by Kari Shear-Carlson / Sep 24, 2015 – This Saturday night, Sep 26th, Elko Speedway will host the ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment for the 7th Annual Thunderstruck 93, an event held in honor of the late Dan Ryan who died of ALS in 2009. While summer may have come to a close on the calendar, there is still plenty of heat in midwest racing competition. This Saturday night, three of the area’s hottest drivers will be amongst the competition at Elko Speedway.
Ty Majeski is the 2014 ARCA Midwest Tour Champion, current Midwest Tour point leader, and contender in the Alan Kulwicki Driver Development Program (KDDP). He is en route to his second consecutive Midwest Tour Championship. Along the way, Majeski has collected 13 wins and 14 fast times at 10 different tracks this season. He knows what he’ll be up against heading into this weekend’s event. Jacob Goede is one of the first that comes to mind when he thinks of Elko Speedway.
“Jacob Goede is one of the best out there. He won the first ever Thunderstruck race and is definitely always a contender. He has been really dominant. He’ll be one of the cars to keep an eye on during practice and as the day goes on,” admitted Majeski.
Goede is coming off of one of the most successful seasons of his career. With a personal record, 10 feature wins, Goede clinched the Elko Speedway Championship and finished 6th in the Nascar Whelen All-American series point standings. Goede is a former Midwest Touring Star and was the series Rookie of the Year in 2009. Just as Ty will be paying attention to him, Jacob will be keeping an eye on Majeski this Saturday night.
“We had an awesome year at Elko, but can’t wait to race with the Tour guys. We went over to the Dixieland (WIR), and ran pretty bad. It made us go to work and try to get better. Elko is my home turf this time, so hopefully we can have a better showing. Ty and the rest of the top Tour guys will be tough, but I’m excited to see how we stack up,” said Goede.
As for most local drivers, this race carries special meaning, and to win it would be very special for Goede. “We won the inaugural event in 2009, and it was huge. Dan and his family were really good friends with my wife’s family (Waibels). It’s a great event in honor of Dan, and winning it would mean a lot to us!”
But local talent isn’t all that Majeski and Goede will have to contend with. Along with the best of the Midwest Touring Stars, another strong WI contender will be rolling into MN for this weekend’s race.
“Steve Apel is one of the hottest guys in Wisconsin right now. He won the Slinger Speedway Championship and the Red, White, and Blue Series Championship at Wisconsin International Raceway this year. I haven’t seen him race outside those tracks much, but he is a fellow KDDP driver, so it will be cool to race against him,” Majeski said.
As Majeski mentioned, Apel clinched the Slinger Super Speedway track Championship, as well as, the Red, White, and Blue Series Championship this year, and has always been a threat to win against some of the strongest competition in the Midwest. Elko will be a brand new experience for the WI native, but he won’t be going in blindly. While midwest racing is some of the most competitive in the country, drivers are also known to be the first to help a fellow competitor out, and for a driver like Apel, heading to a track he’s never seen before, that may make all the difference.
“I’ve never raced at Elko, or even been there before, but from what I’ve heard, it’s one of the nicest tracks in the country. I’ve never really had the chance to race against Jacob (Goede), but I know he’s the guy to beat. I’ve been talking to him and he’s given me some setup help for this weekend,” said Apel.
Helping one another isn’t the only way drivers improve, however. Racing against top-notch competition throughout the season forces teams to take a look at their own program and find where they can improve.
“Racing against Ty has really made our team step up our game. He has a car to win everywhere he goes and has one of the best crew chiefs in the business. I’ve had very little luck racing in the Midwest Tour. I’ve never made a race, but I believe we have improved our racing program this year and we are ready for the challenge,” added Apel.
With three of the hottest drivers competing against the best local and Touring competition, this Saturday night is sure to crank up the heat.
Be sure to get there early. Grandstands and concessions open at 3:00pm with an on-track autograph session from 3:05-3:45.
The ARCA Midwest Tour will be joined by the Hornets, Legends, Big 8 Late Model Series, and Power Stocks. It will be a jam-packed day of racing that you won’t want to miss!
Qualifying and heat races will begin at 4:00pm with opening ceremonies to follow at 6:00pm.
NO CAMPING will be allowed this year.
For complete event details, 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 to 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 Speedway.
