TERRE HAUTE —
If you’re looking to pick a winner for Saturday night’s season opener at the Terre Haute Action Track, look no farther than the familiar No. 53 Foxco Sprinter driven by Jon Stanbrough.
It’s a combination that has practically dominated the non-wing competition at the local half-mile clay in recent years — a winning trend that Stanbrough hopes to continue in the upcoming Don Smith Classic.
The Brownsburg-based operation is the defending race winner of the Midwest Sprint Car Series-sanctioned event and appears primed to continue its successful ways.
Stanbrough is already off to a fast start in 2010, having notched a pair of feature wins, including last weekend’s Mike Johnson Memorial at Paragon Speedway.
With nine Action Track feature wins to his credit, one would think Stanbrough is dialed into the track surface. That’s not totally true, according to one of open-wheel racing’s hottest drivers.
“Dirt tracks are never really the same,” explained Stanbrough, a two-time Hulman Classic victor. “They are constantly changing, even during an event. So it’s always a guessing game to a point.
“I drive the race track the way it is prepared. I don’t set myself as a one-style driver. I go to every race track with a good attitude. I try not to get involved emotionally if the track is hard-slick or heavy and rough.”
As for his success here, Stanbrough says it makes it easier pulling into Terre Haute knowing that on most nights his team is the one to beat.
“Obviously we enjoy coming here, what with the success we’ve had,” he noted. “It doesn’t hurt going in knowing that you might have the upper hand. You expect to win and that’s a big plus.”
What few fans don’t know is that Stanbrough first race locally was not in sprint but a stock car, a SAC stock car. “It had to be in ‘86 or ‘87,” he said of his Action Track debut.
“I think the first time in a sprint car was in the early ’90s. It’s a place I’ve enjoyed running at, what with all its tradition,” he added.
His first win here came in 2000.
“I don’t know what the success rate is for the guys down here [Terre Haute],” Stanbrough said, “but I’d like to come and add to my record. If I don’t have it [most wins, held by the late Rich Vogler with 13], I’d like add to what I have.”
Few, including the competition, will be betting against him.
• • •
• Hut 100 update —The weather was less than ideal, but from all indications last Saturday’s Hut Hundred midget classic run at Tri-State Speedway came off without a hitch.
Promoter Tom Helfrich couldn’t be happier with the way the night went. While the race was a little nippy weather-wise, it featured a full field of cars and some great racing.
“I can’t remember having a show that cold or windy over the past 20 years, but things went well. It was a great start to an event we want to build on,” offered the second-generation promoter.
Building for the future of the event weighs heavily on the future of midgets, something that is of major concern for promoters and fans alike.
Helfrich is encouraged with the cooperation shown by co-sanctioning bodies USAC and POWRi in keeping the Hut alive.
“I was really impressed with the continuity and cooperation there was between USAC and POWRi,” he said. “It was good to see both sides working together.
“With that continuity, we’re going to make this thing work. It was a great start. I was tickled with the great amount of interest shown after the race. We are already building for next year.”
• Car show success — A big tip of the hat goes to Terre Haute North High School for putting on yet another outstanding motorsports show.
Last week’s show may have been the last for its founder and longtime organizer Chuck Boehler, who will be retiring after 37 years of teaching at North.
The latest version of the show drew more than 70 entries. That’s a far cry from the meager six entries that showed for North’s first show 16 years ago.
While some expressed concern about the future of the show — with Boehler’s impending retirement — those close to the likable and hard-working educator know he isn’t about to totally abandon his prize project anytime soon.
One of the many drivers on hand was Terre Haute racer Daren Krockenberger. His sprinter was carrying the Dad Old Fashion Root Beer sponsorship livery.
His visit at North was one of a 15-stop Dads promotional tour that also included an Indy car machine.
It was nice to see Chuck Wallen at the show. It was his second day out after a lengthy and uncertain hospital stay over the past couple months.
Joe Buckles can be reached at jbuckles4@verizon.net.
Trackside
Trackside: Rolling with Jon Stanbrough in Action Track’s season opener
- Trackside
-
-
TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Momentum, an element that can be as elusive to a race driver as that perfect setup, can spell the difference in winning or running at the rear of the pack.
It’s a force difficult to achieve and maybe even harder to maintain. One learns quickly to make the most of the opportunity when it comes his way.
It’s something Chase Stockon will carry with him coming into today’s Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Only days following the biggest victory of his young and promising career, the $10,000-to-win USAC feature at Lawrenceburg, Stockon followed that up with another rich payday this past weekend at Tri-State Speedway. -
TRACKSIDE: Stanbrough continues points chase after recent skirmish with rival
Veteran sprint car driver Jon Stanbrough has never been one to hide his distaste for chasing point championships. It simply doesn’t bode well with his style of racing.
-
TRACKSIDE: Brett Andrew plays role in developing NASCAR's new body styles
The recent announcement from NASCAR regarding the approved body styles for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series follows extensive wind-tunnel testing that was a year in the making.
-
TRACKSIDE: Stockon takes giant step forward in USAC
One of the more impressive and welcomed storylines of the recently completed Indiana Sprint Week was the emergence of area driver Chase Stockon on the national sprint car scene.
-
TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
-
TRACKSIDE: Late models may have no long-term future in Indiana
Reflecting on what was billed as the biggest week of the summer for dirt-track stock-car racing … while preparing to shift gears for the busiest week of the year for non-wing sprint-car racing in the Wabash Valley.
-
TRACKSIDE: Summer heat has made this ‘The Hell Tour’
It is fittingly billed as “The Hell Tour” for many of the Midwest’s leading late model stock car drivers and their crews.
-
TRACKSIDE: Retired driver LaJoie spreads the word of safety
In his roles as past driving champion and television analyst, Randy LaJoie has rightfully earned the reputation as a major contributor to the sport of auto racing.
-
Trackside: Stanbrough on track at midseason
When veteran driver Jon Stanbrough ushered in a new season in Florida back in February, he found himself facing a pair of unfamiliar challenges.
-
TRACKSIDE: Clauson bucks the IndyCar trend
On the surface, the distance from the dirt oval at Lincoln Park Speedway to the massive, paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway may appear only a few miles apart.
-
TRACKSIDE: USAC Midget Classic not nearly as revered as it once was
It might be three years removed from its birthplace but the Hut Hundred USAC Midget Classic still holds a special place in the hearts of Wabash Valley racing buffs.
-
TRACKSIDE: What could have been: Indy’s folklore got richer this week
It’s a question that will linger for years and only add to the folklore of the Indianapolis 500.
-
TRACKSIDE: Sprint car event could generate close racing
One of the hottest and most competitive weekends of the 2012 motorsports season gets under way tonight at the Terre Haute Action Track with the scheduled running of the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic.
-
TRACKSIDE: Mulling over the biggest weekend in motorsports
We’re approaching what has traditionally become one of the busiest and most prestigious weekends in all of motorsports.
-
TRACKSIDE: Helfrich: Short-track racing has good future
When questions arise regarding the current state of sprint car racing, whether they be at the local or national level, one doesn’t have to search much further for the answer than veteran promoter Tom Helfrich.
-
TRACKSIDE: Near-capacity crowd turns out for opening night of racing
Opening night at one of the midwest’s premier short track operations can be like no other time of the year.
-
TRACKSIDE: Racing season has promise
With several “test and tunes” sessions and season openers having already taken the green flag, it’s a sure sign the Wabash Valley racing campaign is shifting into high gear.
-
TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
A look back on the 2011 Wabash Valley auto racing season reveals the best and worst of times the sport has to offer.
-
TRACKSIDE: Menard's victory at Brickyard momentous for family, race fans
Who says one of those familiar bright fluorescent-colored Menards race cars can’t find its way to victory lane at Indianapolis?
-
TRACKSIDE: After a delayed start, the Terre Haute Action Track gets season cranked up
Its arrival may have been delayed by several months — for a host of reasons — but the 2011 Terre Haute Action Track season is finally out of the blocks.
-
TRACKSIDE: Changes come up on Indiana racing scene
With the highly anticipated USAC Indiana Sprint Week sprint card on tap at the Terre Haute Action Track tonight and the Tony Hulman/Don Smith Classic and a host of events leading up to the Brickyard 400 looming on the horizon, it would appear that it’s the best of times for Wabash Valley racing buffs.
-
TRACKSIDE: Fortunes of dirt track racing at Action Track can be written in the dust
In the 40 plus years of covering motorsports, it would appear the process of writing this weekly race column would come together rather routinely.
-
TRACKSIDE: Auto racing in May in Indiana runs on history and tradition
Possibly nowhere in the sports world does history and tradition play such a key role in an event’s success and future as that found in auto racing.
-
TRACKSIDE: Wabash Valley racing ready to take green flag — even Action Track
Despite having already lost several bouts to the elements, the 2011 Wabash Valley motorsports season has taken the green flag and will soon be shifting into high gear on several fronts.
-
TRACKSIDE: Fitzpatrick on track to continue impressive start to racing career
One of the top stories on the Wabash Valley motorsports stage last season was the emergence of Blake Fitzpatrick as a legitimate front-runner on the national sprint-car scene.
-
Frightening finish to season at Terre Haute Action Track
The 2010 Terre Haute Action Track season came to a climactic close over the weekend. Unfortunately, the campaign closed on a near-tragic note for the second consecutive year.
-
Trackside: Attractive USAC sprint car card this weekend
With the area circle track season rapidly drawing to a close, fans will have a pair of attractive USAC sprint car cards to attend this weekend. Back-to-back shows at Lincoln Park Speedway and Terre Haute Action Track not only offer fans a final opportunity to see the sprints in action one final time, but they also serve as pivotal stops in the chase for the USAC sprint car drivers championship.
-
Trackside: Sadler’s wreck brings up memories for Terre Haute racer Sizemore
One of the many fans that viewed Elliott Sadler’s wild crash at Pocono over the weekend with more than casual interest was former Terre Haute racer Paul Sizemore.
-
Trackside: Talented young racer Blake Fitzpatrick savoring USAC success
The dust has long settled. The congratulatory phone calls and handshakes are becoming less frequent but that first taste of victory remains as fresh and sweet as ever for the U.S. Auto Club’s newest first-time sprint car feature winner.
-
Trackside: Positive story lines in USAC
Reflections on events surrounding a highly successful USAC Indiana Sprint Weeks while looking forward to a crowded schedule of events leading up to this weekend’s Brickyard 400.
- More Trackside Headlines
-
TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
AP Photograher: 'It Was a Miracle' They Got Out
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big
MLB Hoping for Large Replay Expansion in 2014
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
Olivia Munn Flaunts Her Bikini Bod
Britney Spears Under Fire Once Again For Being A Bad Mom
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
Nidal Hasan paid $278K while awaiting trial
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
