| 3/3/05 It was great weekend
of weather for racing. Trevor had a very good race, and we think we
have the problem figured out on the open sled. Trevor's track spun on
the hole shot but he managed a 4th place finish in the Dayco class.
The arctic was
a little sluggish this week. We tried some new things but they didn't
work very well. Trevor had luck on his side though. While running in
4th the sled ahead of him stopped for some reason and he moved up to
3rd. Then the 2nd place sled was looking back at Trevor coming up on
him and pushed it a little too hard, and he slid out. Trevor once again
finished for his third week in a row with a second
place.
The open class
started out great with a good hole shot. Trevor was running in second
until that famous 4th lap. The sled starting slowing up again, but it
helped us find the problem with it. Hopefully! He still finished in
4th. This weekend we will be heading to Gleason WI. It's a really nice
facility with indoor seating to watch the racing. Gleason is just north
of Wausau. Have a great week and we'll let you know how the last race
of the season goes.
Mike
|
| 2/23/05 It was a very nice start to the
weekend for the State Championships in MInoqua. Mother nature showed
who was boss on Sunday though. It was a long white knuckled ride home
on Sunday. We had over 6" of snow and cars were in the ditches
everywhere.
Trevor was
running great and won most of his heat races in the open classes. We
thought it might be the day to really have some good finishes. He raced
hard and smart, running second in the final. Our fourth lap gremlin
came back again and he ended up 5th. We just can't find what's going on
with that sled. It's one of those problems that you think you have
figured out, but it shows up again.
On Sunday
Trevor raced the arctic cat class. It was one of the most exciting
races I ever watched him race. He came out of the 1st corner in 4th
place and raced his way quickly to third. On the last lap he made one
heck of a move to finish in second. It was another good finish for that
class.
This
week we will be making a short trip to Beaver Dam Lake. After last
week's trip home, it will be greatly appreciated. Have a great week,
and we will let you know how it goes.
Mike
|
| 2/17/05 After a week off, Trevor went to
Fox Lake, WI with a new setup in both sleds. We wanted to try and find
a little more out of the sleds. It was a perfect winter day, with
temperatures up in the mid 40's. It made the ice pretty soft though.
Trevor went
out in the first class and the track spun on him in the final in
the soft ice. He still did a great job though taking a 5th in the
final. Trevor had a really good day in the 340 class taking home a
second. The new setup seemed to work a lot better for him.
We made a few
adjustments to the open sled and Trevor won both of his heats. In the
final something happened to the sled but still came in 4th. All in all
it was a real good day. This weekend we will be heading to the
northwoods for the State Championship in Minocqua WI. We are making a
few more changes to the open sled and hopefully it will make it work a
little better. Have a great week!
Mike
|
| 1/27/05 It was another tough travel
week. We went to Tichigan WI in the middle of a 12" snow storm. My
knuckles were white from clutching on to the steering wheel. We made
it OK, but we probably could have stayed home.
It was a tough
race day for Trevor. We have still have a problem with the open
class sled that we can't find. Trevor had a heck of a time just
making it to the final. He managed to take 5th & a 4th even with
the problem though.
The arctic cat
class sled was running better, but it didn't like the snow. Trevor
tried to hang on to it, but it spun out on him and he ended up with a
6th place finish in that class. Hopefully we have found the problem on
the sleds, or I might get fired
 . This weekend
we will be traveling to Fond Du Lac, Wi. I'm glad it is short trip
for us, because they are expecting snow once again. Have a great
weekend!
Mike
|
| 1/19/05 WOW it was cold in Eagle River.
It was -30 in the morning on the way to the track, with a balmy high of
-10. Throw in a nice 10-20 mph breeze, a little frost bite, frozen
motors and gas lines, it made for an adventurous weekend [LOL].
Trevor did a
great job, hanging in there with the bitter cold. He ran some races on
Saturday, but we needed to find some more speed for Sunday. We took a
chance and pushed the motors to the limit.
Trevor did
great but the sleds still didn't have enough top end to get him to the
front. It was still good day for him though, taking home a 4th in the
open class and a 3rd in the Arctic Cat class. We were glad he could
even hold on to the sled with the bitter cold. He said his hand was
just about numb, even with the heavy gloves and hand warmers. It was
another good World Championship for him.
Next week we
will be going back to the regular short track racing. We will be @
Dooleys knot inn, in Tichigan. The weather forecast looks like it will
be 50 - 60 degrees warmer than last weekend. I think we will wear our
shorts
 .Have Great Week!
Mike
|
|
1/12/05
The temperature was good and the weather wasn't too bad. It was a great weekend for Trevor at Plymouth on Saturday and Sunday. He was a little tired after driving the long track two days in a row. On Saturday in the open class he
took a 2nd place and a 2nd in the novice class. He even had a
better week on the arctic cat 440 class moving up from a 5th last week
to a strong 3rd this week.
It was a little tough getting up early
Sunday morning after Travis's banquet Saturday night. It was a great
banquet with Travis picking up his Plaque for the 2004 season. The crew
was very kind to us and let us get a little of bit of sleep.
Trevor was raring to go Sunday and
couldn't wait to race. He took his first 1st of the year and a second
in the open class! The arctic cat class even went better than Saturday
and he brought home a second in that class. The sleds and Trevor are
getting better with every race. We still have a lot to do to get the
top, the competition is getting better every week also.
Speaking of competition, this weekend we
have the world championships in Eagle River. The best from all over
will be there. The weather is looking great, it should be a balmy 25
below in the mornings, rising during the day to -5 to -10 below [LOL].
It always seems to be the coldest weekend of the year when we run Eagle
River. Have a warm weekend, think of us, and please don't smile too much
.Have a great weekend!
Mike
|
| 1/05/05 I hope everyone had a safe & fun holiday. The boys and
us had a great Christmas and New Years. Dad ate too much, so it's back
on the diet [AGAIN]. We had a pretty hectic week getting ready for
Trevor's first snowmobile race. The boys and the crew really put in
some extra time and had the sleds ready to race.
Trevor was really excited and couldn't
wait to make the 5 1/2 hour trip up north [there hey]. In his first
class he really gave the sled a good ride in both the heat and the
race. In the final it was a battle and an exciting race and Trevor
brought home a 3rd place just behind 1st and 2nd. We were pretty happy
with the sled but we need to find a little more to get him to the
front.
In Trevors second class, it was the first
time his arctic cat was ever raced. The boys tore it down to nothing
and went through the whole sled top to bottom. They did a great job and
everything worked great. We need to dial it in a little better, but he
still managed a 5th in that class.
In the Dayco open class, it was pretty
much a replay of the 1st race with Trevor and the same 2
sleds battling for the top three positions. Once again he finished with
a strong third. This weekend we will be heading to the Plymouth
fairgrounds for a two day race, Saturday and Sunday. Travis is having
his banquet for the Slinger race season on Saturday night. We have to
be at Plymouth by 7:30 Sunday morning. I hope the crew let's us get to
bed a little earlier than last year, or we may as well stay up
 . Please let me know
if any of you will be coming to the races this weekend, you can
reach me at 414-690-2215. Have a great week, and we will let you know
how it goes this weekend.Mike
|
| 12/15/04 I'm sure everyone is ready
for the Holidays. [Yeah Right]. It's been pretty crazy around here
also. We are getting Trevor's sleds ready for his first snowmobile race
on Jan. 1st in Bruce WI. I think it's up around Canada somewhere.
Travis is putting the new body on the car. Mom's shopping. I am
hoping to get the lights on the tree tonight, and about 30 other
things. Trevor and I went and picked out the tree. Ma was really happy
when we unbundled it and it took up the whole living room, pushed the
couch a couple of feet, and it's trying to bust out the front windows
. We are working
hard on the sponsorship end of it for the ASA Late Model
series next year, and have not had any luck so far.Travis is
hoping to race the entire series, along with once again doing Slinger
full time and Madsion when we can. The ASA Late model series is really
strong and has a great schedule throughout the Midwest, central US, and
the east coast. They are very close to finalizing the TV deal, so
everyone will be able to watch us at the races. Travis is considered to
be one of the top contenders for the Championship. Hopefully we will
have some good luck finding some help to take him to the next level.
I have sent
along a copy of his new sponsor portfolio. Please take a look at it and
let me know if you may have interest in helping Travis out. Please
forward it also to anyone you know that might have an interest in
Travis and Trevor. If you have any contacts that I could call or email,
We sure would appreciate it. We really need to get him another good
year. With the Nascar teams that are watching him, you never know. But
we need all the help we can get. You can reach me anytime at
414-690-2215. Happy Holidays, and watch out for them big trees, they
really fling out when you cut the string. [LOL].
Have a great day!
|
| 12/08/04 Travis and the team went to Nashville for the All American 400 in Nashville. Seventy cars showed up, all of the top drivers from the US and even Canada. It was a little intimidating when it was hard to find our trailer amongst the huge semi's and RV's. These guys use trailers like ours for hauling their parts [LOL]. On Friday the practice was not to bad,
but the guys really had to work to get the car better. This was not a
regular local race. On Saturday Travis and the crew, really got
the car going. Travis was up to 14th fastest in practice out of 70, and
up to 11th in the last practice. I couldn't believe how great the
team was doing.
I walked back to the pits from spotting,
and saw the southern cars tearing their cars apart. They put in
different transmissions, different bearings, drained and replaced
fluids, did some things that we won't even talk about. This was a whole
new experience for us.
I told Travis go out and do
your best, that's all you can do. Travis went out early, so the track
was not in his favor. He gave it his all and ran two perfect laps.
I couldn't believe it, he took almost a half of a second off of his
best time! We thought it would be no problem making the show with that
time.
The track cooled and the big boys got
faster, Travis was still able to come away with being 28th in
time, just four places out of being locked in for the feature. Travis
started the qualifying race on the outside, he took off like a rabbit
and had an 8 car length lead by the 13th lap. His power steering
pump locked up and almost sent him to the wall, but he saved it. Our
weekend was over, we thought.
The series asked Travis if he would like
to race? Travis couldn't believe it, they gave him a promoters choice
because he was fast all weekend, and was doing so well in the
race. He had to start in the back on Sunday, and we knew to stay back
for a while until the wrecks were over. Two cars in front of
Travis were all over the place beaten and banging, so he backed off a
little more. The two cars got sideways and one went into the wall in
front of Travis. He tried to stop and avoid it, but there wasn't any
place to go. He barely hit the wall but it was enough to put him out
for the race.
That's one of the problems when
you have to start in the back, it's where the weapons are and
sometimes you get through, and sometimes you don't. All in all it was a
good weekend. Travis got a lot of recognition and they even talked
on the radio about him. He was the youngest one to make the field. It
was a great year and he made all of his goals. Travis has already
started taking apart the car and is putting a new body on for next
year. I will keep you up to date on what's happening. Travis
is being looked at by a couple of NASCAR teams, you never know, he is
getting close to the age that he would be able to move up.
Hopefully we can get him to the ASA late model series or some
other touring series next year, along with Slinger and Madison. Have a
great week, and Thanks again for all of your help!
Mike
|
| 11/03/04 Travis will be racing in the All
American 400 in Nashville this weekend. It is the biggest race for
Super Late Model's. Top Drivers from all over the USA and even Canada
will be there. There will probably be over 70 cars trying to make the
36 starting field.
Travis and the
crew are pretty excited about it. The crew can't wait to do pit stops.
We will have practice on Friday, Saturday qualifying and Qualifying
races, and on Sunday autographs at 11:00 a.m. with the race starting at
1:00. We will let you know how it goes, and have a great weekend!
Mike
PS Travis was in the
National Late Model Digest for his fast time and track record in
Rockford.
|
| 10/12/04 We had a great time in Lacrosse this weekend. What a
mass of humanity, hundreds of campers, hundreds of race cars, and
thousands of people. We gave out two cases of gobstoppers and 200
autograph cards in one hour at the on track autograph session. It would
have been more but we ran out. I never expected that many people to
show up at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning.
Travis had another great run in the
ASA car. He qualified 5th, started 8th and raced to another top 5
finish. The Fords pretty much dominated the race with the extra power
they have over the Chevy's on the longer track. Travis gave it all he
had, but just couldn't catch the leaders.
Travis and the team really had their
work cut out for them in the Super Late Class. We have never raced the
track before. Travis went out for the first practice and the clutch
went out. The crew worked like crazy and were able to get the car back
together. The next day we had one practice and Travis made a ton of
changes to the car. Travis and the crew got the car a lot better in
just one hour of practice.
We were hoping to just get the car
in the top 30 out of the 54 cars that were in his class. He went out
and qualified in 14th place. Travis and the crew were very happy
with that time. Travis moved the car up to a 5th place finish in the
qualifying race and it put him in the second row for Sunday's feature.
Travis was really pumped up for the
race, and even got to take the flag around the track for the opening
ceremonies. The race started, Travis jumped out in to second right off
the bat. There was a huge crash behind him with about ten cars, and
parts were flying everywhere.
They restarted the race and Travis
was doing great, he came over the radio and said he had a tire going
down or something. He tried to drive the car but it was just too bad.
We found out why when he came in. He picked up some debris on the track
from that accident and it put a hole in the radiator. It was
shooting water on the right side tire. It was a good thing he came in,
or it could have hurt the motor. He still managed to finished 16th out
of the 28 cars that started the race, so it wasn't too bad.
We are still trying to put together
one or two more races, but right now it's not looking too good. We'll
let you know what's happening. We want to thank everyone again for all
of your help. We couldn't have done it without you. Travis made every
one of his goals once again this year in the local racing. Hopefully we
will be able to get him to the next level along with the local racing
next year. I will be sending out some pictures from this weekend. There
are even a couple of "in car pictures" and some with the flag that
are pretty cool. Have a great week!
Mike
|
| 9/29/04 Travis had fast time and a new track record at Rockford! It
was a great weekend for him and the team. Travis raced with the
National ASA series for only his second time at a track he never raced
before. He turned an awesome lap to get his super sized bullet
[pictures in other email ]. Travis also raced in the Sunoco Super
series and was one of the 23 cars that broke the track record. The
competition was the best in super lates we have seen this year.
Travis missed locking into the field in
the slm's by just one position. He had to race in the qualifying races
and was passing for the lead. The car in front of him got loose and
collected both of them and he had to go to the back. He missed the
making the 24 car field by just one position. It was a little tough to
take especially when he was 21st out of 43 cars. He really did a great
job racing, and it was too bad he got hosed by a bad call from the
officials.
Travis had a really good race in the ASA
class. He started 9th and by lap 50 he was running in 5th and passing
for fourth. The car he was passing tried to block him and ended up
taking both of them out. They both had to go to the back. He really
raced hard and ended up coming back to a 12th place finish.
Rockford is one of the smallest toughest
tracks we ever saw. There is just enough room for two cars to go side
by side. The cars look like they went through a war. I said they
looked like the cars in the movie with Tom Cruise, "Days of Thunder."
We were definitely on the edge of our seats watching him race.
We will be off this coming weekend and
will be racing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 8th - 10th with
both cars once again in Lacrosse, WI. Hopefully we won't have any snow
[LOL]. If you would like to go, please give me a call for times and
directions. Have a great week.
Mike
414-690-2215
|
| 9/23/04 Just a reminder that Travis and the crew will be at Rockford IL for the National Short Track Championships this weekend. He will be racing in the Sonoco super series and the ASA classes on Sunday. Racing starts at 12:30 on Sunday for the finals. It will be broadcast on Web TV if you can't make it. Go to Dirtvision.com and pre register to see it live. The two races he will be in, should start at appx 1:30 or 2:00 CDT Sunday. Be sure to give us a call if your going at 414-690-2215. Have a great week. 'Mike |
| 9/15/04 It was a great finish to a super season. On Saturday Travis raced in the National ASA late model tour series at Madison. It was the first time he ever raced the series and their radial tires. We were not sure what the car would do and he only got 8 laps of practice. Travis did a great job and made the show qualifying in 10th out of 40 cars. He started the 100 lap feature in the second position with the invert. Travis took over the lead on the first lap and lead for the first 30 laps. The car was great, but took a little while after a caution to come back in. It was a caution filled wreck fest in the back of the 32 car pack, with 10 cautions, 3 red flags, and two cars on their roofs. Travis lost a couple of positions because of all the restarts, but the car was really coming in at the end of the race. He was making his move at lap 90 running in 5th position. All of a sudden the car shut off. We thought he ran out of gas because of all the caution laps. We later found a wire had burned off that was near the exhaust. Travis was disappointed but very excited about knowing he could run at the front with those cars. Travis still came away with a 16th place finish out of the 32 cars that started the race. He can't wait to go to Rockford speedway on the 25th to run with the series once again. It will be a 250 lap race at their National Championships. We will also be taking the Slinger car and racing in the touring Sunoco Super Series race at Rockford. It will be a very busy weekend with three days of racing and running two cars. The last race at Slinger was a good one. Travis hit some oil or something and spun out. He got together with another car and had to go to the back. He really had a great race after that, and came home with another top 10 finish in 8th place. Travis and the team couldn't be happier with the year, and especially at Slinger. They made every one of their goals including finishing in the top ten in points [9th out of over 50 cars] at the fastest 1/4 mile in the world. Travis was also the youngest fast qualifier since Matt Kenseth raced at Slinger, made the Race of Champions, 10 fast dashes, and made every feature. Thanks again to all of you for making his dreams and goals come true. Travis can't wait for the specials we will be racing in over the next couple of weeks. We have our first weekend off in 6 months this weekend [yea]. We will be at Rockford, IL Sept 24th - 26th and Lacrosse Oct 8th - 10th. We are working on Concord, NC and Nashville, TN also after these two specials. Have a great week and we'll let you know how they go. Mike |
| 9/8/04 Travis had another great weekend of racing with two top ten finishes. On Saturday night in the ASA late model Travis pulled out a 3rd place in qualifying. It was a large invert and Travis started the race in the 11th position. Travis moved up a few positions quickly and had a very fast car. The driver in front of Travis checked up in the corner and Travis got underneath him. The race director mistook it for an aggressive move and a couple of laps later moved Travis to the back. We were not real happy about it, but Travis kept on digging and went from 16th all the way up to a 6th place finish. It was great watching him drive through the pack. It was one of the best races Travis ever drove. On Sunday night we had the 100 lapper at Slinger. Travis had to go out and qualify the second car out. The track was hot and greasy in the beginning, but he still qualified 9th out of the 42 car field. He drove a good race and the car faded a little toward the end of the race, but still came in 9th. With one week left Travis has pretty much wrapped up his goal of finishing the season in the top ten in points at "the fastest 1/4 mile in the world." This coming Saturday Travis and the crew will be racing in the ASA National LM tour in Madison. Travis will be #96 in this race, and will be driving the yellow, white and purple ASA late model car. Travis and the crew are really looking forward to their first race in this series. On Sunday it will be our last race of the year at Slinger. Have a great week, hope you can make it to the last regular races of the season. We will be doing some specials in other cities over the next couple of months. We'll keep you up to date on where we will be racing. Mike |
| 8/31/04 It was a mediocre weekend for Travis and the team. Travis had off this week at Madison and made it to the fast dash once again at Slinger where he took a 2nd place finish. We had a problem with tire stagger this week. We are still trying to figure out why it happened. It's all part of figuring out that race setup. One tire grew and one shrunk. Travis still managed a 11th place finish, but had a good fight with the wheel the whole race. Travis was one of the 11 cars to make it into the 2004 Race of Champions. He started near the back and passed a couple of cars. Travis felt something in the front end and quickly got off the track. Luck was on our side. The right front rim had started to come apart. Luckily he felt it or it could have been a disaster. He ended up 9th for that one. This weekend we will be back at Madison on Saturday and Slinger on Sunday. There are only two regular races left. We will be doing some race specials at different tracks after the end of the season. Have a great week. Mike |
| 8/24/04 Hey, hey! Travis got fast time at Slinger. It was great to see all of Travis's and the crew's hard work pay off. It was great to see Travis get another one of his goals for the season. The track announced that Travis was the youngest driver to get fast time since Matt Kenseth raced there. It was awesome, because Travis will now be in the race of champions this coming Sunday at Slinger. It was an up and down night that's for sure. Travis was ready to go out for the fast dash and the car shut off. The electronic ignition in the car sparked and burnt out. We got the car back on the track but Travis was seven laps down in the first feature. This put him in 17th position for the start of the second feature. Travis was fast. He moved all the way up to take a 6th place finish. It was really neat to watch him fly through the field. It was a great finish to a great night. Travis went to Madison again on Saturday night. We tried a different set up to try and get a little faster. It didn't work real well, but Travis still managed to qualify 12th and come home with another top 10 finish. My heart did a flip when he somehow drove through a massive pile up of cars without a scratch. [whew]. The ASA late models are off this coming Saturday, Travis and the crew can use a day off. Sunday we will be racing in the race of champions and the feature at Slinger. Have great week, and we hope to see you at the races. |
| 8/18/04 Travis and the crew had a great day at Madison this weekend. We spent some extra time with the motor and really got it going. Travis qualified 4th, and moved up from the back to 3rd place in the dash. The ASA late model was really handling and fast. Travis started the feature in 8th position. He moved his way up quickly and made it all the way up to second by lap 20. It was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen. The top points cars were coming, but Travis and the car really hung in there. The car started getting a little tight, but he managed to bring home a 4th place finish! We never thought we could get the car and Travis into the top 5 that quickly. Everyone is really pumped up about the ASA car at Madison. We went to Slinger with a new setup. Travis wanted to try some things to try and get fast time and get a better race setup. The car seemed pretty good in practice but didn't qualify very well. He ended up starting the feature in the back. Travis somehow managed to miss some wrecks but he would lose the positions that he had gained. Travis and the crew were pretty down, but if you don't try new stuff, you can't find a faster setup. The poor showing didn't affect him to much in the overall points. He is still in the top 10 at Slinger which is very tough to do. This week we will be at Madison once again on Saturday night, and it's Bob Fish night at Slinger this Sunday. There will be two features, one is for a make up race from earlier in the year. We hope to see you at the races, it's been great having so many of you come and support Travis at the races. Mike |
| 8/11/04 What a busy week. Both of the cars came home from the four races without a scratch. Travis, Dad and the crew are pretty tired though. We are still pounding it to get the cars ready for this Saturday and Sunday again. Travis went to Madison Saturday for the ASA race. They got the car a lot better and were able to Qualify in the 14th position. He had a good race but the car was still not where we need it. He still managed to pull out a 14th place finish though. Slinger went very well. Travis once again made the fast dash, qualifying 4th and finishing 3rd in the dash. He started the feature in the 8th position and quickly moved up to 4th. The car was really working good. The new setup was close, but got loose after a while. He got pushed up to the outside and somehow managed to save the car going around the corner right next to the wall sideways. [WHEW!]. Travis lost quite a few positions but still finished 12th. It was a busy Monday, but we got the car done for the ASA Nationals Tuesday. Quite a few top names came to the show including Matt Kenseth & Dick Trickle. It was a very tough field. We struggled with the car in practice, it was very cold and the track had changed big time. Travis and the crew got the car a lot better but he just missed making the show by 7 hundredths of a second. He had to go into the 50 lap qualifying race to make the show. He ran a great race and made it in. Travis started the feature in 27th position. He quickly moved up through the field and made it up to 16th position in the first 75 laps. We put on a couple of new tires and went out for the second 75. We pretty much got you know what [insert your own word LOL] on a restart and lost 6 positions. Travis hung in there and worked his way back up. We had tried using a little different tire strategy, and it didn't work. The car got really loose, but he stuck with it and still finished the race in 17th. We were all pretty happy with it only being the second race Travis has done in the ASA Late models and it being the longest race he has ever done. This weekend we will be going to Madison again for the ASA races, and Slinger on Sunday. It will be a pretty tough weekend with 5 races in 8-days this week. I'm pretty sure that's a new record for us. Have a great week. Mike |
| 8/4/04 It was another great Sunday at Slinger. Travis qualified 3rd out of 38 cars and made the fast dash for the 8th time this season. He is really getting that qualifying down. He missed fast time by five-hundredths of a second. Travis started the race with the invert in 9th position. It was a wreck fest, must have been the full moon [LOL]. Somehow he managed to avoid three wrecks right around him. The car felt better in the long runs this week. The motor started losing power the last part of the race, but he still managed to take a 6th place finish. We took a look at the motor last night and we were we lucky. Some of the rocker arms went bad and with a few more laps it could have trashed the motor. Whew! The crew and Travis had one of their biggest workouts at Madison on Saturday for his 1st ASA late model race. The motor was backfiring, spitting and sputtering every time he would get on the throttle. We replaced every part and finally found the problem with the distributor. The race had already started but he got to make some laps. Travis said the car felt great, and can't wait to get back there this Saturday. We will also be racing at Slinger on Sunday for the Miller 60. We thought we were going to have a pretty easy week after bringing both of the cars home without a scratch. We'll be busy trying to get the motor ready for it. On Tuesday, August 10th Travis will be racing at Madison for the Miller Nationals. Matt Kenseth and a lot of the big name drivers will be there once again. He will be racing the ASA car at that one. It will be a busy 2 weeks for the crew. Have a great week and let us know if you can make it to a race. It was great to see so many of you there last week once again. Mike |
| 7/27/04
Travis had a great night at Slinger. The crew and Travis wanted to try something a little different for qualifying. The car that went out in front him spun out so Travis had to slow up for his first lap. He still managed to get 10th in qualifying, but he missed the fast dash. Travis ended up starting in the front row. He took off in the lead and had a 1/4 track lead. We couldn't believe it. He lead the race for 33 of the 75 laps. The new race setup was really working, but it started to fade around lap 28. The top three points leaders got around him in the remaining laps. Travis brought the car home without a scratch and took 4th. Travis and the crew are really pumped up. They found a race setup that they can work off of now. We just have to get it to last longer. The finish moved him up to 8th in points for the year! The crew and Travis are working overtime to get the new ASA car ready for Madison this Saturday. Things are going well and if we don't run into any unforeseen problems, we will be ready to go. It will be a busy weekend with Madison on Saturday and Slinger on Sunday. Hope to see you at the races! I will send the article about the race in another email, it's a pretty good one. Mike |
| 7/21/04 It was another great week in qualifying for Travis. He moved up to the 3rd fastest car in qualifying. Travis finished with a 3rd in the fast dash. The car seemed to be really hooked up for the race. Travis started in 9th for the feature. He quickly moved up to 5th. The car was working good but we had problems with our radios. Travis could not hear our spotter all the time and he got spun out. It was his fault and he had to go to the back. In practice one of the wires came out of his radio ear plugs. We are not sure if the back up set is bad also or if it's in our radios.We will find the problem and have a new set coming for this weekend. Travis felt pretty bad, because he didn't even know he was coming down on the car. The car was pretty banged up, so Dad will be busy with body work this week. Travis is really working hard on the other car for Madison. We won't have some of the parts until next week, so hopefully it will be ready for the 31st race. Have a great week! Mike |
| 7/16/04 Thanks to Bob Fish for helping Travis out with another series to race in. Travis is working on his other car and getting it ready to run in the ASA late model series at Madison. We will be running as many races as possible for the rest of the season. We are currently looking for more sponsors to able to run the entire remainder of the schedule. If you know of anyone in the Madison area that may be interested, please let us know. The crew is working O.T. to get the other car ready. Travis is really pumped up after the disappointment of not being able to run more ASA races. Bob is working on sponsorship for The ASA national series also for Travis. Hopefully something will happen soon with that also. Don't forget to see Bob for your new car or truck, he gives a special deal to anyone that knows Travis. He might even take you to lunch at JOJO's [LOL].262-338-2235 and ask for Bob. Have a great week! Mike |
| 7/15/04 Travis had another good run Sunday night at Slinger. He qualified 7th, we tried a little different setup. He had a great race, finishing with another top 10. The finish was good enough to get him up to 9th in the seasons point standings. He has really had a couple of great weekends. He is making his goals of being in the top 10, running the fast dashes, and being in the top qualifiers. The best part of the race was once again keeping the car in perfect shape for the Nationals at Slinger Tuesday. We went to the track early Tuesday morning, and had a great practice. Travis was one of the fastest cars in practice. There were over 50 of the top cars in the Midwest at the track. There were a lot of the NASCAR and ASA drivers. Travis knew it wouldn't be easy to make the show. He decided to go with our old qualifying setup. He went out to qualify and ran the second fastest time out of the 35 cars that were out before him. We couldn't believe it. He ended up 5th out of over 50 cars. He started the feature and quickly moved up from 7th to 4th. The car was working great and he backed off a little because of a car in front him leaking oil. We told the officials, but they kept the race going. Travis made laps and stayed in the top ten, saving his tires for the 250 lap race. Travis started the next 125 laps in the 9th position. He was happy with the car and felt if he took it easy on the tires he could make a charge late in the race. Remember the car leaking fluid? It finally blew the rear end and caused an 8 car wreck. There was nothing Travis could do. Travis said he had a choice of hitting the cars or taking the wall. He didn't want to run into his idol Al Schill so he took the wall instead. His night was over, but he had one heck of a good race up until that point. He was a disappointed, but was happy that we found a race setup that was fast. We are getting the car together as quickly as possible. We will be doing an appearance with the car at Schniess heating and cooling for their grand opening Saturday. They are one of Travis's biggest fans and sponsors. It will be from 10 - 3:00 on Saturday in West Bend. Everyone is more than welcome to come. We will be at Slinger on Sunday once again. It was great to see so many of you at the races this week. We hope to see you there! Mike |
| 7/8/04 It was a good weekend for Travis and the team. Some of the top racers came to the track last Sunday. They are getting their cars ready for the big race at Slinger next Tuesday. It's the Slinger Nationals, and they have quite a few big name drivers coming in for the race. Including Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Dick Trickle & his brother, Ritchie Bickle, and many others. It should be one heck of a show. Travis was one of the first cars to qualify last weekend. The track was pretty hot yet, but he still managed to qualify 6th and run in the fast dash for the 4th week in a row. The race was a real wreck fest this week. We couldn't believe what was happening out there. Travis managed to just miss getting tangled up in three different accidents. We were pretty lucky, Travis only had minor damage. Because of the wrecks, he lost a few positions. He still got another top ten, finishing 8th. Travis said the car felt better this week but not quite right yet. The team is getting closer to finding that race setup they are looking for. We will have a very busy week coming up. Travis will be racing Sunday, Tuesday and next Sunday again at Slinger. Travis and the team will be pounding it pretty hard. If you would be coming this Sunday, or to the Nationals Tuesday, please give me a call. Have a great week! Mike 414-690-2215 |
| 7/2/04 It was another great night for Travis and the team in qualifying. Travis had his best time ever and qualified 3rd again. He missed fast time by less than a 1/2 of a hundredth of a second. They really have it going for time trials. Travis was in the fast dash again and started fourth and finished fourth. The track had on track introductions for the big race. Right when the race was ready to start, our tire man came over the radio and said we had a tire that lost air. We didn't know how bad the leak was and we couldn't come off the track. Travis would have had to go the back for the start if he did. We crossed our fingers. Travis moved up quickly from 9th to 5th, but luck just wasn't on our side. After the 1st caution Travis said the car was getting tight, the tire must be going down. All he could do was hang in there and try to wrestle the car until the finish. He somehow managed to come away with a 12th place finish even with the low tire. Travis was soaked from head to toe from trying to keep the car on the track. He said it was the hardest workout he had in a long time. This Sunday will be the Fourth of July race. They will be having fireworks once again. Hopefully our struggle for the race setup is figured out. It should be a good weekend for him. Have a great week. Mike |
| 6/30/04 We were rained out Sunday. They have rescheduled for tonight, so come on over to Slinger for the races and fireworks! I'll let you know how it goes tonight. Mike |
| 6/23/04 Travis had another great weekend. We finished up the car Saturday morning and decided to take it to Madison International Speedway Saturday night. Madison is the fastest 1/2 mile track in WI. We were looking to just make sure the car was OK, after the accident last week. [not]. The car was pretty good in practice. Travis and the crew were pretty close with the set up, and made a few changes. He went out and qualified 4th, which we were very happy with. It was the first time we went to Madison this year, and have raced there only three times before. Travis took it easy, we wanted to make sure the car was OK for Sunday. One of our crew members made a little mistake. He had the air pressures set too high. Travis came over the radio and asked what we did to the tires? He said it was like driving stone wheels. [Freddie Flintstone came to mind LOL]. He said it was the hardest he ever had to drive a car, but somehow managed to bring it home in one piece and a top five finish! Slinger had some perfect weather for a change. It was pretty hectic Sunday morning, but we got the car changed over for Slinger. Once again Travis and the crew did a great job on the setup, the car was fast. We were very happy that we got the car put back together and it was once again fast. He went out for qualifying and set fast time with just 5 cars out of 40 left to qualify. There were three of the fastest cars at Slinger, and two of them just beat Travis's fast time. Man that was exciting. Travis missed fast time by just three-hundredths of a second! Every week he is coming closer. Travis started 9th in the feature with the invert. We have been trying to find a good race setup and we were always loose. Travis wanted to try and get the car to be tight. We finally found tight, but the car was hard to turn. He finished 11th after a hard fight with the steering wheel. Hopefully we found what we were looking for, and it will help him in the features. Some times you have to take a step back to go forward. We will be racing at Slinger once again this Sunday, Travis and the crew can't wait to see if they found something for the feature. It was great seeing some more of you out at the track last week. Please let me know if you can make it to the track. Have great week! Mike |
|
6/15/04
Travis had another great week in qualifying. The team is really getting it figured out. He qualified 4th out of over 40 cars, and just five-hundredths of a second off fast time. It put him in the fast dash once again for the top 6 cars. He ended up a with a 3rd in that race. The track was pretty tough. There was
water seeping through the blacktop in about ten places. With the invert
Travis started in the 8th position. Within ten laps he was already up
to the 4th position. The car was handling great, but you had to watch
out for the water. The car next to Travis, hit a water spot, and shot
up into Travis. It spun him around and he was facing the coming cars
the wrong way. Somehow he managed to keep the car off of the wall and
the rest of the field did an excellent job of avoiding him. WHEW!
Travis and the car that hit him had to go
to the back of the field for the restart. Travis came over the radio
and said that something was wrong the car. He came in and we tried to
make a quick adjustment. He went back out and it was a little better.
He started to pass a car and because of it not handling just right,
when he hit some water it shot him up and hit the car next to
him. He tried to drive for it awhile after but the car was just
getting worse.
When he came in again we found out that
he had a tire that was leaking from the first accident. It was a tough
night, but he still managed to take a 15th. It was disappointing for
him, but Travis and the crew are really getting that car moving.
It was fan appreciation night at Slinger, and the announcer even came
over and talked with Travis before the race. He talked to Travis about
how fast and how good he was running. That was pretty neat.
Well, we have quite a bit of work to do
on the car. We were hoping to run at Grundy this weekend, but we
just won't be able to make it. We will hopefully be able to go the Air
show for an appearance on Saturday, if all the parts get here and the
car is done. One way or another, we will be ready for Slinger on Sunday
night. Have a great week, and we hope to see you at the races!
Mike
|
| 6/9/04 It was another great weekend for Travis at Slinger. The car wasn't rusted tight from sitting for so long. He went out for practice and the car was fast right from the start. Travis had his best qualifying ever and ended up 5th in overall time. He was only 6 hundredth's of a second off fast time. This put him in the fast dash. It's a 8 lap race for the 6 fastest cars. He managed to take a second place even though he had to start on the outside. Travis and the team were really pumped up. It was a special for the feature, so it was a 75 lap race. Because of the invert, Travis started in the 8th position on the outside once again. He drove hard on the outside and managed to work his way up to 4th by lap 20. Last years track champion was right on Travis's bumper and made his move. Travis and Brad Mueller spent the next 20 laps racing hard side by side. Travis did all he could, but because of the hard racing his right rear tire went away. He really drove his heart out the rest of the race and still managed to get another top 10. For the second week in a row he took a 7th. Wow, what a great race and a long one also. The finish was good enough to move him up into the top ten in points. That's really big at Slinger. Travis and the crew are getting closer and closer, everything is really coming together. Knock on wood. Travis will have a pretty busy two weeks. This week he will be doing an appearance for the high school kids at Circle B in Grafton, doing two days of appearances at the West Bend air show. June 16th we will be at the Kettle Moraine bowl for a show. We will also be racing at Grundy Speedway in IL Friday and Saturday for a Big race that we were invited to. Trevor is also keeping us busy. He will be on the Racing Round up radio show on Monday, June 14th with Jim Tretow. Jim is having a special show for kids that are involved in racing. Whew! I'm getting old [LOL]. The boys won't let me rest. Not really, we are having a great time and things are going good. Hopefully something will break for Travis to get some more ASA races soon. We will be racing at Slinger this Sunday night, and it's another long one. It's the PPC 75 lap feature. Please let me know if you would like to go. It's been great seeing a lot of you out at the track. Have a great week. Mike |
| 6/1/04 Rained out again. The track even tried to run
it on Monday, but we had rain again. We have started to build an
ark in our spare time. Actually, it's been a good time to get caught up
on all those little picky things that no one wants to do.
The appearance at the Boy Scout get
together went great. Travis gave out over a case of Gobstoppers and a
couple hundred cards to Scouts from all over southeastern WI. They
thougt it was pretty cool having a real race car there.
We will be trying to get Slingers race in
Sunday once again. Travis and the crew had a great time helping fellow
driver Chris Ratacyzk out this last Friday. Chris's new car had a few
bugs in it, but the crew had it going pretty good by the end of the
night. Travis may be driving it this coming Friday for Chris at
Columbus race way. I will be sending the pictures of the new hauler in
a seperate email today. Have a great week, and pray for the rain to
stop, Travis is getting bored and a little crabby [LOL].
Mike
|
|
05/26/04
I hope the rain is over for a while. It was nice to have a little sunshine for a change today. It was a great week to get caught up on some odds and ends around the shop and the house. Travis is keeping us busy. Thursday night
we will be doing an appearance for a Boy Scout's district meeting. They
are having a Nascar theme, and they asked if we could bring the
car and give out cards and gobstoppers. It will be held at
St. Francis Cabrini in West Bend, starting at 6:00.
The new Truck came in from Bob Fish.
It's a Dandy! Bob really went all out on this one. Carol is a
little afraid of it yet. She said it's too wide and won't fit in
the drive through. This is very important to her with our eat on the
run schedule [LOL]. I'll send some pictures with the new graphics on
it, on another email.
We will be racing at Slinger on Sunday
once again, weather permitting. It is a 80 lap feature, so it will be a
pretty long run. Travis and the crew can't wait.
Everyone has the shakes around here from not racing for a whole week.
Have a great week!
Mike
|
|
5/18/04
Travis had another great week at Slinger. Travis got his first top ten of the year. It was a very tough night for a lot of the racers. Four out of the top five drivers in points, didn't make the feature. Things are really getting close and it's getting hard to make the feature at Slinger. If your set up is off just a hair, everyone is so close that it's getting tougher every week to get in. Travis ended up qualifying in 10th and
finished in 7th. The crew and Travis are really getting the car figured
out. They did a good article on the race, I will send it in a separate
email. Travis would have had a little better finish, but the car
was pretty loose in the race. We tried something a little
different, but that is the only way we can learn.
Everyone is pretty pumped up for the next
race. This week is Bob Fish night at Slinger. Hopefully we can put
it all together again for another good run for his big shin dig at the
track. Bob has been going above and beyond to help Travis and the team
out. We would sure like to see a lot of people come out to the track
and cheer Travis on. Mark our main man on the crew is predicting a
top 5.
Have a great week, and I hope we'll
see you at the races!
Mike
|
|
5/11/04
Hello everyone! Travis had another great weekend. He was
only .12 of a second off of fast time. He's getting closer. He started
the feature in 15th and once again he was fast in the race. Travis
moved up quickly and was passing cars inside and outside. By lap 40 he
was going for 8th place. He radioed in to us that the motor was going
down. Dad's heart sunk. I told him to check the gauges. All the
pressures were good, so I told him to keep running. He only lost a few
positions and the motor slowed but kept going until the finish.
We opened the hood right away and found a
plug wire fell off the distributor. I had a big sigh of relief. We
don't have an extra 5-10k right now to rebuild a motor. We put some new
headers on the car this year, and it's redirecting the heat. The heat
softened the plug caps and caused them to loosen. We're getting them
early season gremlins out.
We took the car without a scratch once
again to racing roundup radio show. Jim Tretow did a great job with
Travis again. Jim is the ASA TV announcer on Speed Channel. He is
helping us out in every way he can to try and find sponsorship for
Travis to run some more ASA races. Travis did a great job on the show,
and remembered all of his sponsors. They also talked about Trevor and
his world championship in Eagle. Jim asked Trevor to come on the show
once again on June 14th. Trevor can't wait. I hope everyone has a great
week, and we'll be racing at Slinger this Sunday once again. Time
trials at 5:00, racing at 7:00.
Mike
|
|
05/04/04
YAWN! Talk about sleep depravation. We went to Atlanta on Thursday, and Friday morning we had practice at the track. Practice went great except for a little rain. Travis was pretty well dialed in for Saturday's race.
It rained pretty hard Saturday morning and it cut short practice. We
were one of the unlucky cars that had to qualify early right after the
rain. Travis went out and still managed to get the car into the 32 car
field. It was another large turnout with over 50 cars trying to make
the field.
Travis started the race in the 30th position, and had a car get spun
right into him on the sixth lap. We couldn't believe it. Travis just
can't get a break in ASA it seems. We left the track right after the
race and drove straight through back to WI. We unloaded the ASA car and
loaded up the Slinger car and went right to the track without any
sleep. Boy am I getting old [LOL]. We made sure that Travis had plenty
of sleep on the way home for the Slinger race.
He had a great night at Slinger. He started 16th in the feature and
moved up to 9th in just 50 laps. It was cold and a tough night for
anyone to pass, but he moved right up the field. His brakes started to
fail, and was just about out of brakes by the end of the race. He
managed to hang on to a 12 th place finish. The car was racing great
and Travis can't wait to get back there. He has a good base to work off
of now, and it should only get better.
One of our long time friends and sponsors, Bobby Loparco from Choice
Equipment sales came to the race in Atlanta. Travis, our family, and
the crew all have sore cheek muscles from laughing so hard this
weekend. What a great time we had. Bobby had everyone laughing and made
it a whole lot easier to accept the problem in Atlanta. The crew has a
new saying [Bobby's favorite] "fa ged about it". Bobby has
been one of my best friends and sponsor of the boys that I have never
met in person for over 10 years. He said he really enjoyed
himself and could not believe what is all involved in ASA racing.
Please let me know if any of you would like to come to a race, it's a
great time.
Travis had a tough dose of reality yesterday. We won't be able to go to
Kentucky this weekend for the ASA race. He will have to drop out of the
rookie of the year chase. Dad couldn't get a sponsor and for now
we are out of money for ASA racing. We have some good prospects, and
will be doing some more ASA races as sponsorship money hopefully comes
in. I want to thank everyone that has directed us to some contacts, and
please let me know if you can think of any others that we can contact.
This Sunday we will be going to Slinger once again. The crew, Mom and
Dad can use a nice easy weekend, Travis wouldn't have a problem doing
both again. To be young again. Trevor was in the Fast Trax magazine
this month for his world championship. They really did
a great two page story on him. I will send the article
in a separate update. Have a great week!
Mike
|
| 4/29/04 What some
great weather out there right now. I'ts about 40 degrees warmer than it
was on Sunday. Boy it was cold. Travis had a great practice on
Saturday. He was one of the fastest cars at Slinger. On Sunday for
qualifying, one of rear brakes hung up, and it was like dragging an
anchor behind the car. Hopefully we have it fixed for this coming race
Sunday at Slinger. Racing starts at 7:00 Sunday night.
It has been a
crazy week trying to get the Slinger car done and get the ASA car ready
for Saturday. Don't forget to watch Speed Channel on Satuday night at
7:00 p.m. cdt. We will be racing in Braselton GA, at the Lanier
Speedway. Travis can't wait to race there. Gotta run, they are waiting
for me out in the truck. Have a great week, and I'll fill you in next
week.
Thanks!
MIke
|
|
4/21/04
I hope everyone is having a great spring. Things have really been busy around the shop. Last week Friday we took the ASA car down to Kentucky speedway for testing and tuning. Things couldn't have gone better. It was twice as long of a track that Travis has ever drove on. They were hitting speeds of 175 mph. Travis loved it. It scared the you know what out of me [LOL].
This is the first year that ASA will be going to some of the big tracks
that NASCAR runs on. We will actually be racing with Nascar at some of
the tracks. ASA is considering putting restrictors on the cars to slow
them down a little.
Travis and the crew have been working every spare minute getting the
Slinger car ready, and fixing the ASA car from the wreck in Florida.
The car we used at Kentucky is just for the speedways. It has more
bracing and safety features for the longer tracks.
We are just finishing the Slinger car.Travis and the crew did an
awesome job on it. It really looks sharp and he restored it just like
brand new. We are putting the decals on tonight, it looks just like the
ASA cars. I really like the new paint job, it will save me a lot of
time instead of painting three colors. YEAH!
This weekend we will be heading to Slinger for practice on Saturday and
the first race on Sunday. The opener on Sunday will be the Miller
Lite twin 75's. Time trials are at 1:00, racing starts at 2:00. If
anyone would like to go, please give me a call. They are expecting tons
of cars for the big opener. Travis and the crew can't wait.
We are watching country music television right now. They are doing a
story on the up and coming drivers. All of a sudden Travis and the
Gobstopper / Bob Fish ASA car was shown coming off the track from
a race last year. That was pretty cool. Speaking of TV, Trevor was on
the outdoor channel a couple of weeks ago. They showed Trevor winning
the 120 champ class at the Eagle River World Championships on Friday
night thunder.
Next week we will be heading to Braselton Georgia [just outside of
Atlanta] for the second ASA race. It will be televised live on
Speed channel at 7:00 central Saturday May 1st. We will be
able to do this ASA race yet, but right now it looks like it may
be the last one. We have a lot of interested sponsors, but we just
can't get them to give us the OK. It's really tough on Travis, but
we keep telling him. "Everything happens for a reason." You never know,
something could come around tomorrow.
One of our new sponsors is uncle Dwight and Mary Jo. We will be
putting a verse on the car. "I Cor 9:24". It's a great fit for Travis.
If you get a chance take a look at it. Have a great week and we'd love
to see you come to a race. Give me a call at 414-690-2215, we'll
get you set up for an ASA or Slinger race. We will keep on plugging
away here, If you get a chance keep Travis in your thoughts and
prayers for a safe season, and maybe some good news for the rest of the
ASA season.
Thanks again
for making this all possible for him and Trevor! They are having a
great time doing what they love.
Mike
|
| 3/30/04 Wow what an ASA race! Travis turned a whole lot of heads this weekend, including mine and the crews. We never expected him to run in the top five like he did. It was unbelievable. It was a great trip. Everyone made it down and back to Florida safely. It was a little to warm at the track though [LOL]. Thursday we went to the track and had meetings, car teching, and getting ready for the practice on Friday. On Friday we had some problems with the car in the first practice but it started working good enough to do some runs in the second. Travis kept some old tires on from last year and still was able to stay in the top 25 in practice. There were 60 cars there and almost 50 tried to qualify on Saturday. On Saturday our problem was back and it took half the practice to find it. It turned out to be a short in a brand new battery, unreal. Because of the problems, Travis didn't get a lot of time to practice before qualifying. He left the car real loose, because he knew we would be racing at night. The car was pretty loose but he still managed to qualify in 30th and made the field. He started the race in the 32nd position because of the provisionals. Four of the top ten cars from last year had to take provisionals. Travis started the race and was passing cars left and right. There were a bunch of accidents but he managed to get through some real close ones. By lap 50 he had worked his way all the way up to 3rd position! It was exciting and the whole crew was really pumped up. Travis went in for a pit stop and came back out in 14th, he worked his way all the way back up to 4th. I couldn't believe how well he was doing. He came in for another stop and went back out in 12th. Travis started working his way back up and was up to ninth once again at lap 124. Some veteran driver in front of him took out the car in front of him and spun the guy out. Travis hit the brakes to avoid it, but the guy behind Travis didn't. The guy ran into the back of Travis and sent him into the wall. It was a violent crash, but Travis was fine. There was nothing Travis could do about it. He probably would have finished in the top five. It couldn't have been a better run for him, no one expected anything like that out of him. He was the highest running car without a sponsor, and he did it on a shoe string compared to the other top teams. Hopefully it will get him noticed and we can find a sponsor for him. After that run it would be a shame for him not to have chance to run for rookie of the year. The owner of the car Jerry Wood could not believe how great Travis did. He couldn't believe a veteran driver would cause the accident like that. It really was too bad because it would have helped Travis even more with a top finish. Travis is back at it already on Monday working on the cars. He has a ton of work to do to get the ASA car fixed and get the Slinger car done for the opener. The cost of the wreck pretty much wiped us out for any extra ASA races, but we will keep plugging away to try and find someone to help him out. Once again if you know of any contacts that may be interested in helping Travis out with sponsorship, please let us know. He proved he can run with the top cars and be a contender. The next race will be the opener at Slinger on the 25th, and the next ASA race is in Georgia on May 1st. Have a great week. Mike |
| 3/17/04 Hey it's Travis's birthday, he is 17 on the 17th. Maybe it's his luck of the irish today? If you want to give him a call or just give him a hard time, call his cell at 262-844-3240. He get's out of school around 3:00. Don't forget to watch him on ASA racing Saturday the 27th. It will be on live TV on NASCAR speed channel. The races starts at 7:00 central time. He will be driving the blue #72 car with yellow striping. It will be easy to pick out, it won't have any sponsors on it [LOL]. Mom and Dad are doing this one. Have a great week, we will be leaving this Friday with the car for lakeland FL. Travis and Carol will be flying down Wednesday after school, so he only misses a couple of days. ' If you want to get a hold of me, call 414-690-2215 anytime. Mike |
| 3/12/04 It was a great way to wrap up the season. Trevor did a great job on both sleds. On Saturday they had to cancel the race due to about 4 inches of slush on the track. It was a real mess. Luckily it got pretty cold Saturday night and we were able to race on Sunday. Trevor had a great race on the big sled once again and took a second place. We figured out what was wrong with 120 and he had to work at it, but was able to also take a second in that class. By the end of the day, Trevor had already changed clothes three times from getting soaked. When they went down the back stretch it was like a water fall coming over them. There was about six inches of water in deep holes and when they hit, it just about stopped them. The kids had a great time talking about how wet they were after a race. We had the heater in the trailer drying clothes most of the day. Trevor ended up with a third in the last class of the day, what a great weekend. Trevor said he had the most fun of the whole season. We received the final points standings in the mail yesterday, and what a great surprise for Trevor. He finished second in the 120 champ class and took a second and third in the large snowmobile classes. He couldn't have been happier with how the season turned out. Travis has been working his butt off. We have not seen a lot of him the last few weeks. He has been down at Wood brothers racing every chance he gets. He has the Slinger car just about done and we are taking it in for paint Monday. It really turned out nice. His grades are still up where they were, I couldn't be prouder of both of the boys. Travis is really excited about starting the race season. Jerry Wood from Wood Brothers has purchased a B program from the Wimmers. It was a lot of money for Jerry to stick out for Travis. The B program will assure Travis of starting every race, which is huge to help us seek sponsors. Carol and I have paid Jerry for the first two races so Travis will have a chance to run for the rookie of the year in ASA. We had a commitment from one of our present sponsors to do the same as they did last year. So it would have helped us out for the first two ASA races. The sponsor is now telling me they may not be able to do it. I guess the days of taking a person on their word is gone, but it is the first time anyone has ever done this to the boys. We are working day and night trying to find someone, but it has put in us in a bad position on such short notice, the money is not refundable. I guess it's shame on me, Carol always tells me that I shouldn't take people by their word, but you would never think a large company would do that to kids. We have not been looking for help for the first two because of their commitment, so if you know of anyone that we can contact please let us know. Travis is ready, the team is ready, and Wood Brothers are ready to take Travis to the next level. God willing and a fair breeze, maybe it will happen. Be sure to mark it on your schedule to watch Travis on March 27th. The race, as all of the races will be televised live on NASCAR Speed Vision. It's the best deal for national TV advertising out there. Please check out our new portfolio on our website tdracing.net. We would be more than happy to have Sue send out a customized portfolio to anyone that may be interested. Have a great week and a very big thank you to everyone from us and the boys. I will be sending some pictures on a separate email of Trevor's crash last week. Mike |
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3/4/04 Trevor slid about 50 feet and was in the air almost 10 feet. We ran over to him and he had the wind knocked out of him. He banged up his knee, had a bruise on his neck and chin from the helmet. The paramedic checked him out real good and nothing was broken or out of place. Trevor was quite the trooper, he wanted to get up but they wanted to make sure everything was OK. He couldn't walk to well so we put him on the back of the mule. The whole crowd was clapping for him on his way out. The day was over so I thought. We went past his sled and he wanted to look at it. It was pretty banged up but asked if it could be raced? One of the guys said everything looks OK as far as the mechanical part of it. Trevor got off the mule and said he wanted to race. I told him I didn't think it was a good idea, but Trevor assured everyone that he was OK to finish the race. They let him go out and take a lap with it, and he went to the line. I couldn't believe he wanted to get right back on it. He not only got right back on it, but he went out and took 2nd place! People [including myself] could not get over how he did. He really showed some courage and determination. I know I wouldn't have been able to go back out there, much less take 2nd. I guess my little boy is pretty well all grown up. Earlier in the day he had 3rd and a fourth. He got pretty sore after the race and stiff the next day. He talked me into going to the northern part of the state and racing again with another club on Sunday. Once again he took a 2nd and a 3rd. I guess the crash didn't affect him one bit. It scared the heck out of me. That "Thanks God" sticker he put on his sled worked once again. Once again we are not sure about this weekend's race. The weather has been very warm and rainy. It's the last race of the year and it's a two day race. Hopefully we can get it in. We have a quite a bit of work to do, and Trevor's been hard at it since we got back. We'll let you know how it goes and if it goes. Have a great week! Thanks! Mike |
| 2/25/04 We had a great weekend on the sleds and the weather was nice also. It was the State Championships and Trevor really did a great job. In the first class on the big sled, he took a third. We were a little surprised to find a larger than normal track and we didn't have time to set up for it. In the 120 champ class, something happened with the motor and it didn't have a lot of power. We scrambled to make some adjustments and got it a little better for each heat race. I'm not sure how he did it, but he drove the skis off that thing and came in second. He really earned that one. We made some adjustments on the big sled. They were really working and Trevor was running a solid second after a bad starting spot. On the second last lap, the rear end got loose in the slush and he turned it around. He still got 5th and was very happy with the weekend. The club has already moved the race for next weekend up to Tomahawk. The lakes are pretty slushy around this area and it's supposed to get even warmer. Travis is working day and night on the race cars. It's getting pretty close to race season. He almost has the body done, and is putting the finishing touches on it for painting. We'll send some pictures along next week. Have a great week, and we'll let you know if we are able to keep dry. Thanks! Mike I forgot to write about Trevor being interviewed at the track. He was on the channel 26 news in Green Bay. Trevor looked like an old pro and did a great job. We are getting a copy of the tape. Speaking of TV. We stopped at gas station in Omro on the way home. A pickup truck that looked just like the one Paris Hilton drove in her reality show came driving in. It even sounded like it. A very excited woman and man came running up to us, grabbed me with a big bear hug, and kissed me on the cheek. To say the least I was very surprised!!! She said her and her husband were just talking about us and had seen Travis on TV a couple of times. They couldn't believe we were in their town. She talked with Trevor and wanted to know what we were going to do this year. I guess Travis has been on TV for a new racing show in the Madison area. I got a little scared when she came running at me. I gave her a box of gobstoppers and some cards and we made the rest of the trip without incident. Mike |
| 2/17/04 Trevor had "one of those" weekends. As good as it was last weekend, the gremlins came out to get us this weekend. Trevor said it was because of Friday the 13th. It was a beautiful weekend and the ice didn't like it. We learned quite a bit on what we have to do for the warmer weather. Trevor won his semi and really looked good. In the final the track broke loose and he finished with a 6th place on the big sled. Trevor won his first two races on the 120 and really looked strong. He was leading the final by about 4-sled lengths and the track started derailing because of the rough track. He ended up with a 5th. In the last class of the day, Trevor was running a strong 3rd and the sled in front of him spun out. He did a great job of avoiding the sled but ended up turning his around and got another 6th. Whew! it could have been 666 on fri. the 13th [LOL]. Hopefully we got rid of all the bad luck for the State Championships next week. They were going to be held in Shawano. Because of the heavy snow the water started coming up on top of the ice. They have moved the race to Tustin [near Fremont]. If anyone would be interested in going be sure to give me a call. 414-690-2215. It's a two day race and one of the biggest of the year. Have a great week and we'll let you know how it goes. Mike |
| 02/10/04 Great News!
Trevor got his
first win ever on the big sled. Trevor had his best race weekend ever.
It was a
nail biter and he worked his little butt off.
Trevor started
the day off on the big sled with a second place finish in the final. He
did a
great job of driving and actually led the race for the first 4 laps. He
got a
little over excited and drove a little too hard on the last lap. The
experienced driver behind him was right there to take advantage of the
slip up,
but we were still very happy with his second place, which at that time
was his
best finish ever.
Then Trevor had
his 120 champ race. We did a few things to try and get him that little
bit he
was lacking to get to the front. The changes worked great at the start,
but really
hurt him on the long run. He managed to be out front for a couple of
laps, but
then he got passed and was able to hold onto second once again. It's
kind of a
joke around the club that everyone is racing for second because of the
first
place sled being so fast. Now they are saying, they are racing for
third. We'll
keep on trying.
Then it was time
for Trevor's last race of the day on the big sled. He told me "that it
isn't going to happen again." I had to chuckle a little, he was talking
about driving too hard on the last lap. Trevor had a bad pick and had
to start
in the sixth position. He exploded out of the hole and went right to
the lead.
They were hot on his little butt, but he kept his concentration and
didn't over
drive it. What a finish, he won by about a sled length. It was only the
second
time that the usual first place sled was beat this year. Trevor got a
whole lot
of cheers, and quite a few hugs.
I guess the best
part of the weekend was, our church gives out bumper stickers that say
"THANKS GOD." Travis put one in each one of his cars on the dash.
This last week, Trevor asked if he could put one on the dash of his
snowmobile.
Boy, talk about choking you up. Trevor said after the race, "see it was
the sticker." It couldn't have been a better weekend.
I wish could say
things were going as good with Travis, but it's not going very well.
Travis is
working every night and weekend getting the cars ready, but it's not
going very
well for the sponsorship end. Dad's working day and night on that also,
but it
has not been very fruitful. I'll keep plugging away at it. If you would
have
any ideas or contacts for me, please let me know. Right now every
little bit
helps. Thanks Again, Mike |
| 020404 It was another cold morning. For the third week in a row we arrived to temperatures under -10 below. Just right. [LOL] Trevor made all 3-finals again. In his first race on the big sled, he got trapped to the outside and ended up with a 5th place finish. He didn't want that to happen again, so he kept the sled to the inside and after a bad start, fought his way back from 6th to 3rd. He was pretty happy with that finish on the big sled. Trevor had another good week on the 120 champ. He won his heats and went to the final. He got a bad pick for the start position, but really had an exciting race. He was once again right on the tail of the first place sled. We got the sled going a lot faster but so did the other sled. Once again he finished with a strong 2nd. This weekend we will be heading to WI Rapids. Hopefully we will see temperatures above zero for a change. Have a great week. Mike |
| 1/26/04 I hope everyone is surviving the cold and the snow, it's brutal out there! We arrived at the track Saturday morning to a balmy-12 degrees and a nice breeze from the North. The day didn't start out very well, the generator decided it was too cold to start. The rest of the day didn't go too much better. I guess you have to take the bad with the good. Trevor really liked the high bank oval on the big sled, he was flying. We had some problems with the hole shot though. When he hit the gas the track spun and put him last out of the hole. He did a great job of fighting his way back to a 4th place finish in the final. Trevor was really doing good in the 120 champ class also. He led for 3 1/2 laps and then his throttle stuck. Not a good thing. He crashed into another sled. Trevor had the wind knocked out of him once again, and the other driver was O.K. Thank God. Trevor ended up with a 5th in the final for that class. We detuned the big sled for the dayco class, hoping to stop the track from spinning. It worked great and Trevor won his semi final. In the final it came back to get him though. The track spun and once again he had to race his way up from the back. Trevor managed another 4th place. It was a bad day for ice conditions. When they flooded the track, we later found out that it had snowed and made the ice very soft and porous. Back to work and we'll let you know how next week goes. We will be racing at Lake Poygan this upcoming weekend at the Big City restaurant. Have a great week! Mik |
| 1/19/04 Trevor won the USSA World Championship in the 120 class Friday! It was a great race, Trevor had an excellent hole shot & led the entire race. Trevor got a World Champion driver jacket, It's hard to get it off of him. Trevor had probably his best weekend of racing ever. He made it to the finals in all six classes that he raced in. He managed to run the cycle. He had one of each finish, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and a sixth place where the motor burnt down. Travis and Trevor worked great together once again, and everyone had a fun and successful weekend. The weather was tough. We had snow every day, and it went down to -8 with a high of 4. It wouldn't have been too bad but the wind was blowing with -30 wind chills. We just got home tonight and everybody is trying to warm up. It was a tough but fun weekend and the ol'e bed is going to feel great tonight. I'll be sending a couple of pictures in other emails. Next week we will be heading to Gravity park in Chilton WI. It's a high banked oval that the kids love to race on, it's fast. I'll let you know how it goes. If anyone would like to come to a race, we would love to have you come. We have a real warm trailer that you can watch the race from. They also have a great clubhouse with large windows to watch the race. Just send me an email or call me at 262-690-2215. Have a great week! Mike |
| 1/14/04 Travis had his Slinger Speedway banquet this weekend. Our whole crew was able to attend and to say the least, we had a great time. Travis and the crew were given a special award. They received the "Best Crew" award. We received a huge plaque and a nice check to reward the crew for it's great appearance and performance throughout last year. The guys thought it was really nice. Back to work on the sleds and the car, no rest for the team. Have a great weekend! Mike |
| 1/14/04 Trevor had a great weekend at Plymouth. He raced on the big track like an old pro. Trevor led a couple of his heats to make it to the final, and came home with two 3rd place finishes in the Junior Novice classes. He also did a great job in the 120 champ class. Trevor won the first heat and made it to the final. He had a tough race and finished in second right on the tail of the top sled in that class. The boys have really been doing their homework on that sled, and it's really paying off. This weekend we are going to the world championships in Eagle River. Trevor will once again be running the big track. This is the fastest and biggest track he will be racing on this year. With the second place finish in champ, Trevor has now moved into 1st in points in the champ class. Have a great week and we'll let you know how it goes. Mike |
| 1/7/04 I hope everyone had a great Xmas & New Years. We had a great time and did a little relaxing for a change [I had to use my belt stretcher]. Trevor had his first race this last weekend. We kind of went to it not knowing what we had. The warm weather and rain pretty much took car of our practice time. Travis had to guess pretty much on the new setups we were trying. Trevor got a few laps in before the races. They were pretty close and made a couple of changes for the races. Trevor ended up making the finals with both of his sleds. He did a super job and Travis had done a great job with the new ideas. Trevor would have won the 120 Champ final, but he received an unfriendly boot in the back of the sled. Trevor managed to recover and still finished in second. Trevor had a great hole shot with the big sled [380cc]. He won a couple of heat races and shot out to 2nd in the final. The sled had a couple of handling problems but he hung in there to take 5th in the final. All in all it was a great start to the season, and I can see it getting even better. This weekend the boys will be going to the fairgrounds in Plymouth Wi. Trevor is looking forward to running his big sled on the 2nd biggest track he will be racing on this year. It's a 1/3 mile track with slight banking. They run the sleds pretty much wide open and reach speeds over 60 mph. It will be good test to get ready for the World Championships in two weeks in Eagle River. Have a great week, and I'll let you know how the boys do. Mike |