National notebook
Notes: Bailes anxious for return to Cherokee
Ross Bailes (mrmracing.net)
If you're struggling, sometimes the best remedy is going home again.
That’s the case for Clover, S.C., driver Ross Bailes, as the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models return to the Palmetto State at Gaffney's Cherokee Speedway for March 26-27's Rock Gault Memorial, the most lucrative event in track history.
Bailes hopes the trip to Cherokee gets him back on a track after a slow start in the first six WoO events. With a single top-10 finish in his rookie season in February at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., the Florida-based Big Frog Motorsports team is going back to the drawing board before three straight weekends of racing.
“We have to get back to a basic package, something that works so when we unload, we’re in the ballpark,” Bailes said.
At Cherokee, Bailes as the opportunity to regain momentum at a track where he’s had a lot of success. Bailes has 10 career victories at Cherokee, including his first career WoO victory in May 2019. Bailes also had a 2019 Cherokee victory on the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series and is the track record-holder at the 4/10-mile oval with a 14.568-second lap.
“I think going to (Cherokee) will be good, because I know what kind of speed we have to have, and we’re going to go test on Thursday to see where we stack up,” Bailes said.
This weekend’s Rock Gault Memorial is a race where driver can stack up some cash. Friday's split-field semifeatures pay $5,000-to-win apiece while Saturday's main event pays $40,000-to-win — one of the tour's richest events of the season — along with $15,000 for second and $10,000 for third.
“If I could pick a track to go to that pays a lot of money that would be the track I pick, because it’s my home track and I have a lot of laps around it,” Bailes said. “I feel confident, but it still doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to outrun the field.”
In his most recent Super Late Model starts, Bailes posted third- and fourth-place finishes in unsanctioned action at Cochran (Ga.) Motor Speedway on March 12-13. Even though he’s happy with those finishes, Bailes knows Cherokee is a different animal.
“It gets really slick at (Cochran) and I don’t think we’ll see the same track condition (at Cherokee)," Bailes said, "but when Cochran had a little bit of grip in it, I felt good.” — Mike Warren
Kratzer back into Supers
Chris Kratzer of Haysville, Kan., started his Late Model career in the Super Late Model division, but he's successfully competed in the Crate Late Model class the last several seasons with the dearth of open-competition Late Models in his region.
But the 50-year-old racer, a four-time Crate champion with the National Championship Racing Association, is moving back up to Supers in 2021 and chasing the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year honors on the Missouri-based Lucas Oil Midwest LateModel Racing Association. He joins Justin Reed of Camp Point, Ill., and Jake Timm of Winona, Minn., in the rookie chase.
“It’s quite a jump to get back into this,” said Kratzer, who made the move at the urging of good friend and multitime MLRA winner Ryan Gustin. "When I ran open engines before we were running 18 degrees, and now were running wide-bore, 10 degree, 11 degree, and technology has changed a lot since then, so it’s going to be a big learning curve for sure.”
He's prepared for make the adjustment in his Clements-powered Barry Wright Race Car.
“With a Crate everybody has the same engine and it’s all about your shocks and your suspension. We can run stacks and do about everything you can on the open cars, it’s just adjusting from 850 horsepower to 425 horsepower," Kratzer said. "Doubling the horsepower, you’re going to have more load in the right front — the adjustments are going to be different, but the same theories apply, just at a different level.”
Kratzer traveled years ago to NCRA Super events, Topless Outlaw Racing Association events and occasional MLRA races, but it will also be an adjustment competing over eight Midwestern states on this year's MLRA circuit.
“We are going to try and keep it in once piece, that’s the goal to start with and getting better as we go," said Kratzer, who is scheduled to compete in MLRA's April 9-10 opener at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. "I think it will come fairly fast, we have good support with Ryan helping me and Barry and Lance Wright. Winning Rookie of the Year would be a major success, but we just want to learn, build a notebook back up with these open engines, race clean, and get some good finishes without tearing any equipment up. That’s a win for me any week, anywhere.
“I know it’s going to be a challenge, but I never back away from a challenge” — Billy Rock
More Late Model notes
• The Bi-State Battle Late Model Series, 22 alternating races between Highland (Ill.) Speedway and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., will pay $5,000 to the miniseries champion, officials announced. Events will use a passing-points format with I-55 starting 24 cars in each event and Highland starting 18 cars (Highland events will add up to two provisionals from drivers among the top 10 in miniseries points). The miniseries opener at April 3 at Highland.
• Duck River Raceway Park owner Bob Harris says the Wheel, Tenn., oval is for sale as he plans to return his concentration to his Preferred Sandblasting company. Harris, who will operate the race in the meantime, said he plans to sell the track only to someone who will continue auto racing at the facility. Duck River's season opener is March 27. Interested buyers should call Harris at (931) 205-8150.
• Work continues at Willard (Ky.) Speedway to reopen the track under new owners Terry and Erin Hicks. The track, idle since 2016, hasn't announced a schedule or opening date but plans to run unsanctioned Super Late Models (open-tire rule) and Crate Late Models sanctioned by the American Crate All-Stars, among other divisions. The eastern Kentucky track that opened in 1997 was formerly owned by Richie Edwards.
• Doug Leonard has been named race director of Humberstone Speedway in Port Colborne, Ontario. Leonard serves in several officiating roles at tracks and tours, including as race director for the big-block modified Super DIRTcar Series. The Terry Vince-owned track has scheduled its first race for May 30 with Crate Late Models among divisions on the card.
• Supporters of Arizona Speedway and ET Motocross Park in Queen Creek, Ariz., have created a petition in an attempt to keep the facility open. Track owner Jonah Trussel announced last week the Arizona State Land Department forced the closure of the tracks because of noise amid the neighboring development plans. Sign the petition here.
