The Mid-Am Racing Series, formerly Mid American Stock Car Series, is an elite sportsman traveling stock car racing series in the Midwestern United States. The cars are based on a 108" metric stock frame, less costly suspension parts and a maximum of 358 cubic inch engine. The car's roll cage and chassis were made of a design very similar to the same chassis a previous design of NASCAR cup chassis, but have also included more modern safety features such as plated door bars and the "Earnhardt bar [ broken anchor ]" which runs from the roof to the dash. The series runs primarily on paved racetracks but also appears on dirt and road courses. The series is the highest form of racing available to sportsman-style, GM metric chassis stock cars.
The Vercauteren brothers, during some time off in their hotel room in Daytona Beach, Florida during Speedweeks in February 1993, came up with the concept of a new asphalt series – the Mid-American Stock Car series. “Essentially the idea was to take the concept of the steel-bodied grand national cars that had been so popular on the dirt at Chilton Fairgrounds and create a traveling series on paved tracks throughout the Midwest.” [1]
During the first two years the series ran in ’93 and ’94 the Vercauteren’s were able to secure dates at legendary tracks like the Milwaukee Mile and Road America in Elkhart Lake cementing itself as a formidable racing series. The Series was at one time a support class for the ARTGO Challenge Series. The Mid American corporation expanded to a traveling Supertruck Series named the Midwest Super Truck Series in 1995 and a traveling Super Late Model Series, [2] named the Midwest All-Star Racing Series (MARS) in 1999. The expansion also included the Stock Car Classics in 2004 and the American Stock Car League (ASL) in 2005. The death of Vercauteran in October 2005 led to the purchase of Mid-American by longtime employees Doug and Julie Strasburg. The Strasburgs kept only the Mid American Stock Car Series while MARS and ASL were dissolved. The Stock Car Classics split into two groups (Classic Racing Series and Midwest Stock Car Classics). The Super Trucks were absorbed into the United States Super Trucks or USST.[ citation needed ]
When the Strasburgs took over Mid American in 2006, the series was struggling with car counts and tracks willing to host races. The average car count average jumped from 20 entrants per race to 27. A season high 39 participants ran at the Milwaukee Mile during the Governor's Cup Weekend. Several tracks have renewed relationships with the Mid-American Stock Car Series such as the Golden Sands Speedway, Marshfield Super Speedway, Dells Raceway Park and Road America. [3]
Dave Gruenberg took over ownership on October 22, 2014. Working with Gary Vercauteran, Doug Stasburg, and Julie Stasburg previously made this an easy transition. [4] [5] Teams were intrigued when series owner Dave Gruenberg revealed a 2017 schedule that would have them competing on consecutive days at a couple of very different venues. Veteran drivers and newcomers alike were sent into their respective think tanks to consider how best confront these challenges.[ citation needed ] On Thursday, May 25 a race was held on the 1 mile dirt oval of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. In a show of versatility, less than 24 hours later on May 26, the VERY same drivers AND cars took to the track 21 miles to the west, for 40 laps of feature racing on the pavement at the fast 5/8-mile Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana. Competing at the event was retired NASCAR star, Ken Schrader. [6]
The series was sold by Gruenberg to former La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway flagman Greg Oliver in early February 2017. Oliver ran both the Great Northern Sportsmen Series and Midwest Dash Series. All three series became a part of the GO Racing Promotions organization. [7]
The Mid-American Stock Car Series was sold by Oliver to former Mid-Am competitors Tim Scrogham and Cheryl Hryn in early November 2020 and rebranded the Mid-Am Racing Series. With the rebrand the series returned to dirt racing as part of an effort to diversify the schedule. 2023 was the first year for a "dirt double header" July 14-July 15 at Kankakee County Speedway and Sycamore Speedway. Mentorship from both Greg Oliver as well as the Stasburgs have been instrumental in the resurgence of the series.
The following tracks are scheduled to host at least one event in 2024: [14]
Super Truck Series Race ONLY:
Year | Driver | References |
---|---|---|
1993 | Eddie Hoffman | |
1994 | Eddie Hoffman | |
1995 | Eddie Hoffman | [17] |
1996 | Mark Pluer | [17] |
1997 | Jeff Storm | |
1998 | Jeff Storm | [17] |
1999 | Rick Corso | [17] |
2000 | Bill Prietzel | |
2001 | James Swan | [17] |
2002 | Rod Brewe | [17] |
2003 | Bill Prietzel | |
2004 | Peter Hernandez | [18] |
2005 | Bill Prietzel | |
2006 | James Swan | |
2007 | James Swan | |
2008 | James Swan | |
2009 | Paul Neisius | |
2010 | Lyle Nowak | |
2011 | James Swan | |
2012 | Jeremy Spoonmore | [19] |
2013 | Brad Keith | |
2014 | Jeff Holtz | |
2015 | Jeff Holtz | [20] |
2016 | Ryan Gutknecht | |
2017 | Dan Glister | [21] |
2018 | Ron Vandermeir Jr. | |
2019 | Ron Vandermeir Jr. | |
2020 | Ron Vandermeir Jr. | |
2021 | Ron Vandermeir Jr. | |
2022 | Ron Vandermeir Jr. | |
2023 | Clayton Curts | |
2024 | Scotty Gardner, Jr. |
The series honors its founder Gary Vercauteran with a race each year after beginning as an event honoring his parents. [22] The race was often held as part of the Red, White, and Blue state championship event at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR). The 2007 event at WIR was rained out, so it was held at 141 Speedway which is the track next closed to Vercauteran's hometown Chilton. [22] The 2010 event was held at Road America. [22] It began in Vercauteran's hometown dirt track in Chilton Fairgrounds before the series' origin. [22] It has been held at a variety of tracks since then. The 25th annual Vercauteran Memorial winner returned to WIR and was won by Tyler Bauknecht (whose family had traveled with the Vercauteran family in the early days of the series). [23]
Richard Allen Bickle Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Now retired from NASCAR racing, Bickle, who never completed a full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, had a long history in short track racing. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described him in 2012 as a "stud on the short tracks in the late 1980s and early '90s and a journeyman who rarely caught a break in NASCAR." He won three NASCAR truck races and had a career-best fourth-place finish in the Cup Series in 218 career NASCAR starts.
The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks in their ASA Member Track program along with racing series in the United States and Canada. The ASA currently sanctions the STARS National Tour, the Midwest Tour, the Southern Super Series and all CRA sanctioned series.
Jim Sauter was an American stock car racing driver from Necedah, Wisconsin. He formerly raced in all three of NASCAR's national series, and is best known for having been a test driver for the International Race of Champions, as well as winning two championships in the Midwest-based ARTGO Challenge Series.
The Wisconsin International Raceway is an asphalt stock car racing oval and dragstrip in the Town of Buchanan, in Outagamie County, just outside Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA.
The Madison International Speedway (MIS) is a half-mile paved oval racetrack in the Town of Rutland near Oregon, Wisconsin, United States. With 18-degree banked turns, the track is billed as "The Track of Champions" and "Wisconsin's Fastest Half Mile." The weekly program at the track runs on Friday nights under NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series sanction.
Nathan Haseleu is a racecar driver from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. His career peaked in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with four Top 10 finishes for Roush Racing. Haseleu has also competed in the ASA Midwest Tour, the CRA Super Series, and the Wisconsin Challenge Series. He lives in Marshall, Dane County, Wisconsin.
Dells Raceway Park (DRP), formerly known as the Dells Motor Speedway, is a car racing raceway located in the town of Lyndon, in Juneau County, north of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin just off of U.S. Route 12/Wisconsin Highway 16. It is a 1/3 mile asphalt track that is used for stock car racing. The track has hosted races featuring the ARTGO Challenge Series, the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series, the ARCA Midwest Tour, the Mid-American Stock Car Series, the Wisconsin Challenge Series, the Must See Racing.com Xtreme Sprint Car Series, Alive for Five Series, TUNDRA Super Late Models, and the Central Wisconsin Racing Association. The track, which opened in 1958, sits on 38 acres (150,000 m2) of land.
There has been auto racing in Illinois for almost as long as there have been automobiles. Almost every type of motorsport found in the United States can be found in Illinois. Both modern and historic tracks exist in Illinois, including NASCAR's Chicagoland Speedway and Gateway International Speedway. Notable drivers from Illinois include Danica Patrick, Tony Bettenhausen, and Fred Lorenzen.
The ASA Midwest Tour is a pavement Super Late Model auto racing series based in the Midwestern United States with its headquarters in Oregon, Wisconsin. It was a developmental series of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), and currently of the American Speed Association, along with the CRA Super Series.
Rockford Speedway was a 1/4 mile short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Up until its demolition in 2023, Rockford Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway were the only racetracks running under NASCAR sanctions in Illinois.
Joe Shear, Sr. was an American stock car racing driver from Clinton, Wisconsin. He won an estimated 350 races in his career, including four of his last five races. Fred Nielsen, Shear's car owner from 1975 to 1984 and 1986 to 1994, said that his team won 250 races and he estimates that Shear won 600 races. He won at least 30 track or touring series championships in his career. Even though he was known as a pavement driver, two of those championships were on the dirt at Freeport, Illinois.
The La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a semi-banked asphalt oval racetrack in West Salem, Wisconsin. The outer track is 5/8 mile and the inner track is a 1/4 mile. The speedway has progressive banking in the corners, from 5 degrees on the bottom to 11 degrees on the top. The track was built at the fairgrounds for La Crosse County. It used to host an event on the American Speed Association (ASA) and the ASA Late Model Series before the demise of the series. It currently hosts annual touring events on the ARCA Midwest Tour and Mid American Stock Car Series. It hosts weekly stock car races which are sanctioned by the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. It was the first NASCAR-sanctioned race track in Wisconsin.
Tim Schendel is an American professional stock car racing driver. A past winner of the Toyota All-Star Showdown and champion of the NASCAR Midwest Tour, he has also competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the ASA Midwest Tour.
Ross Kenseth is an American stock car racing driver who currently competes part-time in the Blizzard Series. He is the son of 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth. He has competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Midwest Tour, CRA Super Series and ARCA Racing Series.
Scott Hansen is an American stock car driver from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Now retired, Hansen primarily competed in the American Speed Association. He raced for several years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series.
Tyler Brad Majeski is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 98 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing, as well as in late model racing. He has also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Menards Series, and ARCA Menards Series West in the past. He is the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
Sheldon Michael Creed is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Haas Factory Team.
Charles Russell "Chase" Purdy III is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports.
Louis Goss is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the ARCA Midwest Tour, driving the No. 36 Chevrolet.
Dave Watson is an American racing driver from Milton, Wisconsin. Watson was the 1977 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year. He raced five NASCAR Winston Cup races with one Top 10. Watson won in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), Grand American and IMSA.