night will mark his final start at Hawkeye Downs where he recorded a pair of top five ARTGO finishes in 1989 and 1990 with a third and fifth place effort.
64 Griffin McGrath Cedar Rapids IA McGrathAuto.com Chevrolet -With his attention mainly on INEX Legend Car racing these days, McGrath will return to Super Late Models this Saturday at Hawkeye Downs where he was the 2018 Track Champion. He has accumulated over 50 career wins across all divisions including last Friday night’s Late Model win at Hawkeye. McGrath scored an ASA Late Model Series North victory at Milwaukee in 2010 and is a three-time Oktoberfest ‘Speeding Bullet’ Fast Qualifier Award recipient.
75 Dillon Hammond Grand Marsh WI Hammond Auto Mauston, WI Chevrolet -The family effort has qualified seventh, fifth, fourth, third and eleventh in the five Tour events thus far. Hammond drove to an eighth place Midwest Tour effort last month at State Park Speedway. 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. 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. Saturday marks his return to Hawkeye where he won in Tour action in 2011 and finished seventh in 2015 during the Tour’s last visit to Iowa.
91 Ty Majeski Seymour WI iRacing.com/Ken’s Sports/Lucas Oil/CRC Industries/PFC Brakes Ford -He has three Tour wins this season, coming at Jefferson Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend, The Milwaukee Mile on Father’s Day and most recently at State Park Speedway’s Detjens Memorial in July. The 2020 Snowball Derby Champion now has 28 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 straight Hawkeye victory during Saturday night’s Kwik Star 100.
119 Dalton Zehr Daytona Beach FL Gildan/American Apparel/Comfort Colors/Prim + Preux/AMS Chevrolet -The 2018 ARCA Midwest Tour Champion has had a mixed bag of successes in the Gandrud Auto Group 250. Finishing twice inside the top ten in 2016 and 2017, Dalton has had bad luck end his winning bids in the Tuesday night special. Dalton Zehr would like to add to his three Tour wins by finishing first at WIR.
Schedule of Events for Kwik Star 100, Saturday August 21:
2pm Pit Gate Opens
4pm Practice Begins
4pm Front Gates Open
5:45pm Qualifying Begins
7pm Racing Begins
Ticket Pricing:
General Admission Tickets $20, children ages 8 and under admitted free.
Divisions: The ARCA Midwest Tour will be joined by the 602 Outlaw Late Models.
Location: Hawkeye Downs is located at 4400 6th Street SW in Cedar Rapids, IA. For additional information visit www.hawkeyedowns.org or call 319-365-8656.
Past Midwest Tour Hawkeye Downs Winners
2007 Steve Carlson *also set Track Record 18.321 seconds
2008 Steve Carlson
2009 Steve Carlson
2010 Steve Carlson
2011 Jonathan Eilen
2014 Ty Majeski
2015 Ty Majeski
Expected Entries
Kwik Star 100
ARCA Midwest Tour
Saturday August 21, 2021
Hawkeye Downs
20 as of 7/28/21
|
2 |
Gregory Borchardt | Prior Lake | MN |
|
4 |
Luke Fenhaus | Wausau | WI |
|
5 |
Casey Johnson | Edgerton | WI |
|
5 |
Johnny Sauter | Necedah | WI |
|
5 |
Travis Sauter | Prairie Du Sac | WI |
|
7 |
Paul Shafer, Jr | Portage | IN |
|
13 |
Andrew Brocker | Jefferson | WI |
|
14 |
Austin Nason | Roscoe | IL |
|
15 |
Gabe Sommers | Plover | WI |
|
16 |
DJ Weltmeyer | Dyer | IN |
|
17 |
Brian Gibson | Walford | IA |
|
23 |
Levon VanDerGeest | Merrill | WI |
|
40 |
Curt Tillman | Roscoe | IL |
|
44 |
Justin Mondeik | Gleason | WI |
|
45 |
Rich Bickle, Jr | Edgerton | WI |
|
64 |
Griffin McGrath | Cedar Rapids | IA |
|
75 |
Dillon Hammond | Grand Marsh | WI |
|
77 |
Jonathan Eilen | Hampton | MN |
|
91 |
Ty Majeski | Seymour | WI |
|
119 |
Dalton Zehr | Daytona Beach | FL |
