CHICAGO WHISPERS
by Stan Kalwasinski

June 19, 2013

By Stan Kalwasinski

Chicago, Ill.—Talk about parity, the Grundy County Speedway in Morris has seen eight different drivers score late model feature wins during the first eight main events held so far this season at the third-mile paved oval.  Unable to positively document it, this has to be some type of record – for the Chicago area and/or for the Midwest. 

             Anthony Danta won last Friday night in his Terry Laxton-owned No. 51 with Danta joining the likes of Larry Schuler, Paul Shafer Jr., Rich Bickle, Chris Cooling, Mark Sontag Jr., Billy Knippenberg and Eddie Hoffman, who had already tasted victory during the track’s weekly late model action.

             “The racing has been second to none,” said Race Director, Tom White.  “You would be hard pressed to find a better racing show in the Midwest as far as talent goes.  All the promotional tools and gimmicks are helpful, but they don’t replace great racing.  Good weather helps too, but the crowds have still been pretty good when the weather has been bad.

             “Grundy (which recently became an ASA Racing Member Track), is a popular racing facility.  We have had good car counts so far this season, especially in the late model division.  One night there were 28 late models in the pits.  We have been averaging over 20 a night so far.”

  Congratulations to modified speedster Nick Allen of Wheatfield, Ind.  The 30-year-old Allen topped a star-studded field of DIRTcar UMP modifieds last Friday night at Kankakee County Speedway for his first victory of the 2013 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals tour.

Nick Allen
 (Stan Kalwasinski Photo)

With 42 entries on hand, Allen captured the $1,000 checkered flag at the Tom Smith-promoted speedway, and put an end to UMP Modified national champion Devin Gilpin’s win streak. Allen started from the pole and held off third place starter Chad Kinder, with Denny Schwartz, Jeff Leka and Brian Ruhlman rounding out the top five. Defending tour champion Kenny Wallace was 10th in the feature.

Allen, a six-time track champion at his “home track” – the Shadyhill Speedway in Medaryville, has not had the best of luck at his local speedway, having won only two feature races so far this season.  Allen has three wins at Kankakee in 2013 and trails fellow Indiana racer Jamie Lomax in the current modified standings.

Three-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville kicked off Midwest dirt track racing’s 2013 Hell Tour with a big victory in the 30th Annual Hoosier Dirt Classic 40 lapper at Indiana’s Brownstown Speedway on June 12.

Erb opened the grueling six-week series in thrilling fashion, starting 18th and charging through the field to run down leader Jason Jameson with five laps to go and taking the checkered flag worth $5,000. Jameson was second with Shannon Babb, Bobby Pierce and Mike Jewell rounding out the top five.

A family vacation in North Carolina provided the opportunity to visit South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway last week for the track’s weekly Thursday night competition.  Four classes of NASCAR-sanctioned racing were in action, highlighted by the Whelen All-American Late Models.

Sam Yarbrough dominated the 40-lap late model headliner, starting front row pole and leading from start to finish to claim his third win of the season.  The 29-year-old Yarbrough, from nearby Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., piloted his Chad McCumbee-owned late model to a half-lap lead victory over Jake Engle.  Earlier in the evening, Yarbrough was the division’s fastest qualifier among a field of 14 entries.

(Left) Sam Yarbrough at speed during practice at South Carolina's Myrtle Beach Speedway.

(Right) Sam Yarbrough is joined by Miss Myrtle Beach Speedway Deava Harrelson after Yarbrough won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Late Model 40-lap feature at the South Carolina speedway on June 13.
(Stan Kalwasinski Photos)

The Super Truck class saw Hal Goodson, a champion of the old NASCAR All-Pro late model ranks, claim top honors in the 40-lap truck main event.  Ed Williams was the Charger division feature winner with Michael McKinnon winning the mini-stock feature.

(Left) Hal Goodson won the 40-lap Super Truck division feature at the Myrtle Beach Speedway on June 13.

(Right) Ed Williams was the winner of the Charger division main event at the Myrtle Beach Speedway on June 13.
(Stan Kalwasinski Photos)

Michael McKinnon grabbed top honors in the 20-lap mini-stock feature at the Myrtle Beach Speedway on June 13.
(Stan Kalwasinski Photo)

The big half-mile paved (actually 0.538-mile) speedway opened as a dirt track known as Rambi Raceway in 1958.  The track was paved in 1974 with the NASCAR Busch Series competing there from 1988 through 2000.  Over the years, a “who’s who” in NASCAR racing has competed there, including four generations of Pettys (Lee, Richard, Kyle and Adam) and three generations of Earnhardts (Ralph, Dale and Dale Jr.).

According to Bill Hennecy, who handles the track’s PR duties and other operational chores, the speedway switched to Thursday night for its weekly racing this year because of weekend traffic jams in and around the heavy tourist area of Myrtle Beach.

Good friend Pete Fileca of Calumet City passed away in his sleep on June 9 at the age of 76.  Fileca was a longtime fan of both local and national auto racing.  Fileca saw early stock car action at Chicagoland’s Raceway Park and caught the “racing bug.”  As a young mechanic, Fileca helped the likes of Don Oldenberg and Whitey Johnson during their stock car exploits in and around the Chicago area as well as on the old United States Auto Club circuit.  His last pit assignment was with Tom Kmak’s Lisa Thomas Salon racing team.

Fileca was a big fan of A.J. Foyt and collected a great deal of Foyt memorabilia over the years.  Fileca’s photo collection, featuring national and local tracks and drivers, was a definite one-of-a-kind collection in the area with a large amount of the pictures carrying personal autographs.

Fileca is survived by his children, Rhonda, Peter and Tony and his grandchildren.  Rest in Peace, Pete.

Pete Fileca (second from the left) joins driver Whitey Johnson (fourth from the left) and the rest of the crew for a picture before a USAC stock car race at the Milwaukee Mile in the early 1960s.
(John Lutzo Photo/Stan Kalwasinski Collection)

            The address for news and comments is 9618 Cypress Ave., Munster, Ind. 46321-3418 or e-mail to skalwasinski@yahoo.com.