Bristol Motor Speedway
Notebook: Stadel plans to take aim at WDRL
From staff and other reports
After four years of Dirt Late Model racing, Mike Stadel decided at the beginning of the 2007 season that sometimes he was too conservative behind the wheel. His caution developed from not wanting to ruffle feathers by making contact with other drivers, but he realized that was holding him back.
"I said last year I was going to stick my nose in there a few times, and whatever happens, happens," said the 26-year-old driver from Rapid City, S.D. "Being that aggressive, I think it kind of got me to where guys were starting to realize I'm not backing out, and they would give for me. I didn't get dirty with 'em, but I kept it in there, and nobody got hurt.
"I think you've gotta be aggressive to a point where you're not overdone and running over people. It's a hard line to find, but I think I found it pretty well last year, and that was a big deal."
Stadel's newfound aggressiveness helped him to his best-ever season as he grabbed five feature victories and finished a narrow second to Eddie Kirchoff of Gillette, Wyo., in Colorado Late Model Association points. His plan for 2008 — if he can find sponsors to help him — is to tackle the World Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series, which runs most of its races in Iowa.
"I've run a few (WDRL) races here and there," Stadel said. "Their staff and everything, they're so easy to work with and whatnot, it's enjoyable going and racing with those guys. The drivers are clean and don't run you over a lot, so I think that's a good place to go get some laps and learn, and maybe make a name for myself on that series. It's time to start looking east, I think. There's a little stiffer competition there and whatnot."
Stadel, who struggled at Central Arizona Raceway's Wild West Shootout in January, knows he's going to have to improve in battling tougher competition.
"I have to be a lot more consistent on the track," Stadel said following his best finish of eighth at Central Arizona on Jan. 13. "I can go good for a few laps, then I might have a few where it's not so great. I think that's just making laps, like tonight when you run 40 laps straight through, it really helps you out. You can see 'That didn't work, so I'll try this, or try that,' and you can actually think about what you're doing. Sometimes, when you get races with caution after caution, you can't ever learn anything that way."
Stadel is equipped with a Barry Wright Race Car — he hooked up with the South Carolina car builder years ago when he took classes at Mike Duvall's Cowpens, S.C., driving school — but he needs another open-competition powerplant if he's going to tackle WDRL. That's where extra sponsorship would be a boost, he said.
With the right equipment, Stadel said, he thinks he can mix it up with WDRL regulars and others following his stint in Arizona.
"You get to running with some of those guys and you think, 'Shoot, this ain't so bad, I think I can do it.,' " Stadel said. — Todd Turner
WISSOTA drivers get chance to Rumble
While WISSOTA Late Models racers have had plenty of weekly events over the years, big-purse specials have been few and far between. That changes in 2008 as WISSOTA president Terry Voeltz launches the Rumble Series.
Voeltz, who formerly promoted Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D., has already announced seven events for the first-year tour with five of them paying a whopping $10,000-to-win, matching the top purse paid annually at Brown County's Dacotah Rumble.
“This is something I have wanted to do for the past 10 years,” Voeltz told All the Dirt, a WISSOTA-backed publication. “We have had big shows for other series, and I’ve always wondered ‘Why can’t we do this with the WISSOTA cars?’ "
Three of the $10,000-to-win Rumble events are scheduled for consecutive weekends in July: a July 3-4 event at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis., a July 11-12 event at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., and a July 18-19 event at Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Mont.
There's more good news for WISSOTA Late Model drivers. The Dart Challenge Series (Dart's sponsorship replaces Tri Star Engine Supply) has bigger-purse events in 2008, including a pair of $5,000-to-win events for the season openers on June 6-7 at Red River Valley Speedway and Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D. Also, many of the Dart Challenge Series events are scheduled in conjuction with Rumble Series shows, making July an especially lucrative month. — Ed Reichert and All the Dirt
Former Kansas racer dies at 69
Bud Purkey, a retired dirt racer from Coffeyville, Kan., died Jan. 8 after a long bout with cancer. Purkey, the father of five-time O'Reilly MLRA champion Al Purkey, ran a variety of dirt divisions before switching to Late Models in the mid 1970s. The elder Purkey competed with several sanctioning bodies including the NDRA, NCRA and MLRA.
Besides son Al, Purkey is survived by his wife Wanda and two other children, Vicky Portwood (wife of former Late Model driver Russell Portwood) and Russell Purkey.
Besides his driving career, which ended in 2006 after the last of occasional starts in his later years, Bud Purkey also owned and operated Stateline Speedway beginning in 1991. The track closed in 2003.
Send cards to Al Purkey Racing, 3305 W. 1st St., Coffeyville KS 67337. — Pattie Frost
Odds and ends
Two-track promoter Don Hammer has announced that any Late Model driver who can sweep championships at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway and Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway will earn a $10,000 bonus. The tracks begin their seasons in April. ... Lucas Oil Products as joined the O'Reilly Midwest LateModel Racing Association as a presenting sponsor.
