ARCA Midwest Tour Returns to DRP
by Kari Shear-Carlson
i-gogs Sunglasses Touring Star, Jeff Storm (aka Stormy), is one of those guys who just hasn’t seemed to have luck on his side in recent times. It definitely isn’t due to lack of effort, speed, or skillful driving, it’s just plain luck, bad luck. Now of course this isn’t always the case, especially in the arena of Dells Raceway Park. This is great news for the team as the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment and Lester Buildings returns there after a two-year hiatus, this Saturday, June 8th.
A super late model victory at the track two years ago and a recent third place finish at the track over Memorial weekend have provided a much needed boost to Stormy and the team. One that has given them the confidence they need heading into this weekend’s event.
“Yeah, our win there last year, then a good run at Wausau (ARCAMT), followed up by another podium finish at DRP helps our team a lot in the area of confidence. We obviously have not been running that great. But having success like that just really helps us out a lot,” said Storm.
Coming to a track like DRP with confidence is key especially in the ARCAMT. Stormy knows that he is not the only one who will be pulling through the gates with his eyes on the prize. Not only will he be contending against the best of the best in the Midwest including the rest of the Team i-gogs Sunglasses Touring Stars, as well as the Team DOC 360, Team Vita Ice and Team Spiked Island Touring Stars, but there’ll also be a guy named Travis Sauter along with Ross Kenseth and others who have had much success at the track as well.
Storm knows that he’s always up against tough competition no matter where he goes, especially in this series.
“Of course we’re always worried about the competition. You’ll have that everywhere, especially in the Midwest Tour. And there’ll be some guy there…what is his name? Oh yeah, Travis Sauter. We don’t knock him for winning, we just try to beat him.”
Beating other drivers is one thing, but beating the track is another.
Every race track presents its own challenges. Dells Raceway Park is no exception. The 1/3 mile asphalt track carries nine degree banking in the corners and six degree banking on the straightaways. In addition to the on-track competition, there’s also competition against the track itself. In fact Storm admits that when he prepares for the race his focus is more on the track than anything else.
“Every track has it’s own quirks. The Dells isn’t any different than any other. They are all unique to themselves. There are always certain spots I try to work on.”
So just what is it about Dells Raceway Park that suits Jeff’s style? Ironically, Stormy and his team were just discussing that very question the other night, and the funny thing is they couldn’t come up with an answer.
However there was one thing that Storm credited as a possible factor to his success. His car owner, Scott Dahlberg is from the Dells area. “I don’t know if that has something to do with it. I’m just glad we run good there.”
As with any team, Stormy’s success is backed by dedicated sponsors. Craig Bauer of Craig Bauer Trucking has gotten really involved with the program this year and that has meant a lot to Jeff and his team. “He’s really stepped up. He comes to the shop a couple nights a week. Drinks beer with us. He’s just really involved. In fact, he’s bringing a good group of people to the track this weekend. He’s a small time guy like myself and he really likes it.”
In addition to Craig Bauer Trucking, Storm is also sponsored by Great Lakes Components and Fiber-tek.
Make your way out to Dells Raceway Park this Saturday, June 8th to see if Jeff Storm can clinch his first ARCA Midwest Tour win.
Fan gates open at 4:00PM with qualifying set to begin at 5:00PM. Make sure to get there for the autograph session at 6:00PM to get up close and personal with your favorite drivers. Racing starts at 7:00PM.
For a complete race day schedule log on to arcamidwesttour.com.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on toarcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
